In Search of Texas Burnt Orange

A very dear childhood friend (and cousin!) asked if I'd make a shawl for her, a rather special shawl. She's a Texan, and she wanted the shawl (a light, feathery shawl, she said) to be in solid Texas Burnt Orange. I was unfamiliar with this color. I looked it up online. It's (I think) the official color of the University of Texas at Austin! I drove to Michael's with my laptop in tow, opened to the university's page with their color. Yes, this page exists -- a style guide for their school color.
Vanna had a nice color.

And yet another possibility.

And this was quite nice, and not as brown as the photo indicates. But my friend wants a pure orange -- not variegated.

But the problem with Michael's yarn is that it's almost all bulky yarn, or at least worsted weight. Really no yarn that would give you that light, airy, feathery feel. I needed a special yarn. So ...
I went to Weaver's Webb, or as all yarn-addicts in the greater New Bern area call it: The Haven of Temptation and Wickedness and Deep Debt.

Even Adam liked this store.

The yarn is delicious. They should include bowl and spoon with each skein.

The owner was there. She created this elegant, ethereal shawl.

And I post this photo purely for myself, so I will remember to go back and BUY THIS YARN later and make something beautiful for myself.

After much deliberation, the saleslady and I chose this yarn. The "CoBaSi" at the top says it is made of cotton, bamboo, and silk. And it feels lovely.

Then the nice lady asked, "Would you like for me to wind it for you?" And I knew nothing, so I said, "yes."

I've seen these in yarn stores before, but had not seen one in action.

It works beautifully for these long skeins like the ones I bought.

This little contraption wound the yarn onto a tidy, compact ball.

The yarn comes out looking like this, and it pulls perfectly from the center.

See? I've started the shawl with a stitch that (I hope) will give it a light, feathery feel. The yarn is very slim and soft, and should help with that. I'm using size 13 needles to keep the stitches open and airy, and to help the project go more quickly. Hopefully I'll remember to take a photo later and show you how it turned out!