Is Gandalf Really That Silly?

"Need the catnip...skirt's in the way...oh...catnip...come to papa..."

Catnip. The only example I can think of where Mae completely looses her dignity.

"Oh sweet, sweet catnip...oh! ...I see fairies..."

Atticus went off in a corner to contemplate the meaning of life after his roll around the catnip.

I couldn't find him.

So, I was asked recently - is Gandalf really that silly?

Oh yes.

He's a goof, but an absolutely loveable one. He loves being around others, whether it be Mae or Atticus or people. He's curious, sometimes to his own detriment - sailing down the stairs while sitting in the litter box lid; falling in the toilet (ok, Atticus did this too); getting locked in the shower stall because I didn't realize he had snuck in to explore. Oh, and of course the day he snuck out between my legs as I was leaving for work one morning and ended spending the whole day outside. Atticus sitting on his head in some kind of feline wrestling move when he was smaller. His way of saying - stop. sniffing. me. One time when I was puppy-sitting my sister and SIL puppy Finnegan, I turned around to find the two of them napping happily side by side in Finnegan's crate. (Of course, to get to this point, Finnegan had to generously offer up his puppy food, like some new kid at a new school. They were all great friends after they scarfed back his food.) He is the only one of my guys who will let me pick him up, and give him hugs and kisses, and he'll put up with. Mae will put up with only so long, and Atticus will only put up with if he wants to.

*staring into space*

"Lalalalalala...Ooooo, I wonder if Atticus will be ok with me waking him up...maybe I should go check out the food situation in the kitchen...yarn? Is that yarn?... lalalalalalala...Oh, wait, didn't I want to... cool, I think Mom's going to watch Animal Planet... I want to be a lion when I grow up... no, an elephant, no one messes with them... I wonder if Auntie Lorraine is going to come for a visit?... doodeedoo lalalalalala...Uh oh, Mom's coming over...she's gonna give me a kiss again...aw geez...! Mom!"

Meanwhile, back on the couch...

Mermaid grows. What you see there is the left front, underarm, and start of the back. And you know - it is nowhere near as difficult as it looks. As long as you pay attention, and trust the knitting wisdom of Hanne Falkenberg. I have also been making up some kitty blankets for the Annex Cat Rescue, which is why she's been a bit neglected. I am really enjoying it!

Thanks for all your kind comments about Kiri! I haven't had a chance to block her yet - I'm hoping I will be able to this weekend.

And then - pictures!

Lordy Lordy Look Who's...100...

(Hey cool! Just noticed this is my 100th post!)


OK. So hey! Guess what I did this weekend?!

I finished Kiri. OK, so I didn't block it yet, one thing at a time. I have a sinking feeling blocking the shawl will be HELL, so I'm in no rush. I'm really surprised at how big it is! And, the instructions indicate it'll block out to 6 feet?? Ugh, so where am I going to block it then? I suppose my bed, with the blocking wires I bought, and a gajillion straight pins!

Oh yay! *clapping hands*

See, there is a reason I stick to wool.

I will say, I really did enjoy this. But, I'm not going to rush out and do all lace from now on, but I do feel more confident working it. And - I know, it's soft and fuzzy and cushy, but I don't know if I like working with KSH though. I just never felt too secure working with it, you know? I need to be able to feel what I'm working with, and the KSH was a bit flimsy on a 4.5mm. And besides, KSH made Gandalf more nutso than usual.

"Hee hee hee! Hee hee hee! Look at me! Hee hee hee! Wheeeeeeeee!"

"Weirdo..."

Thanks to everyone who offered advice on what to do with my ivory Scottish Fleet ::cough::Anne & Lorraine::cough::, but rest assured that there is no way - none! - I am going to unravel yarn already wound into convenient balls and use it for my very first dye job. Because with my luck... It's why the Yarn Fairy invented Visa. Although I'm contemplating doing Sand Dollar with it... who knows? I don't know what I'm going to do with it. And I may use some Jamieson's DK to do Fulmar. Or not.

The beauty of knitting...you just never know.

OK. Off to peruse Ravelry (which I swore I wouldn't go near) and spend more time NOT knitting! Cool!

Speaking of cool - once the weather cools off a bit, I'll post a modelled shot of Amphora (which fits perfectly!). Now that I've sewn the facings, I also want to re-block her.

Oh, and I should probably go and feed the Little Dudes seeing how they're giving me funky looks, and Mae is sniffing at dust balls on the floor...

