Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Stash Wants What It Wants

This feels a bit like falling in love with an unsuitable boy. Heaven knows I adore natural fibers, from cashmere, cotton, and bamboo to alpaca, bison, even yak, and, of course, wool, glorious wool.  So breathable, so renewable, and (as we all eventually must) so biodegradable.

But my fancy has been taken by (I can barely utter the word) an acrylic yarn.  Almost can't believe it myself, but the stash wants what it wants, and when I saw this stuff winking at me in a January sale, I was helpless.  Lion Brand Vanna's (yup, the afghan crocheting TV lady) Glamour. Photos don't do it justice, because when I say winking, I mean the gleaming little wink of a metallic thread twisted in with the two other synthetic plies.  In most colorways, the metallic is the same color as the other plies, so the shine and gleam is very subtle, very mobile, very mysterious.  Mysterious?  Acrylic? Told you I was smitten.

So it was on sale and I indulged--in several colors.  First of all, I used the red to make a simple K1P1 reversible scarf for the Red Scarf Project.  (You can, too. They don't start collecting them till September 1 of each year.  Details at link.)

And silvery silver for a Winter Flame scarf destined to be a prize this winter for my water aerobics class.  A few silver beads on the ends for weight and bling.

The biggest thing was this Stephen West Clockwork scarf made with blue (the most mysterious winker of all the colors) and black, weighted with beads in the castoff edge.

Looks a bit like the Millennium Falcon, doesn't it?

But it drapes beautifully with the weight of the beads in the castoff edge

And there was plenty left over for the cutest little baby booties ever, blue and silver.  I may have these booties for quite some time, as it will take an extremely special baby to pry them out of my hands!
But don't worry about me; this acrylic is just a crazy fling.  I've already come to my senses and am rehabbing on pure purple silk.
Noro Hana Silk ribbon with beads for bling.