Grab bag

Yesterday Trish and I went to a yarn store and didn't buy anything for ourselves.

(ha! did I fool you?)

Yeah, the plan was just to get a gift for somebody else, but then I remembered I needed some yarn to work out the details on a fiendishness I've been cooking up with Helena while I wait for another postal strike to pass so I can receive her contribution to same. And when I'd chosen that, I noticed some Koigu yarn on the shelves.

I hear people saying that word all the time but boy, until you've seen it...

Well, I have oodles of sock yarn so No.

Then I saw some Koigu knit into a sample on the counter...

... in the form of a Minion...

... and I am feeling drooly even now, about 20 hours later.  I can make Minions with my own scraps of sock yarn, but the flecky green Koigu in the kit?  whooooooaaaa.

I still managed to resist, barely, but then Trish said, "Look, they have grab bags."  Well, I know you're supposed to not buy yarn you can't even see when there is other yarn you can see all too well and want very badly, but we both caved.

Of course, there was yarn of questionableness in the bottom of each of our bags, but I certainly still got my money's worth out thanks to these three interesting, discontinued items:

This strange blend of acrylic, wool, and nylon seems to be unspun fiber secured with a couple of lines of machine stitching.  I'm extremely curious as to how this will knit up, either as a hat for a human or a body for a cuddly, perhaps lamb-shaped, stuffy.

Also, this knotted-together medley of ribbons, sparkly-string, and boucle in rather lovely metallics and sea greens. It was nestled beside a pretty-darn-close-to-matching fuzzy green yarn also missing its ball band - think mohair/angora - that I think I will alternate with it for a simple but arty looking scarf.

and the piece of resistance, as my dad would say:

Some superbulky wool/cotton/silk Noro in perfect-for-me colours. Somebody on Ravelry managed to knit a pair of mitts with just this much of this yarn, and I'd like a hat out of it, so I'm thinking of teaming it up with my solo ball of superbulky black wool so I can have both.  That should make a cool yet toasty warm set, don't you think?

Oh, and bonus:  When we got home I remembered to show Trish the vest I'd knit for mum, and she liked it and took it for unraveling.  Yay!

Have a great weekend, folks - see you Monday!