The Blob

Remember that campy movie from the '50's? I remember going to see it when I was a kid, then watching the 70's remake. I also remember being really, really grossed out, yet too fascinated by it all to not look.

Sorta like this.

This would be Kiri. I decided to get her done once and for all, seeing how I'm 4 rows (ok, 8 with the wrong sides too) to completion. I'm totally bummed about it too - I'm pretty sure it's going to come out all wonky and lopsided, mainly because KSH doesn't behave for me. That's right. It doesn't.

But, I am nevertheless proud off having at least finished a lace project, regardless of how it turns out. My new knitting buddy, the Serta Counting Sheep I've christened Luna, is helping me to show off the rumpled blob that is Kiri so far. I had to fire my last assistant (Gandalf), as he tended to get distracted by the fuzziness of KSH and wouldn't stop trying to gnaw on it.

I am so going to hug my wool stash after I'm done.

So, it's been a bit longer than I would have liked since my last post. Mainly because of the heat, and let's face it - I really, really don't like the heat. I tend to not want to do anything, least of all park myself in front of a computer generating tons of heat. But, I did knit. (Like heat's gonna stop me.) Mermaid? Heh, coming along quite nicely. I'm really enjoying this - much, much easier to knit than Diva was. This one has few surprises, and as long as you pay attention and follow the directions closely, you'll be fine. This isn't a pattern open to interpretation. And, I'm loving the effect of the apple green and turquoise together.

And, I finally got my hands on a copy of J. Starmore's "Sand Dollar", from Pacific Coast Highway. I have a ton of Scottish Fleet in my stash that I had intended to use for "Fulmar", but it's in ivory, and I really have my heart set on making Fulmar in pink. I've toyed with the idea of selling the Scottish Fleet, but finally decided to pull out this pattern, and put it to good use instead.

Did you know that you start off with casting on 540 stitches? And did you know that you work the first 26 rounds of Sand Dollar with every one of those 540 stitches, before decreasing to a more reasonable 504 stitches?

Well, you do now.

However! It will not deter me! It's still the pattern of choice for the Scottish Fleet, although I'm pretty sure I'll need a few more balls of it.

So, let's see... Mermaid. Delores. Persian Tiles. Arangenser. Western Seas. Amphora's done. Kiri's almost done. Um, that can't be all? Oh yeah, Gingko Leaf, but I figure I have another 2 years to finish that. It's only been 3 years on the needles, and the guilt has long since dissipated.

OK. Not bad... I'm hoping the bulk of Mermaid will be done by the time I'm at my sis and SIL's for my birthday in early September.

"Wow Mom, you should have seen it! That blue blobby thing you're working on? It just flew to the ground! All by itself! Weird or what? And I tried to stop it - "stop it I says"! But it just flew to the ground! You should have seen it..."

My big help. I really hope blocking will fix those little KSH "design features" Gandalf has left behind.

Despite being such a good little kitty for his auntie Lorraine and new bestest buddy Laura (Lorraine's DD) this past Friday, he has been a little weenie of late. His latest endearing habit? Chasing kibble around the floor. WOW! Talk about ANNOYING. Hard cat food on a ceramic floor. I must have a meal's worth under the fridge and storage shelf in the kitchen by now.

And it doesn't just annoy me.

"Lemme go!"

"NO."

"Lemme GO!"

"No."

"Lemme...go...MOM!!!"

Atticus has pretty much had it with all the precious food going under the fridge. There was a bit of a kitty smack-down where he let Gandalf know he'd pretty much had it, and then plopped himself down in front of it to prove his point. On Gandalf's legs. Although he has managed to squirm one of them out by the time I snapped this.

So - next post - Mermaid pics! And hopefully a finished Kiri. Hopefully.

Baby Ducks and Mermaids

Yesterday was a perfect day for sailing! Nice and cool on the water, the fabulous Toronto skyline, an onboard BBQ, and someone else to cook for me - who can ask for more!

And these to boot!

As the Captain BBQ'ed our dinner, this little family swam by. Awwww, there were 4 little ducklings with their Mom. I resisted the urge to scoop one up and take it home. Something about the Mom being super pissed, and the uh, Little Dudes not being too overly impressed with their new roomie. And the Captain had issues with the little guy possibly pooping inside his new car.

No fun.

So, thanks everyone for your laughs and giggles over my fun afternoon last week! And it was something to laugh about. I did and still am, that's for sure.

And I did start something new. Because I can. No, I feel no shame. No, I do not hear my other WIP's calling out to me. Lalalalalalacan'thearyoulalalalalalala.

