Herta and I drove down to Tampa this weekend to see Linda and Chrissie and we had knitters' show and tell.  Linda has been knitting up a storm with Oat Couture sweater patterns.  We both love those patterns because they are simple and always seem to turn out so nicely.  Linda made the West Side Raglan out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky and and it came out beautifully.  I didn't get a picture of hers, but here is a picture of the pattern:



Hanks is out of stock on this pattern, I'm afraid (I confess that I took the last copy for myself), but I will remind them to order more as soon as they come up for air. 

I did get pictures from some of our yarn "show and tell."  One of the last orders that I put in for Chrissie was for Great Adirondack Cyclone in "Beach House":



This wasn't a color that we usually stocked, but I'm sure that the folks at Hanks will order it upon request. 

I have been playing with some yarns that I saw at TNNA that fascinated me because I am always searching for "Florida friendly" yarns.  I simply cannot wear sleeveless tops in public (it's just not fair to the people who have to look at me), but when it is 90 plus and humid (as it always is here), I want clothing that is light as air and breathes.  Several years ago Eileen Fisher (my favorite line of clothing) made tanks and twinsets out of a meshy linen fabric that I absolutely love.  I have been wearing them for years, but even Eileen Fisher clothing does not last forever.

Two years ago at TNNA I saw some wonderful tops and jackets at the Habu Textiles booth that were knit out fine tape yarns that sort of feel like raffia, but are made from linen and silk.  I finally found them at www.knit-purl.com , which is quickly becoming my second-favorite-online-yarn-shop (Hanks, of course, will always be my favorite).

The silk versions are softer, but very pricey.  The Habu sizing silk comes in a variety of solid colors.  Alchemy Silken Straw seems to be the same thing and comes in gorgeous hand-dyes (the one on the left is Grass Harp, the one on the right is Rainforest).



I really like Habu's linen paper (Shosenshi) yarn, although it is very stiff to knit with.  It is 100% linen, and you have to wash and dry your swatch to find the real gauge:



I knit this swatch on #7 needles and before I washed it I thought that it was way too large, but it shrunk down quite a bit (and softened up) after washing.  The label says "viscose", but it also says "100% linen."  It also says dry clean only, but linen can always be washed, as long as you knit to allow for the initial shrinkage.

These are all going into the stash for now, because this is perfect summer knitting.  It is still hot and humid down here, but it is starting to cool off and I have winter projects to work on, but I had to grab these beauties when I had the chance, because they are so hard to find.  It will no doubt take me until spring to decide on the right patterns, anyway.  I rarely seem to be able to knit with anything right after I buy it.  I always have to make a swatch and then study it, play with it, and think about it for months before deciding exactly how I want to use it. 

I did start the Raspberry Lust Illusionist Shawl (previous blog), and it is driving me nuts.  To get the puckered effect you have to double the number of stitches for several rows -- over 500 stitches!  So I knit a little on that, and then work on one of the "blankies" that I am also working on. 

The Taos Boomerang chevron throw (a gift) is now four feet long:



I am really pleased with the ways that the colors are working up.  (The colors in the picture are a bit washed out ... 

And the Prism Blossom Blankie (for me) is about one-third complete:



This is knit with Prism Blossom (Sierra colorway), Diana ribbon (Sierra), and Bubbles (Blue Lagoon).  It is soooo soft.