Unproductive

"This is my impression of Mom this week. "Oooooooo, I feel crappy! Ooooooo, I need to lie down! Oooooooo, this sucks!" She was sick with the flu."

"And this is my impression of Mom not knitting. "Ooooooo, can't concentrate!" She hardly did any knitting."

"And this is me. Really starting to worry that Mom will be too out of it to feed me. I mean us."

"And this is me, acting all tough in the face of the nasty flu virus! Stay away from my Mom, you...you...stupid flu virus! Yeah! I'm a tough guy!"

"But, mainly we did our best to make sure she took care of herself, and rested up. I think she's still a bit tired and sore, but she's getting better! Here, we're showing her how to rest up. It's important to renew your energy you know. She'll be back next week, hopefully having knit some."

Some Real Progress

I really do have some real progress.

Tada!
It's the body of St. Aula - completed! I always feel that once I've finished the body of a stranded project, the rest of it is just good ol' gravy. Today I plan on cutting one of the armhole steeks, and starting with the first sleeve.

I'm really quite pleased at how nicely the shoulders lined up. So pleased, I'm going to show you a crappy, slightly out of focus picture.

Well, it's actually not as bad as I thought. Nice, huh? I really love working on this project. For awhile, it was a bit hit and miss, as the boy would get seriously into either a) chasing anything that dangled, and would get his lethal little claws caught in the floats, or b) chomp on the stitch markers.

"Who? Me?? Oh, come on. I wouldn't do that...you believe me Big Daddy, right?"

"Wanna bet?"

"Well, I would NEVER pull on your knitting. I'm too well-behaved."

"Well, I probably would because I'm not always so well-behaved."

Malcolm now passes out after their dinner, so it leaves me with a good chunk of time to work on St. Aula before he wakes up and the Witching Hour begins once again. As with most things on a kitten's brain, he loses interest as soon as he finds something new to look into.

"Gotta go."

Mostly to places he probably shouldn't be exploring.

"Ooooo, forbidden..."

By next week, it'll be a new area. I'm just crossing my fingers that he won't pick up on Gandalf's bad habit of jumping on the kitchen counter.

I have a goal of finishing St. Aula by the end of the year. In January, I'll be pulling out my beloved copy of Norsk Strikkedesign, and clicking away for the "Knit a Norwegian" KAL. You'll have to wait and see what I plan on making. So, I really want St. Aula completed by then. Oh, and another project that I didn't photograph, because it's kind of...plain...at this point.

So, it should be completely doable... *knocking wood*

And of course, come January when the KAL starts, Malcolm should *hopefully* be less into yarn and more into something else. Although I don't want to think what.

There's nothing like mealtime to bring everyone together.

"...nom nom nom..."

I have to finish up by telling you all how THRILLED I am to finally be back working on my own PC. Sometime during the summer, the harddrive failed (and boy did it ever). Well, I finally have it back, and better than new. I have Lorraine's son Alexander to thank for taking care of it for me. It works like a dream!

So happy! *sniff* What did we do before all of this technology?? Probably knit a whole lot more.

Cats In Hats

When I was planning my move to this apartment, I looked for suitable curtains for the french doors in my kitchen, leading out to the deck. I didn't want something heavy or dark, just something to let in the light, and allow for a bit of privacy. I settled on some off-white "netting" type curtains. Perfect! My sister helped me pick them out, and I bought a nice curtain rod that even matched the hardware on the cupboards. It was a great look, and I was quite pleased.

However. Someone had other ideas. And it's probably not who you think.

"I have no regrets."

So, looks like that experiment failed. I have a pair of curtains I'll put up that should do the trick for now. Ones that will hopefully not shred quite so...easily. I don't want to have bare windows, I need to have something there. *sigh* I keep forgetting that my home is their castle. Not mine.

I actually have a finished piece of knitting to show off!

