Hmmm, I don't need a total hiatus - just a day of time management (no computer after morning coffee) was so good, I now know that this is how I need to balance my time. Surfing blogs can become a time eating monster, I am now on an Internet Diet as well as a Yarn Fast.

I watched "From the Earth to the Moon" on TNT last night, (I'd never seen it, it's excellent) while starting a Harlot Poncho in my faux-Manos. Love the pattern, it's perfect for good TV - has just enough interest on each row, but plenty of stockinette that I can fly through while paying attention to the show. I'm about 8 inches into it and I'm really happy with the yarn and the pattern, the yarn has that slightly rustic look that goes with the retro Harlot Poncho style. It's a soft denim-y blue with subtle color variations. I know that Wisdom says that when working with yarns like Manos you should work off two skiens at once to minimize any color differences, but I found when I did that it blended too well and the soft color shading didn't show as much as I wanted it to, so I'm going with the one skein at a time approach. I may regret this later, but I put all the skeins under the Ott light and contemplated them carefully, and only saw one that really looked "off" compared to its siblings, that skein won't be used.

I did have to go down a couple of needle sizes from the Harlot's suggestion, even with the thick yarn the suggested needles created a fabric that was too "airy" for my taste. I guess I'm a looser woman, gauge-wise, than the Harlot.

I'm looking forward to a big, soft blankie of a poncho I can throw on when I have to take the dog out in my jammies - trust me, at 5 a.m. putting arms into sleeves seems like way too much effort. I think I have enough yarn for a maching hat if I want one. Screw this "am I too old to wear a poncho" stuff, I'll wear one if I want to.

I hardly ever feel my age, and I'm told I don't look it. Brief commercial for Olay Regenerist - (no affiliation, yada yada) - damn, that stuff works! Last night I was brushing my teeth and staring blankly at myself in the bathroom mirror, under the very strong (too strong) light I hope to replace someday (way too bright, way too hot)and realized that my skin really does look markedly better since I started using it. I mean, seriously. The faint lines I've had since my late 30s are basically gone, and my skin surface is much smoother and finer looking. I'm very impressed.

My goal for October is to catch up on the real world - more completed projects, more time with friends, lots more exercise as the weather gets cooler, and there's actual fun on the horizon. Fun is good.

Murphy's at my side, telling me it's 6:30, which on a weekday is time for me to hit the shower. I don't know how this dog tells time the way he does, but he's frighteningly accurate. Yes, he's Bossy, but he's also amazingly useful about it. I'm off to start my day.