This is Part 2 of my favorite yarn review. I didn't realize how much fun this would be. It has reminded me not only of yarn I love but TBFL projects I might want to dive into.

Once again I have The Quarter Stitch to thank for introducing me to the Prism "Stuff" yarns. I remember clearly the day I first set eyes on Hot Stuff. It was a soft teal and olive and took my breath away. It was knit into an Interlac vest that became magical. Once I saw Stuff, I became a collector. Every time I saw a new color, I bought a skein or two. You could find pink Stuff in my Survivor Shawls and teal and copper Stuff in my giant wall hanging. For those of you unfamiliar with Stuff, it is a skein made up of many different fibers. It may be the original magic ball. I loved getting in my Stuff tub and reminiscing.

My knitting buddy Linda first introduced me to Kauni a beautiful self striping yarn with a very long and gradual color change. Linda was thinking about making a sweater people were talking about on the internet

Here it is. Isn't it gorgeous? I was very resistant to this project because of the small needles, then I saw it. A Faire Isle pattern knit in little squares. I was won over. I will talk more about this sweater in another post. I used Kauni for the Lucy Neatby Bubble scarf.

This was made for Kauni.

Don't you just love the long, gradual color change?

Another of my favorites is Blue Heron. It is my go to yarn for the Olga Jazzy scarf. Once again you can find many pink Blue Heron in the Survivor Shawls and teal in the giant wall hanging. It just adds a little zip and sparkle.

This is called Blossom. Isn't it yummy? It is very soft and very beautiful but kind of makes you look like a teddy bear when you wear. It adds a layer of girth that I definitely don't need. But I still love it.

This is a sweater I started made from Blossom which I have never finished. I probably never will but I still keep my eye open for the perfect pattern and it still is one of my favorites.

I am noticing a trend in my favorite yarns. Color and sparkle. No surprise. I am not even close to being done with my favorite yarns.

Are there some yarns that you love so much that you just can't get enough of them? Or you love so much you really don't want to use them for fear they will be discontinued? Or you love so much you are waiting to find the perfect pattern? I have a whole collection of those yarns and I thought I would share a few with you.

I have to start with this yarn which I brought in the fabulous Quarter Stitch in the French Quarter in New Orleans. I bought it years ago and don't have a clue what it is. I only know it was love at first sight and I had to have it. It is a beautiful mauve with a rayon strand and a mohair strand. I even knit a pull-over sweater using it once. The pattern was great and I enjoyed knitting it but when it was finished I tinked it. It was ungodly hot and the pattern wasn't special enough for this beautiful yarn

This is my latest attempt at creating something spectacular with this yarn. Maybe some day I'll finish it.

I love this yarn. It is by Tilli Thomas and was a special addition for breast cancer survivors. In this picture, I combined it with a fine white yarn and made a georgous shawl for lovely Carmen my hairdresser. I wish I had a picture.

This is Art Yarn Ensemble Lite a chashmire and silk yarn that feels like knitting with spun clouds. This is one of the many yarns introduced to me by those amazing women at Knit Purl in Portland, Oregon. I knit a teal vest for my brother-in-law a couple of years ago for Christmas. I am not sure if he has taken it off yet. The rust color is a TBFL (to be finished later) project for my husband.

Since I just mentioned something I made for my brother-in-law Donn (Dick's brother), I knit this beautiful Nashua Sitar into a yummy vest for Andi my sister-in-law. Andi and I were in the wonderful Yarn Barn in Lawrence, Kansas when Andi picked put this ball of yarn and said, "This is the most beautiful yarn I've ever seen." I couldn't buy it then but by the next Christmas Andi had a vest out of Sitar. Sitar also is one of the yarns which appears in my giant knit wall hanging which I talked about a week or so ago.

How can I talk about my favorite yarns without mentioning the fabulous Dune by Trendsetter. It is so exquisite. Dune is also part of the giant wall hanging.

In my next post I will share five more of my favorite yarns. I can't believe how much fun this is! It is definitely a yarn walk down Memory Lane. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I am. See you in a couple of days.

I love to buy yarn when we go on vacation. I have a history of where I've been in what I wear. We were in Savannah, Georgia walking through the beautiful shops along the bluff when I saw this sweater. Yowee! Zowee! I saw this and thought, "I have to make this!" A sweater that is a map of the world! How cool is that?!?! I bought the kit and was on my way. At the time I didn't really get Intarsia so I taught myself and struggled through. I learned about that important twist when you change yarn so you don't have holes. I also learned the importance to not pulling the yarn tight behind the stitches. It was a fun and valuable experience.

