Can't get a title for some reason--grr.

Life has intervened yet again.

Not that I have devoted readers or anything, but if they did, they might have noted that I still have not posted pix nor stories from my Decora, Iowa trip almost one month ago. I have not talked about the natural-colored angora, nor the jacob sheep, let alone the twinkly-eyed little old lady in the "I ♥ My Spotted Ass" sweatshirt.

I have neither taken nor posted photos of the latest huck towels.

The other day when I posted the Lacis link, I actually intended to write about a knit doily (a very, very nice knit doily, exquisitely worked in lace weight on what must have been 000 needles) that I saw for $5.00 in an antique store. I didn't buy it because I don't like doilies, but the whole situation bothers me because I keep thinking about the work that went into the thing--and it's not like it was a crocheted doily. It really was exquisitely done and it's just sad. Maybe someone will buy it and give it the love it deserves.

And the filming is tomorrow and instead of catching up on my blogging or on preparing for the knitting lecture I have to give on Saturday,* I've been doing Sudoku, surfing the net, and fending off a cold and an abscessed tooth.

And I really was going to write up something for today, but I ran across this new book. Apparently, I'm copping out again. Then again, if I didn't admit to it being a cop out, you might think I just had my finger on the pulse of the knitosphere.

In other news, my sister asked me how to measure the length of a knitted item without stretching it out. Here's how I do it.

• Lay** the item on a table, floor, or other flat surface.
• Gently pat it out so that it is neither stretched nor bunched.
• Take your tape measure and tuck it right up underneath your knitting needle. Try to measure in the center of the garment.
• Pat down the tape measure to the bottom edge to get your finished measurement.
• To keep from totally remeasuring every time, you can put a thread marker in at a certain point, say every 5 or 10 inches. That gives you a rough idea of how far you've gone.

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*The lecture will be on nineteenth-century needleworked purses (knitted, netted, crocheted, and more). As soon as I write it, I'm sure it will be fascinating. At any rate it will be done in time for the knit guild on Saturday. Trust me. Much whirring is going on in my brain. For more details on time & directions & such, just ask.

**Confused by the difference between "lay" and "lie"? Remember this:

• Hens lay eggs; people lie down.

In other words, use "lay" for when something is being placed:

• Lay the gun on the organdy-covered dressing table and slowly back away.
• Never lay your hat on the pillow, lest someone mistake it for a cabbage.
• Now I lay me down to sleep (as in I place myself down).

Use "lie" for reclining:

• Feel free either to lie down or to cavort with abandon.