yarn parade and a party

Posted on Posted in projects, yarn and dyeing

sometimes, you just gotta lick the wrapper, too.

wow, can i just say?? all weekend long i thought it was the 10th today. i just realized it’s not; it’s the 8th, and i’m SO happy for that (ok, well now it’s the 9th, but still—i have two more days than i thought).

monday is a day of classes for me, and today my afternoon group met at janet’s house for our annual christmas party get-together. her place looked so pretty

we knitted and laughed . . . and ate—janet made some delicious snacks and a beautiful dessert

this is a class that has been meeting for almost five years together at this time; it’s amazing how the months fly by when we enjoy each other’s company so much.

i worked on the scarf i’m knitting for my mom and exhausted one ball of yarn; i’m almost halfway to the finish on that, i think.

yesterday i told you that i had a bunch of new yarn i wanted to share—while we were away over thanksgiving, the post office held our mail. then there was a mixup about what date to deliver it to us, and we ended up with a big boxful to go through on friday. so there is quite a concentration of yarn love here, but i think you’ll think it’s fun—let’s get started.

kristine from a verb for keeping warm sent me a lovely package with a couple of skeins of her yarns

wow, that blue-gray alpaca lace yarn just about knocked my socks off when i saw it. i’m going to be mulling over that one for an early spring project i think.

she also sent along along a bevy of merino and merino/silk samples

which look simply delicious. that one on the left . . wow; i love that.

kristine just opened a new workshop/retail space in berkeley that sounds great; if you live in the area, drop in and say hi—i’m sure she would love to show you her beautiful fiber and yarn selections.

i also got a package of goodies from miss babs, a dyer, teacher, and retailer who started carrying my patterns in her online shop a few months ago. she recently emailed to ask if i’d like to try some of her yarn, and i tried to fend her off—i really did (NOT; i’m a liar, liar pants on fire).

actually i went to take a look at the sock yarns in her shop and immediately zeroed in on her terracopper colorway.

it really is terracopper, too. babs was nice enough to send it in three different fiber blends—you know, just in case. top to bottom we have whatta skein, a generously-sized skein of sportweight merino yarn. in the middle is yummy, a squooshy sock/baby weight merino yarn. and at the bottom, there is yet a merino/silk laceweight. all are soft and enticing . . . sigh.

then i had a package from cheryl, who found a bit more of the yarn i’m using to knit the wiggle scarf, and since she was sending that, she decided to add some bunny patch spinning fiber to the box.

this is a rich colorway named damascus—it will be really nice to spin during the cold months after christmas, yum.

ok, now, are you ready for this? i saved the big box from kim at the woolen rabbit for last. i know there are a bunch of woolen rabbit fans out there and you should see what kim’s been cooking up in her studio. she’s got new fibers, new colors, and new excitement all over again. she said she was “dropping a few things in the mail” for me and when the big box arrived i grinned . . . that’s kim for ya.
inside, was what can only be described as a knitting orgasm—wanna see?

first there is a bundle of her ultra-soft merino roving in the sandra dee colorway—how pretty is that??

then there was the yarn . . . well, first let’s look at a yarn she actually sent me a little while back that i haven’t told you about yet.

she’s got the bambino thang goin’ on over there now and wow, it’s almost edible in this mama mia colorway.

then there is a trio of whisper merino lace, in (clockwise from the top) chiquita, oakmoss, and new england red. we’ll be using these colors to knit the faroese version of the autumn arbor stole in january. i can’t decide which one of these i want for mine . . . i’m leaning toward the burning embers . . .

then i pulled out these two beautiful skeins

this is kim’s seacell silk which is not available in her shop just yet, but which she talked about on her blog the other day. mmm, it’s gorgeous—soft, with a sheen and feels like it will have a fine drape. i’m eager to try it; i haven’t knit with anything seacell yet, and i’m curious about its properties.

ok, now this one should just be illegal, right?? it’s the incredibly lovely tranquilo alpaca lace yarn in colorway black velvet. the fact that it shares a name with both a whiskey and a dark chocolate cake does not escape me—it’s at least equally sinful.
kim searched for some time this year to find just the right alpaca yarn base; we had several email conversations about what makes or breaks an alpaca yarn. one thing we both agree on is that alpaca yarn with lots of hair just doesn’t cut it. and as you can see, she patiently located a nearly-hairless yarn that takes dye beautifully and is seriously silky. that’s why we love her.

and just in case i was running low on sock yarn, kim lovingly folded a skein of her harmony sock into the last possible space in the box

that’s the new norwegian woods colorway—kim and i share a love of greens and foresty colors.

wow, i think i need a cigarette after that, whew.

and with that i think it’s time i went on to the next piece of work; we have another mitt/hat set to release and i need to prepare it. so if i’m going to get any knitting done tonight at all, i better shove off—there are a million things to do around here.