Kittiwake is complete. It was knit on 3mm needles, and I used a little over one ball of AS' Scottish Fleet in Navy Blue. It is much more "stretchy" than I anticipated - Scottish Fleet is like twine to knit with. Not my favourite yarn, but I have to say - the results are worth the rash on my finger from the yarn, and the stabbed index finger from the needles (the dryness from the furnace didn't help either). I haven't decided if I'm going to add the tassle or not. I think it's fine the way it is, and being such a dark colour - you can't really see where the stitches are gathered at the top.

So - did I enjoy it? Meh. It wasn't the most enjoyable of Starmore projects - primarily because I chose to use such a dark colour. But, I'm very pleased with the results, and VERY glad it's finished.

"*sigh* I'm 11 years old, and yet..."

"Hi Everybody! Sorry I missed you last weekend - apparently Mom's Internet service was down because the company she uses are tools. That's what she said anyway. Look! Here I am, with Big Daddy. You may call him Atticus, but he's Big Daddy to me. "Daddy" because I'm pretty sure if Gandalf is my Cat-Mom, then Atticus must be my Cat-Dad; and "Big" because. Well. C'mon. He's big... But he rocks! When it's night time and we're all sleeping on the couch, no one but Big Daddy will do."

"Here I am with Gandalf. I love him. He's like the coolest big brother ever. Except when he goes all Cat-Mom on me, and grabs me by the scruff of my neck. He gets all worried I'm going to hurt myself, blah blah blah... I mean really. Look at me! Aren't I getting big? Last time I went to the vet, Mom said I weighed 4.4lbs. Wow! Oh, and speaking of the vet's office. Not liking the needles. And I can do without them taking my temperature. And Gandalf told me something about going there to get my warbles removed, whatever that means..."

"And here I am cuddling up to my sister Mae. She can be crabby sometimes, and she's not much into playing with me. But, as long as I behave nicely, she lets me lie down next to her. If I get to be too much of a pill, as she calls me, she hisses at me. And boy can she ever hiss! And she can really get mad too! Phew! I guess she's just not into playing Gladiator with me. I wonder if she has warbles?"

"I really love being underneath stuff. Just like Gandalf! Mom says I can sleep through an earthquake, whatever that is. But. In case you think that I'm all about the napping and cuddling, let me remind you. I'm only 3 months old."

"See? Here I am waking up Big Daddy from his nap."

" *sigh*...how long 'til those warbles come off?"

"Mom says I can be a little pooper, but then I snuggle up on her lap, and that makes her go all "awwww" and stuff. Well, thanks for stopping by everyone! I'm glad Mom has so many friends out there. It makes me feel special all right! 'K, nap time. Bye!"

Sanity is Overrated

"Take it back!!"

"NO!"

"Take.It.BACK! Say it!"

"NO! You're a big...fat...oooof...OK!!!"

"Last chance squirt!!"

"OK! OK! You don't have a crush on the dog next door!"

"That's better...and what are you?"

"I'm a poodle! GETOFFMENOWMOOOOOMMMM!!!!"

Ah yes, just another morning here with the Feline Family.

Remember when I decided to knit smallish stuff, because I just couldn't get in to knitting my larger, current projects? So, I knit socks, and squares for my Lizard Ridge blanket, and the odd piece that didn't work out... And I thought - well, may as well knit something small from my Ravelry queue. I decided the perfect "little" project would be the Kittiwake hat, from AS' "Aran Knitting".

See, it's deceptive. It's a hat, with simple cabling. But it's a Starmore hat, knit with Scottish Fleet, the coarsest, tightest yarn known to man, and small needles. AND. Just because. I decide to knit it in NAVY BLUE.

*sigh*

The ribbing just about did me in. You know, there's a reason my Fulmar gets worked on only now and then. Cabling with Scottish Fleet can be a bit rough after awhile. What made me think this would be any different?!! Well, it's coming along, and I'm more than half done the first chart.

