Fiddlesticks

My mind had been so full of books and online reading groups and singing recently that I had quite forgotten there was a wool shop in Honiton.
Honestly, I really had, so it was a nice surprise to remember and dispatch Bookhound off on his rounds for a long thirty minutes while I browsed in Fiddlesticks.
Ages ago I had bought two skeins of recycled sari silk yarn in Totnes and couldn't really think what to make with it. Just as it says on the tin it's spun from saris, comes in beautifully vibrant colours and is surprisingly reasonably priced for silk. So I was very interested to see someone in the wool shop knitting it up doubled with a chunky wool for a felted bag.


Now I've never really got felting but always wanted to try, has anyone had a go?
Rev Cheryl and I watched someone doing something with soap and water and fleecy bits when she and I visited Cowslip Workshops last summer, but I think I'm going to start with knitting and felting.
It's the actual process that has always stopped me because firstly you have to knit something far bigger than you want, and then you have to intentionally ruin it in the washing machine and it comes out half the size.
I've done a lot of unintentional felting in my time so this can't be too hard but what's the betting mine won't ruin properly?
I also needed some bigger circular needles and this someone in the shop was using the Knit Pro ones for her bag, so I bit the bullet and made a start on my collection.

For anyone who isn't familiar with them these are the interchangeable needles; you buy the cables in varying lengths and the needles in varying sizes separately and fix together accordingly. The joy is that you can store half-knitted things (as if I ever have any of those!) on the cables and use the needles for something else by attaching another cable.
I won't deny the look of the things helped my decision-making process enormously.

To make up for the fact that I'd only bought four balls of cheap as chips chunky wool for the ruining of, I also added in a skein of 'less cheap' gorgeously soft pure silk and merino (Scrumptious DK by Fyberspates) in a delectable shade of blue, because I can never leave anything behind in a shop if it's this colour, and at the moment I'm thinking neck cowl for that, but who knows.

Meanwhile it's gone freezing again here so I have installed a high-tech heating system on the Tinker's footstool beneath my desk, because no matter the number of sock layers my feet have been freezing.

As you can see I've had to fight for it with Muffy, who said thank you very much for thinking of me. Sixteen-year old senior girl-cat to Rocky by a year, the Sue Ellen of the feline world and the resident Keeper of the Footstool and any associated and unexpected luxuries.