Yarnspirations
So, being a grad student, I often cut back on yarn purchasing. Normally, if I am going to purchase a sweater quantity, I will think about it and plan for a few weeks, because a sweater, even in unexpensive yarn, makes a nice whole in $100. Yep, you heard it here, folks, yarn is not cheap.
But it's so much easier to make little purchases, single skeins, and justify it. Yarn diet my foot, eh?
I recently finished a new design. It's a cowl inspired by a piece of pottery at the Royal Ontario Museum. It's knit it Diamond Yarns "Highland," a yarn that I have knit with once before, and whose praises I cannot sing enough. It has a crisp stitch definition and a light hand. It has a very select, curated colour palette, so unless you need a specific colour (as I did, because I needed a spring green), good luck landing on a single colour. I dare you. In this case, I bought yarn because I had no green yarn in the right weight in my stash.
Yesterday's trip to Rosehaven Yarns in Picton was spurred by a similar need. I have a good collection of self-stripping yarn, maybe eight or so pairs worth, in my stash. But no solids, because those are the ones that go first (future Julia or those shopping for her, take note; 100 grams of solid or tonal sock yarn with some nylon or silk for strenght is ALWAYS useful).
I wanted to make a sock version of the cowl, because I am really chuffed by the stitch pattern I developed to mimic the pottery inspiration. I checked Knit Traders of Kingston and Wool on Wellington, but I didn't quite see what I was looking for (although both those shops are fantastic, btw!)
That's how I got the Quince and Co yarn, "Tern." It's round (because it's 3-ply) and it has silk rather than nylon for stability, which has the added bonus of a great sheen and slight tweediness when you hold it up close. Again, the colours are again spectacular. It's my first time working with Quince, though I have always admired them from afar, and I worried it might be my new fancy yarn favourite, The fact that it's a North American yarn, all natural, and a fantastic company, makes the decision easier. Oh, and it's squooshy.
I really have no justification for the Ramble by Bohoknits which jumped into my bag. Other than I love it, and it's springy, and I have no stash of solid/tonal sock yarn. And I love chartreuse but never wear anything that bright or non-grey, so socks seems like a good outlet for my mustrardy green love.
It was the last skein in this colour!
462 yards? Good mileage.
I've been learning more and more about my yarn preferences in the last few months, so I think that I will destash some of the yarns that I am no longer likely to use now that I have matured in my knitting and have different tastes. I also need to stop buying laceweight. I love it and its price to yard ratio, but I really don't use them enough. Here's to spring and the creative rush.
But it's so much easier to make little purchases, single skeins, and justify it. Yarn diet my foot, eh?
I recently finished a new design. It's a cowl inspired by a piece of pottery at the Royal Ontario Museum. It's knit it Diamond Yarns "Highland," a yarn that I have knit with once before, and whose praises I cannot sing enough. It has a crisp stitch definition and a light hand. It has a very select, curated colour palette, so unless you need a specific colour (as I did, because I needed a spring green), good luck landing on a single colour. I dare you. In this case, I bought yarn because I had no green yarn in the right weight in my stash.
Yesterday's trip to Rosehaven Yarns in Picton was spurred by a similar need. I have a good collection of self-stripping yarn, maybe eight or so pairs worth, in my stash. But no solids, because those are the ones that go first (future Julia or those shopping for her, take note; 100 grams of solid or tonal sock yarn with some nylon or silk for strenght is ALWAYS useful).
I wanted to make a sock version of the cowl, because I am really chuffed by the stitch pattern I developed to mimic the pottery inspiration. I checked Knit Traders of Kingston and Wool on Wellington, but I didn't quite see what I was looking for (although both those shops are fantastic, btw!)
That's how I got the Quince and Co yarn, "Tern." It's round (because it's 3-ply) and it has silk rather than nylon for stability, which has the added bonus of a great sheen and slight tweediness when you hold it up close. Again, the colours are again spectacular. It's my first time working with Quince, though I have always admired them from afar, and I worried it might be my new fancy yarn favourite, The fact that it's a North American yarn, all natural, and a fantastic company, makes the decision easier. Oh, and it's squooshy.
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| Look at these wooden bowls! My mom got a set of 5 of them for me. Yay thrift shops! |
I really have no justification for the Ramble by Bohoknits which jumped into my bag. Other than I love it, and it's springy, and I have no stash of solid/tonal sock yarn. And I love chartreuse but never wear anything that bright or non-grey, so socks seems like a good outlet for my mustrardy green love.
It was the last skein in this colour!
462 yards? Good mileage.
I've been learning more and more about my yarn preferences in the last few months, so I think that I will destash some of the yarns that I am no longer likely to use now that I have matured in my knitting and have different tastes. I also need to stop buying laceweight. I love it and its price to yard ratio, but I really don't use them enough. Here's to spring and the creative rush.
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