Pink Lava and mermaids

My Noro obsession is spreading! Having finished the blanket I think my subconscious has been casting around in the stash for a new Noro project. Happily, my stash can satisfy that need.

This is Christmas present yarn from H; Noro Silk Garden sock yarn, currently unavailable in the UK (although I think it is expected shortly so I may be wrong on that). H picked it for the colour (I'm on such an orange kick at the moment), or at least the colour that you can see from the outside of the ball - as with a Noro, it has a few surprises hidden inside.

I've started of one of two patterns that make up Pink Lemon Twist's Fire Series. For each of the elements there are two patterns, one simple and one a bit harder. This is the simple one, called Lava Flow, and as you can see, my expected tumult of crashing orange and volcanic ash has turned out to be pink and green. Less lava, more lava lamp.

Silk Garden Sock is billed as being standard sock weight yarn but although it has thick-thin parts, it feels more solid than a plied sock yarn so on 2.5mm needles it feels a little more sturdy than other sock fabric. Given that it's a singles yarn I think it's sensible so that it will hold together better, and I imagine that it will soften and drape with washing, just like its older sibling.

In the meantime, I've been playing colouring in. I've been intrigued by shrink plastic for a while and when we were in town on Sunday I spotted this mermaid.

It feels like the flimsiest plastic every when you colour it in,

but after a few seconds in a warm oven -

it's tiny, and rather cute. I've put her on a little split ring and thread that came with the kit to hang up on my pinboard to make me smile.