I vow...

Ok, before I get to my vow, I'll share with you what I've been working on... My most recent love is the After-Dark Robe from the first Mason-Dixon Knitting. I had gotten 8 skeins of this mystery DK weight cotton from a yarn swap and didn't know what to do with it. When I am in the bath one of my favorite things to read is pattern books that I haven't looked at in a while for inspiration. One day I rediscovered this pattern which I originally thought I'd never have enough yarn to make...and tada...pattern and yarn find each other. I couldn't find a good public picure of the robe, but here is what I have so far:The bottom piece is the back. I have advanced a little more on the top piece, which is the left front. It looks like this now:In addition to the 3.5" seed stitch borders, I am in love with what will be the exposed side edges. They have you slip at the beginning of every other row so that after it is all done and sewed up, this slipped edge will look finished. I also found that if you treat the first row as the WS, it makes that bottom edge cleaner and matches the side edge.

I am advancing way faster than I thought I would on this garment. It will make a good movie theater project since the back is knit in stockinette stitch for 23" with no increases or decreases.

Ok, and now for my vow. The idea for my vow began several days ago when I realized that I hadn't bought yarn for a while. I thought, wow I wonder if I can make it until the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival without buying yarn. And like many of you yarnies, I thought, hey that's a good idea.

Then Heidi invited me to Crafts and Kisses where her friends Jon and John were selling stuff. RIGHT NEXT TO their booth was Woolarina. Damn, I'm weak. Especially with $4 off all pink yarns. So then I said to myself, ok, I haven't officially made the vow yet. I thought of how I would state my vow in this blog. I am adding this small fact to explain why, oh why, I then stopped at Now and Then on my way home and bought MORE YARN. Sorry, but this cascade handpainted sock yarn is amazing. Here are my new yarns--
Beautiful right? Yeah, I know... so now, officially,

I, EMILY MCLAUGHLIN, VOW TO NOT BUY ANY YARN
UNTIL THE FIRST FULL WEEKEND IN MAY
WHEN THE EAST COAST YARN FREAKS CONVENE
AT THE MARYLAND SHEEP AND WOOL FESTIVAL

**and if I mess up, I will be honest with all of you.

And now, your moment of zen...

Ringo, trying to get rid of his kitten fat with a little feline yoga.
Or, he's just rolling around in the sun licking himself.