Xmas Stash

Dear blog,

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a good time, and got all their essential x-mass projects finished in time this year. Naturally I've been super busy visiting with my family and friends. I haven't seen any of them since January last year, so pretty much every waking moment has been spent trying to catch up. Nevertheless, knitting has still been progressing. I finished 1 whole skien on the surprise project and am about halfway done with my rosebud hat (coincidently, the first thing I've knit for myself since May.)

But thats a story for later posts. Today I want to talk about my haul.

Now, Christmas isn't about getting stuff, but I always seem to come out of the bargin with new stash, and that's not something I'm likely to complain about. Some of it I bought for myself - like the shelter I ordered a few months back - and some of it is gifts. Check it out :

First up, two skeins of brooklyn tweeds LOFT, one purple, one yellow. I've only knit a tiny little swatch, but I LOVE IT TO DEATH. It's wooly and springy and thick. It has more crunchiness and weight than other wools I've tried, and it somehow seems heavier despite being fingering weight and very fragile. Probably the only complaint about it is that it breaks if you so much as look at it the wrong way, but it's something I can definitely live with. The green on top is Classic Elite Yarns' LUSH. It's 50% angora and super squishy. It's an obnoxious spring green color that I think will be a nice change from my usual dark winter reds and blues ^__^ I'm thinking probably mittens or a smallish cowl is in this singles' future

Here's more loveliness. The Shelter is one of two skeins - I'm knitting the other up as a rosebud hat. For a yarn review, Ditto the LOFT yarn. The Manos... Never knit with it before. It's really soft and has an interesting texture that I'm dying to knit up in plain stockinette, probably with a garter boarder. The brown will probably be knit in stripes with the Manos. I've been a fan of ultra alpaca for awhile, and it can keep up with the Manos in the softness department while also being a little bit more firm and solid.

Lastly, these turbo lace circs in US1. I've heard rave reviews about these and can't wait to see how they hold up in comparisons to the knitpicks ones I've been using (supposedly they are nicer). I'm hoping to do socks and mitts and thing on them using the magic loop method.

Anyways. Thats my longish Christmas post, hopefully my next one will be an FO followed by more explicatives about gauge.

TTFN

THEO