Floodgates

Floodgates

I deeply regret that I did not photograph all my new yarn in a pile so I could use the photo as an intro to this post. Poor planning.

I confessed to ordering yarn last week, and the yarn I ordered arrived extremely promptly. Spirit Trail Fiberworks is in my same state so I was not surprised at all when the yarn showed up the day after I paid for it.



Not surprised, but still pleased. Need I say, Jennifer's customer service is awesome.

This yarn is one of those that defies photography. Even with a filter on the flash, I couldn't get an accurate color. I attribute this to the reflective quality of the silk, which makes the color look much lighter when photographed with a flash than it is in real life. The color is darker and deeper than shows here, so suffice it to say, as lovely as this photo is, it is a far cry from the yarn's actual beauty.



Saturday my woolie silk arrived.



Saturday, I also went to my LYS. Now, I went intending to check out the new Hiyahiya sharps. I love my Chiaogoos with a deep and abiding passion, but I do miss the convenience and economy of an interchangeable set. And, as it happens, I had a gift certificate someone gave me as an engagement gift. So, that was the plan. Go look at needles. No need for yarn. Tunnel vision.

Except, I made one fatal error. I did not go to the yarn store alone. And while I was decided on the needle set within a matter of minutes, she was zooming around the store looking at yarn. Showing me yarn. And, to avoid just standing around the counter staring into space - I walked around and looked at yarn too. And before I knew it, these two skeins caught my eye.



I just couldn't help it. The next muse Romi plans to release is a two-color shawl, and while I thought I knew what I was going to use, the yarn I had in mind was quite a bit shorter in yardage than the yarn Romi used and these two colors were just so perfect for this shawl and...I put it on the counter next to my Hiyahiyas.

Except my shopping companion was not done looking yet and I lingered a bit too long next to the shelf and then all of a sudden I was holding these.



I was holding these because there is a certain friend I go to church with, who is a total sweetie, and every time she sees me knitting she says, "Where's the blue one?" because she had made it known to me that when I decided to make a her a shawl, she would like it to be blue.

Now as it happens, she has a sister that also goes to my church; the two are very close in age and very different in personality, and I was suddenly taken with the idea of knitting the pink/purple shawl for one sister, who is much more flamboyant and outgoing, and the blue shawl for the other sister, who is much calmer, with an understated sense of humor and charming wit.

So I walked out of there with four skeins of yarn and plans to knit two of the next muse, even though Romi is actually intending to release two muses at once and I AM ALREADY SO BEHIND Y'ALL.

But there you go. And this also neatly solves the problem of how one sister would feel if I gave the other sister a shawl and didn't have one for both.

It's possible that I will change my mind and save one color combo for the OTHER two color muse, but I like the symmetry of giving them both the same one. But we'll see when the muses are released and the names are revealed. All the yarns shown are Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock, which I have to say is easily the softest 100% superwash merino I've ever touched. Usually I prefer to work with cashmere blends as the 100% superwash merino yarns are rougher than I prefer (yes, I said it. merino alone is too rough for me. It's my knitting and I can spoil myself if I want to.)

In the meantime, I have started the newest muse.



Unfortunately, the two skeins were visibly different even before I wound them, so I'm having to alternate, which is a bit of a pain, but other than that, I'm cruising along. The above photo was after the first repeat of Chart E; I have since completed most of a second one as well. I am a tiny bit concerned about having enough yarn, because the pattern calls for 400 yards of fingering weight and I have 500 yards of sport, but I figure, what the heck. If I run out and have to order another skein - I'm already alternating anyway. I could do the math and figure out ahead of time, but I'm too lazy I like adventure.

I did start Caliz on Friday night, as it made excellent social knitting.



I'm a little shy of halfway through the (only) chart, so I feel good about finishing this one in a relatively expedient manner, even with the other knitting.

I also spent some time working on Galadriel's Mirror this week before all the new stuff came in.



The difference in color between the first skein and the second is dreadfully obvious, but it occurs right at a pattern shift anyway, so I'm trying not to mind it much. Although I'm a little bitter that the first skein was so completely unvariegated, because it would have been much more interesting if it had as much variation as the second one. Oh well. Perils of hand dye. I regret nothing.



It took me half an evening to finish up my Gothic Tam.



And while I did not block Madrona, I did take some finished photos.







I'll block it this week. My wedding dress is in and I'd like to take the shawl to my fitting on Saturday and see how it looks!

I'm using the Hiyahiya needle set to knit Erato (the current muse) so I'll post a review of those needles once I've spent a little more time with them. This post is quite full enough as it is!