Attempting the impossible.

I don't seem to have found my sewing rhythm again yet, there still seems to be so much going on in everyday life. Knitting has fitted in nicely around the madness and I really look forward to my evenings by the fire, when the children are upstairs. Hopefully asleep, but in bed at least. Indeed, I am enjoying them so much that last week, when an opportunity arose for me and the Mr to go out by ourselves in the evening, I practically had to have my arm twisted to leave the sofa! I was persuaded out though and was glad of it in the end.

At last weeks Knit and Natter I fell in love with some gorgeously soft alpaca wool. It is a bit fatal attending a knitting group held in a wool shop where you are sitting for a few hours surrounded by so much eye candy and I usually end up buying something. With a vague memory of this pattern in my head, and it requiring two skeins, I bought said amount with a view to making myself a lovely cowl.

After waiting a few days for a circular needle, (purchased for a snip from ebay) I was able to cast on my first ever piece of circular knitting. Aside from a  few mishaps at the beginning I was soon merrily away, finding it completely addictive, with no obvious place to stop. This stopping and starting anywhere ought to be more convenient but to me it felt a little like the time I read a novel without chapters (Moll Flanders if you're interested, it was great!) and you keep getting drawn back. Sometimes I like saying 'you'll have to wait until I get to the end of the row'!

So there I was, knitting happily. The pattern is so simple I didn't have to refer to it or keep tedious tallies and notes as I usually have to. However. I was nearing the end of my first skein with the work measuring a mere three inches or so. Given that the finished width should be about eleven inches, I realised that I would need to buy at least two more skeins to complete the project, which would make the cowl quite pricey, but as it is for me and I love it, I decided what the heck. Obviously I had misread the pattern; skeins come in different weights!

Upon returning to Knit and Natter yesterday, I asked the owner of Carly's Crafts  Michelle, for two more skeins, but alas, I had bought the last two in the brown that she had and she thinks it is being discontinued now. Aarghh!!

I tried matching in another yarn but it was too late really, and my heart had been set on the alpaca, so with a heavy heart I pulled the whole lot off the needles and in the spirit of economy bought myself these, at the bargain price of the cost of one skein of alpaca. You can see from the pictures that it is nowhere near as stroke-able as the alpaca, but at least it will be machine washable.

A quick comb of the internet has revealed that I have pretty much no chance of buying any more of the original wool, so I will have to find a pattern that uses a smaller amount.

In other news, there have been other knitted makes happening, and even a little bit of sewing for a friend's birthday, but I haven't got pictures just yet.

I did buy some really gorgeous new 100% wool felt, in a 4mm thickness from Blooming Felt so that I can start making some brooches again. Just setting out all the supplies got my craft fingers tingling, I love the process of deciding what to make and with what colours.

I have started making some brooches, so pop back soon to see how they turned out.

Thanks for stopping by,

Beth x