Dear Joanna,*

I am completely in love with the Prosperous Plum pattern you have created. It’s really enjoyable to knit, and totally addictive. Seriously, I started it on Sunday, and even after ripping back the entire picot hem once, this was where I was as of last night (Woo hoo! No makeup! And a tattoo!):

My only complaint at this point is that I have to wait for you to finish resizing the last part of the pattern. I have considered using the directions for the original size and just going for it, but somehow I think that violates the idea of “test knitting”. So, can you maybe speed things up a little? I feel like a junkie waiting for a fix.

Love,
Pam

Seriously, though, folks - this is a kick-ASS pattern. Once she has it up, I really recommend it for anyone who enjoys textured knitting. It has this awesome balance between the lace and cable sections, which keep things interesting enough that you don’t want to put it down, and the stockinette sections, which are small enough to go by quickly without being monotonous.

Oh, and when she says it needs to be done with negative ease? She’s not kidding. Mine has 4″ of negative ease, and I almost feel like I could have done more (not quite, but almost).

*And yes, I did tell her that this was totally tongue-in-cheek. I’m just in a weird mood this morning.

ETA: CBear - I’m getting 19sts/4″ on size 8 Addis.

…why I am the way I am, let me introduce you to my father. Or more specifically, his sense of humor. I just got this email from him tonight:

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise - Most people don’t know that back in 1912 Hellmann’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.

This would have been the largest single shipment delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York.

The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as “Sinko de Mayo”.

This man was responsible for half my genes and a fair amount of influence during my formative years. That explains a lot, doesn’t it?

Oh, and for those of you pestering me about more fish pictures? You need to talk to the hubby. That is all him.

That was the text message I got from my brother the other night. I knew he had been talking to his boss that night about moving from the San Diego salon (He’s a hairstylist and platform artist for Paul Mitchell) to one of the Vegas salons, and now he is moving! At this point, he just has to wait on the paperwork for his Nevada license, and then he can move. He’s pretty psyched about it, especially because this may mean an eventual promotion. Can you tell I’m terribly proud of him? He’s making a living doing something he loves, and he’s getting to be quite successful with it. So, if anyone out there in Las Vegas is looking for a hairstylist, let me know!

On the knitting front, I finished the Cotton Tape shrug, and even wore it the other night. Did I manage to remember to get a picture? Of course not. It did stretch out a bit, so I need to address that before I wear it again. I may take Jen’s idea and crochet a border, or possibly pick up and knit one a la Lacey. (Nothing that big, but maybe a couple of rows would work.) I have almost 2 full balls left, so I should be able to work something out.

So, once I finished the shrug, I was a very good girl and swatched my Cotton Fleece. I learned something - I reeeeeeally like this yarn. It has a great feel, and I love the way it looks. Somehow, it makes me think a little bit of linen, I don’t know why. So, after swatching AND washing and blocking my swatch (Alert the press!), I started on my Prosperous Plum on Sunday. It started out a little fraught with peril (as Jen and I are fond of saying), but that had nothing to do with Joanna’s pattern. First, I cast on, and joined it in the round. I knit a row… and it was twisted. So, I frogged it back to the cast-on and tried again. I got through the picot hem (my first - I really like the technique!), and the eyelet row above it. I started working around placing the markers and doing the increases for the cable/lace sections… and I ran out of stitches. So I stopped… and I thought about it… and I realized that instead of casting on 176 stitches, I cast on 166. That won’t work. Frog… frog… frog. Grumble.

I cast on again (The correct number of stitches this time - I counted about 12 times) and zipped through the hem and eyelet. As of last night (Two days of knitting) I am here (Front on left, back on right, modeled by my computer chair).

I am in the waist section - between the decreases and increases. This is one speedy pattern! And look at those cable and lace sections - is this not the coolest design? I am really excited to be able to work on it with Joanna to make it available to more sizes.

