Ok, I HAVE to stop buying yarn!

Well, no. Not really. But this week has been a good mail week! On Thursday I got my package from Chili Gredelin. She is a Swedish dyer, but she has decided to close up the shop for good (so I don't know for how long the link will work!). So last Saturday she put up all of her remaining yarn in the shop, and had a final sale. I have plenty of Chili Gredelin yarn in my stash, but most of it is lace. So this time I managed to snag some sock yarns instead. I got four skeins, and I was debating on whether to wait with ordering them or not, but decided I didn't want to miss them if they were sold. And all of the yarns in the shop sold out in less than 24 hours, so I'm glad I didn't wait! The first skein is Chili Gredlin Eliza sock yarn (80 % superwash merino/10 % nylon/10 % cashmere, 365 m/100 g), in the colourway Burnished:

Next up is Chili Gredelin Eliza sock yarn in the colourway Party People:

Third was Chili Gredelin Cassiopeia sock yarn (75 % superwash merino/20 % nylon/5 % stellina, 400 m/100 g) in the colourway Starry Night:

And lastly, a skein of Chili Gredelin Cassiopeia sock yarn in the colourway Glitter Canary:

The last two skeins are the first ones I own with stellina in them, and they will be so much fun to knit with. You can't really see the glitter in the photos, but they are really pretty. I'm very happy with all four of the skeins (and as you can see, so was Toki), and I look forward to making some really pretty socks this year. 

I also got another package on Thursday, which came from another Swedish dyer who is new to me. This is Friday Studios Self-striping sock yarn, Monday base (75 % superwash wool/25 % nylon, 425 m/100g), in the colourway Toothpaste:

I LOVE this yarn! When I was young we always used to have the Aquafresh striped toothpaste, and the yarn looks exactly like that! The socks I'll make from this yarn will be so much fun, and I think this might be my next self-striping socks. The yarn isn't the softest I've ever felt, but it's a lot softer than the one I'm working with now (The Four Seasons Gründl Hot Socks Nil yarn), and I think it will hold up very well. I'll definitely keep an eye on the shop in the future, she has lots of fun colours!

Then yesterday evening I went out for dinner with some work friends, which was really nice. We went to a new Thai restaurant in Mjölby (where I work), and it was really delicious. Although I feel like I smell a bit like curry today :). The restaurant seems to be doing really well, as it was fully booked. I got an awesome dessert, orange ice cream served in an emptied-out orange! Love the little umbrella (it might have followed me home)!

When I got home a new package was waiting for me in the mail box, which came from Mad Color Fiber Arts. The February shipment in the Mad Geek Tour Doctor Who club arrived, whit this insane beauty:

It's Mad Color Fiber Arts Slink yarn (75 % superwash merino/15 % nylon/10 % tencel, 366 m/100 g), in the colourway The Last Centurion. It's gorgeous, and very soft, and the tencel gives it just a little bit of shine. I'm definitely going to join this club again for the next three months. I think she opens up for sign-ups some time now in the beginning of March, so keep your eyes on the shop if you're interested!

So. Six new skeins of yarn this week. But I have to admit that the Chili Gredelin purchase hadn't happened if I didn't know it was my last chance to get her yarns. I think March will contain a lot less yarns than the past couple of months have!

Ok, knitting. I haven't gotten any new photos of the Julissa sweater, but I've only got about three repeats of the cable chart left on the second sleeve. Then I get to pick up the neck band, and that is only about five rows of ribbing, then the whole thing is done! So I think I'll get that done today, as I have no other plans for the day than to knit.

I'm also almost at the heel on the second of my Flecktone socks, and as these are my March entry for the self-striping KAL that the Stockinette Zombies are hosting, I'm way ahead. I think that once they are done I'll focus a bit on the Gördes socks before I cast on for another pair of self-striping, as I have all of March and April to finish the next pair. I worked a bit on the Gördes last weekend, and I really enjoy them. The yarn (Shibui Knits sock yarn) is really nice to work with, with a really high twist that gives it great stitch definition. I haven't gotten far enough to warrant a new photo though, so you'll have to wait for next time.

Yesterday was the first day of March, which means the day to start lots of new KAL projects! The Stockinette Zombies are hosting a MarigoldJen KAL, which means that you can make any project as long as it's MarigoldJen yarn. I got two skeins of her sock yarn a while ago, in the Apple of Megan's Eye colourway, and I think I'll make myself a pair of gloves. I think I'll cast on for the Glacier gloves by Julie Mueller, as I really love her designs. I just want to finish the Julissa sweater before I start anything new. 

The Knitting in Circles Podcast is also hosting a very fun March KAL, called the March Pop Culture Madness KAL. Here you can use any yarn to knit any pattern that is pop culture related, and if you use yarn or fiber that is also pop culture related you get extra points in the prize drawing at the end of the month. This is a very fun theme, and I'm actually thinking of going really all out and cast on for a sweater! I want to make the Arya's Needlework sweater (That's a Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire reference, for those of you who haven't read the books or seen the TV series), with my Sheepy Time Knits Panda Feet yarn that I got in the Time Traveler yarn club in November, in the colourway Exterminate! (And that's Doctor Who, if you hadn't guessed).

I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish all of the sweater in only a month, but as this is something that I really want to make anyway, I think I'll just make it anyway and not be too concerned about the prize drawings. I don't know if I told you, but I got two more skeins of the yarn when the club members were offered to buy more of the exclusive colourway, and the yarn is just so pretty! It has a really metallic sheen to it, and I plan on using my steampunk cogwheel buttons that I got from TimberGreen Woods on Etsy a while ago. I think they will look awesome with the metallic yarn!

So it looks like March will be filled with knitting too. I've really been on a knitting craze this year! I think it might actually be because I finished up all of my projects at the end of last year. That really gave me inspiration to start lots of new projects, and I've really enjoyed knitting lots and lots since then.

Finally, if you're wondering: I've decided not to start a podcast. There are so many good ones out there, And I felt like I almost had to choose between keeping up the blog and making the podcast, otherwise I'd just be repeating myself. And I really enjoy the blog more, so I'll stick with this one instead. Plus, I'm really bad at keeping up with a regular weekly schedule, so blogging suits me much better.

Now I'll make some breakfast/lunch and then knit for the rest of the day. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with an FO for you!

/ Jenny