Adding a little color to life

Today I did what any good knitter who feels a little down does. I went to the yarn store. Gasp! Yup, this is my first visit to a yarn store this year. THIS. YEAR. PEOPLE! I vowed to go on a yarn diet, with three exceptions to yarn purchasing. 1) The Webs tent sale, if I could get there. 2) Rhinebeck, if I could get there. 3) Purchases specifically for baby gifts to be made this year, I don't have much baby yarn in my stash, and people are getting prego left and right, so this was a must.

Now, I must come clean and admit the gods have conspired a bit to foil my year of destashing a bit. First, there was the unexpected win of a yarn club membership from Knitgrrl. That's a whole lot of yarn to be added to my stash, but not draining my pocketbook, and really how can a girl turn down free yarn. Free hand dyed yarn at that. Second, there was a tiny thing I forgot about, I joined the Neighborhood Fiber Co. Tour of DC Sock Club for three months, way back in November, so there were three more skeins of sock yarn coming my way. Third, I ordered some yarn for a baby project which you will be hearing about in a couple of days. Technically I have not violated any of my rules, but yet my stash grows. To be fair, however, ball for ball in and out it's about an even trade. So today, I slipped. Just a little.

I convinced myself it was ok because I really needed something soft to knit with on the plane tomorrow. (Yes, that is the plane home...finally). I've been knitting socks for hub with some trekking xxl, which is my favorite all time sock yarn, but it's a little rough on my very very very dry desert hands. I've also been working on Ellen's afghan, but I accidently put in the box of stuff I shipped home. Finally, I could work on the sleeve of hub's cobblestone, but the Skye Tweed is also a bit rough on the hands right now, but I digress. Soft yarn.

Well, it turns out that it my not just be the texture that sent me in search, but that army green, beige, and brown just aren't lifting my spirits enough. My soft yarn is 100% Alpaca from Lonesome Stone, color Hot Rod Red. Every reference I find to this yarn online says the skein should have ~665 yds, but mine says 340. The pictures aren't really doing it justice. It's bright and it's cheery and adds some much needed color to my world. Everything is brown here. The walls, the floors, the bedding, the sink, outside is the same, it hasn't rained all year, and I think the brown has really got me down. Well, the brown and other events of late. It was so cheery I had to cast on right away. The pattern is Lace Ribbon Scarf from knitty, on size 5s because that's what I had, and with less width because that's what I wanted. It makes me happy.

On that note, here is something else that makes me happy:

That's my suitcase, waiting for the clothes off my back so I can go home, for a solid four weeks. I have not stayed in one place for a solid four weeks yet this year, and my own bed, well that's just decadent.