Upon turning 30, part III

Normally, I try hard not to be too materialistic. (A battle I am ever losing, but that's another story for another day.) But, on my birthday, I am all about the gifts!! Today, the fibery gifts.

This year, I've met so many lovely bloggers in person for the first time ever. At Rhinebeck, I got to chat with Kate for a while, and we've exchanged some emails in the months since. We're both knitting from the stash in 2008, and trying to make a dent in the yarn piles. But, since yarn received as a gift is an exception to the stash rules, I can gratefully receive this lovely skein of sock yarn.

This is a new-to-me line of hand-dyed yarns called Dicentra Designs. The colors are gorgeous, and they remind me of Noro Kureyon, colorway 40. (One of my favorite handknits is my Klaralund sweater in color 40. I made this sweater pre-blog, so I'll have to go take a photo of it for Ravelry.) This skein of sock yarn is 476 yards, so it might also be a candidate for a baby sweater. Wouldn't this make a gorgeous BSJ? Thank you, Kate!!

This year, I've also made friends with new bloggers that I have yet to meet in person. Phoe is one of these new friends. Always a generous knitter (she gives away knitted gifts on her blog!), Phoe celebrated HER 30th birthday by giving gifts to others. I was lucky enough to win the turquoise prize, which arrived at the end of last week.

This is a skein of laceweight yarn from Yarn Ahoy. The color, Desert Wind, is a subtle blend of pale turquoise and shades of brown and gold. I'm considering using this to knit the Artemis stole, designed by Alison Green Will. (In case I don't knit that one, Phoe also included a pattern for a lovely triangular shawl.) This skein is somewhat different from my normal knitting color palette, yet I realized that it will match many items in my wardrobe. I love it. Thank you, Phoe!

I have one more post about turning 30 that is rattling around in my head. After that, back to my normal semi-lucid blogging.