Soft as a Baby's Bum

I'd already written a blog for today because I am smashing these blogs out and it's nice to be a few infront but lovely King Cole sent a big order and it had in it some new colours so bugger the old blog for a lark, I'm going to tell you about the new colours and my plans for a new project AND an invitation for a knit/crochet along! YEAAAAHAHAHAHA!

So, Cottonsoft. Yeah? Have you tried it? And if not, why not? It's a funny old thing this yarn because there are two incredible aspects to it. And I genuinely mean incredible.

Firstly, the colours. Now I don't think that King Cole have done a good range. What they've given us is is twenty colours that are all individual stunning but don't seem to span a range that looks good on the shelf and therefore it's often overlooked in favour of the Bamboo. What they really need is a YELLOW! What they need in every range is a good yellow. You know I love mustard (and mustard loves me, mwahaha) but what I want, and what I know you lot want, is a good sunshine yellow. Imagine me, in a summer top, knitted or crocheted in sunshine yellow cotton. Mmmmmm. I know you're feeling that. But, we work with what we've got ey? And the new colours certainly un-baby the range a bit. Have a look:

 That's the Coral : Cloud : Sage : Rose Petal : Khaki.

They're still from a soft palette I know, but they're a bit different.  (The Khaki's not very khaki, it's much more golden). I have somebody in mind that will LOVE the Coral and she's already worked with the Cottonsoft but she's been in this week so I might not see her for a while. 

Now, the second thing that makes this yarn incredible is she sheer softness. It is impossible for me to explain that - especially as my vocabulary ranges from beauts to brill and not much in between. It can't be described over the internet. It's actually the softest yarn that I've ever had in my hands and I've fondled a lot of yarn. What I suggest is, next time you're in, even if you're coming for something else, the first thing you should say is 'I want a smoosh of that there Cottonsoft' and then you can just go about your business fondling the ball and somehow it'll work it's way into your subconscious until the next time you're in and you buy a sweater's worth.

To take advantage of the softness and kinda of comfy-old-sweater quality of this yarn my favourite combo of pattern as yarn would be King Cole 2999.

 

Doesn't that look like a lovely sweater to wear - dead easy for when you're rambling about on a weekend? Or just to pop on when you're at a garden party in the summer. Or around the house cooking Sunday dinner. Just slouchy, easy. Ahhhh. I have great visions for me and this sweater but the new colours have deffo put a spanner in the works - before, this was definitely going to be in the Saxe and now the Coral is calling my name. 

Which leads me to the knit/crochet along that Jemma Weston is organising. Have you ever heard of a mood scarf? The idea is that you pick three colours - one for happy, one for sad and one for in the middle and then you work one or two rows every day over a year in the colour that represents your feelings that day. Read more about it here because Jem's a bit more eloquent than me... Clicky here. Do you get the idea?

So, I kinda thought about it then thought... nah... I already have too much on, but really, do I? One row a day is barely anything. And then lovely Rebecka came in to choose her yarn, she went for the Patons 100% Cotton 4ply in Fuchsia, Black and Limestone.

I can't remember which one is sad, happy or middle though. Sorry Rebecka! She's going to crochet hers and she had the cute idea of doing taller stitches like trebles when she feels the big emotions and smaller like doubles when she feels less so. I think that's a lovely idea - and one that I'm going to kind of steal...

So, I was so taken with her choices, and the Cottonsoft was all over the floor because that had been a major consideration that I couldn't ignore the urge anymore. I AM KNITTING/CROCHETING A MOOD SCARF!

Here are my colours:

That's: Cherry : Silver : Jade : Coral : Wine

You know me - I get angry and excited much more than I am middling and for me they're very different emotions to sad and happy so I hated to push them into the same bracket. Also, I like my colours - well that's an understatement... So I've chosen five - always contrary. :)

I'm also not making a scarf - I reckon I'll get more use out of a shawl. So I'm going to begin with like seven stitches, or whatever (it's been a long time since I've worked a shawl in knitting like that) and do the yo increases along the spine and at each end. I'm also, taking a leaf out of Rebecka's book and doing different stitches for different days. I have all sorts of ideas - like slip stitches for the day when I'm in a rush, yo's when it's warm and sunny, cables when it's been a hard, involved day. I'm going to see how it goes as it goes. which means I might not be able to look back and know what I meant, if you know what I mean, like the other girls that are following hard and fast rules but it does mean that I'll have something that means something to me and looks as eclectic as I like to think that I look. Does that make sense?

So that's that. Are you going to do it? You're very welcome and you don't have to do it in Cottonsoft but I really think you should... :)

It starts on the 30th of March and then you do it for as long as you want, but I reckon I'm going to do a whole year and I'll be updating you as I go.

Love Eleanor. xxxx