AlisonH
My friend Jasmin was putting in a bulk order for hand dyed roving to Crown Mountain Farms and asked if I wanted to go in on it. My mouth caved in to what my eyes and fingers wanted to play with, no matter what my brain had to say about it, and I told her yes.
She started in on her roving right away when it came. I went ooh, aah, watching her spinning it at Purlescence, and I could only wish; when I spin, which isn’t often anymore, my yarn is never as fine as the stuff I most like to knit up these days. The finer I want it to turn out, the further down my fingertips I hold the fiber at my wheel; with almost no sense of touch left at the tips, spinning like that is a strictly visual task. And one can only stare at a small spot for so long. I could make perfectly lovely yarn out of it, but there was no way this soft merino was going to turn into the lace shawl knitting I so much wished for.
Jasmin had an answer to that. She asked me to bring a half pound of it back to her. I was stunned. I kept asking her, “Are you sure!? Are you serious!” I knew how much work that was! But twist my arm, heck yeah, and I handed over those eight ounces.
That was a week ago. Yesterday (that was a lot of work done fast!) she handed it back to me: in the form of three skeins, three-plied, (three plied! That’s way more work than two-plied!) fingering weight, 794 yards’ worth of that merino, enough for one of my shawls. In absolutely the most gorgeous colorway (well, um, yeah, I picked it out. “Oh Pretty Woman.”) Oh. My. Goodness. Thank you, Jasmin!
I have to add: my friend Nancy came over yesterday, before we saw Jasmin, and I told her, “You have to see this.” She walked into my living room, saw the amaryllises, and gasped out loud over Lene’s: “That one just towers over the others!”
Yeah, my friends tower over me all the time. It’s so cool.
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How wonderful! so happy you have great friends! What a special thing to do for someone! I can’t wait to see the finished shawl. As for the flowers they are so breathtaking.
Comment by Vicki 02.15.08 @ 3:09 pmI just wanted to share with you my copy of Wrapped in Comfort arrived. I asked for the book for Christmas but no one could find it, I went searching myself and I couldn’t find it, finally Amazon came through, I love it and can’t wait to start knitting away. I am embarrased to tell you that when we first started communicating I didn’t even realize that the book was yours, until you told me the Julia shawl was in the book, then I finally put two and two together, I am so happy!!!!
Comment by grace 02.15.08 @ 7:15 pmIt is so wonderful to have good friends. And good fiber friends are even better!
Comment by Niki 02.16.08 @ 7:22 amThat Jasmin – what a speed demon! What kills me is how she can spin the very finest stuff while chatting and doing everything but look at what she’s spinning. Amazing.
Comment by no-blog-rachel 02.16.08 @ 8:15 amWOW!!! That is some pretty yarn!!! I wish i could spin like that but all I get is a to twisted mess that wraps back on its self. Enjoy fondling that yarn 🙂 Have a nice day!
Comment by Danielle from SW MO 02.16.08 @ 9:26 amI’m knitting my first shawl from ‘Wrapped in Comfort’ right now, by coincidence, the Julia Shawl, and I’m loving it. I’m using some Koigu Painter’s Pallette and it is looking so beautiful! I think I am about 100 yards shy of the needed amount of yarn, but I’m contemplating solutions. (maybe doing the final few rounds in mohair?)
Comment by Diana Troldahl 02.16.08 @ 1:22 pmIf you go to the Jan 31st entry, you can see in the later pictures a Julia shawl done with the optional edging but knitted with a shorter skein of yarn than the ones in the book; I wear that one tied in front the way Diana is modelling it there, and it looks wonderful.
Comment by AlisonH 02.16.08 @ 1:37 pmStunning amaryllis! And I must say that that is SOME great friend! Does she need more friends? 🙂
Comment by Carol 02.16.08 @ 2:51 pmLeave a comment
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