Shopping

Late night browsing - I found some knitting needles made of casein, or milk! And you can get yarn containing 30% milk solids. So you could knit a milk sweater on milk needles. I don't need any more needles, I need to lose some, but I looked at these quite expensive needles and just for a moment was really tempted.

My shopping for knitting is focusing on some sort of receptacle for my patterns. I struggle to keep them all in one place, especially as my home is currently extremely chaotic. So plans for future knitting get overlaid and forgotten. And being me, I looked on my friend ebay. I didn't see anything I liked.

The thing is, I don't know what I want, but I will know it when I see it. That is a dangerous way to shop. Really I don't want a standard box file (the blindingly obvious solution) because I like to be quirky. It is not helpful to want to be quirky. It can be more expensive. Fortunately for my bank balance I like to have things that are reused rather than bought in an expensive boutique.

But I have realised that there is an old cardboard box that OH refused to get rid of - it is very sturdy and we thought it would come in useful. But while it is the perfect size, it is a surgical appliance pink. I don't like pink. So I can make it a bit more 'me' by covering it with paper. I was considering Cath Kidston paper. Yes, that is as logical as anything, to not like pink but getting strangely mesmerised by Cath Kidston. Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, according to someone famous I can't remember, so I don't feel the need to worry about it.

But paper could wear off and get shabby quite easily. So really I could stick fabric on it, and put trim around the side. Cath Kidston does fabric. However I think I shall look in the mountain of textiles to see if there is anything suitable before I get carried away. I also have a stash of sticky backed plastic which would do the job.

And for the heaps of unsorted needles I have found a solution. For straight needles I plan to cover Pringles tubes to match the box and stand them upright in a sort of rigid leather hold all that came as a gift filled with smellies many years ago - before little bear anyway. For the circular needles (not quite such a selection) there are boxes that used to hold washing powder tablets which are remarkably sturdy and have a cute sort of opening lid. Things may be covered or left in all their Sainsbury glory - but it is curiously satisfying to have thought laterally and looked to see what I can reuse.