Weirdy Pants

Is there any better place to lose your dog than 1000 miles from home?

2011-12-31T09:19:00.000-05:00

The MWP, Teddy and I have been in Florida since Tuesday. The MWP is here to support an event for work and Teddy and I tagged along for fun. Whenever The MWP's role in the event is done, he can do whatever he wants. Yesterday, he had to work quite a bit, so Teddy and I were cooped up in the hotel for most of the day.

We decided to drive west and see the Gulf of Mexico and walk Teddy while we were there. We all piled into the car and drove, but the first beach we found closed at sunset. Undeterred, we drove further south and ended up here, which was also closed (by this time, it was 7:30 PM and the sun was long gone), but there was still some beach access along a causeway that led to the park. We unloaded Teddy, who started sniffing the air and getting excited as soon as we opened the car door.

Remember how I've called Teddy our 110-pound toddler? Just like a toddler, he can get overstimulated and melt down. We only walked for 20 minutes and the joy of the salty air, sand and all the smells was suddenly too much for him. He started running around in circles, whipped his head around suddenly and his collar flew off. Then he spun around and was gone, sprinting down the sidewalk.

There is a reason that a Great Pyrenees should never, ever be off a leash when they aren't in a fenced yard. A Great Pyrenees has a priority list and what you want him to do is not necessarily on that list. If Teddy doesn't want to come, I could be waving a steak and he wouldn't come. So we sprinted down the sidewalk after him, calling and calling and watching him pull further and further away from us. Dude is FAST and he was drunk on freedom.

I remember thinking "I can't lose another dog so soon" but as soon as it started, it was done. Teddy doubled back to greet another dog and we were able to grab him and get his collar back on. (I would have tackled him if I had to, but it didn't come to that.) We went immediately to the nearest open pet store and about a harness, just to keep him more secure until we can put another hole in his collar. Teddy's neck must be an odd size because the next smallest collar is too small.

Teddy was so wiped out from his 2-minute adventure that he fell asleep as soon as he got in the car. I was so hysterical that he wouldn't come near me for the rest of the night and of course, I wasn't wearing sneakers when we chased him, so the foot that has the heel spur in it is screaming at me and I can hardly put any pressure on it.

I can't stop imagining how very, very bad it could have ended (I am a worst-case scenario person who is prone to obsessing) but everything is fine. I hope that the rest of our stay here is much less exciting!

Just in time...

2011-12-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

Last week, I finished knitting my sister's Christmas present. I was cutting it closer than I liked on time and much closer than I liked with yarn. I finished with two feet of yarn to spare. That was really, really close.

Pattern: Melia from Little Red in the City
Yarn: Berroco Comfort in Delft Blue

I never did hit gauge but was able to knit the next smaller size to compensate. If it fits me, it will fit my sister. Plus, she likes things baggy.

Did I mention that I'm happy to be done?

Maniacally happy to be done?Yes? Ok, then.

A Tale of Two Trees

2011-12-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

It became obvious soon after we adopted Teddy that a full-sized Christmas tree was not going to be possible this year. Our house is small and Teddy is large. Small living room + large, galloping dog who likes to taste everything + Christmas tree = bad, bad things.

"Madam, I am offended by your insinuations."

I didn't think we would be able to find a tiny live tree, plus we will be away for a bit, so we decided to get a small tree. I found a package of two small, pre-lit trees at Target. Naturally, I got them all set up and discovered that one wouldn't light, but there were no more small trees left in the stores, so rather than return them and get nothing, I plopped the unlit one on the kitchen table. Festive!

I feel like we have the Goofus and Gallant of Christmas trees.

Goofus refuses to light and has to be banished to the kitchen.

Gallant twinkles merrily with holiday joy.

Of course, last weekend, I saw cute little tabletop Christmas trees. And then I slapped myself in the forehead. Maybe next year. In fact, maybe next year, I'll set up three trees.

I am really phoning Christmas in this year. I really cut back on the decorating and decided to ditch holiday cards altogether. Strangely, people have been horrified by this, by the fact that I don't have time or ambition to spend a lot of money mailing cards that will either end up in a landfill or recycled. Every year, I have sent them out and every year, I sit down and feel like I should write something inside. By the time I'm done, it is all I can do to not sign it "Well, here's your card."

Plus, my address book was in my computer that went kaput, so rounding up everyone's address again is a task that I am not up to for now. Perhaps I will feel more festive next year.

The consolation prize

2011-12-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

We gave Teddy a bath last week and as his consolation prize, we bought him a bag of organic pumpkin dog cookies. I didn't realize until we got home that they were shaped like teddy bears.

I feel like we bought him Teddy Grahams for dogs.

Let the record show...

2011-12-05T22:58:00.000-05:00

...that today, December 5th, is the day that I finally snapped to my senses and dumped the rest of my holiday knitting.

Oh sure, it started off simply enough. A sweater for my sister! I started in October, so as to finish with plenty of time (This, by the way, is still on track and I am not woried about finishing, although I am really, really ready to be done. Really.)

Then I thought to myself, "Self! You should knit toys for the nieces for Christmas!" Then it was "Self! I bet your SIL would love a shawl for Christmas!" (and I really think that she would.) Finally, the pinnacle of insanity: "Hey, self, why don't you knit your BIL a hat for Christmas? He would probably wear it, he lives in New England." (Did I mention this is the BIL who barely speaks to me and last year, at Thanksgiving, talked to everyone but me?)

And so, the list has been ruthlessly trimmed. Knitting toys was dumped on Cyber Monday, when I found a really great deal on Crayola toys. Knitting for my BIL was dumped whenever I remembered that he treats me like a second-class citizen. My SIL will get some lovely yarn and an equally lovely pattern.

What finally made me regain my sanity? These simple words: 19 knitting days left until Christmas! *gulp*

The Office of Cuddles and Cuddles, Inc...

2011-12-02T22:27:00.002-05:00

...is now open.

Seasonal shift

2011-11-30T22:09:00.000-05:00

I have a rosemary plant that I've managed to keep alive for about three or four years. Every spring, I move it outside and every fall, I move it back inside, cross my fingers and hope that the furnace-dried air doesn't kill it.

This year, I was later than usual moving the rosemary inside and we had had a few cold snaps. A week or so after I moved it to the kitchen, I noticed that odd little bumps were starting to appear on the plant. I decided I had finally killed the poor plant by mistake and wrote the bumps off as a weird plant disease or, heaven forbid, bug eggs.

The buds pictured are past the "bug egg" stage

Why I didn't move the plant back outside when I thought there were bug eggs in the house, I have no idea. But! A few days later, I saw these adorable purple flowers.

Cute!

I had no idea that rosemary could flower. Wikipedia tells me that it flowers in the spring and summer. Did the colder temperatures outside and warmer temperatures inside trick it into thinking it's spring? I have no idea, but I suddenly feel like some sort of horticultural wizard.

Great Pyrenees are not landscape designers

2011-11-22T23:09:00.001-05:00

One thing I always read about Great Pyrenees is that they love to dig. Teddy only discovered his love of digging over the summer, when he started excavating the neighbor's foundation. It gave him a nice cool place to lay and over time, he forgot about that hole and the grass grew back.

Then, he started digging out our flower bed. Then he scraped off some grass behind the swing. Then he went back to the flower bed and dug out all the plants ("But I heard you say you hate weeding! I'm just trying to help!"). Then he started another hole near the fence near the front of the house. Then it was a shallow hole near his original hole.

His latest work can be seen on the right side of this photo.

He isn't digging because he's trying to get out. He isn't digging because he's bored. He's digging because it's fun. And maybe because it annoys me. Sometimes I think he's trying to create the moat I'm always threatening to get to keep the neighborhood's annoying 'tweens away.

He's also scraped a significant part of the grass off. It's been very rainy and his favorite game to play is "I want to run around in circles and bark while you pretend to chase me." It finally got to the point that I was afraid he was going to slide in the mud and break a leg.

The solution? Grass seed, covered with a layer of straw so that the whole thing is more solid. It's just like an adobe brick patio!

There is so much hay out there that I half-expected to look outside this morning and see a live re-enactment of a nativity scene. Or maybe just a few goats.

Things and Stuff

2011-11-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

Thing the First: The Hamster is nameless no more. From now on, she shall be known as "Chippy" because Julie mentioned on Flickr that the stripes on her cheeks make her look like a chipmunk. Random fact: I can't see a chipmunk without blurting out "CHIPPY!" whether I am already in the middle of a conversation, sitting here by myself, in the car...I can't help it. It's a weird verbal tic. Our backyard hosts a rather large chipmunk population. You may now begin pitying The MWP.

Thing the Second: Look! I made a sweater!

It's Leaflet and I knit it with 2 skeins of Eco + in the Pumpkin Spice colorway. I added a pattern repeat because the pattern as written would hit me at a most unflattering place. What's that? You want to see the front?

Well, fine.

I added a removable sweater closure from Jul because the open fronts flapping around drove me crazy. I enjoy this very much.

Thing the Third: Oh, hey, look, I also knit a hat!

It's a shop sample. The pattern is Lace Edged Women's Hat and the yarn is called Milky Whey. It is super soft and all the colors are very subtle.

Thing the Fourth: I am currently knitting my sister a sweater for Christmas. I believe I mentioned it before...oh yes, here it is. I have been very diligently knitting away and have finally worked my way down to the hips and the pockets. It is an oversized sweater and it is now large enough that I can't fit it in my bag to drag it to work with me. This is where I feel like I should have a photo of it, but I don't. So picture a big, blue, sleeveless very long sweater. There you go.

Thing the Fifth: Now that the end of the sweater is in sight (theoretically), I have the mad urge to knit EVERYONE gifts. NO. NO NO NO. no.

Thing the Sixth: I have been keeping this blog for seven years, as of November 4th. I suppose that would have been relevant if I had actually mentioned it on November 4th, but I forgot.

I believe that brings us all up to date. Happy Monday.

Name that pet

2011-11-08T22:18:00.001-05:00

I never mentioned that Hamwich died in September, did I? We knew it was almost time. At some point over the summer, almost overnight, it seemed, our sprightly hamster was replaced by an elderly, white-haired hamster. But she was 2 and this was not unexpected.

We started looking at Petfinder for a new hamster when we got back from the beach. We adopted a fuzzy little golden hamster from the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society last week. Apparently, there is a family that brings in several litters of hamsters to the shelter per year. Several. Per year. Look, I am not a genius, but it is pretty easy to keep hamsters from breeding. Keep the hamsters in separate cages. The end! Look at me! I'm a genius! Someone alert the Nobel Prize committee!

ANYWAY.

Now, we have a problem.

We have had this hamster for a week and she still does not have a name.

We have been referring to her as The Hamster (which sounds like it should have a TM after it).

For heaven's sake, please, help us name The Hamster (TM). We enjoy wacky names (my favorite of all our hamster's names was "Tweedles." My sister once named one of our hamsters "Pickles.") She is fuzzy and reminds me a bit of an Ewok, but all the Ewok names that I have been able to find are boy names.

The shelter had her listed as "Cinco" in their database (the entire litter was named after Spanish numbers), but I think you guys can do better than that. Internets, name that hamster!

Better late than never

2011-10-30T19:56:00.000-05:00

Most people are surprised that we usually go to the beach in the fall, but it's really the best time to go. The weather is usually still warm (emphasis on usually) but not oppressively hot and humid, the tourist season is over and costs of renting a house or hotel room have dropped. Plus, people like me who dread the coming winter can pretend that it's still summer for just a bit longer.


Just like summer, but with 100% fewer people.

This was the view from our deck. We had a tiny private beach!

Remember that I said it is generally warm during the time of our visit? It was unusually cold while we were on the Outer Banks and I spent most of the week wearing a jacket. Hurricane Irene had passed through the area about five weeks prior to our arrival and a lot of the homes around ours (we stayed on the sound side of the island) had extensive damage from flooding. All the standing water meant that there were clouds of mosquitoes everywhere. Unfortunately, between the wind, the cool temperatures and the crazy mosquitoes, we didn't get to use the deck as much as we wanted to.

I highly recommend having your own little beach, by the way. You get prime views of sailboats, fishing boats and dolphins in the sound. The photo opportunities aren't half-bad, either.

We didn't intend to see sunrise, but a certain dog had to pee.

We've already rented the same house for next year. Only 48 weeks until we go back!

Bored out of your mind? Check out the whole photo set here.

Our vacation can be summed up in pictures of Teddy

2011-10-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

You know how, sometimes, when you get to your destination, it takes you a bit to unwind and take it all in?

And then you start to relax and decide that you can get used to this vacation thing.