Now, I won't ask you to guess as to what it is, because it doesn't look like much in the picture. It said to me - "Knit me! I've been in your stash far too long! And I'm so much easier than Diva!". Meet the Mermaid. From Hanne Falkenberg. Oh yes. She of the modular knitting in need of a Short Row Intervention. I love you Hanne. But let us discuss these never ending short rows, 'k? But, they do make for a lovely piece. Now, what you see above represents around 4 hours of knitting.

Four hours, because -

1. You start off with around 462 miles of I-cord, then pick up your required amount of stitches from there.

2. Watching "Apocalypto" while knitting Mermaid is not such a good idea. I switched to socks when I realised - damn, the Maya really didn't speak english...

3. Watching "The Bourne Identity" while knitting Mermaid is also not such a good idea. Jason Bourne does not just say "ah to hell with it", and give up trying to figure out who he is. Again, switch to socks.

Gandalf and Atticus insisted on checking out the finished product.

"Dude, check 'em out! They smell just like Mom! But...I don't get it Atticus, do they come off her feet?"

"Lemme check... (paw on my leg). I don't know... Weird huh?"

Some Lisa Souza sock yarn in the Mahogany colourway. Nice! I like them much better now that they're done, I was pretty meh about the colourway when I was knitting them up. They were worked on 2.25mm's, I think. I say "I think" because I use my Mom's old size 13's and they're around 50 years old. Anyway, they do the trick.

And a last shot of the Toronto skyline at night, heading back to the Marina.

3 Reasons I Can Start Something New

OK.

1. Shoes


See, I normally always wear a sensible pair of shoes while walking to and from the train, into work. Today I said "Self, just wear your pink and white sandals - you'll be fine." Besides, I had no room in my back pack this morning.

The straps on BOTH shoes decided to give out. On my way to the station. Going home. Don't ask me how I ended up getting on the train, but I did end up having to walk most of the way home from the train IN MY BARE FEET. Nice. Luckily, it's a short walk on side street, and no one had to see the spaz that is me WALKING IN HER BARE FEET on the dirty pavement.

Stupid Nine West shoes.

2. RBC ATM's

Thanks Royal Bank. Thanks so much for dispensing a bill with a chunk ripped out of it! Hey! And you know what?! NO store will accept it!! I can't use it!

And oh hey! Guess what else Royal Bank?! I get to STAND IN LINE at a branch just so I can get you to exchange it for me! Wow! Cool! Because the whole reason for me GOING to an ATM in the first place is because there are NO branches close to work, or home! *clapping hands*

3. Bird poop

Yes. Bird poop. Because at some point between leaving work and going to the ATM where I was dispensed the bum $20 bill, and my walk to the GO station where my sandals disintegrated, a bird crapped on my head.

So. I'm going to look through my stash, find something (oh, that'll be hard) I don't have to wind up into balls and start something new.

Just. Try. To. Stop. Me.

"Nuh-uh, no way I'm gonna try and stop her! Does it look like I wanna argue with Mom?"

(On a happier note - thanks everyone for your wonderful comments on Amphora! Aw, shucks!)

Presenting...

... Amphora.

And a closeup of the motif, and bottom edging. You can't see the whole of the edging, as the facing, which I'll tack down once she's dry, is rolling up a bit.

Phew! She's done! I loved this knit. Nowhere near as difficult as it looks, I look at it and am amazed that it's worked with only 4 colours.

What: "Amphora" tunic, by Jade Starmore from her book "A Collector's Item", size Small.

I Used: 2-ply Hebridean 100% wool, purchased from Virtual Yarns.

Using: 3.25mm and 3mm needles

PITA factor: None. If you're a fan of stranded knitting (and this is NOT a Fair Isle), you'll love this one. The repeats are very easy to remember, as are the colour sequences.

Once I've sewn down the facings, I will post a modelled shot.

Hee hee! So happy!

And now... on to something else! No, not Cicely of York just yet... Another one, which I'll post a picture of next time around.



How Things Go Around Here

So, every evening, the Little Dudes get their dinner in their own bowls. And they line up the same way every time - Gandalf, Mae and then Atticus. I have to place their bowls in exactly that position, or they won't eat out of them. They'll just stand there, and stare at me until I place it in the usual order.

However. Within, oh, 5 seconds of me placing the bowls down in the order above, this happens.

Atticus muscles in on Gandalf, who in turn eats out of Mae's bowl, who has already moved over to Atticus' bowl.

Every. Time.

And, if I were to place the bowls in the order they end up in, they wouldn't touch them.

