Itchy and Scratchy

I am not the Simps0ns fan that my husband is, but the pets' names have always cracked me up, so I co-opted them for this post.

As part of the giant stash categorization project, I am making a discovery: I am leaning toward the rough stuff. I think I can track it back to the Rise of the Icelandic Sweater a few years ago, when Lopi started arriving at the house in boxes and envelopes. (Don't know how they got my address...) Then, when I went to Finland and Estonia, aside from the yarns used for Haapsalu Shawls (which doesn't come from Estonia anymore, anyway), all of the yarns I got were hearty, rustic ones. I got Finnish wools from Rihivilla in Helsinki, both in natural and naturally dyed colors. I picked up some Aade (very much like or perhaps the same as Kauni) in Estonia, as well as some unlabeled yarn in gorgeous, saturated shades from a vendor at the White Lady Days Festival. There are still bits of VM in that, but it doesn't bother me at all. I also got some small skeins of naturally dyed wool from Villjandi at a shop in Tallinn. All of them are deliciously crunchy, scrunchy, and rustic. Some of them still even smell sheepy. Yum. 

In case there's any curiosity about it, the sheepiest thing discovered in the stash dive is some Peace Fleece. Whoo, baby, that stuff is still redolent with eau de barnyard. 

One thing Cat Bordhi does at her retreats is invite Debbie and Maxine of Island Fibers over to set up shop for an afternoon. They weave, spin, dye, knit, and sell fabulous yarns and fibers. I have a bit of a collection from them. In a previous year, I bought a sweater quantity of worsted weight for an Icelandic-style sweater. I also got some dark Sally Bill special fleece. This year, I added to the fleece collection with some white and tan Sally Bill, which is all going to a processor in Washington to be turned into roving. I also picked up sport weight yarn to make Gudrun Johnston's Bressay Dress. 

 

 
I need to get this stash project done so I can get back to knitting!