Oh, and Kris picked up the last set of fish this weekend - 2 male fancy guppies. They are quite lovely, and they swim around like maniacs. One of them likes to swim across the tank in up and down diagonals. And sometimes when he swims down toward the gravel, he’ll do a little spin. I think he looks like he’s pirouetting, so I’ve taken to calling him Baryshnikov.

I know, it’s been a while. It’s been a rough week or two, and I just haven’t felt much like posting. On April 11, Kris lost his dad to a sudden heart attack, so we spent several days in Pennsylvania dealing with that and helping his mom. We’re both still in shock a little bit - it doesn’t feel real.

I did finish Serena while we were in PA. I’m blocking it today, but it came out really well. I’m still in love with this yarn, although I was surprised to almost run out before finishing, since I should have had tons left over. I need to take a look at my gauge again and see if I was off more than I realized. (OK, I just checked - looks like my gauge was pretty much spot-on. I have no idea how I ran out of yarn.)

Other than that, I did have to start over on my One Skein Tank Top, because my gauge was horribly off, and it was going to be approximately circus-tent sized. Luckily, I was only an inch or so into it and have since caught up and passed where I was.

In other news, you will notice that my Yarn Focus Challenge ticker has been re-set. I blame Jen. See, she told me about this awesome sale at WoolWinders, and I offered to go as moral support/company for her. I was really, truly not going to buy anything. I mean, it’s only 2 weeks until Maryland Sheep & Wool. We got there, and I was being really good. I did play with a couple of hanks of Schaefer Laurel, but that was mostly because I love seeing the colors they come up with for the famous women.

Then I started thinking about the pattern I am test-knitting. It’s the Prosperous Plum tank, which Joanna is working on offering in more sizes than just her own. (Hence me test-knitting it). See, it calls for Cotton Fleece, and I don’t have any in my stash. I thought about subbing, and she told me that was fine, but I really didn’t have anything that I thought would work correctly. Plus, I was concerned that using a different yarn might be problematic if anything seemed off with the pattern - I wouldn’t know if it was the pattern, the yarn, or the knitter (you know - me). So… there was the cubby of Cotton Fleece. With a little orange tag above it, telling me that it was on sale for half-price. So, it came home with me, in a lovely shade of tan called “Teddy Bear” (a little less orange-y than the pictures). (And yes, I bought more than I probably need, just in case of issues)

And then there was Jen’s new shrug. She picked up the Rowan Cotton Tape the last time we were at WoolWinders, and this was the first time I had seen it in person. It’s very very cute, and the Cotton Tape was 40% off, so… yeah, I bought some of that too. Mine will be black, rather than that awesome orange, though. In fact, I’m almost halfway through it, just from working on it last night while Jen and Kris had their weekly DDO game with one of Kris’s buddies from work. Gotta love working on size 11 needles.

And for those of you who were asking:
Fishies! We’re up to 9 now - 2 Zebra Danios (A), 3 Von Rio Flame Tetras (B), 2 Glow Danios (C), and 2 Cory Catfish (D). Obviously, not all of them are in the picture. They didn’t want to pose for Kris. Silly fish. So far, the Corys are the only ones with names. Kris calls them “Haim” and “Feldman”. (What can I say - we’re children of the ’80’s.)

ETA: Further thoughts on Serena: Looking closely at it, and comparing it to Zib’s original, I think the difference is that I wrapped the diamonds more loosely than she did. It looks like that may have taken up a fair amount of excess yarn. I am now debating whether it is going to make me crazy and therefore needs to be frogged and re-done, or if it won’t bother me. Thoughts?

