First Day of Winter

Wow. Can you tell?

"Cool! It's like a soft, fluffy bed! I wonder if I stick my face...lalalalalalala...Oh! Sweet Greenies that's cold!"

You know, this time of year, I get busy. Knitting this and that. Yet, because of the time of year, I can't show this. Or that. Because you know. Readership and all...

So. The pickings? They are slim.

Instead, I bring you this -

YOGOURT!

I have a good friend from India, and she once told me that once you make your own yogourt, you'll never go back to the store bought stuff.

Now. When it comes to yogourt, I'm a finicky sort of girl.

"...like Mae!..."

"Who said that??? Oy..."

Anyway. I've been known to spend far too much time in the dairy aisle, trying to find the right yogourt that doesn't taste like...well...cow-ass; or, that doesn't have sugar/fake sugar as the second ingredient. Instead, I started going for the plain, organic yogourt, and loved it.

Of course. You have to like plain, organic yogourt. If not. Well.

Then, my friend Puneet told me how she makes her yogourt.

First, you heat the milk.

I use about a litre and a bit (um, I think that's about 5 to 6 cups of milk) of organic 2% milk. Heat it to JUST before boiling, remove from heat, and let cool. It should be cool enough that you can put your knuckle on the surface without scalding and swearing. Or, no steam should come off the surface.

Then, take your "starter" -

I use about 3/4's of a small container of the same brand of plain yogourt I used to buy. You can also buy commercial yogourt starter, but personally, I like using this better. Plop it in a big enough bowl, and smooth it out with a plastic or wooden spoon (no metal...).

Add some of the cooled milk -

...and make sure to mix just enough so that the milk smoothes out the yogourt starter. Keep adding a bit at a time, and when it's done, cover it up with a lid (not too tight though) and a cloth.

Then -

...pop 'er in the oven with only the light on. Shut the oven door, leave the light on, and forget about it for the 16-24 hours. And what ever you do - no peeking! After all, the bacteria are breeding. Heh.

I used to do this in my gas stove - the heat from the pilot light was enough to do the bacterial job.

I put this in at around 8:30am this morning, and I'll take it out tomorrow morning when I get up for work.

And the result? The best damn yogourt this side of Delhi.

Of course. If you don't like plain yogourt, then all of this means nothing to you. Well, you learned something at least. You may be saying - hey Brig, I'm lactose intolerant! Can I still have some of this stuff? Yes! I have issues digesting lactose, and milk proteins, and I don't worry one bit with this stuff. The heating process manages to banish both nasties, and I feel no ill effects.

As a matter of fact, all that good bacteria? Does wonders for the uh, plumbing.

And hey Brig! Doesn't it seem like a long, drawn out process?! Well, it's not! Apart from heating the milk, which I do recommend you watch like a hawk, there's really not much else to it. While it's cooling, you can go off and do something else for a half hour or so. Once cooled, it takes barely 5 minutes to incorporate the milk into the starter. Then the whole oven thing...well, you really shouldn't stand next to the oven for 16 - 24 hours. Unless you want to. But that's just weird.

When it comes out of the oven, let it rest at room temperature for a couple of hours before popping it into the fridge. The consistency may be slightly less firm than you're used to, but the taste? YUM.

So there you go. Brigitte goes all granola on you.

In other news...

You know when they say you should rummage through your closet, and discard anything you haven't worn in the past couple of years? Yeah, well, I thought I should do the same with a couple of WIPs.

Now, you know what? There is a difference between taking a long time to knit something - not because you don't love it - but because it's a project that requires a lot of concentration (like Fulmar); and those that take a long time to knit because, well, there is NO love. Any longer.

Can you guess what these are?. No, not the black paws and long whiskers. We already know what those are and who they belong to.

Those are Arangenser, and Western Seas. *sigh*

You both were making me miserable. I do not believe in finishing something for the sake of finishing it. Especially if I'm on the verge of tears everytime I work on you, and working on you is usually the result of guilt. While I didn't hate you (after all, I will be reusing the yarn, and would rather not burn my bridges with you), I could no longer stand looking at what I was making with you.

And you know what? I actually felt NO pain while frogging them. It was quite...entrancing actually, watching the ball winder unwind the kinks out of those WIP's. Yes, it represented a lot of work, but, I'd rather have frogged them both knowing I could reuse the yarn, than look at the knitting bags gathering dust and pissing me off.

