Illusion of Progress

Here's how far I've gotten on Kristin's blanket.  

I am now up to 80 stitches on each side. I figure it will take about 220 stitches per side to get it to a nice throw size. This project feels like it is moving along nicely, thus the illusion of progress.  My progress will slow significantly because I am adding 8 stitches every other round.  Each pair of rounds gets longer to do. I am glad that I decided to use the Fibanocci pattern.The rounds where I switch colors after only 1, 2 or 3 rounds keeps it interesting. It is only until I get to the 5-row or 8-row colors when it gets a little tedious.  Halfway through the 8-row section, I'm looking forward to the 1, 1, 2 and 3 sections.

Here's a little money saving tip.  Last year I bought one of those foaming hand soaps from a retail chain that specializes in fragrant soaps and body sprays.  I liked the foaming soap because I wasn't using as much each time I washed my hands but still getting my hands clean.  After the bottle ran out, I filled it with hand soap from the local grocery store.  But this didn't work out as well because the thick soap didn't come out nicely.  Then I had an idea.   I remembered noticing that the foaming hand soap wasn't as thick as the kind from the grocery store.  Maybe cutting it with water would help. Here's what I do now each time the dispenser needs refilling.

Fill the dispenser no more than 1/3 full with liquid hand soap.

Add water until almost the top.  You need to leave al little room because the pump takes up volume in the bottle.

Screw on the cap and shake vigorously to mix the water and soap.  It will stay as a nice homogeneous mixture in the bottle.

And there you have it!  The $4 refill bottle of liquid hand soap is lasting almost a year.  The original foaming hand soap retails for over twice as much.