crochet talk: new yarn

My family and I went out yesterday for a family day. We ate lunch at Applebee's and then went to the movies and saw that Paddington movie. My oldest daughter loves Paddington Bear, so she was excited to see this movie. In my opinion, I think they sort of missed the mark a little. Paddington Bear is playful and gets himself into a lot of trouble. He was in this movie, a little, but there was a serious undertone or plot in the movie that really took away from the playfulness of it. But my girls loved it anyways, and I was able to stay awake during it, well, most of it! On our way home I stopped at Michaels to get my oldest some more Rainbow Loom Bands, and to get my youngest some new water color paints and water color paper. I couldn't resist peeking at the yarn, especially when I had a coupon for 30% off total yarn purchase. I really wanted some new yarn, but it was hard to choose, as I wasn't sure what project I wanted to start. I ended up choosing these:
I really love variegated yarn, so I though these colors were beautiful. I did crochet (and already share on my blog) a dress and hat for a doll, but I am trying to come up with something different to make. I want to crochet something different other than toys, or toy related items.  I have never used this brand of yarn before, Loop & Thread Impeccable Yarn. I think it is thinner, kind of like Baby Softees, but definitely not as soft. The texture feels more like the regular Red Heart Yarn. I like working with the thinner yarns though, so I think I will like them.

I am still working on a baby blanket for my niece who is pregnant, but it is slow going. I am using shell stitches in the pattern, but it is hard to see with the variegated yarn. I love it, but blankets are not my favorite things to crochet! I did start learning Hair Pin Lace Crochet right before I decided to start on this blanket. I had made a scarf and a couple other things. I really really loved it, but I need to explore and figure out what all I can do with it. I may go back to that with these new yarns and come up with something pretty!