OK, so I probably could have waited and posted this tomorrow, but I’m certainly not the first to post twice in one day. =)

So, I had put a couple of things out for the mailman today, and I wanted to check to see if they had been picked up yet. When I opened the front door, there were two (!) packages waiting for me. The first was from Jimmy Beans Wool. (And no, this doesn’t violate the once-a-month rule on the YFC - I ordered this ages ago and it was backordered.) Lorna’s Laces Shephers Sock in “Black Purl”. I am planning to use this for socks for Kris, mostly because I think he’ll be amused by the color name. He LOVES “Pirates of the Caribbean”, and the ship is called, of course, the “Black Pearl.” Not sure what pattern I’ll use yet - I may ask for his input on that. I’ll probably start these next once the Jaywalkers are done, so that hopefully he’ll be able to wear them when we go see POTC2. Because we’re dorks like that.

The second package was a box that winged its way to me from Canada. Specifically, from my incredibly fabulous SP, bylt. And what treasures did it hold? On the left are 2 balls of Fantasia “Calliope” in a gorgeous red/pink/orange/yellow combination. She picked this up on her trip to Hong Kong, and according to her blog, got some for herself, too. It’s quite soft, and I think it will be really pretty worked up. OK, next to that is a box of chocolates from Purdy’s, a chocolatier that is local to her. Do I even have to say that the box has somewhat less in it that when it arrived? In the back is a Pink Martini cd called “Hang on Little Tomato”, which is playing as I type this. They are just too cool. Next to that is a 100g ball of spectacular merino wool roving - gorgeous and soft as silk. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but the colors are amazing. Greens and gold and blues and purples… I can’t imagine what this is going to look like spun! I just hope I can do it justice. Finally, on the right are 2 balls of Filaro 12 ply Mohair that she sent from her stash - one in Royal Blue, and one in Hyacinth. And you might notice - they are sparkly! I think I can find something fun to make out of them.

I feel so lucky to have gotten bylt as my sp. She’s done an amazing job of spoiling me, and seh’s a very sweet person who I am thrilled to now count as a friend.

Yes, that’s right - Bolero #3 is done! I really do love this pattern, but I am definitely taking a break before doing the last one. (And damn, do I need to clean my windows!)

I am trying to decide what I can make for myself out of this yarn - it’s so soft and yummy.

I’ve gotten a bit further on my Serena and my Jaywalkers. I really love both of the patterns, and I’m going to try to get the Serena done before I start bolero #4.

Post Stash Flash, I’ve been trying to be better about buying yarn based solely on the “Ooh! Pretty!” factor. I have a number of things in my stash that I’m just not sure I’ll ever be able to use, simply because I didn’t buy enough to make anything other than a scarf. I’d really rather not continue adding to that pile. (I’m also considering going through the RAK thread on the Knitty Coffeeshop to find some of them new homes).

Anyway, when Roxy posted a link to the Yarn Focus Challenge, which I had also seen on Stariel’s, Criosa’s and Nimrodel’s blogs, I took it as a sign that maybe I was meant to get in on this. Basically, the challenge runs from April 1 through June 30. Participants are to refrain from buying yarn during that time. The nice thing about this one, though, is that you get one “freebie” day per month when you ARE allowed to buy yarn. So, I’m still all set to go to Maryland Sheep and Wool! (Because, seriously, does anyone think that I would make it through my first MS&W without buying anything? Pfah!) I did order some yarn from WEBS last week (the cotton for Hush Hush and the Cascade for Kris’s sweater), so I’m counting that as my free day for April, even though it happened before I technically signed up. I’ve certainly got plenty of stash to keep me going, so I’m not really concerned that I’m going to run out of yarn.

On the blog format issue - the amazingly fabulous chacha found the stray tag that was fouling up my sidebar, so everything is back where it belongs. Yay!

And for those interested, Kris has now added fishies to his aquarium. 2 Zebra Danios and 3 Flame Tetras. All are swimming about happily. He’s going to add another few fish next weekend - not sure what he’s getting just yet.

At least, that’s how it feels around here. I finished Baby Bolero #2. This one is for my cousin Jen and her hubby Eric’s baby, who is scheduled to arrive May 4. I played a little, and did a picot cast-on on the sleeves, followed by seed stitch instead of the ribbing on the original. The plan was to do the same around the waist/neck opening as well by doing a picot bindoff, but… um… I was going to run out of yarn. So, the picots are around the bottom, but the fronts are just the seed stitch. I’m still happy with it, though. And I think she’ll like it.

