The Need for New Yarn

I don't know where the time this year has been flying to, but it has definitely been getting away from me.  My new job has been keeping me exhausted.  I'm not the world's best morning person so getting up and having myself on the 6.30am train is really difficult.  Last week I was so beat that I overslept 3 days.  Luckily I was able to catch the next train at 6.50 which still gets me to work at time, but my goal this week is to break that habit.  I don't want to get used to taking the later train.  I like having it there for emergency purposes.  The exception rather than the rule.  So far so good.  Woke up right on time today.  I just need to be sure I get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight.

The one bad thing is that I've been so tired I haven't been able to do much knitting on the train.  I try, but after knitting only a row or two I start feeling the eyelids get incredibly heavy that I have to put it away.  (I've been taking lots of power naps on the train).  I've still managed to get some good knitting time in though on my lunch hour and while watching tv.  I've put Rapunzel on hold temporarily so I could start this:

Lace.  Birch from Rowan #34 to be exact.  I have a wedding to go to at the end of the month and had bought this dress from Newport News to wear to it.

Aren't you all surprised I bought a dress for an event and didn't drive all of you nuts asking for opinions on dresses?  It was one really nice bonus of losing weight that it was much easier to find a dress.  I got the catalog in the mail, saw this, and had to have it.  No hunting around trying to find something from one of the few plus-sized retailers.  Open a catalog and order something.  Love it!

The only problem is that this shows a lot more skin than I am used to exposing.  I was a little unsure about the spagetti straps, and the low cut of the front but it looks beautiful on and feels secure.  I just need to get over a few minor insecurites about my body.  It cried out for a nice wrap though.  April is an iffy month around here in Connecticut.  I could be a beautiful spring day or freezing.  I bought the wrap that Newport News sold that matched the dress, but it's the same sheer lightweight material as the dress.  No warmth at all to it.  It is also very tiny.  I wanted something I could wrap around myself.  I contemplated borrowing the Birch Shawl that I had made for my mother two years ago, but it was light green and really didn't go.  (Okay to be honest the light green looked fine with the dress, but I really wanted to buy new yarn).

I had plans to meet up with an old college friend two weeks ago after work, so after she had to postpone our meeting at the last minute, I took advantage of the chance to take the subway down to lower Manhattan to do some yarn shopping.  I was a bit nervous about this, as my sole foreay on the subway in NY has been to Union Square Park and back for the NY Yarn-Out, and from Harlem to Yankee Stadium.  I wasn't even sure exactly how to get to the shops I wanted to hit (The Point and Purl) as I had only been to them once before with Susie, and we had walked there.  Luckily I found this site that has a wonderful interactive subway map that tells you which subway to take to get between any two points in New York.  It got me exactly where I needed to go, so I recommend it.  The only problem is that it doesn't give you any walking directions to get from the subway station to your location.  Once I got my bearings though on which was was North and South I was fine and got to both locations with relatively no problems.

I went to The Point first and looked around a bit before heading over to Purl.  I had originally planned on using Kidsilk Haze as I just adore the stuff, but none of the colors looked quite right with the color of the dress.  Even the whites and off-whites didn't quite look right with the dress.  I had the same issues with the Kid Seta yarn I tried too.  Nothing was quite right.  I had been hoping that someone would have carried Douceur et Soie.  I had gone online and seen that they carry a great coral color that might have matched the dress exactly, but alas no one had it.  Nothing was quite right, and I was just about to give up, go home and order some Douceur et Soie online (or at least wate until I could try Knitting Central in Westport).

Then I saw this, and while I hadn't planned on using pink with a coral dress I actually liked the way this looks with it.  It's Louet's Kidlin Pixie in Rose Bloom.  While the KidSilk Haze pinks looked all wrong with the coral, the undertones of the Kidlin  complement it nicely.  Kidlin is a mohair/linen/nylon blend that is amazingly strong.  (Found this out the hard way when I went to break a strand of yarn).  While it's not quite as decedently soft and luxurious as KidSilk Haze, it is still fairly soft and gives off a similar hazy appearance.  I'm anxious to see how it blocks out in the end.

I also chose to try Julia's modifications to Birch to make an oblong/rectanglish wrap instead of a triangle.  Both my Charlotte's are triangles, as was the Birch I made for my mother, but for this I really wanted something long.  I finished the first piece in less than a week, and am now working on the second piece.  It shouldn't be long before I'm back to finishing up those Rapunzel sleeves.  I don’t foresee any problems finishing on time for once.  I love the Birch pattern.  It's so easy to memorize and is simple enough that I can work on it while on the train.  Since this is a rectangle shape, I never had to worry about those huge long 200 stitch rows either.  The rows are the perfect length.  I can finish one up fairly quickly so that I can end a row if my stop is coming up.

My goal is to finish the second piece this weekend.  I'll post finished pictures as soon as I do.

Comments

[Vera]

The shawl and dress will look great together.

[Susan]

Well, I'm almost disappointed not to have been consulted about which dress to buy, although your reason for not posting dress choices makes me very, very happy. I can't wait to see the finished shawl with the dress, and I bet people at the wedding are going to be thrilled to see you looking so good!

[wendy g]

So glad your new job is going well! Birch will look great with your dress too.

[Wanda]

That is a gorgeous dress and I'm sure with the stole-like Birch, it will look great. The two colors seem to complement each other well. Sorry work and the schedule has been so demanding. I think I would have trouble catching the train at 6:30 a.m. every day. How long does it take you to get to work? No worries if you're taking power naps. Apparently they are well-needed.

[Susie]

I have to introduce you to Yarn Connection - Madison and 36 St, second floor. Close enough to Grand Central for those yarn cravings that hit before the train home!

Love the dress - bet you look wonderful in it.

[Li_B]

That is a great dress!
Li

[Michelle]

Very nice. Thanks for the link to the modified Birch. I've been wanting to make one of these. Might be a good summer project...