Pantheon Acres

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

2008-08-05T01:01:00.005-05:00

Today is my 1st Blogoversary and to celebrate, I've got a little annoucement:

I'M MOVING

OK, I'm not physically moving, but this blog is. The new address is...

http://knitting.pantheonacres.com/

Why not come over and check it out? Perhaps there will even be an annoucement over there.

Dish Rag Tag: The Sequel

2008-08-02T12:59:00.005-05:00

Signups are now open! I participated last year and had sooo much fun. What are you waiting for? Go check it out.

PS - This is not the annoucement, nor am I pregnant, nor is there a new dog in my future. Annoucement will be made on 8/5/08 -- my blogoversary.

PPS - I am closing down comments on the blog...are you even more curious?

Out of Touch

2008-07-24T22:42:00.003-05:00

I know I've been out of touch for awhile, but this time it'll be for a good reason.

I'm heading to Calgary for a Eurasier Conference.

I plan on having an annoucement - knitting related - soon after I return.

I'm Famous

2008-06-22T17:18:00.003-05:00

I promise that amongst all the other crap that is preventing me from blogging, I am knitting.

And I've got proof -- look I'm famous

Long Time No See

2008-06-10T19:32:00.004-05:00

Yeah, it has been awhile. I'm still working like crazy trying to get everything done so that I can settle back into my happy knitting, blogging, ravelry life.

As I'm attempting to setup my new website, I ran across a bit of a problem, so I'm using this post to test things out.

This link won't be here forever, just until I get things fixed, but if you're early enough, you might just get to see some pictures of my doggies. ;) If you click on the link and you can't see any pictures can you either leave a comment or send me an email at errs at yahoo dot com. I'd really appreciate the help.

Puppy Pictures

I hope to be back sometime before the end of the summer, with a whole new website and blog to share.

Time to Give Back

2008-04-10T21:49:00.004-05:00

When I started knitting, I never realized the community that would come with my new hobby. First there was some blogs I read, and then there was Ravelry, and within Ravelry, there's The Friends of P. (waves jazz hands at Friends of P)

I am so thankful for this wonderful community and the wonderful people in it. I feel blessed in my life right now, but some folks (or their pups) aren't as in as good a place. Since tax time is coming up and I'm sure you're all getting money back, why not throw a few bucks to some good causes?

First, there's Jess & Casey -- have you noticed that Ravelry's been a little slow lately? Yep -- they're running out "go fast" computer parts. I also didn't know that they were in debt from getting Ravelry up and running. Ravelry is free and is supported through advertisers, but that doesn't take care of the existing debts and equipment needs. So, the wonderful Ravelry user community put together an amazing fund-raising prize filled raffle. You can find all the details on Fricknit's blog. I'll wait while you check it out and chuck some dough at Jess & Casey.

And within a smaller Ravelry group -- the Friends of P -- a rescue pup belonging to KTMay, had a HORRIBLE reaction to all the vaccinations and ended up in the emergency vet. (Those of you with pets know how expensive this can be...) $2K (yup $2000.00) later, Vinnie is home safe. The rescue organization paid all of Vinnie's bills. But you know that's $2K less that they have to spend on other needy dogs. So, to help cover some of the expenses, KTMay donated one of her own Piddly bags. (If you've been trying to get one of these, you know how hard they are to get) and some of her own yarn for a raffle. Other Friends of P, donated some more goodies. You can get the full details on KTMay's blog. (Again, I'll wait while you go throw the puppies some money and come back...)

Aren't getting a refund? Okay -- how about donating some of your knitting?

Becka - the KnittingWounded - is hosting a Knit-Tit-Along. Knitting spare boobies for those who've lost theirs. You can get the details and an adorable button on her blog. Oh -- did I mention prizes? She's really good at prizes. (I won a contest on her blog and OMG she outdid herself!)

Meliabella, she of Keegan Lane yarns fame, has put together a group on Ravelry to knit socks for cancer patients. At Power Socks group, you can either donate your knitting or sign somebody up for some socks. She explains the idea behind the group on her blog.

Its time to give back to the community that gives us all so much -

And to show you how small the world is, I was reading Becka's blog about the Path of Hope and found that a fellow Friend of P, Sarah of Perfect Day yarns is dying a special yarn for charity.

So, take a look at your world, if you got some cash or some knitting to spare, please consider one or all of these extremely worthy causes.

The Results

2008-04-10T21:35:00.002-05:00

Whooops! I just realized I didn't tell you guys how we did this weekend. Too find out you'll have to pop over to the dogs' blog:

www.pantheonacres.com/news

What? Your pet doesn't have a blog???? Sheesh. ;)

Oh, and don't bother clicking around looking for a sneak preview of the site. Its still under construction on the designer's server. So, you'll just find a bunch of crap. Oh, and if you a have any suggestions for a different wordpress theme, let me know... I like the one that's up there now, but I'm not in love with it.

etsy Friday and CRASH!!!! and Wish Us Luck

2008-04-04T20:46:00.003-05:00

Since y'all are so interested my sock yarn -- this etsy Friday is about Keegan Lane Yarns.

Keegan Lane Yarns is brain-child of Melissa and you can find her yarns on Ravelry.

She has a sock club -- with a gorgeous pattern & yarn combo for this month ... (sorry links on Ravelry). We're a too late for this round, but I know I'm going for it next round. :D

The yarns come in various weights. I got 2 skeins of her "lux worsted":

In Prairie Storm:

which turned into:

Foliage Hat (modeled by Lizzie)

I also have a skein of Black Magic Woman that I haven't decided on what to make:

This yarn knits up a treat - and that hat kept me comfy through the long cold Chicago winter.

Now that I've discovered socks, I got a skein of Toast Sock BIG Footies for my husband in Milky Way:

And for myself -- gorgeous En Pointe sock yarn in Northern Lights.

I had to get this color way when I saw these gorgeous socks. (Sorry another Ravelry link.)

And now for the CRASH!!! My computer had a complete meltdown last night. I managed to get most of my important files off of it and then had to reset to all the factory settings. So, I'm attempting to get everything back the way it was and not loose my speedy internet connection. (so far it hasn't been bad.)

And my humble request for good thoughts for us! Bruce and I are going back into the conformation ring this weekend for the first time in over a year and a half. He's filling out nicely (finally) and has come a long way. On Sunday, we're showing Lizzie as well. After we're done in the ring, Lizzie & Bruce are getting their CERF exams and Bruce is getting his Cardiac test. Both are important tests to for breeding.

So tomorrow at 10:45 am, and Sunday from 1pm to around 4 good thought would be greatly appreciated. :D

OMG -- Its working!!!

2008-04-01T22:49:00.003-05:00

I don't know what happened. I read a bunch of stuff, I twitched a bunch of stuff and managed to get 4 pictures uploaded in under 10 minutes. Woo hoo --

So, while its working, here's some sock stash. :D Too late for links, so I'll let you guess what all it is. :D

Not Gone But Probably Forgotten

2008-03-31T20:48:00.003-05:00

Wow! It has certainly been awhile since I've posted anything. I find myself constantly faced with the eternal question:

TO KNIT OR TO BLOG?

My life went from pretty laid back, to the point of being boring, to non-stop action. At work, I've got a new boss who expects 8 hours of work while at work. There's also a ton of work to do in the evenings for the breed clubs I'm participating in. There's also Bruce's rally class on Wednesday evenings. We're also working on one of the bathrooms in our house (new floor is in, so is the vanity and the countertop has been ordered). And don't forget about our business, Pantheon Acres.

I'm working with a wonderful designer on our new website. (Sorry -- it isn't ready yet. I promise you guys will be the first to know. ) Here's her personal and her professional sites. She does great work doesn't she? Did I mention she's in Finland? However, I still have to come up with with all the content. It is amazing how many different place I've managed to stash the digital photo files. So, I've been organizing files like a madwoman.

And then there's my beautiful new computer. Dual core processors; tons of memory; horrible internet connection. For some reason, my computer cannot stay connected to the internet. I've turned off the firewall, turned off everything else on the wireless network, uploading in the morning, the afternoon, the evening -- to no avail. It can take me an hour to upload a single picture to Flickr. If I've got more than one tab open on my browser, there a good chance that one will time out. I've tried changing browsers, no go... So while I have some time that I could spend blogging -- I'm just too frustrated... Especially, when my work computer connected to the same wireless network, has no issues.

But after getting an "Are you alive?" message from somebody who really has more important things to worry about, I decided to fight with whatever demon has barred my internet enjoyment. Its taken most of my evening, but I did it -- here's my post and pictures of what I've been knitting...

If you have any suggestions for fixing my internet connection, please email me at errs at yahoo dot com.

I'm going to sign off now so I don't loose this entire post. (If you're looking for me, I'm errs at Ravelry too.)

etsyFriday - Piddleloop Edition

2008-02-15T18:30:00.001-06:00

Miss Lizzie has taken an interest in my knitting and not in a good way. If I leave the house, she'll hunt around until she finds one of my projects and then gets the yarn out for some chewing. Strangely, she tends to succeed when the pouch contains yarn that is on the scratchier side and 100% wool. Strange, no? Also, do you notice, she only does this when I'm not home -- The Husband is home. He got my brown bag away from her once and then he turned away "for just a moment". This time, Lizzie & Morganna decided to battle over the pouch. Poor Piddleloop travel bag was no more.

Side note: I do want to point out that the seams didn't give. The zipper didn't give. The construction of these bags is rock solid. It was the actual fabric that ripped. I'm pretty impressed -- two 135 lb Mastiffs playing tug-a-war without a seam pop? Incredible. I wonder if Wendy & Jennifer would consider making toys for the dogs...

Now, you know I didn't blame Lizzie or Morganna for the bags demise. No, the blame fell squarely on the shoulders of The Husband. So, I send him Jennifer's email address and told him to make it right. Jennifer was lovely as always and promptly asked me which bags I wanted and set them aside for me. A few days later, these babies were alllll MINE!

I got my first Piddly. Perfectly sized for sock or mitten or mitt projects.

I also got a project pouch/travel set. (I honestly can never remember the difference. This one has a pocket and elastic to hold needles on the inside.)

Aren't those pigs the cutest? And as part of Jen & Wendy's wonderful style:

A little piggy stitch marker from Dragon Lady Designs.

And the matching 4x6 pouch -- even the lining matches:

And they are nothing if not enablers:

Jen also throws in a bunch of little goodies:

They even remembered the pups:

Want a Piddleloop or Piddly for yourself? Piddleloop on Etsy

There Has Been Knitting

2008-02-06T22:43:00.001-06:00

Now that I've got the computer and Flickr playing nicely together again, I can show you the knitting that I've been working on...

But first my new precious:

That is a 17" in screen. I absolutely love how big and bright and crisp everything is. I'm not thrilled with Visa, but I think there are some very good qualities to Office 2007. But enough geeking -- to the knitting:

As I've been swamped with work-related work and with non-work related work, I haven't had a lot of left over brain power to concentrate on this:

I call it my Raven Shawl -- the actual design Irtfaa's Faroese Lace Shawl is by Anne of Knitspot.

I've also been working on my Leaf-Lace Stole

And this:

Still haven't set it up -- scanner, fax, copier, printer all in 1. Now I can scan and send and print all that stuff I've been meaning to get done. If I just get it setup...

Help Animals - Win Cool Prizes

2008-02-05T21:46:00.001-06:00

Sarah Hope over at whatifknits just hit a Blogiversary. To celebrate she's having a Blogiversary Raffle, but not just any kind of raffle

For every $2 you donate, you get an entry into the raffle. And the prizes are AMAZING! So what are you waiting for - click the link!

Here I Am!

2008-01-31T20:58:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you've all been wondering where I've been. (OK, maybe not, but humor me.)

I got a new computer -- a laptop -- its awesome! However, it doesn't want to play nicely with Flickr (among other programs -- gotta love Vista).

I have been knitting -- a couple of projects. I've got pictures but can't share them.

I have some great pictures of the dogs playing in the snow -- but unless you can see into my hard-drive...

And I've got some great etsy stuff -- can you see it on my dining room table?

Okay -- I'm now heading off to try and make everybody play nicely together. I could've done it last weekend, but things are a little hectic around here - the girls came into season and I've been cleaning up the guest room for The Husband and Bruce.

Kids vs Dog - Who Wins

2008-01-20T22:26:00.000-06:00

A friend send this to me and I couldn't stop laughing at the ending. I hope you enjoy it too.

etsy Friday -- Home Edition

2008-01-18T21:41:00.001-06:00

Only one etsy purchase to share this Friday, but its a pretty big one. When The Husband and I moved into our house, there was a lot more wall space than we had in our apartment, and while I had some art (we won't discuss what The Husband had that he considered "art") there wasn't enough. We're not rich folks, so most original art is way out of our price range. Then you add in the fact even if we find something in our price range, one of us usually doesn't like it. Imagine my delight when I sent The Husband a link to original art on etsy and he actually liked it!!!

Faster than you can say "something clever", I had that art bought and on its way to our happy home. Oh -- you want to see the art? Okay, here you go:

Crow in Madrone by Laura Sue from Earth Art - Contemporary Art for Real Homes

I love the colors she used in this piece. I also like the unique shape. The Husband thought the crow was cool. (I'm not going to argue -- he likes it and that's all that matters.) This is the first real piece of art that I've ever purchased. Look, its even signed by the artist with a certificate and everything!!!!

