Posted on by Bonne Marie

Black is the new Black Tuesday March 16, 2010

Every year, I make a New Year’s Resolution to make more black sweaters!

Even though I adore chartruese, aqua, smoky plum, persimmon, and chocolate, I crave and wear ze Black more that any other color.

And digging through the stash, lots of black yarn is revealed: Black Water Abbey (so very nice), various worsted weights (3 sweaters worth), Jaeger PERSIA, Rowan DK Soft (long ago – a cool unusual blendy yarn) and more. So with intentions having grown along with the accumulated yarn, it was about time something was done about it.

But being it’s almost spring (!), I really craved Cotton. What were the chances I’d find black cotton yarn? Not so much! I actually found some black alpaca silk that was birthday yarn from a trip to the Fold awhile ago, and I was sure that I had something by Classic Elite called Avignon, also discontinued at this point, spun from cotton & silk, but it was nowhere to be found. (I’m still convinced it is still here somewhere).

rs1Digging some more (large boxes vs. small boxes) unearthed a find from many many years ago.

Now it’s a lucky thing that yarn doesn’t have an expirtation date (very few I’ve owned degraded unless really stored poorly), because this one is from who knows when. It was vintage when I bought it on eBay and I wrote about it back in 2005 when I made a something with it using both black & white:

A little raglan pullover with delusions of granduer…

I still have this jumper, wear it, wash it but actually forgot I had at least ten more balls of the black yarn used in this garment. It’s called MARJORY from Phildar.

In days of old, around 2002, before the renaissance of knitting we are all enjoying now, one of the easiest ways to get rid of or get full of yarn was eBay. I bought lots and lots of yarn this way. For instance, here’s the Product description from one buy: “Item/Product Name: 11 Balls of knitting yarn. Church Ladies”. What the? I have no idea what this was but I’m still intrigued. Along with the low culture yarn there were some high culture scores, like this one for $35: CelticCollection & Tudor Roses. Still lovin’ that one.

But I digress.

To reward myself for some truly brutal deadline knitting, I cast on a spring cardi with my find. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I unearth something from so long ago, it’s like everything is new again! The mind is wonderful like that (or at least, my mind!) One (if one’s a packrat) can completely forget about things in one’s house and closets and it isn’t until one goes on a romp and digs around that things can go all happy like!

So this has become an admirable Two-Fer: one thing happens with two fab results! I get “new” yarn and a “new” sweater.

The yarn is by the French company Phildar and is coton/acrylique 50/50 blend. It is slightly crisp with a hint of shine and a touch of body. I switched to some nickel needles to tame a slight fiber resistance while swatching with bamboo. Just for grins, I’ve given myself a deadline on this one of June 1st. Given that I have six other projects in various stages, that is an almost hilarious concept, but you know me: I love me some New Clothes…

16 Replies to “Black is the new Black Tuesday March 16, 2010”

  1. Cool! I’ve almost finished a tank that’s Cascade Cotton Rich DK–cotton/nylon–BLACK. I love wearing black and have no clue why I don’t knit with more black yarn. Thanks for inspiring me to finish.

  2. *Gasp* You got Tudor Roses thru Ebay??? Double gasp.

    I remember that pullover like it was last Tuesday! A Classic :)

    That’s a CeCe, no?

  3. Nice score from the stash. And when you’ve stored something that long, it seems like it’s free!
    Although surprises can be nice, I’m very fond of having my whole stash available to search via Ravelry.

  4. I don’t specifically remember that yarn, but I dream of Phildar yarns…omg…Brisants, Sagittaire, Luxe…wistful sigh…

  7. My tired old eyes won’t let me knit with black any more unless it’s tweed. Am working on a mistake rib scarf for brother-in-law, using Cascade Eco-Wool, and even with that yarn’s bulk and bamboo needles for contrast I still find myself procrastinating on it unless the sun is VERY bright or I’m sitting under the Ott light. But you go, girl, on your black knitting!

  8. Great! I have been waiting for your exceptional mind to start up a new project to give us all (esp. me!) some more ideas and inspiration. It must be a psychic link, as I have been thinking about wanting to knit something in black for the past two days. Thanks heaps!

  11. I saw you in black on Michigan Avenue on Wednesday afternoon with a “South Side Irish” lassie. Had I been wearing my Kiwi Green (Acid Green) Felted Bucket, I’d have hopped off the bus and mugged for the camera. ;)

  12. Gosh darrnnitt Maureen — you should’ve jumped and said hello! We were doing MOS (Man-on-the-Street) impromptu quizzes on St. Patrick’s trivia.

    QUICK: who’s the President of Ireland?

  14. I just love my Kindle —have your friend’s book on my list. Just a note: Kindle can read to you as well–many books from free Kindle Library and well as other digital libraries can be read by the Kindle text to speech feature. Also can download audio books from Audible. So my Kindle is my all around book and BEST of ALL allows me to read and knit at the same time.

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