The bowls must be served to them - Gandalf, Mae, Atticus - in that order. They'll nibble for a second or two, then comes the switcheroo above.

Atticus. Gandalf. Mae.

Every. Time.

They are so funny!

Whoa!

So, I'm working at home today. I decided at around 11am that I'd have a "wee" snooze, I figured for an hour or so.

Guess what time I woke up?

3:30pm.

I didn't think I was THAT tired! Fibromyalgia can do that to you; your sleep becomes so disturbed and you wake up so fatigued all the time, you soon don't pay it much attention. It becomes a way of life. When you do finally decide on a "snooze" - you then realize how tired your body really was! Yikes! I usually have periods of time where I seem to be in remission, when the aches and pains and fatigue don't seem to affect me as much. Then there are times, like mid-summer, where I get smacked upside the head. Oh well... Heh, no worries about tonight though - I should have noooo problems falling asleep! All this little nap did was catch me up on some long needed zzzzzz's.

Anyway.

I've decided! I think I know which Starmore design I'll be making with the recovered 3-ply Hebridean - "Cicely of York", from Jade's book "A Collector's Item". The colour is "Summer Tide". For those of you with the book, it's pretty much the same colour as the blue example of "Cicely of York" in her book. But, not until I complete Amphora. And I'm going on record here to say that she'll be done by the weekend!

Have you read Lorraine's latest post? She explains quite clearly the differences between Fair Isle designs, and stranded ones. She even goes a bit further to explain how even a Norwegian is different from a Faroe Island design. Yay Lorraine! There is a huge difference. Fair Isle is as unique a colourwork style as an Aran is to cabling.

Today's Lesson

"Gandalf, you must learn that just because you are "cat", you are unique."

"Yes, Sensei."

"Your manner is different from others. You may have 4 legs, a small brain, and a tail and be called "cat", but you are "Gandalf"."

"Yes, Sensei."

"Although she is a "cat", you are not your sister Mae."

"Gross, she's a girl! I mean, yes, Sensei."

"If all cats were alike, would we be still as fascinating?"

"No, Sensei."

"That's our lesson for today. Now get off my blanket."

Atticus makes sure Gandalf learns his lessons well...

So little time to knit all that we (I) want...

OK. See that blue thing sticking out of the green and black bag (my knitting bags are so classy)? It's one half of "Scalpay", started eons ago, and never finished. I was going through some of my stash, and came across it. I never finished it for a couple of reasons - firstly, it's done primarily in seed stitch. Brigitte came to the conclusion that there is nothing like seed stitch to make her want to bang her head against the wall (as opposed to intarsia or entrelac, which just makes me want to be sick). And secondly - it's got a funky, "80's" shape to it. Kind of poufy, with a tight ribbing (and my tension is accurate). Just the right kind of shape to cut you right across the middle. Flattering. So, I now have a bunch of beautiful 3-ply Hebridean in the "Summer Tide" shade. I'm trying to figure out what I could do with it. And there is A LOT.


Any suggestions?


Other than that, I've been plugging away working on Amphora's sleeve, and the Kiri shawl. I really, really want to pick up something new, but I will not allow myself until I finish a couple other things. Why? Just look at the picture above! OK, so my bike bags and my needle drawer are on the table too. But the rest are stuff I still love, but just can't get to. I still love my Gingko Leaf tunic, and I have been working steadily on it - it's simply that ours is a love that benefits from taking a break... Which is probably why it's taking me so long to finish it. But finish it, I will!
And lately, I've been comforted by Western Seas' straight stocking stitch. Go figure.

Thunderstorms and Kitties

Gandalf? He's cool with it.

Mae? Barely bats an eyelash.



Atticus? Can't be found. He can sense the rain and storms well before they start, and hides. Don't ask me where. Or how a 19 lbs cat can even find a good hiding place. Little funny face...



Mmmmmmmmmm

My haul from last Thursday's Farmers Market at work. It's berry season! I confess I'm not the biggest berry fan - this is the only time of year that I really indulge, most likely because they're so fresh and yummy looking. What I really love - peaches, pears and apples. My favourites, and their season won't start until August/September here in Southern Ontario.

And some yummy cauliflower and brocolli. When it comes to vegetables, I love to eat pretty much all of them. I also picked up some new potatoes and more of the organic guacamole, which may or may not still be in my fridge. Most likely "not"...