31 thoughts on “yarn parade and a party

  1. Ahhhhh. Thank you for all that warmth, this chilly snowy morning. Whatta boxful.

  2. Kim is such a dear – I love her colorways too. What a great bunch of eye-candy to start off a dreary Tuesday for me!

  3. Thank you for all of the colorful yarn pr0n on such a dark, cold, and gray day. Love Kim’s “little something” in the mail. 🙂 Such a generous soul she is. I think you are right about the Ultra-Merino roving- looks like Sandra Dee to me.

  4. My chin hit the floor. Now, to wipe up the drool. The black velvet is awesome — but I like the others too. Wow, all that inspiration just waiting for you….

    Enjoy! Thanks for sharing.

  5. Thanks for sharing! That seacell looks yummy- I haven’t knit with it before either. And that Black Velvet alpaca is making me drool. I definitely need some of that- but I’m on a yarn diet right now… I might have to cheat now, though.

  6. Thanks for letting us watch you open your mail. What a haul! That Black Velvet takes the cake! Kinda seems like Christmas morning may be a little of a let down after that package opening session 😉

  7. Woolen Rabbit has the best yarns ever! I’m working on Rivolo using her Opulence yarn in the Red Flannel colorway and it’s GORGEOUS.

  8. What can I say. I want it all.
    But especially that Black Velvet, whew. It would complement everything in my wardrobe, I think. But maybe I’ll get a Christmas check from someone. Can’t splurge on me this time of year. But lovely to look at, I must say! Can’t wait to see what you do with it all!

  9. WOW! I think I need a cigarette too…and I didn’t even get to touch all of that wonderful yarn!! Thanks for sharing – and enabling (ha ha). I always appreciate when people share stories about their stash. Don’t know if my husband does, though…;-)

  10. Kim’s colorways are spectacular, aren’t they? I recently ordered Pumpkin and Neptune and the photos on her site do not do it justice. The seacell silk sounds heavenly too.

  11. *swooning* Thanks for sharing all that yummy yarn and fiber goodness. There are a least five yarns in there that I have to have right this minute – now!

    And the squirrel photo is just too funny!

  12. Whew, that was a serious yarn fix. I will have to add my vote on the Black Velvet – that was truely sumptious. Have a glorious time with your new stash items.

  13. you get the best.mail.ever!
    It’s a good thng I don’t live on your street…I might be tempted to bribe your mailman 🙂

  14. All I want for Christmas is YOUR STASH! Or maybe just the chance to play with it.

    Beautiful stuff!

  15. I love the squirrel photo! It’s also interesting to see the difference in color between the three blends of terra cotta yarn…very slight, but yet still different.

  16. Kim’s yarns ARE orgasmic! I love when I recieve a package from her–it’s savored. Have not used her seacell but have used Fleece Artist. Lovely stuff. Good stitch definition and shine. Drapes really well and every so often you get a whiff of the sea.
    Love the new hat and mitts.

  17. I don’t check your blog for ONE DAY and you spring all this beautiful yarn. If I drool any more I’m going to short out the keyboard. And the squirrel is too cute!

  18. unfotunately, i’m a day behind so i keep thinking i have more time than i do! (fortunately, that’s less work days…)

    i was wondering about the faroese version of autumn arbors – i’ve been wanting to see the way you’d work the leaves into a shaped shawl. of course, i don’t need to be tempted by another one for the queue! (well…at least not until after the christmas knitting is done…)

  19. What a lovely box of goodies to come back to! Such rich, delectable colors… makes me want to lick my monitor. Mmm.

    Miss Babs’ sock yarn is FABULOUS, for serious. Luminous colors, great hand… just marvelous. I am currently knitting socks with a ball of Yummy picked up at Stitches East, and oh my gods, it’s great. Simply great. I really think you’ll enjoy working with her yarn. 😀

  20. As a vegan, I don’t really get tempted by the food stuff that you normally hear people complaining about – cheese, etc. But I DO get tempted by yarn, and this post is really hard to look at! Luckily I am a bit flexible and have managed to find some really beautiful recycled wool and other animal fiber yarn on Etsy, some hand-dyed, so I can get it that way.

  21. Wow!! I forgot how great all your photos of nature are (and the yarn and knitting too).
    In the process of switching computers several months ago, I got out of the habit of reading my favorite blogs. Well, I’m back and so glad to see all your wonderful photos and read your great posts. Of course, it’s no less dangerous for my wallet than before I see. (sigh)
    So glad you’re still here writing and designing away.

  22. SO I’m a little late to the party but I think I have coined a new phrase — it’s a yarngasm! Black velvet if you please. Remember that song?

  23. I have a love hate relationship with your yarn parades when you do them. I love them but my wallet hates the way it gets squeezed immediately afterward as I find all these new yarns and colors that I want right away. Ok, really it’s just a love relationship, after all who cares what my wallet thinks.

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