A Wonderful Bird is a Pelicun

A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak,
Food enough for a week;
But I'm damned if I see how the helican.

"The Pelican" (1910) by Dixon Lanire Merrith

This little ditty came to mind as I was contemplating my recent purchase of some fabulous Rowan plaid yarn. Point in fact, I was feeling a little like my bill was holding more than my belican. What I’m referring to, as you have no doubt guessed, is my yarn stash. It’s not a large stash ~ not by some comparisons (I’ve seen some that are truly staggering). But it is a stash that is certainly ample for my needs.

But then, there were extenuating circumstances. I already had the book, Rowan Plaid Collection. I have loved the design Raindrop by Kim Hargreaves for some time. And the yarn was practically being given away as it’s being discontinued. All in all, I couldn’t reasonably refuse. Plus, when I knit this sweater, I’m going to wear it and look just like her. *Sigh*


BTW, the above picture of a Pelican was the best I could do on a whim. I perched on a rock and patiently waited for one of the abundant local pelicans to present themselves. However, once I resolved upon taking a picture of a pelican there was simply not one to be seen. I feel fortunate to have snapped this shot, even though I would have preferred it to have been closer. The problem was that when I finally spotted one I almost dropped my camera in my excitement and thus nearly didn’t have a photo of a pelican at all!
In case your stash could use some enhancing, I bought my yarn here (Cucumberpatch UK). I'm using the color Sea Thistle (it's a nice combination of purple, red, and light green) and the sweater takes 7 skeins. It will be a warm sweater as the yarn is a combination of wool, acrylic, and superfine alpaca, and I would call it a super bulky yarn (you use US 11 needles). There are some real fans of this yarn which convinced me to give it a try (before it disappears).

Update!!!  Well, to my great disappointment I do NOT look as good as her.  But I did finish my sweater and it is very cozy to wear ~