Then you take in your surroundings and ponder the meaning of life.

(Disclaimer: he was probably just pondering the most humiliating place for him to go to the bathroom.)

Sometimes, vacations can be exhausting.

Maybe you dress differently than you do at home....

...and you remember how much you like the sand between your toes.

And then somebody throws you in the car and makes you go home, which makes you sulky.

But that's OK, because you can pester them until they promise to bring you back next year.

Finished Stuff Friday: Oh, hey, I finished this three months ago

2011-10-14T21:39:00.002-05:00

I spent a significant amount of time this summer knitting a top for myself on size 2 needles using linen yarn. I was hesitant to try linen. It's just so, so....crunchy. But I knit a swash, washed it and threw it in the dryer a few times and the reward was a piece of fabric that I loved so much that I carried it with me in my knitting bag to remind me of what was ahead of me when I finished.

Pattern: "Lace Saddle Tee" from Interweave Knits Summer 2010
Yarn: Louet Euroflax Sport Weight in the Willow colorway
Notes: Size 2 needles! That is dedication. (or possibly insanity)

The entire garment is stockinette stitch, with the exception of this lacy saddle on the shoulders:

I loved the end result of knitting with the linen, I'll be looking for more excuses to use it again next summer!

Into every knitter's life, a little high-stashing must come

2011-10-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

It is one of knitting's little jokes, I think, that just at the time that you have 1) rediscovered the joys of stashing yarn and 2) need to start a sweater for your sister for Christmas that suddenly you just don't feel like knitting.

I knit a pair of mittens while we were away. Here is a sneak peek:

It is only a sneak peek because they are blocking and I still need to do a bit of duplicate stitch as a finishing touch.

This is the sweater that my sister asked for for Christmas. I will very happily knit it for her because she is my sister and I adore her. Plus, she told me that I knit "really bitching things," which is a very high compliment, indeed. She may also earn herself a pair of socks at a later time for the tone of admiration in her voice when she said it.

Also! In the Joys of Stashing category, this is the yarn I bought on vacation:

Sea Star Hand Paints Barefoot in "Octopus."

Ellyn Cooper's Yarn Sonnets Zohar's Socks, "Purple Iris Swirl"

And lately I've been pouncing on the Madeline Tosh yarns we have at Natural Stitches:


Tosh DK in "Isadora"

And...um...this does not include the Tosh DK that I have on layaway at the shop in the Byzantine colorway. (HI HONEY) Yvonne said to me, "You know, I used to look to you as the voice of restraint." Yes. Well.

I have plans for all of it. As soon as I get this Christmas gift done. Yes

2011-10-11T06:06:00.001-05:00

We are home! And I have many pictures! Pictures that I can't show you because my Mac is undergoing some surgery (and really, it is 5 or 6 years old and generally performs like a champ, so no complaints here) and when I tried to upload photos on this laptop, I could only do it one. photo. at a time. You will have to wait for me to bore you with my vacation photos.

In the meantime, look! I made yarn!

I spun this with 4 ounces of Abstract Fibers Blue-Faced Leicester in the Autumn colorway. I used a 1-ounce Dyakcraft spindle, then plied on a 2-ounce Louet spindle. After plying, there were 281 yards of heavy fingering weight yarn. When I learned to spin, I swore that I would actually use the yarn that I spun, so now I need to find the perfect pattern. I'm thinking of some sort of cowl, maybe a moebius cowl. I absolutely love the colors, they look exactly like the leaves that greeted us when we came home.

Ten

2011-10-01T09:30:00.018-05:00

Ten years ago today, I married my favorite person. We had a hush-hush wedding, attended only by the mayor of Punxsutawney, who acted as our officiant, and a bunch of oblivious kids playing hacky-sack.

Ten years, three rentals, one house, several jobs, two dogs and many hamsters later, here we are. I'm not exactly sure where the last ten years have gone, but damn, they have been fun.

The traditional tenth anniversary gift is tin or aluminum. We prefer sand. Be back in a week.

(The modern anniversary gifts for anniversaries 8 and 9, according to this page, are legos. Legos! We really dropped the ball on that one.)

Finished Stuff Friday: Fleurdelise

2011-09-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

Another Friday, another shop sample, this time knit with the softest, squooshy-est, loveliest yarn that I've ever touched (squooshy is a technical term, don't you know).

Modeled by my lovely coworker Monica.

Pattern: "Fleurdelise One Skein Triangle Shawl" from Fickleknitter
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 in the Plumelle colorway (although I have seen similar skeins marked as a different colorway)

ZYG Serenity 20 is absolutely lovely. It's a merino wool, cashmere and nylon blend and it is a small miracle that the shop's entire stock of it hasn't managed to come home with me. In fact, if I had a nickel for every time someone made a comment about Teddy looking like a polar bear, this is how I would outfit myself.

An ode to sedatives

2011-09-28T18:49:00.002-05:00

Sedative pills for Teddy: $15 (the vet gave extra for later visits)
A vet visit in which Teddy didn't attempt to bite someone's head off: priceless.

I gave Teddy two pills (as prescribed) two hours before his appointment. Twenty minutes later, Teddy had a glazed look in his eyes. Ten minutes after that, I caught him staring at his feet, like "dude. where did these things come from?" Ten minutes later, he was looking at the stove with a puzzled look on his face.

The vet and her staff were beyond awesome and did everything they could to make Teddy's first real visit comfortable for him, even going so far as to examine him in the waiting room rather than take him to a proper exam room (he doesn't like being in enclosed rooms, for whatever reason, and she said we would just take things slow). He absolutely loved the new vet. Even in his doped up state, he can still charm anybody.

Now we wait for the sedative to wear off. Teddy is a bit tipsy and off-balance, which is uncomfortably close to how Rufus was when he was sick last fall. Teddy tripped and staggered before we went to the vet's office and all I could remember was Rufus's first night in the vet hospital , when he tried to make a break from the intensive care room and went careening into a counter because the tumor made him so dizzy.

The vet said, "Yeah, maybe one and a half pills next time."

Pleasing symmetry

2011-09-25T19:49:00.002-05:00

September 23rd would have been Rufus's 7th anniversary with us. In an interesting twist, September 23rd was also the one year anniversary of the date that Teddy was pulled from the Bowling Green Humane Society and taken to Ohio to start his recovery. (If you recall, Teddy was severely underweight and had double pneumonia. Poor dude.).

Teddy has been with us for 6 months now and it's been interesting (and frustrating, at times) to watch him come out of his shell. In many ways, he is a typical Great Pyrenees and while I knew what they were like, I didn't know. This is sort of similar to the way that everyone knows that babies cry a lot and don't sleep at night but until you have one and are deep in the trenches, you don't really know.

Teddy, like all Great Pyrenees, is horrifically stubborn. From the Great Pyrenees Club of Western Pennsylvania:

Pyrs were bred to be left alone with the sheep up in the mountain valleys. They are a guard dog by instinct—not training. Their basic personality is different from most breeds, most breeds were bred to take commands from people, Pyrs were bred to work on their own and to think for themselves.

When homeboy decides he doesn't want to do something, it is very, very difficult for us to get him to do it. We have to trick him into realizing that it's in his best interest. Our friends, of course, think this is hilarious. It is, I guess, but when Teddy is absolutely insistent on going outside and refuses to come back in at 2 AM, a sense of humor is often the first thing to fly out the window.

Ironically, when it comes to guarding, Teddy is not a typical Pyrenees. He will notice when something is different and stares at it and thinks about it to decide if it's a threat to the flock (the flock = us. baaaaaaaa), but most Pyrs bark. A lot. Teddy doesn't bark unless he wants to play. Actually, I take that back, sometimes he barks at bugs. He barked at a stinkbug in one of our stairways a few months ago. I was in the laundry room and his barked echoed down the stairs and I almost had a heart attack, right there in front of the dryer.

Teddy never, ever barks at the doorbell. He doesn't even seem to know what it is. In fact, he doesn't seem to understand a lot of indoor things; it's one more sign that he was probably tied up outside and left to fend for himself. He also doesn't know that ovens are hot and I'm waiting for the day that I hear a yelp from the kitchen and find that he's burned his nose.

He does understand cooking, however. I call him my little sous chef.


"Needs more pepper."

Teddy is not really suspicious of anyone, unless that person is in the veterinary field. Vet offices are definitely not his favorite place to be. Unfortunately for us, Teddy has some joint problems. One of his front feet was broken at some point before he came to us and as a result, one of his knees turns out. Eventually, this is going to throw pain up the leg and possibly down the spine. He seems to be sensitive to pain and anticipates it at a vet's office. Throw in the fact that he does not seem to have been handled much in his former home and you have a recipe for trouble.

We had an incident at our previous vet's office, which you may have heard if you followed the saga on Facebook. Teddy had a wart on his face which our previous vet apparently just...ripped off. He responded to this by yelping and then snapped at the vet tech and the vet. We were then told that if we could not "get our dog under control," he would not be able to be seen at the practice again. Needless to say, we are now seeing another vet. We've been taking him by the office for visits, just to get him used to the new building and the staff (there is always heavy duty bribery involved) and this week he is getting his shots. I am very, very nervous, so keep your fingers crossed for all of us.

I am also 95% certain that Teddy has been beaten. If you accidentally step on him and he sees that it was you, he runs away and hides. However, things can turn nasty if he is in pain and surprised; then he feels the need to defend himself. When we were in Connecticut, my FIL accidentally rocked on Teddy's tail while he was asleep. Teddy shrieked in pain (I've never heard him make this noise before), jumped up in the air, turned around, nipped my FIL and ran away. He didn't break the skin and once Teddy settled down and realized what he had done, his eyes got huge and he ran back to my FIL, buried his head in his armpit and attempted to climb into his lap. The whole thing was over in seconds and it's a sobering reminder that we really don't know what he's been through.


"Jeez, who are you, Debbie Downer?"

Of course, there are plenty of good things, too. Teddy is friendly to everyone. If we come across anyone while we're walking, I know that he is going to want them to pet him and love on him. He hates to actually get IN the car, but once he is in, he settles down and goes to sleep. He is a total cuddlebutt and will often climb into bed for cuddles after The MWP goes to work.

Teddy went through an obedience class over the summer and he really liked it. Great Pyrenees are hard-core working dogs and it was a great opportunity for him to use his brain. In fact, for the rest of the night after class and for the next day, we were rewarded with this:

A tired dog is a good dog.

We'd like to sign him up for another class. He does really well at basics, but the facility where the class was held made the instructor reduce the length of the class from 6 sessions to 4 sessions. The last 2 sessions were rushed and I think he could benefit from taking it again. Of course, taking the obedience class doesn't change the fact that...

...the breeds strong independence may at times require extra training and proper socialization. Simply put, it is NOT the sit, stay, roll-over, fetch type of dog and will usually pass on such activities as in the Pyr's mind, it does not see the point in such tasks and sees it as a waste of energy. Most Great Pyrenees can be trained for most routine things, such as sit, stay, come as well as agility work and carting, however it is rare to see a Pyr that will respond instantly to its owners command, regardless of how well trained it is.

And you know, people just don't GET that (this includes our families). I get the impression that when somebody sees us having problems with him, they think that we're clearly idiots with who have no idea how to deal with a dog and that if we tried X, Y or Z, he would do what we wanted. We deal with it the best we can. Patience and a sense of humor is a must with Teddy.

Oh dear, this has gotten very, very long. Long story short. Teddy is cute. Teddy is funny. Teddy is smart (our trainer called him a philospher). For making it to the end of this, your reward is this: a picture of Teddy in which he is neither annoyed, nor asleep.

"Your leather shoe? I don't know what you're talking about."

I just wanna ply

2011-09-21T21:07:00.000-05:00

While we were on vacation, I spun all the fiber that I took with me. This meant that I could no longer delay the inevitable: it was time to learn how to ply. Oh sure, I could leave my yarn as singles, but I wanted it to be balanced, plus plies = strength.

I bought a bigger spindle because there was no way that all that plied yarn was going to fit on my 1-ounce spindle. Then I grabbed the singles that I had from the fiber that I learned to spin on and had at it. I had to do some refining to my technique. I had originally planned to fashion a lazy kate from a shoe box, a knitting needle and bobbins made from toilet paper rolls. However, this didn't work out so well during the actual plying. The singles were coming off at different rates and I spent more time getting things situated than actually plying.

Through the magic of the interwebs, I landed here, which is where I had my forehead slapping moment. I could just wind both bobbins into one ball. No creating a center-pull ball. No fiddling with a homemade lazy kate. Just let the yarn unwind, spin the spindle the other direction and ply.*

Here is a sneak peak at the results:

I'm hoping to ply the rest this weekend (spindle plying makes for tired shoulders) and then it's soaking, thwacking and then the fun part: picking the pattern!

