A Hairy Green Windfall

My friend Loretta has swapsied me some wonderful hairy green yarn. I looked at this yarn and I thought, Liesl. Loretta said she looked at this yarn and thought, terrible hairy eighties jumpers, and she felt she could not go back there emotionally. I am going to confess to you now, however, that one of my great Style Icons is Tiffany singing I Think We’re Alone Now on Top of The Pops in a big hairy jumper, so I was delighted with this yarn. Also, it is soft and non-shedding and not like the mohair my mother used to buy for me from the bargain bin in the local Wool Shop when I was a small child practicing my garter stitch on a multi-coloured scarf which has not survived the years, which is sad as I suspect the combination of my mother’s bargain colours would have rivaled Missoni.

Hulk green! Perfect for a cardigan

It left me with a dilemma, though, which was that I had already bought 3 skeins of Malabrigo Worsted to make a Liesl with. For those of you who are reading this and thinking, what happened about yarn being too expensive, to those of you, all I can say is, yes I know, but, 3 skeins (which is more than enough for Liesl) cost me £25.50, and that is below my £30 rule for a jumper. I know it is difficult to think of Malabrigo Worsted as a bargain yarn, but, it is actually cheaper (priced per metre) than some Debbie Bliss or Rowan arans (these are the UK yarns it is easiest to walk into a shop and buy), and that tells you all you need to know about the price of yarn in the UK, pity me and let’s all hope Kemps never go out of business. Anyway, despite having to use such rubbish cheapo bargain yarn, I decided to make Verdant.

Admire my velour tracky bottoms. Let myself go? Surely not

I do not like winding wool. I feel I have spent quite enough of my life with my knees propped open in front of the TV. I think Malabrigo is quite a small company, I am not sure, and perhaps they are too busy wrangling their woolly creatures to put their yarn into balls which is fair enough, but when it is a big commercial yarn company selling skeins I don’t like it. I am sure they have a sensible reason for doing it, but I sometimes wonder if they do it because they think it looks more homespun and high-end. I hope not because that would make me feel like this attractive easter card which Partner bought me.

I think words are redundant with this one

Can you imagine a more appropriate card for conveying the miracle of Spring and rebirth? It is not even an Easter card. He crossed out the Happy Birthday. I sometimes think it is for the good of mankind that I have taken Partner off the market.

Lots of stocking stitch, and I am worried it will grow and I will be flapping about like a pterodactyl

I have nearly finished Verdant and I think it will be fine (there is an error in the pattern, I shall write it up when I have finished and do my project notes). I am experimenting with knitting things I think I will actually wear – and then wearing them! The problem with this is that the things I would actually wear often involve acres of stocking stitch and are not the most fascinating things to knit. I have tricked myself psychologically into thinking that ‘making things that fit is a skill in itself!!!’ but sadly I do not think this would get me through an entire Featherweight Cardigan, which is exactly the kind of thing I would love to wear but would rather do anything than knit.

Always make sure you match your yarn to your teacup

Anyway, the cheapo bargain Malabrigo is beautifully soft, it really is. I could be cynical and say, and it will go bobbly as soon as someone looks at it funny, but, we will see and a razor can do wonders if one is determined enough. I shall go off and finish my sleeve, then I can seam it tomorrow and wear it this week! (And then I can start on the hairy yarn! Work = cut out! At least I don’t have to wind it).