Swap Package Received

I just received a lovely swap package from my partner Neila in the Ravelry Starbucks and Yarn swap group. Really cute package so I thought I'd share:

Recycled Sweater

Yesterday (and for about a three years before yesterday) I used to have a cabled store-bought sweater hanging in my closet. It was from Old Navy and very pretty but I just didn't wear it anymore. So I tried my hand at recycling.

There's a group on Ravelry called Thrifty Knitters and they have a whole page of tutorials, links and resources on this type of thing. I found one that made it look so easy. The author's "Show that sweater who's boss" was very inspiring.

The above yarn was all reclaimed from the aforementioned sweater. I got about 12.5 ounces of 50% cotton 50% acrylic DK weight yarn. It's white...so now I'm thinking of experimenting with dyeing it myself. There's an article on Knitty on dyeing plant fibers which looks interesting. Kool Aid also seems easy, but I've gotten conflicting reports on using Kool Aid to dye non-animal fibers. So more research is required...

Clearly, another blog post on this topic will be coming :)

Nice find

After demoing the pumpkin patch pattern on the Knifty Knitters at Michael's yesterday, I went hunting through the yarn aisle. This is a dangerous adventure, since I already have yarn for projects I haven't started yet.

I know you knitters know what I'm talking about. But, I've tried really hard not to get too far ahead of myself. Right now I'm not too far ahead...I think...

Anyway, so while hunting through the yarn aisle I found several new beautiful wool and wool blend yarns by Patons. I only bought two skeins of one of the kinds that I wanted. See! - I had a little self restraint! The one I bought is called Patons SWS . It's a self striping yarn and made from 70% wool and 30% soy. The skeins I bought are the "Natural Navy" colors - stripes of navy and natural browns. Like all self striping yarns I buy, these skeins are destined for a pair of cozy wool striped socks. Maybe for a gift, maybe for myself.

New Yarn!

I was at Michael's today, demoing, and discovered a new yarn I have never seen. I think it's new - or maybe just new to Michael's. Caron Simply Soft Quick! It's Super Bulky weight (as seen in picture #2) - so its perfect for looming with a single strand on the KK's. I picked up a couple of skeins to give it a try. I love the worsted weight simply soft and this is just as soft. I can't wait to give it a try. I'll report back and let you know...