So, I think I've decided to make a Ribby Cardi in these two colors. Because of color availability in the yarn I'm leaning towards, I moved away from my original pink and green thoughts to this more tonal pairing. But the combination has a retro feel that has really sunk into my brain and become unshakeable. (I'm not normally a retro person, but right now I'm loving the idea of these greens. A mom at school recently got a Timbuk2 bag in similar greens, and I loved it, too, the minute I saw it. But, I have to admit when I've played around with plotting my own Timbuk2 colors, I keep ending up with pinks/reds and or pinks/greens together. I'm in a rut, what can I say. I thought this pink obsession was just post-pregnancy hormones, but it may be here to stay.)

What I can't decide is if I want to make the sleeves in the light or the dark. Thoughts?

I like the light green "best," but I think the sweater might look best with a dark body and light sleeves.

For those of you that have already made (or ordered for) a Ribby Cardi, am I reading this correctly from the ChicKnits site:

"Sleeves & Trim: one third of total yardage + one ball in contrast color..."

So that's 1/3 of the total yardage PLUS an extra ball of the contrast color?

I ask because at Elann (which is not the yarn I'm using but is the yarn recommended), the yardage requirements say this:

"...with sleeves and trim using 1/3 of total yarn, when knitted in two colors."

The "extra" one ball isn't noted here.

By the way, I was thrilled to find a KnitPicks catalog in my mailbox last night. When I picked it up, I instantly knew it was different ... heavier. Yes! Inside there are samples of four of their new yarns. Cool!

I don't have a lot to report... or maybe it's more accurate to say I don't feel like I have a lot of time to post. That's not to say I haven't been knitting, however. I have.

I had taken a mini-break from my Must Have over the last week. In odd moments, I'd perch on the arm of the couch and work on My Charlotte, instead, while overseeing the boys play. I dream of being able to sit in a chair and knit, but the yarn dangling is still too much of a temptation for the youngest. He managed to grab recently at just the right angle to pull a section of My Charlotte off the needles. So, I've taken to perching up high.

At any rate, it was nice working on My Charlotte for a while. I'm up to the last two rows of what I refer to as Section 7 (using Color 4).

I also spent some time last week swatching different lace combinations out of the KnitPicks Shimmer from my mom. I may end up using it to make the Flower Basket Shawl instead of something original. I haven't decided for sure. I did finally (a couple of weeks ago) find my copy of the Fall 2004 Interweave Knits that has that [very popular] pattern in it. I found ALL other issues from 2004 first. But, I finally turned it up.

(Hey, I finally turned up my iPod mini charger and cable, too! I'd about given up on those, but I found them by accident when looking for an Elann mailer I knew I'd gotten that had samples of their Peruvian Wool Chunky.)

I still am enamoured with Chai Silk from ArtFibers for that project. So, I haven't totally made up my mind. I'm not starting it until My Charlotte is finished anyway.

The photo of My Charlotte isn't exactly current. I took it a week or so ago, when I wasn't actively working on the shawl. But, I haven't showed it before. All you've seen are the skeins from when I started, so this is a good look at the first 4 colors worked up. The colors are just so pretty. I love it.

After the mini-break from the Must Have, I got a chance to work on it some yesterday and finally got past the decrease point on the back. So, definite progress is happening there.

I'm hoping to finish both of these projects before June 23. (To some of you, that sounds like a no-brainer. To me, getting enough time to manage completing both by then sounds questionable, but it's still my goal! Of course, I'd also like to lose 7 pounds by then, too. And I know that probably won't happen!)

(PS - It's really not nice for publications to email out rejection letters on Mother's Day!)

Well, the photo from my last entry looks much the same, but you can see the full section of color #4 and the introduction of the final color. Almost there! I've started the last section. It's only 16 rows, two of which I've done, but the final 14 will take a while. Those of you who've made it know that they just get longer and longer and longer, but as those of you working on lace know, the call of 'just one more row' is seductive!

I've done a little knitting every night, and My Charlotte is what I've been picking up. Whether it's just that I feel the energy of being 'close' to completion, or whether the whether has just been too warm to make my Must Have as compelling right now, the shawl has definitely been getting the attention. Hopefully, it'll be ready to come off the needles by this weekend and then ready for some edging before blocking. I think I might do something like the ruffly edge shown here instead of fringe.

Since I really don't want the fringe on this Charlotte (despite the fact that mom's turned out so pretty with the fringe), I've spent some time googling and looking at other edge treatments bloggers have used on their Charlotte's Web shawls. That's one of the great things about knit blogs - they provide such a wonderful repository of ideas, finished objects, visual examples, tips, and tricks.

In truth, while I turned up many bloggers "thinking" about what kind of edging to use, I didn't turn up many specifics regarding alternate options.