So, I started BB#3, which is for a little girl that friends of ours are expecting. She’s supposed to make her appearance right aroung the same time as Jen is due. I’ve got a couple more rows on sleeve #1, and then sleeve #2 to do, and then attach them. And then I am taking a break from them for a little while. The fourth one is for my other cousin Beth (Jen’s sister) and she’s not due until the beginning of June, so I think I can take a week or two off.

In the meantime, I cast-on for the Tank Top from One Skein for myself the other night. I am using Knit Picks Shimmer in Turquoise Splendor. I really like the way that the laceweight works up when doubled. And the variegated yarn gives it a neat look, since the variations don’t match up between the strands. (I’m sure I could make them, but why?)

I have been thinking, though. I have the Flower Garden Shimmer that I bought originally to make Hush Hush for the Olympics. I’m wondering if I could make the tank 2-tone. You can see here that the tank is made in two pieces, and joined down the center front and back. Could that work with one side pink and the other turquoise, or would I look like a complete doofus? It’s either that, or I might just use the Flower Garden Shimmer to make a second tank.

And speaking of Hush Hush, I got a flyer in the mail the other day about WEBS Anniversary Sale. They happened to have cones of their Valley Yarns mercerized perle cotton on sale. A 1-pound cone for $11.50. By my calculations (which may be very, very wrong), I should only need 1/3 of the cone to make Hush Hush. (I’ll probably do something lacy with the rest of it.) I ordered it in shade #3853, Tea Rose, and it arrived yesterday. Isn’t it pretty? And along with it, I ordered some Cascade 200 in Charcoal and Black for a sweater for Kris. He picked some daring colors, didn’t he?

So, Kris has decided that he wanted a new hobby. And what did he pick? He wants a fishtank. So, we went out last night and he picked out what he needed and set up a 20-gallon tank in the living room last night.
And, no, there aren’t any fish in it yet. He’s getting the water ready. The plan is to go get the actual fish tonight or tomorrow. And on the shelf to the left, you will notice the Steeler flag and Terrible Towel that my parents brought down for me last weekend. =) Mom thinks I’m crazy, but I want to hang them on the wall.

ETA: Is anyone else seeing the SiteMeter and “Who Links to Me?” up in the top corner of the post, or is it just my computer that has gone all goofy? They should be down at the bottom by the Knitting Olympics stuff. I can’t find anything in my sidebar code making it do that, and it’s kind of annoying me.

Seriously, this button just made me laugh - I had to use it. And yes, as per the disclaimer in my sidebar, I am an actual bona-fide sorority girl. Kappa Delta Sorority, Alpha Phi chapter, and proud of it. I think that’s why this one amused me so much.

Ok, here is is. In deference to the dialup folks, I am posting small pictures. Click them if you want to see the bigger versions. Even so, this is an image-heavy post, so be warned.

And yes, you will notice that some of my yarn is posing on a trenchcoat. I figured it was a stash FLASH, right? And I know - I’m a complete dork. But at least I amuse myself.

Just to give you a sense of place, here is my craft room. Technically, it is the dining room, but it’s kind of small for that, we have no dining room furniture, and there are only two of us. We really don’t need one. We put down the laminate floor and painted it the awesome mango color (”Two to Tango”) about a year or so ago. It’s bright and cheery, and I love it. It’s actually a bit brighter than the pictures show. The left picture is the storage wall. The big cabinet has a lot of the “unplanned” yarn in the tall section, and the drawers are mostly leftovers from completed projects. The planned stuff is in the bins behind my spinning wheel. The hanging orange thing (thank you, Ikea) currently houses Fun Fur and other novelty-type yarns (and is probably on its way out). The picture on the right is my sewing table, with the bookshelf Kris made me on the wall above it, along with various other necessities.

