All done, . . . or done in . . . .

The Summer Shawlette is done. Knitted, washed, blocked, and tried on.



I'm really happy with the way this came out. I made it about 10 rows longer than the pattern called for, so it went just to elbow length.



It's a quick knit and easy to memorize the pattern. I'll definitely make more of these. I had intended this one to go in the gift box for Christmas, but I just might keep it for myself.

See that tree I'm standing under? It's a Japanese Snowbell which has the most beautiful blooms on it.



Which you can only see really well from underneath. And they must be full of nectar, because the bumblebees seem to really like it. This usually blooms in May, but everything is behind this year due to the cold weather. My mountain laurel, which also blooms in early May along with the azealeas and rhododendrons, hasn't bloomed yet, either.

When I posted about the shawl last week, I wasn't sure that I'd have enough yarn to finish. As I got closer to the end, I was positive that I'd run out before binding off. This project was from my "store bought" yarn stash, so I popped into Joann's to pick up another skein of the same yarn, just for insurance.

So, you know what happened, right? Right, finished the shawl with about 6 feet left. Of the skein that was from the stash. Meaning, I had finished a project and my stash still had the SAME AMOUNT of mass-produced yarn that I started with. Sometimes, you just can't win.

So, my pledge to reduce the "factory built" stash reduction continues. I immediately cast on with the new skein for this reversible scarf.



Smariek has some really nice free patterns on her blog. Go ahead and check it out; I'll wait right here.

I found this one through a Ravelry search for "reversible scarf free pattern", which actually turned up a lot of patterns. But most of them weren't really reversible, only that the back looked acceptable enough to show. This one, however really IS reversible. See:



There you have it, flipped over so you can see both sides. And they're identical! And not too feminine or too masculine. And it's a pretty quick pattern to learn, even if it is a 42-row repeat. I plan on finishing the scarf and making a matching hat. Let's hope I don't need to buy another skein of yarn . . .

One other thing that's finally done is our house. The painters came last week, between rain showers, and finished the last of the outside painting: the rails around the front stoop.



That's right; sixteen months after the Great Flood, joining the Homeowners Association in suing the original builder for construction defects, and having our house de-constructed and re-constructed, inside and out. We are finally done. Just in time for the housing market slowdown. Some days, you're the windshield; some days, you're the bug.