Mmmm....Yarn....

I have had a great bit of finishing going on here. I finished my fibonacci striped sweater that I dyed the yarn for last year. I started and finished my first sweater out of handspun. It started as a wonderful Shetland fleece in a natural caramel color. It matches a pair of my fall boots exactly. I’m very happy with how robust this yarn and therefore the sweater turned out. It feels like it can take some abuse yet isn’t unpleasantly scratchy. In fact it isn’t scratchy at all. I’m sold and will have to spin some more Shetland fleeces. I’m well on my way to finishing my first cabled sweater. I also knitted until I ran out of yarn on a childs hoodie…

Which brings me to what else I have been doing. Let me start at the beginning. 2 years ago I bought enough Mission Falls cotton yarn to make 2 baby sweaters. I finished one and loved it but decided I didn’t want to make it all over again. The yarn sat until I heard that Mission Falls would no longer be making any more. Yes, it has been discontinued. I found Child Hood and decided to make it. The idea was to use up the yarn in my stash and then forget about the brand. I carefully figured out the largest size I could make. I very carefully figured that out, and I was right on the money too. However, some sneaky casting on demon whispered in my ear that I had plenty and I should cast on for the next larger size. Well I did, and I’m sure you can see were this is going. ¾ of the way thru the second sleeve and the same amount thru the hood I run out of yarn. I sit on that for about two weeks. After all I can unravel the hood but there was nothing I could do about the sleeve. I start shopping around. I discover eBay. I called yarn shops. In a fit on OMG I can no longer get this yarn I am now the proud owner of 60 new balls of that stuff. Yes 60. The only thing I can say in my defense is that 40 are mill rejects and at a price I can’t pass up. We will see how bad (hopefully good) they are when they get here. 10 more were going at such a low price I had to bid on them. The last 10 were at regular price, 5 were to finish the sweater, the other 5 were to make a second sweater since I only need a few yards each of the first five to finish the sweater.

Did I end my buying there? No! Also wheeling its way to me is some more mill seconds from Brown Sheep. I LOVE cotton fleece and I’m trying for the first time some lambs pride. They messed up some seriously pretty colors. All different shades of purple and pink. I held strong and left the pinks alone but I did pick up 2 purples, green, and black. Once my credit card stops crying if there is any yarn left I’ll get 2 more purples and probably the pinks too. I think this comes from my not buying any yarn for a full year. I was strong for so long that when I fell of the wagon it was in a big way.

I should mention my spinning. I’m spinning white bombax silk fine so it’s taking a while. It also slips and clumps in interesting ways so I have to take my time and concentrate. I’m also spinning the candle light cotton. I don’t get to often but when I do it feels like butter and goes as fast as wool. I’m loving it. However, at the fine grist I’m spinning it still takes a good long while to fill a bobbin.