Before I Hunker Down

When ordering from a source online, the trick is to make your package as full as possible without raising your cost of shipping.  There is no point in getting a package filled with shipping material when yarn will do.

I was pretty close on this one.  There was only a very little bit of paper packing material.  It irritates me that I didn't order just a tiny bit more.  Which is really just the silliest thing ever, because I did order a fair bit. 

You saw the pretty coned yarns yesterday, but most of my order was weaving supplies.  Tools to make the next warp easier.  It's pretty certain that warping is something I will generally do alone, so having the right tools counts.  Even with my bookshelf and clamp solution, I decided to order a warping board.  With finer yarns, I would like to do a better job and the warping board will make it so much easier. The raddle, which is the thing with what looks like nails, is a must if you are trying to warp alone. All the other bundles are lease sticks and warp sticks.  Repair heddles and a stock of regular heddles, to add more to my loom before my next project, complete my weaving tool needs.  

I also ordered some cotton to make a first set of dishtowels.  And maybe a second set.  I have no idea how much yarn it will take, but having some in stock is not a bad idea at all.  I already had a few cones for things I planned for my wee house, and these add nicely to it.

The colours of my home!  

I also ordered a book of weaving drafts.  

I know you can get tons online from many sources, but just like a stitch dictionary, a good draft collection on the shelf will always stand you in good stead.  This book was originally printed in 1944 and remains the class of the field by all accounts.  There are lots of interesting 4 shaft drafts in it, probably more than I will ever need.  

And then filler.  Filler is the best part.  

This is my very special stash of Jamieson's Ultra.  Each little ball is 25 grams and 194 metres of loveliness.  I played with this a little bit in a class I took on my San Francisco adventure a few years ago, in an Estonian Lace class with Nancy Bush and have wanted some for a project ever since. 

It's soft and squishy and has all the character that I love in a yarn.    It holds to itself and has substance, yet for all that, it is airy and light in an entirely different way than Isager Spinni Wool 1 or Einband.

I have a lot of lace weight in my stash already.  Most of it is your basic commercial quality lace weight yarn.  They vary only slightly in quality though some are finer blends than others.  They were mostly purchased for colours rather than specific projects.  I really do look forward to using it all but these three yarns, Spinni Wool 1, Einband and Ultra have been my coveted yarns for a long while now.  They are my desert island yarns, my ice cream, my fine chocolate treats, my bucket list yarns to make one truly splendid thing out of.  Well except for Einband.  Einband is going to be several lovely projects. 

This last few months have been a lot of fun for me.  Choosing a loom and accessories, thinking about once in a lifetime yarns, dreaming of projects with it.  It was fun to plan it and budget for it, and it was such a pleasure to receive. 

Fall is here now and it is time to hunker down and knit and spin and weave.