Snail Spirals

OK, so it took me two nights, not one, to finish the doily. If I had been paying attention to what I was doing instead of the Tour de France, I would have been done sooner. As it was, I had to take out the third-to-last round TWICE. Grr.

Anyway, it's done, and after a wash, 45 minutes for pinning, and a heavy starch, here it is drying.



I starched this one much more than I usually do, because the points are mostly chains and don't have much structure.



You may have noticed that my version looks different than the picture shown with the pattern. I'm not sure what's up with that. I followed the pattern as it's written, but the chain loops around the outside edge of mine are much too long to form nice rounded scallops like the model in the pattern. Either it's a typo (not unheard of) or my chains are looser/triple crochets are tighter than the designer's. I decided that rather than modifying and redoing the last 4 rounds, I'd just block the loops into points. I think I like the original a smidge more, but I do like the way the pointed edging looks like tulips. So I'll leave it.

On the docket for fibery work today:

• Finish Emma's ladybug dress. All that's left is sewing on the buttons, which I picked up when I was off-island yesterday.
• Turn this into a sachet. I got the fabric for the lining and backing yesterday as well.
• Finish plying the brown wool for the Sheep-to-Shawl warp. Everyone else finally finished spinning their singles, so now I can ply.
• Prepare one last piece of hardanger for framing. This just involves attaching a piece of lining fabric behind it, which I also picked up yesterday. I don't have a frame yet, but it will have a 6" square opening, which won't be hard to find. I was supposed to get this yesterday, but I forgot in my rush to get back to catch the ferry.

On the docket for non-fibery work:

• Clean the bathrooms.
• Clean the cat box.
• Laundry, mine and Emma's.
• Change the beds.
• Load and run the dishwasher.
• Pick up the constantly-renewed piles of toys.
• Vacuum the newly uncovered carpet before the toy piles reappear.
• Mow the yard.
• Clean out the roof gutters, which haven't been cleaned since the house was built (only 2 1/2 years, but still...) and actually have weeds growing in them.

Notice which list is longer. Notice which list I wrote first. Which one do you think I'll actually finish?