All I bought were T-Pins, I promise

I did swatch today. I also bound off Strangling Vines. But I will blog about those later.

I stopped by Gauge today in search of blocking advice, T-Pins and either Eucalan or Soak. I found everything except the wool wash.

Gauge has in Noro Taiyo. Here is hat knit out of it. I took a picture of the skeins they had available, but the picture didn't come out.

Taiyo is what so many of us have been waiting for. It's a cotton blend, so it's softer than Kureyon, but still has the same beautiful colors.

I took a picture of this sample scarf in the shop for inspiration. I like the way two different weights of yarn were used together. It worked out well.

Cheva was there selling her hats. I wish I had gotten to take more pictures, but my batteries died.

One of these things is not like the other...


Remember the Battle of the Bamboo Silks? Gauge has in a couple of skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk. It was a great chance to compare it with Vickie Howell's SWTC Love.


Here are the labels. The yellow one is SWTC Love and the green one is Ella Rae. The yarns basically have the same stats, just worded differently. More details here.

There are minor differences. Love is a little thinner and has a little more sheen. Ella Rae is a little thicker and more matte (Although it still feels "silky.") It's not much of a difference, but there is a difference.

Hopefully I can buy some of this great yarn soon. My next Gauge purchase is 25% off.

Restless

I think it must be from being cooped up sick half the week, but I'm restless and bored. I know all the northern knitters are ready for spring, but I feel like I'm running out of winter. Pretty soon the cold fronts will end, and I'll be hiding in the air condition from the blistering sun.

Belated Valentine's Day
I got my Valentine's Day gift from Jules in the mail today. It actually arrived yesterday, but I didn't get to pick it up from the office until today. I'm sitting here with my stuffed cat right now, and most of the peanut butter cups in the heart shaped box are gone.

Yes, that's the Rasta Beanie that he is wearing in those pictures. Eventually, I'll scan these in and post them properly.

Jules said when you give your girlfriend a Joe Cool keyring, you know it's serious. I need to make room on my keyw. Maybe it's time to get rid of my broken Austin skyline, or my poor, dilapidated My Little Pony.

Battle of the Bamboo Silks
I was looking at an e-mail I got from Webs and noticed that one of their new yarns is Ella Rae Bamboo Silk. The name caught my eye because I've been drooling over Love from Southwest Trading Company's Vickie Howell Collection. I would love to make an entire top out of it, but it's so expensive. (I have also considered making this pattern because I could do it with only two hanks.)

When I took a closer look at the Ella Rae yarn, I was surprised at the stats:

Ella Rae Bamboo Silk
Content: 70% Bamboo/30% Silk
Care: Hand Wash
Weight/Yardage: 99yd=50g
Gauge: 5sts=1" US 7
Knitting Weight: Worsted
Regular Webs Price: $6.95

Vicki Howell Collection Love
Content: 70% Bamboo/30% Silk
Care: Hand Wash
Weight/Yardage: 99 yd/50 g ball
Gauge: 5 sts/inch on #7
Knitting Weight: Worsted
Regular Webs Price: $12.99*
*This yarn is currently on sale for $9.75

Very interesting. (And the Webs price for the Love yarn is similar to the prices I've seen at several LYS's.)

Sea Silk Time

I've decided it's time to reach into my stash and knit up something yummy. Last August I bought some Handmaiden Sea Silk. I'm saving the Blackberry color for Lacewings, but I think it's time to get out the Capri.

After much time on Ravelry I'm looking seriously at Strangling Vine scarf and the Lacy Serpentine Scarf. The Montego Bay scarf seems the most obvious choice, but I want something with a little more substance. I also may try to do my own thing. Either way, this begs to be a silky, drapey, lacy scarf that will rival my one skein mobius. (Maybe I should get a few beads?)