A week of little concentration

Good evening to you! I'm sat at the computer, Henrycat curled up on my lap, and a box of tissues and mug of Lemsip as my other companions. I've finally succumbed to the cold that has been going round my class since the start of term. We managed to get through one box of tissues in the first wek, and the germs are still being shared a little too generously for my liking! It's also meant that I've not been able to knit a great deal, since I couldn't be parted from a tissue for more than a nano-second! I'm now just bunged up, but have had the concentration span of a gnat! So I apologise for the lack of great knitting progress this week. I have done a little more on Michael's stripy socks, and am on the heel flap of sock 1. I do like this Trekking yarn - it's so vibrant and spicy!

My Katerina shawl has been on a go-slow this week, and stands at 13/40 repeats! Oops! I have been inspired by Ozzy Blackbeard to have a rummage in my leftovers, and have made a start on some little hats for Innocent Smoothie bottles. I can't believe that it's come round again already. I'll hopefully have a little more to show you at the weekend; see if you can spot the theme of this year's hats from this photo!

We went over to Germany this weekend too, to see Mr JK's family. I took my McCafferty shawl with me. I love the way the alpaca yarn is knitting up - it's so soft and light. Knitting from a centre pull yarn cake is great too - it pulls out so easily, and so far, no tangles in my knitting bag. I've got 167 stitches so far, so have a little way to go before the pattern changes.

Arriving in Germany was a little stressful. My cold was making me feel a little grotty, and my mood didn't improve when my bag failed to appear on the luggage carousel! We usually only take one case when travelling for the weekend, but Mr JK wanted to bring back a load of German speciality foods for Christmas, so we took another bag with us. I'd left packing until the last minute on Thursday, and rather than travel with one bag empty, I'd scooped out the things that were at the top of the case and dumped them in the second one. Guess whose things they were?! Yes, mine! So Saturday morning saw Mr JK and I at the local shopping centre, not only buying food, but a toothbrush, other toiletries and a top! In the midst of all this, I managed to spot sock yarn in three separate department stores, and Mr JK insisted that I had some to comfort me on my lost luggage! I didn't say no!

The yarn on the left was only 4 Euros, and will make some fun stripy socks for someone. The Regia yarn on the right is another self-striping yarn, and the colours are really jewel-like. No sooner had we got back from our shopping trip than the airport phoned to say that my bag had arrived and they would bring it round! Phew!
I haven't yet started my Mystery sock, as I didn't get a chance to print out the first clue before leaving for Bremen. But before I do start, I'm going to rewind my yarn into two separate balls so that I can knit both socks at the same time. That's the theory anyway. I must admit to having had a sneaky look at some of the photos of the cuff on Ravelry, and I like what I see! I hope that when you next pop in, I'll have something to show you! Until then, hope the rest of your week goes well! xx