The Angora Hairshirt

mini yarn review

Okay, I don't spin, or know the technical bits and whatnot of how yarns are manufactured.  But I know I yarn I like when I meet it.  And this is a yarn I like.

Here's my oh-so-technical review:  Jo Sharp Alpaca Kid Lustre is beautiful.  It is soft.  It has a silky sheen, with just a hint of a mohair halo -- but with no mohair ickiness (and I am pretty sensitive to mohair).  It was a great discovery in Sydney.  Apparently it's been available there since the spring, but it's arriving here in the states now.  It's 30% superfine alpaca, 40% kid mohair, and 30% merino.  Just lovely.

I've started a really nice dressy yet manly scarf with it in this great pewter color (shade 859).  Wish I had bought more!  (much like food diets, vacation means not having to yarn diet!)

Back from the dead...

... in so many ways.  I am out of my life-sucking law firm job, and in a great new job doing interesting work for the federal courts.  I am back from my amazingly fantastic two-week vacation in Australia, and the subsequent post-vacation, new-job-adjusting funk.  I am back from the sad world of internet limbo -- 5 days between ISPs with no service at all (the horror!).  And I am back from the knitting dead -- I think I went 4 weeks without touching needles!

It's taking me a little while to shake off the rigor mortis, so I can't post much now, but I did want to at least post this lovely picture of my gorgeous former secret pal Donni, who I was lucky enough to meet while I was in Sydney.

  Donni and a tasty moscato 

Donni was so nice -- she drove up to Sydney from Wollongong to hang out with me for an afternoon (we had a great time at the Sydney Food & Wine Fair), shared all sorts of interesting tidbits about Australia and Sydney, brought me some lovely gifties (which I will post soon!), and was just plain
charming.  Thanks, Donni!  It was a wonderful afternoon that made my fantastic vacation even better.

Oh, and okay, I'll post one more thing.  It's my favorite ever souvenir -- and it's not even really a souvenir -- I didn't have it until after I got home.  Meet Speedy the platypus:

The actual souvenir is this book, which I picked up at Tapestry Craft in Sydney.  I forsee many knitted marsupials in my future... not to mention the frilled neck dragons, which are the cutest lizards ever.  I finished Speedy just a few days after returning home (hence the name), and just in time to do his civic duty on election day.  I even made him with Australian yarn -- I just happened to have some perfect colors of Jo Sharp dk wool sitting in the stash.

Well, Speedy and I have to run, but we'll be back soon!