I can't say enough good things about the painting and the artist. She was in immediate contact with me and gave us the tracking number as soon as it was shipped. It was packed amazingly well and arrived in great condition.

There's just one small problem -- we plan on hanging it on along our stairs in the hallway and the hallway really needs another coat of paint. Maybe it'll motivate us

A Good Friday Night

2008-01-12T23:35:00.001-06:00

We had a great Friday night. Bruce & I competed in an APDT rally trial Friday night. We got qualifying scores in 3 out of 4 runs. He did really well -- not a peep out of him in his crate and he actually visited with some people. Here are his ribbons: (As I've stated before, he's secure enough in his masculinity to be proud of his pink ribbon.)

What are his ribbons posing on, you ask? (Shush -- its my blog and if I wanted to pretend that you noticed the knitted item under the ribbons, I will. So there.)

Why its the Autumn Mystery Shawl -- FINALLY off the needles. I bound off between runs last night. The last skein of yarn showed up on Wednesday, but I just didn't have the time or the patience to work on the shawl until Friday night. It isn't blocked yet, nor have I woven in the ends, but I just had to share!

I took these pictures, standing on the couch, with one foot on the edge of the coffee table (white splotch in the corner of the picture) for balance. It takes up the entire coffee table right now. It is going to be HUGE once its blocked.

Look at how dense the fabric is now... anybody want to block it for me? I've got pins and wires and a hatred of wet wool..

Dish Rag Tag Reverse Swap

2008-01-07T21:32:00.001-06:00

Many moons ago -- as in August 2007. I participated in Dish Rag Tag. My team decided to do a reverse swap and we all promised to get it done in the month of October. I think maybe only one or two teammates actually managed to get theirs out in time. (I know I didn't.) About a week ago, I did receive my package from Rena. The package was well worth the wait!

The contents of the box was covered with seasonal tissue paper -- it just drew out the suspense.

I removed the tissue paper to reveal this:

All the goodies in one bag...

Let's exam the items more closely, shall we? First up, the requisite dish rag... I'm so impressed that she managed to get all of my favorite colors into one dish rag -- there's purple, and green and blue!

And the same colors were in the lovely Merino 5 yarn by Crystal Palace:

And even included a suggested pattern for the yarn:

And what's a swap package without chocolate? I love that it's SOAP! It smells so good, I almost want to eat it.

And actual edible chocolate. (which was eaten soon after this picture was taken).

Thanks Rena, for the awesome package!!!

Mitts, Mittens, and Hats

2008-01-06T19:46:00.001-06:00

I realize that my posting in December and now January has been sporadic at best. I can only blame the bizarre need I have to constantly be knitting mitts, mittens and hat. It started innocently enough.

I had decided to give my nieces some scarves that were already knit up (blogged here and here). Since I had matching yarn left, I figured they should have mittens too (blogged here). How about hats? I made some of those too. (blogged here).

And my brother requested a hat for Christmas:

Drew's Hat
Pattern: Zissou Hat
Yarn: Brooks Farm Mas-Acero

It was so easy and fast to make. There was plenty of yarn left, I had to make another this time to fit The Husband's gigantic noggin (seriously 24"). I had him try on my brother's hat to tell me what adjustments needed to be made. made them:

For some reason this hat grew in length, so it is about an inch too long. (Which is the exact length he asked for so go figure.) I'm going to have find another pattern and make him a better hat. But there was still yarn left -- what to do? Make another hat: Anne at Knitspot unknowingly came to my rescue with her Hot Waffles Mitts & Hat pattern.

The pattern was perfect & so easy!!! I wondered if the mitts were just as easy... but I don't wear mitts, I wear mittens. I had some cool Cascade 220 Quatro in a cool purple color. These are the only pictures that exist of those mittens. I wore them to Bruce's Rally Class and one of the ladies gave me a goodie bag for the dogs. I gave her the mittens.

The I realized I probably should make some for our trainer since she's been so go to us and our dogs over the years. But they had to wait... First, I needed to make a pair for our pet sitter. She comes a couple of days a week and since she doesn't walk the dogs, she gives them a nice play session in the backyard. Mittens didn't seem practical, but mitts -- those would work:

We were seeing good friends of ours for Christmas, and I had some knitted items from years ago to give them, but I also wanted some new stuff. The Hot Waffles Hat (above) I had found a gorgeous skein of Dream in Color Fatty at Fringe with colors I knew she'd love - but what to knit with one skein of chunky yarn? A hat of course!

Totally UnOriginal Hat
Pattern: Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Dream in Color Fatty

I hadn't forgotten the mittens for the dog trainer. She specified mittens and not mitts, so I tried to remember how I did it the first time:

Dog Trainer's Mittens
Pattern: Hot Waffles Mitts & Hat by Anne at Knitspot
Yarn: Cascade 220 Tweed
Modifications: When I got to the place in the pattern where Anne starts the ribbing for the top of the mitts, I continued for roughly 2 more pattern repeats. Then I made decreases based upon information in Anne Bud's Handy Book of Knitting Patterns. Basically, I looked for what she did when she had the same number of stitches on the needles as I did. I made the decreases in pattern as much as possible, however, all decreases were K2tog, regardless of the type stitches being combined. I did the exact same thing to make the thumb.

You'd think at this point I wouldn't want to knit a hat or mittens or mitts for awhile. You're right - sorta. I cast on for three projects, each three times. Each project has been frogged. Then I remembered I had a hat and mittens that I hadn't blocked yet. (blogged here). So, I dragged them out, gave them a wash and set them out to dry.

They are really big on me and even big on The Husband's hands (modeled graciously by him). Turns out that the hat was too big for me too. So the husband tried it on:

Even too big for him??? I'm thinking of maybe felting them a little to shrink them down. What do you guys think?

Undaunted, I continued on the hat kick. I saw some yarn from Keegan Lane (blogged here) and it was perfect for foliage!

Prairie Foliage Hat
Pattern: Foliage Hat from Knitty, Fall 2007
Yarn: Keegan Lane Lux Worsted
Model: Lizzie

You'd think I'd be finished and ready to move on for a shawl or dishcloth or something... Well sorta -- I did cast on for the Falling Leaves Shawl from Valley Yarns (aka Webs) but only after I had some issues getting another set of mittens started. Anne came up with another great pattern: Zig Zag Mitts, Hat and Scarf. I think going from 10.5 needles (for Foliage) down to US #2's was a bit of a stretch.

Winning the DUCK Prediction Contest

2008-01-05T12:13:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that I actually won a contest... Becka over at The Knitting Wounded had a contest for guessing the date she'd finish DUCK - Deep Under Cover Knitting. I came quite close to guessing the actual date -- I hadn't considered the possibility of her getting sick.

The prize came last week -- and it was a doozy!! Waaay more than I expected.

Its a pretty big box...I forgot to include a puppy for scale.

There was a really cute sheepie note care -- of which I did take a picture and now I can't find the picture -- and things were wrapped with an adorable ribbon:

Sheeps!!!!!!!!!!

What's this? It looks like a standard tupperware-type container..

until you turn it over:

See that hole, with a nice smooth grommet - it's a yarn container! How cool is that. I have some friends who are allergic to dogs and I always worry about how to keep the dog hair out of the yarn -- now I have my solution. :D

Then there was post-it notes in a cute little cover -- totally matches the hat kick I've been on

And there was more:

A kit for a whimsical knitted cuff:

An adorable sock blocker key chain -- I don't knit socks, but I've been wanted one of these because they are too cute.

Some lovely stitch markers from Dragonlady Designs.

And sock yarn -- Knit Picks Sock Memories in Gladiolus. Now, I don't knit socks, but I did say that I received some "incentive" yarn. I think these will be my first pair of socks. (The yarn is telling me it has to be socks. I will listen to the yarn.)

And last, but certainly not least, this gorgeous skein of golden yarn. There's no tag so it is now my Mystery Gold Yarn. I should at least figure out the WPI because it wants to be a scarf, something worn close to the skin. It is so soft -- I think it feels and looks like silk -- Becka said that it smelled like silk to her. (I know people say that there's a smell to silk, but honestly, I can't smell it.)

Thanks Becka! These items are amazing and have even inspired me to try socks!!!

etsy Friday

2008-01-04T20:52:00.001-06:00

It's FRIDAY!!! Time for etsy Friday...

These purchases were made before Christmas -- sorry for the delay.

First up, from Knitterella, lovely knitting gift tags. These came just in time to attach to few last minute gifts. There's enough room to add care instruction as well as the names. You can get yours here. Or if your thing is crochet, you can get crochet gift tags, too.

Special holiday feasts deserve special desserts. (Okay so it was just me and the Husband, but still we ate good.) I got the Custom YOU PICK 4 - ANY Cupcake Flavors from Fat Daddy Bake Shop. (Looks like the they're out of the 4 packs, here's the link for the 6 pack.) Here's a picture of two of the flavors (Banana Butterscotch Bad Boys and Captain Carrot Cake.)

They were super yummy! Here's what they looked like after dinner:

More recent purchases include a post card from halfempty -- it is too cute, but as it is part of a gift for a friend....no pictures. Sorry.

I do have yarn pr0n though:

From Keegan Lane Yarns:

Nicely wrapped, with a cute note, and yummy, yummy chocolates. (and there was a stitch marker attached to both skeins, but once again, I was too wrapped up to notice right away. I'm using one now, so no pics.)

Lux Worsted in Black Magic Woman and Prairie Storm

Bruce was also very interested in the yarn...

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T20:25:00.001-06:00

I forgot where I heard this, but it has stuck with me for years:

Whatever you do New Years Day is what you will be doing all year.

I try to make sure that I don't do anything crazy and try to avoid as much stress as possible on New Years Day. This year was no different.

I started with a lazy morning in bed, hanging out with the husband and the dogs and watching some TV. Then after a quick shower, enjoyed a snowy romp with the dogs (sorry no pictures). Then I settled down to work on my first goal of the new year.

I try not to have resolutions, because I inevitably don't keep them and always feel annoyed and guilty at the end of the year. I've come up with a few personal goals:

Show Bruce in conformation. This is HUGE for me because Bruce is rather shy and had some bad experience going out in public; I didn't think that we'd ever end up back in the show ring. We spent the last 18 months working on building our confidence and working through his issues. And there's been some great successes. Bruce now has is Rally Novice title from AKC and his Rally Level 1 title from APDT. We're going to continue competing in Rally and get a couple of conformation shows for practice. The big thing is showing him at the National Mastiff Specialty in May of this year.

Move forward on moving plans. It is pretty obvious from the title of this blog that there should be some sort of acreage in our lives, but there isn't. We live in suburbia outside of Chicago. Our plan was to be in the house for 2-3 years, updating it and then selling it and moving west onto a couple of acres. Somewhere along the line a lot of our projects stalled. I had hoped to breed Lizzie this spring, but I don't want to do that while we live here. Nor do I want to move while she's pregnant or if there are puppies on the ground. So, The Husband and I need to come up with some sort of plan to try and get us out of here in time for the spring of 2009, or even better fall of 2008.

I think that's plenty, don't you? Because I also have knitting fiber goals:

Finish my Autumn Mystery Shawl (Ravelry)

Learn the basics of crochet - several patterns that I'd like to do require a provisional cast-on -- using a crochet chain.

Knit a pair of socks - see if I can figure out why they are so addictive. (And I received some incentive yarn...)

Use my drop-spindle kit - I picked up a beginners kit at a fiber fair and some roving at Stitches and I still haven't used it.

Finish needle felted penguin - I got a kit at a fiber fair and started working on it, but right now he's only a body. I should just finish it.

Finish felted ball for puppies - I got a kit off of etsy (blogged here) and haven't actually used it yet. I think felted toys might actually survive the dogs, and this will be the test subject.

Stop joining KALs and Mystery projects that I can't keep up with. Seriously, I'm still not finished with the first mystery project (see #1 above) I joined, have not knit a stitch for Mystic Waters, and then Spring Fling started today. I may join to get the patterns, but I am not holding myself to any obligation to keep up with the KAL.

Keep up with the Year Long Gift-Along and A Loose Knit Group -- I've got so many ideas for gifts and things I want to knit but I get a little overwhelmed. This way, I keep things manageable and don't make things that won't get used.

Seems doable doesn't it? What are your plans for 2008?

The Husband and I finishing up the day watching a Dirty Jobs marathon and cuddling puppies. I did work on finishing the Autumn Mystery Shawl and the results don't bode well for the rest of 2008. I went to sleep last night with about 8 rows left to knit and then bind off. I ran out of yarn today with 3/4 of row left to knit and then bind off. My mind raced through all the possible options and finally decided to just order more yarn. I really like the color way and I'm sure I'll be able to find something else to make with the rest of the skein. But what does it mean for the rest of 2008? I don't want to think too much about it. So, instead I'm going to go back to cuddling and play on our favorite Christmas gift -- a PlayStation 3. I hear Ratchet & Clank calling our names.

I hope you spent your New Years Day with people (and animals) you love, doing something to love. We here wish you good health, much happiness and uninteresting times* for 2008.

* Wikipedia on "May you live in interesting times."

