We are T minus 3 for Vogue Knitting Live!  I have 5 1/2 rows left of my Stephen West Shawl (these are the 800+ stitch rows) and 19 adorable little miter squares on my Q’mitl.  That’s it.  Do-able.

Thanks to the lengthy World Series game Sunday night (what a game!) and George staying up extra late doing computer work last night, I have had a lot of evening knitting time.  I had hoped to bust out more miter squares (like maybe all 35) last night, but capitulated at 1:00 am with 16, 16 adorable little miter squares, ah ah ah (and yes, I did announce each one like The Count on Sesame Street — and every time George raised his head from his laptop and said “yay, good job!” — such a sweetheart!).

It is not the knitting that concerns me now.  It is the finishing work — weaving in all the yarn ends, sewing up the Q’mitl, and blocking.  Especially the blocking since it is the very last part of the process and it takes time.  Drying time.  Like over-night, maybe even longer.  (Blocking means soaking the piece, squeezing out the excess water, then laying it out to the right dimensions and with the lace stretched out just right — it transforms the piece from rumple-dy crumple-dy knitted fabric to a stunning, exquisite garment — it is an essential part of the process and I would no sooner arrive at the VKL Shawl Soirée in an un-blocked shawl than I would show up in nothing but my under-roos!)

But, as I told Sarah, that is what hotel towels and hair-dryers are for.  And the second queen bed in our hotel room.  So, I am not going to stress out about the blocking. 

The plan today is to get those 19 adorable little miter squares done.  And then lay it all out and hope that those elves that are so helpful to shoemakers show up and weave in all the ends and sew it together.  Ha ha, right?  

So, now, on to the Halloween preparations and festivities!  And, of course, a little knitting in between.