Here's to Autumn...and KARI WELSH!

Over the weekend, I finished the behatred Can You Forgive Her? AND finally blocked my Texas Red Oak (aka Nikol Lohr's Woodland Shawl).

Today I finished the beloved Woman in White (along with other stuff), got an inch closer to the end of Fashion Police's shawl, AND started Lulu's second Pseudo Sock (aka Redscot's Traffic Island socks). Soon I can cast on No. 1 Grandson's hat.

But it gets even better: tonight the fabulous, the wonderful, the completely awesome Kari Welsh made me a custom peacock nostepinde!! Knitters and lovers of fine woods, you must see this lovely creation!

I'm so glad autum is finally here...

Trying to please the Fashion Police...

...a/k/a my second daughter. Now in her mid-20s, LK still changes her clothes several times daily and is gravely offended by others’ fashion faux pas. Especially mine.

She wants a shawl for Christmas, she says, a practical one just for snuggling on the couch. I haven’t knitted anything for her since beginning doctoral studies two years ago, and she feels neglected. How about this pattern, or this, or this? I ask. Too frumpy, too blah, too humiliating, she replies. How about checking the Ravelry site and finding something you like, I suggest weakly. As expected, "practical" in FP speak means “beautiful and delicate.” The verdict: it must be the Aeolian. But no beads. “Charcoal.”

Oh, right! I'm not falling for that one--I have spent many hours shopping and arguing color with FP, and I'm not about to guess about which color carried by an on-line vendor is FP-worthy "charcoal." So I begin forwarding her photos of yarn options. She pronounces “the third one the hottest.” But what’s the NAME OF THE YARN, I ask, because heaven knows which she opened third. Could I send them again? She had already deleted the prior messages.

And so begins the saga of the Fashion Police Shawl….