Camels

I've never really liked camels. Very smelly, ugly, spitting beasts. Quite vicious and incredibly stubborn. So when Dee told me about her hand spun camel yarn, I was more than a little sceptical. How can something so hideously ugly produce anything lovely? But ever the yarn freak that I am, I decided to go along with it and try a skein. (That was months ago Warren just in case you think I've succumbed to temptation.) And as is so often the case, one skein soon led to another and another and before I could so much as mutter the word 'Bactrian' a whole pile of wonderful camel yarn arrived on my door step. It has been adorning the top of The Stash Basket for some time now, awaiting a pattern.

(Please Note - the toast in the top corner is eldest son trying to be domesticated by cooking for himself - he has yet to learn the art of clearing up after himself judging by the state of the kitchen!)

And then I found it. The Aleita Shell from Interweave Knits. This is wonderful mindless knitting. Or at least that's what I thought as I happily knitted in rounds. Then I got to the shaping top bit and oh boy has it changed. Decrease at the neck edge every 3 rows 27 times, and at the same time increase at the waist edge twice every 10 rows and then when it gets to 14.5" start doing the armholes and knitting front and back separately, increasing and decreasing all over the blinking place. Too many numbers, too much to concentrate on! So you see now why I can't face mountain peaks Dee? I wouldn't last 3 rows!