So what was that Grey Stripey Yarn from Yesterday's post?
Rowanette Dawn gave me a ball of grey stripey yarn minus label, but since several people have inquired, I went around the sites hunting down this precise yarn. It is Regia Sock Yarn Wool 4 Ply Patch Antik Graphit 5752 . (Go on, click on Regia and have a look for yourself.
I was actually surprised that it was Regia but all the Antik Graphit colours are all pretty manly and the blues look divine.
Are you impressed? Please don't send me bits of yarn and ask me to guess at the origins. I think that I was fairly lucky to track this one down.
What else did I buy in the Big Apple?
Well, I always try and make it to the various bead shops in the Fashion District. It's always nice to buy some unusual beads. The large packets are for me, the apertures are large enough to thread yarn. The smaller packets are a gift for a friend, who's addicted to beads and would give an eye-tooth to be with me,as I trawled through the various beadshops. (She should thank me for saving her from bankruptcy.)
Then there was also a trip to Habu Textiles. I met up with Lis, Ann and Kay. The girls were amazingly well-behaved, but I did rather a lot of pawing.
In the end, I bought this. Ann asked me what I was planning to make with it. I (uhm) haven't the foggiest idea yet).
I bought enough to make a garment (2 skeins for a total of 20 oz.) I need first to dye it, as there is no way I am going to knit something white. White clothing + coffee + me = stained clothing. So, I need to do a little research to understand how to dye it. It's made from bamboo, so I think that it'll probably dye like rayon and I'll need to look for cellulose based dyes,as opposed to protein based. If you've got any bright ideas ....
We all tried on lots of stuff, I rather like a cropped boxy cashmere top that cost the earth. I figure that I could knit it fairly easily myself so I put it back. Ann rather fancies this and it looked so fabulous that we all persuaded her to buy it.
Finally, I wanted to show this yarn, given to me by Rowanette Ben. I love subtly variegated yarns, when knitted up they tend to have a heathery effect. Varigated yarns composed of 50 colours, all competing to have their say, doesn't really do it for me. I'll knit them, if I think that the recipient would like them, but colour (as Rowanette Jill often says) is a very personal thing and we must all see them differently.
I've never seen this brand before, but it is really unusual. It's been dyed in a lobster pot.
The colour is salt rose and doesn't it really just pop-out at you? I mentioned this yarn to a non-knitter, who's thoughts on the subject were, what a waste of a perfectly good lobster pot.
Posted by atu at October 6, 2004 10:42 PMI loved the comments on the Lobster Pot Yarn. I'm the dyer and sole employee of Cape Cod Fibers, the Lobster Pot company. The pink pictured is Salt Rose. I dye the skeins in a huge metal lobster pot, just to clear up any questions!
Posted by: sue at October 16, 2004 08:45 PMI Vote for "Regia" sock yarn every time - it was the first sock yarn I ever used and I still prefer it to Opal and many others I have tired. Socks I have made with it wear so well for much longer and keep their shape.......
Love your new bead 'haul' I have a draw full of all sorts of them - even if I will never use them all they are my little treasures :¬)
Hi,I've been too busy to keep up properly so hope I'm not asking something that's been anwered already : I keep finding that some lines of writing in your blog are either omitted or only partly there. Is this just me ? I haven't found it with other blogs.
xxxx
Bead shopping and yarn shopping my two favourite things.
I love that pink colour, and the bamboo looks very cool, look forward to reading about your dyeing adventure.
EEK! How'd I get into Polly's World?
As much as I treasure my superJapanese sweater, I really treasure getting to hang out at Habu with you and Lis and Kay. It doesn't get any better than that.
Posted by: Ann at October 9, 2004 12:56 AMThis colour is very interesting, and I'm sure you'll make something wonderfull with it...subtle variation in the pinks...beautifull. And the bamboo yarn sounds very promising, for knitting, as well as new adventures inthe world of dyeing. Good luck with the pot!
Posted by: Stéphanie at October 8, 2004 10:06 AMHow do you dye things in a lobster pot? The pots I remember from my childhood (lived in a fisging village in WW2) were wicker-work affairs, all holey - have they gone all new-fangled and plastic or something? Colours are gorgeous, like a boiled lobster - now has that got anything to do with it......
Posted by: Jill at October 8, 2004 08:44 AMI've just bought a couple of (small) balls of unusual yarn from Habu today at Ally Pally. Love their stuff. I'd be interested in hearing how you do with the bamboo, as I have the same problem with light yarns.
Dawn :) (glad you found out what the yarn was, I'm a bugger for losing the labels!)
Posted by: dawn at October 7, 2004 10:40 PMlove that lobster yarn. ahhh habu. i have to get there. sounds amazing.
Posted by: froggy at October 7, 2004 10:08 PMI love all your beads! They remind me of shiny jewels.
Posted by: Katie at October 7, 2004 09:01 PMthe lobster pot is the same stuff i bought last trip to new york!! 100% cashmere yes? i bought 5 skeins of an orange and 2 of a red/orange i think... or 6 and 2 maybe. isn't it lovely!!!! :)
Posted by: carolyn at October 7, 2004 04:07 PMHabu! I have a skein of their bamboo yarn, I got it from Jill in my yarn exchange #1. It is currently being knit into Sharon Miller's Bird's Eye Shawl. It has a very nice hand too it, actually feels very cool to me.
Posted by: Thos at October 7, 2004 04:01 PMDoesn't Ann look cute? She has the unmistakeable expression of a woman who is about to make an Unnecessary Purchase (And Loving It!). This jacket was worth whatever rationalizations were necessary. I am adhering to my Lifestyle Change with the express goal of being able to borrow it from her!
Do update us on the silk-dyeing adventure. xoxox Kay
Posted by: Kay at October 7, 2004 03:25 PMOh, I saw that lobster pot yarn when I was in Boston last month. It was yummy!
Posted by: Susan at October 7, 2004 03:13 PMThe lobster yarn looks as good on the screen as it did in person. I'm hoping to find some on my next visit to the in-laws in MA. Check out Claudia's site (www.bolgenlaw.com/blog.htm) as she just returned from a dye workshop and has some good info.
Posted by: Tish at October 7, 2004 01:59 PMI have some bamboo fibre to spin.I got it from Scottish Fibres,who also sell dyes for textile artists [that's us !].e-mail and ask for their advice re:dyeing the bamboo.
The lobster pot yarn looks fab.Everything from Habu is amazing and fascinating.I'm trying out little scarf kits.Wild stuff !
the lobster yarn is so beautiful! i totally agree with you on the variegated yarns thing. and the bamboo yarn looks great - we don't get much of that in norway ...
Posted by: kris at October 7, 2004 08:32 AMHi Polly, The Habu Textiles yarn looks interesting. Is the bamboo yarn soft like silk ? It is just amazing to use bamboo to make yarn.
If you love beads, I suggest you pay a visit to HK. We have a whole street selling all kind of beads in very good price.
Posted by: Eva Shiu at October 7, 2004 02:03 AMThe rose coloured yarn is just beautiful - and the sheen on the bamboo stuff really looks like silk. What a great trip you had !
Posted by: Heather at October 6, 2004 11:54 PMthat color is beautiful... as is the sweater on Ann- no way I could afford it but one day I hope to be able to buy yarn at Habu.
As for white I only own cheap white things... otherwise I with in 5 seconds will stain them!
Posted by: stinkerbell at October 6, 2004 10:44 PM