* The same page mentions the Andean plying bracelet. I've to manage fiber by wrapping it around my wrist and found having something on my wrist uncomfortable, so for now, I'm sticking with plying from a ball.

Finished Stuff Friday: oh crap, what do you mean it's Sunday?

2011-09-18T06:39:00.000-05:00

I love to knit samples for the shop because I get to play with new yarns and use patterns I wouldn't necessarily knit otherwise (for whatever reason). I'm probably the last person on Earth to knit this pattern:

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (aka February Baby Sweater) by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Zitron Unisono, colorway 1295
Modifications: The pattern calls for knitting the yoke and then knitting the sleeves flat before proceeding to the body. I put the sleeves on waste yarn, knit the body and then knit the sleeves in the round.

This was a quick and fun knit, although the long color run of the yarn made for a test of my sanity.When I reattached the yarn for sleeve #1, the color was relatively close to the body color. When I reattached the yarn for sleeve #2, the color difference made me twitchy (to say the least) and I ended up ripping it back and re-knitting it using the other end of the yarn. The change is still noticeable, but my eyeball no longer twitches when I look at it.

The Heirloom

2011-09-14T07:52:00.000-05:00

There comes a time in every couple's life together when it becomes apparent that they have very different ideas about what should be displayed in their home.

But let me back up. The MWP's grandfather always had something displayed in his grandparents home, something that The MWP wanted very much. Did it capture the essence of his grandfather? Did it represent a path not taken? Did it rekindle fond memories of his childhood?

I'm not sure...but let me show you what it is.

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

BAM!

This is a stuffed squirrel that The MWP's grandfather presented to his grandmother as a gift, perhaps to impress her, when they were dating. Did his grandmother like dead things? Was it to show that he could be a good provider?

I'm not sure, but I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm not sharing a house with a 60 year old dead stuffed squirrel. I believe that The MWP has named it George. I lobbied for it to be named Vince, after my grandfather, because it is giving a disapproving look, not unlike my late grandfather (there is back story there, naturally).


Disapproving Squirrel disapproves of your life choices.

George/Vince rode around in the trunk of the car while we were in Connecticut and I kept forgetting it was there. Every time I put something in the trunk of the car, I would think "Oh, what's this?" and then open the bag and OMG THE SQUIRREL.

The MWP thinks this is all hilarious and keeps threatening to hold George/Vince above me while I sleep. Teddy is endlessly fascinated by George/Vince (of course he is), so for now it is wrapped up in a plastic bag out of his reach. At least it will make a good conversation piece...

I am not terribly good at this anymore

2011-09-12T12:45:00.001-05:00

Blah blah, haven't posted. Blah blah, busy. Blah, blah, terrible blogger.

Blah blah, been visiting family. Blah blah, day trip to Cape Cod.

Blah blah, spinning.

Blah blah, bought yarn.

Blah blah, look how cute my dog is.

I believe that pretty much covers it...

Either, Or

2011-08-24T21:34:00.001-05:00

The MWP received an email from the National Great Pyrenees Rescue (who was one of the agencies overseeing Teddy's adoption) asking that we submit a picture of him to be included in their 2012 Happy Endings calendar. It's their big fundraiser that spotlights new adoptions and we are considering sending them a picture. The thing that gives me pause is not that $20 donation to have his picture included. It is, after all, a fundraiser. No, the thing that keeps me from wanting to submit anything is that Teddy is not a very photogenic dog. In every picture that I have of him, he is either sleeping or annoyed.

Sleeping:

Annoyed:

Sleeping:

Annoyed:

Both, kind of:

Finished Stuff Friday: Baby Chalice Blanket

2011-08-12T22:16:00.000-05:00

When it comes to knitting gifts for others, I generally limit my recipients to people that I know will really appreciate it: my mom, my sister, my MIL and a select group of friends. My cousin is having a baby next month, however, and I decided to make her a baby blanket.

I wanted to use wool, but I doubt her ability to properly care for it, even superwash wool, so I went with an acrylic blend. I'm pretty happy with how it turne out, even if it can't be properly blocked to show off the lace.

Pattern: "Baby Chalice Blanket" (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Berroco Comfort, "Spice" colorway
Needles: Size 10
Mods: The pattern called for casting on 83 stitches, I cast on 123. Nobody needs a too-small baby blanket. Finished size is about 36" by 40".

The picture above is before washing, so it's rumply and probably covered in dog hair (probably? more like definitely), although the color is accurate. And speaking of color, the parents know what gender they are having, but are declining to share. I chose the color based on their nursery colors: deep orange and teal with red accents. It sounds absolutely horrendous, but is beautiful.

Would you like a detailed shot of the lace? Of course you would.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

2011-08-03T08:36:00.001-05:00

We had houseguests for a week. Now that they have gone, Teddy has reclaimed his napping spot on the guest bed.

For scale: This is a full-sized bed. He takes up the entire width.

"Whut?"

"Darn paparazzi."

Finished Stuff Friday: Haruni

2011-07-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

The lace bender continues! I have had Haruni in my Ravelry queue for ages and finally got around to casting on a month (or so) ago.

This was a lot of fun to knit...until you get to the border, where the stitch count balloons to 500+ stitches. And even then, it is still fun to knit and watch the little leaves form.

Perhaps I am just easy to amuse.

Pattern: "Haruni" by Emily Ross
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy, "Punky Fuschia" colorway
Notes: I weighed the skein when I started and came up with 114 grams. I weighed the shawl when I finished and came up with...114 grams. I had between 8 and 10 yards left over by the time I did the crochet cast off. That was cutting it close!

Random thought for a Tuesday

2011-07-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

If I had a nickel for every time that someone said to us "It looks like you're walking a polar bear, hurhurhur," I would be able to outfit myself in cashmere.

Polar bears don't wear such snappy outfits.

Finished Stuff Friday: Annis

2011-07-22T11:05:00.001-05:00

I have been knitting many, many things, but as we've established, I am quite terrible at taking pictures of the many things.

Until I finally had some time on Wednesday. And I am still not caught up. Oh well.

Pattern: Annis, from Knitty Spring & Summer 2010
Yarn: tosh sock, Jade colorway
Mods: I added a few rows of garter stitch to the edge to prevent curling.

This was my first time knitting anything with nupps and thankfully, one of the customers at the shop mentioned a YouTube video that shows how to do them with crochet hooks. I have a feeling that this saved my sanity.

I love this style of shawl, the stockinette center with a lace border feels easier to wear to me. I'm very happy with it.

Whee!

Sometimes

2011-07-21T06:59:00.001-05:00

Sometimes when it's swelteringly hot outside and you need to take finished object shots because you've neglected to do so for a very long time, but it's too hot to actually go outside? Well, sometimes the only thing that you can do is put a shawl on your dog.

The world keeps on spinning

2011-07-06T14:50:00.001-05:00

Hey, remember when I learned how to spin? It turns out that I liked it enough to not only keep spinning, but to also buy a lighter spindle (The MWP insisted when I kept breaking the yarn and muttering unkind words).

From left to right, here are my first three attempts on my first, borrowed spindle:

Here's the thinnest I was able to spin on the borrowed, 2-ounce spindle (shown with a dime for scale):

Not bad, but I'm not much of a fan of single-ply yarns, so plying is the ultimate goal.

I bought a 1-ounce DyakCraft that made things infinitely easier. I have 2 makeshift bobbins full of singles ready to be plied and I'm working on spinning the rest of my fiber up today.

Next stop: plying!

Finished Stuff Friday: Simple Trekking Socks

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Although I finished these well over a month ago, it took me about 6 weeks to be able to get it together to get a picture. That is sort of pathetic.

Pattern: "Simple Trekking Socks" by Miriam Felton
Yarn: Trekking Maxima, colorway 903

These took me forever to finish and I truly have no idea why. Knitting ribbing doesn't usually bother me but these were really a slog and then Second Sock Syndrome reared its ugly head. Ah well, at least they're very pretty...

Suspicious dog is fraught with suspicion

2011-06-28T21:20:00.000-05:00

Five things that Teddy regards with suspicion:

The food processor (because it makes loud noises)
The countertop grill (because it says "ding!")
Paving equipment (I can only assume it's because one day it wasn't there and the next day it was. Great Pyrenees were bred to be vigilant of change. Paving equipment is a threat to the flock!)
Vets and vet techs
The bread machine (because it makes noise, and then it doesn't, and then it does)

And four things that he does not regard with suspicion that I wish he would:

The oven and stove (Dude. It's HOT.)
The grill (ALSO HOT, please don't lick that)
The lawnmower
People around the house

Finished Stuff Friday: Multnomah

2011-06-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

Oh my, it's been quite a while since I've had one of these, hasn't it? And it's not that there isn't knitting, it's that there isn't time to get proper pictures. Ah, well, moving on...

A few months ago, I was bitten by the urge to knit a simple shawl and my dear friend Blogless Dee was going through some blllaaaaahhhhhhh times and so I decided that she needed something soft and squishy to wrap up in while at her freezing cold office.

Pattern: "Multnomah" from HelloKnitty.net
Yarn: Crystal Palace Mini Mochi, "Beach Scene" colorway, 2 skeins

I'm really pleased with how quickly this came together and the picture does not do the finished shawl justice, unfortunately.

The Scientist

2011-06-15T09:36:00.001-05:00

Teddy has been conducting an archeological dig.

Of course, he chose to dig next to our neighbor's foundation.

At first, we had no idea what he was up to. Trying to reach the center of the Earth? Digging for moles? Working on his version of The Big Dig? Trying to install a french drain? The MWP filled in the hole and Teddy would promptly start excavating again.

I was worried that he was anxious or bored, but now that the weather has turned cooler he's stopped digging and the answer has become clear. When it's hot, he's looking for a nice, cool place to lay while he surveys his domain (of course, does he want to, you know...just come inside? Of course not. Don't be ridiculous.)

Open Letters

2011-06-08T13:33:00.001-05:00

To the woman who left her dogs in her van on a hot day:

Look. The day that you left your dogs in your van was very hot. Full sun, no shade, van with tinted windows parked on a blacktop parking lot. I don't care how long you were in the store, I don't care if your windows were supposedly down (2 inches doesn't really count, by the way) and I don't care if you left water in there for them.

Would you leave a kid in the car under those circumstances? If the answer is yes, you're an even bigger jackass than I thought.

Thanks, though, for inspiring me to look into what to actually do if I see this again.

Sincerely,
Jenn

To the woman who almost hit me in a crosswalk:

Why did you wave me across the crosswalk (which, by the way, you are required to allow pedestrians to cross), if you were going to start to drive again anyway when I was halfway across? And then I see that you're driving through the crosswalk, after waving me across, while you're piddling around on your smartphone and not paying any attention at all? Jerk.

Sincerely,
Jenn

Dear Teddy,

While I appreciate that you let me sleep until 7:30 this morning (that is a full hour later than I have been sleeping lately, you know), I had no idea that "WOOF" meant "please open the bedroom door so that I can jump on the bed, whack you in the face with my paw and then lick you for 10 minutes." It is hard to go back to sleep when someone is licking your right arm.

I like you anyway, even if you can be kind of a dope.

Love,
Jenn

Teddy says...

2011-06-01T14:48:00.000-05:00

"Always take time to smell the flowers!"

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T10:20:00.001-05:00

My pap, Germany, 1945

The Parrot

2011-05-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

The little boy who lives next door to us is 2 1/2, right at the Parroting Age, when absolutely nothing anyone says is safe from repeating....and repeating...and repeating. I've heard him repeat things that his mom says to Brasco and then last week, he called Teddy through the fence using my exact phrasing and inflection.

Of course, this means I need to improve my brain-to-mouth filter so that some day, my neighbor doesn't catch her son telling Teddy to "get his furry ass inside."

The Wee Skein

2011-05-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I took my first spindle spinning class. Look! I made a wee skein of yarn!

Luckily for me, this attempt at spinning was much more successful than my attempt in college, thanks to a teacher who actually...taught (it's amazing how that works, isn't it?). Within the 2-hour class, I was already spinning light worsted/DK weight yarn. I've been spinning for about 20-30 minutes a day, working on getting the yarn more even. Maybe soon I'll even progress to plying...

Open mic

2011-05-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

"Wild Violets" by Theodore P. WeirdyPants*

Ooh, a violet!
Sniiff, sniff...
Stomp!

* The MWP decided Teddy's middle name is "Paul."