I have been able to pick up St. Aula once again. I should have some significant progress to show you soon! The boy's interest has moved on to something else, allowing me to knit without worrying about a banzai attack from out of nowhere...

"Hello World!!"

This week, I've been keeping a low profile. It's been busy at work, and to keep my sanity somewhat intact, I've been relaxing, and not stressing myself out over the little things. This is the time of year when Project Managers suddenly realize that the end of the year is coming, and all of the stuff they've been putting off has to be done. NOW. And my group, who handle all the technical and network part of these projects, is down to half of what it was a year ago, with the work load being heavier. Not only do they want it done NOW, their project is THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE.EVER. You do what you can... I'm fortunate I have a job, and that I can work from home. So, I take the small victories where I can get them, and don't sweat the small stuff.


Like Mae on the furniture.

"This isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Or getting up from the couch to find that I've lost my spot.

"Sorry lady. We're squatting here now."

Or wondering why I had to leave the leftovers out.

"Wow, human food ROCKS!"

More Malcolm, Less Knitting

If you came to see some knitting updates, well, you'll be disappointed. When there is a kitten around, knitting gets done is snatches. Those green mittens I was working on a couple of weeks ago? Yeah, they're frogged. Way too big for my small hands... So let's see. What did I work on...

* St. Aula one slow round at a time. Malcolm loves flopping yarn.
* Stealth knitting. Here and there. Again with the floppy yarn.
* Delores? Probably a few stitches. Malcolm managed to bungee jump into the bag of yarn, and getting him out was an ordeal. He thought it was all in good fun.
* I'll 'fess up to having started Kittiwake. I figured small project, a lot of oomph. But in navy blue? Seriously. But it will be done.
* Socks. And only when the boy is asleep, because he thinks DPN's are excellent for grabbing at. I can't tell you how many times he's managed to pull a needle out. Many times. Many, many times.
* And one other stealth project...shhhhhh.

I have found my knitting mojo, but I will never be a one-project kind of girl. Can you tell?

Malcolm is the funniest little guy to have around. And let me tell you, he can wrestle with the best of them. Although he hasn't learned yet when to take NO for an answer.

Mae doesn't always think he's so great to have around though.

"Hi Mae! You awake?!! Wanna play?!! Let's play! Let's play! Let's play!"

"Go. Away."

Mae has never been a "morning" cat. Actually, she's always a bit grumpy when she wakes up from a nap. If she's woken up from a nap, watch out. Malcolm still has to learn that. I'm pretty sure Malcolm thinks she's the top cat. He only needs to be shown once by her that he's out of line, and he'll respect it. He's allowed to sleep next to her, as long as he doesn't try anything silly. Because Mae? Doesn't do silly.

Malcolm often picks wrestling matches with his brothers. Especially Gandalf. But, being such a good brother, Gandalf will play with him, and for the most part, it's good, harmless fun. Occasionally, when he's had enough, he'll pick Malcolm up (who will only go kicking and screaming) by the scruff, and bring over to the kitty bed. The first few times I saw that, I did panic, but I've since learned (thanks to the vet and my friend Raven), that it's harmless. Now, I've mentioned before that Gandalf has stepped in to the role of Surrogate Kitty Mom. He loves Malcolm. So much so, that when he thinks he's in trouble, or if he thinks Atticus is being too rough (which he never is, but what do I know!), he'll come to Malcolm's rescue.

So. As the boy grows, he finds new places to explore. And he's a smart one, let me tell you. Much smarter than the rest of his siblings were at that age. He figured out pretty quickly that if jumps up on the chair, he can then jump up onto the table, and get a look outside the kitchen window. He learned how to get down the hard way though.

"Look at me!"

"Atticus, how do I get down?! Oh, hi Gandalf!!! Whatcha doing?"

I'm in the other room, when I hear the Malcolm Screech of Protest. I just made it into the kitchen quickly enough to see Gandalf, with Malcolm by the scruff, on top of the table.

He then jumped off the table with Malcolm still in his mouth. I nearly had a stroke.

