I bought more yarn on the internet. I was going to hold out until I can go to the crafts fair and can touch and look at what I’m buying, but this was just there and looked good, so I thought – why not?

Turns out that you need even more than looking and touching to check what you’re buying. This yarn turned out to smell, with a sharp, chemical odour. I asked the seller about it, and they said that the yarn had been musty after a a long while in storage, so they’d put it next to a toilet freshener block for a few days. Well, it definitely doesn’t smell musty any more.

I’ve squeezed in a lavender pouch between the yarn balls, and that plus just general airing might get the odour out, but I suspect I’ll end up having to return it. Who the hell would want their knitwear to smell like toilet cleaner?