Mercerized

http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/WebLetter/Yarns/Mercerized.php

Classic Elite has kindly answered my question in their web letter that came out today. I'm now quoting from them:

What does Mercerized mean?
Mercerized cotton has a beautiful luster—the result of a treatment that reduces the natural fuzz along the fiber’s length. The process smoothes the surface of the yarn and in addition to providing sheen it also increases cotton’s ability to absorb dye. The rich saturation of color in mercerized cottons are a dream for the textile artist who revels in beautiful color.

The Quarter Stitch in New Orleans

I went to New Orleans for Easter weekend. The purpose of my visit was not to go to a yarn store, but if one is convenient, then one should see it! I did a bit of internet research before I left and found that there is a store in the French Quarter, right off Jackson Square. It's called The Quarter Stitch. It sells supplies for both needlepoint and knitting. The walls are covered with needlepoint canvasses and there is yarn everywhere. My favorite part was the baskets full of yarn. For instance, there's a big basket filled with a variety of red yarns next to a big basket filled with orange yarns. It's arranged somewhat like a rainbow. The store is very cheerful and the ladies working there are very nice.

Yes, I made a purchase. Here I am with it.

They wrap things up so nicely! The yarn is wrapped in tissue paper then it's all put in a clear bag and tied with many ribbons. If it looks a little squished here it's because it got crammed into my suitcase for the trip home.
Here's what I bought.
2 skeins Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton
Tahki-Stacy Charles 100% Mercerised Cotton (what does mercerised/zed mean?)
Great Adirondack Yarn Co. Bamboo(49%) Silk (51%) in Sundance
a pink felted ball

The ball may be a cat toy or I may just display it on the knitting book bookcase (where the kitty just may find it and turn it into a cat toy anyway).

Remind me not to buy more yarn. I have enough.

Scarf Exchange Yarn

Someone is getting a scarf made out of this Sea Silk. The color is Seafoam. That's all I'm saying. Don't want to give away too much information just yet.

Scavenger Hunt Box

I participated in the first Scavenger Hunt Swap. The hostess had a list of categories and we had to find an item to fit each of the categories for the person we were spoiling. The categories were broad enough for lots of different interpretations. I came home last night to find a box of goodies from Heather Fo. Heather didn't label the gifts, so here is my interpretation.

Something Funny -- Grumpy Old Men & Grumpier Old Men DVD

Something Round -- a glass mug with a really cute knitted cozy (from Interweave Knits Holiday issue, according to her blog). I assume it's round because the top certainly is.

Something T -- white tea from Zhena's Gypsy Tea in the Sense of Peace flavor. It's got Egyptian Mint and Sweet Roses. Sounds like the perfect tea to enjoy in the mug.

Something Local -- a big fat skein of gray alpaca yarn from Lambspun of Colorado, located in Heather's city

Something Green -- beautiful pale green skein of cashmere and wool, again from Lambspun of Colorado

Something Chocolate (Spoiler's Choice) -- Ghirardelli hot chocolate, another good candidate for the mug

Something Hard -- Bellagio white chocolate cocoa mix. I say it's hard because it was hard for me not to rip this open and drink it last night!

It's all good! Does anybody have any suggestions how to use the yarn? (And don't suggest taking it off my hands.) This is yummy stuff and deserves to be used on a couple of special projects.

Knitting Stuff About Me

I'm participating in the International Scarf Exchange 6. (http://ise6.blogspot.com/) The person making a scarf for me said she likes to personalize the scarf to the recipient so she had a bunch of questions to get to know me better. I answered them in an email to her. I've also decided to post them here. It's a blog entry and I know I don't blog much, so here's something to post.


1: What have you made for yourself, knitting-wise?
I've made myself scarves (of course), shawls, hats, a few sweaters. I do dishcloths in order to practice new things and for quick gratification.

