Update - Sunday Night edition

We're finally starting to thaw out a bit here in Calgary - but we've had a lot of freezing fog in the morning and certainly have had to scrape the car every morning. It makes for some very pretty frost on the trees.

Been knitting a lot this past week - but no spinning.

Finished up a pair of toe up after thought heel socks - ended up ripping out the cuff once they were finished and adding 6+ stripes per sock. Nice and tall now :)

The colour is more accurate in the previous post - the pink is much more vibrant.

I started another pair of toe up stripey socks - I bought this yarn in a destash from a friend. The information is on my Ravelry project page if you really must know more about the yarn. This yarn has only been in the stash for a few months - max

They're going slowly - my mindless get ready for bed socks.

I've also got a pair of Charade socks on the needles in Dancing Dog Dyeworks yarn on the Jive base - the main colour is Owlies and the contrast solid is Beach Glass - this yarn has been in the stash for less than a year. I can't believe how colourful these are turning out. The photo is from earlier today - I'm now almost done the gusset - flying off the needles, free pattern. Probably the funniest gauge I've ever seen written in a pattern (Gauge: Meh.) You can see Zoie in a shoe box in the background - the girls love that box so much I've repaired it.

And in other news - my students wrote their midterm on Monday. Ellie helped me mark - she's good like that yo.

Ellie & Zoie

I don't think I've ever properly introduced the girls to y'all before - or maybe I have but it was awhile ago. I have 2 snuggly indoor kitties that keep me company while I do almost anything around the house - they help out when I'm brushing my teeth, making dinner, having breakfast, and of course knitting and spinning. They also inspect the stash.

3/4 of my stash lives in this cedar chest - it was my Grandma Mary's hope chest. The girls don't look great in this photo but it is pretty accurate in terms of how they are helpful. Here I opened the chest and Ellie came and took up a guard position right away. I left the room for a moment and I think when I got back Zoie was trying to dig a spot for herself. Ellie is the grey kitty and Zoie is the black and white kitty. I don't have many non-blurry photos of Zoie because she is always coming to me for snuggles.

They are mixed breed cats - 100% of the snuggle variety. Ellie likes to guard me while I sleep - and starts giving me pointed looks if I go to bed too late. They don't like strangers - they prefer that our attention is focused solely on them. They really don't like strangers that come with suitcases...

Ellie is about 2 weeks older than Zoie - but they came from the same breeder (no idea why they had 2 litters of cats that weren't purebred).

Ellie loves food and is content to just sit beside me a lot of the time.

Zoie instead lives for snuggles and would rather snuggle than eat - and sometimes she likes to snuggle under the covers. She is also a very messy eater - she prefers her food outside of a dish, ideally on a rug...

August 22, 2011

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9018472@N07/6071306217/" title="IMG_1849 by catie_phillips, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6088/6071306217_c94559707b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_1849"></a>

She likes to "help" me work...

July 30, 2011

Ellie loves to sit near me while I knit (or do just about anything - she gets up to come with me when I leave the room at least 50% of the time). My project bags are apparently comfortable.

July 12, 2011

Ellie always wants to know what I'm doing - she loves to keep me company. When I put my makeup on in the morning she watches me in the mirror. And her current favourite spot in bed is where my pillow should be - right in the corner. Sometimes she even meows at me to make space for her there.

I feel loved :)

This Moment - December 3, 2010

Inspired by SouleMama {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

This Moment - November 26, 2010

Inspired by SouleMama {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

ECF...

Ellie inspects the stash...

Wordless Wednesday

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
09/06/2009

Wordless Wednesday: Ellie Close Up

Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS
01/03/2009

Cat Dental Extraction #1

There is a problem with being proud of how well your cats get along - when they stop doing so, even for a few hours or days, your ego takes a hit. I don't know why I feel personally responsible for how well our kitties get along - all Cory and I have done is make sure that we got them at a young impressionable age, and at the same time, from the same place. For the past 4 years (almost) they have gotten along splendidly - with only occasional fights that amounted to nothing really, only a bit of hissing and running away.

But yesterday Zoie had her dental (it went well and cost a lot less than I was expecting, and she only had one tooth extracted). She came home with "vet smell" and Ellie didn't like it - never mind that she was clingy while Zoie was away (they've never been apart - they even got spayed on the same day...) Ellie didn't like Zoie, she smelled funny. We were expecting this, afterall, Zoie was still feeling the effects of the procedure and medications - but we didn't expect Ellie to stay pissy. Now Ellie doesn't like the way Zoie's breath smells - she goes up to Zoie, smells her breath and hisses then runs away growling. Hopefully this means that they will go back to normal as soon as a) Zoie's breath smells normal (whatever that is) or b) Ellie gets her own bad breath (Friday).