See? Win-win.

And hey everybody!

Happy Holidays to you all from all of us here (meow!)! My Christmas will start in a week or so, however I'll be thinking of you all, and hoping all is well in your worlds.

All's Well

I am happy to report.

So, remember my problems with the Jamieson's yarn I used with the Hearts Tunic? Well, I'm pleased to say that I received a favourable response from the good people at Jamieson's. They did look into the matter, and provided me with a good reason as to why this may have occurred, and will be compensating me adequately. The response was quick, and the customer service they provided is excellent. I'm quite pleased (and confident) in continuing to use Jamieson's yarns in the future, and really - how could you not when put together they create such beautiful Fair Isle and stranded projects like Delores!

Hee hee! I'm just including this picture to remind you all (and myself, for that matter), of lovely Delores. Who has been sadly neglected. As have pretty much all of my WIP's, due in large part to STEALTH CHRISTMAS knitting. Santa Claws doesn't knit, so it's up to me to fill these Christmas knit wishes.

So, pretend you haven't seen Delores before! Ooooo! Ahhhh!

And thanks Jamieson's! Although it doesn't bring back my Hearts Tunic, your response does go a long way in restoring my confidence in your lovely yarns.

There's very little in the way of knitting to show you. This time of year - what can I say. It's all about the gifties.

Speaking of which!

Look what I got from Tess, Jetsam, and Garden Kitty's mom Bridget!

Gifties!

And for the Little Dudes too! Some toys for them (which have since been scattered to all four corners), some gluten free cookies (the gingerbread cookie? Oh. Wow.), and a SIGNED copy of "Knit So Fine"! I love this book, and have since it first came out. It features designs using thin yarns (my favourites). There are quite a few I'd like to try, including a hat, and the cover design. There's also a Kimono Top, and a vest using sock yarn. And lots of other stuff - go have a peek! Thanks Bridget! And thanks to the lovely authors of the book - Lisa R. Myers, Laura Grutzeck and Carol Sulcoski - for signing the book for me.

"Atticus?"

"What?"

"I'm confused. Can I ask you something?"

"Um, ok..."

"Mom's name is Brigitte, right?"

"Right..."

"Then, how is it that Tess and Jetsam and Garden Kitty's mom is ALSO named Bridget? How can there be 2 moms named Brigitte? See my point? It's weird."

"Dude. There can be 2 mom's with the same name. It's just that the spelling is different."

*silence*

"The spelling is different? Ohhhh. OK. Well, I guess so then. Atticus?"

"Hmmm?"

"So, could there be 2 Atticus' too?"

"Whoa. Let's not get ahead of ourselves!"

Really must booby trap computer while I'm at work. Seems someone is getting too familiar with surfing the Internet.

Oh boy.

Anyway! Hey look! Surprise! Pardon the bad office lighting and slightly constipated look. We had just rolled back into the office after our 2.5 hour group lunch. Heh. But look! Yes, that's right. I cut A LOT of hair off, and boy does it ever feel LIGHTER. I never realized I had so much hair. But, it was a long time in coming, and I'm very pleased with the results.

Yay me! (Nice sweater Brigitte. Why, thank you. :D )

"I'm here for no other reason than to show you all how handsome I am. Despite the crappy lighting. That is all."

Hearts Tunic

Wow! Was I ever excited to show and tell you all about this:

It's my Hearts Tunic!

Hearts Tunic from Simply Shetland 3, knit on 5mm needles using Jamieson's Heathered Aran in the Lacquer shade. Size small, and it fits perfectly.

Yay me!

Did I enjoy it? I did! I became more and more excited as I worked on it, thinking how wonderful it would be to wear at Christmas. You know, being a lovely shade of red and all. I love the picot detailing, and the slightly set in sleeves. It does look a little uneven in the photo above, because it's been steamed and is drying.

But.

And this is where I have to sit down, sigh, and swallow my vomit.

One of these things is definitely not like the others.

It's not a trick of the light.

It's not a "steam" or "wet" line.

It's not a fold line.

It's a very distinct separation between one ball, and another. Despite all being from the same dye lot.

It's not supposed to look like that. After all, all balls come from the same dye lot. But, that one sleeve section next to the body? Looks rather funky to me.

