Wednesday Review:Bernat Alpaca Blends

Now, this one was an unususal one. While this one was a 70% acrylic, 30% alpaca blend, it was unusually soft, but yet a little scratchy when worked up alone, as alpaca tends to be. I chose this for a typically worsted weight project, and even though it is listed as bulky, the guage was spot on, and I found that it still worked well. It comes in nice, muted colors. I used fern, because I love and have a deep predilection for all things green. It comes with black overtones, which I feel makes it match a lot of things. But the most fascinating thing of all is that it is without pesticides or fertilizers and is eco-friendly. I am a promoter of all things eco-friendly, and the blend of acrylic and natural fibers I am willing to try. I was pleasantly surprised. In the world of acrylics, I would give it 4 out of 5 stars..

Finished Fridays:Sweet Pea Granny Square Afghan

This I named because it reminds me of the colors of sweet peas growing in spring. And it is sweet. Original. I know. Acrylic also, featuring the Vanna's Choice yarn that I have reviewed earlier this week. This was a stashbuster project. But granny square afghans are a quick, satisfying project. And I liked the colors. And for an acrylic yarn, it actually isn’t so bad. It is not crunchy. I definitely wouldn’t substitute it for dk or aran. It is tried and true worsted. But I like the result. It would make a good, washable baby afghan. In fact, I am going to make another stashbuster for a baby boy. And there is something satisfying about stashbusting. Come on. You know there is. Admit it.Apparently, my computer has destroyed the picture of my afghan, but you can find it on my ravelry page. Here is the link:http://www.ravelry.com/projects/emmyknitslikekraz/afghan-squared-70131ad

Wednesday Review:Vanna's Choice

I know that in the knitting or crocheting communities that acrylic is a bad word. I associate it with crunchy, wierd colored, squiggly, plasticy yarn. I, myself, have turned into a yarn snob as of late. But I have given myself some time for reflection, and it has ocurred to me that perhaps I have been a little unfair. There are those newbies who are nowhere near a yarn shop, have no computer, and don't know about knitpicks.com and their reasonable rates on yarn. The only thing they have available is WalMart or Michaels. Or there are those who don't do the hobby enough to justify spending $30 on a ball of yarn. Or those who just can't afford anything but acrylic.
But, in all fairness, I shall be doing some reviews of acrylic yarn. Largely because I still have some in my stash that I am trying to get rid of by means of stashbusting projects. I am the ultimate hypocrite, I know.
So this week is Vanna White's Vanna's Choice. And I must say it ain't half bad. It has a range of decent colors, none of which are offensive to my eyes. It does not split easily. And it is soft. It seems to wear well. I made a granny square afghan, and it turned out well. I am making another one with the remnants as a baby gift, so that should turn out well. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars in the world of acrylics.

Weekly Review:Yarn Shop

This week, since I have nothing complete, I thought that I would review my favorite California yarn shop since I was a kid, Filati Fine Yarns. Ever since I knew about yarn shops, my mother has taken me there. I would walk up and down the aisles, marveling at the colors, softly petting the textures. Yes, folks, I pet yarn. I am a yarn pervert. The people are helpful, and they carry madelinetosh, road to china light, debbie bliss cashmerino, and all the greats. I could just move in and have my mail forwarded there. I love it.
Here is some more great info about them:
Filati Fine Yarns is located in Rocklin California, north of Sacramento off Interstate 80.  Our NEW LOCATION offers 3,600sq ft of beautiful yarns and fibers.  Our postal and business address is:4810 Granite Drive (Suite A10)
Rocklin, CA 95677
We have a 30 year tradition of carrying the world's finest yarn plus the most unique yarns and natural fibers.  We are dedicated to searching out the very best yarn for your projects. We stock northern California's largest selection and assortment of fashion and novelty yarns.  In addition, you will find basics and baby yarns.  We guarantee that you will be amazed by the inventory - there is 3600 square feet of it!  Click here to see a slide show of our store.  Here are their hours:
Come and visit us; ◊ 10:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday - Friday ◊ 10:00am - 5:00pm  Saturday ◊ Closed Sunday & Monday
They also have a great online business. I highly reccomend them!
5 out of 5 stars!
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff have more than 100 years of experience between them.  They are all committed to helping you complete your special project, whether it is the finest lace or the heaviest sweater or anything in between. 
Click on the names of our staff for more information about them;

Post holiday post

Well, I am back! I needed a vacation from my vacation. I don't have any new yarn reviews, but I do have 3 new projects on the needles and many new plans in the works. I also have discovered that I have a knitting condition that I would like to call SSKD. That is slip slip knit disfunction. I can't seem to do it. I get the concept. Don't get me wrong. I read the directions a thousand times. I can slip slip fine. But when it comes to the knit part, something goes awry. I get all fouled up. I would say it successfully get accomplished 2 out of 10 times. The other times I have to bring in a crochet hook, and jerry rig it to work. Does any one in the cyber knitting world have any suggestions? Or am I permanently doomed?