Well Mavis, you are not the only one procrastinating. I really should be working on my five page entrance essay, but instead I've been watching the TV to see what went on today with Obama and knitting on my shawl.

The shawl pattern is Mystic Waters designed by Anna Dalvi and I'm knitting it in Misti Alpaca. I will say it only took me two years, but I have learned to finally add safety lines.

The first time I tried knitting this pattern two years ago, I only made it about 1/3 of the way through it. I spent more time ripping out what I knit than actually knitting. I finally stopped and left the project for 18 months, until this past weekend when I ripped the entire shawl out. On my trip down to southern CA, I started the shawl. Again I tried without safety lines, but by today I decided I needed them when I had to rip out 10 rows because I dropped a stitch and could not figure out where.

I'm now through the first 100 rows and have been adding safety lines every 6 rows. I cannot quite get myself to put them farther apart because I'm so afraid of having to go back so many rows again. However, what these lines have done for me is give me more confidence and I've only needed to go back part of a row to correct an error. So I'd say that is a massive improvement.

I only need to go another 132 rows and I'll be where I was before ripping everything out. And I only have another 227 rows to go before adding the finishing border if I go for the large shawl. I'll see where I am when I get to row 268 and decide at that time if I'm going for the smaller or larger shawl. :)

In the morning I will be working on my essay. I need to finish my first real draft in the morning so that I can get my essay totally finished by Friday and then work on my application and getting my transcript. After that I'll still need to make sure my 3 letter of reference writers get their references in, take a timed writing test, and wait to see if I get in. And all this is still contingent on Mr. Myrtle having a job or I will not be able to afford to attend in the fall.

-Myrtle, who is working on my procrastination degree