De-stashing (and Re-stashing)

During tough economic times such as these, who wants to be buying more yarn? Uh, wait, let me rephrase that. Who can afford to keep buying more yarn (without guilt)? Not me. Especially when I already have an overflowing stash lurking in the corner. So what's a girl to do? Turn to her friends, of course!

This past Sunday, spurred on by Julia, a bunch of us got together for an afternoon of de-stashing, and yes, re-stashing. Upon arrival, I was greeted by hugs from good friends and a mountain of fibery goodness, to which I promptly contributed a bag full of yarn. The result:

I have no idea exactly how many skeins, balls, and hanks were here, but trust me, it was a lot!

And we're talking good stuff, people! It was like Christmas! I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I ended up leaving with even more than I brought. Julia sent me home with a couple of pregnancy/birthing books, a copy of Goodnight Moon for Bean, some maternity clothes, and yes, I took home some yarn:

My haul of (interestingly) pastel-paletted softness: Rowan Cotton Glace, Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, RYC Cashsoft Baby DK, Misti Alpaca Lace, Blue Sky Alpacas 100% Alpaca Sport, Valeria di Roma 100% Angora, and I'm not sure, but I think it may be Lornas Laces.

In my defense, 1) it was less than I brought with me and 2) they made me do it! Seriously. I was surrounded by professional enablers. *cough*MJ*cough* Kat specifically brought the Blue Sky and Cashsoft goodness with me and Bean in mind, Julia saved the Angora for me after remembering that I fell in love with a beret she knitted out of it a couple years ago, and I was *forced* to take the Cotton Glace because "it's perfect for a baby girl!" As for the Misti Lace, well it's just beautiful and I know I could knit a pretty shawl with it, and the sock yarn is just gorgeous and *had* to go home with me.

Incidentally, it just occurred to me that I don't think I ever mentioned here that B and I recently learned the gender of our baby. Bean is a girl! I had a feeling this was the case all along, and this was confirmed a few weeks ago. We're at 23 1/2 weeks now, and Bean is growing - and moving - more and more each day. And yes, I'm growing as well- the bump is in full effect!

Do these horizontal stripes make me look pregnant?

I must say, I love it. I absolutely love being pregnant. Despite some of the usual discomfort associated with being nearly 6 months pregnant, I've been really lucky thus far, and I feel great overall. And I'm oh so excited to be adding a girl to the mix of recently born baby boys. :)

So now- what to make?? All I know for sure so far is that Bean will be getting a pair of angora booties, but other than that, I really have no idea. Any suggestions?

Winnings...and a skirt

Now one of the best little pick-me-ups I received towards the end of our 8 week work marathon, was what you see below. These, my friends, are the spoils from the Loopy Ewe's First Anniversary Contest! I'm still shocked I actually won. I tend not to enter contests for the sake of winning because honestly, my track record with contests (or any competitive event for that matter) isn't that great. I enter them more to show support for the host and let them know that I am indeed out there as I tend to be a little quite in the blog-0-sphere. However, in this case, I have to assume my winning was some sort of Loopy Karmic Pull.

As always Sheri outdid herself and the generosity in the prizes was clearly off the charts! I couldn't believe what I pulled out of that box! Not only were the colors beautiful, but they were all from indie dyers who I hadn't been exposed to yet. So, given the beauty of these yarns, I thought they each deserved a little close up of their own.

First up, is from Yarn Love and the colorway is Fondley (It looks like Sheri is currently out of Yarn Love yarn so I linked directly to the Yarn Love site). This is 495 yards of 75% superwash 25% nylon. The greens and the yellows are simply gorgeous.

Next, is from Gypsy Knits in the Circus colorway. Now, I tend not to be drawn to colorways named 'circus' because well, they usually look like a circus ;-) However, the colors here are fabulous, soft and complementary. I would even say more spring bouquet than circus. This hank is 360 yards of BLF superwash.

Finally, I bring you Apple Laine's English Garden. The colors in these hanks are luxurious, deep and rich. Each hank is ~190 yards of a 50% wool, 20% mohair, 20% silk, 10% nylon yarn.

So, thank you Sheri! And congratulations on an amazing first year from one loopy girl to another!

Now, I know that most of you out there already know about the Loopy Ewe, but for those of you who haven't or haven't yet placed your first order, Sheri is a phenomenal business woman. She values customer service and goes above and beyond. I've talked about some of the perks before here, but there are even more now. If you are a sock knitter or lace knitter, check out her shop, you will be amazed!

Finally, I have a finished object of sorts to share. I mentioned last week that I was going to have trouble fitting into my regular work clothes again after too much time behind my desk the last couple months. Well, to solve this dilemma as well as try to introduce a little more femininity into my wardrobe (without having to actually go shopping - and yes, I really don't enjoy shopping, I know! gasp!), I present my latest endeavor: skirts!

I made this simple draw string, A-line skirt using the formula and template drafting in Sew What! Skirts. I used about a yard and a 1/4 of a cotton print (Rufina by Clothworks) that I picked up at Rosie's on sale. With the 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon I used as my tie, the whole skirt came to about $6. It actually came out a little big, so the one I made last night I was able to take in a bit for a slightly more fitted look. However, that FO will have to wait for another day!