coming attractions

things are humming here at chickadee central! there are so many projects on the horizon in both the fabric and yarn arenas. here are two works, not yet in progess, from the department of hooks and needles. you'll get to follow them from seed to flower, or from skein to scarf or sock or hat or ???

the first is january's stitch dc stash club selection:

the yarn star for january comes from three irish girls. this is their adorn sock yarn in connemara valley. and it sure looks like ireland...the emerald green, the bright blue, the earthy brown and the faintest hint of rose. these three little lassies have created their own pot of gold. each skein is hand dyed to perfection. you can see all of their amazing "colorways" on their website and sign up for their yarn-of-the-month club. dying to dye your own? they'll even get you started. st. pattie's day is a month away and i'm already feeling lucky. several pattern suggestions accompanied the yarn including a modern irish beret, leg warmers, and the connemarra crochet cowl. i'm not sure what is at the end of my rainbow quite yet, but rest assured that i'll keep you posted on how this turns out. perhaps a guinness would provide the proper inspiration?

next up, a surprise skein of luxury:

this cream colored bundle of joy was a prezzie from my über thoughtful mother-in-law, whose own knit and crochet creations are superfantastisches. it is some of the finest yarn that i've had the chance to meet, 100% alpaca from the fleece of wild and wooly pennsylvania-raised camelids (don't call 'em llamas). who knew that pennsylvania produced anything other than great quarterbacks and a variety of affordable beers best served "ice cold" (iron city, yuengling, rolling rock...) this special skein will almost certainly be transformed into a scarf...but the decision is not yet final. stay tuned to find out what happens when a couple of hapless pennsylvania alpacas meet sheers and a spinning wheel...and dr. chickadee's needles.