it's a good way to start the week — a zappos delivery!  A bit of late night internet browsing resulted in these on my doorstep.  Now I just need the temperature to drop a bit so I can take them out walkin'!

  
This is Feather Duster by Susan Lawrence.  Here are my Ravelry deets.  The yarn is Pashmina by madelinetosh.  It was a quick and satisfying project and would be perfect for someone new to lace knitting.  Love the yarn, love the pattern! 

I was told by a certain someone that my blocking job was not up to par, so that same certain someone has taken it off my hands to get those lace points extra pointy.  We believe it was my failure to use blocking wires along the edges as well as the top. 

And here I was thinking it looked perfect.  Once I get it back I will take some more pictures to show what a professional blocking job looks like.  Although my pig Martin doesn't seem to mind!

 When you take a picture for a blog post you never know what's going to happen.  I took this picture over the weekend.  It was morning, it wasn't blazing hot yet and I was sitting outside content with EVERYTHING!  

Which I can still say about two of the three things in this picture.  You see that mug?  I bought two of them at Rhinebeck last year and they are my favorites.  I need to buy two more because I am such a big baby I try to only drink my coffee from them.  I need more to sustain me between dishwasher runnings!  do not try to suggest handwashing.  I lived with that dream for a week or two, but sometimes you just have to accept the reality.  I have and I have moved on.

You see that knitting bag thingie?  That my friends is a Namaste Oh Snap bag and I adore these!  At first I thought they would 
 simply be great for project toting and organizing not to mention a few steps up from my ziploc bag system.  Although I have many dedicated knitting bags, these are good for carrying your project(s) within the knitting bag – keeps things together and untangled.  Plus those snaps are easy and fun to manipulate if you are like me and a freak about details like that.  snap.snap.snap.

All of this aside, the Oh Snap bags are fanf***ckingtastitc for working with multiple strands of yarn!  You simply put each strand between the snap area and off you go – no more twisted messes!  When you switch colors, you just flip the bag and the yarns untwist and ^voila you are set!  What could be better?

Do you see where this is going?  Yes, that knitting in the foreground?  It is no more.  It is not nice to speak ill of the recently departed, so I will not mention what a total pain in the ass that pattern was.  Futzy and hard on the eyes.  It was a pleasure to rip it out that's what a pain it was!   Instead I will tell you that the Jade 2 ply awaits its reincarnation (the pattern was a pain, the yarn is a dream).   I have been searching ravelry all last night and have come up with an idea or two …..

It was and continues to be a scorcher around here.  You will be happy to know that the pugs have found ways to beat the heat!
 

why yes, the pugs have a pool of their very own!