I ordered a bunch of Louet Gems Merino in different weights to hand-dye for the shop. Ooh, I love it so. It’s superwash, sucks the dye right up, and feels wonderful.

These are 8 oz./512 yard sport weight skeins. They’ll be in the shop tomorrow.

I’ve got a question for yarn lovers. Do you prefer the yarn shown shown as it was dyed or after reskeining? I can’t decide!

Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments on the Café Bastille Cables Sweater. I’ve been wearing the it as much as I dare. Don’t want to seem like the crazy lady with only one sweater, but it is so comfy and cozy that I can’t resist. The sleeves will stay long, I think, as they keep my hands nicely warm. It is a pretty nice sweater if I do say so myself. I haven’t noticed any wear to the yarn at all, though it seems kind of fragile, so I am always on the lookout for pilling.

I’ve been spinning piles and piles of pink Merino/silk. M, some is for Lucy. Warn me if she hates pink all of a sudden. If she still likes it, she will be one fancy wee lass in silk!

I am still drowning in secret knitting projects and projects that don’t look so great at the moment. ( Raglan sweaters don’t photograph well on the needles, do they?) Everyone is anxious for their finished items, surely, as the temperature has dipped dramatically lately. I pity the kids who have to wear their coats to trick-or-treat this year.

Jess Hutchison’s book, Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy is out. She’s run out of copies, but you can sign up so you get an email when more come in. I managed to get one before she ran out. I can’t wait for it to get here!

How’s that for an all over the place post?

I swear! Everything is just presents and stuff for secret books and I can’t show it.

This is Blue Sky Alpaca 100% Alpaca and boy, is it a nice yarn to knit. It’s inelastic and really drapey, so would make such a gorgeous scarf or shawl. They kindly make it in chartreuse, which makes me far too happy.

I’ve also been spinning:

850 yards of 2-ply bulky weight Finn wool, which already has a home.

I’ve been plugging away on Doug’s sweater while half watching horror movies in the evening (I love Halloweeen for the movies alone), but it’s a big black strip on a long needle at the moment. I’m going to save any review of the yarn for after the sweater’s washed. At the moment, the yarn feels a little harsh for my taste. It’s not hard on the hands, thankfully, it just doesn’t feel great. I’m sure it will make a sweater that can take serious abuse, which was the reason for using it in the first place.

*Shambles tried to disappear yesterday during the Nor’easter*