Pretty, pretty fibers…. (drool)

We have here–at the top–a 4oz skein of Superwash Top in "Rust," nicely orangey without being neon-bright. (Never a color choice I opt for.) And–at the bottom–luxury sock batts in "Blaze." I bought three of the little, 50g bumps, made up of Superwash, silk, and nylon and are oh, so pretty and oh, so soft.

I pulled the Rust out of the box first and went, "Ooh," and then I pulled the Blaze out and went "OOOOOooooooohhhhh" because it’s just so gorgeous. The colors (in each) are fabulous, but because of the silk and the nylon–that’s going to make great socks, I just hope I ordered enough–that blended batt just sparkles. And who doesn’t appreciate a little sparkle once in a while?

Where did I get them from? Abby’s Franquemont Fibers. I’ve been eyeing them for quite some time . . . I think I first saw them mentioned at Theresa’s Keyboard Biologist . . . . yep, I just went and looked. But please note that that post was from March and I managed to resist for three months before breaking down and purchasing some of that for myself. (I hope you’re impressed.)

It’s almost a shame I started spinning this pretty stuff last night, because now the new stuff will just have to wait . . . And then, this has been waiting since April. (We won’t discuss the fiber in the closet that’s even older–like the never-ending silk/merino that I promised myself I would work on next, but which I, um, didn’t.)

And, well, it really is lovely. 4 oz of Blue Faced Leicester from Vesper Sock Yarn, in the "Pacific" colorway. I’d actually forgotten the name of it, and was sitting there spinning and thinking how very "beachy" it looked with it’s sand-and-sky color combination. So I went and pulled out the wrapper to remind myself what it was called, and, well . . . there you go, it’s the ocean.

Although, of course, being an East Coast girl, I tend to think it looks more like the Atlantic….

It’s gorgeous stuff, too. Very summery, don’t you think?

You know, the ironic part about me and my spinning? When spinning, there’s nothing I like better than watching different colors play off each other. The natural combinations as you spin, and then the blending/barber-poling when you ply? I love that. I love a chance to play with color.

But when knitting, I like my yarns to be almost solid in color. Tweedy yarns are nice, subtle variations are enjoyable, but in clothing and knits, I mostly like solid colors. In fact, except for a couple of skirts, and maybe one or two tops with stripes, almost everything in my wardrobe is a (mostly) solid color. And that I love Amish quilts, with their simple, bold, geometrics above all other kinds. So far as design goes, I belong to the "A little goes a long way" school as regards patterns. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 70s?

Anyway, what this means is that I keep spinning these fabulous, multi-colored and/or variegated yarns–like the Crown Mountain Farm Sock-Hop rovings, or their Pencil Corriedale–and, while I enjoy spinning them, and love the finished product . . . I never want actually want to knit anything in them, which is a real shame (grin). Which is probably the main reason that I’ve given away the finished yarn from each of the three Sock Hop rovings I’ve spun. With love and good wishes, but mostly because I’d rather see the yarn used than have it sit in my basket, knowing it never would be.

So, by rights, I should be doing all my spinning only from mostly-solid kinds of combinations so that I’d end up with more yarn I’d want to USE, which would mean I’d lose the fun of all those glowing color combinations . . . isn’t that ironic? Tragic, almost!

(Before any of you jump in, yes, I know, I could give the yarn to YOU when I’ve spun it–just to give it a good home–which is exceedingly generous of you. Really. I mean it. Because that’s the kind of person you are.)

How about you? What do you think of colors in yarn?

And, do you suppose that that beach-themed yarn, if I ever DO turn it into socks, will make me feel like I’ve got sand in my shoes?

Lastly, I only heard about this last night, but Annie Modesitt’s husband has been diagnosed with a nasty form of cancer, and she’s trying to raise some money to help cover medical costs by selling this pattern for a small donation. I don’t know if I’ll feel moved to make the dress, but giving her $4.50 toward devastating expenses? Yeah. That I can do. (For that matter, I just pre-ordered her upcoming book, Romantic Knits, too….)

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