yarn tootin'

Monogamy

        Once in awhile, I knit just one thing at a time and then I finish something.  Finishing things is fun.

     A couple of weeks ago, I went to Comfort, Big Texas with the knitting ladies to visit The Tinsmith's Wife, which has officially become my very favorite area yarn store.  It's a little out of the way, but it's well worth the drive.  The Tinsmith's Wife is cute, it has an abundance of really nice yarn that you don't find anywhere else around here, and there is often an older gentleman there knitting (he's just an added bonus, but a good one).  I found a couple of skeins of String Theory Worsted Silk/Merino that I loved and after carrying them around the store for awhile, I decided to buy them even though I had no clue what I was going to do with them.  The beauty of shopping for yarn with a posse of knitters is that everyone is full of suggestions.  When I got home, I cast on with my new yarn more or less immediately and started knitting Ishbel.  Thanks to Amanda for the suggestion.

     Ishbel was so much fun and the yarn is so fabulous that I knit it exclusively for about a week and then I was finished.  Voila!  I never knew that I wasn't the slowest knitter in the world.  It would seem that my problem is that I have too many projects going at once so it just seems like I'm slow.  Here is the back/wingspan/granny view of Ishbel...

     I've never been the biggest fan of triangle shawls because when worn over the shoulders, they just seem so Little House on the Prairie.  Lately, I've been seeing smaller triangle shawls (like this one) worn cowboy style with the point in front and this is a look I can embrace.  I've already started on Traveling Woman which is a similar small triangle shawl.  With any luck, I'll finish that soon too.

Finished Objects

    In the last few weeks, I have finished a couple of things...

      Clapotis number 4 in Manos Silk Blend, just under 4 skeins.  I think I used a US 5, but I finished this back in August, so I don't remember for sure.  You can't go wrong with the Clapotis.  I already have another in mind.

     

No Purl Monkey Socks with a lovely picot edge in Pagewood Farms Denali.  This yarn is generous with the yardage and I have quite a bit left over.  I probably have enough for a pair of little kid's socks, but unfortunately, I'm tired of looking at this colorway.  In my opinion, the purl-less Monkey is the way to go.  It looks just as good as the regular Monkey but it's far less tedious. 

     I have a lot of lovely new yarn with which I am dying to cast on, so I'm on a bit of a finishing kick.  I'm trying to clear the knitting basket of  unfinished objects and free up some needles for fall knitting.  Stay tuned for more finished objects.

Suitcase Full of Yarn

     The knitters have a trip to Comfort planned for tomorrow, so I thought I'd do a little Ravelry destash before I do any more damage.  I spent a couple of hours unpacking my summer yarn purchases and tidying up the yarn room the other day and I came across several skeins that are lovely, but that I will most likely never knit.  I also found a couple of gems that will be excellent for trading in the Completely Pointless and Arbitrary Swap Group on Ravelry.  I've been out of that game for too long and I've missed it.  

    

     I bought this suitcase at Target in early July because I needed a small carry-on bag for a weekend trip.  After the trip, I used it to hold my yarns, both the ones I'd brought with me for the summer and the ones I'd purchased during my travels.  By the time I arrived back in San Antonio in August, the suitcase was full.  After putting my new yarn away, I filled the suitcase with sellables and tradeables and wheeled it out to the backyard for my little photo shoot.  Maybe it's just me, but there's something very satisfying about a suitcase full of yarn.