I Have Started The Fine Crochet Shawl

I have finally bitten the bullet and started the fine shawl. I must admit that I am struggling a bit with it. It is not that the wool is so fine but as the hook is so large I am having difficulty pulling the yarn through cleanly. I have had to really slow down my rhythm to make sure that I complete each stitch properly. I am supposed to be using a 4mm hook but I had to change down to a 3.50mm to be able to work the stitches at all. I do tend to crochet a bit on the loose side and the shawl is quite a large one so I am sure that it will be OK. I think that this project will be a pick up and put down one rather than a stick at it to the very end one.

I am still knitting the baby jacket and have started a front now. The knitting will probably be my TV watching project as I am still at the stage with the crochet shawl where I have to watch every row. I started the crochet in the quiet no TV time this morning so that I could concentrate.

I have just been shopping to replenish the fridge. It was looking like Mother Hubbard's larder in there with just a few eggs and a bit of cheese. Buster may arrive tomorrow and I didn't want to go out shopping when I can't walk him. He won't understand how I can do one thing and not the other. I have bought him some new treats and a bag of 3 brightly coloured balls as he (helped by Poppy and Buddy) has managed to chew all his tennis balls so they don't bounce any more. We are ready for ball throwing sessions in the garden providing it doesn't rain. The balls are fluorescent green, pink and orange so we won't lose them in a hurry and solid so he can't pop them. The only trouble with them though is that he chews off bits of rubber and they start to look like frayed objects rather than balls by the end of the weekend.

I phoned my friend Sue and she said that the wool that I was describing yesterday is Reflections by Creative Yarns and she got that from a wool shop in Ramsbottom but I am sure that it will be online somewhere. The mill that she went to was Cold Spring Mill at Cullingworth just outside of Haworth (Howarth?) and they apparently sell Debbie Bliss and Luisa Harding wools at reasonable prices. We have also been looking online at Iceyarns.com in Turkey. The wool is very cheap in price and looks lovely on the photos on the web site but it is only worth ordering if you order a lot as there are shipping charges to add to it. The only problem with that site is that you have to order things in whatever the bags come in . 6 or 8 balls. Beverooni says that she has worked with some of it and it seemed OK and Sue has been chatting to a lady on Ravelry who likes the wool. They certainly have a mind boggling choice of wools on the web site. I had a headache just browsing. There is so much to choose from that I didn't know where to look next. I will wait and see if Sue is going to order something, then I will have another look and decide and then we can split the shipping costs.