homeward bound...sort of

My husband L. and I just got back from the Carolinas, where he had shows on Friday and Saturday night. The Saturday night show was in Charleston, the ancestral home of my dad's side of the family. I'm really interested in my genealogy and have traced my lineage back to the 1600s to England on my dad's side and to Germany on my mom's side. From census records I was able to get the addresses of my grandmother, great-grandparents, great-great grandparents, and great-great-great grandparents homes, and also that of the shipyard my family once owned. It was so exhilarating walking the streets of Charleston, knowing that my ancestors once walked the same streets. I can't tell you how excited I was getting to see the actual buildings in which they lived.

My great-grandmother Christiana Mary Pregnall's (Sheppard) childhood home.

While in Charleston I went to visit Knit, a well-stocked yarn shop on Wentworth St. They had a huge collection of yarn, including some local handspun. They also had the largest collection of buttons I've ever seen in a knit shop.  Best of all they were having a sale. If you're ever in Charleston I highly recommend checking it out.

handspun yak or my new favorite yarn

My parents just got back from a three month adventure to South East Asia. They bounced around Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and China and along the way kept their eyes peeled for anything knitting related. While they were in southern China they finally came across a gift they could bring home. Check out this gorgeous handspun yak, bought straight from the farmer. I have two pounds of this!!!

I'm thinking that I'd like to make a jacket out of it, as yak isn't the softest thing in the world (think horse blanket). There is a gorgeous jacket in Vogue Knitting Fall 2006 that I think might be perfect for this yarn. I'd need to dye it, but that should make the project even more interesting. Not sure when I'll cast on as I already have too many balls in the air.

Cabled Fair Isle Cardigan

by Shirley Paden

Vogue Knitting Fall 2008