Yarn Hunt

My sister just sent an email to thank me for a package I sent her, with something I can't show you yet (sorry, Elspeth, but it is going up on Chiagu soon), and these:





She found out a couple of weeks ago that she is having a baby girl and that sent me out in a crazy hunt for yarns and patterns. Among the excuses to buy more yarn, my baby sister having a baby girl is a a really good one.

Starting with my stash, I have Katia Jamaica, Bernat Cotton Tots, Karabella Aurora 8, and Tess Designer Yarn. BTW, FTA carries Tess Designer Yarn now. But here is the thing, I have bought Kate Gilbert's Samantha a while ago and it calls for DK weight yarn, all the above are worsted. And none of the DK yarns I have in my stash are suitable. I could try Lana Grossa Point Print, but I am positive I won't get gauge, by the look of it, I think I'll get 20 sts / 4". And yes, I know, I could re-recalculate the pattern, but I hate to do that when I have bought a pattern - I buy something because I do not want to do the math, otherwise I'll just write it myself. So, I went browsing. Bad idea.
And to be completely honest, I need to confess that the Tess Designer Yarn is a recent buy as well; I bought it the day after I heard my sister screaming "it's a girl!" on my answering machine.
So, as I said, I went browsing. And I saw this:



And it was on sale. And I heard it kicks Socks that Rocks' butt. I'll let you know.
Then this on e Bay:



that will make a really nice bag with the one that I already have.
Still not suitable yarn for Samantha, but look what coming Tuesday March 28 at 9:00 am Pacific Time: Lana Grossa Toccata 60% off. I made the first original Fragola with that yarn, and it is heaven. You will check the label a thousand times to confirm that it is 100% cotton, because it is so soft and stretchy, I do not know what kind of magic they have done on it.
Problem solved? Well, not quite, the smallest size for Samantha is 3 months, and that will be November. November in Rome? Not cotton. I could use fingering weight yarn, so that I get a newborn size with the 3 months instruction, so off to find fingering weight cotton:

• Rowan 4 Ply Cotton, enough to make something for all my nieces;
• Jaeger Sienna
• Brown Sheep Cotton Fine
• Schachenmayr Catania
• Sandnes Mandarin Petit
• Idena Bambino Cotton

Oh gosh, with all the time I am spending browsing, I could have written the darn pattern!