Recently in Bulky Stripe Category

Yarn: Tahki Ghost Print (100g, 65 yards, 100% merino wool) in 4101 Blue and Gold, discontinued, an incomplete ball
Needles: US17
Pattern: Garter stitch, 10 stitches wide, knit to the end of the ball
Finished Size: 6" x 50"

When I found this yarn in the bargain bin at my lys I knew I wanted it. It's unbelievably soft and warm, and the color mix (browns and greys subtly mixed in) was intriguing. Even better, the shop girl remembered using some of it for a store sample so I got an even bigger discount on it. La-dee-dah. I took it home, played with the gauge and ended up with a nice scarf 3 hours later. Gentle blocking stretched it to its finished size. Had I gotten a full ball it would've been longer, of course.

Here's a close-up on the ply. One laceweight and one thick and thin, alternately plied loosely around the thick and tightly around the thin. One day I'm going to try this spinning technique. Speaking of spinning I'd really love to try a Manos-like yarn, the way Jessica did some time ago. Are those colors great or what?

Have you seen Woolywarbler's fantastic gnomes? They are so naughtily cute. I gotta go to the bookstore tonight and find that issue of Simply Knitting, which is a British magazine. I have a niece in mind who'd love one of those!

Reading: The Limits of Enchantment by Graham Joyce. So far, so good. Finished reading both of Kunstler's books, the ones on oil and the suburbs. BF was totally blown away by The Long Emergency and Let My People Go Surfing. The former opened my eyes to how society is so dependent on oil and what's been done in its name. It's a worthwhile book, if you're looking for substantial reading material.