I was facilitating a strategic plan for St Joseph's Academy and decided I would wear my globe sweater. Map of the world; working with educators; it all just seemed to fit. I was standing in front of the group during a break when this smiling person raced up and said, "Did you knit that?" That was the beginning of a long and wonderful friendship. I treasure my relationship with my knitting buddy Linda Kaufman. We share a love of expensive yarn, good wine and laughter. For many years, we knit together once a week. Sometimes it was just the two of us and sometimes Cheryl Yeutter (adorable Edith Anne's grandmother) and her mother joined us. On our first yarn tour we visited seven new LYS's. We were very punchy when we got home; kind of drunk on beautiful yarn. Linda and I knit our Crayon Box jackets together and a gorgeous sweater called Yokohama jacket out of my favorite Kureyon. We have knit for each other. Linda knit an amazing stash buster sweater for me with yarn from her Mom's stash which I treasure. I made Linda a Jan Bag and a Lucy Neatby's Bubble scarf. We walk into a yarn shop and pick out yarn for each other. I can't wait for Linda to retire so we can go to Stitches Midwest and the fall knitting retreat in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Linda puts the social in social knitting.

So I toast great friends and great patterns. May we always have plenty of both.

Most projects I under take have developed from love at first sight. I either see a pattern or an ad in a magazine, fall in love with a skein of yarn or display project at a LYS (remember the Crayon Box jacket?), or those amazing women from Knit-Purl in Portland send me an email I can't refuse. I always try to resist buying one more thing that I won't get to for a while, but most of the time that pesty addiction wins out and I have a new project in my TBFL (to be finished later) tub. The project I'm going to share today was one I saw in a Prism ad in a winter or spring 2014 magazine.

I saw this picture and thought, "Close the front door! I have to make this." I began my research and found a company who sold it in a knit. What I thought would be the perfect yarn was called Harvest. Lots of color just like I like. I am learning a lot about what light does to the colors in a photograph from this blog. Believe it or not, the skein of yarn and the picture of the knitted cowl are the same yarn. The real look is somewhere in between.

I was so excited about this project that I didn't even put it in a TBFL tub. I immediately wanted to start it. It was really fun. Lots of counting and keeping track, but I loved knitting it. I knit layer 1, then layer 2, then layer 3. I loved attaching the layers. It was about when I was finishing the neck ribbing that I had an inkling that something might be amiss. I was still having fun knitting but I realized I wouldn't wear it and I had no friends who were either clowns or court jesters. I usually start a project and as I finish it it becomes obvious who it is for. It never became obvious who this was for. I just can't envision any of my friends (or myself) in this. Taking it on and off messes up your hair so it would have to be something you leave and wear inside. Hot! Hot! Hot! My friend Barb is always cold, but like I said she's neither a clown or court jester.

I must say that the picture of this cowl on the model looked adorable. Oh,wait! Was it the cowl that looked adorable or the model. Whatever, I had a ball making this. And I have the perfect gift if I ever become friends with a court jester!

What is your "good project gone bad" experience?

I am so excited! I talked before about walking through a LYS or catalogue or online shop and seeing something I had to have but would go into a TBFL (to be finished later) tub. The shawl in this picture was one of those things. I saw it and bought it. Isn't it beautiful?!?!? I have kind of hit the knitting wall. I have gone into my TBFL tubs and pulled out lots of things to finish since starting Knitting: A Love Story. Pressure! Pressure! Pressure! I feel pressure to post twice a week. It feels great to finally finish things, but it doesn't have the excitement of going through the full process. Falling in love with either yarn or a pattern. Finding the perfect yarn or pattern to go with it. Winding the skeins into balls (have I told you I love to do that). Swatching. Then starting that exciting project that you are so in love with. I am just an adrenalin junkie and pulling things out of the TBFL tub just doesn't provide that adrenalin jolt.

