Now time doth waste me

...or that's what it feels like, these days.



I'm not kvetching, really. It's just that the days are so short! There doesn't seem to be enough time to keep house, work, knit, be with people (even my husband...and after all, he lives with me!) and learn new things.



"Learning new things" takes a back seat too often. I need to learn more about code and various ways of posting images, because I know you don't want to have to click on links all of the time just to see what I'm talking about.



Last night I did take the time to dig into a few books to learn about new ways of casting off. I am finally on that portion of my Ultra Alpaca shawl. It's my own design, and I tried about four different ways of casting off.

• CO in pattern. (Nope. Tried it with a needle one size larger. Nope.) Too tight, too flat.


• Elastic CO. No, I didn't like the flatness of the edge.


• Elastic CO with a larger needle...no...


• Small picot CO. Yes. That one. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it, and it adds just enough stretch and curve to work with the edging.

I'm still trying to decide whether to add a knitted-on or crocheted-on border. Nothing too airy, I don't want it catching on things. It's meant primarily to be warm.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e111/lindydiva/000_0954.jpg

Also...I've heard that in spite of being half wool, it really grows when wet blocked. I like big shawls, but the holy terrors are entirely too fascinated by woolly things, especially Than Chai. I could leave out anything, even pure alpaca, and Thai Shan wouldn't do a thing except sniff it politely and walk on.

Would it have time to dry overnight in the living room, even with a space heater next to it?

Time, time, time....