2: What would you love to make for yourself, if you had unlimited budget, skills, and time?
Time is the biggie here! If only I had more time! Budget-wise, I am ok. I think the skills would improve greatly if only I had more time to knit. That said, I'd knit sweaters. I don't have a specific one in mind, and never mind the fact that I live in a hot climate. I think there are plenty of great sweaters that aren't wool turtlenecks out there, and Houston tends to over air-condition the buildings in the summer, so I always take a sweater wherever I go. I guess to be specific, I'd like to finish the sweaters I have started. Currently I'm doing one from Knitscene called "Frontier Prairie Jacket" (I think). It's in the issue that came out around Christmas. I am doing it in a bright yellow color.

3: What would you NEVER wear, knitting-wise?
Fingerless gloves. Can I say that? They seem to be very popular right now. Not that I don't like them, I just don't see them having a practical place in my world as it currently is.

4: Knowing that you're from Texas (and probably not needing a wooly scarf in April/May!), what would you like to do with the scarf you get in this exchange?
If I get a wooly scarf, I will just save it for the winter. I am from Colorado and I have a trip planned to the mountains in September when I may need a wooly scarf. I usually go home to my childhood home (not in the mountains) at Thanksgiving and always at Christmas, so I'd use it there. If I get a non-wooly scarf, I'll use it as a fashion accent, a little something to ward off the overzealous AC of the office and movie theater and meat section of the grocery store, or I'll put on the scarf and put the top down on the car and go cruising in the evenings.

5: What do you do for fun when you're not knitting?
My biggest time-consumer (outside of work) is running. I have been a runner for a very long time now. I run about 5 days a week. I run in a lot of races, everything from 5k to the marathon. Running keeps me sane, in shape, and allows me to eat ice cream and drink beer once in a while. I have also made many good friends (and met my boyfriend) this way. You get to know people really well as you sweat in a mostly-naked state. I also like to cook and read. Now that I have a puppy, I realize I am a dog-lover and spend a lot of time with her. I also have a kitty, but she's not quite as interactive as the puppy, but we get in some good cuddle time too.

Family Portrait

The S(p)in of Gluttony

While checking things out on the internet, I read about the Seven Deadly S(p)ins club on someone's blog. I decided I'd like to try this out.
http://thesevendeadlyspins.blogspot.com/

I knew some of the projects may be beyond my skills as they currently are, but decided to take a chance. Boy, am I glad I did! Look at the awesome package I got celebrating Gluttony! What beautiful yarn from the Unique Sheep to be knit into Gluttony socks! As if that isn't enough, the package also included a keychain sock blocker pattern and yarn, some sock-shaped point protectors, a bag of Jelly Bellies, and a Woolgirl pen (I signed up for the club through Woolgirl). What a great package!

I don't know how to knit socks -- YET. This package sure is a great incentive to learn! (No, I am not going to learn on such nice yarn. I'll learn on something a bit more ordinary then try this beautiful stuff.)

Water Dog

Doldrums Defeated!

I got a nice, cheery package from Nichole in New Hampshire on Saturday. It defeated any winter doldrums I may have been feeling. Here's what I got:
--a pretty dishcloth in shades of blue and green
--2 skeins of Sugar & Cream, one pink and one green
--Classic Elite cotton in pink, white, green
--candy eggs (a lot like the Valentine candy hearts--yummy)
--Chai Spice Red Bush Tea
--photo frame calendar (love it!)
--a couple planners/calendars
--a candle that smells like rain
--wonderful cinnamon vanilla soap
--pomegranate lip balm
--lavendar/vanilla body powder
--a women's health package with lots of goodies including forget-me-not seeds

Here's a closeup of the yarn goodies!
I love the dishcloth swap! Thank you to Nichole for such a great package. Thank you to Anne and Holly for organizing everything.

Homeless Dishcloths...

...have found a home. I sent them to my mom in an Easter package. These two cloths used the same yarn but are inverses of each other. How different they look. The pink-white-brown variegated yarn really reminds me of the neopolitan ice cream I used to eat as a kid.