Friday, December 10, 2010

Fiber Arts Friday: Lovely Yarn from Japan

Hubba went to Japan last month for the 30th Oita International Wheelchair Marathon.

He had a good race and lots of rah-men and sushi.

I did not go, so he asked what he should bring home from Japan.  My answer was Yarn, of course. I told him that only natural fibers will do... wool, alpaca, cotton.... absolutley no acrylic, polyester or nylon shall be brought into this house.  To which he replied, "This is not my first yarn rodeo."

So since I've been on the road this week and haven't made much progress on any of my works, I thought I would share the lovely yarn Hubba brought back from Japan.

One of the race volunteers helped him find a yarn shop. Where he found, not just a couple skeins, but a huge sack of lovely yarn.  Which included...

Two skeins of an amazingly soft beige suri alpaca blend.

It is a very fine strand and blended with something, but I don't read Japanese, so I don't know what it is.  I suspect it's silk.

Our WonderWhyGal and other Suri breeders will appreciate this... When Hubba told the shop keeper that he needed "the best" yarn she had, she found this yarn and told him that "it is very special."

It is very special indeed.  Each one is only 25g, so I need to find something equally special to make with it.  I am thinking small, lacey and close to the skin...  and after reading this post from If the Knit Fits, I'm am feeling optomistic that I will be able to find something appropriate.

The other wonderfulness he brought home was 9 skeins of Yak/Merino... I'm in love with this yarn.  I love the natural colors, I love that they could go together or alone.


I also love that it's Yak!  I haven't worked with yak yet, but I have met some yaks.  I have some yak down in my stash waiting to be spun for the perfect project, and frankly, yak is just really fun to say.  :-)


As Hubba was making his selections, the race volunteer suggested that he should choose brighter colors, but he knows me well.  He knows that I love the natural, earthy colors best.  After all, it was one of the (many) reasons we decided to raise alpacas.

By the way, is it called a skein when it's wound like these?

I wish you all a very happy day.  Of course since it's Fiber Arts Friday, it is already. ;-)

12 comments:

Allison said...

Wow! Oh, I would love to be in possession of that wonderful yarn all the way from Japan! I think your hubby deserves something knit from that yak yarn.

oak haven alpacas said...

Oh I love the yarn!!!

I too love the natural colors, which is why our goal is to have all the colors on our farm. I like looking out and seeing a natural rainbow.

Cara

Kathryn Ray said...

@Allison - I think he does too, but he has insisted that I make something for myself with it. :-)

@Oak Haven - Agreed. We have 7 different colors so far. :-)

Anonymous said...

How fantastic that your hubby knows your yarn preferences so well - mine doesn't even try, poor man. :)

Yak IS fun to say, and I am absolutely in love with the selection you've got there!

I call them balls when they're like that. :)

WonderWhyGal said...

oooooh, yes, Suri is very special. Love it! It looks delicious. The yak/merino yarn looks heavenly too. I bought some Yak at Fiber Fest last year and fell in love. It is heavenly to spin and I actually plied it with my Suri (go figure).

Great yarns and I bet you were happy to have your husband home too. I hope he had a successful race.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Unknown said...

I don't know the answer to the skein question, but even through the computer screen, that looks so incredibly soft.

AllyB said...

Ooo, pretty! You have a wonderful husband. I can't wait to see what you decide to do with the "very special" yarn. Does it have a scent that would lead you to the silk theory?

Kathryn Ray said...

@AllyB - it doesn't have that silk smell, which I love by the way. It does have that soft luster that silk has... kind of pearl-y. And frankly it's just sooooo soft. So that's why I think it could be silk.

@JessCreations - I almost called them balls. I'm certain they're not called skeins, but balls didn't seem quite right either.

@All - I forgot to mention, this was his first time buying yarn for me. He completely blew me away. I am very blessed. :-D

Alittlebitsheepish said...

Beautiful yarn, I am sure you will find something gorgeous to make. And yup, yak is fun to say :) (yak yak yak)

Dutch Hollow said...

I call them balls when they are like that, skeins when they are twisted.

Natural colors are the best and you have a great hubby. Hope he did well in the race.

Kristi aka Fiber Fool said...

Wow! Your Hubs is a much better shopper than mine! He made some great picks!

Inspiration Fibers said...

Oh how I wish I could reach through the computer and touch all that beautiful yarn! What a lucky girl!!
And your husband is hilarious: This isn't my first yarn rodeo! Classic!!