Yarn Fumes

It's been a week or so, and I'm not doing very well at keeping up with this new blog. I'll try to do better.

Our trip to Heath's was put off until yesterday, but oh what a beautiful time we had. I think Mr Perfect must have been overcome by yarn fumes, because not only did he buy 13 balls of this:

for his Zip Up 'Biker Boy' Jacket (from Son of Stitch 'n' Bitch) he also allowed me to have three balls of this:

and a ball each of these:

The Kid Merino (Crystal Palace Yarns, colourway 'Painted Iris') is going to become Kiri (link is on the left hand side at the top of the page) I hope, and the sock yarns will become... socks. Eventually. Once I've finished Dad's socks, frogged The Boy's stripey socks to make them longer in the foot and made Mr Perfect's socks, plus made a pair of blue socks for Mum from the Regia Stretch I got from ebay.

Mr Perfect wasn't the only one suffering from Yarn Fumes though - as we were about to leave the store (Mr Perfect requesting that he not be told the final price of all this lovely yarn, lest he have a heart attack) I spotted this:

Merino Roving in gorgeous candyfloss colours. Having a bit of a yen to learn to spin (and noting that I had just enough cash to pay for it) I plonked it on the counter and had a bit of a chat about spinning with the chap (who may have been Heath, who knows?) - who then slid it into a brown paper bag (see, we know these yarn store chaps know they're selling addictive substances when they package their product in plain brown wrappers) and let me have it for nothing. Well, we had just spent the best part of £100 in there, but all the same, what a lovely thing to do. Of course, he knows I'll get addicted to spinning now and be in there every week picking up my fix. Next stop, how to make your own spindle sites. I wonder if The Boy will miss that Lego wheel?

The yarn we went for in the first place, the rather innocuous looking beige stuff in the first picture, is Adriafil Lana Naturale Inca - which Ravelry has for some reason as a DK. It is definitely aran, however, is 50% Wool and 50% Alpaca and is utterly gorgeous to work with. So soft and warm and snuggly. I cast on almost as soon as we got home - only to find that the suggested needles were waaaaayyyy to small to get the needed gauge. I'd cast on the sleeve as a swatch though, so not too much harm done. Got out some bigger needles and tried again. Still 1 extra stitch per inch. Frogged it again, and am now using needles vastly bigger than those suggested (5mm and 5.5mm instead of 3.5mm and 4mm). God only knows how the designer got gauge with her recommended size, unless she knits Continentally. Swatching Is Your Friend.

Half the sleeve is done, and although I told Mr Perfect I couldn't guarantee I'd finish it this year (all that stocking stitch, yawn) it's growing so fast and feels so beautiful I can't wait to schnuggle him while he's wearing it. I'm also fresh from the success that is the Truly Tasha's shawl, which I finished early in the week after only working on it for three weeks or so. Give me a few weeks and I'll see what I can do...