The ruffly edge I pointed out the other day is still a contender, especially since she kindly sent me the info on how she did it. Alternately, here is a simple inverted shell Annie used that caught my attention for its quiet yet elegant simplicity (click on the "close up of the crochet edging link"). I'd have to see if the library has a copy of the book for that pattern, however, since I don't know off-hand how to create an inverted shell like that.

On a non-knit note... can anyone fill me in on last night's season finale of Gilmore Girls? Our DVD was set to tape, but something happened, and it didn't work. So, we know the promo was saying someone asked someone to "marry me," but we don't know what happened.

This pile of markers can only mean one thing. My Charlotte is off the needles!

Yes, I finished the last two rows last night while watching the ER finale. It was a strange feeling to cast off each eight stitches and then toss one of the markers back into the bag. Hearing in my head the rantings from my rough blocking session with my Mom's Charlotte back in October, a problem we ultimately attributed to either a too-tight cast-off or a too-tight foundation row of the crochet edging, I made a concerted effort to cast off really loosely. It felt almost floppy, I was casting off so loosely.

I was, however, also running out of color #5. That didn't happen with Mom's Charlotte, which goes to show you that even repeat knitting isn't a cookie cutter process. So, as I was casting off with exaggerated looseness, I was also keeping my eye on the very small wad of yarn hanging off the side of the bed.

I finished with about 12 inches to spare.

Holding it up in the dim light of the bedroom, it was, indeed, beautiful. I don't know why, but for some reason I was having a very mystical almost Mists of Avalon moment looking at it. Holding it up, however, the cast-off edge still didn't seem as floppy or stretchy as I was expecting it to be. Hopefully, in the blocking process, it will have more give.

I'm thinking of doing the "soak it" before blocking process instead of just misting it with water repeatedly until it's wet enough in the hopes that soaking for an extended period of time will relax the fibers enough to make the whole process easier. (In Lavish Laces they soak the lace items first.)

I still haven't made a final decision about the edge, but I don't think I'm going to want to wait long to add the edge so I can block, which may mean the ruffled edge since I have directions for that one. I may have to look again at the inverted shell from Annie's shawl. I've been thinking about it, and maybe I can figure it out - or something similar. I've done my share of crochet. I did check, and the library system here doesn't have the book she referenced.

Going with what I already know does sound easier!

Photo 1

Photo 2

Still uncertain what edging I am going to use, I did the row of single crochet around the edge of Charlotte in preparation. Then, I started playing and came up with what you see in picture #1. I actually like it. Though it isn't exactly what I intended when I started, the effect is almost like little nubby bobbles. M. refers to them as rosebuds. (These are bad pictures, but hopefully you'll get the gist...) Waiting for M. to give me her opinion, I thought I'd try something else, and came up with what you see in picture #2. I like it too, which really confused me.

I didn't try another one. The reality is that crochet is so easy to change and experiment with and come up with new stitch combinations that I could easily have sampled dozens of edging treatments in a short amount of time. But, I am afraid I would have just ended up more and more perplexed, unable to select and commit to one.

I haven't decided which of these I'll use. Photo 1 probably is in the running, but my mind isn't 100% made up. Both are sort of "short in stature," and I'm just not sure which one really fits the overall image of Charlotte.

Which do you like?

Thanks to everyone who emailed me yesterday with an opinion on the edging for Charlotte. I should have pictures tomorrow to show of the edging in place.

I've got a hodgepodge of links...

• Article at Time.com: The Mommy Brain: No, diapering does not make you ditzy. Motherhood, argues a new book, makes you smarter
• Aren't these modeling dolls just adorable! The sweaters are just too-cute, too. But I love the whole ensemble.
• I found this line at MamaCate's: "The home decorating, never a strong suit, has turned to a feng shui-like balance between Fisher Price Little People and yarn."
• Adorable sideways baby outfit made from Opal first spotted here at Ana Purls.
• Sign-up for Secret Pal 5 is winding down. I deliberated a long time, but ultimately I couldn't resist.
• Isn't this a beautiful yarn/colorway for Steph's Branching Out?
• This is a beautiful finished Paisley Shawl at Tigers in Red Weather. It's the same colorway of Shimmer I have.
• Not knitting-related, but a parenting blog entry I ran into at Halley's Comment.
• Ummm: "AutoBlogger uses a sophisticated Artificial Intelligence algorithm to 'read' the public entries of your journal/blog to triangulate a sense of your writing style. From that point forward, any time you hit a writer's block, want to take a vacation, or simply wish to step away from your computer for a few days, AutoBlogger can be set to take over, using what it has learned about your posting and writing patterns to author original content in a voice consistent with your existing prose."