On My Needles

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a set of Knit Picks Harmony Multi-Coloured interchangeable round knitting needles. What a beautiful set of wooden needles. I didn't want to wait any longer to make something that would be equally beautiful, in pattern, colour and fibre.

I returned to the scene of the crime where DH purchased these beauties; The Little Red Mitten in St. Thomas, Ontario. I arrived this morning a few minutes before store opening, and took in the view from the porch of the establishment. To my left, I could see the statue of Jumbo the Elephant (you do know the story of Jumbo, right?) and looking down Talbot Hill, I could see countryside covered in snow. What a beautiful sight to see. One of the ladies came to open the door, and I was in pure, sweet heaven!

My eyes were treated to skeins and skeins of yarn, all sorted by fibre content, colour, and manufacturer. I didn't even know where to start. I was allowed to wander for a few minutes before I was asked if I was looking for anything in particular. The nice lady (I'm sorry that I can't remember her name) was the same person who assisted my husband with his purchase a few weeks earlier. I mentioned that I wanted to knit something special for myself, a cowl that would be suitable for work and casual occasions as well.

She offered several different types of yarn, focusing first on softness and colour. When she mentioned a tweed, my eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, I'm sure. I have a soft spot for tweed yarns. The Charcoal was exactly what I was looking for. This yarn is 40% Wool, 30% Llama, and 30% Silk. It is so soft, I can't wait until I am wearing this beautiful cowl.

I was given a pattern that she had written up for this cowl, along with some handwritten notes to try one of two different sized needles, as well as the number of stitches to cast on. She carefully explained to me how to cast off using the pattern sequence to make the final product look nicer.

The yarn certainly was not a frugal purchase. It was quite expensive, as a matter of fact. When you add in the cost of the yarn, and the cost of the amount of time it will take to knit up, it will likely be the most expensive neck warmer on the face of the planet. But I don't regret this purchase. No, not one bit. I wanted my first project on my new needles to be something special; something special for me.