Colinette, pattern books and stash enrichment

Before I start can I say a huge thanks to everyone who has left comments on the slanted eyelet scarf below :-) Natural daylight really makes the colours glow. Noro yarn is amazing stuff. Keeping my fingers crossed that my sister likes it as much :-)

The latest issue of "Knitting" magazine carried a full-page advert, as always, for Colinette yarns. This was a new pattern book, two in fact, however when we all scurried over to the website, there was no sign of them. A couple of days later the site was updated, with the two new pattern books and a new yarn line.

"Femme Fatale" is a new book mainly (if not entirely) for Giotto, the cotton/viscose tape. In my stash I have enough Giotto in "Marble" for a sweater, as I was intending to make Maeve from the Akashya book. Having seen the new designs in this book I think they are a great improvement on previous patterns for Giotto. I actually rather like the mini-dress as it could be worn as a tunic-type top :-)

"Muse" is pattern support for the brand-new yarn, lasso. This is 100% nylon, but looks fabulous. It also has a great yardage per 100g. Again I really liked the designs in this book. I was intending to order the FF book alone, but somehow ended up with Muse ad 4 skeins of lasso. I have no idea how that happened (ahem). I picked the "Jamboree" colourway, one of the brightest, and 4 skeins is plenty to make a one of quite a few of the designs. I particularly like the bodice top with ruffles. Can't wait for the order to arrive to see if the yarn is as nice as it looks.

The yarn faerie must well and truly have me in its thrall at the moment, as I'm suddenly very driven to buy yarn and patterns. I have an order in with SKD for a wee pile of Karisma Superwash in black, intended for a vest/tank top or similar. I won a skein of sari silk yarn on ebay a couple of days ago, sold by another knitblogger as it happens. I already have one skein of a similar weight, and thought they might make some fancy armlets/wristies.

Thanks to Sharon for the pointer to Lavender, they have an online store but also sell on eBay. I picked up a couple of Debbie Bliss pattern books there.

Not content with all this I went to the LYS after work today (I had an excuse to go into town to pick up my prescription ...). It was lovely and quiet so I could actually look at things properly. It's a very small shop and could do with being 3 times the size. I spotted a ton of Noro (mostly Kureyon I think) on the top shelf, which I wouldn't have seen normally. Things are truly piled up floor to ceiling and it's like a yarn mountain :-) I was looking for some black aran-weight yarn and found some Stylecraft acrylic (again after a bit of a rummage). Then I saw the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, oh my. The colour was a gorgeous mulberry/deep red/purple, I need to post pictures as that really doesn't do it justice. I immediately thought of the handspun Lynne sent me, in blues and red/purples with a little glitter. I think they will work really well together. All I need now is an idea or a pattern that jumps out at me for them. I bought 2 balls of this BTW, at almost 5 pounds for 50g that one pricey yarn! (and there were 2 bags of 10 balls just sitting there, if only!). When the owner opened the sealed bag much oohing and aahing ensued at the wonderful feel of the yarn :-)

I joined the UK Handknitting Yahoo group this past week, and have found it lively and useful. Much admiration was expressed a few days ago for the Bergere De France advert in "Knitting" this month. It features a toddler wearing a beautiful coat and scarf, the coat in a rich green and the scarf in purple. I thought it was fabulous too, however I don't know anyone with a child that age that I could have the excuse to knit it for :-) What we need is an adult version because I for one would wear it, and I don't think I'm alone! (mad, maybe, but not alone LOL).