So - have you visited Lorraine's new site? Her Twisted Traditions designs are now available for sale! She has her Fair Isle patterns up right now, and her Aran design "Kilkenny" is going to be available soon. I'm excited!! I've knit "Ophelia", I have the "Windsor Waistcoat" kit in my stash, and that would be yours truly wearing "Delphine" in the picture on the site. Oh, and I believe Marina is ready to knit "Fair Rosamund", another coveted pattern of mine...

So little time to knit all that we (I) want...

How To Fix Those Knitting Blues

So, I grumbled to Lorraine last week about how I can't seem to stay focused on any one project for more than a few rows, and then my mind wanders and the ADD kicks in.


Oooo, look it's the ice cream truck!!



No, but seriously. With the exception of my Gingko Leaf sleeve I'm working on, and here it is:

I haven't been to overly productive. Speaking of ADD, Gandalf decided playing with the end of the needle was much more fun than modelling for Mom. This represents about half of the sleeve, believe it or not. Of course, much more would have been done had I not chosen to work it while watching "Blood Diamond". And - wait for it - I LOVE this pattern now! Wow, and it only took me the entire body, and about 3 years to get to that realization! *patting myself on head* But, I have to say that the fact the sleeve is going so well is thanks in no small part to Dorothy Siemens' brilliant instructions. The sleeve is practically idiot-proof, follow the chart and you don't even need to think about when to increase, and how to incorporate it into the pattern. My kind of lace.

And I've also been working on socks:

Atticus is much more obliging. Then again, it is July... So, one half of the Lisa Souza Mahogany socks are done, and the second is well on it's way! I have 4.5 hours of "Das Boot" to thank for getting a lot of it done. No worries, I haven't tired of Kiri, I have worked on her, only it really looks no different than last time... And no, I haven't forgotten Amphora. I'm just in no rush to finish it, as it's still a couple more months before I can wear her.

All that to say... I decided to use this I-don't-know-what-to-knit phase to get a head start on my volunteer knitting for the Annex Cat Rescue. This year I'd like to make a pile of kitty blankets, and Wendy was very sweet in letting me use her Kitty Bed pattern from her book to make some kitty beds for sale as well. And a few other things as well.

I don't think I need to worry about not having any spare feltable yarn.

These are just "remnants". Some stuff I have NO IDEA how I got it.

Thanks everyone for your kind words for Jen. The funeral and wake was held last Wednesday here in Toronto, and I think she would have been mighty pleased at how it all turned out. Also with me at the wake was blogless Rachel H., who kindly showed me that yes in fact I CAN turn off my stupid new Motorola Razr.

"I don't know about this phone Rachel, the battery dies awful quick."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm recharging the damn thing every 48 hours."

"Well, aren't you turning it off when you don't want it on?"

"See that's the problem! I don't think you CAN turn this thing off!! I doesn't tell you how to do it in the manual!"

*silence* *crickets in the background*

"No, really!"

At which point she takes the phone from me.

"Oh hey Miss Brigitte-I'm-installing-a-new-server at the datacentre tomorrow. I JUST TURNED YOUR PHONE OFF."

"Oooooo..." *Edith Bunker voice*

Rachel H. and I work together. I'm a techie systems person. She's in Customer Operations. And she had to show me how to turn off my cell phone. What? I just find it so funny now!

If you can't laugh at yourself...!

"Man, vacuuming is HARD work! Gandalf, next time you're carrying the hose, and I'm pushing it around."

"OK Atticus. But maybe I'll use my superpower glowing eyes to make it move itself! Go go Gandalf-Ranger!"

"Oh for cryin' out loud..."

The Trouble With Thinking

Sometimes when I have time on my hands, and all I want is to rest, relax, de-work my brain, and think of nothing but knitting and cycling and the flowers on my deck...I end up twisting a thought in my brain, and ponder things far longer than I should.

On Friday of last week, I received a call from an old friend telling me how one of his closest friends had past away. She was young - only 41. Not much older than me. Funny how at 13 or 14 years old, anyone who was a couple years older than us seemed like decades! However, at 38 - 41 is pretty much the same. I knew her, had met her several times, and knew a lot about her. I'm sad she was so young, and I'm especially sad for her family and friends. I suppose I started thinking so much about her because I began to wonder if, at 38, I'd lived my life as best I could? Had I faced all challenges put in front of me? Or had I run away, looking to sweep it under the carpet? Had I lived in the moment, or for the moment? On and on my brain went. I thought about her family, and her friends, and wondered how they felt after the initial shock of her passing. I don't feel old, I've never been one to be bothered by age, but I suppose it was just me taking stock of myself up to this point in my life. The reality is I have to be satisfied with my life, because no one is more responsible for me than, well, me. And, if there is something that isn't working as it should - it's up to me to change it.

