Yarning on

After completing the mittens yesterday, I thought about casting on for the matching scarf that I am planning. I only thought about it though. I have also completed another square for the sudoku blanket, which makes 7/81 (8% roughly). I keep on adding things to my list on Ravelry, I have 23 things in my queue!
I’m going to take the plunge, hopefully, and make a sweater for Leon. I know that the advice is not to make sweaters for your boyfriends, but as we’ve been together for almost six years, I think that’s okay. I’ve decided to let him pick the colours and the substance of the yarn for the project – I’m even letting him pick the pattern. That should mean that, unless I botch it up, he’ll get something he might actually wear.
I’ve offered him the “Under the Hoodie” or “Manly Sweater” from Stitch n Bitch so far. I know that the hoodie is in pink in the book, but as it has no waist shaping I think that it can easily be a male item in the right colours. I’ll keep an eye out for other patterns that might be appropriate.

I quite like having several projects on the go at once because it means that if I don’t feel up to doing socks with a lace pattern, I can do a simple ribbed scarf (or I can when I start it) or I can do another square. I am fairly bored of the pattern 3 squares, but I do only have two more of those to do and then I can move on. I have brought the socks with me to work again today; I find that bringing some knitting means that I take a lunch break. That’s a good thing.
I am a little sad though, my LYS don’t stock imports except for Debbie Bliss. They do have some smashing local yarn, which is great, and they have Noro which I quite fancy using… anyway, I asked about Baruffa Cashwool and they said that they didn’t have any, and didn’t have any suggestions for a replacement in their stock. Perhaps lace weight yarn isn’t so popular in small shops? Who knows. They did invite me to the new knitting group that they’re setting up though.
So, I may have to find some good online stores. I did buy the yarn for the Sudoku blanket from Angel Yarns who were pretty prompt, considering the demand for the packs (they ran out of one of the colours!)
I can also see my LYS online, and I’ve also spotted a yarn store in the south called The Woolly Shepherd who sell local yarn (to them in Somerset) and also some interesting ethical and natural choices. I'm interested in the nettle yarn and the hemp yarn, though I’m not sure what I’d make from them. I also like the idea of the recycled sari silk. My favourite item on there must be the banana yarn, made from the banana fibers left over from banana harvesting. Okay, they could come from 4000 miles away which isn’t good miles for anything (lots of pollution on the way)
Okay, enough of me going on about yarn, people who aren’t interested in yarn will be bored! Trouble is, not much else is happening to me at the moment, sorry.