Can I tell you? I think I may have cried a bit. After all, if you remember correctly, this is the 2nd time this has happened (scroll down to 3rd picture).

The placement is such that I will probably not be able to wear this. It's too obvious, and really sticks out due to the red shade.

I can't help but think - did I do something wrong here??? But you know what? I didn't. Wet blocking isn't the cause. I've wet blocked many a knitted piece, and have never had this happen. And let's face it kids, I'm no idiot when it comes to this stuff. I've been knitting for over 30 years, 95% of the time with wool. I think it's safe to say at this point that I know what I'm doing.

So, stay tuned. I'll have to report this, obviously - but I'm in a better mood today than I was yesterday. I don't like using the word "complain"; it sounds too much like "whining". But, I guess that's what it is.

On a happier note -

Isobel of Mar! It's a bit difficult from the picture to see the detailing, but it is an accurate depiction of the colour. I'm knitting it from stashed 3-ply Hebridean from Virtual Yarns in the "Summertide" shade. Stashed 3-ply Hebridean...whoa. OK, actually, it was from another design I had bought that I didn't end up doing. Which one...can't remember now. But anyhoo, it makes for the perfect colouring for this design. You can really see the detailing of the cardigan in Marina's finished Isobel of Mar. And my hat is off to her, because at nearly 320 stitches per row, I'm amazed she finished it so quickly! Wait a minute. No, I'm not. It's Marina.

And hey! Look who it is!

Stewie's back! Well, I'm pretty sure it's him, he has the distinct grey tuft of fur on his tail. And he sits by the door, waiting for me to give him some bread. I haven't seen Brian yet (Stewie's companion), but it's early yet. Brian had a tuft of fur missing from his back. And yes, I did bag up the leaves...

"Aw Mom, I'm sorry about the Hearts Tunic and the bum dye job. Here. Let me lie down and nap here on your lap. I'll totally immobilise your left arm so you can't type properly. It'll make us ALL feel better. Really. It will."

Stay tuned! It ain't over.

Stash Flash

I've been asked a few times in the past week to show off what I've got. No, not that. Be nice.

This.
You get only one guess as to what this is. My stash, in all its glory. How do I even go about putting it up on Ravelry?!! OK, so what's not in the picture - um, there are two small bins sitting under the laundry basket with my work stuff. And my basket of sock yarn is on the floor, below one of the big honkin' Ziploc bags. Oh, and the shelf? Is actually a bit bigger than it looks. It holds all the stuff in kit form. Although the stuff in the bags in the upper left hand corner of the picture is actually sitting on my dryer, so it's not as bad as it looks.

*silence*

OK. It is. Yes, in upcoming posts I will show you how it's *somewhat* arranged. As much as I can arrange it.

And to be fair: My WIP table. Which would probably be somewhat less busy if it weren't for Marina queuing pretty much the same stuff I want to make. Like now. (Say in Jerry Seinfeld voice - "Marina!" like "Newman!".)

Oh, ok. Because someone is bound to ask:

Most of my knitting books. Most of them... You know, because some are in use...

Yesterday was a banner day! I had visitors from Knittingham, as in Lorraine and her daughter Laura. As always, we had a great day. We went on a yarn crawl, Atticus and Gandalf successfully sucked up for treats, and I got pressies!

"Look! I rearranged everything for you Mom! You're welcome."

It's near impossible to get a half decent picture with Gandalf around... But, you can see pretty much everything - a huge honkin' hank of Brooklyn Handspun Superwash merino in "Earth", 2 skeins of Lorraine's handdyed yarn (the stuff I coveted in the summer - it has orange, pink and fuschia! Love!), some Body Shop stuff, tea, treats for the Little Dudes (not pictured for obvious reasons) and a super special pressie -

No, not Gandalf. The pretty shiny thing resting on him! It's not easy to photograph, but it's a handmade necklace. The little shiny things? Cat heads. The dangly thing at the bottom? A mouse with a movable tail. And what I'm stupidly covering up with my hand at the top? The clasp, which is a cat. It is too cute, let me tell you. I'll have to lock myself in a room, and take a better picture next time around. It's just so funny!

"Funny? I'll tell you what isn't funny, and that's that camera. Let me relax a little. My life is hard you know."

