pretty

Since I'm procrastinating reading a chapter on Galilean phonology, I've decided to share something with you. A picture of pretty yarn.

I wish I could share its softness and absolute gorgeousness via the picture. This was the best one out of about twenty pictures (my camera had an off day, plus I'm still getting used to a digital camera).

This is a 50g skein of Handmaiden Fine Yarn Swiss Mountain Cashmere and Silk. I've been drooling over Handmaiden yarns for a while now, but I usually can't afford them. I really want to try the Seasilk, but that's almost sixty dollars for a single skein (granted, there is a lot of yarn in that skein). Anyway, one of the knitting groups I'm a part of did a yarn swap. It was a Magic Ball yarn swap, where you wrap little objects up in the ball of yarn. We picked names and then, based on a sheet of suggestions, picked out yarn, a pattern, and what to wind up in the ball. The amazing girl who got my name chose this yarn. I'm going to knit Rusalka with it, which is a fingerless glove pattern by Robin Melanson. It's beautiful, and while it was designed for the Seasilk yarn, this is a terrific substitute. I was thrilled to get this yarn. The colours are vivid and the yarn is soft. I just want to pet it. I've never knit with cashmere before. And the yarns with silk in them only had a small percentage of silk.

I haven't even knit with it yet, and I'm a convert to Handmaiden. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. I won't be able to buy it often, but it's worth saving up for a special project.