Little Bits of Fluff

OK. Just look at that wee puppy! All of 2.2 lbs, and he just loves his Auntie Brigitte! Meet Finnegan, my sis and sis-in-law's new puppy. He's a 'Shitzpoo' (oh, I hope I got the spelling on that), and an adorable little fur ball, despite what his breed name may suggest! He came by for a visit yesterday, to meet me and his cousins, Atticus and Mae.

They were suitably unimpressed at his presence.

Mae hid, and Atticus sniffed, hissed, and thought the new fan was more interesting.

What a little bundle of energy! His cousins bought him some presents (no, really they did) - with their Mom's influence of course:

Sheepie is pretty much the same size as Finney. They tousled a la Star Trek "Amok Time", and, well, Finney won, although Sheepie did put up a good battle. Puppy dominance has been asserted.

He was a most welcome guest (oh, and his Moms too!), and certainly brought a lot of smiles and laughs. Look at that little face!

Colour Stories

Both Divas were out yesterday, although wee Finney cut short their progress. Ophelia is ready for a neckline, and the HF Diva is getting a short-row collar. Once again, Hanne F. reminds me why she does what she does... The instructions seem a bit convoluted, however once you place your trust in them, they all make sense. And it is nowhere near as daunting as it first seems. It will be interesting to see how the combination of short-row shaping and decreases will turn into half a shawl collar.

I did promise some cable stories, but I haven't taken any pictures of the WIP's and FO's. However, I do want to introduce you to another WIP - Western Seas by Alice Starmore.

I'm not posting a picture of my own until I can figure out how to best show the colour. And here's my question to you - do you find that working with certain colours has an effect on your productivity? Seriously. I love this gansey - it's a beautiful, classic design, an easy knit, however... I chose to work it in navy blue, and I find that despite the proper lighting - this blue makes me drowsy! I can't seem to work on it more than an hour or so before my eyes start drooping. At first I thought that it was simply fatigue, until I remembered that I used to experience the same drowsiness when working St. Brigid (also from the talented Alice Starmore, Aran Knitting). I worked it using her 3-ply Hebridean, in the Limpet shade. A dark heathered purple...

Not that it would ever stop me from working with these colours! Part of the process, I suppose.

To partially combat the problem, I taught myself how to knit continental. One half of Fair Isle stranding is continental after all, so why not just use that method with this yarn? It's not that much quicker than my regular style, but the tension works out, and I'm able to look away for longer periods of time and not worry about dropping a stitch. Because Western Seas? She has some looooong stretches of stockinette, let me tell you. A painful 34cm... which may not seem too bad, but when your knitting it on 296 sts a round, with a tension of 30 sts and 40 rows to 10cm... Well now. I'm not a straight stockinette girl, unless it's broken up by something else. I never feel like I'm accomplishing anything, know what I mean?

However, Western Seas will be finished, even if I have to teach the Little Dudes how to knit. She's a lovely design, I just have to get through the body... There are so many other Starmores to work...

Knitsters, I want to once again thank you for stopping by! Hey, I hope the weather is as fantastic where you are as it is here in Toronto. It's a lovely 15C outside (not sure on the F equivalent), sunny and breezy. A bit chilly, but I am not complaining. This is perfect for me. I suffer from fibromyalgia, and the humidity of summer usually means a lot of discomfort for me. So far, June has been stellar!

And by the way - Chris stopped by to say hi, and was sweet enough to give me some gluten-free recipe links. Thanks Chris!

In closing -