Happy Holidays

2007-12-24T18:27:00.001-06:00

Christmas preparations are complete here at Pantheon Acres.

The puppies had various reactions to the festivities:

Bruce wondered if any of the presents were his.

Tyler says "Bah Humbug!"

Lizzie just treats it as any ole day.

Morganna hung back, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Whatever you celebrate, we wish you all the very best.

The puppies have their own message:

PEACE ON EARTH AND GOODWILL TOWARDS ALL

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

etsy Friday -- Puppy Edition

2007-12-21T08:40:00.001-06:00

Only one etsy item this Friday, from Kelly's Delights -- treats for the puppies. Bacon Cheese Mini Dog Treats and Chicken Mini Dog Treats. She bakes them to order and sends them out priority mail. I think the dogs knew that the box was for them before we opened it. There was an extra little knitted ball included.

Bruce was very interested in the treats...

Tyler shows his interest (but will not give up his comfy bed:

Lizzie wanted second taste:

Morganna wouldn't take her eyes off of her daddy hoping for an extra:

But the girls really loved their new ball.

You might think that they lost interest:

But, Lizzie just lost possession:

All Out of Ideas

2007-12-19T09:31:00.001-06:00

As I've already stated, I'm not the creative type. So, we're setting up a business, and I'm still excited about that. However, The Husband and I think that we need a logo for our web site and stuff. We already know that the text will all be in Copperplate Light (for font & type junkies). I purchased the font for our wedding invitations and we both really like it so that was easy.

So, I searched for inspiration. I went to WikiMedia Commons to look for free images. Nothing for Mastiffs or Eurasiers. But there's a bunch of stuff for Pantheon. Seriously, I never knew that there were so many buildings called the Pantheon, aside from the one in Rome. From Wiki:

Modern buildings named "Pantheon":

Panthéon, Paris, the funerary Hall of Fame of the French nation.

Pantheon, London, an 18th century place of entertainment.

Pantheon, Rousse, a Bulgarian national monument.

Pantheon, Moscow, a project in the 1950s to construct a monumental memorial tomb in Moscow, Soviet Union.

Panteón Nacional, a Venezuelan national monument.

Pantheon, Vincennes, a theatre built in 1921. Where Red Skelton got his start in show business.

Hmm... not sure if any of these really spoke to me. But hey, Paris is cool, so I checked that one out. Wiki told me:

The Panthéon (Latin Pantheon^[1], from Greek Pantheon, meaning "All the Gods") is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris, France. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many changes now combines liturgical functions with its role as a famous burial place.

I'm not really sure that I want us to be associated with any burial place. Though some of the pictures are cool:

How about the original in Rome?

Neat pictures, but seriously, not so much dog-like.

I did a really creative search on Google: "creating a logo". That brought up LogoMaker, I get a free trial of the image. What do you guys think?

Anybody got any better ideas? That one's okay, but it doesn't really work for me.

Christmas Knitting -- Almost Finished

2007-12-17T20:29:00.001-06:00

Don't hate me because I've managed to finish most my Christmas knitting. I have to get everything done early because it needs to be shipped to the East Coast. Most of what's left is for The Husband's family and just needs to be washed and blocked. Hopefully, I'll have some more finished objects next week.

Note: If you are related to me or are expecting a Christmas gift from me, and haven't told me that you read this blog, you might want to not read this post. You might find out what you're getting for Christmas. (Thought it would serve you right for reading this blog and not telling me!)

I know I blogged about a bunch of this stuff before, but here's the whole array of finished items.

Jute Rope Scarf
Pattern: Jute Rope Scarf
Yarn: Catalina Baby Alapaca Chunky

Drew's Hat
Pattern: Zissou Hat
Yarn: Brooks Farm Mas-Acero

Hats for Nieces
Pattern: Ann Norling Head Huggers
Yarn: Kramer Yarn Mauch Chunky

Mittens for Nieces
Pattern: Basic Mitten Pattern
Yarn: Brooks Farm Solana

Bath Mitt Pattern: Sugar & Cream Bath Mitt
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton

Scrunchable Scarf
Pattern: Scrunchable Scarf
Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play

Victoria's Secret and Fraud

2007-12-16T13:40:00.001-06:00

We had a couple of messages on our answering machine from Victoria's Secret. Apparently they wanted to talk to The Husband about his order. Except that he hasn't placed any orders.

Yup -- somebody got hold of his credit card number and decided to order a couple of gift cards. Nice, huh? Luckily, the card was the one tied to his bank account. (Yes, we have separate bank accounts.) Lucky because there's a $1,000 limit on the card.

Now here's where I get really annoyed. Victoria's Secret won't give him any more information other than The Husband placed an order for 2 $500 gift cards using card ending in XXXX. They also believe that the charge was authorized. So, The Husband calls the bank -- they didn't allow the charge. Great! He cancels his card immediately. But it'll take 10 - 14 days to send him a new card. What???? This card is also the ATM card -- so we've got to wait 10-14 days to get a new ATM card? Do the math people -- no cash for the holidays. Urgh. Luckily, there's a branch not too far from his work, so he'll get some money from there. (And yes, I pulled some cash from my account and gave it to him -- he'll write me a check.)

Then The Husband calls the police. He needs to file a report in person -- makes sense. They want to make sure he really is The Husband. And he needs to bring documented evidence. Ummm...VS won't release any evidence except to the police. The bank doesn't have any records because they didn't allow the charge. (Which I call bullshit, because they should at least have a record of getting the request and denying it.) Hopefully, something will work out when he goes in to make the report. Oh, and the detectives who work on these types of cases aren't in on weekends, so he has during the week.

I'm now understanding why credit card fraud is so prevalent -- because it is so freakin' easy. Seriously, if VS hadn't bothered to track down our home phone number from directory assistance -- we wouldn't have even known that this had happened. Seriously, shouldn't the bank have contacted us? And what do you mean that there isn't anybody to even take the freakin' report at the police station? What's that about?

I'll keep you guys posted as this progresses...

Small Stash Enhancment

2007-12-15T18:55:00.001-06:00

A local yarn store, Fringe, is going out of business. Don't be too sad, because the owners of Fringe, are also the owners of Dream in Color yarns. Dream in Color has taken off, so they need to close the store to dedicate themselves to the business.

Last Saturday, I spent a few hours shopping at their sale and picked up a few items.

Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in Light Moss -- which has already become a bath mitt.

Plymouth Linen Island -- this will probably become a small hand towel a la Mason Dixon.

2 skeins of lovely Malabrigo Worsted in Emerald Vivacity

Some Knit One Crochet Too Cotonade in Pebble -- this will probably become some sort of face cloth.

2 skeins of Mauch Chunky by Kramer Yarns in Cotton Candy -- 1 skein has already turned into 2 hats for my nieces.

A couple of skeins of Hemp for Knitting #210 Hempwol in Natural, Licorice, and Silver Sage

2 skeins of Alpaca with a Twist Highlander in Heather in Bloom (isn't that a great name?)

And last but not least -- as they run Dream in Color, the 2nd's are available for purchase:

Dream in Color Smooshy in (I think) November Muse:

Dream in Color Fatty in Black

I also picked up a bunch of books:

The Knitting Answer Book

The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns

101 Designer One Skein

Barbara Walker's Charted Knitting Designs

Big Girl Knits

And a couple of patterns:

Smittens

Pacific Northwest Shawl

Head Huggers

Hat & Mitten

And of course some DPN's (to go into my new case)

etsy Friday

2007-12-14T15:19:00.001-06:00

As last Friday, was all about Christmas Shopping on etsy... this week is all about presents for me...

First, from Blue Kitty Designs, is not so much a present but a necessity. I have a dpn holder, but it won't hold needles longer than 6" -- doesn't do me much good. And since I've been on a huge hat kick, I need the dpns. A search on etsy turned up this delight -- which came to me wrapped in lovely tissue paper:

It has a bunch of slots for two lengths of needles, and a nice flap that folds-over to keep the needles from sliding out.

Bruce was very happy because he got the box it came in -- Lizzie was upset because she didn't get a box.

But then Bruce decided to share

Lizzie didn't get her own box, because my Piddleloop stuff came in an envelope. A very well-taped envelope. (I don't know if you can see just how much tape is covering the flap in this picture.)

Knowing that it was going to be the last update of the year, and the fact that I totally missed out on their last update, I might have gone a little overboard...

First up, my mod kitty project back with matching notions pouch. (I wish the camera was more true to color, the navy ribbon is just so awesome.)

I also got a neat little pouch for holding needles. Sometimes I've got several projects that I want to be working on, or I need to switch needle sizes -- this little pouch is perfect for holding extra needles

I also got one of their new, Piddly bags -- and its got sheeps in trees!!!! With a very lovely stitch marker from Walnut Ridge Studio.

I really wanted to get a close up picture of the marker, but my camera and I have been having some issues lately. I tried to get the gorgeous lining of the sheep bag -- see how that turned out?

But in addition to the awesome bags for my knitting projects, she also sent some goodies...

Seriously, so much stuff that it almost fills my Piddly Bag

What's in the tin you say???

Is it wrong that I was as excited about the little tin as I was about the bags????

In other etsy news -- I am now official addicted to POUNCE. This rocks!

Flashback - Ravelry Swag

2007-12-11T09:27:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that I forgot to blog all about the neat Ravelry stuff I got.

If you're on Ravelry, you can find all the details about the shirts and buttons. If you're not on yet, I'm sorry, but I've got no information for you. (You did sign up for an invite, didn't you?)

First, the T-shirt. I love this shirt - it appeals to both my knitting-geek and my technology-geek.

The front:

The back:

I also bought a set of buttons:

Now I feel an official part of Ravelry.

etsy Friday on Saturday -- Easy Christmas Shopping

2007-12-08T16:44:00.001-06:00

Better late than never, right?

I did a great deal of my Christmas shopping on line at esty, so I thought I'd share my purchases with you.

First, from Becky Sharp Designs, I purchased two books for my aunt and uncle: the Green Clouds Blank Book and Brown Floral Blank Book. No pictures, because I had them shipped directly to my parents house and Becky was kind enough not to include the invoice. ;)

Next, from The Wheel & I, I purchased the Green Burst Dish for friends of the family. I also picked up these two items. I'm not sure who's getting the Green Carved Bowl:

A couple we're close to is getting the Blue Moon Bowl: (my pictures don't do the colors justice):

Everything was packed nicely, with no worries of breakage.

And finally from Roller Coasters, I purchased these coasters, International Passport Coasters, for cousins who love to travel. I also purchased these: I might just keep them since they look so good in my house.

Christmas Shopping

2007-12-06T22:05:00.001-06:00

Or should I say knitting?

I've been buys knitting and blocking various gifts for the family.

My nieces are getting these mittens: (Brooks Farm Solana, Basic Mitten Pattern from one of the "Handy" books)

My brother asked for a hat, he's the only one if the family who asked for something real (as opposed to knitted lampshades or other jokes. So he's getting my version of the Zissou hat (Ravelry).

It knit with Brooks Farms Mas-Acero. This stuff is very similar to Cascade 220, but softer due to the touch of silk. There's 8 oz in a skein, so when The Husband asked for the same hat, I just kept right on going. His hat is still on the needles.

My brother's girlfriend loved the colors of the Brooks Farm Four Play that I was knitting up. So, she's getting my version of the Scrunchable Scarf (Ravelry) (Please blend the colors in the two pictures together -- my camera is clearly having color issues.

And last but not least my sister is getting the Jute Rope Scarf (Ravelry). Its knit with Catalina Bulky Baby Alpaca. Its sooooo soft. I was sad when I finished knitting it.

All I've got to do is snip the threads and sew on charms and tags and then pack 'em up with the rest of the gifts and ship 'em out. Woo hoo!

Stash and Snow

2007-12-05T18:30:00.001-06:00

Last night was filled with somewhat surprises -- somewhat because they were expected but fun all the same.

First, I got a delivery from Little Knits. They had an awesome sale on SWTC Twize (Ravelry). Its 100% bamboo in a worsted weight. I got a bag (10 skeins) in "Twack" -- also know as black and white:

I also got 2 bags of it in "Twey" which probably should be "gray" but I don't think so. Look at the color on Little Knits. And on the actual SWTC site. And here are my pictures -- first with a flash:

Then with the flash but closer:

And then without the flash:

Don't they look different? Or am I going crazy? (Its okay to tell me I'm crazy lots of people do.)

I also got some more Sea Silk, in Sterling, but I'm not so sure that it is really silvery... it more of a goldish-gray. I can't seem to find a picture of this colorway on line, so you'll have to settle for my pictures:

With a flash:

Color corrected: (sorta with PhotoShop Elements)

Without the flash-- in this one it looks the most silvery -- go figure.

And now for the snow party -- we knew that it was going to snow, but we didn't think there would be any accumulation. But there was and the puppies had fun -- here they are coming in from a romp...

Bruce

Tyler the Snow Beast

Lizzie

Morganna

The Goofy Girls

Tyler says, "Is dinner ready yet????"

Sticking with What I'm Good At

2007-12-04T17:11:00.001-06:00

I am not a very creative person. It is rare that I have a truly new and innovative idea in my hobbies or my work. What I am however, is a good editor and great tester. I can see something and figure out how to make it better. As I'm getting more into knitting, I'm finding more confidence in making minor changes to patterns -- like the small change I made to My Rose Garden Stole (Ravelry).

