Standards of Perfection
In addition to being fussy about patterns and fit, I’m also fussy about yarn choices. I enjoy being fussy about yarn choices because I endured so many years as a knitter in which the options ranged from ordinary, often scratchy wool to Day-Glo acrylic. Also, since the introduction of Rowan yarns in the U.S. and my annual pilgrimages to Rhinebeck, I’ve accumulated a large stash. I think twice about any new yarn purchase.
I rarely buy yarn at a LYS. First, I have to drive a fair distance to get to one, and on the occasions when I do, I don’t often find what I have in mind (too few colors, not enough yarn in a dyelot). At this stage of my knitting life, I don’t need the help or advice that I could have used when I was starting to knit—so that benefit of a LYS is lost on me. Second, I was spoiled by Patternworks. It used to be in Poughkeepsie, in a big warehouse-style store, about an hour’s drive away. The metal racks in the back, where patrons could browse, had a huge selection of yarns of every color. I was weak-kneed when I first visited the store. (Only WEBS has anything close, to my knowledge, and WEBS is a very, very long drive from my home.) I’d make about two visits a year to Patternworks and stock up, especially at the after-Christmas sale. But Patternworks moved, and so my yarn-buying habits changed. With the Internet at my fingertips, I can browse and shop from home. For yarns I know I’ll use, I’ll buy color cards, making such purchases easier. And so now my purchases are either done online or at fiber fairs.
I usually don’t buy on impulse, but last week was different. I love browsing the Soho Purl site because they have such a beautiful selection, and in some cases, I just don’t see the yarns elsewhere. I’ve been on the lookout for something special for Anne Hanson’s Wing of the Moth shawl, and I had pinks on my mind—preferably light, dusty pinks. I also wanted to take Anne’s advice that I could use a fingering weight yarn because I wanted a shawl that was heavier than laceweight. Displayed among the fingering weights was intriguing yarn by The Fibre Company (a manufacturer new to me) called Canopy Sport. It is 50% alpaca, 30% merino, and 20% bamboo. Well, who can resist that? The color, rosehip, on the screen looked like a dusty pink, and the yardage was perfect for that called for (200 yards for 50 grams). So out came my credit card.
When the yarn arrived, the color was not what I imagined, although the texture and feel were perfect. It is more mauve/lilac than pink. At first I was disappointed, but I thought about fabric languishing in my stash for decades—and when I pulled it out, I realized how perfect this yarn would look with it. It is Liberty of London wool challis—very thin and drapy—and it makes beautiful, flowing skirts.
(Robin, this is the fabric that I think looks like yours, and I also have it in another colorway with dominant blues.) I probably have enough for a pleated skirt or a circular skirt, and I have a nice black top with a ballet neck. And so the imaginary outfit formed in my mind. There are projects on my list before this one, but I’ve earmarked this summer for shawls and socks (until it gets cold enough to knit another heavy sweater), and I would like to have this shawl and skirt for next spring.





