At the end of the day, I hope she's in a good place now. I'm sure she is, and is happy. I know those in her life should take comfort in that.

But, it hasn't all been gloom and sadness these past few days here! There has been some scattered knitting -

There have been socks, or at least the start of some. This is some Lisa Souza sock yarn, in the "Mahogany" colour way.

And the start of a sleeve for the Gingko Leaf Tunic.

AND - (wait for it) - LACE!!! Me! Lace! It's the start of the Kiri shawl. Lorraine gifted me the Kidsilk Haze last year for my birthday, and suggested the Kiri shawl would be a good intro to shawl lace knitting.

So far.

So good.

The instructions indicate that the whole shawl, including the edging, should take around 24 hours to complete. Oh, wait for that one. Once I picked myself off the floor laughing at the mere thought of that occuring, I pinned it out and took stock of what I'd done so far. Not bad! I think one of the issues I have with lace is the blobbiness of it all. You know - the fact it kind of resembles, um, nothing until you block it. Unlike Fair Isle or cabling - it all unfolds before your eyes, and you get a good picture of the finished results, not to mention your mistakes.

So, I've tried different things these past few days, and although at the time the thought was that I hadn't accomplished a whole lot, I know see that I have! Yay me!

Oh, and of course, the leave it to the Funny Faces that are the Little Dudes to remind me that I'm THEIR human girl!

"No one can see me! Hee hee, I'm So. Clever. Hey, look Mae! Neeneer neeneer! Oh yeah I'm sticking my tongue out at you! Pfffffttt! Uh oh. Crap, you can see me..."

Just Fun Stuff

Knitting time has been at a premium these days... Partly because of the summer knitting blahs, and partly because of stuff like this:

BBQ! *insert men and BBQ jokes here*

We took off early from work last Friday for an "offsite" meeting. Heh heh... I'm so lucky that my new work group is full of a bunch of great people. The BBQ was held on the rooftop of the condo building one of my co-workers lives in. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy, but just perfect for mojitos and souvlaki. Yum!

Mmmmm...mojitos...

A shot of the Toronto skyline from the rooftop, looking south onto Lake Ontario. The stick on the left is the CN Tower. You know, I really take it for granted that I work in downtown Toronto, and see these sights every day. People come from all over and pay to see what I have for free! It's a great city, Toronto is.

And of course, after that shot the batteries in my camera decided they were done for the day. That's ok - we pretty much just fed our faces and had a great time! And - there were leftovers. A great way to wind down the week...

As for the knitting...I have been doing some, but it's of the stealth variety, and I can't show pics of it. At some point I will.

Ooooo! Ahhhhh! Wow! Just imagine how it looks! It's wool. It's Fair Isle-ish. And no, I haven't mentioned in on the site before. And yes, I'll knit in wool 365 days a year, as long as it doesn't felt on the needles from the heat.

I'm off until next Wednesday, I've extended the Canada Day long weekend, and given myself some extra time of knitting and leisure.

I think the Little Dudes are pleased that I'm home.

"Dude, we're going to have to change our Internet surfing strategy now that Mom'll be home for the next few days."

"OK Atticus. Like what?"

"You go distract Mom by doing something stupid, and I'll go and boot up the PC."

"Something stupid! I can do that!"

"Uh huh. Like no one else. Now let's just stare out the door and act like cats."

This Is Really, Really Going To Bug Me.

So, I need your opinions...

This is the tank I decided to knit with the wool/silk yarn I had in my stash. It's black. Don't worry about the picture too much - what I really wanted to have show up is the bottom section. See the "shadowing"? Well, let's just say that the black yarn was not dyed evenly. As a matter of fact, there are blobs of colour that are nowhere near black!! I noticed it just now when I went to photograph it. Not. Happy.

Part of me wants to ditch it. It's going to bug me. What do you think?? It's not a bad camera shot - you could almost draw a line in the picture to highlight where that first ball of yarn ends.

I really like the pattern. It's not that short - there's still the top section to complete. You join the back and the front by knitting up a fancy ribbing along the front, which continues to create the shoulder sections, and then continues along the back and up the next shoulder. Quite nifty... I wish I could give you info on it - I know it came from an Easy Knitting magazine - but which one, I don't know. I just cut the instructions out of the magazine, and didn't keep the rest.

Stay? Go?