The cat bed is a hit. I think they have a rotating schedule - Atticus in the morning and during the day, Mae is usually there after dinner and throughout the evening, and Gandalf during the night. For the most part. Unless he feels the need to muscle in on Atticus.

He doesn't muscle in during Mae's rotation though.

"He wouldn't dare. Punk..."

Mae would send him away with a growl. He listens to her...

Oh, and before someone asks about what I picked up yesterday during our yarn crawl. I didn't show it for a reason - you'll see next time around. Yes, that means another WIP.

Heh.

Where Did My Self-Discipline Go?

"Hi. Are you my big brother?"

People ask me all the time - was Mae really that cute a kitten?

What do you think? She was adorable (and of course, she still is). And she LOVED Atticus - she followed him everywhere, and just wanted to be around him.

"Must...reach...big...brother..."

These were taken on her first day in her new home. Did I ever mention - Atticus and Mae had the same Mom.

And yes, Atticus was much slimmer back then.

"I still rock."

As a little experiment, I picked up a "pet bed", and see how it would go over. I figured if the guys went for it (cats and change...you know...), I'd pick up some more.

"Oh yeah."

I'll be picking up some more. Right now, Mae has taken over the bed, and Gandalf is trying to muscle his way back in. Atticus, ever the Mama's boy, naps behind me, even though this room is a tad cool.

"I am NO Mama's boy. Go show your knittin' stuff, and get that camera out of my face. And vacuum this place, geez...mama's boy...pffft..."

Heh.

Apart from this lovely bit of fabric, I have been all over the place with my WIP's. Isn't she purty??! I am now about halfway to the underarms, and you can really get a sense from the picture above how it's going to look. I can't tell you how lovely it really is, and the picture really doesn't do it justice. The colours fit perfectly together, and the peeries and Fair Isle patterning flow so nicely... *sigh* I love her. Lorraine did such a great job in designing this vest.

But as for everything else...I wish I was as enthused. Actually, to say I'm not enthused is not a fair assessment. I'm just not able to concentrate on any one project. I'm all over the place - I want/need a pink scarf/wrap (which I may have started...); I need/want a flowy cardigan (which I may have started...); I want to use up this stash yarn; what's easy for TV knitting? And so on...

Then there's the whole mittens situation. I really want to make the Druid mittens - I have more than enough Shetland Spindrift in pink - but one strand of 2-ply just won't cut it. I have delicate girly hands, and they won't be warm enough. Yes, I could use a double strand, but they will end up way too big, and I don't know if I want to rewrite the pattern to decrease the stitch count. So, I'm on the hunt... Lorraine has these queued - actually, they're done now (damn those knitting monogamists...!) *sigh* I confuse myself. I'll have to hunt through my sock yarn/2 ply stash. I'm pretty sure I'd have something, somewhere.

And yes. I have other WIP's. I blame it on the time of year, you know? This weather makes me want to just knit everything I see.

Discipline? Who? Me?

Have You Ever?

You know... Have you ever mentally prepared for a post, only to discover that you can't seem to find one important piece? Like, your camera cable?

"What?...Why do you assume it's ME? Here. Lemme help look for it. Atticus, move out of the way, you're blocking my search grid."

Pretend if you will that Windsor Waistcoat has 4 inches or more of patterning. Just think of how much more there will be next week! Bonus! And, you're guaranteed to see something new. Just sayin'.

So, in lieu of our regularly scheduled knitting photos, I bring you a 20-questions sort of thingy (courtesy of Bridget) to keep you interested.

Have You Ever…

1. Gone on a blind date? Um, yeah. One, and only one. Ew.

2. Skipped school? Well, I never skipped school, but I did skip the odd class in high school.

3. Been on the opposite side of your country? Sadly, no. Either direction. But soon I will be a regular visitor to Nova Scotia!

4. Swam in an ocean? Yes! The Mediterranean. Cool. AND I got stung by a jellyfish. NOT cool.

5. Had your booze taken away by the cops? Um. No. What the hell? Who wrote this stuff? I didn't get drunk for the first time 'til I was 18.

6. Lettered in a high school sport? Huh? I'm guessing this means participating in high school sports? No. Although I did really like playing soccer.

