leene_chan | May Flowers!

I apologize for the cliche.

It was hot today and the flowers were blooming! We have a lilac hedge on one side of our yard and when it blooms in early May it perfumes the whole house. Lilacs are slow growers (we have a little yellow one we planted in the front five years ago that's still tiny) but now that I think of it the purple hedge has to be at least thirty years old. Well, it's older than me, at least. ^o^

A treat came in the mail today. Kristen ordered some yarn from Knit Picks and she picked up a skein of Shine Worsted and Andean Silk extra for swatching purposes. Now I have my reservations about cotton, but Shine Worsted, which is a pima cotton/modal blend, is fantastic! It's soft and shiny and it knits up quickly. It's easy on your hands and it requires no extra tightening! I love it. I'm already making plans.

We got Andean Treasure in Bluebell, which is a lovely light blue-violet. I've heard that alpaca yarn is tricky to work with but it's much easier than Cotton Fleece! On #7 bamboo circulars it knit up 19 stitches per four inches. Perfect for the Hourglass Tunic from Last Minute Knitted Gifts as well as the Merino T-Shirt featured in the Winter 2003 issue of Interweave Knits. Oh, I have my eye on that one!