Bad to the Bone?!

Today, I was bad. Very bad.

I went to my favorite LYS to buy yarn for several swaps. I got what I came for, but also walked away with some yarn and vintage buttons I'm keeping for myself. Couldn't help myself. The little shop is chock full of the very thing a yarnaholic, no, a yarn afficianado like myself should indulge in only in measured doses.

You may remember how I gushed over Araucanía's Pategonia Nature's Cotton, a softly-textured smooth bulky yarn, spun into thin and thick plies. According to its website, Araucanía Yarns is a group of artisans and designers dedicated to the artisan dyeing of fibers for weaving and knitting located in Santiago, Chile, on the southwest corner of South America. Well, Araucania has done it again with its brand new Lonco Multi yarn, a simple 100% mercerized cotton fingering weight yarn with the most vivid and vibrant colors I've seen in a long time. The yarn called to me as soon as I walked into the store, with colors straight out of the rain forest: rusty red, ochre yellow, koolaid blue purple, and true green. Unfortunately, although quite inventive when naming yarns, Araucania seems to have assigned the naming of most of its yarn colorways to an accountant. This one is called "4002." Ridiculous -- a better name would be "Parrot." Whatever, I think this skein will be a shawl.

Oh, the reason I was at Aylin's in the first place? I have three active swaps on Ravelry, all of which require yarn. So, in addition to my little indulgence, I picked up:

• What has got to be the most unusual source for fiber: sugar cane. Araucania's Ruca Multy, made from 100% Italian sugar cane, looks and feels like a bamboo/silk blend, so silky, so shiny, and oh so soft. Okay, okay, I'll say it -- it sure feels sweet! When I raised the skein to my nose for a sniff, the sales lady laughed, saying that everyone does that when first hearing what it is made of . . . No worries, no sugary smell.
• What has got to be the most bizarre name for a yarn: Bris by Swedish Yarn Imports, half wool and half soy. It feels like a silk/wool blend. I was told that, in Swedish, Bris means "cold breeze between mountains" . . . Go figure.
• What is a fine example of yarn from one of my favorite yarn companies: Berocco Ultra Alpaca Fine, an ultra soft fingering weight yarn that can be used for shawls, delicate sweaters, and scarves, as well as socks. No slouch in the color naming department, Berocco named this one Redwood Mix.

Yes, I was bad. All this yarn -- obviously I'm not making a dent in my stash. But looking at my list afresh, I wasna so bad. Almost all of this yarn is going to a home I don't call my own. Even the yarn I bought for myself will be used to make something for one of my spoilees. But hey, I get to use it first.