I decided to try to get my adrenalin jolt with this glorious shawl made out of yummy Malabrigo lace yarn. The pattern is Samen by Stephen West. This is what Malabrigo says about their yarn. "Spun from the finest merino wool, this yarn comes from sheep bred for generations by ranchers in the northern part of Uruguay, where the ideal climate for this breed is found. When you experience Malabrigo Lace Baby Merino, you connect with a special place in the world." Poetic and true, true, true! This yarn is like touching the softest kitten you can imagine. The colors are bright and beautiful. I was on my adrenalin high, winding my yarn when reality gave me a jolt. One of the skeins was tangled so I couldn't wind it without it breaking. There is nothing like interrupting an adrenalin high for a junkie. Crash! Now part of my problem was, I bought this long enough ago I didn't remember where I got it. I didn't have a clue who to call. I immediately emailed Malabrigo and told them my problem. Within 1 hour they not only responded, but said they would replace the ball. Within 3 days I had my skein of beautiful burgundy Malabrigo. Did I mention they are in Uruguay? This has to be the best customer service. This is why Malabrigo is my new favorite yarn company. Thank you Mariana! I encourage you to reward Malabrigo for their excellent service by purchasing some of their yummy yarn. Off I go to start Samen!

Remember my first trip to Knitting On The Fringe with Linda my knitting buddy? I fell in love with more than the beautiful yarn. Behind the counter was a wall hanging which looked like it may have been knit by the Jolly Green Giant or Paul Bunyon (do you have to be from Michigan to know who Paul Bunyon is?) I was absolutely mesmerized, intrigued and immediately obsessed. "Where did you get this?" I inquired. The shop owner told me she made it. She even made the knitting needles using wooden closet polls which she sharpened. She put many different skeins of yarn together to create this rope sized fiber. I loved it and I wanted to do it. I began planning in my head. First I decided that I wanted my yarn to be shades of copper and teal. Next, I began collecting yarn. Remember how I collected pink yarn for my Survivor Shawls? I began doing the same thing with copper and teal yarn. I decided instead of a square, my huge wall hanging would be the rough shape of a giant garment.

I developed this fabulous collection of copper and teal yarns from all of my favorite yarn shops, walk-in and online. Yarn Paradise, Knit-A-Round, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Lizzie Anne's, Yarn Quest, Crafty Lady, Webs, Jimmy Beans, The Yarn Barn; they're all in there and more. I must admit that I did not make my needles. I bought them online from Jenkins Woodworking. They are made from hardwood and will become part of the wall hanging.

My fiber rope contains 25 individual strands of yarn in copper and teal. Isn't it beautiful?!?! Just like pink became my favorite color when I was collecting yarn for Survivor Shawls, copper and teal became my favorite colors when I was collecting for this giant garment. This definitely was a labor of love. I had to learn a new technique to cast on. Knitting became comparable to lifting weights. It was definitely trial and error until Viola!, it's done. I have some additional final touches bouncing around in my head.

I am toying with painting different shaped, big buttons copper and tie them on with different strands of yarn. I am also going to wrap a huge styrofoam ball in the yarn used to make a big ball of yarn still attached to the giant garment. Then finally I have to figure out where to hang it. My wonderful knitting room is the obvious place but that will take a little reorganizing. Some day I will surprise you with the giant garment hanging on a wall. You will be impressed and amazed. From this project I learned the excitement of stepping totally out of the box and playing with no rules.

One day I was reading Homestyle the Friday supplement in the Detroit Free Press and I saw an article about a new local yarn shop. The owner was an attorney/knitter turned entrepreneur. I am always up for a yarn shop adventure, so my knitting buddy Linda and I hopped in the car to explore. We opened the door and said, "Candy store!" It was filled with the high end yarn I love. Blue Heron, Malabrigo, and some I had never before seen. I came home with many of the beautiful pink yarns for my Survivor Shawls. When checking out the owner ask me about all the single skeins of pink yarn. When she learned about my Survivor Shawls, she gave me a discount!😃

One day Linda and I decided we needed a yarn tour which included Knitting On The Fringe. We drove up in front of the shop, turned off the car, opened the car door only to be confronted by an empty shop. We panicked! One of our favorite LYSs closed. Linda got out her iPhone and Googled "Knitting On The Fringe." Eureka! It had only moved.

We hopped in the car and off we went. Oh, by the way, Knitting On The Fringe is in Commerce Township. When we got to the new shop and were thrilled. One of the things Knitting On The Fringe does is put together adorable little kits with unique patterns and yarns. This scarf is called Thick 'n Thin. It is made with a lace weight mohair and a ribbon yarn. You need double pointed or circular needles because you knit three rows with lace weight then one row of ribbon. Three rows of lace weight then one row of ribbon. You have to slide the knitting to which ever end the yarn is you need to pick up.

