Yarn-inspired Memories

I realized yesterday while working on my latest swap questionnaire that I really don't have a favorite color. Or, more accurately, my favorite right now won't be my favorite in ten minutes. I haven't always had this problem. There was a red phase, a blue phase, and for most of my adult life, the hunter green phase, now, even the colors I thought I always disliked are showing up in my stash and I'm liking them.



Take highway sign yellow and standard orange. Don't like 'em. Have said so repeatedly. Yet here they both are, in my current socks in progress. I love this sock, this yarn, this colorway, despite the yellow and black together, and the liberal sprinkling of orange throughout.




What gives? I'm blaming my hormones. I never liked pastels either, but a couple of years ago, the softest of pinks and a pale sage green began to appeal to me. It's been downhill ever since, if downhill takes you to the place where colors you've never been into before live.



While you chew on that and ponder why my color choices are changing, let's admire the Philosophers Wool I won from Amy. It reminds my of my great aunt, Aunt Bett. She loved blue. No fickleness there; her car was blue, her favorite dog was a blue merle, and I do believe every dress she owned had a bit of blue in it somewhere. She tried to help me learn to knit, and was the queen of doggy blankets. I've spoken before about her two human blankets, both done for me. My only regret is that I do believe I took her devotion to me for granted. Like most teens, she - and everyone else over 25 - embarrassed me in public, but I adored watching baseball with her, and she was a mentor in my love for dogs and horses.



She had a cardigan, just that very color. (Which isn't so vivid. It's a soothing, solid blue, without any really bright tones.) It's fitting that the yarn isn't slick or too soft. She had to fight to live twice, and there was nothing soft about her, except when it came to horses and dogs, and me. I don't know why the very last of her great nephews and nieces won her over, but I did, before I was born. So, I need a special project that will befit the wool and the woman it reminds me of. Worsted weight, 200 yards, if that helps you conjure.

In other fickle news, I have bounced three new yarn suggestions around for Mr. Greenjeans. 2nd Time Cotton looked good, but Anne says it is only soft, not super soft. Sharon has suggested Calmer, and it is in the running, but I don't see a shade I simply adore. I don't know squat about Sugarloaf, but I really like both the teal and the dark green in the Webs catalog. If any of you have the perfect easy-care, hot-flash friendly, sweater yarn, please let me know what it is!