Finished Chevron Rib Tank!!!

Other bloggers have photos of their knits modeled with backgrounds of flowers, trees, beaches, and sunsets. But where else do you get knits displayed against a fence and a hint of a heat pump?

Pattern: Chevron Rib Tank (free pattern from Interweave)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Malibu Blue, a little less than 2 skeins
Needles: Size 5
Changes to pattern: I knit this at a tighter gauge than the pattern calls for, to size it down some from the schematic. It fits pretty well. It says to crochet around the neck and armhole edges. I did the armholes but decided that the neck looked fine without it. An honest opinion or sheer laziness? You be the judge.

I wasn't sure what to do with these 2 skeins of Cotton Fleece and really liked how this looked. I wasn't sure how flattering it would be on my hourglass shaped figure and was a bit afraid it would make me look like Dolly. It kind of does in this picture but you short, shortwaisted girls with big boobs know how almost every picture does that to you! In real life, it looks pretty nice. I think I'll wear this a lot, even though I'm a little paranoid about what I'm showing off to the world in the back (it's shorter than the front and doesn't have that point). Just don't walk behind me, and your view will be fine.

This was easy to knit and wouldn't have taken much time at all if I had done it straight through.

Lipbalm Addicts!

Lesley came out of the lipbalm closet in my comments section yesterday. I should have known when I started a blog that there would be at least one post extolling my favorite lipbalm. Lesley likes Kiehl's, and I do too. (BTW, you referred to yourself as an enabler. You aren't by chance a member of MakeupAlley, are you?)

But my very favorite is Smith's Rosebud Salve. I've been using it for a few years now and love it! Unbeknownst to be until a few months ago, my family has used this stuff for many years. This is kind of neat. My grandma was at my house one day and saw my tin of Rosebud Salve on my nightstand. She was shocked that it was still around because it had been years. She told me that they used to use it when they were children. My great-grandfather owned a small country store in eastern Kentucky (where I'm from), and she thinks they sold this there. I gave my grandma a tin (my Rosebud Salve stash is bigger than any yarn stash I have), and she's loving it still too! I use it for lipbalm and even cuticle cream in a pinch.

Obligatory Dog Picture

I leave you with a photo of how to make a boy Terrier very happy. We planted a few bushes in my backyard last week. That equals 4 prime new toilet spots for the Parkie-Man. He spends all his time sticking his head in the new bushes and lifting his leg on them. It takes so little to make him happy. I'll spare you the Parker lifting his leg pic, in favor of "Parker the Investigator."