I've been absolutely fascinated with the design process and Anne at Knitspot has been blogging about her design process on her newest creation. How she goes through the swatching process and how she changes the shape and design as she goes. Isn't it incredible! Here's the final product.

I hope that one day I'm confident enough to design my own lace project one day. Instead, I'm going to concentrate on what I know I'm good at -- testing. I was lucky enough to be asked to test knit a pattern for Helen of Troy.

I read her blog, Golden Apples, because she occasionally has some really interesting tutorials and ALWAYS has a good read. She had a cool looking hat & scarf set on her blog recently and once she was on Ravelry, I knew I had to track down the pattern. So, I searched until I found her and her pattern -- (I just realized how stalkerish that sounded!!) I "favorited" the pattern and then Helen contacted me.

So what does a test knitter do --

I searched for the yarn used for the original - Patons SWS Stripes and Patons SWS Solids.

I read through the pattern several times to make sure that I understood everything.

Anything I didn't understand, I sent to Helen and updated the pattern.

I finally find the yarn I needed.

I cast on for the scarf and discover that I really don't like SWS. Its like a super thick annoying mohair.

I start knitting the scarf but something didn't look quite right. I decide to sleep on it.

I order dpns for knitting the hat

I tried knitting the scarf again -- but this time with cotton that I can tink and frog more easily.

I admit defeat and contact Helen complete with pictures.

Get an updated pattern.

Cast on for the scarf again and start knitting -- now it looks right.

I wait for the dpns to arrive.

Continue knitting the scarf.

Continue knitting the scarf

I finish the scarf, takes pictures and send them to Helen..

I wait for the dpns to arrive

DPNs finally arrive.

I cast-on for the hat.

Discover that my dpn's are too short and I'm loosing stitches in the main section of the hat.

Begin a quest for longer dpn's.

Sent husband to local yarn shops during his lunch break -- no dpn's.

Stop at Michael's on our way home from work. Get dpn's --only 1 inch longer, but it'll have to do.

Continue knitting hat.

Rally weekend with Bruce - knit hat at trial.

Figure out that the hat would be perfect for The Husband's grandmother for Christmas.

Here's the Wavy Slip-Stitch Scarf:

Here's the hat:

From this, I ended up with:

a great hat & scarf to use as a gift

an awesome pattern -- that I'll probably knit again but with different yarn

a new appreciate for designers and test knitters

What I learned about test knitting:

Keep good communication with your designer -- better to ask questions than waste time trying to figure it out yourself.

Don't agree to test knit if you've already got too much on the needles.

Make sure you have the materials to do the test knit.

Helen - Thank you for the awesome pattern and your extraordinary patience as I took so long to knit the hat & scarf!

Exciting News - I Hope

2007-12-03T19:01:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: I realized reading comments from Kathy and Becka, that I may have raised expectations a little too high. I haven't been tired because of the news -- that was due to the time change (savings time) and flying to the east coast. I don't know why but any sort of time change completely throws me for a loop. Add in the change in temperature - in the last 10 days the temperature has fluctuated between 60 degrees (in NJ) and 18 degrees -- also completely throwing my body out of wack. Also, I have a new boss who has me doing a bunch of stuff that I'm not familiar with, so my brain has also been tired. There is no correlation (at least that I'm aware of) between being tired and my exciting news. Which may only be exciting to me and The Husband.

Did you ever wonder how I came up with the name of my blog? Pantheon Acres doesn't really have a lot to do with knitting, does it? I figured I wouldn't always have knitting to blog about and the main focus of my life is my dogs. So the name applies more to my "dog" life than my "knitting" life.

It is actually the name of our kennel -- as in dog kennel. It took several months of discussion and research to come up with our kennel name. There were several times that we thought we were being clever and creative only to find the name was already being used. (It is considered bad etiquette to use the name of a kennel that already exists -- whether they are still breeding or not.) One day, we stumbled across pantheon.

According to the The Free Dictionary pantheon is defined as:

1. Pantheon A circular temple in Rome, completed in 27 b.c. and dedicated to all the gods.
2. A temple dedicated to all gods.
3. All the gods of a people considered as a group: Jupiter is head of the Roman pantheon.
4. A public building commemorating and dedicated to the heroes and heroines of a nation
5. A group of persons most highly regarded for contributions to a field or endeavor: the pantheon of modern physics.

Side Note: I really didn't realize that there was such a monument as The Pantheon, I spend several weeks convinced people were confusing it with The Parthenon. Sometimes, I am not the brightest bulb.

Looking at #5 -- The Husband and I changed it a little and felt that it really fit what we wanted for our kennel:

A group of dogs most highly regarded for contributions to their breed.

Mission statement and kennel name all in one. (Acres is for the farm we eventually want to own.) We want to be responsible breeders. That means breeding "quality" dogs to "quality" dogs. That means making sure our dogs are healthy with good genes to pass along to their offspring -- which requires health testing. We also want to make sure we've got "good" dogs -- which requires showing in conformation*, taking the dogs to training classes, and getting certifications (like CGC and TDI and Delta Dog). All of which costs money.

(Stick with me -- almost to the news...)

Breeding dogs is not something that most would consider a business. You aren't going to get rich from it and it might take a few years, but you could show a small profit. This was all the CPA needed to hear during our meeting with him a few weeks ago. We originally went to see what we could do to reduce our taxes (we have no children and aren't very charitable, so we needed other deductions). Strangely enough, the possibility of making a small profit is enough to turn our kennel from a hobby into a business.

THE NEWS:

We're setting up our kennel as a corporation: Pantheon Acres, Inc.

Which means doing business-like stuff -- such as business cards, web site, phone, and other stuff I can't remember other stuff. I know that I should probably concentrate on the boring stuff -- business accounts and receipt tracking et al, but I can't get over the idea of having business cards and a web site. Squee! I just realized that means we need a logo! There is also work involved as I figure out what exactly it will take to get a web site setup, a special phone number and the other boring important business stuff. (Hey -- with my own web site and domain, I could get some blogging software that actually lets me respond to comments!)

See -- isn't it cool? I own a business (okay -- The Husband owns it too).

* I run into a lot of people who see conformation dog shows as "beauty contests", but in reality conformation shows were meant to be a chance for people to evaluate breeding stock.

So Tired

2007-11-29T19:37:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how long its been since I posted, but I have a good excuse. See, I'm tired. (Please don't tell Sheepish Annie.)

I'm knitting for Christmas instead of shopping. My nieces are going to get the Mini-Clap (blogged here) and Diagonal Lace Scarf (blogged here), mittens and possibly hats. The mittens are all knitted. I just couldn't find the energy to take pictures of them in progress. Sorry. I will be washing and blocking this weekend...maybe The Husband will have the energy to take pictures. I just cast on for the first hat. I'm just going to keep knitting items as long as the yarn lasts. Oh yeah -- I'll leave it to my mother to decide who gets the mini-button hole bag. (Remember this thing?)

I also knit a Scrunchable Scarf using some gorgeous yarn from Brooks Farm. It knit up even more beautiful than I expected. It is a gift for my brother's girlfriend. (Look -- a picture, so what if its old...it is a picture.)

I also got some more done on the Autumn Mystery Shawl. I'm actually 1/3 of the way through the last clue. Hopefully I'll find some time to finish it before the end of the year.

There's also some yarn that I want to blog about -- some really nice purchases and I'll be knitting my first* adult sweater.

Hopefully I'll find the energy to take pictures of recent gift purchases for etsy Friday. And to blog about my secret knitting project that's finally finished. And to tell you the exciting news. But I'm just too tired to do more tonight.

*I did knit a couple of sweaters in my first knitting life, but I didn't pay attention to gauge or how the yarn will work or anything. So, now I'm going to try again.

etsy Friday - Black Friday Edition

2007-11-23T20:29:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday. I was on the East Coat visiting my family and returned home this afternoon.

If you've been shopping all day today, then you're a stronger person than I. I'm not that much of a shopper - trying to find a decent parking spot, having to walk for miles in walls and stores, and standing in line and the lugging all my purchases around. On-line shopping is the best thing that every happened as far as I'm concerned.

To make things easier for the rest of you, here's some suggestions from my latest favorite shopping place -- etsy.

Remember this?

My husband liked it so much, I was worried he was going to steal it from me. And then I found that ChristineRenee put together a entire Zombie Gift Set.

Look -- you get the book and a T-shirt:

And as if that wasn't enough -- there's buttons and stickers!!!!

Okay - so you're not here for zombie stuff. Okay -- how about some knitting stuff???

From sunneshine's etsy shop - adorable Sheep Stitch Markers and Crocodile Row Counter. Packaged in a lovely bag with a delightful note. It doesn't get much better than that.

Not into knitting accessories? How about some yarn and roving? From WoolHandCrafts, aka Grand View Farm.

The yarn is 2-ply Romney wool. My picture doesn't show the yarn's great colors, nor does it give you the great softness. You can look at the picture in the etsy shop (and bonus picture of the sheep it came from!!!)

Still not happy? You're here for the dogs? Okay -- the roving isn't really for me. It is part of a kit to make a felted ball. I keep seeing felted toys for dogs at dog shows that cost a small fortune and with my dogs of destruction -- it wasn't worth the risk. But here, I can try making my own toy and see how it fairs. The Felt Your Own Ball Kit.

They also had some great Organic Dog Treats. I need to order more because my guys just when crazy for them.

The best part about this shop is that everything is made by them from their own animals and they use the profits for the care of those animals.

Next time -- gift suggestions!

Pegasus Country's Scottish King, RN, RL1

2007-11-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

Yup -- more stuff on the end of Bruce's name.

Thanks to everybody for the good vibes and keep 'em coming - same time tomorrow.

Bruce qualified for both of his runs today. Giving him the three legs he needed for his APDT Rally Level 1 title.

I am so proud of my handsome silly boy. There's was a professional photographer, so we got a great picture of my handsome boy. It should be here in about 2 weeks and I'll be sure to scan it and share it with all of you. :D

etsy Friday -- Delayed due to Rally

2007-11-16T23:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry -- etsy Friday is being delayed again due to Rally. But do check back -- I got lots of good stuff.

Bruce and I are competing again tomorrow and Sunday. I hope to get his Level 1 title in APDT rally this weekend.

Ring times are around 8:30 and 11:30 am both days. (Yup, we get 2 tries each day.)

So if you're awake, send good vibes our way.

Bruce says thanks and that his ribbons from the last Rally session came in the mail today and that he'll post pictures tomorrow. (He's a dog and doesn't know about run-on sentances.)

To Do: Get Group Pic with Dogs

2007-11-13T21:27:00.000-06:00

As the newest board member of the USEC, I need to provide a picture of me with my Eurasier. No biggie, right? Oh, I can include the Mastiffs too if I want. No problem... right???? Right...

Here are the results:

These were the best of them:

How is it that out of all the pictures the Husband took, there isn't a single one where both the dogs and I look normal?????? Sigh.

Nothing

2007-11-12T21:21:00.000-06:00

Seriously -- I have nothing to post. But for some reason, I felt that I should.

I could post pictures of my knitting projects that are about 3 inches longer than they were the last time. I could show you pictures of my almost finished items -- but they still aren't blocked.

I did find this -- I totally find which blog I found this on, but I do agree with it...

Two Finished Objects or Xmas Gifts Finished

2007-11-10T10:06:00.001-06:00

If you are related to me or are expecting a Christmas gift from me, and haven't told me that you read this blog, you might want to not read this post. You might find out what you're getting for Christmas. (Thought it would serve you right for reading this blog and not telling me!)

Storm Water Scarf

Pattern: Storm Water Scarf (Ravelry)

Yarn: Handmaiden Sea Silk (Ravelry) in Mermaid

Needles: US 5 Signature Needle Arts with a stiletto tip

Comments: The pattern was easy to memorize and fun to knit. I actually knit most of this scarf on the train commuting to/from work. Sea Silk is soft but also very slick and sometimes finicky. I originally wanted to knit the Montego Bay Scarf (Ravelry) but found the yarn to slippery and persnickety. The scarf blocked out to a really nice size - 11" wide by 71" long. Here it is folded in half lengthwise.

I also blocked the points on the end so they were more distinctive. I think it turned out pretty nicely over all. This will be going to my mother for Christmas.

One Row Handspun by Somebody Else Scarf

Pattern: One Row Handspun Scarf by the Yarn Harlot

Yarn: Illinois Green Pastures Collection 80/20 alpaca wool (Ravelry)

Comments: This was a relatively easy knit. I ended up casting on fewer stitches because the yarn was more of a DK/Worsted weight than the Sport/DK that I originally thought. The yarn was substantial and knitted into a dense fabric.. This is going to be a really warm scarf. I hope my Dad likes it because he's going to get it for Christmas.

etsy Friday -- Late Edition

2007-11-09T22:20:00.001-06:00

Sorry that this is soooo late. But I have a good excuse. But I'm too tired to type it up. ;)

Today's etsy find is from Artful Market -- these little charms are too adorable. I plan on attaching them to all my FO's that will be given as gifts this Xmas season.