The Stash Cabinet:
(Incidentally, if anyone knows the name for this thing, I’d love to know. We’ve always just called it the “high-low cabinet”. Descriptive, but probably not accurate.) - The door opens to reveal three shelves. The top two are yarn for nebulous undefined future projects, and the bottom shelf is the Frog Pond.

Actually, some of it is leftovers without a home yet, but there are a couple of things in there that are just never getting finished. My leftovers from the Olympics are in there, along with some Lion Suede and Baby Clouds I bought to make the Baby Uggs from DYY and never got around to doing, the crocheted throw that I doubt I’m going to finish, the crocheted throw that I really doubt Kris is going to finish, and some acrylic that keeps changing projects and never actually gets used.

The drawers of the cabinet hold:
Top drawer - Leftover laceweight and dishcloth cotton. Some Knit Picks Shimmer, some KidSilk Haze, and a bunch of Lily Sugan ‘n Cream.

Second drawer - sock yarn (see below for pics)

Third Drawer - Cotton and cotton blends (Why yes, I am fond of TLC Cotton Plus, why do you ask?) Lots of the TLC, plus some random leftovers and the last of the King Tut Cotton from the Short ‘n Sweet Bolero.

Bottom Drawer - Random leftover wool and wool blends (separate from the felting stash, which is pictured below). Some Dale Baby Ull, some Cascade 220, the last of the yarn I dyed for Nora’s purse, some Knit Picks WOTA and one ball of a cashmere blend left over from a cardigan that I am very possibly going to frog and redo as something that actually fits correctly.

The current WIP’s:
1. KnitPicks Crayon in “Light Blue”, “Blue”, and “Purple” that is being made into the Retro Throw for Kris’s grandmother. (And yes, I was supposed to have this done for Christmas. Didn’t so much happen.)
2. Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in “Snickerdoodle”, “Asparagus”, “Hush”, “Daffodil”, and “Rain” which is being made into the Market Squares bag from Bags: A Knitter’s Dozen.
3. Knit Picks (sensing a theme here?) Gossamer in “Blue Jeans”, being made into the Faroese Peaks Shawl.
4. Classic Elite La Gran Mohair in “Eggplant” which is being made into the infamous Swoncho from KnowKnits Designs. (This has been stagnant for a loooong time - it may never happen.)

Designated for a project but not yet started:
1. A cone of Cascade 220 in green, which will be a Samus cardigan.
2. Noro Cash Iroha in “Camel” and “Lime”, which will be a striped Hourglass Sweater.
3. TLC Cara Mia in “Coral”, currently designated for the Seelie Court Wrap from Cast On’s winter issue.
4. Noro Cash Iroha in “Lilac”, another Hourglass Sweater
5. Noro Cash Iroha in “Light Lilac”, yet another Hourglass Sweater. Of course, if I hate the pattern after the first one, clearly I’ll be finding something else to do with this.
6. Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine in “Rosehip” - to be the Brussels Lace Camisole from Handknit Holidays.
7. Cascade 220 Quattro in 5011 and Reynolds Calico Kitten in 181 (a gift from my Knittyboard SP5, KP77) which are going to become a Kepler pullover.
8. Madil Kid Seta in “Lemon”, “Light Peach”, “Lime”, “Light Pink”, “Hot Pink”, and “Salmon”, which are going to be a Hodgepodge sweater, another one from KnowKnits Designs.
9. Classic Elite Flash in “Cactus Flower”, designated for Festive.