I have purchased many of the little kits Knitting On The Fringe puts together. She has a great eye for style, color and design. In my next post I will showcase the best idea I got from Knitting On The Fringe.

It's been almost a week since have I posted. Where does the time go? My Mom hasn't been feeling well and I've been doing the ER, doctor's office, visiting nurse thing. She's doing better and here I am.

I want to talk about that fabulous designer Jane Slicer-Smith. The picture is of her scarf/wrap/shawl called Digital. I first thought it meant digital like in technology, but it means digital like fingers. See all of the digits around the scarf? I knitted this project during our month in Sunset Beach, NC. I always like to have a special project to take to Sunset Beach. Something I can start and finish in a month so I have a knitting memory of each January in Sunset Beach. It was in Sunset Beach this year that I decided to do a knitting blog and bought Blogging for Dummies. I learned I wasn't smart enough for Blogging for Dummies.

When you look at this amazing design, what do you see? Fabulous colors? Interesting stitch patterns? Intriguing design? I once saw that now what I see is thousands of yarn ends to hide? I have mentioned that finishing isn't my favorite part of the knitting process. Well, hiding ends is my least favorite part of the finishing process.

I can't tell you how much fun this was to knit. When I saw it I had to have it. Color! Color! Color! Plus different stitches! I think Jane designed this for me. You can get the kit at her website and see all of her incredible other designs. I think I have three sweater kits in the TBFL (to be finished later) tub. (Since I've started Knitting: A Love Story, I am looking more seriously at pulling those out.) Jane's amazing book "Swing, Swagger, Drape" is filled with Janesque designs. It is one of my favorite books right up there with Sally Melville's "The Color Experience" and Sandra McIver's "Knit, Swirl." (I am just about ready to steam my Knit, Swirl).

I learned from this wonderful project that there is a price to pay for a project of many colors. That price is hiding ends. It took me hours to hide the ends but the juice was definitely worth the squeeze. (I use a crochet hook to hide ends. It is much easier that a needle.) You know, this blog is teaching me to appreciate finishing as part of the knitting process rather than something to be dreaded. Who would have thought?

Just like a scent can take me back to my parents beautiful garden of my childhood and a song can reveal hidden memories of a past relationship, looking at something I've knit in the past can transport me to another time and another place. This beautiful Sally Melville shawl is called The Big Bang Wrap and the pattern is in the book "The Color Experience." I was lucky to take a class from Sally Melville on knitting with color but that is for another post.

When I did my first walk through of "The Color Experience" I immediately stopped at The Big Bang Wrap. I knew I had to knit it. I loved everything about it; the herringbone pattern, the beautiful tweed yarn, the fabulous colors. There was a time when Knitting Universe the website for Knitters magazine kitted patterns from their books and magazine (they don't seem to do that now.) I bought the kit and tucked it away for a rainy day.

My rainy day came January of 2008. While we were in Atlanta at my sister's for Christmas, the unthinkable happened. We were getting ready to go to bed the night before we were going to come home (Dick, my Mom and me.) Dick said that Mom was calling for me. When I got in her bedroom she was having a stroke. After a couple days in the hospital, we all headed home. Mom stayed with us until the first of April. During her convalescence, I knitted The Big Bang Wrap. I would sit with her and talk and knit. I would stay up late into the night making sure everything was ok with her and knit. I would watch television with her and knit. She would do her therapies and I would knit. I had this feeling that the better Big Bang went the better my Mom would get. I loved knitting Big Bang and became kind of obsessed with its perfection. Mom recovered fabulously. In April she decided it was time for her to go back to her house after her doctor had cleared her to drive (and Big Bang was completed). I usually block and steam a project months or years after I finish it. The pleasure is in the knitting. But I steamed Big Bang and it was beautiful. Until Big Bang I thought shawls were for Grannies. But Big Bang was for me and I wore it with pride reminiscing about the hours Mom and I spent together during her recovery. We talked about everything and I learned stories I wouldn't have heard about Mom. Did Big Bang aid in Mom's recovery? I think so. Whenever I wear Big Bang or my eyes just fall on it, I am transported back to the four months when Big Bang held me together while Mom was getting better. I love that wrap.