Wanted: more yarn

Guys, I kind of hate my test knit cowl sweater. Not the pattern, it seems fine, but I think that the yarn is too heavy. Yes, the cotton yarn that I love so much, is way too heavy when one holds two strands of it. Here's what it looks like:

The quarter is for scale. Coins are often used for a sense of scale in scientific presentations, and for some reason it always cracks me up; it's like take that coin, and spend it on a nice ruler.
It feels so nice in my hands, and the fabric itself is so soft and shiny (but incredibly thick and the pattern is intended to be for summer. Blurg. Let's not even mention that it is not a summery color). During blog week several people (the one I'm thinking of off the top of my head is fridica) mentioned that a skill they'd like to get better at is picking out yarn for a project. Amen, sistas and bros. I am terrible at matching yarn to pattern, especially when it's for something I'm going to wear. I think I may also be color-blind (or just color-stupid).

One of the first garments I ever knit was this:


And I hate it. I bought the yarn because it was hugely cheap on eBay, and for good reason, it's a dirty yellow--and not dirty in a fun & sexy way, just in the sense of being filthy looking. When I wore it, one of my coworkers commented that I must have made it myself, which is the kiss of death for a finished object (at least in my twisted mind). I'm literally putting it in the Goodwill pile after I write this, so perhaps someone somewhere will find enjoyment from it. This was also one of the last garments I made on large needles, because every one that I try always ends up with that 'home-made' look. Argh. WWTGD (What would Tim Gunn do)? I think he'd put on his concerned face and observe that the execution of the cowl isn't really going to plan. So...I'm going to tear it apart and buy different yarn. Yes, copilot, you read that correctly. In my effort to use the yarn that I splurged on, I am going to go out and buy more yarn. It's the American way.

Random tangent: One of the many things I love about Wisconsin is that the accepted form of compensation between friends is food/beer. A friend drove me to a doctor's appointment last week, so I treated for lunch yesterday (he was very excited, and splurged on a fancy pop). A couple of friends expressed interest in our old futon, and came to measure it. They asked how much we wanted for it. The question surprised me; I hadn't even considered it. "Case of beer?" was the first thing that came to mind (if it was a micro-brew, a 12-pack would suffice. I'm all about quality over quantity). I think it's because you don't want to accept money from friends, but who can say no to sharing food and drink?