Free Yarn Friday!

There's no better day to get free yarn in the mail than a Friday!
The trends I'm seeing in the new yarns:

1. Though away from exuberant novelty textures and toward traditional smooth worsted looks, there is still an emphasis on surface interest. So for example, you might be able to see some fancy stitches in the new yarns, but they still contribute subtle interesting textures, such as with some haze or guard hairs or subtle glimmer strands.

2. Sophisticated range of neutral shades, both warm and cool choices for very different design possibilities--from the simple pleasures of oatmeal goodness and ethnic familiarity to urban detachment and cool logic. I guess it's the usual rural vs. urban, timeless arcadia vs. au courant urban split. I like that both are being done in a luxe way, and for me, the split is resolved in my favorite trend, the aristocratic-historic looks! Yay!

3. Natural fibers--always upscale and therefore always in style of course, but natural (esp. animal) fibers are also now a trend for the masses. I see it as a whiff from the future when eco-friendly everything is in full trend. For now, ever more primarily synthetic yarns have a sprinkle of animal fibers, often ingeniously blended in a way that there appears to have a higher animal fiber content than in reality. I think the enduring felting craze has boosted this appetite for animal fibers too. Maybe felting is putting animal fibers on the map for those habituated to 100% acrylic.

4. Garish color combinations from the 1980's. {{shudder}} Intense and cold colors like fuchsia and peacock blue set off with lotsa black in--ick--giant geometric patterns with shoulder pads. Heck, add some metallics to the black. I can't think of any knitwear that I miss from the '80's. Still love the music though.

What is a good pairing with free yarn? Champagne! Except that free yarn is champagne.