Inspiration

Last weekend my friend Beth and I revived a tradition that’s been hibernating since spring. We went yarn shopping! The thought of knitting a single stitch on any of my Christmas knits (still not finished) was completely unappealing and we both needed a day out of town. We hit up a few yarn stores in the Harrisonburg area. The tone of the day was definitely “indulgence” as I went more than overboard with my purchases. I can justify it though: it’s been a while since I spent any money on myself and I was in need of some pampering. At the first store I stumbled onto a great deal-Manos del Uruguay at 20% off! So I got seven skeins of a variegated royal purple to make a sweater.



I also got a skein of Crystal Palace Baby Alpaca in a light lavender-blue color.


It came with a pattern for a hat that I promptly cast on for the next day. In fact, Beth and I each got a skein (in different colors) and had a race to see who could finish their hat first. Sadly, she won, and I owe her a batch of cookies. I don’t mind though, because I’ve recently discovered my love of cooking. (More on that later) Besides, I still ended up with a super-cute hat!



The best find of the day though, was a total shock. We stumbled across this store that was primarily a fabric store that also carried yarn. We went in, expecting to find an assortment of basic wool and acrylic. Imagine our surprise when there, on the 30% off shelf, was Blue Heron metallic/rayon blend, three shelves worth! I don’t know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of knitting with this yarn, but you should seek it out if you haven’t. I knit my Green Gable out of it over the summer. I got a skein of the Tulip color. Anyone have any ideas on what I should make? I’ve got 550 yards that’s about a DK weight. (I knit it on size US 6 for the Green Gable)



After I knit the hat I swatched a little with the purple Manos to see what patterns I like. I dragged out all my good sweater patterns I have and tried to match it with the yarn. Every pattern I’ve seen with Manos del Uruguay has been either a man’s sweater of something I wouldn’t wear. Any suggestions? I am really considering making the Central Park Hoodie (LINK to Carrioke) from Knitscene, but the varigations and the cables might be too much. Opinions?

Don’t worry, Christmas gift recipients. Knitting that hat and the yarn purchases was just the inspiration I needed to get cranking. I’ve made more progress on the gifts in the past few days than I have since Christmas. They’re coming! It won’t be much longer!

Also, before I forget. I picked a winner from the comments from the last blog post using a random number generator. So, congratulations JENNIFER! I will be contacting you to get your mailing address soon!

Next time....Kitchen Makeover and hopefully the big Christmas Knit reveal!

PS. I am co-hosting a baby shower in three weeks for a friend and need ideas. We already have the games planned out, but I'm specifically looking for instructions on how to build the diaper cake and some cute do-it-yourself invitations and decorations. Crafty friends....help! Oh, and a super-quick baby knit since I have very little time to knit and plan!