Slow and Steady

seems to be the motto of my summer. I'm still working on the back of my Josephine top. I love the how nicely the mercerised cotton shows off the stitch work. It really is quite lovely! Now that I've reached the allover mostly stockinette section, I think the rest of the back should zoom along nicely. I've seen some other very pretty Josephines out there in blogland. A lot of folks have substituted ribbon or leather for the knit cord. From what I've read, others have spent tons and tons of time doing the finishing work on this project, which involves picking up hundreds of stitches around the neck and hem. I'm planning on finagling some crochet solution to avoid all that. There are currently two lovely, albeit wintery, sweaters laying about waiting for buttons and a zipper to be sewed in. Clearly, finishing is not capturing my fancy these days.

Hopefully the lovely Josephine will not be relegated to the same fate....

House update:

While I have been lax in knitting and blogging, I have been quite effective around the house. Please note the BEFORE shot if my kitchen. Points of interest include:
1. Crappy, but new range - recalled for lack of a heat shield and propensity for setting homes on fire.
2. Hole for a dishwasher, but no dishwasher
3. Third-hand 2/3 size fridge held together with packing tape and mold. Undoubtedly leaking CFCs into the atmosphere.
4. Ugly, chipped up laminate countertop.
5. Not visible behind the door on the left: hook-ups for a washer and dryer, but no washer or dryer.
6. Microwave on the countertop, ineffective range over the scary stove
7. Also not visible - the sink is about 1.5" deep and the hot/cold water is hooked up backwards

DURING
Please note: there are no electricians, plumbers, or handy-people in the shot. While the kind Azerbajiani men from PC Richards hauled the appliances upstairs, the Husbeast and I installed everything ourselves. We hooked up water, electricity, and gas, and STILL haven't blown ourselves up.

AFTER:
1. New appliances installed!
2. Lovely granite counter top installed!
3. Walls painted!
4. Double crazy deep sink and goose neck sprayer faucet installed!
5. Not visible: ugly booby-looking light fixture replaced with halogen track lighting!
6. Ineffective hood replaced with microwave/hood combo!
7. Empty dishwasher & washer/dryer holes replaced with actual appliances!

The knitting will undoubtedly remain slow and steady throughout the summer. I hope to keep the home makeover updates coming fast and furious!