Finished Stuff Friday: Secrets Revealed

2011-05-13T22:08:00.001-05:00

I have been doing a lot of knitting, but most of it had to remain a secret until recently.

For the first reveal: a few months ago, a friend's mother was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy. I knit this cap as a gift for her mother, with the hope that she never has to wear it for its intended purpose.

Pattern: "Odessa" by Grumperina, from Magknits February 2006
Yarn: Ella Rae Bamboo Silk (sadly, this is no longer available), I lost the tag so I can't remember the colorway
Needles: US 4 and US 5
Modifications: I left off the beads.

The cap was lovely to knit and was finished quickly, which meant I could go right into Secret #2. My friend and co-worker, Anna, just had a baby, but before she gave birth, we had a surprise dinner and "baby sprinkle" for her.

Pattern: "Organic Guernsey" by Fawn Pea
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, "Fern" colorway
Needles: US 7 & 8
Notes: In a stunning example of gauge biting you in the butt, I swatched for this on size 7, 8 and 9 needles and the fabric came out the same every time. I crossed my fingers and picked a size 8 for the body, which gave me a sweater somewhere in the neighborhood of a 9-month size (which wasn't an actual size in the pattern, but it works).

And because I'm still not over knitting bears, I knit Anna's baby a bear, too.

Pattern: " Baby Bobbi Bear" by Bobbi Intveld
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton, "Nut" colorway
Notes: This picture makes the bear appear to have well-defined abdominal muscles. I find that to be a little disturbing.

When in doubt, go with the bulleted list.

2011-05-10T20:40:00.002-05:00

Working and Teddy-wrangling does not leave ample time (or desire) for blogging, but I'm in the mood to throw some words onto a page tonight, so here you go.

We met with a dog trainer last week to work on some of Teddy's, ahem, quirks and she noticed after working with him for a few minutes that his front left foot is flattened and was probably broken at some point. This will, in the long run, spread pain up his leg. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done for it that we aren't already doing now. He's already on a glucosamine supplement and even if we took him to an orthopedic vet, they may not be able to do anything anyway, so we're in watch and wait mode.
That is good because the orthopedic vet is at the veterinary hospital (even in the same wing) where Rufus died last fall and I am just. not. ready. to go back there yet.
Also on the subject of Teddy, the dog trainer says that he is really, really smart. This means more work for us to keep him entertained. A dumb dog is happy to sit and stare out the window. A smart dog gets bored and a bored dog likes to wake everyone up in the middle of the night (ask me how we know this).
But let's not go too overboard on calling him smart because his favorite thing to do on a nice, sunny day is to chase and try to eat bumblebees.
I don't get it either. But I have Benadryl in case he actually catches one.
I have a lot of secret-but-no-longer-secret knitting to show you, and a lot of knitting ready to start! But in the meanwhile, I'm puttering around knitting a pair of socks.
They are boring but pretty, and I'm almost done.
After years of swearing that I am not interested in spinning, I signed up for a spindle spinning class this weekend! I did a bit of spinning in college and it was awful. The professor pretty much gave us spindles and roving and let us have at it. Then the professor missed a large portion of the semester due to an illness and was replaced by a grad student who was less than helpful. This was back in the days before Ravelry and YouTube. My spinning skills can only improve from here.
One year ago today, I left my crappy and stressful freelance jobs behind. Today, I have a job I love with people I adore doing my favorite thing. Hooray for change!

Rain, rain, go away...

2011-04-27T07:52:00.000-05:00

We are all very tired of the rain and storms around here (our poor grass is getting to the point where it would be efficiently cut by getting a herd of goats), but no one is more tired of the thunderstorms than Teddy. Poor dude, he is absolutely terrified of storms and at the first flicker of lightning or rumble of thunder, he pants, he paces and then he heads for the basement (and if we are not home to let him outside immediately, he may pee. Oh, the indignity!)

Many people recommended Rescue Remedy, but it hasn't had the effect we were hoping for. I ran across an ad for the Thundershirt about a month ago and was skeptical, but we found one in a store locally and tried it on him. He immediately got kind of a dopey look on his face ("Dudes, what just happened?") so we bought it and waited for a storm.

We're very pleased with how well it works, though it is a bit tricky to get on him properly. Teddy is right in between sizes, too big for the XL and a bit too thin for the XXL, so I may have to sew on a few extra velcro tabs.

Thundershirt or not, we can't wait for drier weather!

(If we are friends on Facebook, you've probably heard all about this already. Sorry!)

A 112-pound toddler

2011-04-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

Teddy had his consultation and physical exam at the vet on Monday to see if there were any problems with his hips or knees. The x-rays were clear and the exam yielded nothing remarkable, which is good. The vet suspects that Teddy did not have the best nutrition as a growing puppy and therefore, his joints may not be in the best shape. He is now on a stage 2 joint supplement, which he gums around suspiciously before finally deciding to take it.

So, the good news? No physical problems. The bad news? This means that our dog's problems are because he is sensitive and stubborn, with a heaping double scoop of stubborn.

Now we wait to hear back from the dog trainer to schedule a private consultation.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Teddy is pretty much a 112-pound toddler, minus the diapers, but including the tantrums that include somehow becoming boneless. Case in point: Teddy entered the vet's building just fine. However, upon seeing the vet tech, Teddy dropped to the floor and flatly refused to move. No amount of coaxing or tugging could budge him. He went completely limp. All that was missing was a screaming hissy fit.

Of course, around this time, the office staff scattered like cockroaches.

I'm sure it was a sight to see, with The MWP using a towel as a sling to move him along and me, holding the leash, basically forcing him on a march down the hallway. I'm sure the office staff can't wait for our next visit!

Dog by proxy

2011-04-15T13:01:00.001-05:00

Meet Brasco.

Brasco will thank you not to point out that he looks like a barrel with legs.

Brasco is NOT our dog. Brasco belongs to our neighbors and was Rufus's BFF. Brasco's people just had a second baby and now Brasco is a sad doggie. He was already lacking in attention, but with a newborn in the house, he has been having a tough adjustment. Luckily, they are more than happy to send Brasco over for a few hours.

Teddy is happy because he has a buddy. Brasco is happy because someone will throw a tennis ball for him. All of us are happy because our dogs are not moping around the house.

"BALL. Throw the ball! Throw the ball! Throw the ball! Throw the ball!"

Teddy thinks that chasing a ball is beneath him.

Circle One

2011-04-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

Now that it's spring (allegedly) and I've wrapped up a lot of things, I'm itching to start something new. I'm thinking lightweight, summery, anything but a wool sweater. The question, however, is...what?

Option 1: Heliotropic Pullover. I am skepitcal of this one, as the sizing is weird because of the construction (as noted here.) But it's knit from the top down, so I think it could be made to be more flattering. That poor model looks like she's wearing a circus tent.

Option 2: Petrie. I still love this. Clean, simple, elegant.

Option 3: Ruched Yoke Tee (the adult version, obviously). I am not sure if this would actually be flattering on me, I might want to wait to see more pictures on Ravelry.

Option 4: Rondeur. I have yarn for this!

Option 5: Lace Saddle Tee. Love.

One Month

2011-04-06T09:23:00.001-05:00

Poor Teddy, it seems that what they say is true, you take lots of pictures of the first baby and fill in the baby book meticulously and every other kid after that gets the shaft. This translates into dogs, too, it seems, and so I have an embarrassing lack of photos of Teddy.

So now that he has been here for one month, where do we stand? We've already had to take him to the vet, not just for an initial checkup, but because I suspected that he had worms. And hey, what do you know? Hookworms. (yuck) Three days of treatment later, he was much perkier and his appetite improved. But let me tell you, after spending so much time in vet hospitals in Ohio, the vet is NOT Teddy's favorite place to be.

I know that we really shouldn't compare Rufus to Teddy, but it's difficult not to. Where Rufus loved to go for walks and would tow us across the park, Teddy plods along at his own pace, checking everything out. If something strikes him as out of the ordinary, he stops dead in his tracks and won't move. This is, shall we say, inconvenient when we are in the middle of a busy street where there are no sidewalks and there is traffic. I thought I was torturing poor Teddy by making him go for walks around the neighborhood, but we had a nice walk at the park with him a few weeks ago, away from traffic and distractions and he actually had a bit of pep in his steps.

Rufus absolutely loved going for rides. Teddy is very hesitant to get in the car. He can generally be bribed by tossing a bit of treat that he loves into the backseat and then he will hop in. He just doesn't seem to enjoy cars in general, but with some work, we finally got him to the point where he can settle down and go to sleep. Unfortunately, it takes him about an hour and a half to fully settle down and go to sleep. Until then, he lays down for a while, stands up, spins in a circle and lays back down again every 15 minutes. Sometimes, for fun, he whaps me in the head with his tail.

Of course, we know why it takes him an hour and a half to settle down in the car because we just got home from a trip to visit The MWP's family and Teddy had such a good time that he has been moping ever since we came back. There was another dog to play with (who is about 1/3 of his size), lots of people to scratch his butt and lots of new toys to play with (he liked one of them so much that he took it into the bedroom and carefully placed it in his bag.)

We got home on Saturday and I went to work on Sunday. Teddy chilled in the backyard for most of the day. I took him for a walk that evening while The MWP vacuumed our rental car (yes, we rented a car...our Dodge is too small for Teddy AND The MWP's golf bag and our Impala has a history of doing stupid car things right before a big trip, so a worry-free car was worth every penny), and he walked really well until it was time to turn around and come home. Then he refused to walk. Walked a bit, stopped. Walked a bit, stopped. Then we went to a dead stop. Could not be coaxed, nudged, begged, or anything. At this point, The MWP drove by and it was a good thing that he did because I might still be down the street, begging Teddy to walk.

This, coupled with his anxiety about the car, spurred me to contact a dog trainer recommended by a friend. I talked to her on Monday night and she feels strongly that Teddy's issues (walking and getting into the car) could be caused by hip or knee problems. Luckily, the vet hospital in Ohio has x-rays of most of his body, so we're waiting for the DVD with the x-rays to show up in the mail, then we'll have a consultation with our vet, and a consultation with an orthopedic vet if need be.

There's also a chance that his issues are caused by anxiety, which...yeah. He is definitely a sensitive dog. He thought he knew our routine and his place in it, and then we took a trip. He has never been on a trip and doesn't know how they work, so I'm sure he thought he was living in a new home. So he figured out the routine and his place in it...and then we came home. And Monday was full of thunderstorms (which he hates) and cowering in the basement.

By Monday night, I thought we broke Teddy. Yesterday was not much better.

Luckily, The MWP was able to borrow our neighbor's dog (they just had their second baby, so poor Brasco is a bit neglected these days) and the two of them had a jolly old time, tearing around the back yard and getting out all the dog toys. Teddy looked much happier last night when I came home from work and is much more relaxed today.

I feel so guilty. I really think that Teddy should have been required to go to a home with another dog, but I don't think the rescue realized how dependent he is on other dogs. I think that my dog might need another dog.

So that's where we are, with a slightly anxious and mopey but mostly happy snugglebutt of a Teddy, waiting for a DVD so we can wait for the vet consultation so we can wait for the dog trainer consultation so we can fix our poor emo dog.

Finished Stuff Friday: Icelandic Star

2011-03-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

After surgery and a post-op soothing bath, Icelandic Star is ready for it's finished photo!

Pattern: "Icelandic Star," Interweave Knits Winter 2009

Yarn: Cascade 220 in colorways Glamour, Charcoal Gray, Turquoise Heather and Sunflower

Mods: Many. The original pattern was a cardigan, with the colorwork being knit flat. This would be a tremendous pain in the butt and I am more likely to wear a pullover anyway, so I reworked it. I also knit at a tighter gauge than the pattern called for and added waist shaping. None of the modifications were terribly difficult and just needed some simple knitting math.

Now that I think about it, a photo of the little embroidered stars would have been nice, but hey, who wants to see some floats?

The Day I Fixed My Sweater

2011-03-21T14:45:00.000-05:00

...which should actually say "days I fixed my sweater" because this took forEVER.

When we last left poor Icelandic Star, it looked like this:

Poor little sweater. I brought it home with me and finished picking out the row between the life lines. When I was all done, I felt like I had just cut someone in half.

I felt a little woozy when I saw it this way.

With two pieces left, there was only one thing to do: graft the whole shebang back together. Grafting itself is not difficult (I could graft in my sleep), but while I have grafted many sock toes together, grafting 200ish stitches together while keeping the tension even is a little harder.

Sew, sew, sew, graft, graft, graft.

Several hours later (about the time I got into a groove, I had to set it aside), everything was back together. I forgot to take a finished picture before I gave it a bath, so the final unveiling will have to happen later this week when it dries.

