Best Quote I Heard All Day

The Ninety-Ninety Rule of Project Schedules: The first ninety percent of the task takes ninety percent of the time, and the last ten percent takes the other ninety percent--Arthur Bloch

This weekend was exceptionally gorgeous. Much time spent on the deck, in a bathing suit, working on the Campanula's final piece, the second sleeve.

Those two pieces hanging over the railing are dry. I just stuck them there for lack of a better place.

Besides, it made a close-up easier.

The Other Ninety Percent

So now I've finished all the pieces to the Campanula cardigan and now you can see why you must make the effort to block your work.

To the right is an unblocked sleeve, to the left, a blocked front. Don't need to say anything else. As I write this, the shoulder seams are done and I'm about halfway done picking up the front/neckband edging, 337 stitches. The sleeves always go in last, unless it's a raglan, because I don't need the extra weight as I work the band.

Knitting Daily

Don't know if any of you have tapped into this, but Interweave has just started a new bloglike creation, with access to free patterns, many of which were freebies for subscribers via their website or from older issues, I think. Sandi Wiseheart writes it, and although it's certainly a running ad for IK subs, it has a lot of good stuff. Nicely designed web site, too.

The Barbara Walker Chart Project

I've completed several of these transposed chart and now the question is, how am I going to archive them so they will be easily catalogued and downloaded? I have several options, one of which is to put links to them on their own blog, which I may do. The original files will be on my FTP area, which means that you will be able to download the original file. If I just put the chart right on the blog, the size would be too small.

My hosting service offers free MySQL, which is a database, for those who don't know. However, as these charts will be saved as .png files, I'm not yet sure whether I want to go the database route.

It amazes me that some people hate charts. For one thing, they allow magazines to publish much more complex designs than they could if the directions were written out. Plus, they decrease the margin of error enormously. If you look at a 40-row lace pattern written out against its charted version, it's not hard to understand why. And if you train your eye to read them, you'll find that they ultimately make your work much easier.

My own sainted mother fought against learning how to read charts for years. And finally, several years ago, she gave in. Now she hates working without them because she is very visually oriented. So if a woman who's going to be 84 in two months can use charts, what's your excuse?

Upcoming Events

One of the best things about a Sunday morning is often a phone call from Ted. We talk about once a month or so and although I'm not much for chatting on the phone, damn! Ted and I can talk for hours. Just to keep you in the loop, if you read Ted's blog, you'll know he's planning a knitters retreat the last weekend of September. I am going. I'll make the drive from NJ to Canada, absolutely. Because this will be worthwhile.

And then there's Rhinebeck, aka NYS Sheep & Wool Festival. This year, it's October 20-21. I'll be there too, along with a bunch of Wolvies. I can't imagine what I could possibly buy, having taken a keen look at my fiber stash this morning. I'm still feeding from stuff I bought at Rhinebeck two years ago.

However, it's a ways off until the autumn. So I'll continue my rare and handy swimming, and start on a shawl for daughter Jenn. "Because, Moooommmm, you made Corinne a shawl for her wedding last year, what about ME?" No, Jenn's not getting married. But ya gotta make your kids happy. So that's next.