A Tale of Two Yarns ... Sort Of

Unless Madame Defarge had as varied a stash as mine (which I highly suspect she did not), I could never write a tale of merely two yarns, and I have very little desire to write about yarns that were so scratchy, they literally made my fingers sore. (Note: the finished projects made of those scratchy, hurtful yarns are relegated either to being used under my feet, or as bedding for my pet. Since George Bailey hasn’t complained, that’s all I’m going to say about that.)

In terms of yarn weights, I’m currently loving both ends of the spectrum. Fingering and lace weight yarns, in all different fiber types, appeal to me, since I am on a shawl jag. Having made ten shawls last year, I am on a path to finish eleven this year. Clearly, I love skinny yarns.

At the other end of the weight spectrum, I am just starting to explore bulky and super bulky fibers. I’ve just completed a project using one: Butternut Woolen's hand-dyed super bulky.

I must say, this was one quick, fun project. Completed in an afternoon, it yielded a big satisfaction bang for very little fiber yardage (and crafty effort) buck. I’ve worn it simply around the neck and shoulders, with my version of a shawl pin (a chop stick) inserted in the front, to nice compliments. It’s also super light weight yet very warm – the perfect accessory for in-between seasons.

However, for anyone who wants some fiber adventure, I really must urge that you check out all of the selections at Habu Textiles.

I bought the above sample recently at a weekend fiber festival and I can tell you that I spent oodles of time at the Habu booth. I definitely experienced textile overload. There is no raw material, it seems, that can’t be turned into yarn – stainless steel, paper, and an extract from the pineapple plant are a few of the more exotic raw materials Habu uses – with great results. An added bonus: the packaging is unique and is an integral part of the fiber designing and buying experience. Given the recent, horrible events in Japan, it somehow makes me feel good to currently refer to anything Japanese with such good karma. 

I must admit to one small, embarrassing thing: I did not get all of my stash into the photos. There will be more on this minor embarrassment later in the week. However, part of today’s tale has to include the fact that there are yarns shown that I haven’t yet worked with, so some of my best fiber experiences are still to be discovered. Oh happy me!

I wish you satisfying reading on this, the first day of the second annual Knitting and Crochet Blogging Week. May some of your best fiber tales be discovered. Definitely feel free to tell me of any you've already had in the comments section below.