The Day I Cut My Knitting on Purpose

2011-03-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

There comes a day in every crafter's life when they spread out their work to admire it and notice that there is a glaring error, usually all the way at the beginning (all the better if it's completely finished).

Do you see my glaring error?


Now that I've noticed it, it's the only thing I can see.

How about now?

Argh.

Waist decreases, dead center in the front and back of the sweater. This pattern was originally written to be a cardigan, but I decided to rework it to be a pullover and why not add some waist shaping while I'm fiddling with the pattern? Except that when it came time to join the yoke, I forgot about the waist shaping and it ended up directly over my belly button. This would not do.

A lot of people said it was barely noticeable, but I knew it would be the only thing I would see when I wore it. Then, on Tuesday, a customer at the shop asked what had happened to the front of the sweater, and that was it. There was only one thing to do: cut the sweater, realign it and graft it back together in the proper position.

First, I ran two lifelines, one about a row and one below.

This was the easy part.

Then I put 2 knitting needles in each row.


I've discovered that my camera makes dog hair appear on the picture that was invisible to the naked eye.

And with that, it was time to cut.

The Natural Stitches Bunny Nuggets were very helpful, except for that one on the left. The trauma was too much for her to bear.

How many yarn shop employees does it take to cut a sweater? Answer: many.

See? Many.

And with that, my shift was over and it was time for me to go home. Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion...

Not exaggerating

2011-03-11T12:56:00.001-05:00

Holy crap.

I had to bribe him to do this. He knows his head doesn't belong on the table.

The office of Cuddles and Cuddles Incorporated is open for business.

The One That Didn't Get Away

2011-03-07T23:59:00.004-05:00

I am pleased to say that finally, I can step away from Petfinder and announce that we have found Rufus's successor. Internet, meet Teddy:


"OH HAI"

Teddy is a Great Pyrenees, about 2 or 3 years old. He was pulled from a high kill shelter in Kentucky by a shelter in Cleveland called Under the Wing, who worked with the National Great Pyrenees Rescue to nurse him back to health. Poor Teddy was in pretty bad shape when he arrived in Cleveland; he was severely underweight and had double pneumonia, so he had an extended stay at a veterinary hospital while he recuperated. Once he was healthy, he spent some time in a women's prison, but because of his breed, he was listening and guarding all the time and hardly slept at all. From there, he was moved to his awesome foster parents' house, which is where we met him. Want to see his full biography and be horrified at how thin he was? Clicky clicky!

"And now I will lay in the mud."

Our adoption experience this time is the polar opposite of the last rescue we dealt with. The MWP sent an email within an hour after we found out that Buddy's adoption would not be completed and 12 hours later, I was on the phone with Teddy's foster mom, who had nothing but glowing things to say about him. She would have loved to keep Teddy for herself, but already has two dogs of her own and set a dog limit for herself. (And let's face it, at 120-130 pounds, Teddy counts as two dogs.)

On February 28th, we drove to Cleveland to meet Teddy and on March 5th, the president of the rescue drove him down to us and dropped him off. He's settling in pretty well. I get the distinct feeling that he is cataloging everything and taking notes on us. The Great Pyrenees breed can be...interesting. He is stubborn as a mule but not as aloof as most Pyrs and the only sounds I've heard him make were a series of very quiet "a-wuhs" while I was playing with him today. The rescue said that he is not as territorial and interested in guarding as a typical Great Pyrenees and I think that given the right bribe, I can imagine him showing someone where we keep our meager collection of valuables.

"OMG!"

When he first arrived, Teddy was all wiggles and exclamation points, flailing limbs and "OMG!!!!'s" but he is settling down quickly. He tests me regularly (so very Great Pyrenees) with an epic battle of the wills but he knows that we mean business. Mostly I can't get over how big he is. He manages to block out all but the top 6" of our TV and he can rest his head on our kitchen table. He is at eye level with the kitchen counters and figured out how to open his foster mom's oven when she started putting food in it to keep it out of his reach. He is extremely smart and eager to please and is the clumsiest dog I've ever seen.

It doesn't diminish the loss of Rufus in any way, but we are still awfully glad that he's here.

"They call me 'Tedward' because they think it's funny."

Meanwhile...

2011-02-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

...I'm still knitting. I'm hoping to finish the sleeve this weekend and then it's on to the yoke!

Icelandic Star, Interweave Knits Winter 2009

The One That Got Away

2011-02-22T21:55:00.001-05:00

So, there's been a little something going on around here and I was hesitant to talk about it until it was final either way. This led to secretive behavior on my part (and the hilarious wrong connection of information on the part of one of you). But then I told some people, who told lots of other people and there was showing of pictures involved and now I have to go around and play clean up.

(Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long one. Consider it making up for 2 and a half weeks with no posts.)

Anyway. Last summer, a few months before Rufus was sick, I was perusing dogs on Petfinder. I came across a very handsome dog named Buddy, a Golden Retriever/Great Pyrenees mix. Very cute, around 70 pounds, not fond of kids (hey! me too!), around 7 years old. Then Rufus got sick with intestinal woes, then Rufus got his brain tumor and a few days after he passed, I wandered back to Petfinder. He was still there, and we decided to wait a few months and see if he was available.

We called the rescue about Buddy in mid-January. He sounded like the perfect dog for us. Whoever wrote the original biography for him on Petfinder was a bit off. He was not 70 pounds, he was 105 pounds. (that is, um...kind of a big difference...) He has some issues that need work and his background is chock full of neglect. In his first home in Kentucky, the owners claimed that he chewed the furniture, so he was given to a man who kept him in his home with other dogs, until he had his feet amputated because of diabetes. Then he put the dogs in his basement and threw food down the stairs for them. No exercise, no socialization, nothing.

The rescue who took Buddy and the other dogs from the basement moved him to their site in Ohio. We found out that the head of the rescue never wanted to keep Buddy and thought he would never get adopted. In fact, the same weekend we contacted them about him, he came within 10 minutes of being put to sleep. The head of the rescue actually had a vet go with her to the kennel where Buddy was staying, let herself in and the owner of the kennel came in to find them about to put him and another dog down. Everyone involved duked it out and the owner of the kennel took the two dogs out of the "care" of the rescue.

This is where things get weird. We were in contact with one perfectly normal and sane person who was very up-front about the pros and cons of Buddy. We drove out to Ohio and met Buddy and Perfectly Sane Person. We spent a lot of time with Buddy and we thought he would fit in with us perfectly. We knew he would need some work to smooth out rough edges, plus a lot of work to get some weight off of him (he needs to lose about 20 pounds). We thought that we would be able to bring him home with us that day, but that isn't how they wanted to operate, so we decided to go pick him up in Ohio on February 5th.

On the way home from Ohio, we were contacted by the woman who owns the kennel where Buddy lives (it became apparent quickly that this woman was a little odd. Maybe even Crazy). She offered to bring Buddy out to visit our house the next week. "Great!" we said. If he was used to our house, then the transition would go smoothly. (When we adopted Rufus, it was basically "Ok! You can take him!" We had to go to Walmart and buy all his stuff, and then he was all "Who the hell are you guys? Why am I in your car?")

So the next week when we were scheduled to have Buddy's visit, there was an ice storm in Ohio and power was out. They said there was no power to the kennel and they would be in touch to reschedule. Then they were both sick, and we were both sick. The MWP and I were so sick that there was no way we could have dealt with a new dog. The home visit was rescheduled for February 12th.

February 12th came and the mother of sane woman fell and was hospitalized. We filled out the adoption paperwork and were approved. We asked "can't we just pick up the dog?" No. A home visit is required. In follow up phone calls, we began to get weird vibes.

Finally, we had our home visit on Valentine's Day. We were led to believe that we might be adopting him that night, so we had everything ready to go and in place. Perfectly Sane Woman and Possibly Crazy Woman showed up and brought him in. He started poking around and playing with his toys. It was very cute. Meanwhile, Possibly Crazy Woman immediately starts telling me that Buddy is "a problem child," and he takes things from counters and what am I going to do when he chews the leg off of our kitchen table? Perfectly Sane Woman tries to talk her down. It isn't working. Then it comes out that Possibly Crazy woman thought that we were secretly working with the head of the rescue who tried to kill Buddy. She can't shake the feeling that we just want Buddy to turn him over to the head of the rescue so that she can finish what she couldn't do.

Apparently this woman felt that we had enough money laying around that we can adopt dogs to kill them.

(oh my heavens this is really getting long.)

We did the best that we could to convince her that we really wanted to adopt Buddy to give him a better life (meanwhile, Buddy was laying on our couch). The Perfectly Sane Woman tried to convince her of that. She finally relented and said that we could come pick him up on February 16th. Hooray!

On the morning of February 16th, Perfectly Sane Woman contacted The MWP to let him know that Buddy has been acting weird since his home visit and they were going to take him to the vet. They ran some bloodwork and finally got the results back on Friday. We could come get him on the 23rd. Hooray!

Tonight, the Perfectly Sane Woman called us to let us know that they would not be able to let us adopt Buddy, as he attacked a dog at a park over the weekend. They feel that they can not adopt him out, as he will be a liability to us. Dog aggression is a deal breaker for us, so that is that.

The MWP and I have been getting weird vibes from these two people for a few weeks now, more so since our home visit, and in fact, we both felt that somehow the adoption was going to fall through. It's a little too convenient for me that they've suddenly discovered he's dog aggressive, especially since they told us that he gets along well with other dogs. For another thing, he was at a park and I can tell you that this poor dog gets fed and never, ever, ever exercised. Why suddenly take him to a park? Plus, Possibly Crazy woman came right out and said that she was going to have a hard time letting him go and she didn't seem to be thrilled with the idea of us adopting him.

Really, the party who is getting the shaft here is Buddy. Fine, you're attached to him? Great! Don't force him to stay in a kennel! Bring him into your house! You're concerned that he's going to hurt himself on our steps? We would have gotten him a lot of exercise, he would have lost weight and his joints would have been less of an issue.

They claim that they're going to take him out of the kennel and work on getting him socialized, but I just don't believe it. Something is just off with the whole situation and while I'm going to miss Buddy, I'm glad to be able to move on from the situation and the people involved. I'm upset tonight and probably will be for a few days, but there are a lot of other dogs that need homes. One is out there for us.

I kept thinking that the universe was trying to teach me a lesson and I think I know what it is: "You can't reason with crazy."

Finished Stuff Week: Noro Scarf

2011-02-04T19:10:00.000-05:00

When I finished both pairs of gray socks, I wanted to knit something with color. I needed to knit something with color. I had Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket so I bought yarn and cast on for this little beauty:

Ooh, the colors...

Pattern: Noro Scarf by Jared Flood (although he fully admits many have done it before him)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, 2 skeins each of colors 284 and 299

I was completely smitten by this while I was knitting it. There is something about watching the shifting colors emerge that is like knitting crack. I was going to be the Oprah of Noro Scarves. "You get a Noro Scarf! And you get a Noro Scarf!" And sometime at knitting night, everyone was going to have Noro Scarves under their chairs. But in the second half of the scarf, both skeins of yarn had knots in them and were joined in a completely unrelated color, so that took some of the charm away.

I'm still thinking about knitting my sister-in-law one for Christmas, though.

Finished Stuff Week: Steven's Bayerische Socks

2011-02-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

My co-worker Steven has a dilemma. He loves handknit socks but doesn't actually like to knit socks. This is a problem. But I offered to make him socks and now I am his favorite (for now, anyway).

They look much nicer when there are feet in them.

Pattern: "Bayerische" by Eunny Jang.
Yarn: tosh sock, "stovepipe" colorway
Notes: Steven likes ankle socks (It's a good thing, or I would still be knitting these), so I reduced the length of the leg.

These took about a month to knit and there's really no reason why they took so long, except that the pattern isn't so much of a pattern and more of a group of notes and charts. So there was thinking and figuring and recalculating (making the cuffs shorter resulted in splitting one of the charts sooner than the pattern called for) and finally I just dug in and did it. The second sock went much faster since all the thinking and figuring and recalculating was already done.

Want to see a much nicer picture, along with a glowing review? Click on over to Steven's blog...

It's Groundhog Day!

2011-02-02T17:10:00.000-05:00

Happy 125th Groundhog Day! How should we celebrate? Chocolate groundhog? Groundhog beanies? Groundhog hat?

Or perhaps just watch the video. As for me, I'm off to watch for an early spring and eat some groundhog gingerbread cookies. Yum!