Malcolm was fine; more pissed off than anything. He whacked Gandalf in the head, and ran off. I guess Gandalf figured that he needed "rescuing". Malcolm learned pretty quickly after that how to get off of the table on his own.

"Uh oh, here comes Gandalf..."


"Dude. I really don't think he liked that... He punched you good."

Kittens...Cats...

Most of the time, nothing but Gandalf will do.

*snuggle*

*snore*

Much like Gandalf at that age, he thinks it's much cooler to eat the big kitty food, and to hell with the kitten stuff. Which is fine...but I still have to watch out for Atticus.

Kitten food goes right to his hips...

So, I really hope to have some actual knitting progress for you next week! Provided I'm able to get in a few hours here and there.

Have a great week everyone!

Sock in the Dryer

"...that kid... Finally, I have him parked in front of the TV, watching "Dog Whisperer". Why he likes watching it, I don't know. Must be Daddy. Whatever. If a dog can keep him settled and calm for a bit, all the better for me."

I'd forgotten how much energy a kitten has. I'm pretty sure Atticus has as well. He's stepped into the role of Really Big Brother with all 4 paws on the ground, much to the relief of the Big Brother Gandalf.

"Phew, was I that nuts when I was a kitten?!? No way. That kid doesn't stop. He's awake, he's asleep, he's awake, he's asleep... Aw, look at him though! My little kitten...that's right little boy, chase your sister's tail. Atta boy..."

"You're an ass Gandalf!"

"...Eeeeeeeeeheehee!..."

Maybe it's the distraction of Malcolm, or the time of year, but I just can't seem to get motivated to work on any of my projects. It's not that I've fallen out of love with them, I just can't seem to sit still long enough to work on them. So maybe it is Malcolm... Anyway, I don't want to add to my pile of WIPs, so I started a small, non-sock project, to keep me busy while I wait out the hum-drums.

Ta da! Mittens!

It doesn't look like much yet, I still need to make the embellishments. It's going quite quickly, and despite being moss stitch, I am enjoying them. It's just what I need right now. They are from the Mission Falls booklet "Smitten", and I'm making "Blossom" in Pistachio. They have floral accents, which may or may not be applied, depending on how convoluted the crochet turns out to be. I like the look, but whether my meagre crochet skills are up to the task remains to be seen. I'll give it a try; who knows.

I have to say though - my spare room is a MESS. I went through nearly every scrap of yarn I have in order to find something small I could do. I'd think of a pattern, but wouldn't find a suitable yarn. I'd remember some yarn I had, but wouldn't find a pattern. And on...

"...where'd that nice lady go? The one that told me how pretty and good I was all the time?"

"Mom?"

"No, not Mom. The tall lady that brought us those furry toys."

"Auntie Chris? She went home to Minneapolis. She was visiting us, but you know. Chaos and Mayhem..."

"Ah. Well. That's no good Atticus."

"I know. It blows. But, I guess they would have been lonely without her. Whatever."

Ah, the furry toys. That have, along with the crinkly balls, disappeared into the Kitty Toy Vortex. 6 toys. Nowhere to be found in the apartment. I really don't know how they manage to do it. It's like socks in the dryer, I suppose. I'm pretty sure they've been pushed under the fridge and stove. Regardless. I'll be the one to hunt them out... Malcolm can still get stuff from under the couch and other small spaces, but even he can't fish the toys out from under the fridge and stove.

"Atticus, why does she always follow us around with that thing?"

"I know. Just look cute. Maybe we'll get a snack or something."

Atticus may have NO clue what the laser pointer is all about, and also couldn't care less, but he sure loves his crinkly balls. And with the kitten food snacking he's been doing of late, he needs the exercise he gets chasing them around.

