Knit This Knit That & 2 Kitty Cats

Louisa Harding We Need to Talk...

What a pretty sweater from the latest Classic Elite book "Sunday Brunch."  Mary, the owner of the Knitting Workshopstarted it out of the Louisa Harding Kimono Pure Angora.  Such a wonderful yarn...soft...knits up nicely and doesn't pill at all.  There was a color that is the color of Felix.  A nice charcoal.  I was jazzed!  Oh wait...there is a BUT...  I knit into the second ball of yarn and almost finished it when I noticed that the shade was off from the 1st one to the 2nd. Humm...odd.  All the dyelots matched.  So, I rip out (6 inches) and started another ball...same thing...different shade.  Wanted to scream.  Then I go online and found that a few others had a similar experience with some of the darker colors of the yarn...oh, and it is being discontinued.  I bring the yarn into the shop and they see exactly what I am saying.  :::Whew::: not crazy. 

Has this ever happened to you all?

So, anyway, I am a little disappointed that I won't have a sweater the color of Felix but then again I think he is always trying to get his fur into my projects anyway.

On a happier note though...it all works out.  The knitting workshop had this beautiful blue color (like the color in the yarn with Felix) and it is coming out so pretty...and no dyelot issues!  :)!!

Oh Baby You Knit So Fine

In Stitches

Bert came out of surgery ok and the pathology just shows one spot that had skin cancer.  The ordeal was getting him into the cone of shame and him wearing it.  Oh, it wasn't pretty.  Tonight we go to get the stitches out.  Wooo!  The pain meds were entertaining though.  For two hours he would sit in the middle of the living room staring straight ahead...without blinking.  Two hours...then he would get hyper...really hyper.  The vet said that the meds were like kitty morphin.  Thought we might have a detox situation after a few days but he is fine.

Just uploaded pictures from knitting camp.  Took lots of photos of the finished garments whick Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen made...also some I plan of making myself.

        

We had such a good time.  Hard to believe that it was almost a month ago.  This was my third time going to Camp 1.  Still learning stuff after 3 tries too.  You would think that knitting for 30 plus years (remember I started knitting when I was 7 and haven't looked back)...you would know most stuff.  Meg Swanson teaches in such a way that you might know it but you get that "ah ha" and realize the reason for that particular stitch, etc.  One of the things that had to be nailed into my head was how to do the jogless jog when you are doing fairisle.  It took three camps to get it and now I have started the sweater in the above pictures (the one with the trees).  No jogs at all.

This year I learned how to double knit and socks on two circulars and both socks at the same time.  Thanks Amy and Joyce!

Meg and Lisa    The reason why I repeat the first one over and over again is because I met some good friends and keep meeting people I like and keep in touch with.  One of those people is Lisa and her Mom ("Mama").  Met them the first time I attended camp.  They are such nice people and feel like we've known each other for years.  Every year there is another camper that we bond with and we keep coming to Camp 1. 

Camp and Cats

Went to Meg Swansen's knitting camp 2 weeks ago for the third time.  Had a blast.  Was so good to see people who have become good friends over the years.  Also, just relaxing and having nothing else to do but knit and listen to Meg, Amy and Joyce.  5 days of bliss.  Worked on a Bohus sweater I started (the Wild Apple).  Meg told me what a wonderful job I was doing on it.  Then at camp I started another sweater called "Christmas Past."  Totally fairisle and beautiful.  I do have photos but the laptop took a bad turn this past month and after $450 later it is running again.  Now I just have to load all my old files...and my photo program onto it and you know what?  Don't feel like it...but I will...soon.  Computer problems just suck stuff out of you...not to mention time. 

I have some sad news...but it does have a good side too.  Last week, after I got back from camp I noticed a bump behind Bert's ear.  Took him into the vet this past Saturday and found out that he has skin cancer in 2 spots.  All the blood workup came back and nothing has spread. He goes in for surgery tomorrow morning and the vet assures me that he will be fine.  Just can't imagine the day...oh ...can't think of that right now....he is going to be fine.  See, I am making myself cry.  Bert is such a great pet!  He always greets me at the door...does tricks...comes when I call him...opens any door if he wants in...friendly to the extreme.  He has been a great cat and has been with me for the past 12 years.  The good news is that we caught the cancer early.  So tomorrow...please think good kitty thoughts...

Sheep Obsessed

Ok, I have gone over to the dark side...I learned how to spin and bought a wheel.  I know, I know, I have a large stash and what I am doing spinning MORE yarn?  It all started with my little quilting accident and not being able to knit (see the posts below).  So, I am blaming the rotary cutter for slicing my hand and forcing me to take up other hobbies.  That's right...I am blaming a rotary cutter...

Have to admit that I love spinning and now I want to adopt a sheep for a year.  Sent a few email to some local farms that do adoption programs and you get their fleece at the end of the year.  Awesome!

Here is a link to a sheep cam to get you all sheep obsessed too.

Sheep Cam from Museum of Animal Perspectives on Vimeo.

A Little Pet Heaven

   

When I visited Yam in Hong Kong, she had this really cute mouse mat on the floor.  I just assumed she found the treasure somewhere in China.  They have everything there.  Nope, she made it with some jute she found at a hardware store.  It was sooo cute and I had to make it also.  Well, nothing can compare to the kitty quilt they received a few weeks ago so I had to pay it forward so to speak.  A friend of mine, Paula, has this black cat named Rochester.  He is not that friendly with most people...actually he attacks people when Paula isn't around...heck, in front of her too.  For some reason I get the purrs. 

Once when I was in London standing on a corner and felt this rub against the leg...it was a cat.  Ok, that was funny but the strange thing is that it happened three times on that one trip.  Tim, the friend I was with, started to call me the cat whisperer.  Perhaps I have that with Rodchester, who knows?  Well, maybe now after the mouse mat with catnip in the ears. 

Watch out everyone else...Rochester is hopped up on catnip!!

 

Richer in so many ways!

Today I went with Corry to the Do your Da*n Self show...it was like a huge craft garage sale.  Corry had a table which I happily shared.  This forced me to go through my yarn stash and let go of certain projects that I know I am never going to complete.  So I am a little richer this evening.

On that note...I received the most wonderful present today!  Corry made me a quilt!  Not just a quilt but a quilt for the pets.  If you look closely at the quilting...it is kitties!  I love it!!  Corry has made a few quilts for her dog and Piccolo loves her's...but I don't know if it is as much as Bert and Felix.

  Can't get Felix off of it tonight.  :)!  Thank you, thank you, thank you Corry!!

Pardon Me I Didn't Knit That For You...

Any song that quotes Elizabeth Zimmermann.....need I say more...we have all been there...damn, country songs make me cry!

Things That Make Me Laugh

One of my favorite sites is My Cat Hates You.  Some of you might ask...why do I love a site that makes fun of evil cats?  Humm...not all cats are so loving, fluffy, cute, balls of fun like mine.  Some are just mean.  Remember last year when I submitted Chili (my sister's evil cat) trying to harm a doll I gave to my neice?  Chili made it as March 22nd in the calendar.     

Evil.

One of my favorite photos from the site is this one....thought we all could use a little laugh...

              

"Despite his best efforts, Ash just can't seem to keep his owner down."

Crap-tastic...opps....Craftastic...

I think this is my new theme song...LOL...

"You can make a raft out of a pencil and foam...do you want paste together something we can we can use for ever, I am thinking key chain."

Let's do a dance cause you are craftastic....

There is one thing that bothers me...the lead singer kind of looks like me...