New! And Improved!

I'm trying out new things this month. First off my blog. In an effort to generate more blog traffic (and, I have to sheepishly admit, to fan my fantasies about garnering a book deal), I've decided to post a monthly free pattern here. At least for the next year (maybe longer, we'll see how it goes), I'll put up a free pattern here at the blog every month. This month's selection is the Fleur de Lis Scarf. A perfect introduction to the Fairisle knitting technique and the answer to the common knitting dilemma of "I want my scarf to have vertical stripes, but I don't want a million stitches in a row." I will try to style it a bit more for the pattern photo. Here's how I see it, I'll publish the patterns as .pdf files, and store them on my webpage, with thumbnails here if I can work it out. I've got some things to set up, so have a little patience with me.

My other change is my evening routine. I've decided to cut down on my carbon emissions (no, I'm not cutting beans from our diets) by utilizing more public transportation. So starting today I took the T to my dad's and then walked over a mile to catch the bus that takes me almost home, then caught another bus to take me the rest of the way home. I'm undecided. The whole trip took the better part of an hour and a half to make what is normally a 25 minute car trip. Most of this extra time was spent walking to the bus stop/home (25 minutes and 10 minutes) and waiting for buses (15 and 10 minutes), so my actual riding time was the same. And I do need the exercise. Tomorrow I will see if taking the T back to town and then catching the bus home is more efficient time-wise. I'm kind of hoping it's not too far off because I think the bus I caught may be about to be eliminated. (That's the way my luck runs.)