Did y'all get the September Knitpicks catalog in the mail yet? I got mine yesterday. The cover is so pretty - I especially like the looks of the pink yarn. Anyway, the reason I mention that catalog is that I want to warn you about something. When you get your catalog, turn it over. See? Cute purple mittens and hat! No problems here. Now, gently lift the back cover and peek inside. NOW SHUT THE COVER! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT THE COVER! Still with me? Shudder. That's just horrible. But even Knitpicks has to come out with something weird once in a while. 99% great, 1% weird. Not a bad record.

Yesterday was our annual blueberry picking adventure at Mercer Slough. Besides lots of tasty berries (over 7 pounds worth!), we also saw some very pensive frogs. The best bit was when I stood up from my squatting picture taking position, and all the frogs simultaneously jumped away in different directions. And today on my deck, I caught a moth sunning himself on my basil. Ah, critters.

Voila! Here is the pink and orange hat that I started at the Mariners Stitch n' Pitch, finally finished. Oh yeah, it's too big for me. Which is quite big, since my head is 23 inches around. That is only 2 inches smaller than the football player who was on The Daily Show because he head was so big it couldn't fit into a standard football helmet. Or is it 2 inches smaller than the largest head in the National Football League? Well, it's something like that. Wow, I can't believe I just disclosed that, considering that I am as of yet unwilling to post my mug on this website. For all you know, I could be deep in witness protection. In 1978, I testified against the inventor of the granny square poncho in federal court, and I've been living on the DL ever since. It could be true.

Here's a quick break from... well.... not posting.... to share some of the most horrific woolcrimes I've ever seen. They are scary, furry, chafing, sparkly, and downright dirty. I don't speak German, so I have no idea what this website is all about. Are they selling these items? Is it a cautionary tale? Is it so cold in Germany that one needs a furry, cabled swimsuit? Ach.

The flower basket shawl is complete! I don't think I'll ever wear it! Anyway, here it is, pre-blocking: And being blocked: The pattern does flatten out pleasingly, and it's a cute little lace shawl. And we know how much I dig the orange. As I put in on for the first time, the person I modeled it for gave me a sideways look and said, "You're going to make a great old lady." So maybe this is one for my nursing home trousseau. I think if I were cooler, I could probably pull it off. It fits in with the whole boho look. Match this shawl with a tiered peasant skirt, a gold metallic hobo bag, and some $900 sunglasses, and you've got yourself a nice outfit. However, it is hard to see where this shawl will fit in with my summer uniform (khaki capri pants and a camp shirt) or my fall wardrobe (jeans, sweater). In any case, the yarn cost about $6, it was an interesting pattern, it kept me busy for several weeks, and the finished piece is a nice objet d'art. I'll just pack it in mothballs and send it to Shady Acres right now.

I've been behind on my posting, but the knitting is coming along! I'm only about ten rows from finishing my Flower Basket Shawl. For anyone who is thinking of trying this pattern, I would recommend first doing a similar pattern with a smaller number of repeats, like the Branching Out scarf from Knitty. Frogging 25 lace stitches is much easier than 200. Then, do the FBS. I started on the FBS, and it was like torture - one row forward, two rows back. I put it down and took up Branching Out, then I went back to the FBS. With trepidation, I assure you. It turned out that all the practice I got on the BO scarf really paid off - the rows flew by and I barely frogged back at all. Anyway, that's just my advice. Now I'm on the brink of finishing my most complicated project ever, and I'm very proud. Pictures will follow shortly, I assure you. I also just took a look at Knitpicks new fall yarns. I'm glad to see the increase in variety, but a little sad to see that they're selling pricier yarns. If they get too complex, too fancy, maybe the prices on everything will go up. I also wish they had more variegated yarns. And have y'all checked out the Knitty surprises? I was surprised. But since criticizing Knitty patterns invariably leads to angry comments, I'll keep my mouth shut. And yes, the title of this post comes from my new favorite summertime indulgence. Oh, it's delicious. I can only hope that this is even worse.