Finished Stuff Week: Resoleable Socks, Revisited

2011-02-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

These socks are also known as The Biggest Stashbusting Fail I've Ever Had. After I knit these a few years ago (in 2008, good heavens where is my life going?), I had yarn left over. It hung out with the rest of my yarn for a while and I was sure that I had enough for another pair of socks if I reversed the colors. HA. Oh, how I mock my optimism.

Oh, how I long for spring and it's natural light.

Pattern: "Two-Yarn Resoleable Socks" from Interweave Press's Favorite Socks
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash Worsted in Charcoal Heather (the lighter one) and Combustion Grey (the darker one) and Black (the darkest one)(yes, really).
Notes: To all the people who expressed disbelief that these socks would actually fit my husband: See? They fit. Actually, the leg is a wee bit tall, so they have to sag a little, as you can see on the back of his leg near the ankle.

I started the first sock with a dark gray cuff and leg, knit it a little shorter and felt smug for using stash yarn. My ball of yarn started looking a little skimpy, so I showed it to Anna one day at work and asked if she thought I would have enough yarn to finish. She said "Sure, it's your second sock, right?"

And then I said no and she fell over dead.

Hrmph. She was right, there was no way I was even going to be able to finish ONE sock. So I ripped it out. The problem, of course, was that I wasn't going to have enough light gray yarn, either. So, being in a yarn shop, I purchased another skein of yarn and started again. I felt smug and made the cuff and leg longer and moved down to the foot. Then I went on to the second sock I knit happily away until I got halfway down the second sole, where I began to realize I was going to run out of the dark gray yarn.

No problem, right? I work in a yarn shop. I will purchase more.

Except that we no longer had this particular color of yarn

Luckily for me, The MWP does not actually care about the color his sock toes because no one can see his toes when they're in his shoes. I bought the black yarn and used about 15 yards of it to finish the sock.

This means that this stashbusting project has actually left me with more yarn than I started with.

Oh well, at least he likes the socks.

Finished Stuff Week: Fetching

2011-01-31T19:00:00.001-05:00

For my next finished item, I have a cute little pair of fingerless gloves that lives at Natural Stitches as a shop sample.

Do you like how the weird lighting makes my skin look as if it's the same color as the desk?

Pattern: "Fetching" from Knitty, Summer 2006
Yarn: Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool, Ruby River colorway

These are cute and knit up ridiculously quickly. I think if I were to knit them again, I would make the hand longer so that it covers more of my fingers.

Finished Stuff Week: David's Gloves

2011-01-30T20:18:00.001-05:00

Ok, here's the thing: I have a massive backlog of finished knitted things to show off. Some of them took forever to finish and some of them were knit...uh...last year, and for one reason or another I never got around to posting them.

So, with that in mind, I'm declaring this to be Finished Stuff Week! Let's get this thing started.

For the holidays, the staff of Natural Stitches does an Epiphany gift exchange. We all put in a skein of yarn, along with a hint of what we'd like if we choose to include one. The bag I drew belonged to David, who teaches classes in steeking and knitting lace. His hint was "cold hands, warm heart" and there were 2 skeins of King George yarn by Bristol Yarn Gallery.

I quietly tried to peer at David's hands every time he was in the store to get an idea of hand size and what would look nice on him. I opted for fingerless gloves because that way, I wouldn't have to stress about whether or not the fingers would be the right length.

Lovely gloves, horrific picture quality.

Pattern:"Beer Gloves" by Kurt Fausset, from "Son of a Stitch 'n Bitch"
Yarn: King George by Bristol Yarn Gallery. I was initially apprehensive about this yarn because it's an alpaca blend and alpaca makes me incredibly itchy, but the merino wool and cashmere content made it great for me to work with. No itch at all!
Modifications: The pattern called for a seed stitch pattern on the palm (the notes said it was to aid in holding a beer bottle), but frankly, I thought it looked kind of stupid so I left it off.

David was very happy with his gloves, so I call this a successful swap!

Edited to add: you can see a picture of the gloves in action here! Clicking that link may, however, make you want a cupcake.

Ooh, the colors...

2011-01-24T16:38:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you need to knit something quick, easy and shiny:

I must be seriously easy to amuse because the color changes in the yarn keep me plugging away, waiting to see what will come out of the skeins next!

Not just for mommies anymore

2011-01-22T09:42:00.001-05:00

The MWP just asked me to bring him his Blackberry. I walked out of the room and returned with his keys. Women with kids love to talk about "mommy brain" and can blame anything on mommy brain, but what excuse do I have? None, that's what.

The MWP laughed so hard when I handed him his keys that I thought he was going to hurt himself. Won't he feel bad when it turns out that I have early onset dementia...

Open Letters on a Saturday Night

2011-01-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

Dear people of Pittsburgh,
There is no such thing as a left turn on a red light. NO SUCH THING. Yes, there is the "clear the intersection" rule and who among us hasn't crowded up to the intersection, thinking we can get through on the "clear the intersection" rule? But when you decide that you've had enough of sitting at this red light and you're going to just go? Yeah, that makes me want to follow you and let all the air out of your tires. Whatever, you were probably texting and driving anyway.

(Apparently open letters on a Saturday night = VERY CRANKY JENN.)

Dear clothing company that rhymes with "Plane Ryant",
In my humble opinion, your new jeans leave much to be desired. Oh sure, they look OK when I put them on, but within half an hour, they've stretched to ridiculous proportions and make me look like I'm wearing a loaded adult diaper. And then there's one pair that is somehow too big and too small all at one time. How is that even possible? Don't make me get Nina Garcia over there.

Dear whoever is in charge of fashion trends,
Distressed jeans? Really? I don't care if it IS in style, I don't want my jeans to make me look like I was attacked by rabid beavers. The loaded adult diaper thing is bad enough.

Best,
Jenn

Monochrome

2011-01-13T13:20:00.001-05:00

View from our back door. White, gray, blah.

(yes, fixing the railing is on our "to-do" list.)

Gray again:

Blue-gray, but still gray.

While I'm talking crazy talk...

2011-01-06T15:02:00.000-05:00

It's barely 2011 and I'm already considering knitting Christmas gifts this year. I wanted to knit my sister-in-law a shawl last year and didn't get around to it. I found a color of yarn at my yarn shop that my mom would love. My sister is in love with this sweater that I knit my mom. It's absolute insanity, but I'm already thinking about starting holiday knitting.

On another note, good heavens, you guys have a lot of feelings about keeping books. I'm a library lover: get it, read it, give it back. It's no different to me than hanging on to clothes that you never wear. If you never wear it, how much do you love it? And if you don't love it, why keep it?

Goals are the new resolutions

2011-01-04T23:10:00.001-05:00

I say it every year: I don't make resolutions. I make lofty goals. Much less pressure that way. I know I made goals last year, but I'm too lazy to go look to see what they were, so let's just assume that I fulfilled all of them. Hooray for me!

This year, my goal is stolen shamelessly from LisaB: use my personal library. If I have a knitting book, I will knit from it. If I have a cookbook, I will cook from it. In fact, I will up the ante and declare that if I don't use my knitting books and cookbooks this year, out they go, off to be sold.

Exceptions will be made if the book is good for reference, particularly amusing or if I have used it frequently in the past. This leaves...um...a lot of books. Time to get started...

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...

2010-12-31T23:39:00.000-05:00

If you had told me at this time last year that I would be here right now, having left graphic design behind, I would have thought you were nuts. If you had told me that in one year, I would be without a dog and being paid to do my favorite thing, I would have mocked you mercilessly.

And yet, here I am. Happy New Year, everyone! Let's get this thing started.

Finished Stuff Friday, which is temporarily on a Thursday

2010-12-30T23:25:00.000-05:00

One last finished thing for the year that is appearing one day shy of Finished Stuff Friday, because let's face it, if I don't put it out now, I'm going to forget.

Pattern: Standard ribbed man socks
Yarn: Paton's FX sock yarn
Notes: The yarn is thicker than most sock yarns and made a nice, cushy sock. The color transitions are nice but it's very, very splitty. Still, The MWP declared these the best socks I've knit him yet.

I made a nice little photo mosaic of everything I knit this year (I can't resist the opportunity to make a photo mosaic)...

Holy crap.

That is a whole lotta things!

Shiny!

2010-12-29T23:26:00.001-05:00

Refurbished 2nd generation iPod touch, bought with birthday money and a chip-in from The MWP: $150

Being able to listen to my own music instead of the horrible music at the gym? Priceless.

With the internet as my witness, I will never listen to Katy Perry again!

Santa was here

2010-12-27T16:23:00.000-05:00

In the Weirdy Pants household, Santa makes a special stop for all the good little hamsters who haven't tried to chew their owner's hands off (well, haven't tried to chew them off much).

Compared to her old, small cage, it's like the Taj Mahal.

(Who, us? Overcompensating for something? I have no idea what you're talking about.)

Merry Happy

2010-12-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

My sister, holding a flashlight under her face: "I am the ghost of Christmas! MWAH-HA-HA-HA"

My BIL: "Which one, past, present or future?"

My sister: "I...don't know! MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA"

I hope you got to spend the holiday with your favorite people, even if they are a little on the insane side.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2010-12-22T11:00:00.003-05:00

One of the few things that I rescued from my grandfather's old house was his set of "Twelve Days of Christmas" glasses. My parents have a set of these, also, but when the opportunity came up to get a set for myself, I grabbed them, sprinted to the car and in they went.

Unfortunately, the glasses for days two, seven and twelve have gone missing and that's actually OK because they wouldn't all fit in our cupboard at Christmas time anyway.

When my sister and I were growing up, this was the real prize:

For whatever reason, we were both absolutely fixated on the milkmaid glass. Even now, when I see it my first instinct is to yell "DIBS!" and grab it. We used to bicker endlessly about who got to use that one (as well as who got to hang the milkmaid ornament on the tree, perhaps we were just obsessed with dairy farming). Bless her heart, our mother had a great deal more patience than I do.

Finished Stuff Friday: Big Funky Hat

2010-12-17T00:02:00.000-05:00

I have been full of finished objects lately! Let the parade continue...

Presenting one big, funky hat:

Pattern: "Big Funky Hat" by Laurie Lee
Yarn: Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool, Ruby River colorway (this hat used just a teeny portion of the skein, as one skein is 1450 yards)
Notes: I considered adding tassels to the i-cord strings under the ear flaps, or maybe some pompoms, but stuck with one tassel on the back of that hat.

The MWP really wanted this hat, but had to part with it, as it is living in Natural Stitches as a shop sample.

Christmas Carnage

2010-12-15T22:27:00.001-05:00

Three moves and nine years of unpacking and repacking have taken their toll on some of our Christmas decorations, particularly our Christmas village pieces. Last year when I put everything away, I found a tiny severed ceramic head on our living room floor.

At least now his wee head can be reunited with his body.

FInished Stuff Friday: Baby Bobbi Bears

2010-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

I try to keep my holiday crafting expectations low. Aim low, and you'll never find yourself with aching hands on Christmas Eve, stressed out of your mind, or worse yet, giving someone an unfinished project for Christmas, which you then rip out of their hands so that you can finish it.

I wanted to make something quick and cute for our nieces for Christmas and these little bears fit the bill. Absurdly cute, these practically fall off the needles. I could have finished them much faster except that they stayed home while we were in Connecticut for Thanksgiving.

Pattern:"Baby Bobbi Bear" from Blue Sky Alpaca
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, "Stone" colorway
Recipient: Niece #1

Pattern: Same as above
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton, "Nut" colorway
Recipient: Niece #2

These are so cute that I hate to mail them away. I want to knit a bear for me. I need to knit a bear for me. I will knit a bear for me.

The WeirdyPants vs. The Christmas Mouse

2010-12-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, in a town far, far away, The MWP and I decided to get a live Christmas tree instead of using our gross looking artificial tree. We drove to a tree nursery who, while they didn't allow people to cut their own, had a steady stream of fresh cut trees coming in all day. We looked and looked until we found the perfect tree, a Frasier fir that was laying on the ground. It was nice and full, and we had it baled and loaded it onto the car.

We got it home, dragged it up the stairs of our second floor apartment and got it set up in the tree stand. After we untied it, something caught my eye inside the tree. When I looked again, I couldn't see anything unusual, so we moved the tree into its proper place in our living room, where it promptly started leaning like it was going to fall over.

This wouldn't do. The MWP set the tree on its side and started adjusting the tree stand. I left the room, came back in and saw, sitting there on the trunk and scared out of its mind, a mouse. We freaked the hell out. The mouse freaked the hell out and ran back up into the branches.

How did we bring home a mouse? The only answer we could come up with is that it had run into the tree while it was laying on its side at the tree nursery, and then gotten stuck in the tree when it was baled and had hitched a free ride home with us.

