I left all this beautiful yarn in New York:
These are my favorites, displayed on the overwhelmingly pink wall of my New York bedroom.
From left to right I've got Lisa Souza Sock! yarn in South Pacific, bought after listening to the Lime and Violet podcast. Those ladies sure can conjure up yarn lust.
The pink skein is Dream in Color Classy (Merino wool) in a color called China Apple. This skein came from my favorite LYS in Des Moines, Knitted Together and it was thanks to a gift of yarn money from my Grandmother I was able to buy such a luxurious bit of yarn. It's a worsted weight, and I have no idea what I'll do with it.
Next, the blue skein is Mountain Colors Bearfoot. Back when I had my employee discount at Iris Fine Yarns in Appleton I bought an embarrassing amount of yarn, and this was one of those skeins that came home with me. Serviceable, I know this will turn into a lovely pair of socks somewhere down the road, but it's wall decoration for now.
The chocolate color on the far right is alpaca yarn I picked up at the Cooperstown farmer's market from Linda, the alpaca farmer who lives down the road from me in New York. I pass her farm every day and wave at the happy alpaca who live there. Linda is a very savvy farmer who knows that she has to have a market for her goods, or there's no profitability to breeding alpaca. Alpaca fiber is amazing, silky and dramatic while incredibly warm and soft, probably my favorite high-end yarn, and Linda knows its value. This little splurge was totally worth it though, since it gave me an excuse to strike up a conversation with Linda in the first place.
Finally, the blue skein is the one I'm most proud of having in my collection. It's wool from the 1850 flock at Living History Farms, naturally dyed with indigo in a big copper pot over an outdoor woodfire. Katie, the 1850 domestic supervisor, was an early friend of mine in Iowa and we bonded over food and fiber love, so when I finally got a play day away from 1900 and came to work Wednesdays on her farm, fiber was what I worked with the most.
We spent afternoons carding and spinning on the wheel, until, on my last day there, I Navajo-plied what I had spun and came away with a beautiful even 3-ply skein of wool, alive with a subtle gradation of indigo. Katie gave me this skein as a going away present when I left for New York. Characteristically, I don't want to spoil it's current state to make it into something else more beautiful/useful, just in case I ever change my mind.
The potential of an untouched skein is vast; sometimes it's just nice to have all those options waiting to be tapped.
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1 comment:
Kate my love, I finally got enough minutes all together to read your blog. Your pictures are lovely and your new home looks so comfy. I greatly admire your strength and courage to move out to a place where you weren't sure what will happen. I'm sure it will lead to something wonderful, memories if nothing else. I miss being able to sit and watch you knit, nestled in the comfort of your presence. Some day, we'll have to arrange a visit. Until then, maybe we can hook up some letters - I'll see what I can do. That seems to be the most fitting form of communication for your new surroundings after all.
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