Happy New Year!

A safe and happy 2006 to everyone :-)

Almost finished with the Dulaan scarf, and I frogged the aforementioned camisole back while watching "Under The Greenwood Tree" on Boxing Day. It has already been re-used (and a second skein balled and half-used) for a curlie-whirlie scarf.

I previously mentioned that my mother liked my aunt's scarf in the Patons eyelash yarn. She wanted one to match her winter coat, however when we saw the coat it was a deep mulberry colour. I don't have any eyelash in the stash that would match, however I picked up the then-unfrogged cami back and held it up against the coat. A perfect match. The yarn is Colinette Giotto (cotton/rayon tape) in shade Raphael. You really couldn't ask for a better match.

Sooo having said I'd do a scarf then finding the perfect yarn already in my possession, I had to start it! I'm using UKnitty's pattern, and have just got to six rows after the second increase. That's 600 stitches on an 80cm/8mm circular needle. Amazingly they are still easy to handle. I'm going to carry on knitting at 600 stitches per row until the scarf is a little wider, then do the final increase and cast-off. I have no idea how long the actual scarf will be, it looks like a huge hair scrunchie at the moment! Not sure when I'll finish as it's taking me an hour to do a row :-D

Now things have calmed down after the Christmas rushing-around, I've remembered to blog the knitterly things I got for Christmas. First off was a set of Denise interchangeable needles. Nicely packaged in their own case, I've tried fixing some to a cord and managed one side but not the other. A little more practice required! I like the cord extenders included so you can get a VERY long cord.

Second was Ann Budd's book of basic patterns for the likes of socks, gloves, scarves, hats, sweater etc. Very well laid out and I think it will be most useful.

We braved the weather today (it snowed last night and all looked very pretty at midnight - all gone this morning though!) and I bought some cable needles. I'm quite keen to try the Lupin scarf prototype one of the contributors to HP Knitting has devised. Not sure how many cable needles I need at any one time though!

Finally I'd like to say a huge congrats and Happy New House to Lynne at Yarnivorous, who has had the unenviable task of moving house over Christmas!