Indulgences

I've had a pretty stressful week. Phil and I have been debating whether or not to purchase a house that's up for sale in a rather pricey neighborhood we both really like, and it's been exhausting. I may be a champion planner and mental-masturbator, but even I have my limits.

Thankfully, the issue has been resolved (we're staying put for now), and it's time to lay back, relax, and smoke 'em if you got 'em.

In lieu of a postcoitus cigarette, I've opted to indulge in some knitting. Pure pleasure, straight up "shirk your responsibilities" knitting. I'm talking, of course, about Mystery Stole 4.

I did Mystery Stole last year. It was my first lace project, my first time working with beads, but I didn't care. Over 6000 people had signed up for this thing, and I wasn't about to miss out on all that fun.

This year I was a bit reticent, since the designer isn't Melanie Gibbons of Pink Lemon Twist, but rather her mother, Georgina Bow (who, in all fairness, has designed some lovely patterns of her own). Still, it just wasn't the same...

Then when it was time to sign up, I thought "Eh, I'll sign up, just to have the option available to me to do it or not", still with no real intention of actually doing it. OK, fine, I rooted through the stash, found some appropriate laceweight, and bought some coordinating beads, but I for sure wasn't going to do it. (I WASN'T.) I didn't even swatch (and we all know I'm a diligent swatcher - STOP THAT LAUGHING!)

Fast forward a few months, and the mentally exhausting weeks we've been through chez Dear Knits? The first clue was released today. I haven't swatched, I'm not even sure if I've got the appropriate yardage for the project (last year I used JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk and I had way too much, even though the pattern said we needed 1000 yards)... And yet I'm helpless. I'm SO casting on for this project tonight. Just you wait and see. It'll be great.

Happy Knitting Everyone!