Haul 002.

Yay another haul! I'm really bad with obsessions because then I spend all my money on them, but in this case it's worth it because I'm actually going to make something useful with it. So my green aluminum Boye needles ended up breaking (sorry, had no time to take a picture), and I luckily still had the receipt stashed in my mess. The problem with the Boye ones was that they are placed in the packaging very oddly so the cord becomes misshaped and the needles have quite a bend at the end to make them more 'circular', but it just made them worse. I purchased them at Michael's for around $11, and I was originally going to exchange them for a different pair but they didn't have any round needles in a size 17 US so I just returned them. The pair below is from Red Heart and I got them at Wal Mart for $6 and they're SO much better than the Boye ones. They're made of plastic so they're light, durable and they're straight so they're easy to work with.

These next needles are from Lion Brand and Michael's had the exact same ones but they cost $23 and I wasn't sure I wanted to spend that much on some plastic, so I decided to check out Ebay instead. Lo and behold, I found the same pair for $10. My lucky day! They came in the mail a week or two after and I love them! They're similar to the Red Heart ones above and they're very easy to work with.  These are a size 19 US on a 29" cord.

While at Wal Mart, I found a shelf full of sale yarn in the mirror section (what?) and I squealed with joy! But not literally because that'd be weird and I'd be eternally embarrassed for squealing over yarn. ANYWAYS, it was $3.77 a skein and they had lots of colours and selections! I ended up choosing the most yardage for the best price. They had some that were around 72 yards for the same price, whereas these ones are 360 yards. They had several different colours, but I really liked how the grey and blue look together. I think I might make a colour block scarf with these two. Also, this yarn, although acrylic, is SO soft! They're going to be so wonderful on the skin.

Aaand going back to Michael's (these items were bought at one time, I promise), I found these two yarns. It's funny 'cause I went to Michael's first and picked up the grey and then later when I was at Wal Mart looking at the Bernat yarn, I thought to myself "Hey, I don't have a grey yarn!" and then when I came home realization hit. Whoops. Oh well! I'll most likely use them for hats. My dad needs a hat and my brother does as well, so that's probably where they'll go.

Haul 001

My very first knitting haul! Woohoo! This is a bit of a compiled haul because I got all of these items over a few week period.

The first item is a pair of blue blunt-ended yarn needles by Red Heart. They're made of a plastic, which I'm afraid won't be as good as a metal needle. I have yet to try them out but I'll be sure to review them when I do.

The next thing I purchased I'm actually really excited about! It's a grey cabling needle! Cable knit is one of my most favourite things in the world and I can't wait to use them on a future project I'm planning! They are from Red Heart as well.

I've wanted the Boye Needlemaster Interchangeable Set for the longest time and I am SO happy I finally ordered it! I found it on Ebay for $30 which was such a steal because I saw the set at Michael's for $90. $60 savings means more yarn! I'm expecting a lot of use from this set considering I can make pretty much anything with it. Also, it is a set of circular needles, but they can be used as straight needles as well. You get a set of 13 needles ranging from size US 2 to US 15, 4 cables and a few accessories all packed neatly into a pretty brown leatherette (?) travel case.

I also purchase a pair of Anodized Aluminun circular needles from Boye, size US 17, cord 29". I needed these for another future project coming up very soon. They cost me around $11, I think, and I purchased them at Michael's.

While at Michael's, I also found the big sale bin full of yarn! After a good amount of digging, I finally came up with a few skeins. The first is 5 skeins of bright blue acrylic chunky yarn, each 114 yards. I bought these for a scarf I'm planning on making, but the pattern didn't state how many yards was in each skein of yarn the original scarf was made in, just that 5 skeins was used.

Next I came up with 2 skeins of sparkly wine red yarn! I'll be using these for a hat I'm hoping to make before autumn chills set in! I was honestly pretty hesitant about getting this yarn because of the sparkles and colour, but I decided 'what the heck' and got it anyways. The sale bin claimed each skein was $2.99 but when I went to check out, it turns out each was $1.99! Super save! I just regret not going back and picking up a few more skeins.

This picture and the one underneath are not true to colour.

The following yarn I purchased on Etsy from El Coyote Ranch. I found it while browsing around. It cost me $10 from $20. The colour I purchased was Rusty Gray (WHICH I LOVE) and it is 60% wool and 40% mohair, approximately 180 yards. I'm a little hesitant with this yarn because it's much rougher than I expected it to be, so I'm not sure what to make with it. I'm considering doing a hat because I'm afraid it might be too scratchy as a scarf. I'll have to use a lot of white vinegar and fabric softener with it.

Next, I got 2 skeins of the same yarn in different colours. The first colour is a charcoal, the second a natural camel-y colour. They are 80% acrylic and 20% yarn, both very soft. I'll probably make a hat out of the first and a scarf out of the second. They cost me around $5 each.

And finally, I stopped by Romni Wools in Toronto. After browsing the very-packed racks of various wool, an associate there told me about the sale section in the basement and I jumped at the chance. The basement was just as packed as the upstairs! I finally decided on 6 skeins of Rubens Tweed, which is 65% virgin wool, 14% polyacryl, 12% polyester and 9% cotton. I really like the colour and for $6.50 a skein, I just had to have them!