A Yarn Junkie's Wet Dream

Every yarn junkie knows about the gems of a stash. They are the rare gold coins sparkling amongst the hordes of saved up change in a jar. For some knitters it might be a skein of cashmere or a small hank of Quivet. For me, currently, it's four skeins of handspun yarn by Merce Mitchell. Spinner and felting artist of Taos. I was a fan of Merce's work long before I was aware of Merce herself, and I'm still surprised when I think that not only is she a real person, living only a mile from me, but she's become one of my bestfriends!!

I come from a background of extreme poverty, so there were periods with no knitting at all. I remember going into Walmart years ago and splurging on 4 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun yarn and getting tingly toes because it was such an extravagance at the time. My financial world has improved over the years, and I've been able to have at least a small monthly yarn budget for a few years now. But I've remained frugel, and horded and recycled my way to an enormous stash that now has it's own room. I am a yarn junkie.

The issue with having gems in your stash is whether or not to knit them. When you have 64 yards of precious handspun goodness (with a price tag of $45) the pressure as a knitter is extreme. Once it is knitted, it's no longer in the stash. Each of Merce's skeins is a one of a kind work of art. She doesn't mass produce, and her sense of color is breathtaking. Her talent to mix and blend her wool like fine oil paints rivals Noro! Yes, I said it. So until today, I have kept these coveted goodies in my stash to fondle and preen over. But I'm in the middle of a Lupus Flare.....and I need to pamper myself. And Twilight is currently knitting with Cashmere Noro, which makes the knitter in me jealous to no end.

So today I pulled out the very best balls in my stash to begin a "Comfort Shrug". One skein of Merce's and 6 balls of Twilight's handspun (which is so wonderful that it deserves another whole post all of it's own)

For the very first time, I cast on with Merce's yarn!! It's incredible!! The yarn is like Merce herself down to the core! It's an expression of the earth and life. It isn't soft, and it's not smooth. It's knarly and inconsistent. It's personality is spectacular, a new color and texture appear with every stitch. It has strength and durability underlying it's beauty. And every so often a spot of shiny bright silky goodness pops out at you!! I just completed 8 inches of ribbing for the cuff of my shrug and not one single stitch was boring!! The act of knitting it was pure joy. Thank You Goddess for my life. Thank You Merce and Twilight for the yarn. I love you.