The problem is that they are sooo hard to photograph. With the flash on, it is too white!!!!

With the flash off -- too yellow!

Luckily the up close shots are much better:

There are tons of different little findings on in the store.

2 WIPs and Contest Entries

2007-11-05T22:25:00.001-06:00

Piddleloop is having a contest via Ravelry. How much stuff can you fit into your Piddleloop Bag? Check it out at the Friends of P Ravelry group.

I'm a little bummed because I managed to get my biggest project off the needles right before the contest started. So here's what I've got left.

I present Exhibit A: My Commuting Chevron Scarf

It's the Chevron Scarf (Ravelry) in MySmallWonders Superwash Sock Yarn. I've got two skeins -- Sunlit Waves and Lagoon -- plus the needles shoved into the 9x6 zippered pouch.

Exhibit B: My Mystic Waters Shawl

It's the Mystic Waters Shawl (Ravelry) in Malabrigo Lace (Ravelry). While I haven't started knitting it yet, I've got the beads, the charts and the written instructions, beading crochet hook, pattern tamer and yarn in my knitting skulls pouch.

1 FO and 2 WIPs

2007-11-04T20:13:00.001-06:00

Shades of Green Clapotis: Finished Object

The Clapotis (Ravelry)

in Brooks Farm Solana (Ravelry)

One Row Handspun by Somebody Else Scarf: WIP

One Row Handspun Scarf (Ravelry)

in Illinois Green Pastures Collection 80/20 Alpaca Wool

StormWater Scarf: WIP

StormWater Scarf (Ravelry)

in Handmaiden SeaSilk (Ravelry)

Another Leg!

2007-11-04T16:42:00.000-06:00

Today was Bruce's first time in Rally Advanced in an actual trial setting. The exercises are a little harder, but the biggest differences are a jump and that its all done off-leash. Bruce & I were the last to go. The first few stations he wandered off, but he slowly figured out that there was no leash, and got concerned that he wasn't attached to me so he did a lot better. We had to redo a few exercises but I thought he did well considering all the distractions at the trial. I had no hopes of qualifying, but the judge thought different. He got a 72 out of 100 which while not the greatest score was still over 70 points needed to qualify! So, Bruce has his Rally Novice title (RN) and the first of three legs for his Rally Advanced title.

Thanks to everybody who send good thoughts and prayers our way! A special thanks to Jen of Piddleloop for her great cheers.

Bruce would've posted himself, but he's too busy celebrating in his favorite way:

PSA -- Time to Change the Clocks

2007-11-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

I don't know where in the world you are but it is time to change your clocks.

After 1:59am your clock should change to 1:00 am. So basically, you get a redo for the hour. I plan on spending my hour redoing the sleep.

etsy Friday -- Saturday Edition

2007-11-03T19:27:00.001-05:00

I probably shouldn't have delayed posting this because you never know when this item from Christine Renee's shop re-conceived.com will come in handy. For awhile, I've been worrying about the possibility of a Zombie Attack and now I have the perfect place to document what every member of the family should do to survive.

There's blank pages and pages from old books mixed together. While the pages from old books don't really provide sufficient information to survive the attack, they do provide tantalizing tidbits to make you think:

Without this page, I would not have even thought of making sure we had a tent.

I'm not sure what is being built on this page, but I realize I do need to build some barricades to protect myself, The Husband, and the dogs.

If you're worried about zombie attack and are would like to write up a plan of your own here's where you can your very own Zombie Escape Plan.

Now I can sleep easy because:

Pegasus Country's Scottish King, RN

2007-11-03T15:43:00.000-05:00

Home from Rally and feeling on Cloud 9!

Bruce got the third leg of his Rally Novice title (hence the RN at the end of his name) today! With his highest qualifying score ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so proud of him I could just burst!

Thank you Jen for being his personal cheerleader -- I'm sure it helped.

Please keep the good thoughts coming tomorrow -- from 10:05 am through lunch (I have no idea what time we'll go in the ring...) We're doing Rally Advance and its all off leash. This should be interesting. LOL

etsy Friday - Delayed due to Rally

2007-11-02T10:28:00.001-05:00

Sorry folks, etsy Friday will be delayed until Saturday or even Sunday...

This weekend Bruce & I are going to try and get his Rally Novice title through the AKC. There's a "correction" clinic tonight -- basically practice -- and then a real course Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

So think good thoughts around 7pm tonight, and 1:30ish Saturday and Sunday. Bruce & I need all the help we can get.

Fixing the Clapotis

2007-10-30T10:34:00.001-05:00

My plan for last night was to sit myself down and fix the Clapotis. The Husband had the camera out and ready to take pictures of the step-by-step surgery. I had a note pad right next to me and I jotted down every little step I took. I planned on having a great little tutorial complete with pictures:

Then I gave my Clappy a bath and set it down to block the corners only -- I didn't like how much they rolled and one end seemed more like an amoeba than a corner. As I was stretching it out, both of my fixes came undone. So with wet wool, I had to do emergency surgery. (And you remember how much I love wet wool!) So no tutorial. Sorry.

At least Tyler got a good chuckle out of it:

Lizzie understood my frustration and took it out on a cardboard box:

I Must Be Crazy

2007-10-27T10:57:00.001-05:00

I must be crazy or at least delusional. Some people have delusions of grandeur. Mine are more delusions of free time. Remember, about a month ago, I joined a bunch of KALs?

Second Wave Clapotis KAL -- I managed to "finish" the Clapotis. Okay -- so I still haven't fixed it, or woven the ends in. I did manage to get it off the needles.

Secret of the Stole -- I swatched on size 4s, but wanted to try it on size 3s. I never did and then I just dropped-out. Oh well. I'm knit stalking somebody who is knitting it, so I'll knit vicarious through her.

Halloween Mystery Shawl -- this is finished and I love the pattern. But I haven't started it yet. And I still haven't found beads fro it.

So this weekend, I'm focusing on the Mystery Shawl. The Husband has been warned in advance that the weekened was dedicated to the shawl and laundry. (We don't own enough clothes to skip a weekend of laundry).

So far seems sane, right?

Did I mention that I joined another lace KAL? Yup. I got sucked in to Mystic Waters (Ravelry). The first clue was posted on Wednesday, so I'm already behind. But I do have my yarn - Malabrigo Lace in Blue & Emerald

Yes, those are beads, and no, the pattern doesn't call for beads. But I got confused and bought the beads. Looking at the first clue, I think I can see where beads would look pretty. There are a couple of other folks who are going to add beads, so being a couple of clues behinds would be to my advantage. .

I'm also working on a secret test knitting project. (Hee, I'm a test knitter!) I can at least show you, my faithful readers, the yarn:

Oh yeah, there's another shawl KAL for the Spring -- Spring Surprise Shawl (Ravelry) Yes, I did sign up but I already have the yarn:

See I told you I must be crazy.

etsy Friday

2007-10-26T10:34:00.001-05:00

I don't have any actual things to show you. For once, I managed to get through a week without making a purchase. But I can't let a Friday go buy without something etsy, so I thought I'd share how I manage to find so many things to want/buy.

Lots of folks aren't happy with the search capabilities of etsy, and I have to agree. However, there are so many ways to browse and let new and different products that you didn't know you needed find you. On the front page, there's the Main Showcase. You get to see a great mix of items and it changes every day. I found a cute little leather bound notebook the other day.

And for to get ready for Halloween, there's a special Halloween Showcase. This showcase changes every day too. Since I didn't get my Halloween Shawl done in time, do you think the Husband would buy me a necklace instead?

Have you found a different, fun way to browse through etsy?

Finished Cleaning = More Knitting

2007-10-25T09:17:00.001-05:00

I love how having a clean house motivates me to finish up knitting projects. I still need to fix the Clapotis, but in the meanwhile I got some other things off the needles. They aren't FO's because I still need to weave in ends, wash and block, but I couldn't wait to share.

First is One Row of Somebody Else's Handspun Scarf based off of the One Row Handspun Scarf by the Yarn Harlot. (Ravelry). Its been my mindless TV knitting and I didn't take any pictures since I decided it would be a good plane project. I made it out of 80/20 alpaca/wool blend from the Illinois Green Pastures Collection. (Ravelry). It was pretty soft, but not as soft as some other wool, however it knit up into a dense fabric. It is going to be really warm - too bad I won't get to keep it. I realized that it would look great on my Dad. I hope he likes it.

The other one is the Storm Water Scarf. (Ravelry) I've been working on this one for awhile -- usually on the train. It is Handmaiden Sea Silk (Ravelry) - It was interesting to knit with, but I couldn't see knitting a huge shawl out of it.

I like how the end is making little points -- do you think I should block it straight or accentuate the points?

Cleaning Up My Act

2007-10-24T10:11:00.001-05:00

As you saw in my previous post, I cleared off the KNITTING TABLE OF DOOM!!

I present to you, my dining room table:

No, I didn't just sweep everything off the table onto the floor. I did go through it and organized all my knitting stuff. My sister moved to a smaller place which didn't have room for this:

The dogs were very interested:

So, I gathered up all my knitting stuff - except for my stash ('cause it won't fit in there), organized it and ta da:

Awesome, no? The best part, if things get disorganized again:

Morganna says, "Great Momma, now come cuddle on the couch."

To Block or Not To Block -- That's One of the Questions

2007-10-22T19:51:00.001-05:00

My Clapotis is off the needles. It has been off the needles for awhile but I had to clear off my KNITTING TABLE of DOOOOOM, so I could spread it out and take some pictures. I used Brooks Farm Solana (Ravelry) and did 8 straight sections. I have a little leftover ... I need to weigh it so I can see if I could've gotten another straight section.

Isn't it beautiful? But do you see the mistakes? Let's look a little closer.

How about little closer?

Yup -- I forgot to drop a stitch.

Twice.

Any suggestions on how I can fix this? I didn't notice until I had bound off all the stitches.

I know that most folks aren't blocking their Clapotis, but I think that it would look a little better if I get rid of the serious curling on the corners. Any thoughts?

New PodCast

2007-10-19T15:05:00.001-05:00

No -- it isn't by me. (I can barely keep up with this blog, you think I'm going to take on a podcast??? Please, I'm still being thwarted by the KNITTING TABLE OF DOOOOOMMMMMMMM )

etsy Friday - YarnCon Edition

2007-10-19T12:11:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday, thanks to the amazing Sherpa skills of Blooangl, I was able to attend YarnCon. (I'm such a total suburbanite, that my travels to downtown Chicago usually consist of a train and then "Taxi!")

I purchased a few items and interestingly from vendors who are also on etsy. All except one --

Pattern Tamers

These are neat ribbon covered magnets that are used to keep your place in your pattern, your book open, despite the efforts of small children and animals to knock your ruler off the page, rip off your post-it note and dragging the pattern onto the floor. I've used the largest one to keep track of the my working row on the mystery shawl. I've been very impressed that it hasn't moved. I wish there was an easy way to move up or down a row, but that could be part of my lack of co-ordination and would probably render the pattern tamer as useless as post-its. I also like the weight of them as they keep the paper from floating away. I wish she had a web site or etsy shop, but only an email account. If you're interested, leave me a comment or email me at errs at yahoo dot com.

I got to meet Shannon Okey of knitGrrl fame...as well as purchase some of her lovely hand-dyed lace yarn:

You can get some too at StitchCleveland, her wonderful etsy shop.

At My Small Wonders, I found some sock yarn in lovely "water" colors. I was thrilled to find that the designer & I were thinking the same way:

Lagoon

Sunlit Waves

I think they are going to be either a Chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (Ravelry link) or a Jaywalker Scarf (Ravelry link).

The best part was getting to meet Jen of Piddleloop! (Hey look, I'm famous!) I think she got the bulk of my money as I picked up another project bag set,

and a small notions pouch, since my iPod lives in the other one I had..

and a larger pouch for all the stuff I seem to need no matter what I'm knitting...

I looked by the only skull designs I could find where with the scissors, not the knitting needles, and you've got to love the cool green/blue color...

But then Jen surprised me -- there was 1 more skull knitting project bag!!! Hurray!!!

Did I mention that they match my Pattern Tamers?

Blogging without Obligation

2007-10-16T22:45:00.001-05:00

I hate to say it, but I'm totally overwhelmed. I've got so much going on with the dogs, organizations and relationships because of the dogs, all the projects on my needles, projects at work, and stuff to do on the house. Not to mention wanting to keep up with this blog.

Since I don't want this to turn into a words only post, I looked around to find a graphical representation of chaos that is my life. I present to you, dear readers, THE KNITTING TABLE OF DOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

Underneath all of the stuff is my dining room table. You can see my briefcase, magazines I want to read, the lining of my jacket, my blocking board, some recent stash enhancements. A Piddleloop bag with a knitting project, the towels I use for blotting, and the drink I couldn't find two days ago.

Faced with all this chaos, I did what any sane person would do. I surfed the net and found my salvation.

I stumbled upon this post, which nicely summed up the way I'm feeling. So, I have a new philosophy:

Ahh -- one thing back under my control.

etsy Friday

2007-10-12T11:07:00.001-05:00

I don't have any new purchases to share with you. I'm saving my money for YarnCon tomorrow. But that isn't keeping me from looking at etsy stuff. :D

I forgot where I read about this, but there's a new Fiber Friday Promotion on etsy. You can either search for items tagged or look for the promotion thread in the etsy Forums.

