T - 225 {days}

Thank you, everyone, for the incredible response to my scheme! I have been flying high!

The first thing I did today was check the actual number of days until the new year. As of this morning, I had 225 full days to accomplish my goal. Merope is almost finished with testing, and I have yarn, sketches and ideas. I'm feeling good right now, but definitely not complacent!

Ironically, almost the moment I announced my quest, something else popped up. I had submitted a few designs to a magazine, and I found out yesterday that one was accepted. I will receive yarn next week, and the completed project is due July 5. One month to complete a secret project while designing and knitting small shawls, and your assignment, should you decide to accept it dear readers, is to keep me on the straight and narrow!

I've been working on my garter stitch Merope today, in between kid wrangling and making shawl pins. It's difficult to believe that this lump is going to block out beautifully, isn't it?

I always believe in some small part of my mind that this time, the magic won't happen and it will stay a lump forever.

I was flying along on my mortal Merope (having completed her nymph personality) and discovered, much to my annoyance, that I had done something stupid.

I hate it when I do something stupid.

I mean, really, who could knit half a row in pattern and then continue in stockinette the rest of the way? It seems that the answer is :drumroll: me. Sigh. You may be able to see in the photo below that the pin on the right goes through an eyelet and the pin on the left goes through...garter stitch. I fixed two of them and then Ms. Merope was put in time out.

Out came the yarn I have been obsessing over. Because really, even though I loved the pink yarn above in the skein, I get tired of looking at it on the needles. But I never get tired of Yuck Green.

This particular one was Karen's mistake. She hated it; I loved it. With a passion. She all but made me promise that I wouldn't design a pattern with it so she a) wouldn't have to figure out what she had done, and b) wouldn't have to look at it again. I don't know how to break the news to her. :/

This is the stitch pattern I have been obsessing over. Will they get along well? The next step - swatching - will tell.

In mid afternoon, the cloudy, rainy day began really wearing on me. One of the difficult things about what I do is the comparative solitude. I say comparative because the kids are around all day and I referee supervise them while they are doing their school work (we home school). So really, there are other people here, but sometimes I really miss going to an office every day and having to get out of the house.

Lucky for me, a dear friend of mine was having similar feelings, and we met for coffee and a treat.

I came back with a whole different attitude. :)

Home made split pea soup, home baked bread (courtesy of my fabulous husband) and salad for dinner tonight!