Serendipity

Lapiz Lazuli is a semi-precious stone, which has been mined in regions of Afghanistan as early as the 3rd millennium B.C.E.  It has been been prized for its intense blue color.


A couple of weeks ago, another knitter of Raverly contacted me about the prospect of swapping some yarn, as there was something in my stash that caught her eye.  Swapping stash is not buying or otherwise adding to the stash, really, so I agreed and quickly became fixated on something in her stash.

There was some, but very little information about it:


1430 yards (1308 meters) Unit weight 
100 grams (3.53 ounces)Gauge 
80% Silk 
20% Cashmere


In the end, I traded two skeins of yarn and a Feisty bag for it, then promptly forgot about it.


A week or so later, a nondescript package arrived in the mail with a tightly hand-wound ball of yarn and nothing else.  It took a moment of serious contemplation before I was able to recall what it might be.


What threw me off initially was the fact it was wound in a ball slightly larger than a baseball.  The yarn I thought I was getting was pictured (above) in a hank.  


The color was nothing short of gorgeous, but I was put off by the ball.  In my mind, I was unsure whether there would be breaks and knots or whether I would end up breaking the yarn when I wound it and tying knots in it myself.


Still suspect, I acknowledged receipt of the yarn and gently inquired: "So, how long did it take you to wind that yarn into a ball."


"Three days" came the reply.


I also asked for additional information on it, because I had the thought that I might want more, of course.


"No idea," the lady said, "it was a gift from a friend."


Dropping the ball into an open box, I began to gently wind it into a cake.  There were no knots.  The yarn was perfect, and by the end, I was completely smitten.

The Lapis Lazuli is crying for a design all her own.  The silk/cashmere blend is quite simply divine, although demanding.  "Beads," she says, "I need silver lined beads to adorn me, as well."


Stay tuned!