Today's Blog Brought to You by the Letter B

B as in Blog.

B as in Bathmat.

B as in Bane of my existence.

So I figured, hey, I'm in an apartment, got a full time job, living with someone I love, why not spruce up the place? I have four pillows I made on the couch, a welcome mat in front of the door, many washcloths in the kitchen/bathroom, I'm working on table settings, why not a bathmat? In fact, I have the perfect yarn already, a turtleneck I bought at Goodwill done up in a cotton blend yarn that had no business being an oversize turtleneck. So I can kill two birds with one stone (use up the turtleneck and make a bathmat) and save some money, as Lee was ready to go out and buy a bathmat.

This was almost a month ago. The turtleneck has been turned into balls of yarn, ready to be crocheted. In fact, half of it is crocheted. It's one of those projects where you spend an entire movie working on it, and it looks the same as it did beforehand. And one corner is weirdly stretched out. Why? I have no idea. Probably just to bother me.

So, we've been using the half-done bathmat anyway (with the hook still attached at the corner, how's that for laziness?) and every other day Lee asks me when I'll finish the $%&%^ bathmat. I now have a goal/deadline/plan. It is one of the projects that I must finish to get down to 25 projects before I can cast on for my Mystery Stole (and make the two cute and rather simple skirts I want to make before we go to New Hampshire the first weekend in August, and start either Tempting or Blaze, and start Christmas presents, and...). I have two sweaters, both mostly done, before the only project standing between me and 25 is the bathmat. Sweater #1 will be done soon, as I have about three inches left to go, and then a night on the blocking board ought to finish it off nicely. The other one is about 75% crocheted, and then it will need to be seamed. Once seamed, I need to dye the rest of the yarn black to do the edging and embroidery border and buy some beads for the neck opening. That all will get done after the Great Yarn Purchase is in, as it contains the black dye and the bead purchase will be made after everything is dyed so I can get the kinds of beads that look best with the yarn as it is. My Lopi cardigan will be finished when I make the bead purchase, a pair of socks will be finished with a few hours' knitting once I get the Great Yarn Purchase in, so that leaves 3 projects to finish ASAP. One just requires thread to attach button eyes. The other two are the first sweater and the bathmat. Let's see how I do with the deadlines now...