I was woken up several times with Ellie hissing and it wasn't fun this morning either. No fighting, but a lot of bad vocalizations. The sad thing is that Zoie is meowing at me more and looking at Ellie - she doesn't seem to understand why her friend won't snuggle. We are snuggling her even more than usual but it still breaks my heart to see the poor interactions. Hopefully they will be back on better terms soon. I think it is ridiculous how affected I am about the poor interactions but I can't change it.

This fighting between the cats just reinforces the fact that we have to take both cats in when we go to the vet whenever possible. We'd been doing that before because we figured it was less stress that way - their personalities mesh well - Zoie hides at the back of the cage and trembles and Ellie sits at the front and tells the vet to go to hell or worse (she's all meow and no bite though - she spits and stuff but never even scratches the vet). All in all the vet figures that Ellie has a better stress reaction because her heart rate doesn't increase during annual examinations, but Zoie's at least doubles.

K, enough about the cats... Knitting news, I finished a second sock - the one on 00 needles - only to find out that because I switched needle brands the second one didn't fit and I had to rip back to the heel. The new brand doesn't hurt my wrists so I'll go up a size and see how that goes. But even the first one doesn't fit well - the problem is my arches - they make my instep really high and I've now had several pairs of socks that fit poorly in the ankles. These ones would fit if I lost some ankle weight - I should loose weight anyways, so hopefully some will come off of the ankles...

Everyone in the blog-o-sphere seems to be posting pictures of crocuses and saying that spring is on its way. Well here in Calgary old man winter is exerting his dominance again - more snow and no signs of spring. We had some warm-ish weather for a few days but it was really just a teaser.

The time change was a bit of a pain in the arse but at least now there is sunlight when I leave work (always a bonus) and the cat still thinks that the time hasn't changed so she doesn't wake me up before the alarm (definitely a bonus).

The cats both have dental work scheduled in two weeks - that will be painfully expensive (I figure $900-1000 per cat) but it is necessary - they will both need extractions. I'm glad that it is soon because then it will be over with. I'm having a fair amount of anxiety about the process. I'm just thankful that we have the money right now - though redoing the flooring will be delayed as will the spinning wheel. It is just as well with the spinning wheel because I seriously don't have the time. In terms of yarn money... well I've got some nice stuff in a box beside me that I want to use before I buy more - which is hard now that I'm looking on etsy and reading even more blogs - the list on the side is out of date.

I'm still a bit sick - mainly just coughing during the night and blowing my nose more than often during the day. And so far Cory isn't sick... (crosses fingers that it stays that way).

I took a break from seaming the mitered square blanket and knit up this little guy.



The pattern is a free pattern - Moby Dick (second one is a ravelry link)by Brenda Burrell (ravelry link) of Artemis Adornments. Quick, easy and kinda cute. Mine has a bit of a pointy head, not sure why - but with earbuds coming out his mouth I think he looks great.

Cheers!

Blue?

No officer, I have no idea why my cat is blue.

ETA: if anyone knows how to cite the observed statistical power of a test in APA formatting please let me know. I'd really appreciate it.

Here is some proof of spring in Calgary, the leaves are beginning to unfurl. Also, the weather yesterday was hot enough to make my husband complain (28oC I think... not very hot at all I know).



Bells requested some photos of my fat lamb in natural light. I really enjoyed the pattern but I think that the difference in gauge between the snout and the wooly part was too large. He is growing on me a little bit and I know he will be loved by his recipient. I gave him to my mom for her church charity group (same charity that got the elefante before I took a finished picture). I wonder what the kid will name him.




I have started another two toy patterns, I swear they are addictive. The first is Uh-Ohs (by Anna Hrachovec and I love the caption on the pattern: How in the world did they get themselves into this predicament? Knit them and find out!). I was just going to make two that were joined but I think I may make more links. Now I am just waiting for other left over fingering weight yarn to make the other links. I think my mom mentioned having some suitable left overs. I'm heading back to Kelowna for a brief visit on Wednesday. My Nonna Lucia will be there from Italy and my brother, sister-in-law and two nieces (Lucy and Emma, from Edmonton) will be there too. I am super excited all around, Lucy and I are super close (she is only 8 years my junior) and I've only seen Emma once despite only living 2-3 hours away from Edmonton and her being over a year old. Anyway, the picture of the in progress Uh-Ohs



And as I mentioned earlier, I have another toy in progress - another fuzzy lamb (Fuzzy Thoughts, Barbara Prime )- and I love it (well it will be a her/him but without the face on I don't know which it is).



And you can see in the photos the lovely gift that my mom gave me when we went out to Chapters - the three knitting Harmony Guides. I wanted them because I really want to design some knits and perhaps publish them - you know, so the right side of my brain doesn't atrophy... I saw this really great comic once that showed a scientist dancing in front of a blackboard full of mathematical equations with the caption: "every now and then he breaks out into an interpretive dance so that his right brain doesn't atrophy" and I laugh when I think of it. I will start small and go from there but seeing these books on my shelf or on my desk will remind me of this goal. Thanks again mom!

