not always what we choose

Isn't it funny how yarn sometimes seems to have a mind of its own?

Last year, my mum gave me several skeins of black Patons Tasman yarn. She doesn't like knitting with black, and I don't mind [most of the time]. Tasman is a nice yarn as far as acrylics go, rarely splits, has an even thickness all the way through, and knits up so softly. I have used nearly all of the yarn she gave me, mostly for socks. Last week, I started the last skein when I was partway through a sideways scarf: all that turning at the end of short rows can get monotonous!

With quite a lot of the skein left, I decided to cast on for another scarf. I wanted to knit an interesting pattern so that those 1000's of short rows wouldn't be too boring. First I cast on for My So-Called Scarf but decided that was too complicated and the pattern wouldn't be easily seen in the black yarn. So, of course, I ripped it out. Then I cast on and started my own zigzag pattern - 10 stitches knit, 10 stitches purl; in the artificial light of our family room I couldn't see where I was up to and I couldn't watch TV while I was constantly struggling with the pattern; so I frogged it!

I cast on for a garter stitch scarf then realised that I was never going to have enough yarn to complete the wide scarf I had cast on! So, yes, it also dived in the frogpond!! It was only then that I realised that the yarn didn't want to be another scarf - it wanted to be a beanie! Now, it's a beanie waiting to have the ends sewn in [can't do that with black yarn in the artificial light either].

And... there was still yarn left, so I cast on for another beanie. It's about halfway done - maybe next time I'll listen to the yarn instead of choosing for myself what I'm going to knit!!