to stock, or not to stock...

That is the question!

Well, the question is this - would you rather pay more money for really spectacular yarn or less money for still-great-but-not-quite-as-great yarn? I encountered this question the other day when I realized I was considering carrying two types of merino/silk DK weight yarn. (Which totally throws off my naming schema, but whatever.) And I thought, "Do I really need to have to two types of merino/silk DK weight yarn?" They are very different. But...do I really need to have both?

So this is where you come in! I'm going to describe both yarns and if you could kindly pop over to the poll in the sidebar over there and let me know what you think, that would be fantastic!

Here they are! Please pretend like they are the same color. The one on the left, the greener one, is a 70% merino/30% silk blend. It is exactly the same as my ever-popular silky merino sock yarn, just thicker. The one on the right, the bluer one, is a really luscious 50% merino/50% silk yarn. I have never carried this yarn before but I test-dyed a batch and it is so nice. Like, I want to knit a giant blanket out of it and stay cuddled in it all day. (Or maybe that's just because it is freakishly cold today...) As you can see, they have completely different looks to them. They are definitely different enough that I don't mind carrying both.

Why don't I just do that?

Well...cost. The 50% merino/50% silk is quite expensive. As in, a finished skein would cost you, my loyal customer, approximately a full $20 more than a skein of the other yarn. Yep. You read that right. It's wonderful, wonderful stuff. But should I bother?

 Cheaper, though still lovely, yarn. This stuff is great. I'm currently knitting a sweater out of it.

 Expensive, frighteningly nice yarn. Gorgeous stuff. Were I not the dyer, I could never afford to knit a sweater out of this.

Aren't they lovely? So tell me what you think! If you don't see an option you like in the poll, leave a comment here!

simple things

I promised a while back that I'd share a project I knit with my superwash merino sock yarn. (A long while. Ahem.) It happens to be one of the same skeins of yarn that is pictured in that post - the wonderful grey/black color. I've been on a real grey kick for the past year or two, which means that most of my wardrobe is now grey or black. I love it, still, but I think I'm starting to feel ready to add some color... Anyway, this isn't it! But it's lovely nonetheless.

It's the Simple Things shawlette and the pattern is just delightful. It is, indeed, simple. I managed to knit the entire thing in...only...two and a half months. Which, honestly, is pretty darn good for me these days! Had I not had a wee babe to care for, I probably could have knocked the thing out in just a couple days. But it was perfect baby knitting - easy enough to pick it up and put it down due to the simple stockinette stitch. Even the eyelet motif was nothing complicated - an excellent introduction to a cute little lacy bit for beginners or a nice, easy, mindless (yet still cute!) bit for more experienced knitters. Or those with tiny children about.

The superwash merino sock yarn works very well with this pattern. It's super soft and has a wonderful drape. I wear it around my neck when it's cool but not freezing and it has never bothered me. It's quite stretchy and takes abuse well - my daughter has pulled on it multiple times and it doesn't get disfigured! The softly changing color ranges from dark grey to light grey to nearly white in places and matches just about everything I own.

Head over to see my project on Ravelry or check out some of my sock yarn!