As I Said, Like a Bandit

First, though, I have finally started V's scarf! My theory is that if I slog through a pattern repeat a day, it will be done enough in the next week-and-a-half that I'll be able to push through the rest just in time.

Also, I've decided to go with Valley Superwash from Webs for the green Weasley sweater. Valley is a little denser than Cascade 220 SW, a little less yardage per gm, maybe a little more expensive, but extremely soft (merino). Looks like it will hold up to washing as well as the Cascade. I've got a few balls in the right color, but not maybe not quite enough for the sweater. So I've re-ordered a little more for safety's sake. (Here's hoping for the same dye lot -- given the circumstances, I think this is fairly likely.)

Anyway, back to my haul.

I got the first two of the Barbara Walker Treasuries reprints. Not the Third, though, and I've a hunch (formed after some heavy googling) that those circular cables, or the technique for them anyway, might be found in the Third. So I might have to hunt that one down sometime.

And these, both from the same person:




Absolutely the best gift (in the material sense, anyway) I got this season. Not because it is qualitatively or quantitatively better / more / more-on-point than the other gifts I received. But because it is:

a.) two things I wanted very badly*
b.) for which I didn't ask and that I didn't expect**,
c.) given to me by a non-knitting male***.

(A Holiday Miracle!)

The yarn is gorgeous:




And I'm enjoying thinking what to make with it. I want to be sure before I fiddle around with it too much, but I think it might be a fat little bear. Stuffed with honey! (Okay, polyester fiberfill.) It is extremely cuddly.

Speaking of cuddly, the Doctor gave me several calamitous diseases, including:

How did the Black Death get to be so cute?



The rest was all non-knitting / non-crafty stuff, so I won't blog about it. (Knitting blog.)

TTFN

*When I was shopping for my holiday gifts, I kept putting the book into and then taking it out of my various shopping carts (mostly online). "I want it." "No. I'm buying gifts for OTHER people." "I need it." "No. I'm not going to be greedy." ETC. As for the yarn, well, YARN.

**I didn't ask for the book because I found out about it long after my "Wish List" was demanded of me. The yarn I didn't ask for because I figured no one would take that one seriously -- I do have a mountain of it. I have more yarn than I have clothes. (And that one I'm NOT making up, although I do have fewer clothes than you might expect.)

***Yes, I am stereotyping here. (Bad Me!) Apologies to any non-knitting males who are offended. (Although why you'd be reading this blog, I can't imagine.) I do think that, statistically speaking, most non-knitting guys still fear the yarn store. (Idiots.) But this one has now figured out that, aside from the fact that yarn stores are quite nice places on their own, they are also good places to "pick up chicks." Chicks who fall immediately under the impression that one is a "good catch" (buying yarn for an absent knitter apparently earns you points right off the bat), and possibly even a future "good provider of yarn." Anyway, he had a blast at the shop, which brings me hope that there may be additional gifts of yarn in my future, too.