Sneak Peek- August's Shawl!!!

I know I don't typically let you see the next month's shawl until I have a live model. But...I just couldn't help myself. Before I show you, though, I have a bit of a digression to go through. I am a self-confessed yarn snob. No, it's true. It wasn't always that way. I, like many crocheters, was raised on good ol' Red Heart Super Saver. When I became a spinner, I began to shun many of the mainstream, what are considered "craft yarns". Handspun gave me the bias I never had before, what with alpaca, angora, silk, extra-fine merino....you get the picture.

But now? Well, I am going to have to get off my high-horse, ya'll. I have had a yarn epiphany! While at the recent Knit & Crochet Show in Manchester, New Hampshire, I had the opportunity to handle some of the new Red Heart Boutique yarns. I gotta tell ya'll........this ain't the Red Heart you're thinking of! The folks over at Coats & Clark have really raised the bar with the Boutique line. I was privileged to be granted three skeins of one of their yarns, "Unforgettable", in the Tidal colorway. It is listed as a roving yarn, but really, I felt like it was more of a subtle thick/thin singles yarn, loosely twisted, with these LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG color changes, which work so much better for crochet than spotty, short color changes. The hand of the yarn is nice while working with it, and because it is essentially a worsted weight, this month's shawl worked up quickly. Hit it with some steam (Or "kill it", as my friends Amy and Donna over at Crochetville like to say), and it becomes lustrous and silky! I will tell you the name of the shawl in a future post, during the "official" debut. But I just had to take some pics on the mannequin, just to tease you a little bit!

As you can see, I took full advantage of those long color changes! Go visit my friends over at Red Heart, like their facebook page and stop in and say "Hi!" over at Crochetville  and like their page too, while you're at it! By the way, Red Heart is having a "Christmas in July" sale, good until 7/23/2012, where you can save a whopping 15% on your order of $30 or more. A great chance to get stocked up on "Unforgettable" in several colorways before this pattern comes out! In case you're wondering...you'll need three skeins. Stay tuned!!!