More Planned-But-Not-Started-Yet:
1. Elann Peruvian Collection Pure Alpaca in “Malt Heather”, which will be a Flower Petal Shawl.
2. Elann Endless Summer Collection Luna in “Ebony”, which will be a Flickering Flames Circular Skirt.
3. Knit Picks Suri Dream in “Apricot”, designated for Lacey.
4. Knit Picks Palette in “Twig”, “Apricot”, “Petal”, and “Lemon”, for the Lace and Fair Isle Pullover from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2005.
5. SouthWest Trading Company Bamboo in “Bougainvillea”, tentatively planned to be a cape from Ponchos & Wraps: A Knitter’s Dozen.
6 and 7. Wool in the Woods Capri in “Oslo” and “Sundance”, which will each become 2 Serena wraps (No longer designated for that - I tried, but the yarn just didn’t work in that pattern).
8. Patons Brilliant in “Beautiful Burgundy” for a Bevin tank.
9-12. Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in “Mist” and “Natura”l (which wil be dyed) and Austermann Labella in “Winter Sage” and “Autumn Gold”. This is intended for the Twisted Float Shrug from the Fall issue of Vogue Knitting. I’m not sure which color of the Labella I am planning to use, which is also going to influence the colors that I dye the WOTA.
13. Knit Picks Shadow in “Lost Lake” for a Sweet Mary Jane cardigan.

Still more Planned-But-Not-Started-Yet:
This one is a mix onf some stuff with specific projects, and some with just vague ideas attached.
1. Ornaghi Filati Merino Oro in red - will be some fabulous lace shawl eventually
2. Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace in “Gold Hill” - again, a lace shawl
3. Gorgeous hand-dyed fingering weight yarn from a trade with DonnaSC. Her husband dyed it, and I have to find the perfect project for it. It’s so amazingly vibrant and beautiful.
4. Cherry Tree Hill Cascade Lace in “Gypsy Rose” - yeah, more lace.
5. Knit Picks Shimmer in “Flower Garden”. Originally planned for Hush Hush, but the gauge didn’t work, so it’s designated for more lace.
6. Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in “Autumn”, from a swap with Formerly Momo for the same in Moss. Will be a Flower Basket Shawl.
7. Noro Blossom in Red/Fuschia. I got some of it in a swap with tangledblue, and then bought some more from Little Knits. (This is what I used to make Bloom, which I did after I took this picture, but before the official Stash Flash.)
8. Blue Sky Alpacas Hand Dyes in 2009 and 2010 - this stuff is going to make an amazing soft cozy sweater at some point. I told Kris if he’s nice enough, it might even be for him. =)
9. Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in “Woad” - this will be my second Branching Out.
10. Hemp for Knitting in “Deep Sea” - not quite sure what this is going to be just yet.

The sock yarn collection:
I swear, until not that long ago, I didn’t HAVE a sock yarn collection. I blame the going-out-of-business sale at Total Crafts. Not sure specifically what all of these are going to be, other than socks.

1-2. Leftovers from socks I have already made - Patons Kroy Sock in “Denim Jacquard” and “Tutti Frutti Jacquard”.
3. Patons Kroy Sock in “Muslin”.
4. More leftovers - Knit Picks Simple Stripes in “Storm”.
5. Patons Kroy Sock in “Flagstone”.
6. Patons Kroy Sock in “Newport Tan”.
7. Koigu KPPPM in P334.
8. Bernat Sox in “Aqua Hot”.
9. Patons Kroy Sock in “Orangina”.
10. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in “Black Watch”.
11. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in “Navy”.
12. Bernat Sox in “Denim Hot”.
13. Bernat Sox in “Orange Hot”.
14. Lana Gross Meilenweit Multiringel in 5120 - from my Knittyboard SP5 KP77.
15. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in “Happy Valley” (Now in-progess Jaywalkers).
16. Knit Picks Essential in “Black”.
17. Patons Kroy Sock in “Mercury”.

The felting yarn stash:
A variety of colors in Patons Classic Merino Wool, my personal choice for felting. I’ve hit over half of the colors that my AC Moore carries for the felted bags I have done. I am planning to put some of this together to make myself some (probably stripey) Fuzzyfeet.

