More yarn than you can shake a hand-crafted birch pointy stick at!

I wandered into my somewhat infamous local yarn shop on Thursday evening with the fairly firm intention of buying a couple of balls of Alpaca Silk DK with which to knit the gorgeous Seaside fingerless gloves on the cover of September's Magknits. Instead I came away with a single ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a tea/turquoise colour, the simple reason being that they have expanded their stock! They have cashmerino aran in all the gorgeous colours and they have Rowan! This is very exciting for a girl for whom previously the nearest source of Rowan was eight miles away. They have wool cotton, and kidsilk haze and big wool tufty and tapestry and I'm so excited. They also have the needles out on display. Until now you had to know that they stocked needles and ask for them. "I've heard you stock knitting needles." "Shh..do you want the police round here." It was like the prohibition knitting shop. Only the initiated got to see the good stuff. And it is good stuff. As well as the regular Pryms (in themselves fairly fantastic in a town that otherwise only sells Pony) there are Addis and Brittany's. See how restrained I was in only coming away with a single ball of yarn.

I was still keen on the idea of fingerless gloves though so I am knitting Fresh from the summer issue of Knitty. Like the intro says, these are a weekend knit. I cast on on the train this evening and am already one hand-warmer down and am nearly at the first cable round on the second.

They're very cute and I've already decided who will be receiving them for Christmas. I'm pretty sure I'll knit some more, possibly using two balls of wool and making them a bit longer in the wrist and hand.