Happy I Love Yarn Day everyone! 

In honor of this very special day, I wanted to share a bit about my love affair with yarn and some of the fruits of my recent yarn pilgrimage, er...vacation, in the UK.

Like many of you, I grew up exclusively using acrylic, 100% man-made fibers. I never even knew such things as yarn shops existed. However, once I smooshed 100% merino and caressed pure silk there were fireworks; big, sparkly, yarn fireworks. And then, when I actually crocheted with it and saw how the stitches defined like magic and the drape of a garment flowed like soft butter I became hooked for life. And while these days, economy requires that we all pick and choose which projects can afford to be made and at what cost, I treat myself to these yarn indulgences whenever possible. I liken it to a budget conscious foodie needing a little crème brulee every once in a while.  

Recently, I found myself on holiday visiting family in the UK. Detours for yarn were frequent. I got to stop by a shop I have been drooling over for years, the world famous Loop in Islington.  Here, I not only acquired some great finds for myself, but also snagged a hard-to-find skein of Wollmeise for my partner in all things yarn-y, Sarah Read. At the free-spirited I Knit London I picked up the most sumptuous 100 % silk laceweight, dyed by the owners themselves.

In teal, some lovely laceweight in a delicate baby alpaca/silk/cashmere from Etsy seller JunoFiberArts, an equally delightful naturally-dyed lavender cashmere/angora/lambswool blend from Skye Shilasdair , and the 100% Silk Laceweight from I Knit London.

You don't have to go across the world, though, to join me in celebrating I Love Yarn Day. Just dive into your stash, stop by your LYS, crochet in public; anything yarn-related will do! Viva la I Love Yarn Day!!!

To help you all celebrate yarn day, we here at Crochet Me are giving away a skein of Spud & Chloe Sweater to one lucky reader.  Just go to the Crochet Me page on Facebook and let us know what you would make with this special yarn by commenting below where this story appears in the news feed. That's it! We'll randomly draw a winner next Friday. Good luck, and take a look at this smooshy goodness!