Christmas countdown.....

Fourteen days and counting.  Time's running out but this year I won't be finishing things right down to the wire.  At least I don't think so.   So far I've made one pair of socks, 3 1/2 scarves (one's not finished yet), and 3/4 of a hat (not finished, either).  I may try to push the window and get another hat done before 12/25 but I'll have to see how the rest of the things go.  I still have papers and final exams to finish for school, so time will be eaten up by that.  In fact, I should be studying now for an exam tomorrow.... ooops!  Yeah, well, whatever.  Sigh.

Since the things I'm knitting are Christmas presents I won't be posting pictures.  And I won't be talking about them.  So much for this blog post, right?!  Well, it turns out I *can* talk about one of the hats because it is for someone that I am absolutely certain will not be reading this.  It's a lovely yellow hat, made with yarn from The Kangaroo Dyer ( http://www.kangaroodyer.com/) who, (lucky me!) is also local.  She calls the color Papaya, which you can find here:  http://www.kangaroodyer.com/our_products/yarns/all.html.  I think it looks like daffodils in the sunlight, which is why I bought it.  The person I am making the hat for loves daffodils and when I saw this yarn at Metaphor Yarns in Shelburne (http://metaphoryarns.com/) that's all I could think of - lots of yellow daffodils.  In fact, I actually walked out of the store without it and, before I could get in the car and actually leave, I had to go back inside and get it ~ that's how much of an impact it had on me!  That was last May and I have been anticipating working it up into this hat ever since then.  It has not disappointed me, either ~ it's a lovely yarn to work with.  Nice, defined stitches, and it knits up into a fabric that will be soft and comfortable to wear.  It does have a little sparkle in it ~ just enough but not too much ~ but the sparkly stuff doesn't make it at all scratchy (which some can).

Here's the hat in progress:

and here it is with the brim turned up:

You can see the subtle color changes in the yarn but the sparkly bits (which are also subtle) don't show up in the photo - too bad!  I can't wait until it's done - only a couple more inches to go!  Don't tell anyone, but I think I'm going to try it on myself and, if I like it, will probably be making myself one in a different color!  I don't usually go for sparkly yarns - most of the ones I've seen are just too much for me - but this one is just subtle and tasteful enough that I'd love to have one for me, too.  I'll let you know if I do.

Nerdy, history geek yarn love....

I was digging around the internet yesterday and, for a couple of different reasons, ended up on the website for Plimouth Plantation: 
http://www.plimoth.org/.

After looking around the website, being me, I had to check out the on-line shopping to see what they had available.  Imagine my surprise (not to mention my excitement!) when I found this:

"Details

Plimoth Plantation is pleased to introduce our exclusive line of 100% wool yarn. “New Plimoth Worsted” is spun in the National Historic Landmark village of Harrisville, New Hampshire by Harrisville Designs. The color palette is designed by Plimoth Plantation matching colors produced using natural dyestuffs of the 17thc. Period colors names such as gray “Rat’s Colour” and yellow “Maidenhair” describe each shade. packaged in 2 oz, 100 yd skeins."

Ok, I am a true history geek because I nearly squealed out loud over this.  Yes, I know I can get similar colors with natural dyestuffs in my own backyard, but this is from Plimouth Plantation!  In historic colors!  Spun by Harrisville!  Omgomgomgomg!!!  I have GOT to have some of this.  It may have to wait until after Christmas, but I still MUST have this yarn.  Along with the historical patterns they have for sale on the same site:
I can probably live without the sock pattern but would really love to have the cap and stocking patterns.  I hope they work with the new yarns.... maybe I'll make the stockings in Goose Turd green ~ lol!