Great minds!

It's not been a very productive knitting week chez josiekitten this week. I've fiddled about with lots of different projects, then frogged back, and haven't got a great deal to show for all my efforts! I have started a scarf for a friend who sings in the choir I belong to. She admired my Lizzy cardigan when I wore it to a rehearsal, and jokingly asked if she could have it as it was in 'her' colours. She is undergoing chemotherapy at the moment and is feeling a bit low, so I thought that I'd knit her a scarf with the leftovers to brighten her day a little. I'm using the Ribs and Ruffles pattern, and as the yarn is thinner than the recommended one, I cast on 108 stitches to make it wide enough - this reduces to 27 stitches once the ruffle is done. I hope I've got enough Silk Garden left over to make a decent length scarf. Here's how it's looking so far...

.......... and this is how much yarn I have left over to play with.......

I shall do my best to match colour changes at the end of balls, and hope for the best!

I've also done a little more on my Katerina shawl. It's knitted in Manos del Uruguay yarn, and I am seriously in love with it! It's not the sort of pattern that I can knit with any distractions around me, so I think it's going to grow fairly slowly. I've just finished the leafy pattern, as you can see in this photo.....

The yarn is an absolute delight to knit with, and goes a long, long way! I'm sure that I'll be using it again. (I have 3 skeins in my stash, so I'm certain!!!!)

I've also started a hat to go with the Fetchings I made in the summer holidays. I'm loosely following this pattern, and after a false start casting on 100 stitches (too small), I've gone for 120 and am crossing my fingers that it will fit 2nd time round. I'm not quite sure how I will work out the decreases at the crown yet, but I'll worry about that when I get there! It looks a bit strange at the moment, and not at all hat-like!

I bought some beads this week to go with the gorgeous Handmaiden yarn I got from Cathy in my skein swap. I got them from Beads Direct, and can thoroughly recommend them for an excellent service. I think that I'm going to make a beaded Springtime Bandit scarf - watch this space! I love how the beads pick out the colours of the yarn.....

The photo doesn't show the true colours of the yarn as I had to use my flash, but you can get a good idea! Beads Direct is a wonderful Aladdin's cave. I had to be very restrained because I could have bought loads of beads, with no real projects in mind, just because they looked so pretty! I'm easily pleased! Cathy received her parcel this week and was thrilled with the Natural Dye Studio yarn I sent. I also sent her a bag of fine Shetland fleece from Jamieson and Smith, as she has just started spinning. We both agreed that it had been a lot of fun, and plan to do another skein swap next year.

School has been a bit grotty this week, so I decided that I'd treat myself to some new yarn when I went into Norwich this weekend. I want to knit this scarf using the wonderful Rowan Colourscape yarn. It's not that I need a new scarf, or even a new project to start knitting, but you know how it is when you have a woolly obsession niggling away inside you!! Imagine my surprise when I noticed on Ravelry that my good friend Snoopydog had had exactly the same idea, and had even stashed the same colourway (431 Cherry) that I wanted! I sent her a message on Ravelry, joking that I'd not be amused if she'd had the last 2 skeins off the shelf! I called into John Lewis to buy the yarn, only to discover that she HAD taken the last 2 skeins!! I nearly texted her on the spot to complain! And then, who should I meet, but Snoopydog! She was kind enough to offer me the yarn if I was desperate to knit the scarf now this minute, but since I'm not really, I couldn't take the yarn from her!! I may have to satisfy my yarn cravings online (and you never know, just a little bit more yarn might just fall into my basket in the process!) I'll let you know if I've succumbed next time! Have a good week!