Friday, November 30, 2007

Scattered



Well I've gone from random to scattered ! Is that progress ? On some fronts life is just rolling right along in a good way . Other aspects not so much . Preparations for Casey and Chantal's wedding are going along well . Christmas shopping is mostly all done . I've decided to cut back on all the usual Christmas baking . I'll still do some but mostly to give as gifts. On the not so much side , my friend Marie's health is really deteriorating and I'm really worried that something might happen to her while we're away . I might not worry as much if her morale were better, but she's going through a rough patch right now . The holidays are always difficult for seniors living alone but this year seems to be worse for her . I've made arrangements for someone to check in on her while we're gone and get her meals and groceries etc. organized , but I still worry . Keeping fingers crossed !




Oh boy does it feel cold this morning ! It seems like we've jumped from an exceptionally nice autumn directly to winter . We've had a bit of snow off and on since last week and there's more to come this week-end. It makes for treacherous walks with the pooches , especially Alaska and Zeus as they tend to walk me rather than the other way around . They're all back to good health , thank god , because getting them to take the meds was a challenge . Zeus is growing so fast , I'm wondering how big he'll be when he's full grown . Quite the size I think as he's got humongous paws. He's just one big ball of energy ; sometimes I think Alaska wishes Max would bring him back to the SPCA because he never gets tired of goofing around .
Knitting progress is on the not so much side of the balance sheet . I am knitting just not finishing . I ripped out 2 WIPs and will re-knit hopefully to get them done before Christmas . One was the Calorimetry and mittens to match. I wasn't happy with either so rip , rip , rip . The very good knit is the scarf for the Ravelry scarf exchange . Done and blocked and being sent this week-end - just in the nick of time! I have another scarf on the needles and the poor Monkey socks , which seem destined to just languish in my knitting basket. So much for the sock a month KAL . My stole is just this much from being finished . I still have almost a month before it really has to come off the needles . I live in hope !

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Going to the Dogs...

Literally . Some days I think I should open up a doggie daycare and at least get some wool money for taking care of all the dogs in my life. Most of whom don't belong to me , but that's what moms do . Max's new puppy is recovering very well from his bout with kennel cough. Unfortunately , Alaska , and now Bingo are each taking their turns with it . I spent the better part of last week going over to Max's and dosing Zeus , which proved to be quite the challenge . Smart dog found more ways to fool me into thinking he'd taken his meds and then spitting out the pills as soon as my back was turned . Couldn't even fool him with putting the pills in various disguises ( treats) . Alaska and Bingo are not as sick as the little guy was but I'll be glad when they're back to being healthy .










Knitting continues . Thank god otherwise I think I'd really lose it . I've done the 10 repeats on the Japanese Feather stole , but I think I'll do a couple more as it seem to be a little on the short side . I'm also still working on the Monkey socks as well as a Christmas gift for Chantal . I'll take some photos when the ends are all sewn in . I tend to put that off till the last minute .








On Friday I received a very nice package containing this terrific box bag bag . I ordered this from Catherine's etsy shop zigzagstitches . It's such a great bag , the perfect size for a sock in progress . Because this was her 100th sale she was kind enough to add a needle case which also fits in the bag . Totally unexpected , but very much appreciated . Go visit .

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

One done , one in progress ...






Christmas knitting is well underway chez nous . I finished this scarf the other day The weather finally co-operated enabling me to get this outdoor shot instead of the usual boring indoor-on-the kitchen-table pic . That would be the next one. This is the " One Row Hand spun " scarf pattern a la Yarn Harlot . A very nice reversible scarf pattern and though this isn't hand spun yarn I'm really happy with the scarf. The yarn is Luxury Collection Alpaca Peru . This was my first time knitting with alpaca, but certainly won't be my last.


I still have the Monkey socks on the go but decided that the time has finally come to take the Japanese Feather Stole of the back burner . Casey & Chantal's wedding is fast approaching and I need to get it done. If I dedicate at least a couple of hours a day I could conceivably get it done by next week . Being as that these needles are always restless , it'll be quite a challenge to keep from casting on another knit. Think I'm up to it ?