I don't spin, but the items in Castle Fiber's shop have me seriously considering taking up spinning. Just look at this sampler pack - how can anybody resist.

There Will Be a Slight Delay

2007-10-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on the pictures I took at the USEC Meeting -- both of dogs and of my travel knitting. I'll have a full synposis in a few days because I'm a little distracted right now. The Husband found himself in the dog house again and instead of flowers, I got this in green. Here's a picture to tide you over.

Travelling Knitting Decided

2007-10-04T13:10:00.001-05:00

After much deliberation, I have picked the projects for this trip.

Project 1: Irish Hiking Scarf (Ravelry) using Black Water Abbey 2-Ply Worsted (Ravelry) in Pippen.

Project 2: Knit/Purl Scarf (Ravelry) using yarn from the Illinois Green Pastures Collection (Esther's Place) (Ravelry) in Maroon. This yarn is 80/20 alpaca/wool.

However, after The Husband wound this yarn into cakes... I was doubting that it was really a sport/DK but closer to a DK/Worsted. I decided to cast on for the Knit/Purl Scarf and while I liked the density of the fabric I was getting, it was much too wide.

This morning I commenced a quick search on Ravelry seeing if I could find a better pattern more suited to the large size of the yarn. I found the Mozart Scarf from the Morehouse Farm Merino Knits Book (Ravelry link) - the book is at home, so I'm not sure if it is "the" substitute. Also found the One Row Handspun Scarf (R) from the Yarn Harlot. I think that if the Mozart Scarf doesn't work out, I'll go with this one. A simple stitch to memorize

Things will be quiet here for the next few days as I fly off for my meeting in MA. I'll be back Sunday, but don't expect me to post anything until Monday. ;) Have a great weekend!

Knitting & Traveling

2007-10-02T15:21:00.001-05:00

Next Friday, I'm traveling to MA for the USEC meeting. Actually, I'm flying from Chicago to Detroit to Providence and then driving to MA. I don't mind flying -- but I do hate layovers. Unfortunately, all the travel web sites sensed that I was searching for cheap tickets and immediately raised the prices of direct flights. I even attempted to confuse the sites by searching for tickets to go to NJ for Thanksgiving. All to no avail. So to stay reasonably priced, I had to pick a flight with one stop-over.

These days, when I know I have to wait, I usually have a book and/or my knitting with me. I want to take knitting with me. I'm thinking that a flight would be a great time to work on the Mystery Shawl however I'm using Susan Bates Silverado needles. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get them through security. It isn't that I'm worried about loosing the needles, but I can just see getting to Detroit for the layover, going out to check the weather, and then trying to go back through security and having them confiscate my needles and then having NOTHING TO DO!!!!!

There are TSA regulations covering knitting paraphernalia, but I don't know how much individual agents have to pay attention to them.

Any suggestions for what small project with small needles I can take with me? I'm thinking maybe a making some mittens or a hat from the Brooks Farm Solana ( Ravelry) that I have left over from the Mini Clap (Ravelry). I can make those with wooden dpns.

A Sense of Accomplishment

2007-10-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

After the frustration of knitting, and tinking and frogging, and knitting and tinking and frogging some more, this weekend I managed to find a sense of accomplishment.

Friday evening, I knew I was too tired to do any good on the Mystery Shawl, so I left it in its half-frogged state. It took a lot of self-control not to cast-on again right away. Especially since the 3rd clue was being released in the morning along with the first clue for the Halloween Mystery Shawl. Instead, I cast on for my Shades of Green Clapotis (link to Ravelry), (to keep up with the Second Wave Clapotis KAL) and only after carefully weighing my yarn. I got through most of the increase sections and then off to bed -- without having to tink or frog. (Ahhh -- success)

Saturday morning found Bruce & I at an APDT Rally trial. This was our first indoor Rally trial as well as our first foray (outside of Wednesday class) in public without The Husband. Bruce is a very soft dog and because he's so soft, he's very shy and easily scared, and I didn't realize it until he had developed a few issues. We've been working the past two years to get to the point where he can compete in conformation. (If I took him into the ring, he'd either bolt the minute the judge approached him, or would bristle up, barking seriously and would get excused.) My goal for Saturday, was to not be excused. Bruce did really well, he was nervous, but still managed to maintain his cool. We made it through the course but we NQ'd because I gave him a treat at the wrong point. No big deal -- I was thrilled that he made it around the course even though he wasn't always focused on me (okay - he barely focused on me). Our second run, was much better and not only did he not freak out -- we managed to get a qualifying score. So Bruce has the first leg of his Level 1 title. Here's a picture of his ribbon:

(Bruce is secure in his masculinity and is not upset about the pink 5th place ribbon.)

Saturday afternoon, I was super tired and didn't want to risk doing horrible things to the Mystery Shawl, so I continued on with my Clapotis. Until I took a nap. When I woke up, refreshed and revitalized, I re-started the Mystery Shawl. I didn't finish the entire first clue and when I got tired -- I switched back to the Clapotis. (Aren't you proud of me???)

Sunday morning -- Bruce & I were back at the Rally trial. He was even better at paying attention to me outside of the ring -- not so much in the ring though. He was also pretty tired. We NQ'd the first run -- my fault because I didn't do the correct thing at the sign. The 2nd run -- we lost 20 points out of 200, but then got the full 10 points for the bonus -- but we were over time. :( But, he sniffed and allowed somebody to pet him. He didn't flip out when somebody walked behind him. It was an awesome weekend for us.

Sunday afternoon -- back to the Mystery Shawl and I have diligently been putting in lifelines -- you can see them in these pictures:

Now I feel like I accomplished something.

When I got tired, I switched back to the Clapotis. Here's what it looked like today:

The increase sections are done, and I'm working on the fourth of the straight series. I used this information to figure out how many straight sections I could do. I came up with 8.8125. So now I'm thoroughly perplexed -- do I dare go for 9? Or play it safe with 8?

etsy Friday and Other Goodies

2007-09-28T09:09:00.001-05:00

Only one etsy purchase to share this week. It's from A Sheep of a Different Color.

1760 yards of lace weight in the colorway Blood Roses. A perfect color with a perfect name for the Halloween Mystery Shawl. The pictures really don't do the color justice -- beautiful deep reds to reds so dark they're almost black.

I got my yarn for the Mystery Shawl from Morehouse Merino. While I was there a few other items made it into my cart...

The Baby Alligator Scarf was just too cute to pass up. ;) And despite what Rose-Kim says, this scarf cracks me up.

Rat Race scarf -- the red beads are for the eyes! Hee!

Signature Needle Arts is looking for a tester for their new double-pointed needles. They're running it like a contest. If you're interested, let me know and I'll forward you the email. Just make sure that you mention me when you enter. (I want the extra entries.) I have to say, again, that I really like these needles. I think its worth an entry, don't you?

What WAS on My Needles on Wednesday

2007-09-27T18:42:00.001-05:00

Yes, Wednesday was yesterday and I did have something on my needles. I had planned on pinning out the Mystery Shawl (Clue A complete!) and taking pictures. But, I also had to go to Rally class with Bruce. So no picture.

I could've taken a picture today -- except that I decided to work on it when I got home from class and I learned a very valuable lesson:

Mystery Shawl 5 + New TV Season = FROG

I actually took it off the needles last night in frustration. Here's how I learned this very valuable lesson:

The 2nd clue was released on Saturday. I was feeling a bit behind because it took so long for me to pick a yarn. I figured I'd print out both clues on Monday at work, enlarge the charts, and cast on Monday night. It shouldn't take that long to catch-up as I've been seeing people post their completed clues within 24 hrs. My yarn arrived Saturday and the Husband was kind enough to wind it into cakes on Sunday. Printed the pattern at work. I got home and knitted up a swatch for Secret of the Stole.* Then I cast on for MS5 and that was the end of me. I became addicted to watching this thing grow. I cranked out about 20 rows without incident. I'm thrilled -- I'll catchup in no time! Woo hoo!

Then a new show started (Chuck if you're interested). Knit, knit, knit -- wait that doesn't look right -- what did I mess up? Hey wait, what just happened on TV? Rewind, watch, pause (oh how I love my TiVo), find the mistake, tink back a bit. Okay, knitting again. Going good. Huh? I'm reading the wrong row? Tink, tink, tink. Fix. Knit, knit, knit, knit -- wait this isn't garter stitch, crap -- rip back 3 rows (why does Heroes have so many subtitles?) Head up to bed, knit a few more rows. Just one more row and then I'll go to sleep. Wait -- its 1 am???!!!??? Crap.

Tuesday -- get home and start knitting again. It is basically a repeat of Monday, except with different television shows. (Journey Man on TiVo from Monday, House and Bones.) Oh - and ripping back the last four rows I knit last night. Ahhh Clue A is completely done. What? 1:30 am??? Crap.

Wednesday -- get home, do house stuff, go to rally calls, come home and start knitting again. Repeat of Monday, with different TV shows. Yes, it includes the ripping back. Head up to bed -- knit a few more rows -- find an error, tear back the 4 rows to get to where I made the mistake. Picking up the stitches, realize that there's another error, three rows down. (Of course, I didn't figure this out until I had picked up all the stitches and done one or two rows.) I did this three or four times. Seriously, I ended up working on the same rows that I was working on Monday night.

However, I cannot stop wanting to knit this thing. Look at the colors, the details...

But the poor yarn, I swear I've knitted the same yarn four or more times. It is tired. It needs to relax -- especially since my knitting tightened up A LOT while I was stressing. I've decided to frog the whole thing. I'm going to see just how kinked the yarn is -- if it is really bad, it'll be re-skeined and given a light bath. Luckily, I've got 3 other cakes to work from. But not tonight. No. I am going to wait until Saturday. The Husband is in a golf tournament -- gone all day. Bruce & I have a rally trial in the morning, but other than that -- I got nothing... except laundry. (Why is there always laundry to do? Seriously, it never seems to get done.) The Husband was also kind enough to run out during his lunch hour to get me some embroidery floss to use as a lifeline. I'm not working without a net again! I'll worry about this on Saturday...

No, tonight -- I'm going to start on my Clapotis -- after all that

How about some puppy pictures? (I have no idea why I cannot get a decent shot of Tyler & the Mastiffs together.) He was on one side and they were on the other -- the gate was open, so I don't know why they thought they had to stay in "jail".

Dish Rag Tag -- The Prize

2007-09-25T10:15:00.001-05:00

I'm a bad blogger. I received my prize from Dish Rag Tag a while ago and totally forgot to post about it...

I received the official certificate and my Peace Fleece Knitting Needles. (Size 8 -- perfect for more dishrags.)

A close up of the hand-painted tops. I don't know why the colors are so yucky. They really are quite beautiful.

What Was I Thinking???

2007-09-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

So, I finished a bunch of stuff. Great.

I've got a bunch of stuff still in progress. The progress only tells part of the story...there's more. (Sorry -- the links are to Ravelry.)

So, what do I do? I sign-up for not one, not two, but THREE mystery shawl/stole projects.

First, the Mystery Shawl -- they're already on clue 2 and I just got my yarn. But isn't it beautiful?

Next, the Secret of the Stole -- At least I have the yarn, but I haven't done the swatch yet. I'm only a little behind.

And finally, the Halloween Mystery Shawl -- at least this one hasn't started yet. I'm waiting for the yarn I ordered from ColorfulSheep on etsy. Its called Blood Roses. Sounds great for a Halloween-themed knit, doesn't it?

And as if that wasn't enough, I also joined the Second Wave Clapotis KAL. My yarn is wound, I've found all my stitch markers and my needles are ready. But I haven't even cast on yet. Sigh.

I did manage to get the Rose Garden Shawl (Ravelry) finished. Its waiting to be blocked.

There's also the Jute Rope Scarf on my needles too...

What am I thinking?

Finished Objects

2007-09-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

FINISHED OBJECTS*

*Finished Object: ends weaved in, washed and blocked

Pattern: Besotted Scarf - Ravelry
Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play - Ravelry
Comments: This was a lot of fun to knit up. The pattern doesn't show up as well as I would've liked due to the variegated color. It is a gift for The Husband, so I kinda like that the "hugs & kisses" don't show up so well - its my secret message to him. (Okay - so you know...just hush.)

Pattern: Sproingy Scarf - Ravelry
Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play - Ravelry
Comments: This pattern was very interesting but I don't know that that yarn really picked up the fun bits. It was nice yarn to work with though.

Pattern: My So-Called Scarf - Ravelry
Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play - Ravelry
Comments: I really enjoyed this pattern. I love the stitch definition.

Pattern: Rosebud Shawl - Ravelry
Yarn: Briar Rose Fibers Fourth of July - Ravelry
Comments: This was a lot of fun to knit. Not so much fun blocking. (The husband was kind enough to pose with the shawl...)

blocking shot

etsy Friday

2007-09-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

Sooo many neat goodies to share... (The Husband was in the dog house and instead of flowers, used etsy to get back into my good graces.)

From Merlin the Cat:

100% Extra Fine Merino Lace Weight (430 yards) in Shades of Green. It is so gorgeous and spring like. It'll make a great lace shawl for those chilly spring days.

