Spring Spree

Housewives Tarot

 Oh my, how time flies !

We made it to the end of term - just. And an odd weekend it was, too - with both snow falling at the coldest Easter for 50 years, the clocks changing to British Summer Time and DH home for all four days  ....

In addition, Belo had the kids on Saturday, for their requested sleepover, and took them to Auntie Fashion's on Sunday in order to OD on Easter chocolate, so we luxuriated in most unusual child-free silence and too many hours of sleep.

But that was after our little foray to Franklins in Colchester; and we had a little venture out to Twist in Woodbridge a couple of weeks ago for their sale: all totally justified as one trip was my Xmas present, and one was for my birthday. You'd think I'd be replete with yarn. But .... no. I am confident we can convert the Mushroom Incident into yarn too ....

My secret birthday present to myself, I bought 800m of this most amazing merino/tencel laceweight in the colorway 'Pumpkin Spice' from the lovely Kirsty at Wharfedale Woolworks; great yarns, great colors, great service. No, it wasn't the first time I've bought from her ....

 

  From our trip to Woodbridge, I managed to snaffle a NDS Dazzling 4ply (55% Blue-Faced Leicester wool, 45% silk) in the colorway 'Apple' from Karen's sale bin; unfortunately the photo on this sunny sunny day does not do it justice - it is a far more lively limey/yellow green.

And oops, look what else accidentally fell into my stash (color chosen by DH) - Schoeller&Stahl Shadow Fortissima Color:

And Franklins in Colchester had Sirdar Softspun DK on sale, so I bought approx 600m of these two colorways, having in mind some kind of end-of-term gift for the kids' teachers:

Faded Jade

Duskie

This was not in the sale, but Mini Diva has requested a shawl in something softer than the Cygnet 4ply I used; so Wendy Happy is a blend of bamboo and acrylic, and was chosen by DH in a blind fondle test as the softest, beating two merino blends:

I am so sorry, I have no more time to sit and chat, there is serious fondling and gloating to be done  ....

New Week, New Yarns

So while I'm waiting for a batch of oils and lye to cool down, I thought I'd dash off a little blog post; after all, if my literary friends can manage the 1700 or so words a day demanded by NaNoWriMo, surely I can reach for the sky and attempt a mere couple of hundred ?

Especially when I can tell you all about the new yarn shop - or more accurately, boutique - that just opened up the road from me, in Woodbridge. DH being his usual easy-going self drove me out there on Saturday, even though I didn't know the name of the shop or where exactly it was (Woodbridge is not a large place, however).

It turns out it is called Twist, and is just by the Shire Hall. It is so new it still smells of new carpet, which itself is still that special kind of new-springy. The lighting is designer-style but still allows one to see the colors of the yarn; the custom-built cubbyholes for the yarn are not so much cubbyholes as cubby walls: of which a good quarter is filled with Noro yarns. The colors are almost as interesting as I had heard, but the texture is also scratchy and harsh, as I'd also heard.

There was lots of Debbie Bliss, some lovely Louisa Harding, plenty of Rowan and Sublime. Somehow, 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss 'Andes' (baby alpaca & mulberry silk)



fell into the posh paper bag, along with the 2 tissue-paper-wrapped balls of Rooster Almerino Aran ... The Artesanos and Manos del Uruguay yarns had not yet arrived; also absent was any laceweight, again awaiting delivery. Already the Rooster is transforming:



The service was friendly and welcoming - a refreshing change when it comes to high-end yarn shops; and the pricing was also reasonable. All she needs to do is instal some unobtrusive background music, a coffee machine and a couple more sofas, and institute a knit morning ....