The better question was how to get it out. It wouldn't come out of the tree and even if it had, there was no guaranteeing we would be able to catch it. The MWP finally scooped up the tree, stand and all, carried it back down all the stairs and heaved it out the front porch door and onto the sidewalk. After a few minutes of shaking, tossing and bouncing the tree, the poor frazzled mouse dropped out and scampered away through the snow.

Of course, the running joke in my family is now "Oh, you got a real tree! Did you get a mouse with it?" This year's tree is happily mouse-free!

The Great Christmas Tree Debate

2010-12-06T18:41:00.000-05:00

Every year, we have the same debate: get a real tree or drag out our artificial tree?

There are pros and cons of each, of course. If you have allergies to outside things (as The MWP does), the residual pollen and other outdoorsy things can trigger allergies. On the other hand, our artificial tree certainly has collected it's fair share of dust (which The MWP is also allergic to). There is the environmental issue of killing a tree, but new trees are always planted, because what tree farm wants to cut themselves out of business? And if that isn't enough, do you cut a tree yourself or get one that's already been cut and has been sitting around for who knows how long, dropping needles and building a sap block? And then there was always the worry that if we brought in a real tree, a certain someone might think we brought him an indoor potty, but obviously that won't be an issue this year (this time next year, perhaps there will be a post about how New Dog has tried to use the Christmas tree as an indoor potty).

The MWP decided that we should go cut a tree so we bundled up and headed off to a tree farm. It was a cold and windy day, with no snow (too bad, it would have been pretty), which meant that naturally, I discovered on my way to the tree farm that the thin spot on my old, worn-out jeans had worn out entirely and now I had some ventilation in my jeans. Invigorating! (Me, in the car: "Is it really cold in here all of the sudden?")

Of course, we didn't find The Perfect Tree at the first farm, so we went to a second farm, where after much scrutinizing of tree trunks (The MWP) and stomping around little trees pretending to be Godzilla (me), we finally found The Perfect Tree.

Me: "The question is, do we love it enough to kill it?"
The MWP: "....."

My guilty conscience is soothed somewhat by the fact that our house smells amazing and the tree is beautiful.

Finished Stuff Friday: Jubilee Cardigan

2010-12-03T08:28:00.003-05:00

I meant to post this before we went to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, but better late than never, right?

I knit this little cardigan as a shop sample for Natural Stitches, where it is spending the holiday season.

Pattern: "Jubilee Cardigan" by Cecily Glowik MacDonald, from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2010, 6 months size
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport, Summer Sky Heather colorway
Notes: I had to rip back the first time I knit this because I missed the first buttonhole. Other than that, it was smooth sailing.

Home again, home again

2010-11-29T23:54:00.000-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving with The MWP's family in Connecticut. It was so surreal traveling without a dog in the car. There was no one whining at us from the back seat to drive faster (seriously, Rufus was not happy unless we were driving 65 miles per hour), no one needing a pee break every couple of hours, no one poking at us to open his window.

It was very sad.

I thought that the most depressing thing in the world was watching my in-law's dog wandering around the house for a few days looking for Rufus. She was so sad. I think she really thought he was going to come rocketing into the house any minute and find all her hidden dog cookies.

I was wrong, though, because the most depressing thing will actually come on Wednesday, when I flip the calendar and get to have Rufus staring at me from his calendar picture all month.

Man on a mission

2010-11-18T22:43:00.000-05:00

Last summer, I read a story in a local newspaper about a man who was walking from Austin to Boston to raise awareness of canine cancer and chronicling his journey on his blog. Being an animal person, I was inspired by Luke and Malcolm's story and when Luke and his two dogs (Hudson and Murphy) returned to Pittsburgh later that summer, The MWP, Rufus and I were able to meet him and the dogs. (Rufus, being Rufus, decided to try to pick a fight with Hudson.)

Luke, Hudson and Murphy came back to Pittsburgh at the beginning of October for Dog-toberfest. We were able to catch up with him and while we were talking about dogs and walks, it came up in conversation that Rufus was 10. Luke couldn't believe it; after all, he looked healthy as a horse! Ha-ha! He looks like he's in such good shape, we'll have him around for years!

Well, we all know how that turned out and Luke and his mission have been on my mind. I would very much have liked some good to be able to come from all of this and I had hoped to have Rufus's DNA entered into the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium's research, but it was never determined if Rufus's tumor was technically cancer or not. (And ultimately, does it even matter?) While The MWP and I are not in the position to put our possessions in storage and walk from Pittsburgh to Portland, I can share Luke's mission with you. He's a good man and I'm proud to have met him.

PS The vet hospital that cared for Rufus opened it's radiology center today. Talk about bad timing.

Finished Stuff Friday: High Street Vest

2010-11-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

I have been looking for the perfect vest pattern for a while. I even bought a white shirt with plans to pair it with a vest. I found the High Street Vest on Ravelry and started the quest for the perfect yarn. Then I saw madelinetosh tosh DK and the search was over. It was the perfect yarn!

Pattern: "High Street Vest" by Kate Flagg from Hello Knitty
Yarn: madelinetosh tosh DK, Copper Penny colorway
Notes: The armhole decreases call for k2tog on both sides, but I used mirrored decreases instead. It looks much tidier that way.

The subtle variegation in the colors is what really makes this vest. It's the perfect yarn for the pattern. All the stockinette was horrendous but this is my favorite thing that I've knit this year.

Almost as good as a pony

2010-11-11T22:08:00.001-05:00

I have known for a long time that my teeth are weird. I have had dark spots that looked terrible on my back bottom teeth for as long as I can remember, and when I closed my mouth, my front teeth made contact, not my back teeth. No one ever did anything about it. My childhood dentist said the spots weren't cavities and even after I had braces for approximately 72 years, my back teeth never touched.

Fast forward to a few years ago when the dark spots began crumbling (aieee blargh) and I had a few cavities on the backs of my front teeth because of the way my jaws close. My new dentist said he would do what he could, filled the cavities on my back teeth but said that ultimately, I would need crowns to really fix my bite. I said "Wait, crowns? TRA LA LA can't heeeaaaaarrrrr yooouuuuuuu" and skipped away.

In May, the day after I quit my jobs (because my body has a terrific sense of humor), I went to the dentist to have a cavity filled and to have another cavity replaced. The dentist poked around, did some drilling and declared that my back teeth have deteriorated to the point that it was time for crowns. And the insurance may not want to pay for them. He put temporary fillings in that made me look like I had oatmeal stuck in my teeth. I met the president a week later. No, I wasn't self-conscious about that at all! (end sarcasm)

The dentist took some x-rays, wrote a report and sent an inquiry off to the insurance company. They told him to shove it because it was a "cosmetic procedure."

My teeth were trying to flee the scene and the insurance company called it a "cosmetic procedure."

I spent most of the summer fretting about getting the crowns. I needed six. I did not tell many people what was going to happen because I am very dentist-phobic and everyone likes to trot out their terrible dentist stories. (This is similar to the way that, when women find out another woman is pregnant, tend to bring out stories about the time they were in labor for five days, with no epidural.) No one ever goes to the dentist and leaves with a pony, you know? I made the situation worse by Googling and kept reading about root canals. Six root canals? What am I getting myself in to?

The procedure was spread out over four appointments, two appointments per side of my mouth. The night before my first appointment, I barely slept and when I did, I dreamed about teeth.

My last appointment was this morning. I have 6 shiny new porcelain and stainless steel crowns (no thanks to the insurance, sweet merciful crap, this has been a really expensive year) and I am here to tell you, as someone who white knuckles the chair during a cleaning:

It was fine.

Really.

I did not need any root canals. No posts. No rods. Step away from the Google. It will only freak you out.

I am just putting that out there for anyone who is living in terror at the thought of a major dental procedure and has been hearing stories about the time that Bill from accounting went to the dentist because his tooth hurt and then had to have the tooth pulled because it turns out that the tooth had cracked and a squirrel started hiding acorns in it while he was asleep.

It was fine. REALLY.And now my teeth actually work like they're supposed to. WIN.

In case you are wondering why my teeth are so bad and if I am secretly 85 years old: No. I have two things working against me. 1) My back teeth are weirdly short, causing my bite to be terrible. 2) The enamel on the back teeth on both sides of my mouth did not form correctly. This can happen if you have a very high fever when the teeth are forming under the gums. Antibiotics can also mess with tooth development and as my mother will tell you, I was the poster child for antibiotics and high fevers.

Finished Stuff Friday: Woodland Scarf

2010-11-05T09:00:00.021-05:00

I absolutely love the colors of Madeline Tosh. They practically glow and when I saw this colorway, I couldn't bring myself to bury it in a pair of shoes.

Pattern: Woodland Shawl, knit with the scarf adaptation
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Sock, "Jade" colorway
Notes: Pre-blocked size, 49" by 7", post-blocked size, 66" by 8" (roughly)

I love the texture of the leaves. So pretty!

Still here

2010-11-04T20:22:00.001-05:00

I used up all my coherent writing on animal biographies for the shelter where I volunteer. I guess I should have paced myself..

People keep asking me how we're doing. We are alive and kicking, some days we're fine, some days we're not. Last week we picked up Rufus's ashes and that day, we definitely were not fine. But we're OK, mostly.
I mentioned this on Facebook, but last week someone went through our car because we forgot to lock it (we almost always lock it). There was nothing in it to take, they just made a mess. I suspect I know who it was. Then we found out that two months ago, a house down the street was broken into in broad daylight and I suddenly have the urge to start contacting doberman rescue groups.
I didn't intend to watch, yet here I am sitting here, typing away and watching "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." I don't want to knock all their heads together just yet, but maybe soon.
November 17th is National Unfriend Day and I'm planning on joining the festivities. Rest assured that if you are reading this, you will not be unfriended.
I am currently in rehab because I sprained my lower back. I am not quite sure how I sprained it but I think it was because a malamute slept on my butt. I will just let you make up your own story there. I'm sure you've already started.
4 days into November and I already have holiday ad jingles burned into my brain. HALP.
It is November 4th and that means that I have been writing this blog for 6 years. Six! Years! Last month I had been considering having a give away but things happened, so....uh.... *jazz hands*

Knit on through all crises

2010-10-28T16:08:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Zimmerman advised us to "knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises."

Who am I to argue with Elizabeth Zimmerman?

No one, that's who.

Thank you

2010-10-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts, emails, comments and tweets. We are adjusting and the house is very quiet, but we will be fine.

I am very grateful for the staff of the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center for taking care of Rufus to the best of their ability, especially Dr. MacKillup and the neurology and ICU vet techs.

We have been floored at the outpouring of support, of all kinds and from all over the place and the love for Rufus, the dog we were able to adopt because no one else wanted him. I think he did pretty well for himself.

RIP Rufus

2010-10-21T21:41:00.000-05:00

Adopted: September 23, 2004
Given rest: October 21, 2010

God, we're going to miss him.

Breaking news: Rufus is lazy

2010-10-20T14:14:00.001-05:00

I've spoken to the vet tech who is taking care of Rufus twice today and both times the news was moderately good. He is resting comfortably, getting some sleep AND when he was taken outside around noon, he actually did a bit of supported walking, which he couldn't do yesterday. I will take small victories while I can.

The tech also assures me that the neurologist is a straight shooter who will not let Rufus suffer unnecessarily and won't beat around the bush with us if he thinks that treatments won't work. He is just taking his time responding to all his pills.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

2010-10-20T09:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had hoped that Rufus would have improved enough to come home (the poor guy is on a ton of medications to try to improve things) but sadly that is not the case. The neurologist would like to keep him for two to three more days to see if these is an improvement. As far as I know, we're starting radiation on Monday but he is not in good enough shape for us to drive him out there.

Anyway, in another meeting with the neurologist yesterday, we found out that he does not technically have cancer. He has a choroid plexus papilloma, which can come in cancerous and non-cancerous varieties and the neurologist feels that he has the non-cancerous variety. The problem is that it's growing and cancerous or non-cancerous, there's just not that much room in there. Furthermore, these tumors can both block fluid drainage and produce more fluid. I asked how long he thought this had been growing and he said he would be surprised if it had been more than a month. Which, if you are keeping track, no sooner was poor Rufus recovering from his stomach woes, part of his body was turning on him.

He can pick his head up, but doesn't really want to. He wants to eat, but at the same time, doesn't really want to (the nausea from the vertigo is really wicked). He managed one single wag of his tail when we saw him yesterday. They said that they have trouble getting him up but that could be because he's lazy. We laughed and laughed. Rufus? Lazy? You don't say! And he's stubborn, too, if Rufus doesn't want to do something, he doesn't do it.

