Handspun, Yarn Lovelies, and Scenery

I've posted a couple of times about the Wool-a-long that I've done with Clara Parkes' group on Ravelry. In April the wool we were working with was Targee, which is a soft and very dense fiber. It was a dream to spin and the resulting yarn is squishy and very springy. When I tried to twist it into a skein, it practically jumped out of my hands! I haven't knit anything with it yet, but I'm thinking it will make a lovely hat or mittens since it will be so warm. It reminds me a lot of Merino in its softness, but is much more dense. Someone on Ravelry made the comment, "it is like Merino on steroids"! Very accurate description, I think.

Now, onto the newly acquired yarn for my ever expanding stash.

First up, MadelineTosh Rustication Worsted in colorway Fig:

I was only able to snag 2 skeins in the etsy shop, but I was able to get 2 more skeins from someone on Ravelry so that I have enough for a sweater. Rustication is 100% Cormo Wool that comes from a small farm in Colorado called Elsa Wool Company. MadelineTosh buys it in small batches, dyes it and then sells it in their etsy shop. It is great for sweater knitting and is not as delicate as some of their other yarns, but is just as soft. I'm thinking of using it for a Shalom Cardigan kind of like this one, but with longer sleeves. Or maybe just a simple pullover of some sort.

Next up, MadelineTosh Pashmina in Byzantine:

I got 3 skeins of this in the mail today as the second part of the MadelineTosh yarn club. Pashmina is a sport-weight yarn that is Merino, Silk and Cashmere. Yummy. I have enough for a simple cardigan or a short sleeved sweater of some sort.

Today Seth and I took a quick walk up in Chip Ross Park with Sailor. Seth is taking it easy this week since he's running the McDonald Forest 50K this weekend. The weather has been nuts this week; sunny for 5 minutes and then pouring for an hour. It was sunny when we left the house, but once we started walking it clouded right up. The trails are still beautiful though, and you could still see Corvallis from the top of the park.

I think that's about it for now! I'm hoping to finish up my Wood Hollow Vest tonight or tomorrow. I've abandoned all other projects because I'm so close to being done! Once that's done, I'm going to finish up the sock monkey and start the new KAL with Purl Diva.

How's your driveway?? Hope it gets taken care of soon!

Love,
liz