Menokreatikkul; Yarnery YAMster

Continuing from yesterday's post, another big inspiration for me comes from Tinna Thorudottir Thorvaldsdottir, an Icelandic crochet goddess! Her ebullience and enthusiasm for the art and craft of hook and yarn flow right out of the screen. It is from Tinna that I learned successfully intarsia and mosaic patterning. I have several of her patterns - but have yet to actually work on one! That will change before too much longer. When I saw the Viking Shawl, I knew I would have to do it! I did a practice run with the cowl that I gave to Mac1, so a mini version, done in available acrylic from the stash. 

However, to produce the proper version, I wanted to treat myself to the same yarn that Tinna used. So I waited for the sales... I had not heard of Drops Yarns before Tinna mentioned them. Hobbycraft didn't keep them, so I found them on Wool Warehouse (though I could have used their own site, as you see). The 30% reduction on the Air for the project was exciting... but of course, I got drawn into others!

Drops products (with three exceptions in the range I spotted with synthetic blends) are variations on Alpaca, Merino, standard wool, and cotton. The colours are gorgeous. Due to seeing how Tinna worked them, I was confident these would be great to work with so ...

Yeah, but what could I do? The Air (lower left of image) price reduction means I will have this shawl for under £25. The Nepal Aran weight yarn was going for £1.70 per 50 gm. That works out at only two quid more per 400 gm of quality natural fibre than my favourite WI acrylic yarn! The eagle-eyed will spot that it is the yellow and orange of Nepal which is being used in the current shawl project mentioned yesterday. It is lush to work with! Then there was the Flora, again for £1.70 per 50 gm. That is 4-ply. It's probably better for the fingered mitts. I am enjoying the ones I showed you yesterday, but DK yarn is just a bit on the heavy side and has the fingers feeling like sausages. I can type with them but can't crochet with them on. Need an altogether finer item. I also want to make a new cowl. The one you see below is on the ancient side and was only acrylic (though snuggly). Also, not my favourite colour. All that yarn yumminess came packed in that organza reusable bag you see tucked behind the top left. Oh, and the odd one out is the sock-weight multi-shade yarn at the top right. Just bought one skein of that to crochet up some bedsocks; it's not Drops but some other European brand. More on that when I get to it.

How have I managed this selfie with no hands - and why am I looking at my phone and not the lens??? (Okay, you weren't asking, but I'm gonna tell ya anyhoo...) It's because of this...

Several of my vlog pals have been using this mini drone for close proximity and hands-free filming. I have been drooling slightly. So when HoverAir put up their 'Holiday Sale', I was in. All my Black Friday purchases from the Big A (and Wool W/hs) were required and fulfilled a specific need and/or purpose. 

This is purely for pleasure and fun, and I am calling it my Christmas present to myself. I was setting up the app and hadn't quite realised the thing was already spying on me! It creates quite the draught - you can just see that it blew the silicon keyboard cover off of Octokan and onto my lap! I'll need a bit of practice but know you'll be seeing results both here and on the tubular in due course. Probably, in the first instance, to show off the completed WIP (which I have now named the Heritage Trellis Shawl).

Maybe next week, or maybe Christmas week... eek! The end is nigh!!! 

So, tell me, has anyone else got yarn on hook or needle??? Whatchya all doin'???