From Studio 1212:

Heavy - Giclee print. I can't wait to frame this.

From Julia Martinez Designs:

Great fabrics, great options and very nicely made. It can work as a purse or as a project bag.

From Creations by Uli:

The bracelet was tied to the card with a pink bow, but I wanted to try it on so badly that I took it apart before I could take a picture.

Titanium Caterpillar Chainmaille Bracelet -- It is even cooler in person. :D

This I bought for myself:

From Stony Creek:

Mothaway Satchets -- These smell heavenly. Spicy but not too manly, flowery, but not to girly. There a couple in my stash and more with my finished objects that are destined to be gifts.

Lookee -- A Contest

2007-09-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

Hey, I found a great contest:

One skein a month for an entire year... Linky

Life Goes On

2007-09-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on getting the pictures fixed...Every time I think I'm done, I check and poof another one has disappeared.

I did however get my TiVo and Directv talking to each other again. I had to order a special part, but it is worth it. And with the new fall season starting soon, I've got to get those new shows on my list. Almost done with that.

As a reward for being Ms. FixIt -- I went to a Knitty meetup downtown and got to meet a bunch of awesome women. There was blooangl, fujiyamamama, jpknits, snickerdoodle, and bina (who was visiting the city.) It was wonderful company, good food, and good beer. No pictures -- sorry, I went straight after work and I'm not lugging around a camera with all my other crap.

Speaking of work -- my office moved to a new building. The bathrooms are nice, but the toilets are the low water flushing jobbies. Can somebody tell me the savings when you've got to flush 2x or more to get the toilet paper to go away?

(Tune in tomorrow for etsy Friday and next week -- fuzzy dogs!)

Just When I Thought I Was Finished...

2007-09-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

I thought that I had fixed my picture issues...

But if you look around -- some are still marked as "unavailable". Thanks to Amanda's helpful comment to my Hiatus post, I had a new direction to look for solutions. So I searched and found out it wasn't Google or Blogger or Ravelry, like I thought it was. The issue was with Flickr, but not in the way that I thought.

According to this, if you change the privacy settings of a picture, you change the name of the picture. Nice to know. So because I had uploaded a bunch of pictures, some of which I wanted to be private, all of the got changed to private, and then when I changed the ones I wanted to back to public -- the names changed. Sigh.

I'm so glad I haven't been blogging that long. I'm back "on hiatus" while I fix the pictures that are screwed up on the blog and make sure things are still fully functioning on Ravelry.

Fixed and Finished

2007-09-16T18:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend was nothing like I planned. The Husband was out of town, golfing with his dad and brother. It was going to be me, the dogs, and knitting. Nice and quiet. I ended up spending most of the weekend on the computer, adding the progress bars, fixing my Flickr issues and other housekeeping stuff. I also started blocking my Rosebud Shawl -- yup, more wet wool. Seriously, I've knit 8 rows. 8 in 48 hours. Very frustrating. Poor Husband got
sick (of course he still played golf) and is miserable.

Weekend Accomplishments:

Fixed: I think I got most if not all of the pictures working again. I also added the progress bars for my WIPs on the side. They are straight from Ravelry and I'm one of the few lucky 20 folks to get them to test out. What do you think??

Finished: I finished (blocked, ends woven in, ready to wear) a couple more scarves this weekend. I also finished knitting My Rosebud Shawl which is currently blocking. But, since I've already spend too much time on the computer, and the husband is due home in an hour, I'm going to knit instead of post pictures and stuff.

Here's a teaser until I can get full posts up.

On Hiatus

2007-09-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

This blog is currently on hiatus as I try and figure out what's going on with my pictures on flickr.
Stay tuned because there will be a delayed installment of etsy Friday, and some more FO's.

Also, I'm testing some code for Ravelry that'll be in the sidebar soon.

In the meantime there's a new knitty:

Just don't forget to come back. :D

Progress Report: Okay -- Ravelry pictures are fixed. Now for the rest of the blog stuff...

Finished Objects -- Part 1

2007-09-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

I present to you...

FINISHED OBJECTS*

*Finished Object: ends weaved in, washed and blocked

Pattern: Diagonal Lace Scarf -- Pattern -- Ravelry

Yarn: Brooks Farm Solana -- Ravelry

Comments: I like the pattern, but I think I would use a different yarn next time. Solana is a wonderful yarn, but too drapey for this pattern. (See the Mini-Clap)

Pattern: Mini-Clap -- Pattern -- Ravelry

Yarn: Brooks Farm Solana -- Ravelry

Comments: I loved this combination so much, I bought more Solana for a full-sized Clapotis and joined the 2nd Wave Clapotis KAL.

Pattern: Huff the Merino Dragon KnitKit -- Kit -- Ravelry
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3 Strand- Ravelry
Comments: This pattern was really well written. This was my first project working with merino yarn and I loved the softness.

I hoped to have more, but they're still blocking.

Blocking...Ugh

2007-09-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

Is there anything more tedious and boring than blocking? I've been blocking my 90% finished items since Sunday. As one dries, then another one takes its place.

It started with the Diagonal Lace scarf:

Then the Mini-Clap:

There's still a little room left -- so Huff the Merino Dragon gets his turn on the board.

The Mini-Clap dried the next day. So, in went the Besotted Scarf (The Husband's Birthday gift).

Yesterday, Huff and the Diagonal Lace Scarf dried, so I replaced them with My So-Called Scarf and the Sproingy Scarf.

I think the worst part is leaning on the moist surface and having it seep into your skin. Granted threading the wires through is tedious, but really, I hate the damp.

Stayed tuned...Finished Objects Coming Soon.

Thank You

2007-09-11T21:52:00.001-05:00

I remember watching the second plane hit the tower on the morning news. It is a memory that will live with me forever. I don't want to dwell on it though. Instead, I'll just say thank you.

Thank you to all the men and women who run into dangerous situations while everybody else is running away.

Thank you to all the men and women who are serving in armed forces around the world.

Thank you to all the service and therapy animals for bringing comfort and braving dangers.

I am thankful for while the image remains in my memory, my family was safe and my dad and brother made it out of the city safely.

I am thankful, that although I grew up in New Jersey, I don't know anybody who actually died on 9/11.

When Good Projects Go Bad

2007-09-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

The project you are about to see is very old. (Ravelry link) I just didn't have the heart to post about it before...

On the Mason-Dixon blog, I saw the pattern for the felted Button Hole Bag. I thought that it would be a quick & easy project. I was still dipping my toes bag into knitting waters. How hard could it be to knit up the bag and felt it?

I went to a LYS and picked up a couple of skeins of Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted. I didn't bother swatching -- it is a simple enough pattern, right????

So I spent a day just knitting away. And then I felted. It felted very well.

Isn't it cute??? So why am I so upset? How about some scale?

(That's an adult mitten.)

Dish Rag Tag Update

2007-09-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

Despite my "slowbee" knitting and sending -- and thanks to the incredible skillz of my team

Team XDR took 2nd place!

Proof here: Photo Finish!!!

etsy Friday

2007-09-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

I found out something new about etsy. They have Saturday Night Specials. Seriously, I got some good stuff last Saturday. Go to etsy's forums:promotions and look for the SNS thread. Sellers will be posting all night long -- I'm not sure when it starts, maybe 5 pm Eastern... Detials here.

First up, from South Pacific Body some awesome soaps:

Green Anjou Pear Olive Oil Soap, Man Soap, and Beer Soap with Lime and Orange Zest. The pear soap is for me, the rest is for The Husband as part of his birthday gift. I got a free lip balm - Cool Peppermint, and a wood soap dish, and she included a Lime/Coconut sample. It all smells so good. :D

From Inseine Creations, soap & candles:

I got the "Breathe Easy" set and a Japanese Pear and Ginseng candle. (The soap isn't in the picture because I had to open it IMMEDIATELY). The candle smells so great -- a nice fragrance but doesn't overwhelm you.

Last, but most definately not least, from Wee Ones:

I know its a crappy photo -- here a link to the item on Wee Ones LINK -- but I wanted to give you a sense of scale. That's a 5" #6 dpn. I am so impressed with the amount of detail she got into such tiny creations. She's got stuff ready made in her store, and she'll do custom work. I've got to get some pics of Tyler out to her so I can have some Eurasier stitch markers. :D

Go shop -- now!!!

Dish Rag Tag Update

2007-09-06T22:05:00.000-05:00

Well, my team didn't win ... and I think its my fault. I think I took the longest to knit and resend the box. :( However, my team captain, Katrina, took pity on me and still send me a prize for participating.

I'm loving the yarn, and I think the note card is adorable! Thanks Katrina!!!! You rock.

So Happy Its Thursday...

2007-09-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

I'm glad that this week is almost over. Every day that passes is one day closer to the end of heat for the girls. I think that Morganna is done and Lizzie is only a few days away. It'll be nice to not have to keep one eyeball on the dogs at all times. Most folks think that you just have to keep the male away and everything would be fine. Which is true - except that sometimes the girls are a little forward and are willing to meet more than halfway. Of course, my two girls are hussy. Sigh.

Since Wednesday is Bruce's Rally class day, I've decided that this Thursday will be "what's on my needles" day. Hey, if Lime & Violet can do it, why can't I?

First up -- the Storm Water Scarf (Ravelry Link). I've been working on this while I'm commuting to/from work, so who knows how long it'll take to get done. I'm using Sea Silk in the Mermaid colorway. When I first saw the skein, it really reminded me of the ocean -- now that it is knitted up, it reminds me of black purls. (Linky to picture of skeins -- not mine so not being shown) What does it look like to you?

You don't get a ton of stitch detail from this picture, but isn't it cool?

Here's a better picture:

Another picture -- highlighting my Signature Needles. I really like these needles -- nice and pointy.

I'm working on the Rosebud Shawl - a free pattern from Briar Rose Fibers. It is knitting up very nicely. Simple pattern, easy to memorize -- nice for driving or just hanging around watching TV. It started with The Husband winding the skein of Fourth of July in to three continuous cakes. Aren't you impressed with his "leaning tower of yarn"?

Here's the WIP:

This picture really shows the pattern of stitches, but the color got really wonky for some reason:

I also got some stuff from etsy in the mail, but you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to see it. :D

I almost forgot: Today is The Husband's Birthday. And if you ask how old he is, his response will be, "Younger than Errs."

Happy Birthday my love.

Commenting on Comments

2007-09-04T09:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure I understand how blogs are supposed to help build relationships if you can't respond to people's comments. Maybe its a Blogger problem, but I'm telling you it is really annoying.

I've read the help forums, but they just say to go and put a comment on the other person's blog. Sure, I'd be happy to -- but what if they don't post all that often? (Yes, Jen, I'm looking at you.)

I don't want to be rude, but how can I get in contact with people who don't even have a blog?

Okay -- I think I need a yarn break... how about some more stash shots??? Here's some stuff I have no idea what to do with...

237 yards Spirit Trail Fiberworks BFL

440 yds UKI Bamboodle -- I don't even know how to figure out the weight LOL

Time to Destress

2007-09-03T17:46:00.000-05:00

After this weekend, with two girls being in season and a funeral, I need to destress.

I finished the Besotted Scarf for The Husband. (Okay -- it isn't finished, I want to wash it and lightly block it, so it really goes into the 90% done pile.)

Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play
Pattern: Besotted

And I enjoyed going through pictures of Morganna going crazy with the sprinkler. She really loves water -- though it makes bath time super hard. Enjoy!

Sad Day

2007-09-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Not much to post today...we were in WI for The Husband's Grandmother's funeral. Though I did get in a few hours of knitting during the drive.

Stitches Midwest Recap

2007-09-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

So what if Stitches Midwest was almost a month ago – I didn’t have a blog back then. And I have pictures.

Stitches was great fun and a little overwhelming. The sheer volume of vendors, yarn, and people can put one into sensory overload. I planned on walking the area and then going back through to actually shop. I did so well at the start -- that was because the first few booths were companies rather than vendors. I did manage to get the cutest little sample of Malabrigo Laceweight.

But then, I got to Deanna's Vintage Styles. She has the nicest beaded scarf pattern and kits that had either wool or ribbon and beads all together. She was kind enough to demonstrate several little "tricks" for knitting up the design. I was hooked and all good intentions when out the window. I bought a kit - no picture. (I guess I forgot to take one and then it was packed away with the rest of the stash.)

That one little purchase just opened up a flood of stash enhancement that I don't think I'll ever be able to repeat.

Moonrise had the cheapest Addi lace circulars (according to their sign) so I got a set of #4 to try, and then a lace book that was going OOP (Barbara Abbey's Knitting Lace) and as long as I was there I got a Lace Sampler Scarf Kit.

A quick stop at Esther's Place -- got some gorgeous brown roving with little copper flecks mixed in and a skein of beautiful bulky yarn.

I then started working my way back up the row, just to make sure I didn’t' miss anything. Lots of lovely yarn to touch and ooh and ahh over. I turned the corner and came to Black Water Abbey Yarns. The colors are just so lovely. I grabbed a pattern and two skeins of worsted in Seafoam and a skein of Dark Jacob fingering. While I was standing there, the Pippin color just begged to go home with me. How could I refuse?

Seafoam

Dark Jacob Fingering

Pippen (could you leave it behind???)

