3 things I'm done with

1) The Jane Jacobs Shawl. I started knitting this design by Kirsten Kapur not too long after it appeared in the book  I Knit New York .  When I photographed the book I was so taken with this design. Kirsten took a technique I always thought of as fusty - mosaic knitting- and made it totally modern  cool. I completed knitting it a few months ago but put it aside  to gift my sister Lulu on her special birthday this week. Out it came to have ends woven in, blocked and delivered.

Happily she loved it (it really is so her). I caught her as she was leaving town so we'll have to do a modeled shot someday.  The yarn is Backyard Fiberworks . The winters shades in it just kill me. Not that you'll be examining it that closely, but on the offchance that you do, I'll confess I went a little rogue on it. I ran out of some colors and changed the section proportions. I will be back to do more riffs on this pattern, I am sure!

2) The United Technologies Corp. Engineer Week Project-- remember that sad tale of the sexist dude  (need to scroll down to item 3 in that linked post to read it) last month who tried to mess with my photo shoot? I'm really happy with how it all turned out, and I especially love this group shot. If you click on the  UTC link above and look at the slide show of individual portraits you'll spy some in front of the propeller that we moved without an all male muscle team.

3) Ok mini rant here, I am done with hearing the word curate , or curated, used about every single dang thing.  It's such a precious way of saying you put some items together. Curating a meal? Nope.  Curating an art collection--well, OK.  One needs special knowledge, and discernment.  My annoyance softened--just slightly--when I looked up the dictionary definition to make sure I wasn't off base.  I read an interesting piece about how the word curate gained a new meaning in the last decade or so, as digital information became part of everyday life. So, the word curate was used as an opposite to aggregate. To aggregate information is to just suck it all into one place, while to curate it indicated information was selectively gathered into one location. 

What word drives you nuts from overuse or misuse or preciousness?  I have quite a few  but I'll tamp the rest down for now and spare you. Although this list has curate and a few others I'd hit as well.

Ok that's all from me, posting as Ms Cranky McCrankpants this week! I know it's not Thursday but I had to get these three things out !