Ugh. I've also been spending time these past couple of evenings trying to figure out what I want to knit up for a friend of mine at work who's due in 5 weeks. Of course, I started off wanting to do a blanket fit for a king or queen, but now...I'm thinking it might be too ambitious, especially in the summer. So, our wonderful friend Carrie K., never one to mince words, said - "how could you not have figured it out?? Chris. You know. Chaos and Mayhem's Mom??! Bibs!".

*whacking forehead*

So, I'll be making a trip to a LYS, and picking up some suitable baby yarn to make a few little things - bibs, maybe some booties and a hat. She's a good friend, so I want to make something special. Duh. Bibs! Um, Chris? How many stitches do you start with?!

Thanks everyone for all your get well wishes! My ears are on the mend, I was at the doctor yesterday (and Lorraine? You just know I got caught smack in the middle of that storm we had yesterday!!!). It's not an uncommon thing for me to get ear infections. I have most of my life. The eustachian tubes in my ears are "deformed" and as a result, I am prone to infections. Oh well...

As I was completely bummed out because of it on Monday night, I waited for the Rogers technician to show up. (I decided to change service providers for my telephone service.)

Leave it to Goofy Gandalf to completely cheer and brighten me up.

"There is a strange man in the house. No problem. I'll just sit here in the sink...look tough...give him the scary Gandalf Look...no issues here. Even though it's wet. What?"

He was too funny! Curious to see what was going on, yet still too apprehensive to stick around. So, like a little kid, he'd peek around the corner into the room, and as soon as the Rogers tech would spot him, he'd run away. And find these "hiding" spots, like the kitchen sink, and this one classic one -

*blink blink blink*

Here he is, behind the toaster over. Yes. Behind the toaster oven. It sits on an angle on the counter, and he's wedged himself partially behind it. Thinking he cannot be seen. Still trying to be the tough guy. Look at his big eyes!

Oh, all my guys are little funny faces, but he's just such a character! He can always, always cheer me up.

Atticus? Nothing bothers him, except thunderstorms and heavy rain. Mae? Nowhere to be found... I have no clue where she finds her hiding spots. Obviously, they're more effective than Gandalf's!

On The Right Track

Your Life is 9% Off Track

No doubt about it, you are living the right life.You've made some great decisions, and they've definitely paid off.Keep it up. You're on the right track!

Are You Living The Wrong Life?

*sigh*

Must try remembering that as my ears protest the hot weather and changing barometric pressure... Don't ask how. Hasn't been a good weekend at Chez les Petits Dudes - ear infection and a perforated ear drum. Nice.

It could be worse, I always remind myself of that.

So - check it out! I'm doing pretty well, I must say! Only 9% off track! Yay me

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

"My life is 0% off track! I've got it good!"

Do You Feel Tom Is More Talented Than Jerry?

What to do, what to do...

When I was going through my yarn stash, deciding on what to sell, I came acrosss this little number - http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/llingerie/122.html - in kit form, from White Lies Design.

I thought it would be something I'd like to try, so I decided to keep it, even though it had been sitting in the stash for, oh, 3 years. So...me and lace... After 3 attempts at the startup row (which includes the casting and re-casting on of 193 long-tail cast on stitches), I did manage not to mess it up. I managed around 8 rows of it last night...but you know? After sleeping on it, and mulling it over today (my priorities at work, heh heh), I don't think I'm going to go any further. I'm just not that woohoo'ed with it. And that's the way it's been lately. I haven't worked too much on Amphora's sleeve, so I've been playing around with this and that. So, I think I'll probably work on a tank of some kind with the yarn - 50% wool/50% silk in black. We'll see... Summer knitting blahs really suck when you're primarily a traditional knitter...

Anyhoo.


Hey! So, look at what Gandalf got in the mail from his cousin Finnegan! A pressie for his first birthday!

Crazy Cat Lady action figure! He, uh, hasn't allowed me to open it yet... And there's this quiz on the back of the package - "Are you a Crazy Cat Person?" - answer "yes" to at least 7 of the 17 questions, and you are one!!

Like - "Do you feel Tom is more talented than Jerry?" and "Have you ever had to explain to a police officer that the stuff in the bag really is catnip?". So, I, uh, answered "yes" to more than 7... Moving on.

YUMMY!

Every Thursday over the summer, the city of Toronto invites local farmers to hold a Farmers' Market at various city locations, and lucky for me, one is just outside my building. So, we end up taking an extended lunch, going to all the stalls, then hitting one of the food vendors - yummy stuff like back bacon sandwiches, roast pork, roasted corn and yams, and bunch of others. AND - they have live music too. Until the end of July, it'll be jazz and big band acts, in preparation for the huge Toronto Jazz Festival! It is just the best way to wind down the week. And the weather has been perfect so far. Here's my haul today:

Some homemade organic guacamole, zucchini, really new new potatoes, AND - some of the season's first strawberries! Not shown are the yellow cherry tomatoes that were scarfed back at work... Oh, and I'm sparing you from seeing a picture of the "elk-meat cat and dog treats". Trust me. But - here are the Little Dudes sampling the unusual treat...

