If you ever had a Kaboodle, you know what fun it is to carry all your favorite things around. Well, your Kaboodle just got a make over – you can now carry the kitties around with you in this handy blog series called Kitty Kaboodle. We’ll talk about different things, okay mostly yarn, but we want you all to get to know us a little better and hope you will share with us in the comments!

What are we working on?

Erin is Knitting-a-long for the February KAL! Her Carson Throw uses Tosh Chunky in Kitten, Paper, Espadrilles, Chamomile, Grasshopper, & Glass Bottom Boat.

This is the pattern picture because Emily has not gotten very far on this beginner shawl. She is using Squoosh Merino Cashmere: Sock in the ESK exclusive colorway Tybee Island.

Janine was so inspired by Kayum’s version of the 3 Color Cashmere Shawl that she decided to knit one herself! She is using Tosh Merino Light in Firewood, Spicewood, and Dutchess for a rich, luxurious twist on this fantastic design.

Jenny is knitting Starfighter by our very own Tracey Cox! She is using the ever-so-squishy Amy March DK from Yarn Love in the dreamy colorway Dryad.

Jessica is knitting-a-long as well on her beautifully bright Carson Throw in Tosh Chunky. She chose a rainbow of colors: Cactus Flower, Daffodil, Jade, Flashdance, Baltic, and Holi Festival!

Tracey is using Dream in Color’s Smooshy with Cashmere in Mermaid Shoes to knit up a classic pair of socks. The simplicity in this pattern really shoes off this amazing hand-dyed skein!

Amy is also participating in February’s KAL! She is using Tosh DK in Flashdance for her Starfighter.

Feel free to share what you are working on in the comments below! We love seeing what is on your needles.

A knitting themed cake is pretty darn cute and I’m sure delicious, but seriously, nothing compares to yarn. If there is a skein that makes me inhale with excitement, I will find a way to get it. Even if my pantry has tumbleweeds blowing through it, I will look through the couch for coins & mow a lawn just so I can have my precious skein of whatevercatchesmyeye in some crazy variegated colorway named after a character from my favorite obscure childhood book character. Basically, yarn reigns supreme and there’s no shame in that. Here’s why:

It’s SO Pretty

I’m trying to find a picture of a skein that embodies what I mean when I say, “Yarn is SO pretty.” 38 minutes later, I have 6 tabs open and there’s no way I can pick just one. How can dye dripped on fiber and wound into a skein attract me like a mosquito to light? And all for different reasons. Some colorways remind me of a special memory. Others go well with my winter coat. Most just make my heart beat so hard because I know I MUST have it…no project planned, no pattern in mind but it must come home with me. Why? Because yarn is SO pretty.

I Can Knit That

I know I’m not the only one who refuses to buy things in department stores or hip pop-up shops because, “I can knit that.” I will spend $150 on yarn to knit an imperfect sweater that will make me want to scream but I absolutely refuse to spend a third of that on a perfect fit, flawless sweater in a department store. What is this logic I have come to know as truth? How do I justify this to myself time and time again? I suppose it’s because knitting isn’t just about the end result..it’s the whole process that makes it worth while. It’s so exciting when you finally find that perfect pattern and you can begin your search for the colorway of your dreams. You set up your project page and cast on. Then comes the sharing. Pick your favorite forum and share your WIP with your friends so they can ooo and aww over it. And nothing compares to clicking the ‘Finished’ button on your project page, taking your FO pictures, and watching those little pink hearts pop up. Each project is a one-of-a-kind journey – not just a machine pumping out hundreds of the same sweater.

Holy Fiber Friends

I have never known a community of people to be so fun, supportive, kind, and loving as my fiber friends. We all share a hobby but, it’s more than that. Plenty of people share hobbies and don’t know much about one another but I consider my Ravelry friends, most of whom I’ve never met, and my Knit Night friends as my real friends. I see a package of Oreos and think about the Cowlettes or I walk past Alegria in the crazy colorway Locura Fluo and think of MissBlane. It’s fun to think that you all have become a real part of my life – I always wanted good friends but never expected to have so many!

That Squish Tho

From Angora rabbit to the hippest alpacas, yarn’s squish factor is high! I have come to learn that you are a true knitter when you do the Face Test. You know what I’m talking about – head slightly tilted, yarn on cheek, eyes gently closed, slight smile, then the rub. We’ve all done it and the Face Test is the only true measure of squishiness. Yes, this test may also be used for practical things like testing for allergies or seeing how the color looks with your skin/hair, but I like to think we are just listening to the skein. Most of the time it tells me to take it home or else it will be lonely on this shelf for the rest of its life and I, all too often, listen wholeheartedly! But we’re not here to judge.

Sticks & String – I Make a Thing!

Take a second to really think about what we are doing when we knit. We take sticks, sometimes connected by a cable, and click them together to make clothes. It’s one long string looped and stitched in different ways to make a garment or accessory. Seriously, think about it. Knitting is amazing.

XOXO, EmilyNan