There’s a new kid on the block – oh boy, does it ever have the right stuff! Did I just hear a collective groan from all you 80’s kids out there?

75% Extra Fine Italian Merino Wool (superwash)
20% Cashmere
5% Nylon
Fingering Weight, Approximately 390 yards per 100g skein
Oh, and the squish factor? Off the charts!

After searching high and low I’ve found a custom Plucky blend! It’s been test knit by a couple of our intrepid knitters -  Wannabe and Browncurls and they have come back with rave reviews! I have to say, it was much harder than I thought to settle on a custom blend – to find something that was truly special enough to be considered the plucky yarn.

Feedback from our test knitters, Amanda & Liesl (I’m paraphrasing here):

• “AWESOME twist – not splitty at all….holds together yet has a nice spoingy feel to it. The cuff itself is squishy….not as bulky as MCN fingering but has the same luxurious feel. Because of the twist, shows off stitches well. Has a tight twist like the merino superwash but is bouncy and soft like MCN. I am knitting a pair of socks with it right now and it’s incredible. The squish factor combined with the stitch definition makes me weak in the knees!”

• “Great stitch definition, very luxurious and unique. Unlike any blend/twist I’ve seen. And, I love that way it takes the dye! This is a fabulous base. I knit a sock with it – I’ll get pics posted tonight – and it is so lovely and smooth, with more of a matte finish to it, so it takes the color amazingly well. I got 8 sts to the inch on size 1/2.25mm needles (eta I’m a loose knitter, so that’s the equivalent of at least a 2.5mm for normal folks), so it is very close to Plucky’s standard MCN fingering, but the twist is tighter and it feels slightly (and only slightly) skinnier. It reminds me of the extra fine merino that higher end store-bought sweaters are sometimes made of, and I’m betting it won’t pill easily – should be a great sock yarn, especially for high definition stitches.”

My plan is to have the bulk of it in the studio and ready for its debut by mid-late June. But, first, the new base needs a name. A base yarn this special certainly needs a unique moniker, don’t you think?  That’s where all of you come in – it’s contest time!  Starting today and going through May 31st at Midnight Eastern, I’ll be having a “let’s name the new base yarn” contest and accepting entries. So, put your thinking caps on and send me your suggestion for the new base name. What’s the prize? Four skeins of the new base yarn, of course! This should be fun……

Awaiting transport (in the middle of the living room!) to her final resting place.

Poor Speed Queen. After at least two plus decades of service (which I can only assume, as the Speed Queen was here when we moved into the cottage 11 years ago and at that time it was said the SQ was at least 10 yrs old) she was speedy no more. Through broken dials, noisy spin cycles and loads of beach towels and jeans too numerous to count, she was a real trooper. It finally took a power surge to bring her down.

Her replacement(s).  Now these are speedy. And capacity. Don’t even get me started on their capacity! I mean it’s nothing short of life changing! For the first time in, well, forever, I have NO laundry to do on a Saturday. None. I had heaps, heaps of laundry staring me in the face yesterday (two weeks after a power surge with no laundry capabilities will do that to you) but with the help of these two I’m done. Now if I could just get it all put away.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You guys are an absolute wealth of knowledge! Just on the subject of hard boiled eggs alone:  Old eggs vs. new eggs. Cold water vs. hot water. It’s mind boggling and very helpful all at the same time. But, you don’t care about appliances or hard boiled eggs, I bet you’re wondering who won the contest – the sweater quantity of yarn?!?! Well, the random number generator has spoken.  Drum roll……

Dayna (a.k.a. LittleSparrow Knits). Dana, please contact me with your contact information and we’ll go from there. Thank you, to all of you for playing along and all the great knitting inspiration and egg advice.

• Writer’s Block has me by the throat.
• A power surge that come this close to burning your house down and fries all your electronics (yes they were all plugged into surge protectors) really bites. The fact that insurance covers it and the fact that we will get new items doesn’t really make it any better. Bit of a pain to put it mildly.
• Contests. Let’s have one!
• Spring Fever. We’ve got it bad, how about you?
• Knitting. I’ve got an extreme case of ‘I want to cast-on for a sweater (see above yarn) but I cannot, for the life of me, decide which one!’
• Crochet. Yes, let’s. I ask you, how cute is this?
• How do you make the perfect hard boiled egg? You know, done all the way through and the shell comes off perfectly! It should be the most basic thing ever, but I always have a problem with a sticky shell.
• So, speaking of contests, I want to know what you’re knitting/crocheting this spring. What are you just dying to cast on/finish? Or, are you searching for ideas as well? Go ahead comment away. I’ve got a pretty snazzy prize for the winner picked out. How does a sweater quantity (maximum of 8 skeins) of worsted weight yarn sound?  I’ll keep comments open until Tuesday, March 30 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern and draw a name.

Texture. Raveled.

Oscar, where have you and your brilliant pseudo-shampoo been all my life?

Pursuit of Love and Love In A Cold Climate

Smack under the category of ‘not so much’ is this nasty sight. Alas, February in Michigan, what are you going to do?

16 Cable Hat. Raveled.

Cables. Now that was fun. Must quickly get this to the recipient or I run the risk of keeping it myself. Talk about squishy and warm. Cables and cashmere = winning combination. If you can read French, check out the designers blog. Actually, check it out whether you can read French or not, it’s adorable.

What fun it was to read what you have on your desks/end tables/night stands. Some bizarre things like rubber rats (the things kids give as gifts!), so many knitting items, iPods, iMacs, pictures of loved ones (Jacqueline and her dog’s collar – what a tearjerker!), books and, especially this time of year, kleenex, so much kleenex!

I owe you some winners don’t I? Congratulations Peter and Pebbledash! Your winnings will be on their way……

One last bit of housekeeping, Plucky Knitter shop update tomorrow, January 13th at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Hope to see you there!

Raveled.

Also known as the never-ending hat. Fingering weight yarn + size 2 needles + Stockinette = Never-ending. Even this ardent fan of stockinette grew tired of it near the end. So glad I powered through though, the end result is so comfy and fun (first finished object of 2010 yay!!!).  It’s only just finished blocking and I’m already attached to it… and finished none too soon. More snow forecast today and tomorrow but I’m prepared! Ye olde noggin is now covered. I knit quite a lot of hats but, never any for me. People (ok, my daughter) take them from me.  Like to see her try and get her hands on this one. It’s all mine!

Check back later as I’ll be announcing the date and time for sign-ups for the next round of Plucky Classics – The Little Black Dress Collection!