One of the blogs I follow is www.shimelle.com.  Shimelle Laine is a blogger, scrapbooker, glitter gal, resident of London and all around amazing talent.  I found out about her through a podcast I listen to, “The Paperclipping Roundtable”.  Every month, she blogs ten things on the tenth.  And she encourages other bloggers to join in.  Your ten things can be absolutely anything you feel like sharing!

Last month I shared my collection of Santas and this month I’m going to share 10 selections of yarn that I use regularly and love.  I have been organizing all my knitting and crochet projects by printing out patterns, picking out the needles and deciding on my yarn choices.  Like a true creature of habit, I gravitate to certain brands pretty regularly, but all in all there isn’t a skein of yarn I don’t like.  Okay if it’s scratchy I tend to stay away, but other than that, I love them all.

I have a few projects in the works this year and hopefully I’ll be able to finish them all.

#1.  Vanna’s Choice is a wonderfully soft acrylic yarn in a wide range of colors.  I’ve made baby blankets, hats and 8″ squares for a charity with this yarn.  It’s very affordable and when it’s on sale, it’s really hard not to “stock up” even though I could probably stock the store with my stash :-).

#2.  Simply Soft by Caron is just that – simply soft.  It also has a wonderful sheen that gives the resulting project a shimmery quality.  I’ve made many scarves with this yarn and also appreciate its affordability.  There are so many beautiful shades to pick from, it’s really quite difficult.  I’m finishing my first hat with this yarn and am interested to see how it turns out.

# 3.  Lion Brand Homespun is the best yarn for blankets.  It is so cozy soft and does a really nice job of keeping its shape.  A few years ago I made several prayer shawls with Homespun and the variegated colors always kept me guessing about how the shawls would look when finished.  They never disappointed.

#4.  Sugar ‘n Cream Cotton by Lily.  This is the only cotton I use.  The range of colors and quality of the yarn keeps me coming back.  I’ve knit and crocheted many, many dish cloths for gifts and for home use.  They have held up beautifully for years and are a great alternative to kitchen sponges and paper towels.

#5.  Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks.  100% Peruvian Highland Wool.  Just the sound of those words together makes me giddy.  This is an incredibly soft wool despite the fact that it’s wool.  And the color palette is out of this world.  You would think this would cost a small fortune, but it’s very affordable.  I have plans for a large couch afghan with this wool.

#6.  Araucania.  All the way from Chile, this yarn is a luxurious blend of wool, silk and bamboo.  I have several skeins and have shawl patterns all lined up to knit these beauties.  It’s a great fingering weight yarn and while it needs to be purchased at a specialty yarn store, it’s very reasonably priced.  It comes in solids and variegated skeins that leave you breathless.

#7.  Fisherman’s Wool from Lion Brand is the wool I use when I want to dye yarn.  I experimented with Kool Aid dyeing a while back and was very pleased with how this yarn held onto the color.  The wool is made of undyed pure virgin wool with natural lanolin oil. It is soft, warm, naturally water-resistant and at 465 yards per skein it’s very cost-effective.  I have knit several hats with this yarn and want to complete some squares with it.

#8.  Deborah Norville’s Serenity Garden yarn is 100% microfiber.  I’m not sure what that means, but I know I really like this yarn.  I use it exclusively with my Sockee Poos (Dog Poop Bag Holder).  The color variegation means that no two Sockee Poos are alike.

#9.  Fun Fur by Lion Brand is a novelty ‘eyelash’ yarn.  Despite its delicate look, it’s really quite sturdy.  I use it to make my CattyWampus catnip toys.  The cats love the fuzzy feel and the catnip doesn’t hurt either.

#10.  And finally Cascade 200.  This is also a 100% Peruvian Highland Wool that comes in solids and tweeds.  It is luxurious and great for projects where you need a quality wool, but don’t want to spend a small fortune. 

“Hey mom – all this talk of yarn especially the really warm, soft yarn has me wondering something.  Are we ever going to get homemade sweaters?”