Stop the Presses!
I started the first sleeve for Aran Go Round on Size 7 DPNs, but I was getting a funky-looking ladder between the needles on the reverse stockinette fabric. I don't have a 40" cable to try the famous Magic Loop method. Am I dead in the water? Why, not if you use the fabulous new Magic Loo method! No, Magic Loo is not a mystical British bathroom, it's a new method created by me that's begging to be published in a book and will make me millions of dollars! Bwah ha ha ha! (thuds back to earth) What? You mean someone else may have thought of this before me? Rats.

Let's all do the Magic Loo! Pull the right-hand needle & cable out as far as you can. Move stitches forward onto left-hand needle, and knit the round. The single loop travels around as you knit, and disappears at the end of the round. Pull the right-hand needle out, and repeat the sequence. Easy squeezy. Can I have my massive book advance now, please? No? Oh, well -- can't blame a girl for trying.

New Aran Go Round pictures on Monday.

It's (Not) Just My Imagination, Running Away With Me
A reader asked me why I've had so many 70s-inspired blog entries. Hey, it's not just me going through an introspective phase. All the latter-year Boomers are just hitting or are into their 40s, and our collective "look back" is being reflected in current popular culture. That 70s Show has been a hit on TV for several years. VH1 is running I Love the 70s. Volkswagon successfully reintroduced the Beetle. Even Clairol Herbal Essence and Breck Shampoos are back on the shelves. But I swear it wasn't me that brought back bellbottoms … those puppies were bad enough the first time around.

So don't fight it … pour yourself a glass of white zin, turn on the Lava Lamp, and pop Saturday Night Fever into the DVD player. Which brings up the question: Do you think John Travolta ever looks at himself in that movie and thinks, "Damn, I was hot!"