7. Cried yourself to sleep? Sure. Who hasn't?

8. Played a musical instrument? Oh, that is FUNNY. But no.

9. Sung karaoke? Yup. I was working on a kibbutz in Israel when I turned 20. I remember singing to Tina Turner in our little volunteer's pub, which was in an old bomb shelter. The other volunteers were there, as well as some of the locals, and we had a grand ol' time! Best birthday I've ever had.

10. Cheated on an exam? No! Not too toot my own horn, but high school didn't exactly challenge me. So, I didn't really need to cheat... However - even in math, at which I excelled at sucking at, didn't inspire me to want to cheat either.

11. Played spin-the-bottle? I think so...

12. Laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose? Dudes. C'mon. Of course. This is me we're talking about. I once laughed and coughed so hard at the same time a Tic Tac I had in my mouth came out of my nose. Seriously. Like last year.

13. Watched the sun rise with someone you care about? Sure!

14. Ever been arrested? Nope. Although I did get pulled aside and had my luggage thoroughly inspected when I left...somewhere. Can't remember where. Oh wait, it was at LaGuardia airport in NYC, and I was coming back from Israel.

15. Gone ice skating? Oh. C'mon. I'm Canadian. Have I gone ice skating!? I only grew up in Ottawa - home to the Rideau Canal, the longest outdoor skating rink in the world.

16. Been skinny dipping? No. Sorry, not even a funny story to go along with that one. Not to mention the answer to #4. Once burned...

17. Been on television? No, but I did accidentally walk onto a set of the James Bond movie "The Living Daylights" when it was being filmed in Vienna, Austria in the late '80's. What? They should have marked it off better.

18. Thrown up in front of a date? No, but I have afterwards. Maybe one day I'll tell you about the time I threw up after a dinner date, which consisted of eating some very fine Hungarian goulash and red wine. Um. Only I was uh, kinda asleep when it happened...

OK! So, it's actually only 18 questions.

Let's ask the guys a couple of questions.

"Atticus, what would you say is the most destructive thing you've ever done?"

"Hmmm...Well. We'd have to go back to my younger days... But probably the time I got up on top of the fridge, then made it over to the shelf where you had your cookbooks and some crockery pots. Remember? Oh yeah! Then I knocked them down! On the floor! One was full of rice, and the other was full of like, dried something or other. That was back in your serious vegetarian days. I seem to remember you vacuuming rice and stuff for a long time after that. Come to think of it... Even though I was pretty pleased with myself, I don't remember you being that thrilled..."

"And what about you Mae? What's the most destructive thing...oh wait. You haven't really done anything. Um. What's your first memory, Mae?"

"Oh, I remember being 7 weeks old, and following Atticus EVERYWHERE. I was so. cute. A little fluff ball. Didn't you always say that the cutest thing I did back then was flop down the stairs after Atticus? Remember? I was like a little grey puff ball rolling down the stairs, with little back feets sticking out? I was awesome."

"So, what about you Gandalf? Uh, what do you have to say for yourself? What silliness have you been up to?"

"Gee Mom, that's a loaded question. Let's see... Um, I like dogs, especially my cousin Finnegan; I've fallen into the toilet twice; eaten fruit, sweet potatoes, bread and licked curry sauce from your plate (that was on a dare from Atticus); I've hidden behind the toaster oven; fallen asleep in the kitchen sink; gotten sticky packing tape caught on my nose (and I couldn't get it off!); bonked my head a few times against the window... Oh! Remember the time I scared you when you found me hiding in your back pack?! And the time I fell off the bed when I was rolling around? Oh, and Atticus once sat on me! And then there was the time I meowed to the TV everytime that dog food commercial came on; oh and..."

Right. That was a loaded question.

Tune in next time for more excitement, and pictures!

Something New

Of course.

I've never been one to let something like a table full of WIP's get in the way of casting on something new. Especially when that something new is full of amazing colours meshing perfectly together.

Doesn't it just scream autumn?! Heh. I know the designer would love that description!

Any ideas?

It's Lorraine's lovely vest design - "Windsor Waistcoat". And it's the perfect time of year to make this, I think. I'm making the XS size, but using a 3.25mm as opposed to the 3mm called for in the pattern. XS is a bit too snug, where as the Small size would be a bit too big for my liking, so by my calculations, going up a needle size should have it come out to exactly my size.

Then again...I did fail Grade 10 math.

Thanks to everyone for your Laleli compliments! *blush* So, get this. I'm stopped at a red light, waiting to cross the street, when I see a woman on the other side of the street wearing this lovely cardigan (Ravelry link...).

