More of the same

We lost power sometime last night in another summer storm, but the day is bright and sunny with a light breeze and reasonable temps. Still, I have this sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop - like I'm on hold and can't make any progress on life. I suspect this has to do with Rick being away, and the process of getting used to the rhythm of my life when he's traveling. Still, with Luc working 2nd shift and Isaac prone to spending all his off-work hours under a car in the garage, things are kind of quiet. And since we're experiencing (relative) calm at work after that big project, it's easy to slip into this relatively unproductive lull. But they say the first step towards dealing with a problem is admitting you have one, so I'm hoping that with awareness and deliberation I will crank up my productivity at home and at work over the next few days. (Also, can I just say that I haven't had any caffeine in about 4 days?)

Meanwhile, I finished the roll-brim colorwork hat I showed you earlier. I think the colorwork chart came from a project featured on The Anti-Craft website, and was originally paired with a chart for an ankh. I was worried that the hat would be too tall by the time I finished the chart, but I actually worked the first row of decreases right into the last row of the chart and I think it worked out fine.

And then, still keeping in mind Baby Scout and his need for a funky hat, I whipped out this green dragonfly number. It started the same way most of them do, with 60 stitches on size 4 needles and a 3-row seed stitch border. But then somehow I went a little further before starting the decreases, stuck in a purl row to encourage a nice corner, and then started with a fairly sharp decrease pitch (knit 3, knit 2 together for the first round). I used purl rounds between the decrease rounds to add a little more stability to the top, and added an extra round of purls and an extra round of "knit two together" at the top center. The dragonfly design was inspired by Franklin's blog; google "panopticon dragonfly" to see his original. And there it be.

So at 10:15 or so last night I was staring at my cotton stash, waiting for the next hat idea to introduce itself to me. And instead, my body informed me that it was time for bed, and my conscience reminded me that I really ought to call Tammy for dimensions and then finish a certain leaf border for a 50th anniversary prayer shawl. (My excuse is that she's been haying, and before that she was doing some massive prep for her son's graduation party, and I don't want to nag her about something she's doing as a favor anyway. But I could probably at least get a decent estimate from her, besides which I'm fairly certain that edge will be longer than the 36" or so of edging lace I have done now.) So again - with conscious determination, I intend to be more productive from here on out. Wish me luck.