Yes, I do too know what the word tomorrow means...

And I know it has been since before yesterday that I have been promising Peasy pictures.... But there it is! I don't know how far I have gotten, but I am pretty sure it is not 22cm. CM. Not inches.... And that is still more purple than it really is. I don't know what I am doing wrong with the photos. I am motoring along as fast as I can, because I really want to get this off the needles!! I am DYING to start something else lacy.

Especially since I got this in the mail on Wednesday:


It is four skeins (despite the fact that there are only three visible, just take my word for it) of Alpaca Cloud from Knitpicks. The color, dill, is discontinued. I loved it, though, so I took advantage of the fact that I could get an entire large shawls worth of yarn for only 15$. And so far, it totally lives up to my expectations! It is soft as a, well, cloud. It is the perfect oliv-y color. It is dreamy. And I am going to need it.

Because I have joined 10 Shawls in 2010 on Ravelry! I had already done the Citron, sadly unphotographed, and the Swallowtail. Next, Haruni! I love that pattern and can't wait to wear it!! Wish me luck.

Centimeters, Jennifer, not inches.

So, I am working on the Peasy sweater. Over the weekend I got to the spot in the pattern where I was to divide the stitches for the sleeves and the body, which normally would not cause me a lot of stress.... But I stopped cold Saturday evening, frozen in fear and indecision. Mostly because I CANNOT keep in my head that this pattern is measured in centimeters. Not inches, centimeters. (Maybe if I say it a lot, I will remember...)

The schematic at the end has a chart to correspond to the measurements. It says plain as day what the unit of measure is, but did I comprehend? Nope. I saw the statistic that I should have a measurement of 22 from the neckline to the division for the sleeves and body, and reading "22 inches" because I am a ding dong, I freaked out. Nevermind the VAST difference between 22" and 22cm. I was convinced I had come up that short! I put it aside, because as everyone knows, if you completely ignore a knitting disaster, it is right three weeks later when you pick it up again. And that is kind of what happened. When I picked it up last night, suddenly the fact that inches and centimeters are different measurements made perfect sense to me. Its a miracle!! I have 21cm lightly stretched, which tells me if I block it right I will be ok. Pshew!

And then I made a radical decision. I have departed from the pattern. I am such a rebel. This one had you working the sleeves first and working them flat. I have decided to go with my instincts. It made so much more sense to me to put the sleeves on waste yarn and knit the body first.... That way there is no seaming for the sleeves and I can try it on before then, too. I am all for no seaming.... Wish me luck!

By the way, let me tell you: NOTHING that causes such horrible symptoms when you stop drinking it could POSSIBLY be good for you. I have stopped with the Pepsi, but I may be a rare case that actually dies from a caffeine withdrawal headache. Seriously.

Tomorrow, Peasy pictures!!

My dog is camera shy.

You wouldn't think she was, considering what an attention hog she can be, but she cannot sit for a photo. This is the best I could do to show her feeling better. This is begging for a bacon treat after performing all the tricks she knows! I love that if you get the treats out, she just starts doing tricks. "What do you want me to do??? Just gimme!!!" She seems to be feeling much better, though she still has a little trouble jumping up on the couch. At least now she is willing to do it. The vet said that she shouldn't have any ongoing problems. I think she is still looking for that bone, though!

The Swallowtail is done but for the ends that need to be tied in. I know myself. That will happen with the gift box open in front of me on the day I give it to her.... It came out so pretty, though!!!

And here is a way-more-purple-than-reality shot of the Peasy in progress:No doubt this will be beautiful, and I love my sweater I made out of Silky Wool previously, but in my lust for lace, I am having a hard time enjoying this one! I am doggedly determined to get it finished, though, so stay tuned for updates!

New and creative ways to kill our dog.

Does that not look like the saddest, sickest doggie in the whole world? In our ignorance as dog owners, we are going to accidentally kill our poor, beloved little money pit! We didn't know that you shouldn't give dogs bones of any kind! We thought she was getting a treat!! Now she has a bone shard lodged in her stomach. The vet thinks that it will naturally break down, and we have been, um, bulking up her diet to help it along.... But in the meantime, she doesn't feel good. And can't figure out why we took away the yummy steak bone that got her in trouble in the first place!

Look what I did last night, as promised!It blocked out to 54" wide, which isn't as large as I had envisioned, but quite substantial nonetheless.... I have it unpinned now, and it drapes nicely around the shoulders, and all the way to the tailbone in back, but can't be wrapped back around. Next time, I will add ten repeats!

Note to self, though, use blocking wires for the top edge of lace shawls. It held those points nicely.... which I didn't want it to. I am trying to decide now if I need to reblock the top with wires....

In the meantime, here is a dark, blurry lace detail:

MUST KNIT MORE LACE! The Peasy Sweater, which will no doubt be stunning, is boring the heck out of me!!

Lenten fasting.

Anyone who knows me at all will know how very ironic it is that I am giving up Pepsi for Lent. That I am giving up ANYTHING for Lent!! But, there you go. I have been trying to give it up gradually for a while now for the calories, but I am such a slave to caffeine that I have failed miserably. Now Sherrie at work said that this is what she is giving up, so I have decided to quit today. People who know me, you know that I will now act like a bear who is not ready to come out of hibernation, and you may want to give me a wide berth. Grr.

In knitting news, today I shall block the Swallowtail shawl. You can't rush these things. Yesterday, I undertook the monumental task of bringing the blocking mats in from the shed, after which I had to take a rest. :-) (Now that I have put it on the blog, I HAVE to finish it, right??)

Swallowtail the second. Stage, that is. Not the second shawl.

But first, above find my car on Friday night. This is after a harrowing trip north to Charlotte, NC. I thought I was going to be killed on I-77, going 25 MPH, trying to get to a friend of mine with fingers crossed for a chance at love. Let me say, in case you were wondering how THAT went, that Valentine's Day sucks big ones. Draw your own conclusions....

Other than a drama-filled conversation of catharsis that was probably long overdue (and a strangely fascinating trip to the NC Aviation Museum), I did manage to finish the Swallowtail Shawl. I love this thing! It looks really tiny to me right now, but I am a believer in the power of blocking. The Reese's Cup is for scale. Not that I won't eat it later.

Here is a detail shot. I have conquered the legendary nupp. They aren't so bad if you use a tiny little crochet hook to do the P5 maneuver.... I don't see how anyone could pull a loop of laceweight yarn through five entire stitches with a stick with no hook on the end. Apparently, they have superpowers that I do not possess.
Though, seriously, right now I wouldn't be surprised to hear someone has superpowers that I don't possess. I am feeling extremely deficient in the realm of personal superpowers right at this moment.

To console myself, I am now going to watch Amazing Race. And not have Valentine's Day sex.

I'm sorry, did you say something?

Say it again. Steve and I were reading and didn't hear you!