Limpets, cranberries, and more

Did I happen to mention a strong desire to knit Alice Starmore's 'Driftnet Wrap' Kit in 'Limpet'? Well, Stage 1 has been accomplished, and the kit has arrived here.


I really love the design of this wrap, as its ocean net appearance evokes memories of my Dad to me, and I've loved the deep, dark purples of the 'Limpet' colourway since I ordered some of it as a gift for a friend last year and saw just how beautiful the colour was when the sunlight played across it. Of course there's loads more hanks of the yarn in the kit than I've shown in the photograph.

I also received a package from Morehouse Farm this week...


... with some Merino Lace Yarn in 'Cranberry' to knit a 'Contessa Shawl', and some Variegated Merino Lace Yarn in 'Aquarius' to make "Melody's Shawl". I'm intrigued with the way "Melody's Shawl" is knit in the round and then cut open once the stitches for the fringe have been unravelled.

And here is some more ColourMart 50% cashmere / 50% silk cobweb weight yarn...


... this time in 'Ocean Blue' and 'Violet', which I had to buy because the colours were exactly what I've been searching for, and the price was just incredible. For some reason, these two colours were really difficult to photograph, and while I'm not entirely sure I've done them justice here, I have done my best.

And look what I found in plentiful supply amongst the other calendars in Borders this year...


At least I won't have to beg and plead with the person running the Calendar Club stand at the local shopping centre to get a copy of it in for me this year. :)

I've also acquired a few more magazines...


... the latest available issues of "Knitter's", 'Simply Knitting', and the US version of 'Creative Knitting'. Finding air freighted copies of 'Creative Knitting' in Borders was quite a surprise, but given the amount of petrol I burnt trying to locate a copy of the last issue due to the interesting way the local magazine distributors randomly scatter their wares around newsagents in this city, maybe the extra cost wasn't quite as expensive as it initially seemed.

The "Knitter's" Fall 2006 issue features a pattern for one of the most bizarre items of clothing I've seen in a long time...


And yes, it's exactly what it looks like. It's a batwing poncho. I've tried to envisage a situation where this garment would be the appropriate thing to wear, but quite frankly I've failed. It appears to combine all the worst aspects of the poncho and the batwing jumper, and while the heavy cabling suggests it is intended to be worn when it's chilly, I really don't understand why you'd then want the cold blasting in through those wide openings? Am I missing something here?

On the plus side though -- and I can't believe I'm saying this -- there is a huge advertorial on Jane Sowerby's upcoming book 'Victorian Lace Today'...


... in the same issue. While advertorials are something I normally avoid like the plague, I've been dying to find out more about this book since Jane Sowerby's 'Persimmon Lace' featured as a teaser in the previous issue. Well, I have to say that this book looks like it will not only have some beautiful patterns in it, but also has the potential to be quite a stunning book in its own right, as the lace looks to have all been rather tastefully photographed in the grounds of British stately homes. This is definitely a book I'll be looking forward to now.

Now if only my order with all the yummy JaggerSpun 'Zephyr' 2/18 Lace yarn and the two cone spindles would finally arrive here. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, and the best intentions of the lady who sent my order out, the order was sent via surface mail instead of airmail. It was supposed to take 4 - 6 weeks to arrive, but that was 9 weeks ago now. Is this delay excessive for a surface mail package sent via USPS, or am I just worrying unnecessarily? I strongly suspect that my package may be travelling here via an eccentric combination of tortoises and directionally impaired fish. :(

Finally, I have a question to ask...

I want to send some postcards to a friend who lives overseas and collects postcards, and one of the ideas I had for possible things to send her is some postcards featuring some of the 'Big' things ('Big Banana', 'Big Pineapple', 'Big Trout', 'Big Penguin', 'Big Merino', 'Big Golden Guitar' and so on) which are scattered around the country, as I think this would be a little out of the ordinary. As I'm not going to be able to travel to all of these places in the length of time I have in mind, would it be worth trying to contact the local tourist centres for as many of them as I can think of and try to arrange to buy some postcards from them and have them sent here, or would the locals all just think I'm way too odd to even contemplate talking to?