Our dog's recovery could be being hindered because he's lazy and stubborn. But seriously, the situation really is bad.

We also found out that megaesphogus, which means he's now on a lot of medicines to keep stomach acid down. I'm not entirely convinced that this is a new development, because he has always been a puke-y dog and has always had trouble taking down food and water. We never thought anything of it, as he's been this way for years. We just thought he was trying to take food and water down too fast, so we bought him small bite food and listened to him cough out half the water he drank. We thought it was one of his quirks. The tumor has made it worse and now one of the risks if he DOES eat is that he could aspirate some food and get pneumonia.

I am really hoping that he is responding to the medicine today. If he doesn't respond, he can't be moved for radiation. The neurology staff is off today but the doctor is going to go in and check on him and he will notify us immediately if he thinks there is any change in his prognosis. I took a picture of him yesterday with his head on his pillow and it's just so sad.

Both of us are strongly against making him suffer just to keep him around and we may have to make the big decision by the end of the week if he doesn't improve.

"Cancer can't keep a good dog down."

2010-10-18T20:11:00.002-05:00

I talked to the canine neurologist this morning (by the way, Rufus is receiving care here from this doctor and we have been very happy with them, even being sick he has everyone eating out of his paw). He made it clear that he thought we were dealing with a brain tumor or stroke, or maybe a brain infection of some kind. We authorized the MRI and the hospital called this afternoon to set up a consultation with the neurologist. We were slightly encouraged by this because we were told by a vet that if they had found anything really terrible, they would not have woken him up from the sedation used in the MRI.

Unfortunately, the news is not good. Rufus has a 1 centimeter tumor on his brain stem that is causing a build-up of fluid in his brain, which in turn is causing the sudden symptoms. The tumor is inoperable because of the location, but the neurologist says that radiation is very effective for this type of tumor, so we are going to go for it. With radiation, the prognosis is 10-12 months of quality time.

The neurologist was kind enough to email me the MRIs. Here is Rufus's tumor, it is the white spot on the right side, near the center of the MRI:


I hate you, tumor.

Here is a side shot showing the build-up of fluid, just to the left of the line and above the center of the photo. It's light in color and now that I see this, I can see why our dog was walking around like he'd been doing keg stands.

Unfortunately, the neurologist did not email me the MRI of a normal dog brain that he showed us for comparison.

For right now, Rufus is on steroids and a water pill to try to control the fluid build-up and if that works, he can come home tomorrow. We will be scheduling radiation therapy based on the results of the medicine. Unfortunately, the hospital does not have a radiation center. They have one built and the machines are in place, but it needs to be calibrated and will be ready in about a month.

We don't have a month. So Rufus will most likely be having his radiation therapy in Columbus, Ohio. The plan at this point is three weeks of radiation therapy. He will be admitted during the week and home on the weekends.

More to come when we know more. We have been overwhelmed with the amount of support we've gotten, whether on Twitter, Facebook or email. Thank you.

(post title from here)

Control-Z

2010-10-17T17:38:00.003-05:00

I wish I could undo all of last week and go back to last Sunday and start over.

Let's start at the beginning. Last week, we packed up the car and Rufus and drove to North Carolina to see my sister and BIL (with an overnight layover in Virginia). My sister has a big backyard with lots of room for their dogs to run, so Rufus had the time of his life, chasing the neighbor's dogs through the fence, up and down the backyard.

He seemed a little stiff on Wednesday and Thursday, but still wanted to run. On Friday, things went downhill and with a long drive ahead of us on Saturday, we took him to my sister's vet, where he was diagnosed with a knee injury and given pain medication.

On Saturday morning, he seemed bright and perky and was able to hop right into the car. As the day went on, however, it was harder and harder for him to walk. Thinking he was in pain, we gave him another pain pill when we got home. In the middle of the night, The MWP took him outside to go to the bathroom and he fell out of the house and then fell onto the ground, prompting us to head off to the emergency vet at 2 AM.

After an exam, we got the shock of our lives when we were told that Rufus most likely does not have a knee injury at all, he's having problems walking because of what is most likely a neurological problem. We decided to admit him to the hospital for observation, because frankly, The MWP and I were (and still are) freaking the hell out.

Today, they called to tell us that they think it is one of three things: a stroke, a brain lesion or a tumor. He is seeing a neurologist tomorrow and we have given them the go-ahead to do an MRI. We'll have a consultation with the neurologist tomorrow. He is in excellent hands and will be seeing a top pet neurologist. The staff is absolutely charmed by him.

I am absolutely terrified. The dog we brought home to Pittsburgh is not the dog we took to North Carolina. I want my old dog back. I'm very afraid that we're going to have to make a very difficult choice and have him put to sleep.

Mostly, I don't understand how this all happened.

I'll post more information as I learn it. Comments are off in the meantime.

Finished Stuff Friday: Sockhead Hat

2010-10-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

Most of my yarn stash consists of sock yarn, mostly because I can't go into a yarn shop and not buy something. Some knitters think that sock yarn "doesn't count" but for not much money, you can buy one skein of yarn, get hours of entertainment and wind up with a pair of socks.

My problem is twofold. First, I am running out of places to store socks and I have enough socks to wear that they are not wearing out (I know, we should all have such problems). When I saw Mooncalf's Sockhead Hat in the spring, it was a burst of inspiration. Sock yarn doesn't have to be made into socks? Duh.

Pattern: Sockhead Hat, by Kelly McClure
Yarn: Yarn Pirate Superwash Merino Sock, Wildflowers colorway
Notes; I cast on as written even though I had doubts that it would fit my gigantic head and it fits nicely.

The second part of my problem with this yarn is in my experience, it bleeds like crazy (this is not everyone's experience, I must be lucky). It was absolutely fine when I was knitting my first pair of Jaywalkers with it, but when I washed them, they put out a lot of dye. Which, OK, a lot of yarns do the first time you wash them, but it soon got to the point where my formerly awesome white, red and black socks were now pink, red and gray. I still wear them but they are kind of sad looking. The yarn itself is in great shape, but the colors are awful .

I did not want to knit another pair of socks with this colorway (one of my favorites out of my stash!) and risk the same thing happening, so knitting a hat solved everything. (Not that I won't ever wash a hat, you understand, but not as often as socks.)

I really love this hat. It probably makes me look like a giant dork, but come on. I have knit and wear a hat shaped like a dead fish. Being a dork is nothing new.

A mystery

2010-10-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

Have you ever pulled on a jacket that you haven't worn since the previous winter and found something fun, like money?

Yesterday was cool and rainy and I dug out a windbreaker that I haven't worn in a few years. In fact, I can't remember the last time I wore it, so you can imagine my surprise when I put my hands in my pockets and pulled out...a box of ear plugs.

This does nothing to dispel my belief that our house is infested with gnomes.

Nine

2010-10-01T15:07:00.000-05:00

I have a cold. Not a bad cold, but enough of one that I want to lay around in my pajama's with a box of Kleenex, my knitting and some terrible TV. The MWP reminded me earlier in the week that nine years ago, we were moving my stuff to his apartment. And nine years ago today, in fact at this very moment nine years ago, we were getting married in the park. And I was sick that day, too! I got married with a cough drop in my mouth. And then we went home and I took a nap. It was all very romantic.

Happy Anniversary, MWP! You are still my very favorite.

Big! Exciting! News!

2010-09-30T13:28:00.000-05:00

Guess what, internets! For the last two weeks I've been training! For my new job! As a part-time employee at...a yarn shop. I know! Working! At a yarn shop! Specifically this yarn shop!

To say that I am excited about this is sort of an understatement.

The combination of being surrounded by yarn, my ever-growing Ravelry queue and the new Knitty have given me a wicked case of Startitis. First, there is this:

"Hello! I am rumply and undignified!"

This is the Woodland Shawl, adapted to be a scarf. It goes to work with me. (work!)

Next is the Sockhead Hat. I have to admit that a hat knit with sock yarn is kind of soul-sucking. Knit and knit and knit and knit to find that you have progressed...a quarter of an inch.

I also swatched for a vest and cast on for an animal blanket for the shelter in which I volunteer. Maybe one of these days I'll have a finished object to show for all this knitting!

It's somebody's birthday!

2010-09-23T16:15:00.001-05:00

Someone is having a birthday today...

"Who...me?"

We're celebrating by finally giving him plain dog food and not a mix of bland diet and dog food. Yes, his stomach woes DID start 3 1/2 weeks ago, and he was getting better but then he wasn't. The vet put him on an antibiotic and then The MWP spent the next 10 days shoving a pill down his throat twice a day (observing at one point "Hmm, I just touched something down there that I've never touched before."). We went really slowly putting him back on regular food and now he seems fine.

I'm a little sad about his birthday this year because when we got him 6 years ago, the shelter told us he was 3 or 4. Now he is 9 or 10 and that means My Baby is Getting Old. We switched him to senior dog food in the spring (but shhh, don't tell him, he doesn't know), mostly because I thought the ingredient list was better with fewer fillers. But still. Sniff sniff. He still plays like a puppy and acts much younger than my parents' dogs, who are younger than he is and pretty inactive. I'm attributing this to daily walks and lots of naps on the couch.

But enough being sad. Naturally, there were presents...

I believe the football is his new favorite, he is curled up on the floor with it even as I type this. I also picked this, which he diligently started gnawing the stem off of as soon as I gave it to him.

I was going to get him some cute little "iced" dog cookies, but didn't want to risk stomach issues again so soon after coming off the bland diet, so I opted for these...

He was so excited that he kept confusing the camera and it couldn't focus on anything. It's the true hallmark of a good gift.

Birthdays are simply exhausting.

Stink Bug Haiku

2010-09-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

Stink bugs on the door,
and the windows and even
on my husband, ew.

****

Open the car door,
get inside and ew, what's that?
A stink bug? Oh gross.

****

In the yard, what's this?
Rufus licking a stink bug?
Well now, that's just great.

Road trip!

2010-09-16T13:02:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, The MWP, Rufus and I went on a road trip to Presque Isle for the weekend to do some geocaching.

(No, that is not my bike. Still can't ride a bike. Not my shoes, either.)

We saw boats! And birds! And a snake! And happy dogs running on the beach!

Rufus was not one of the happy dogs running on the beach. Rufus was mad because his fur kept blowing the wrong way and then he found a dead fish and I wouldn't let him eat it.

I love lighthouses:

We found our 500th geocache at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center while we were there. And they had a dinosaur exhibit!

I was able to correctly identify this as an Allosaurus skeleton as soon as we walked in. I am a giant dork.

Slightly too big to fit in my plants:

I am not sure what Squidward was doing there.

Kitten Dumper Strikes Again

2010-09-14T15:56:00.002-05:00

I think the universe wants us to have a cat.

If not, why does it keep trying to give me a kitten? First there was this. Then Yvonne was up to her ears in kittens. And then last Friday, bam, stray kitten in front of our house.

Now, understand that I work with cats at an animal shelter. I could have my choice of kittens or cats (I even have a favorite! But she doesn't like dogs). But having another pet violates two rules:

Never have a pet that could make someone in your family sick (The MWP is allergic to cats. Sometimes they trigger his asthma. Sometimes they don't bother him at all. It's like cat roulette!)
Never have a pet that will consider another household pet to be a buffet. (Hamster, anyone?)

Last Friday, my neighbor discovered a stray kitten across the street from our houses. It was the cutest little thing, about 6 weeks old, dark gray with light gray stripes and big silver-y gray eyes. We tried to cozy up to it and every time we got within 6 feet of it, it would dart through the chain link fence and over the hill on the other side. Within 5 minutes of us leaving, it would come out again. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I'm not sure what we would have done if we had been able to catch it. My neighbor has a toddler, a dog, 2 cats and a husband who really doesn't want any more cats. I have a dog, a hamster, an allergic husband and a limited budget. Nevertheless, she gave me one of her cat carriers in case I was able to catch it, and we went out and bought a small box of kitten food (because I couldn't bear the thought of stray kitten being hungry as well as being alone and bewildered).

As it turns out, neither one of us had to worry about what to do with the kitten because we haven't seen it since Saturday. The kitten food was gone on Saturday morning and I suspect stray kitty was still in the area, but by Saturday evening, no sign of it.

In my Happy Land of Denial, I prefer to think that someone took stray kitty into their homes and it is now living in the lap of luxury and eating caviar. I prefer not to think about the reality of what probably happened.

Needless to say, I hope Kitten Dumper gets a big nasty case of fleas. And ticks. And bed bugs.