obsession

I have realised that I am obsessed with yarn, and knitting, and patterns, and all that sort of stuff.

Well, I probably should have realised this a while ago, huh?

In the past few days, I have been spending inordinate amounts of time at Yarns Online, which I only discovered the other day. It's an Aussie source for yarns like Noro, and Brown Sheep (who have the nicest sock colours!)

I also bought this Cleckheaton pattern book, which has some lovely designs in it, that are far nicer than what has been in the shops this season. Seriously. I go to Myer, or even to those horrifically expensive little boutique shops (I know I live in a small town with limited shopping, but even so!), and the jumpers are UGLY. They have v's to the knees. Or turtle necks (ick). Or badly-placed bobbles that put me in mind of YKW. Or, if I manage to find one that I like....it's see through.

So I'm thinking that one from the Cleckheaton book might become my project for the Knitting World Cup. Hey, Australia qualified, I can legitimately do it! I regretted not doing the Olympics, in hindsight, that would be fun. Otherwise, I am thinking of doing a simple little bolero (completely unsuitable for the weather here right now - brr!) or a plain cardie or v-neck with the stash I bought last weekend.

I also made seitan yesterday. It looks like a roiling pot of brains when simmering, and frankly, the texture when kneading is terrifying. BUT it tastes just like the one I've had in resturants (I only used soy sauce for the broth), if a little heavy, and I think I know how to make it lighter. It's basically wheat gluten. I quite like seitan. It's good for things that you can't use tofu for - like fajitas, or stroganoff - but you remember with fondness from meat-eating days. It's also nigh-on impossible to buy here, even in Canberra, except in a resturant. I hadn't even thought of making my own until a throwaway comment in a vegie magazine article made me look for it online! Yay!

D & D today. And musical rehearsals. And I can knit through both....