Some more meandering and touching and pricing, led me to Jojoland and the beautiful colors. I first read about Jojoland Melody at Little Knits and wanted to see these colors in person. The patterns for this yarn have the most incredible self-striping. Look here: Pretty things. I'll wait.

Are you surprised that I picked-up the pattern for the Traveling Leaf Shawl and Ripple Shawl? I bought a bag of 10 skeins because I have to make the Traveling Leaf Shawl shawl. (In the Y06 color way -- that really needs a better name.)

(No, I wasn't going to take it out the bag just for a picture! I want to keep it safe and sound until I'm ready for it!)

After that little purchase, I checked my watch and ran to the “dining area” to for a KnittyHead meet-up. I didn’t see anybody wearing yarn at first and started to worry that I would have put some my new roving on my head and see if anybody approach me. Luckily, I spotted them before I had to get too drastic. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting several lovely KnittyHeads, Celtic Coyote, Plum Fan, Big Wild Onion, Darx, Chanell, Seiding and Kathrows (hey, I’m famous!)

I think that I’ve said enough about Stitches Midwest and the amount of stuff I bought. It is really embarrassing ‘cause I’m realizing just how much I bought If you want to see it all, you can click on my flickr badge (sidebar) or check it out on Ravelry.

etsy Friday

2007-08-31T16:15:00.000-05:00

It's etsy Friday and today's focus is on Piddleloop Sewing Team. You can see their stuff through etsy, and their blog.

I bought this box bag with a matching zippered notions pouch.

I love how the interior color matches the swirls on the outside

I love how the handle loops co-ordinate with the fabric. (as does the zipper and the zip pull stitch marker...)

And if that wasn't enough also included in my package was some fun little bits enclosed in this adorable Hello Kitty ziploc. (Somebody makes these? Who knew????)

Look at all this cute stuff!!!

(I made my husband take two pictures, because I totally didn't realize that there were an E and a W stitch marker -- my initials. Sometimes, I'm not the brightest bulb.)

These are the cutest cards... I don't know how I'd be able to actually write on them and give them to somebody. (Oh wait -- I can always buy more from their store!!! Duh -- that bulb thing again.)

And then there were some samples from other etsy stores in gorgeous fibers and awesome colors. I'm kinda on a stash diet, but I'm hanging onto these cards...

I so totally love etsy... the husband so totally doesn't. LOL

Introducing the "Fur Kids"

2007-08-30T14:47:00.000-05:00

Everybody I meet is always curious about my dogs. The Husband and I share our lives with three Mastiffs and one Eurasier.

Our Mastiffs generally lay around in a clump.

From left to right -- Lizzie, Bruce and Morganna

Bruce is the oldest at 3 years and 5 months old. We used to show him in conformation, but stopped for two reasons. One, he's physically immature (we're hoping he'll fill out soon) and two, he's a big scaredy cat. We started doing Rally-O to build his confidence. This summer, we began competing in AKC Rally -- he has two legs towards his Rally Novice title. Isn't he handsome:

Lizzie is my blessing. She is the sweetest things on four legs. Lizzie is a TDI Therapy dog and has her CGC. She's also got two points towards her conformation title. We hope that one day in the next year, she will become the foundation of Pantheon Acres kennels. She just turned two and will go for her health tests next month. Her cutest quirk is that she loves to carry a toy in her mouth -- I keep saying she's really a lab in a Mastiff costume. (Bruce is Lizzie's Uncle -- his litter mate is Lizzie's sire.)

Morganna is the baby of the family at 11 months old. She is most definitely daddy's girl but you've got to wonder if she's got him wrapped around her paw or if he's got her wrapped around her finger. I keep trying to convince him to take her into the show ring, because she shows nicely for me, but I think she'd be amazing showing off with her daddy. Ain't she the cutest? (Bruce is her half-Uncle. He and her mom have the same dad, but different mothers.)

Last but definitely not leas is our Eurasier -- Tyler. Eurasiers are a rare breed. You can get more information here: USEC. Tyler is doesn't compete because he's neutered. We neutered him because of his conformation faults. Also, at 2 years old, Tyler was diagnosed with a thyroid problem. It seems to affect his memory and his attention span, but he's still a happy and fun puppy to have around. He's three weeks younger than Bruce. Here's Mr. Fuzzy Pants:

These dogs have brought so much joy into our lives. We've traveled around the US and into Canada. We've met wonderful people in person and via the Internet. Every day I'm so thankful for each and every one of them.

WIPs - 90% complete

2007-08-29T22:56:00.000-05:00

Here's what I worked on for most of July. Stuff currently on the needles will be blogged tomorrow...

Puff the Merino Dragon Scarf KnitKit -- I actually made the "Huff" version in red.

My So-Called Scarf:

Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play
Needles: Size 11
Pattern: My So-Called Scarf

A Mini-Clapotis:

Yarn: Brooks Farm Solana
Needles: 9
Pattern: Drop Scarf

Sproingy Scarf

Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play
Needles: US 9
Pattern: Sproingy Scarf

I've also a Diagonal Lace Scarf, but no pictures. :(

Here's a gratuitous puppy shot instead. :D

This is my favorite picture of Bruce & Lizzie. She was less than 4 months old in the picture.

I Found a Contest

2007-08-29T12:10:00.000-05:00

Hey, Schrodinger Knits is having a contest... Look here: linky

Tell her I sent you. ;)

So Much Going On

2007-08-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

I got an etsy delivery from Piddleloop yesterday and convo'd them to let them know it arrived safe and sound. Jen graciously put a link to my blog on her blog, so I guess I better put up some new stuff...you'll have to wait for etsy Friday to see what I got. :D

I got some knitting done this week. Specifically, the Matisse Mittens & Hat KnitKit from Morehouse Farm. This was my first project using DPN's. It was really interesting trying to juggle all the needles, but I finally got the hang of it.

The finished product:

Jen promised you guys dogs right? Okay -- here's a clump of Mastiffs

'Tis the Season

2007-08-25T21:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it. The youngest of the pack, Morganna, is finally having her first season. I'm not disbelieving because of her age - she's about 10.5 months old and is in the typical timeframe. Teenage hormones have been coursing through her system for awhile and she also had a low-grade UTI for a little while. She wasn't behaving any differently, but Bruce was acting as if she was coming into season. After two weeks with no real physical symptoms, we took her to the vet. The vet said that she was close to coming into her first heat, and that she had the UTI. She got her first dose of anti-botics and Bruce started to ignore her.

I should mention that Bruce is our "infection detector". If there's any sort of infection on any of the other dogs, he starts acting as if that dog is coming into season. Yes, he even does it when Tyler (our neutered male Eurasier) has an infection or when Tyler's thyroid meds are off.

Morganna started spotting last night. And then today, Lizzie started spotting as well. It was very strange because there were no indications, and Lizzie has a definate PMS routine. She wasn't due until November.

My time on the blog will probably be even more sporadic in the next two weeks. Bruce will start singing for his girls in a few days and sleep will be at a premium.

Puppy Pictures

2007-08-24T23:40:00.001-05:00

I know you've been lurking hoping to catch a small glimpse of my "giant" dogs.

Here's Bruce as a baby

And here's baby Lizzie:

And Mr. Fuzzy Pants:

These pictures are old. Bruce and Tyler are now 3.5 years old and Lizzie is 2 years old today. I have to upload more pictures from a different hard-drive.

Wish us luck -- Bruce & Lizzie are both competing in Rally trials this weekend.

etsy Friday

2007-08-24T23:28:00.002-05:00

Almost forgot etsy Friday!!!

No new purchases to show you (yet...), so how 'bout some sellers that have caught my eye.

Woolly Thoughts -- They have some of the most intriguing patterns that I've ever seen.

Hansigurumi -- neat sea creatures! You can get them ready made or get the patterns and use up some of your own odds and ends.

Crafty Alien -- knitted or felted patterns. Cutest little creatures.

Anybody have any good links to interesting and unique patterns????

The French Bear Will Not Defeat Me!!!!

2007-08-24T21:49:00.000-05:00

One of my WIPs is the French Teddy Bear from Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear Knits.

First, it was the yarn for the bear. I started by using Berroco's Ultra Alpca. It was the right weight and the right color. But it didn't have the give that you need when making one of these bears. (If you've ever made one of these bear/toys, you know how dramatically you have to increase across very few rows and you need every ounce of give no matter how loosely you knit.)

So, then I searched & searched & searched for Hayfield Grampian DK. I wanted this yarn because I had made bears and other toys from it years ago. Of course, it was no longer made. Luckily, somebody on the Knitty Board pointed me in the direction of Sirdar. Sirdar makes a Country Style DK that's the exact same as my old standby. Wool & acrylic -- machine washable -- perfect for making a teddy bear that will be a gift for a baby.

Of course, none of my LYS carried it. I looked on-line and didn't see too many options. So, I went to the one YS that said the could order it for me. And I special ordered it.

And two days later, I found it at Herrschners where I could by just a few skeins instead of a bag of 10 balls. (Anybody needs some light bear colored yarn???) I did however order the navy, white and red for his attired.

The special order comes in -- and I start knitting the bear. Two legs, two arms, one body, one head, two ears and one nose. Nothing major to report. The pieces are living in a ziploc bag, waiting for the rest of the knitting to be done so it can be washed, assembled and stuffed.

So I knit up the back and the front of his shirt. I knit the two pieces of his pants. I knit his jaunty scarf. I need to seam his pants and his shirt. But the shirt and pants are knit in stockinette, so they're rolling up and in. Sigh. Not easy to seam together.

Right now, the two pieces for his pants are being blocked into submission. I was going to pin out the front and back of his sweater...but I ran out of pins. Hopefully, tomorrow.

If he wasn't a gift for the baby of dear friends of mine, I'd just give up. If I hadn't shown them a picture of the bear, I'd just give them the bear and his jaunty scarf. But they are good friends, and it is their first baby (and I did show them the picture). So I shall persevere...

How do People Do It?

2007-08-23T09:43:00.001-05:00

I am amazed at the number of people who work full-time, have kids, knit and still manage to keep blogging on a regular basis.

I work full-time, knit, and have a bunch of dogs and a husband. However, I cannot manage to keep up with the blog thing. Sigh. I've got a half-finished post about my trip to Stitches. I've only got half my stash & project photos in Ravelry. I've got a bunch of projects off the needles and waiting to be blocked. (Don't ask about laundry in general).

Where do folks find the time?

I'm committed to finish the French Bear this weekend as it is a gift for a friend's baby. And because it has been haunting me for MONTHS! I also want to block and finish a bunch of scarves and two mittens, so that they are DONE!

If you're reading this, please send a few extra minutes my way. I could really use them.

Blog Plans

2007-08-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

I know that somebody besides me has been reading this on occasion, so I've decided to list out my future plans for the blog, so that I can remember and my secret readers have something to look forward to.

~~Start etsy Friday~~
~~Post about Stitches Midwest~~
~~Setup a blog roll from google reader~~
~~Add buttons and links for other blogs I read~~
~~add an RSS feed thingy~~
Add buttons and links for other sites I frequent
Add buttons/links for place I like to shop & browse
~~Get some decent pictures of the pups and post them~~
~~Add button/links to Ravelry~~
~~Start showing some of my work in progress~~

I think that's enough for now.

etsy Friday

2007-08-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

I really like the new trend of etsy Friday. I'm not very creative, so I'll never be a seller, but I do so enjoy shopping and browsing. I started shopping at etsy based on some of the items on Sock Pr0n's blog.

I really like the idea of supporting cottage industries, so I've also created and added an etsy mini to my side bar.

I love these little bags from JapaneseHandMade. This one is holding my Double-Sided Scarf project

My StormWater Scarf lives in this one:

This picture does not do the lovely colors in this Merino Twist 4-ply Yarn from DragonFibers

I got three adorable gift bags from Betriska. I plan on using them at Christmas to hold presents.

I seem to have lost the picture for the third one.

These sweet little stitch markers and row counters are from Sarkasmo. She was a treat to work with and she put together special sizes for me and my scarf projects.

This adorable bag and dpn holder are housing my Matisse Mittens & Hat and needles. (This will be my first project on dpn's so its in the bag ready to start, but I'm not ready.) I got both the bag and holder from EenyMeeny...MienyMoe.

I got some more stuff, but no pictures - so here's a quick list.

Adorable penguin cuff links from lux delux. They were a gift for my husband who is now looking for a reason to wear them.

Hand Balm from Azul Bath and Body. This stuff is so wonderfully moisturizing. Yum! I love using it after working with cotton for dish rags.

Hope you enjoyed the little browse through etsy.

Wednesday are for Bruce Class

2007-08-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

Bruce & I are going to Rally class again tonight. (No, silly Bruce isn't The Husband, he's a Mastiff.) Plus, I'm fixing my pictures so that I can add them to Ravelry.

So for today, I leave you with two things to ponder:

1. Why is it impossible to find a place with a comfortable temperature in the summer? If there's no AC, you're sweltering, but if there is AC, chances are the room is so cold you can see your breath.

2. Ever have a smell trigger a long forgotten memory? Walking to the bus stop after work, I got a whiff of a unpleasant, yet familiar smell. It took a minute, but then I placed the smell...it was the same smell that hung in my nose for days when we were dissecting frogs in bio class in high school.