Fly By

I have not one, but two FO's to show you, but I've had no time to get pictures, so it will have to wait. What with the end of the school year and all the associated programs, performances, competitions, and field trips (not to mention a birthday party to plan, Father's Day, and my best friend due to pop out a baby any day now), this time of year would be crazy enough even if I hadn't just picked up a complicated legal project that needs to be done asap. (I've spent the past two days mired in legal complexities--and spent last night dreaming about them. See? This is the problem with working. It's actually work. And it interferes with my knitting.)

So how about a little conciliatory yarn pr0n? This came in the mail today:

This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. I've lusted after it since the first (and only) time I bought some, which was for a sweater about two years ago. I drool over it online, pet it at the yarn store, scan the internet for deals, imagine projects...but I never buy any because, for wool, it's bloody expensive and it never, ever goes on sale. Contrary to popular belief (at least, my husband's belief), I am cheap when it comes to yarn. I buy a lot of it, but only on clearance or some other 50%-off-or-better deal. I just can't bring myself to pay retail when I know I can find something just as good at half the price. The thing is, nothing is just as good as this stuff. It's incredibly soft and smooth without any itch at all (and I'm wool-sensitive), hand dyed, superwash, and holds up beautifully. My two-year-old sweater shows no signs of pilling or wear.

I found this on ebay at a reasonable price. Still not cheap, of course, but the colors got me. Well, the colors, and the realization that I could knit Sahara with elbow length sleeves (a la Tammy--Ravelry link; I can't find it on her blog) for under four skeins. It looks pretty colorful in the skein, but my previous experience with this yarn has taught me that the colors really blend together when knit. The repeats are very short, so instead of striping, you get only a couple of inches of each color before it changes again. I found this disappointing with the darker colorway I used before (it looked muddy to me when knit), but I think it will work well with these colors. I haven't swatched yet, so we'll see.

With the exception of a second sock that's nearly done, and Sligo, which is in time out with only half a sleeve to go while I solve a color-matching issue, I have no WIPs. Not one! So I'm planning to reward myself for all the tasks I've had to plow through lately by casting on for Sahara tonight and watching a movie. Throw in a glass of wine and some chocolate, and it's my own little slice of paradise.