Phew!

Well, then. I posted a request over in my one of my favorite groups on Ravelry (The soon-to-be-no-more Sanguine Gryphon) for recommendations of knitting blogs to read, and I had so many great responses! I've added them all to my "Who I Follow" tab and look forward to checking them out in my downtime.

Today I wore the Rock Island shawl I made out of SG's Mithril, a 100% wool laceweight yarn that is truly lovely. It has several plies which makes it feel nice and strong for a laceweight. The skeins have a generous 750 yards and the wool softens up so nicely after blocking.

I used the colorway Brightness of Day, from the Spring/Summer 2011 lineup. It certainly lives up to its name! I have a few more skeins of Mithril stashed that I'm looking forward to knitting. So much lace, so little time.

So, about The Sanguinge Gryphon. I will miss them. If you're unfamiliar with them, they are a wonderful team of hand-dyers who create unique, beautiful colors on deliciously scrummy yarn bases. Bugga is their most popular, a sport-weight merino/cashmere/nylon blend that truly does live up to the hype.

 See? That's their Bugga base in Painted Damsel, an extraordinarily hard-to-get color that I was only able to obtain when they did a special unlimited update for it. I love their other bases as well, like QED (100% BFL wool) and Codex (50-50 BFL and silk) and I will be sorry to see them go. What amazes me the most about their company is the way they built up such a fan base. Colorways are stalked, limited updates can be frenzied, and people will ring up the debt just to get sweater quantities in a color they MUST HAVE. By people, I do mean me. I haven't reached sweater quantities yet but I will buy yarn that I didn't know I couldn't live without until they decided to dye it! It truly is amazing. It's comforting to know that certain bases won't be disappearing forever, SG is going to split into two brand new companies that will carry a few bases we know and love to start with, but it is a bit unsettling to know it is all going to change. On the one hand, I like being able to have a fairly good chance of getting a colorway I love on a base that I need for the project I have in mind. Since they will begin with limited base types and probably limited stock, I'm pretty sure that ability will be going away and honestly, I like using worsted weight yarn and neither company will be carrying any to begin with. But on the other hand, this could be good for me to curb my yarn purchasing. Like a smoker quitting cold turkey, maybe having SG close at approximately the same time that I will be finishing my master's degree and looking for a job will be a good thing for me, help me kick the habit. I'd like to knit up some more of the lovely skeins I already have sometime in the near future!

I'll declare it here: 2012 will be the Year of Knitting from the Stash. Yes. I can purchase new yarn only with a gift certificate or as a reward for hitting a weight-loss goal. I think that seems fair. And just because I won't be buying new yarn doesn't mean I won't be talking about yarn on this blog, there will be plenty, and I think talking about the skeins I already have will help me fight the urge to buy more. Makes sense, yes? Besides, there are no holds barred until the end of 2011. I still have two solid months of frenzied get-it-before-it's-gone purchases to make. :)

What's your yarny weakness? What makes you HAVE TO HAVE it?