I love it when a plan comes together. I'm working at home this morning (on more Powerpoint stuff) because both Yard Boys and Cabinet Plan Check Man are coming - Yard Boys to size up their job, Plan Check Man to, well, you can figure that one out. After months of spinning my wheels (not a fiber reference) things are finally moving in the Bossy Doghouse rehab project. Maybe, just maybe, I will have a new kitchen and new backyard in place by Memorial Day weekend.

I need to buy new yard tools for the Yard Boys - I don't have much right now. Most of my husband's old tools were in the yard when he collapsed (because he was working on the backyard on the weekends until he weakened dramatically in June of '01). The tools sat in the backyard during that long summer following his diagnosis and lengthy hospitalizations through fall, and they rotted and fell apart. I've only replaced a few things because most of what I did so far was done with a rake and trash bags, but now we're into the heavy lifting portion of the project so the boys will need a good wheelbarrow, shovels, etc. Time for another visit to Home Depot.

Wednesday night out was good - I won't call it Girls' Night anymore - lots of laughs and good conversation and even some business shmoozing, not bad. I came home and worked on the third Critter Knitters blankie, which is moving along. This one will be a bit bigger, say 36 inches square, for a larger dog. I have plenty of Homespun in Mission, I can make at least two good sized blankies, plus one more small cat-sized blankie in green. They go quickly, they are mindless, they are perfect pre-bedtime knitting.

I'm getting the urge to cast on a shawl - either the rectangular tulip lace shawl in Patons Katrina from the Patons "Elegance" pattern book, or the slinky Fiesta Yarns Gelato and Rayon Boucle shawl pattern I picked up in Fernandina Beach. I'm a little nervous about knitting with the Gelato - not the knitting, really, just the handling. This yarn is slinky it's almost a liquid, and I think it will be challenging to handle - but also so gorgeous when it's done. This will be the summer of shawls and small things. I'm going to finish up the Lo-Tech Sweat, seam it and Bardot at the same time in a marathon of sweater sewing, then concentrate more on charity knitting. That seems to be where my knitting muse is shoving me, so who am I to argue?