I've been a naughty girl.............

.............because I've just ordered some new yarn. This should be winging its way to me now, ready to make this and I've even joined the knit-a-long (button in the sidebar, hopefully). I had made a sort-of promise to myself that I would only use up stuff from the stash but I felt that a design like that needed something a bit special, colour-wise, and there really wasn't anything suitable lurking in the window-seat (home of the stash - well, most of it, anyway). I decided that as I had been so good by using up recycled yarn to knit the rock star cardi, I was allowed a bit of a splurge. I won't be starting the Sunrise Circle jacket straight away as the rock star cardi isn't finished yet, although the end is in sight - I have about 18 more rows of the first sleeve to knit, then the second sleeve and the ties at the front. I really love this pattern and can see me making it again in a different colour.

I was a little bit side-tracked at the weekend by this

Meet Mi-Ke the fortune kitty (pattern available here).
If I knit this again (which I probably will as Bethany has requested one, but she wants a kimono to dress it in as well!) I would use smaller needles or thicker yarn and felt it before stuffing. The fabric is too open and the stuffing is too visible but on the whole I think he's really cute.
I've also knitted a "hat of infinite possibilities" from The Knitting Way which is basically two moebius strips sewn together as far as they can be. This produces a piece of knitting that can be used as a hat, a hand-warmer (I was going to write "muff" but I know what dirty minds you knitters have!), a neck-warmer or anything else you can think of. An interesting knit, but slightly too small for my big head (it's just my hair, really) unfortunately. The book had some unusual patterns in it but on the whole I found it a bit too spiritual for my liking - whilst I totally agree that knitting can be a great stress reliever as well as an absorbing pastime, I don't really think it can be compared to any of the great religions of the world (it is just possible that I may have missed the point here, as I know next-to-nothing about any religion) and I found some of the writing a little too cheesy. Just my opinion, y'know, not trying to upset anyone.

On a totally different note, OH and I have started to learn Ballroom dancing. Every Friday evening we trudge along to the local community centre and spend an hour and a half trying not to kick each other or fall over. So far we have learnt the waltz, the cha-cha-cha and the quickstep and I love it! I sewed all the sequins on by myself!