"Hey! Nice Starmore sweater!", she says to me.

"Thanks! And I love your Philosopher's Wool Jacket!", I reply.

And this was said while crossing the street in the opposite direction from one and other.

So, what's scarier? That I recognized the Philosopher's Wool design? Or that she could recognize a Starmore design that quite frankly, is not one of VY's better pictures?

Of course, the fact that 2 knitters somehow know that it's cool to comment on a total stranger's outerwear without sounding loony is not scary at all.

Speaking of loony... Gandalf LOVES burying himself underneath his blanket. After dinner, he'll stand on it, waiting for me to come over and fold the blanket on top of him. Then he goes to sleep, and is happy as a clam.

Mae has her ratty ol' comforter, which will not be shared with ANYONE.

But Atticus knows to wait it out, because he gets the best spot of all, snuggled up next to me on the couch.

Oh! And yes, I'm feeling a whole lot better! Thanks to everyone for their good wishes.

Laleli

When you're stuffed up, it's hard to pronounce.

But, that doesn't really matter, because I just need to see and touch this piece of loveliness to appreciate it.

*sniff*

The deets:

Laleli, by Jade Starmore, size Small. Knit on 3.25mm using 3-ply Hebridean. Started? *cough cough who cares*. Finished? This past weekend, so let's say October 3rd.

As stranded projects go, this was a fairly easy one. The pattern and charts were clearly written with no errors, and it all flowed nicely into place. The buttonband was a bit tedious at nearly 400 stitches, but ehn. What are you going to do. I really enjoyed this project, and what can I say? I loves her. She fits perfectly, and is comfy and warm. I think I may change the buttons though, they're a bit small. Which is a shame really, seeing how I only bought the same buttons twice, they were so perfect for this design.

Heh. Now it's on to finishing poor neglected Delores. Well, at least as for as colourwork goes. We shall not speak of the other poor, neglected projects...

Moving on.

So, I spent the better part of this week hacking and coughing and moaning. I came down with a cold late last week, the first one in a VERY long time. How long? Well, the only cold remedies I had in the apartment expired in 2005. Yup. I really shouldn't complain, but. I will. Damn cold. I'm still feeling kind of blah, but definitely better than I did earlier in the week.

I've said it before, and will say it again - not a good sick person. At. All. Sure, I may get some epic ear infections, but when it comes to colds, they are few and far between. And the flu? Knock wood - but I've never in my 40 years had the flu. Like I said - bum ears? I've got them. Colds and the flu? Knock me out and turn me into a snivelling, shuffling, snotty little child. Heck, I even fell asleep on the couch and missed Family Guy on Sunday night.

Now that is bad.

"Look, I fit just fine on this."

Somewhere under all of that...cat is my sock yarn. Obviously makes a comfy sleeping spot. He arm wrestled Mae for this spot; she had dibs on it until Atticus decided he was bigger and well, bigger.

"Wha'...?! Honest, Big Guido started it! He's sitting on the back deck and flippin' me the bird! Mom! He thinks he's such a tough kitty... Why should I get off the counter?! He should be getting off the deck... Lucky for him I'm not an outdoor cat... Oh alright! I'm getting down!"

A very happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!

It's Fall...Time For Little Joys

It doesn't take much to make me happy, especially in the Fall.

8 hours slow cooking in a crock pot - happy!

Apples and gluten-free crumble in the oven?

Mmmmm, happy...

How about a birthday care package from a good friend?!

Chris, Chaos and Mayhem sent pressies for my birthday! There are 2 books, both with a Minnesota twist, some "Socks That Rock" in "Fairground" (mmmm...), some Cherry Tree Hill laceweight Suri Alpaca yarn in a discontinued colour (pink!), a coaster, stitch marker and...this knitter's best non-human-or-feline friend in the whole world - pink Post It Notes! Gandalf tried to snack on them, but hey, I'm faster.

Thanks Chris! Packages? A very big joy. And being thought of for your birthday? An even bigger joy!

And speaking of Gandalf -

"Gandalf, come here for a sec. You have goop in the corner of your eye."

"OK Mae."

And finding a comfy place to snooze?

Always makes Atticus happy. Actually, he can pretty much snooze anywhere, and he's happy.

