Like I Needed More...

We made a trip into Calgary yesterday. We hadn't really planned it, since I had to work on Saturday, but the schedule changed, and I ended up only needing to be at work for an hour in the morning. Since I needed another ball of Cascade to finish my Copycat Sears Cardigan, and we needed a few things for the house that we can't find here, we packed up the car (mostly with food and with our doggie's supplies) and hubby, doggie and I drove into the big city.

I must say, it was a WINDY day in Calgary yesterday. I'm really bad for just jumping into the car in a t-shirt and jacket and hoping for the best, but I immediately regretted it when we reached Airdrie, and found I couldn't even open the door to put gas into the car. But, more on that later...

I made a stop at Make One Yarns (I'm actually planning to go in again next week, but a preview is always nice) and picked up one more skein of Cascade 220. And heck, while I was there, I had a little stroll around. I have this little seed of an idea to make a hat, mitts and scarflette set in different tones of red (I love red, I can't help it), and I thought I'd take a quick cruise around to see what was there. I wanted a worsted weight yarn, one that would knit up relatively quickly, but that was just... different.

It was then that I discovered Lamb's Pride Worsted, in wool and mohair (*snicker) in the Cranberries colourway. It is PERFECT. I did my usual, "Don't get too excited, it might not work" routine, where I pick up a skein, turn it around and around in my hands, read the label, and then put it back down again. Then, I make another tour around the shop to look at absolutely anything remotely close to it, then eventually make my way back to fill my arms with stuff.


And lovely stuff it is. The pictures don't really do it justice. They have such a nice mixture of cranberry, red, and almost pink. I have to confess, I've carried a skein of it around the house today, even into the bathroom to admire it. I'm sure there are detractors of it out there, but for the price I paid for that sort of yardage and for such lovely colours, how could I resist?

I did resist, however, making some impulse buys from the sale bin. Don't get me wrong - I love a good bargain, but I'm on a budget, darn it. Doesn't mean that I won't have a look in there when I go back in next week, though.

We also met some friends for dinner, and we had lots of time to kill until then. We walked the doggie at Eau Claire, visited a few parks, and then decided to find a Chapters to settle down with a coffee and some magazines. We hit our old stomping grounds at Signal Hill (we didn't live there, but I worked at the Michaels there for a short time), and I took a quick run into Zellers, because darn it, I was cold!

Now, I will refrain from describing the confusion and frustration that ensued, but I will just say that a little organization in a store can save a heck of a lot of running around. I eventually did find a sweater that I thought would work, disregarded the price, and rushed to the till to pay for it. And hey, who knew? It was on sale for $12. Sold! I paid, went and stood next to the kiddie rides and candy machines, pulled off the tag, and put it on.

I felt pretty good about it, until I sat down with my coffee later and saw that the jersey-knit stitches on the left sleeve at the shoulder were running. Shoot. No big deal, but highly annoying. As soon as I got it home, I pulled out a tiny crochet needle and fixed it. Aha! Victory! I love it when I win over the throw-away culture!

Today, I knitted the button band onto one side of my cardigan, and am now pondering how to make the buttonholes... another victory in the making, I hope!

*As for the snicker, the word mohair makes me giggle, but that's a story you'll just have to ask me about!