yaaaaaaaaarns

So I might as well come back to the true purpose of this blog (to ogle really gorgeous yarns and knitting projects and spend a lot of time lusting after more yarns and plotting what to do with them) and post some pictures. These are my favorites from the last year.

These are the Sister Socks I referenced in the last post (or the one before?). They're done in Berocco Comfort Sock, and they fit like a dream. They are also crazy soft and warm, and I love the subtle variegation of colors as they stripe. I turned out a pair of 8.5 W socks with a 5 inch cuff with 2/3 of a skein, and yes, I do have enough left to make an entire separate sock. Berroco Comfort Sock (and just Regular Sock, or Sox, whatever they call it these days) is really enjoyable to me for 2 reasons. Firstly, it knits up at a decent gauge, so you needn't have 80 stitches to go around your feet. I got gauge quite well using my standard 2.5mm (1.5 US size) needles. Secondly, it comes in a lot of exciting striping combos. Striping sock yarns are sort of harder to come by--indie dyers charge more for them, since they are harder to make--and Berrocco produces some of the more accessible of the self-striping yarn on the market. 

Did I mention that they're soft? very soft. Like a cloud. Plenty of nylon in them too so they wear nicely, but I think there's some bamboo in them to make them so soft. So, pros: cost, striping, thickness of yarn, and generally soft FO. Cons? Well, the bamboo makes the stitches a little splitty, so if you're a tight knitter, this is gonna be tough. And even though they do stripe, they don't make exciting combinations, you know?

This is not my offspring. He's the child of a friend of mine, and I discovered that knitting for babies is very fast and therefore satisfying. Here's the surprising thing--this is really crappy yarn. It's some horrible fat aran-weight acrylic I got at Michael's a long time ago, and it does a horrible camouflage thing. I tried to knit stuff for me out of it but I couldn't help but feel like I should be in the army, doing salutes. Turns out it's pretty good for kids (though my friend contributed the wee hat and the wee chair, which definitely make the whole outfit come together. Oh, and the baby.). (This is the Baby Sophisticate pattern off of Ravelry, if you're interested. Fast and easy.)

I am very sad that I can't find this last yarn any more. It's Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece, a 50/50 blend of wool and cotton. It's aran weight at the least, and it has the stiffness and stamina of cotton, but it blocked out beautifully like wool and carries some of the drape with it. (This is the Tsu Wrap pattern off of Ravelry if you're interested). The color didn't bleed when I washed it--I was very relieved. Pros: good way to blend two fibers to increase the overall usefulness of the yarn; excellent colors and color-fastness; makes a lovely fabric and knits up fast. Cons: If you don't like cotton, well--you know what to expect. It has a heavier or stiffer hand to it that might tire out your joints.

Ah, Berrocco Peruvia. This is a single-ply 100% peruvian wool that comes in amazing blends of colors. There's no way to capture the deliciously subtle nuanaces glinting in that brown, green, and blue. This yarn has a shimmer and depth to it. It's a worsted/aran weight, quick to knit and very soft and toasty. Wearing these mittens is like using little wool pocket heaters. I have maybe 5 more balls of this stuff and I really want to churn out some more mittens (if only I still lived in a cold climate!). I've also done a scarf up in fisherman's rib/brioche stitch/broken rib pattern, and it turned out lovely and soft and warm as well. Pros: amazing colors, soft as down fabric, great for warmth. As a single ply it's still very sturdy and did not give me any problems. Cons: This stuff fuzzes like crazy, and felts like crazy. You can shave it of the fuzz, but these mittens have gradually been felting as I play in the snow with them, which is a process you can't undo. If felting is bad for your project (it isn't, for mittens, so I don't mind), you might want to use a less delicate yarn.

There's a little recap of some of my stuff (mostly just because those are my favorite pictures).

March was a busy month with work and trying to get things taken care of. I knit a whole cowl and a whole sock, and half of everything else. Too many works in process! But my March Goal for the year was to knit some baby clothes out of stash wool, and I did finish a Leafy Cardigan that'll probably fit a six month old (not so good with sizes), and half of a stuffed turtle. I think I'll try to do more toys--I want clothes to at least look decent, and my old stash pile is mostly hideous variegated stuff that one really can't expect anyone else to wear.

I also did some serious spinning (6 oz in March; I finished a 7th oz on April 1 and will polish off the 8th oz this week) in an attempt to compete for some cool prizes in a podcast I follow. Unfortunately only 4oz increments count, so I only got one entry. It was good to get inspired, though--I really love a lot of this fiber, but it always produces something very different than what I expect, and it's so exciting to find out what that is.

On the needles: red-and-white badgers scarf; 1 sock for my twin, almost at the heel; almost 1/2 of a hitchhiker that I am doing in handspun and which is very delicate and annoying to work with; and I cast on yesterday for my April goal, to use up this pink Grignasco Champagne that I've reviewed here before. I'm not a pink fan, and especially not a fan of something so pale and delicate, so I'm making a baby dress for another work friend's offspring and I hope that'll get it out of my stash. My sweater still lingers, as does my Shipwreck Shawl, my Spatterdash mitts, and my blanket (I only finished the 1 square).

obligation knitting: I'm down to christmas presents for the most part. Surprises for my older sister, socks for my twin, a big fat fluffy scarf for my friend Robin, and several pairs of complicated fingerless mitts for friends. The mitts are what I've been putting off for years--I love colorwork, but right now I don't feel like doing anything complicated. must be why everything on the needles is garter stitch....