"Gandalf, hold still!"

"No Mom, I gotta go and let everyone know that Auntie Raven shaved her head! And I'm thinking you need to vacuum, cause there's fluff on the floor!"

"Yeah well, whose fault is that?? ...mouthy little cat...i'll get the vacuum out all right..."

That's right! And as promised - a link to Brian's "Luxography" blog, where you can go and have a look at the pictures he took of the big event. Raven did exactly as she said she would - cut off her more than 5 feet of hair, all in support of cancer research, and the Annex Cat Rescue. So go, read all about it!

And you know what's going to be another little joy?! When I get to show you an FO next time around that I'm absolutely tickled about.

I LOVE the Fall.

From 5 Feet to 0!

Oh. Hello everyone.

Mom said I could take over the blog writing today, and for good reason! I have stories!

So, guess what?! My Mom? She's not my real Mom! I KNOW! I was surprised too. I thought for sure she was like, the first and all. But no.

It turns out that not only did I have a cat-Mom, I also had a foster Mom! Well, I says, Gandalf, you are one lucky kitty then.

Do you know what a foster Mom is? Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. She's a nice human who looks after you after you are born, until she finds your forever Mom. Cool, huh?

I'm lucky, I still get to see my foster Mom. She's my Mom's friend Raven. I call her Auntie Raven. Because I can.

Last week, Auntie Raven did something pretty cool. Like way cool!

Lookie for yourself!

(Photograph courtesy of Beau Monde Photography - http://www.beaumondephotography.ca/)

She has really, really long hair. About 5 feet! Can you imagine??

Well, Auntie Raven decided that this year she would make a huge donation - she decided to cut off ALL of her hair for charity.

You can read all about it here - http://sites.google.com/site/ravengoesbald/

And she did it! Last Friday, she had it all cut off! And she collected all kinds of money for the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research, and my favourite charity, the Annex Cat Rescue. I really like the Annex Cat Rescue, because these are the nice people that rescued my other-other Mom (I know it's confusing, but stick with me).

That's my cat-Mom, the other-other Mom. Auntie Raven helped her when we were all being born. I think I'm number 2. I was known as Number 2 until I was named Aston (I know, it's bad enough I have all these Moms; now I confuse you with my names. Stick with me, humans.). See, I was born during the World Cup, and Raven and my foster Dad Simon thought we should all be named after some English Football (or soccer) Clubs. Then my Mom named me Gandalf because in the first picture she ever saw of me, she thought I looked more grey than black. But when she saw me for the first time, she said I looked like a Gandalf, and decided to call me that anyway.

Anyway. Look at me! Look how cute I became!

"Hi."

And this one too!

"Hello."

If it weren't for the kind people at the Annex Cat Rescue, I don't think I'd be here, people. My cat-Mom would have stayed on the cold streets of Toronto, and I probably wouldn't have survived very long. But, they really care for cats, so they rescued my cat-Mom, and me and my cat brothers and sisters.

And then when we were big enough, they found all of us new and loving forever homes!

Here I am meeting my new big brother Atticus!

He only looks tough, but he's really cool once you get to know him. It didn't take us long to become friends. See?

By the very next morning he was letting me eat out of the big kitty food bowl. My sister Mae, even though she loves me now, took a little longer to come around though. But not too long!

So. Wow! Can you believe it? Auntie Raven cut off all of her hair, to not only help humans with cancer, but to help all the kitties at the Annex Cat Rescue! Thanks to them, I have my Mom, who's the coolest, and my big brother Atticus and big sister Mae, who I really love. And I have a nice warm home, my Blankie of Invisibility, lots of toys, and good food. And I get treats! And I get to tease Big Guido the outdoor cat from the window, (hee hee, he got shaved! neener neener Guido's a baldie, Guido's a baldie...! whoops, sorry, got distracted) and he won't come after me and give me a whack or two! You know, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the Annex Cat Rescue and Auntie Raven.

That's why I'm so proud of my foster Mom. Not only did she help me live, but she's doing some really good stuff for other cats too!

And before you say - hey Gandalf! This is a knitting blog! Well. Um. Hey! My Mom knit Auntie Raven a beanie cap to wear! And she's going to knit another one too. But I don't have a picture of that. Next time, I'll have Mom post a picture of it.

Me happy.

OK. Bye!