Patience is a virtue

...and we all know how that one ends.

The bulky cables are finished, and alas... the yarn didn't last out. You know that moment as you are hoping against hope that the last skein is still barely touched, and then when you can suddenly see through the few remaining coils of yarn, and realise that all is lost? Yes. All was lost. Thankfully, the kind eBay seller slipped in a completely random ball of navy chunky Tivoli yarn with the teal tweed, so a rescue, of sorts, could be effected. I dithered and dallied between the relative virtues of a pure, unadulterated teal tweed cardigan, and a cardigan that covered my kidneys, and January won out.

My lovely lady friend claims that the navy makes it look more pulled together; I'm not convinced. It's all looking a bit shapeless and worrying from where I;m sitting. But I will button shop tomorrow, and perhaps that will be the saviour of the cables. In the meantime, chunky pure wool yarn takes a looong time to dry.

Oh! Here is a thing to think about in the meantime:

Last Christmas, my mother, having learned about my new hobby, gave me a stack of King Cole black acrylic yarn for Christmas. I smiled thinly, and freecycled it. This Christmas, she said meaningfully, "I do hope you made yourself something nice with that black yarn," and gave me... this.

Pounds and pounds and pounds of pure acrylic. Please note the classy "Eurogeneral" label. Mmmm. I was in some despair, because evidently my mother would be really, really pleased if I made something with this: but what, hell WHAT? And then, in a charity shop the other day, I came across this:

Somebody's sweet handmade flowery bag. I feel a bit sorry for this bag, because it is handstitched; at the same time, it has no fasteners, and I am not given to yellow floral print, either. But! Look at those on-message handles! It occurs to me that, while all that grey acrylic would be grisly for a jumper, for one of those cabled clutches that are so fashionable right now, it would be just the ticket. And I could knit a strap and put in a metal snap and line the bag and truly, from a well-meaning granny bag it could go to being This Season's Cabled Tote.

Plus, my mum would be happy. Which is the main thing, I think.