Bunny Bulky

I love yarn with angora in it. Actually I love almost anything with angora.  I always think others will love it too but it is becoming my experience that way more folks like other combos than angora or way more folks are just not will to pay the extra to get angora or maybe way more folks don't want to be as warm as angora yarn will be (5-6 times warmer than wool).

Chinese workers get bupkas in pay.  They work long hours under horrible conditions, live in dorms where they need to buy their own toilet paper and are told to be grateful.  One of the many reasons our economy is in the toilet is because so many of our manufacturers find it cheaper to build factories in China and employ Chinese workers than pay Americans what we are worth.

I try to avoid purchasing goods made in China.  To this end I commissioned another bunny lover to make me some bulky yarn.  It is hand 3 plied and naturally dyed.  It is also all American.  Bunny, alpaca and merino all from the USA. Dyed and plied in the USA.  Candy Cane   Well when stuff is hand done in the USA we do need to cough up more than what we have grown accustomed to paying for hand done stuff out of China.  $50-$150 for a hand made 'imported' quilt is ridiculous yet you see them in many catalogs.

I paid for 150 yard skeins of this so soft bulky weight yarn in 3 colorways and 1 natural color.  So far, in 4 months ONE skein has sold - that includes 2 vendings and on the internet. I have been drooling over these skeins since they came in but kept telling myself they would sell and be loved by someone else.  Finally, last week I succombed and took all 4 skeins of Huckleberry Ice for myself.

Then I went on Ravelry and used their incredible pattern search engine -- Vest, knitting, photos, no more than 600 yards and bulky.   This sorted into 31 patterns for me to choose from.  Such fun.  I finally went with Gwendolyn by Carolin Schwarberg from Burda Verena.

As someone who usually uses needles that are US 8 or less, knitting with 10.5 and 11's is such a treat.  This vest knit up in record time.  Well record time compared to the year it is taking me to finish a short sleeved sweater on US4's.

Gosh -  in this pic it looks like a little kid's dress.

I got halfway to the armpits in ONE DAY.

3 skeins took me to the end of the back but the 4th skein needed to be added on to sew up the shoulders.  

                              All that is left is the neck and sleeve edgings and I can start knowing there is plenty of yarn left to get it all done.  Sometimes a quick project that is not a hat is such a kick. Oh and the fact that I have shed a whole size is a definite plus.