Undeclared:
All the fun random stuff that came home with me without a project in mind, or were planned for a project that got scrapped.
1. Knit Picks Shine in “Orchid” - 3 from my SP5 KP77 and 3 from a swap with Aspiring Crazy Cat Lady. Still not sure what they are becoming.
2. Reynolds Lite Lopi. From a swap with Raeknits - I’d never used it and wanted to check it out. It will probably be dyed.
3. KidSilk Haze in “Drab”. Some was used for my legwarmers. The rest may become lace of some sort.
4. Jaeger Mohair Art in “Ink”. Bought it for a scarf for the family Christmas grab bag and decided to go with something else.
5. Crystal Palace Waikiki in “Fern” - Originally, I planned to make a second Clapotis for myself from this, but after I did Mom’s in another color and had some “running short” issues, I changed my mind.
6. TLC Cara Mia in “Sandy”, “Olive”, “Aqua” and “Tan” - Part of the score from the going-out-of-business sale at Total Crafts. This may make its way into a Tubey someday.
7. Classic Elite LouLou in “Wild Rabbit” - Sent as a little freebie from Little Knits.
8. Knit Picks Palette in “Bark”. Originally part of the plan for the Vogue Lace and Fair-Isle Pullover, replaced by the “Petal” that bylt sent me.
9. Artful Yarns Fable in “Pinocchio”. One of the first good yarns I bought - a cotton/silk blend that really needs a project.
10. Manos Cotton Stria in magenta. No idea, but isn’t the color great?
11. Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed in “Cool Blue” and “Purple”. This was supposed to be a sweater for Kris, but the more I looked at them, the more I decided I didn’t like the colors together. Now, it will probably be something (or 2 somethings) for me.
12. Kool-Aid Dyed wool and Bernat Boa in coordinating colors from KP77. These will be used together, once I pick a project.
13. King Tut Cotton in orange. Not a clue.
14. Knit Picks Paint-Your-Own laceweight, in a not-very attractive combination of Kool-Aid colors (I chose… poorly). I may try to overdye this, since I am not likely to use it as-is.
15. Karabella Breeze in pale pink. Cashmere and silk, on sale. Yeah, I had to buy it.
16. Wool in the Woods Double Kiss in “Bashful”. Love the colors, just not sure what to make.
17. South West Trading Co Bamboo in “Special”. I used one ball of this to make a Branching Out, but I haven’t decided what to do with the other two just yet.

The Novelty Stuff:
Most of this is left over from one of three things - a felted bag, my red poncho, or a purple scarf that I made for a friend. Incidentally, I would probably be willing to trade some/most/all of this, so if you are interested…
1. Sparkly stuff
2. Fun Fur and similar
3. Bernat Boa in various colors
4. Ribbon and ladder yarns
5. Random oddballs
6. Fuzzy stuff

The Acquired-Since-I-Started-Photographing Stuff:
Some of this has appeared here recently, but in the interest of completeness, I photographed it again.
1. Socks That Rock in “Rainforest Jasper” - from the STR Club
2. Schaefer Laurel in “Emily Dickinson” - probably a second Serena.
3. Navy blue Hello Kitty yarn from bylt - possibly too funny to ever be used.
4. Schaefer Laurel in “Judy Garland” - some sort of spring/summer top for me. I might even design it!
5. WIP - The Jaywalkers in Lorna’s Laces in “Happy Valley”
6. WIP - The first Serena in Schaefer Laurel in “Helen Hayes” (First Lady of the American Theatre) (See - I told you it was a compulsion)
7. Knit Picks Shimmer in “Turquoise Splendor” for the Tank Top from One Skein. (And yes, there are 4 skeins there. I am aware of the irony.)
8. WIP - Baby Bolero #2 from One Skein, in Knit Picks Shine Worsted in “Crocus”
9. Knit Picks Shine Worsted in “Terra Cotta” for Baby Bolero #3
10. Knit Picks Shine Worsted in “Reef” for Baby Bolero #4