Update On The Celtic Vest

I really have been working on this because Angeluna ordered me to. Jan, I'm so sorry I haven't given you an update on the Travelling Cables but it's because I wanted to get the back of the Celtic Vest out of the way at least. I promise that once the back of the CV is cast off, I'll get back to where I left the TCC and get the back of that done too. Here's the Celtic Vest back almost done.



You can't see much of the detail because I took this one myself (and yes, those pics from Kerry yesterday were mine too - you can tell because they're not as clear, as focused, as composed as when the professional aka DH takes them) but at least you can see that I'm nearly there.

I would have been there and working on the Travelling Cables by now, except for two things: firstly the imminent short trip to Prague tomorrow; and secondly, that beautiful skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky sent to me by the divine Rachel H in Toronto. How are these linked, you enquire? Well, apparently it's snowing in Prague and very very cold right now, so winter woollies are in order. And I got the sudden idea this afternoon (yes, even while working busily away on the Celtic Vest - don't you find that you get the most tempting ideas about new exciting projects when you're dutifully slaving away at one of the many current ones?) to make myself a Celtic headband in the alpaca, the better to keep my ears warm in old Bohemia while hunting out yarn shops. Found my favourite braided pattern and dashed away at it forthwith on the absolutely totally favourite needles, the Colonial Rosewoods.



This was it a couple of hours ago. Yes, DH took this one. He managed to get the detail to show up beautifully by dint of using two angled flashes, one of them bounced off the ceiling (don't ask, I don't understand these things, I just stand there holding the slave flash and being grateful). The headband is now finished and snuggled round my head. I might just wear it to bed it's so beautifully cosy.

I must have more Misti Alpaca Chunky. Do you know, I don't even know what colours it comes in other than black (yes, honestly, that is black up there, look you couldn't have both the pattern and the correct colour, wouldn't you rather see the design? I would). I can't live without Misti Alpaca Chunky. Any of you living close to a community of Misti Alpaca Chunkies, kidnap some for me, give them their return fare to West Cork, and you can have ANYTHING from my stash. Or maybe I'll just go over to Toronto and hang out with Rachel H and the gang at one of their SnB nights. That would be fun. And I know they have Misti Alpaca Chunky (got the name yet?) at Lettuce Knit there.

The colourway of that Colinette I bought yesterday in Kenmare, by the way, was Jay. I found when I got home that I'd bought a skein of Colinette's Jitterbug sock yarn in exactly the same colourway when I was in Loop on my last London visit. Guess I like the colours. Maybe I should mix them?

Which reminds me (the London trip, that is, not the colourway). Any of you fellow-webloggers in the UK, in case you didn't know, that marvellous old mill in Bradford, Texere Yarns, is holding an open weekend at the beginning of March. I'm going over on Sunday March 4 just for the day (it's the only day I can get there and back in one). Any of you going down (or up) to Bradford? This is the most amazing place, enormous, echoing, crammed with memories of Yorkshire's great woollen days, and chock full of treasures hidden away in the dark at the back of shelves behind ordinary yarns, or at the very bottom of huge deep cardboard boxes. Last time I went there I crammed both my rucksack and DH's with cone upon cone of rare and unusual yarns. This time I'm going alone, and the airlines are reducing the weight of hand luggage every time I look, so I'll have to be careful (that, and wear a coat with big deep pockets).

In the meantime, I'm off to Prague tomorrow afternoon until Wednesday night. I have some good pointers to yarn shops; and otherwise will concentrate on the hot chocolate, the rib-sticking food, and watching the snow fall on the Vltava from Charles Bridge. Oh and the Bohemian beer. Promise I'll bring back lots and lots of pictures for you. Be good until then.