I turned 60 this week. It is going to take a while for that to sink in. I had a nice day – Doug cooked me a great meal, I chatted with the girls and with lots of old friends, I received some lovely gifts. You may not be surprised to hear that there was yarn.
Below is a great big pile of yarn which I received from the girls:
This is the bouncy, soft, 100% wool, Woolstok Worsted from Blue Sky Fibers, in 8 shades; it was purchased as a kit from Tribe Yarns, to make this extra large shawl, the Gresham Wrap by Michael Vloedman:
Blue Sky Fibers make really nice yarn (I knitted my Cool Boots Neutral Shawl in Blue Sky Metalico) and this yarn is so lovely and sunny and cheerful. I will enjoy knitting with it, but also am enjoying just looking at all the beautiful shades.
I also received this fantastic yarn from The Uncommon Thread, Linum in the colour Pontus. This hand-dyed yarn is 50% baby alpaca, 25% silk, and 25% linen.
I have wanted to try this yarn for a while, and have something in mind for it, but as it is a summery thing, I will put it aside for awhile. The Uncommon Thread makes absolutely gorgeous yarn, and I have used it for many projects, such as Mignon, Skelter, Laelia, and Livvy (links are to blog posts I wrote about each project).
I am calling this a magical mystery birthday gift. How can you get a magical mystery birthday gift, too? It is easy, just follow these simple steps:
- Pre-order some great yarn from an independent dyer.
- Forget all about it.
Having it arrive in time for your birthday is a bit trickier, but I am certain that you enterprising knitters can figure that one out.
I have not done lots of knitting the past few weeks, but I have started the Caravay sweater by designer Linda Marveng. The yarn is fantastic and I am so happy we picked this gorgeous shade of Burgundy (the yarn and pattern were won in a prize and you can see details in this post). The stitch pattern is quite interesting – not difficult or in-your-face, but pleasingly textual.
And, as a last nod to a knitting birthday, I received my copy of the new Confident Knitting book. It happened to arrive on my birthday, which I am sure was intricately coordinated by Jen and Jim (the editors). It is a lovely book and I have been happily reading it this morning. It is part of the Confident Knitting club from Arnall-Culliford Knitting, which I heartily recommend you check out. They make fantastic instructional videos, and work with an array of diverse, independent, and talented designers and dyers. And they are very nice to boot!
Doug had a birthday last week too. He received lovely gifts, but no yarn. Poor Doug! Birthdays are always better with yarn.
Lovely. Like the tips for receiving a magical mystery birthday gift!
Yes, and as a bonus, the older you get the easier it is to forget what you’ve done, thus increasing your chances of a magical mystery gift!
Happy birthday! I too turned 60 this past week. September 1. I didn’t get any yarn but am still celebrating and expect some packages arriving today!
Happy Birthday, Kim! We are practically birthday buddies. I wish you a year of health and happiness!
Many happy returns!
Gorgeous presents all around. The Uncommon Thread is a joy to look at, likewise the Woolstok.
I have some TUT in stash but it is so nice that I never dared to knit it… you know that silly thought “I’ll keep it for something special”
The Caraway has a very beautiful texture and in your capable hands it will turn out great.
Have a lovely weekend
Thanks, Judith! You should definitely use your TUT; it’s seriously too nice to be sitting in the skein.
Many happy returns! And what great presents. My birthday is at the end of September and my lovely husband is generously treating me to a set of yarn for the Stephen West MKAL (I’ve probably got perfectly good yarn in my stash but where’s the fun in that?!?) and a couple of gorgeous new project bags from Botanical Yarn. As you say, no birthday is complete without new yarn to play with. 🥂🧶
It sounds like you have a keeper there, too, Liz! I bet the MKAL will be loads of fun!
Happy happy birthday! I wish you all the best for the year from New Zealand. I’ve been following your Blog for some years after seeing your posts on Ravelry, and so enjoy seeing your Knitting modelled in such picturesque venues. You bring such joy so I hope you have received an abundance in return.
Thank you so much, Liz, for leaving this lovely comment. You made my day.
Happy Birthday! I love your yarn. Birthday yarn is the best.
Hi Jossie! Thanks for the birthday wishes. We just keep getting older, no?
Happy 60th, Kelly! Enjoy your special milestone birthday and have fun and savour all the luscious yarn you received!
Thank you so much, Karen. I am really pleased to have a few weeks off now; I plan to get my knitting mojo running again.
The happiest of birthdays to you, and how fortunate you are to still receive gifts of yarn in spite of how much you already have. Enjoy!
Hi Leigh, thanks for the birthday wishes. Hmm, you make me think I need to do a purge and donate some yarn to a good cause.
Happy birthday!! What great presents
Thank you, Kath!
Happy birthday, what an exciting gift to have and a shawl to wear. Alissa just recommended Blue Sky Fibres yarn, is it super soft against your neck? I’m considering new yarn for a project with a high neck.
Hmm, this is tricky, as so far I’ve only used the Metalico; it is super soft and special, but does occasionally get a bit itchy on my neck. I can’t yet report on the Woolstok, but it feels great in the skein. I have high hopes for it.
I’ve bought some Malabrigo as I know my neck is fine with that. I will look out for Blue Sky for a future project.
Happy birthday! You are right, birthdays are much better with yarn 🙂 You got some lovely presents!