Better update :)

Or people will think I've forgotten.... Which I have, mostly, lol....

Been knitting dishcloths, test knitting some patterns for some new designers in the monthly dishcloth group. Having fun doing that. Also, in the dishcloth of the month group, the picks for this month - working on them. Strange thing - I'm obsessive, so I "have to" knit or crochet whatever the pick is. But, I really don't like shamrocks that much. And, the one pattern, I really don't like at all. The only reason I'm finishing it, is because I didn't really decide how much I didn't like it until I was well into it, and committed. It's got a lace border up the sides. That's the part I don't like. I don't mind knitting it - I like lace. But I don't like the looks of it.

As for the crochet pick - well, two were tied. So, I thought I'd do both, because one of them, I liked anyway, and it was on my "to do" list - fans and pineapples. The other was a shamrock in filet crochet. Now, I've never been able to get the hang of filet crochet. I thought I would give the dishcloth a try, because it would be a "small" filet project (vs a table cloth, runner, etc.) to practice on, and because it would be using much larger thread than most (ww cotton vs bedspread/size 10 cotton) so it would be easier to manipulate....

The verdict: I was happy enough with the result - technically. I do not like shamrocks.... I do not think that this will be a very usable cloth. Too much mesh to really be useful, in my opinion... of course, I haven't used it yet, only just getting it finished the other day, weaving ends last night, and not having taken its picture yet. So, I can't tell for sure, but looking at it... Well, let's just say that I won't be making another filet dishcloth for a while....

I tried to design a dishcloth myself over the weekend - didn't work. Part of it did, but not the other part.... I'm working on it in my head right now....

I've been doing some other "ketchup" work - I have half of my UFO goal for this month complete - last night, finished the halfway mark, and started the second half. Very easy to figure out, since my goal is a pair of socks... grafted the toe on sock one and tucked in all the ends, then cast on and did the cuff for sock two last night. No picture - will do that when I have a pair :)

Finally got around to dyeing the last two skeins of wool for the Pi shawl last night. They are now trying to dry.... I am working on the edging. I have a picture of the edging I chose!! I'm much farther along now, but this pic should be enough to show. It's the same edging from the mystery stole aka Leda's Dream. More info on that pattern at Melanie's blog - pink lemon twist.

Oh, you want to *see* the picture? Ok....

Well, let's see....

Not much else going on.... Finally told DH yesterday the last detail about our dryer's demise two weeks ago.... Don't know why I worry so much about what "might" happen. His reaction was not what I thought it would be. He didn't even say anything after I told him why I didn't tell him. Anyway... I didn't tell him the part about how I had called the Fire Dept, because I thought he'd lecture me about having someone in the house especially the basement which is cluttered.

We've been experiencing a few days of blue sky and sunshine. The trade off is that we also get very cold temperatures. But the sunshine is more than welcome.

Um.... Been busy tidying up the house - that wake up call was really something.... Even if the nice gentlemen from the FD said that the boxes in the basement weren't a fire hazard. They were still an embarrassment to me... and they still need to have something done with them.

I need to do some maintenance on my knitwithcats list.... Need to do some review of my past blog entries.... need to set up that sidebar thing so that I can link to more than just one of my free patterns.... Of course, there *is* only one at the moment.... but if I succeed in fixing the pattern I was trying this past weekend, there will be more to follow.....

So... Hopefully, I will get off my butt, and get some of this maintenance thing done. Oh, and also after that scare, I really need to take advantage of the tools I have - camera, cd burner - and do an inventory for insurance purposes.... Like, in case something ever *does* happen....

Well, looks like the computer is about to start its virus scan, which means - I'm going to sign off here, and will try to post more often.... need to take some more pictures :)