One present down and a little crafty rant....

One positive thing has come out of being off work. I have been able to plan and make a few Christmas presents. The first completed item is my cable hot water bottle for my niece.

This is from a pattern in Lets Knit Magazine and was made using Sirdar Supersoft Aran yarn. My favourite bargain Aran yarn. It is so soft and yet the 100g balls are only £3.15 in my local sewing shop and I used less than one ball. I bought 3 so I am trying to think of something else to knit with it...possibly a cover for my netbook if I can find a good pattern.

As much as possible I try to use the yarn specified in the pattern and did so in this project. Sometimes though it just isn't and this is where I start a little rant if you don't mind. There are some beautiful yarns available made from exotic fibres that are obviously much better quality than the man-made alternatives but why do they have to be so damned expensive?! I simply refuse to spend more on yarn to make a project than I would spend in a shop to buy the finished article. It's just ridiculous! I found a lovely tank top pattern the other week that would cost £60 just for the wool! OK, rant over.

Coming soon (hopefully) a chunky bag. x