Well, this is how close to the end I was when my yarn ran out last night. So close, and yet, so far! But at least I had more yarn to finish it out.

(I wonder if the shawl would have been more cooperative as regards the yarn if I hadn’t left it in the knitting bag so often while working on other things? Or, you know, if it hadn’t been Zephyr.)

Still, it’s done. It just needs to be blocked. I made my shawl smaller than the one in the book for a couple of reasons . . . One, considering the ennui that had set in anyway, if it had been longer, who knows when it would have been finished. (As it is, I started it last May.) And, Two, I had a feeling at full-size it would have been too large for me to wear comfortably anyway. (You can see a picture of the original here.)

It looks like a crumpled mess right now, of course, as unblocked lace always does, but just give me a day or two to get it blocked properly. It really is going to be stunning. Still, though, I want my next lace project to be a FAST one. Like Flower Basket!

Do you know what this means, incidentally? At this moment, I do not have a knitting project at all. I’m thinking the Flutter Sleeve Cardi from the new Interweave Knits would be nice, though. And it looks like it would look great in the green (#008 Moss) Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool I’ve got in my stash, too.

So, what did I do with my day off today? I know you’re dying to know. Nothing much exciting, though. I went to the grocery store this morning to pick up a couple things–but that included the makings for BLT sandwiches (which you know I love, and which my Dad loves, too).

Then, after lunch, I neatened my fiber/yarn closet.

Here’s the yarn side. I was getting some overflow of yarn coming into the stash but not stored in the correct bin. The magazines are still over-flowing their racks but at least, everything looks neat and just about everything is where it belongs. The orange bin and the milkcrate to its left that you can’t see are both filled with sweater yarn. The canvas bins are for (1) sock yarn, (2) lace yarn, and (3) odds and ends. On the right, there’s another milk crate also filled with yarn–that’s usually the “active” yarn–extra skeins for projects I’m currently working on. Although the Kid Silk Haze stash lives there now. Below that are the magazines, basket of knitting needles, sewing supplies, and other crafty things. The bookcase is filled with knitting, spinning, and craft books. The loose-leaf binders on the floor are for assorted, single patterns, and the cardboard box on the bottom left is filled with leaflet/magazine-type knitting books . . . the ones that aren’t quite “books” but aren’t regular periodicals, either. And the blue canvas bin? Filled with sweaters I no longer want that I plan (someday!) to convert to things like pillows or tote bags or something….

Here’s the fiber side. I reminded myself of the fiber I have waiting to be spun and then organized (again) the miscellaneous bobbins and such that just won’t stay organized. Right now, all my Lendrum bobbins/flyers are in that clear plastic bin, all my Majacraft bobbins/flyers are in the cardboard box. The two lazy kates are sitting on top of the Lendrum bun, the spindles are dangling from a hanger in the corner, and all the spinning fiber is in the mesh bin and the basket in the front. Such beading supplies as I have live in a plastic, under-the-bed bin on the floor. (And, the bookcase? Filled with YA and children’s books that I love and like to keep handy. L.M. Montgomery, Diana Wynne Jones, Nancy Bond, Louisa May Alcott, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Sharon Shinn, Elizabeth George Speare, Susan Cooper….)

And, really, except for reading Rose in Bloom and taking Chappy for a walk, that’s pretty much my day! Oh, that, and vacuuming about another dog’s worth of fur out of the bottom of my closet. (grin)

And, lastly, my verdict on I Love Melvin from yesterday? Cute, but not fantastic. Debbie Reynolds looked lovely (great hair, great  clothes). Donald O’Connor did fabulous dancing–the number on roller skates was even better than Fred and Ginger’s roller-skate dance. The little girl playing the kid sister was wonderful, and there was even a glimpse of a really young Richard Anderson (remember Oscar Goldman from the original 6 Million Dollar Man?). But, the ending? Even allowing for the silly 1950′s contrivances in these MGM musical romantic comedies . . . it was the absolute silliest ending to any movie I’ve ever seen. Truly, ridiculously silly. But all in good fun, and that number on the roller skates was well worth the price of admission, as it were. Not to mention making Mom so happy!

• Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Almost // 6 Comments »