Peace Reigns

It didn't take long for Malcolm to find a surrogate Kitty Mom. Gandalf stepped in to the role rather quickly. Cleaning him, sleeping next to him, making sure he's ok when he starts whimpering, playing with him...sometimes a bit too roughly, but hey. Malcolm is made of rubber. Can you tell?! He's also carried him around by the scruff of the neck as well. Funny how these instincts rise to the surface in adult (even male?) cats. I never thought I'd see the day when Gandalf would be such a soft touch.


However, it took a few more days for the others to come around.



First was Gandalf, within 24 hours.

"I love you Big Brother! You're awesome!"

Gandalf has the most patience with him, pretty much allowing Malcolm to do anything. But, when it comes to teaching the little grasshopper some manners, he can be a bit forceful. After a few days of breaking them up, Chris and I realized one thing - Malcolm is a bit of a Drama Queen. And most times, he initiates the wrestling matches. Gandalf is not hurting him, he's just teaching him how to behave. Malcolm? Hasn't quite caught on yet, at least when he's with Gandalf.

Then Atticus came around. I woke up one night to find Malcolm sleeping next to Atticus.

Atticus hotly denied this. But, I caught this moment.

"I love you Really Really Big Brother! You're awesome!"

"Yeah, I know."

Atticus will put up with Malcolm only so long. Which is no different from the other cats and people in his life. It's funny watching him trying to clean Malcolm - while Gandalf will physically hold him down to clean him, Atticus will try to get in in between Malcolm squirms. It's so funny watching his head bob up and down trying to get a clean in. He'll play with him as well, but when he's had enough, he's had ENOUGH. Malcolm is slowly getting that message, heh.

Then there's Mae.

"I love you Big Sister! You're awesome!"

"Just lie there, squirt."

She's come around, although very much on her own terms. He can sleep next to her, but there will be NO playing, NO wrestling, and NO cleaning. And he'd better not swat at her tail. She's a stern one, that Mae. But, Malcolm seems to have gotten that message, and goes to her for a nap cuddle.

So, peace reigns amongst the clan. I knew they'd be fine together, I just didn't expect it so quickly. And I certainly didn't expect Gandalf to find his inner Queen Cat, and become so motherly towards Malcolm. The boy has a good appetite, and his older siblings have taught him how to whine at just the right times for food. Mealtimes can be a bit of a challenge - keeping him out of their food, and them out of his kitten food. It's getting there.

Chris was here visiting from Minneapolis, MN for awhile, and the Little Dudes were most impressed. Two humans dishing out pets and compliments? Doesn't get better than that! And, she came bearing gifts!

"Oooo, gifties! For me?"

For me! All sorts of stuff, some of which isn't even in the picture. There's a circular needle case, some notepaper, a book on Minnesota lore, some Noro Kureyon yarn for my Lizard Ridge blanket, some black kitty pot holders (LOL!), and a Socktopus from IKEA (the ones I've seen here aren't as funky). She also had a second swift lying around at home that she gave to me - something I don't have. And some gluten-free pretzels, pasta, and the entire line of Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mixes, which are not yet available in Canada. And I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff too. There was a LOT of stuff in that bag. And of course, toys for the kitties, which are now *somewhere* in the apartment.

She's back home now, much to the relief of Chaos and Mayhem. Apparently the smell of the Little Dudes didn't linger too much, and they seem unaware of time she spent in the company of other kitties... We had such a great time together, and the time zipped by so quickly! I knew we'd get along great, and we did.

We all miss you Chris! Come back again soon!

Oh! And in case you're wondering - yes, there has been knitting.

I finished a few things, probably not what you'd think though. I started making a pair of baby socks for a friend of mine who's wife just had another baby.

How CUTE are these?!!

And I also made a little hat as well. I think I may even have enough to make a little pair of mittens. The yarn I used to for the socks was left over from a pair I was making for myself. I started making them before I moved, and then forgot about them.

I've often been laughed at for having small feet (size 6.5).

Heh. Chris was here when I completed the pair. She saw for herself that they fit. :) The ones on the top, of course!

Have a great week everyone!