Yarn in 2008 - April

If I buy any more yarn this month, I need to go into a 12-step program.  Actually, most of the yarn I purchased this month was for a specific project, known here on out as the Big Ass Shawl.  I'm making it for myself to wear to my cousin's wedding which occurs in 4 weeks.  I'm just under halfway done and considering I cast on about 2 weeks ago, I'm in good shape.  I dug out my Denise interchangeable needle set so I could do continental knit and English purl.  The reason I needed the interchangeable needles, other than the extension cables, is that to keep my gauge because of switching up like that, I have to do the knitting on a needle two sizes smaller than the size I do the purling on because of the difference in my gauge.  As it is, it's a little off, but as this has turned into straight stockinette stitching, it really doesn't matter.  And why do I need to switch up how I do the knitting and purling?  Well, I'm a genius and cast on the called-for 420 stitches called for in the original pattern, which has now been so horribly disfigured by my alterations that I won't even bother telling you what the original pattern is.  Considering the original pattern called for a worsted weight yarn and the yarn I'm using is bulky, I'm afraid of what the final measurement of the width of the shawl will be.  If I'm lucky, not that much longer than my wingspan of six feet. Hence, the Big Ass Shawl.

In addition to needing much yarn to cover my very, very white skin (sleeveless dress), I also went yarn shopping in Chicago this past weekend with two of my SnB buddies.  I went to Loopy Yarns for the first time and I somehow managed to avoid OD'ing on the yarn fumes...at least compared to my friends.  They've got a ton of great yarns that I haven't seen elsewhere in my travels, and a few that I've only seen far afield from my usual stomping grounds, and I highly recommend them to anyone who's looking for yarn in the Chicago area, especially as they're on the southern edge of the Loop (you can see the Harold Washington Library from their front stoop).

Number of yarn transactions: 6

Locations where yarn was purchased:
The Yarn Shoppe - Davenport, IA
Nana's Knitting Shop - Oak Lawn, IL
Loopy Yarns - Chicago, IL

Number of skeins purchased: 30 + a remnant for 50¢
Range of price per skein: $4.00 to $43.50
Range of total prices: $4.95 to $110.05
Total: $252.40
Average price per skein: $8.41

Yarn purchased:
Crystal Palace Glam - 2 skeins plus aforementioned remnant.  I'm making a scarf for myself that I'm calling "Sam's Scarf" because the color combo reminds me of Sam from Danny Phantom.
Crystal Palace Party - 2 skeins. I've paired this with the Glam for Sam's Scarf.
Crystal Palace Shimmer - 15 skeins. This is for the Big Ass Shawl.  Colors are Jet Black, Soft White and Indigo to match my dress.  I'll be sure to take piccies at the wedding to show how it turned out.
King Tut - 5 skeins.  This is a cotton yarn that I bought in two different colors, 3 in royal blue and 2 in green.  Don't know what I'll make with it yet, but the colors were just so intense I couldn't pass them up.
Karabella Gossamer - 1 skein.  This is going to be a lacy scarf.  Gotta love garter stitch on size 13 needles.  Anyway, the color is a really neat mint green with silver and gold accents.
Ester Bitran Tabali - 2 skeins.  Again, no clue, but I liked the color combination of light olive, purple and gold.  This is a cotton/viscose yarn of around 81 yards per skein, so probably a summer scarf.
Mirasol Sulka - 2 skeins.  Probably a striped winter scarf as I got it in two different colors.  I can't wait to use it as it's 60/20/20 in merino/alpaca/silk.
Handmaiden Camelspin - 1 skein.  I'm drooling just thinking of this skein.  Like the Artyarns Silk Rhapsody Glitter I got back in January, I'm going to wait to find the perfect pattern for this.  It's a little over 300 yards in 70/30 silk/camel fiber and is a gorgeous variegated brown with purple undertones.  The colorway is called Mineral, and this is that $40+ skein.

Corrections from March (I had the formula set for the wrong amount of cells):
Total: $64.25
Average price per skein: $16.06

Ravelry contribution to date: $5.84