On the Twentieth Day of Christmas

It's all about me. I need a scarf. I've come up with myriad justifications for this. Among them:

1) Knitting all those neck-warmers and shawlettes awoke a strong, one might even say compelling, desire for one of my own.

2) For the first time in years, my winter jacket isn't black. It's sort of rust. Okay, it's dirty orange. I don't know what I was thinking. Bottom line, none of my winter scarves, which are by and large red or red and black, do anything but argue -- violently -- with my coat.

3) I've lost my Scribble Scarf.

4) If I'm replacing a lost scarf, it's necessary knitting, not self-indulgent knitting. Chicago is cold in January.

5) I've knit and ripped cables out of Their Father's sweater and now have to rethink the whole thing. I want to avoid this let this ferment in my back-brain for a while.

6) I got this awesome yarn from the Magi on the 12th day of Christmas. I was so eager to start knitting that I forgot to take a yarn pr0n photo while it was all still skeined up.

Handmaiden Lady Godiva in Woodland from Eat.Sleep.Knit.

I know what your thinking, because I thought it, too. That looks like some serious variation between skeins, even for a hand-dyed. I posit, though, that it will be perfect for the pattern I've picked out. The Cedar Leaf Shawlette from Never Not Knitting. Reading through the pattern, it says to knit the shawl body using one skein, then knit on the leaf border using a new skein. I'm using the predominantly brown for the body and plan to use the predominantly green/blue for the leaves.

You know, I'm beginning to think I can keep this Christmas thing going for as long after Christmas as the retail establishment does before.