Enhancement

The beaded evening bag is moving along fine; thanks for asking. Stealth project #2 is also on track, so both should be done by their deadline of next weekend. I'm happy to report that after turning my sixth short row heel, the little holes are finally getting smaller and smaller. I've been waiting for my new camera to arrive, and when Fedex didn't deliver it on Friday, I was bummed. Tonight was the last straw. I couldn't take it anymore, so pulled toward blogging I was. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I pulled out my very first digital camera dating back to 2000 (which I've since given to Sweetie Boy) to take a few pics. Witness stash enhancement:

This weekend I went to a new LYS, Abuelita's, with Jillian. Small but very cute store in a revitalized funky part of South Pasadena. Super friendly owners, Samantha and Aimee, who were nice in how they suggested yarn without being too pushy. I really enjoyed the shop and their yarn selection, albeit limited for now. I thought the shop showed definite promise, and they have a frequent shopper card too. Buy 10 skeins and the 11th is free! They had some yarns that I'd not seen before but been curious about, including Berroco Pure Merino (I loves me my merino) and Brown Fleece Superwash. I ended up with a ball of the Superwash for some footies in a beautiful emerald green color with undertones of blue. Jillian got the purpley ball. Pretty!

My one frustration at the store was the lack of prices on the yarn. There were some prices on a few stickers or small signs posted on the actual shelves but even those were hard to see. I had to ask the price a few times, and after a while, it just gets awkward, especially if you're not intending to buy the yarn right then but just wanna know for the future. I hope they can remedy that in the future.

For gifts, I've decided to make a couple of scarves knit up in super soft and squishy Malabrigo kettle-dyed merino. The colors are vibrant and beautiful Cactus Pink and Buscando Azul. These are from WEBS.

This summer, my sister and I had combined a WEBS order and hit the sought-after 25% mark, so I decided to try a skein or two of this and that. I was mostly interested in alternatives to wool. I purchased some Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, Southwest Trading Company Karaoke (soy silk and wool) and 2 balls of Plymouth Royal Bamboo in an olivey-grassy green color. While I haven't yet knit with the Hempathy or Soy Silk, I swatched the Royal Bamboo for the Simple Knitted Bodice KAL that's part of the Sexy Knitter's Club. I loved how the yarn felt through my fingers while swatching. I love the fact that it's bamboo which is renewable source. I love the drape of the fabric.

That said, I didn't choose it for the Simple Knitted Bodice, but I couldn't turn my back on it. I knew it would be perfect for a garment some day, so I bought a few more balls from WEBS. When serendipity comes a-knocking on my door with that perfect project, I'll have enough. I swatched on two different needle sizes, but can't remember what they were... maybe sizes 5 and 6? Oh well, hopefully I'll remember when the time comes. The picture on the left shows the color more accurately than the picture on the right, although I'd say it's a bit more olive toned. I just liked the picture on the right because it shows the sheen and stitches nicely.

WEBS' customer service was really great because I wanted to match dye lots as much as possible. When I placed the order online, I included a note asking for as many of the balls in a specific dye lot. They emailed the next day asking if I wanted their last 2 from that dye lot and the remaining from different lot. Nice!

What did I chose for the SKB, you ask? It's Anny Blatt Merino in Chocolat that I got at the Yarn Lady Bag Sale this past June. The feel of the yarn and drape of the knitted fabric are incredible. The color is this perfect eggplanty purplish chocolate. That's what's next up on the queue. Same thing about the color. The picture on the left is a more accurate portrayal of the actual color but I like showing pics of the stitches close up and personal.

Keep your fingers crossed that I'll finish both projects before next weekend. Have a great week!