For reasons I’ll soon go into, Johanna and I had the distinct pleasure of fondling large quantities of Sincere Sheep yarn yesterday morning. Brooke Sinnes and I connected on Twitter last winter, and have met up a few times since. I love what she’s doing with her company — carefully sourcing her wool, using only natural dyes, tending to every detail herself. But I’ve only actually been in the presence of her yarn twice — both times at Stitches conventions, where I’ve been a little overwhelmed. So it was a distinct pleasure to get to visit her in Napa and spend some quality time with these beautiful yarns.

I’m also personally and vicariously thrilled for Joelle Hoverson and the Purl Soho crew. Earlier this week they announced the launch of their very own yarn, dubbed Super Soft Merino (yay, chunky!), and followed it up with a Purl Bee pattern, the Snowflake Scarf. I’m thrilled on my own behalf because I have a Purl gift certificate from my wonderful husband that I’ve been hoarding since last December, and this may be just the thing to splurge on … if only I can pick a color. And I’m vicariously thrilled for them because I can only imagine how exciting that must be. She mentions in the pattern intro that she’s been dreaming of this for 10 years, since opening the store.

I love it when dreams come true — especially when it means more great yarn to choose from!

And while we’re on the subject of yarn makers, don’t miss Jared Flood’s latest batch of photos from his Harrisville mill. How much would I pay for one of those bobbins full of Brooklyn Tweed?

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