Lady In Reds

Thanks for your kind comments about my brother. His birthday was a hard day but I managed to get through it ok. One thing that helped it end on a brighter note was coming home to find this:

Gawgeous, no? It's Malabrigo Sock - a lovely little treasure currently not available for sale in the US. A few weeks ago I was whining at Mrs. Quimby, threatening that depending on the outcome of the upcoming elections combined with the fact that you can't get Malabrigo sock down here, that I'd likely be moving to Canada to become her stalker. I mean neighbor. The woman is nothing if not rational - she pointed out that rather than packing up all my crap and making the move, it might be a touch easier if we just did a yarn exchange. 'We could always do a trade', she said. Genius. How frighteningly simple. And logical (and what a smooth way for her to dissuade me from moving in next door). And so we traded. I sent her some Claudia's Handpaints in varying greens, and I got this lovely stuff. I have yet to comb through my queue to find the perfect project for it, but I'll be starting some fab socks with it soon.

In Progress...

I'm working on the Ribby Cardi from Chic Knits. I'm using some Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL that I had in stash. It's great yarn and a really fun project that is moving along quickly. I'm done with the back and I have nearly completed both the fronts. After that it's sleeve time, and that'll do it for the major pieces.

This view shows the texture of the yarn a little bit better. It's a Merino/Alpaca blend and just fab.


I've been spinning too.

The top bobbin is a merino/silk blend from Tactile that is going to turn into a 2-ply laceweight for a scarf. The bottom bobbin is a Grafton Fiber batt that I picked up at Stitches West 2007, when I hadn't even learned to spin yet. This is new for me, as it's the first time I've tried to spin Woolen rather than Worsted - it's going pretty well. I'm not sure exactly what it will ultimately become but for the mid-stage I'm planning a 3-ply worsted weight. The shot below is blurry, but has more accurate color:


Gee, notice a trend in my recent color selections? It may be warm here but I've got Fall on the brain.