Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2011

Well, I wasn’t going to participate in Eskimimi’s Knit and Crochet Blog Week, but then I saw Allyson’s blog post this morning and felt inspired to try. In a hectic week, hopefully taking a few moments every day to think about a hobby I love will keep me grounded and relatively sane.

Today’s topic:

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

Three guesses as to which yarn I’m going to babble about first, and the first two guesses don’t count.

Cascade 220 is pretty much my favorite yarn. I knit my February Lady Sweater out of Cascade 220 a couple of years ago and it’s holding up so fabulously.

(OH, so that’s why everyone’s first comment upon seeing photos of me now is “Your hair has gotten so long!”)

I knit a hat with it. I crocheted a blanket for myself with it. And then I pulled out some of the Cascade 220 Superwash variety and knit myself a pullover from that, and am using the leftovers to knit a baby jacket (hopefully you’ll see that soon). Cascade 220 is a versatile, affordable yarn available in a crazy amount of colors, and even comes in a sport weight option now (though it’s not 220 yds to the skein, so I don’t entirely know why it’s 220 sport).

I’m also currently in love with Quince and Co. I’m using their Chickadee for a project that I can’t talk about at the moment, but I am in love. Quince and Co. is run by Pam Allen and Carrie Bostick Hoge, and they’re focusing on locally-sourced, American-milled yarns. The Chickadee is unbelievably squishy and springy and lovely. I also have a couple of skeins of Lark, the worsted weight, which I haven’t used yet but like to fondle from time to time.

Are you playing along with Knit and Crochet Blog Week? Send me links to your posts!