I am in the final phase of Clapotis having started the decrease rows.  As much as I have enjoyed this pattern, I am glad to be just about done.  The Berroco Suede is great yarn – it looks exactly like suede – but I am growing impatient of working with it.  It sticks to every little patch of dry skin or callous on my hands, is a bit prone to splitting and for some reason gets twisted as you pull it from the skein and I feel the need to untwist it as I go. Here is a close up. We are going on vacation next week and I hope to have this finished to take with me.

To further my bitching and moaning about this project – and I would like to re-iterate that I have indeed enjoyed knitting it – the problem with the stated yardage is really sticking in my craw.  The pattern calls for 3 skeins with 205 yds./skein.  This gives a grand total of 615 yds.  At this very moment, I am on my 7th skein of the Suede and I am not finished yet.  There is no question that I will be using an 8th skein to finish and I may end up using a 9th! The suede’s yardage is 120 yds/skein. 

Yes, I checked my gauge.  I believe that I got gauge.  I am however open to mathematical errors and am willing to concede that perhaps I am not knitting to gauge.  If that were true, is it possible that I am this far off gauge?  And so are many other bloggers doing this project?  Why doesn’t Knitty put some kind of note in with this pattern?  I can’t say for sure that I would have knit this in the Suede, if I knew what I would be spending in yarn.   Then again, I have stated that I need to get past my whole ‘knitting as a way of saving money’ mindset – which is downright laughable. 

Enough about that – onward and upward.  Here is my Fry Up progress.  It has now officially entered the danger zone here at Chez Swine.  Component pieces are finished – all that remains is to line it and attach the zipper and seam it of course.  It is now in danger of never being finished.  This is the way I operate, it’s nothing I’m proud of.  I also need to run to the fabric store because I want to find the perfect lining.  This project has a lot stacked against it. 

Let me tell you that our Kathleen not only has shit on her shoes, she has shit on her brain. (which, by the way Tracy says is good luck!)  When I showed her my Fry Up she proclaimed that my sausage looked like ‘poo’.  Despite saying it in a very genteel way, she’s a real lady she is, the fact remains that she thinks my sausage looks like shit.  She said it more than once.  She got the others involved.  Ricki and Peggy agreed and they were all sitting here in my den saying the word ‘poo’. Over and over again, ‘poo’!  The size, the shape, the color.  But when you are knitting a sausage, how do you not make it look like ‘poo’?

Where does this leave me? 

Now that it has been said, will I be able to forget it? 

Can I un-ring this bell? 

Will I wander this earth with my Fry Up wondering if my sausage looks like poo? 

Shall I just knit some toast? 

maybe that Kathleen should be the one knitting me some toast! 

go over there right now and tell her!

I had the ladies over for food and fiber today!  Kathleen came and brought me my prize for cheating on her blog contest — fancy tea!!  We heated up the kettle and enjoyed a cup.  I have been quite remiss and never posted a picture of the adorable tape measure and lovely sock yarn she gave me — and since I am sitting in my comfy chair typing this, it’s not looking good for posting a picture today either!  I shall paint a picture for you — it is one of those sheepy tape measures and when you pull his tail out comes the tape!

Ricki and Peggy were also here and we are all planning on knitting the Flower Basket bag from the latest issue of Vogue.  The yarn is ordered (we ordered the Burley Spun) and as soon as it arrives we shall start!

Now before all you other bloggers get jealous, wishing we lived close by so we could all sit and knit together, let me tell you that you take your sanity in your hands when you cross my threshold.  With five dogs in the house – one puppy and one old man pooch who is prone to puking – there is never a dull moment.  Here is the afternoon’s scorecard:

• two throwing ups
• two shoes stepping in dog piles (I swear I scooped the yard!)
• chewing on one Coach bag (quickly caught, thank God)
• four chewing on shoes (mostly stopped in time)

It’s a good thing I bake a mean cake, otherwise people would never visit!

What do you think it means when a person dreams about Barbara Streisand coming to them requesting a Fry Up beret?  And having long, meaningful conversations with Ms. Streisand regarding the merits of bacon vs. sausage?