*sniffsniffsniff*

Atticus - LOVED them. Gandalf - LIKES them. Mae - pretty MEH about them...

Then again...Atticus and food go hand in, well, paw. Well see. Next week I'm going to try and remember to bring my camera to the Farmers' Market, and show you how lively it all is.

So, I'm going to look through my stuff, and see what I can figure out to do with this lovely black wool/silk yarn. Hopefully, I'll have something done by the weekend.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Happy Birthday Atticus!

Wow! Who's the little baby with the big paws?! And a smile on his face?!

It's Baby Atticus, at 6 weeks old. All together now - AWWWWW!!! Wasn't he the cutest little guy?!

And today, he's 9 years old. When I look at that picture, I can hardly believe how quickly the time has gone. He came to live with me when he was quite young - 5 weeks and 5 days. But from the very beginning, he was out and about the apartment, exploring everything he could. He was always good natured, loved when people and dogs came over for visits; it didn't matter to him. I wouldn't say he had a temper, but he did not like to be told he couldn't do something. To this day, he's very much a cat who likes things on his own terms (as Lorraine well knows!).

I don't have as many pics of him as I'd like, after all, digital cameras were just coming out and expensive. But I did get some goodies of him. Look at how small he was! And his big tail!

Atticus, September 1998

But, what makes Atticus so much different than Mae, who was an angel, and Gandalf, who's just plain goofy, is that he didn't know his own "strength". He LOVED getting into everything. And I mean everything. No cat of mine has ever demolished more things than he did.

The biggest? In the old layout of this apartment, I used to have a waist-high shelf in the kitchen, under some cabinets. On it, I had my toaster oven, my blender and my coffee machine. I came home from work one day to find that he had *somehow* managed to jump onto the shelf (no easy task as there would not have been much space), and take down EVERYTHING on it - coffee pot broken, toaster over door warped, only the blender survived the fall to the floor. And he was fine, luckily he hadn't managed to walk on the glass and cut his wee paws.

Nice.

Then there was the time he managed to jump from my washing machine (an apartment sized one), to the top of the fridge, walk across the cookbooks on the shelf, and knock down every book and container on the shelf. Containers of tea, oatmeal, and BEST of all - a FULL crockery container of rice, which landed on the floor, and shattered to pieces. To the day I vacated the apartment before they renovated it - I was still finding bits of rice all over the apartment. Again - he was fine.

Real nice.

By then I'd figured he needed some company, so in 1999, Mae came to live with us.

By then, he had mellowed out. And from the first day I brought her home, he showed his sweet, nuturing side by being very gentle and patient with her. This was taken a week or so after she arrived. He was much more svelte back then. We shall not speak of his waistline on his birthday...

He is the only cat I've ever had who will shadow me - he needs to be around me all the time! He's so intuitive, knows when I'm under the weather, or feeling a bit down in the dumps, and sticks by me even closer. And of course, he wakes me out of bad dreams (as I mentioned in a previous post!). I remember being SO OFFENDED when the vet asked me if he had some kur in him, because he was so rambunctious and HATED being probed at the vet's. Hmmph! Then they put a sticky note on his file advising that you had to "handle him with care"! So. Pissed. Off. My Atticus? Never! Anyway, funny how subsequent vets didn't seem to have that issue with him... Kur! Handle with care! Hmmmph! *grumble*

And he will always be my Baby Atticus!

"Aw shucks Mom...!"

What else have I been doing of late? De-stashing! I've managed to offload quite a bit of stuff on eBay and through the KBTH's "Shameless Commerce". But, I won't be doing the eBay thing anytime soon... I was successful, and sold everything - but I had just as much success, and probably made more money through the KBTH's Shameless Commerce. And instead of an auction taking 5 days - everything I posted on KBTH sold within 3 hours!

And I'm also all Canada Post'ed out. Sending out all those packages - very time consuming, so if I do so again, I won't be selling so many items at once.

Next post - knitting, honest!

Just For Fun...

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Very popular, one of you is not enough.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Oh, that's so funny. Peeps - one of me? MORE than enough!

Mmmmm...Reese's Peanut Butter cups...