Choosing a yarn

My package from Elann.com came yesterday - the one I ordered on Friday - the one full of different red yarns. Alas, the photo doesn't really do justice to the colors, but right away there was an elimination. The Sonne is the wrong red. It's a bright cherry red that longs to be stranded with some beautiful  whites and greys and blacks, or put together with a kelly green, lemon yellow and sky blue to make some little girl her favorite jacket. Alas for this. It was $1.85 and would have knit me up a dress for $50 which is just about what was in my SILM jar.

Of the other three, this is the one that had the most delicious color. It's Elann.com's own merino/silk/bamboo yarn and is of a redness that makes my mouth water. The silk gives it glow, the wool gives it heft, the bamboo gives it a next to the skin softness. Alas. It is also the most expensive, coming in at $3.98 a ball (still very reasonable) and I would need $104 to make this dress. I'm a little worried, too, about the sag factor. I haven't actually ever worn anything with bamboo in it and, really, the butt sag worries me with this yarn.

Elann.com's highland wool is a wonderful color - a little browner than red, but still very Bess-ish and Queenly and a dress this color would be flattering to me. At the end of the day, when I'm a little more tired and a little more sensitive, this yarn had a little more of a scratchy feel to it. Since I'm considering wearing this yarn over my entire body ... itch factor plays into the equation. This morning, all rested and post-morning coffee and feeling snuggly and relaxed, I can't find any scratchiness to it at all, so this not only a definite possibility, but also puts this yarn in the lineup for a swatch.

Alas, when I purchased this sample skein last Friday they were selling this color in blowout sale bags of 10 for something like $1.98 a skein. That also put this yarn in the front running since it would knit up a dress at $53, which is what's in the SILM jar. I can't find it on sale today - but them's the breaks with a place that sells remainders. Its regular price is still low enough to bring me in a dress at around $67.

K1C2's Camelino is another strong contender. The color is much more a clay color than a red, but that's still a lovely shade for TheQueen. I can wear just about any earth color. This yarn is very smooth. It doesn't have a lot of bounce to it and is more tightly spun than the highland wool. It has a fabulous next-to-the-skin feel to it. A dress in this yarn will come in at $80 but I'd have to jump on it toot sweet. This is in their discount bargain bin. Today there are still 50+ skeins in stock but I would need 27 of them to knit up my dress.

Guess what I will be casting on today.

And in case you are wondering what TheQueen has been knitting on the past week or so - I am sad to say ... it is not the Shawl Collared Vest which is languishing on a dresser by my bed - but somewhat out of sight. I have been making hats, from other yarn that has been languishing ... more in my line of sight, on the chair by the window. Evidently if I have to stare at unknit yarn long enough, it's misery will register and I will knit it out of it's unhappy state.





Here I am trying on the hats I've been knitting - this one is of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride and something south american ... maybe Manos ...  a single ply in variegated colors - I'll get better photos when it's actually done.

And here is the sample hat I've been knitting along with my students. I think it's a little big because the brim covers up the first row of colorwork, but hey - it's a sample.