And on a final note, a gratuitous photo of a cat that would rather be sleeping in peace. Ellie meows to be put up on the top shelf of the closet where she will sleep for hours. Luckily she now knows how to get down on her own.

Missing in Action

I know I've been sadly lacking in the "pictures of my knitting" department. I will make up for it all in one big post. I could space it all out but I don't know if I'll have time in the near future to do another post with pictures, and I don't know if I'll remember to post later. So I'll just trust that you will read my witty posts (ha!) without pictures later on. We'll start with the old stuff and move to the new stuff.

First up is a picture of my finished Mystery Stole 3. I took a picture during blocking but forgot to get a picture before I gave it to my mom.


And this is a picture of a Wonton I made for a friend's cat. I love seeing things I made be well loved, and if the recipient is a cat, well they don't lie to make you feel good about a project. I can safely say that Dixun loves his wonton.


A while back, though not more than a month, I finished the Practice Makes Perfect Scarf found in Inspired Cable Knits. It is warm and wonderful and knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca (Lavender, 3 skeins). I really liked the pattern too, and have several projects from this book on my mental queue.



Awhile ago someone was asking us to post pictures of where we knit. Well I sometimes knit on the chair that was seen modeling my scarf. The kicker is that my great-grandmother used to knit on that same chair (as did my mom). It has been reupholstered since then. I love it almost as much as our cats do (which says a lot, it is red velvet, you can imagine how much they like it). Here is a better photo. I love the history associated with the chair.


And finally, my current go-to project, a Mitered Squares Blanket a la Mason Dixon Knitting. I am knitting it in a washable yarn that is cost effective. It is Patons Decor - 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool. After the alpaca scarf it was a bit hard to go to the acrylic. But I know that I will need to wash this thing and so wool was out. And good cotton (like they use for the sample in the book) was out due to costs. Perhaps someday when we can afford it I will knit it again with a more expensive yarn, if I am crazy enough to deal with all those ends! I am approximately 30% done the blocks. Then there is the sewing up and the border. But so far I love how it is coming along.


And on a final note, do your cats sleep like this? (by the way Amy, it reminds me of that picture you recently posted of Cave Troll)

Pictures From Yesterday's post

Blogger decided to let me upload the pictures I talked about yesterday. This first image shows how far I got before ripping back - I had forgotten chart A completely.



This second picture shows the lumpy bumpy nature of my fabric - I was okay with this since these mittens are my first stranded knitting project with the exception of the Lindy Bag.



And here you can see how far I ripped back. Zoie was staying still for a bit so I included her in the image. It is a bit rare to have her still while you photograph her... And a kitty always adds a nice atmosphere to a picture.



And this final picture is to add some festive cheer to the blog. Ellie likes to get the ornaments sometimes so we keep the soft non-breakable ones near the bottom. Happy holidays everyone.

Lord of the Wetfood

So I woke up this morning and Cory told me that I said something hilarious last night while I was asleep. This is not unusual, I love to talk and I talk and complain in my sleep all the time. But this time he said I had a cat and Lord of the Rings reference (I watched the first half of the first movie a few days ago)...

"There is only one Lord of the Wetfood, nd she does not like to share the wetfood."

I didn't even remember the original quote until Cory told me this morning. I guess it is: There is only one Lord of the Rings, and he does not like to share power.

We were talking about our cats before I went to sleep last night. This has been cracking me up all day.

Ellie, you varmint!

Okay, so Julie always posts these pictures of Sekhmet being loving and generally getting in the way. "Sekhmet, you fucker" is a common post title. I'm trying to curb my swearing a bit so varmint is the word. Here is my kitty helping with my research for a grant proposal (due soon eep!) In the first image she is just sitting on me, tail in my face.

In the second image she has turned around because the camera on the computer makes a noise while taking a picture(Amy the program is photo booth and it saves to a folder called photo booth in the pictures folder that you can find in finder on the Mac - just mentioning it cuz you said you were interested in the photo taking capability of your new work tool (aka toy)).

Taco Time Sells Sushi?!

It has been awhile since I last posted. I like posts with pictures and I had several big projects going that were all in the middle of progress. I have now finished and blocked the hanging garden stole. It was an awesome project and it was fairly simple. It was my first lace project. Before that I did a scarf that had a few yarnovers but it was nothing big. Oh and it was done in Lion Brand Midnight Mohair, not a lace weight yarn. Without further ado, the Hanging Garden Stole by Sivia Harding in Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace (Turqoise).





Zoie liked the blocking too. I kept them out of the room when I was not in there due to all of the pins but she came in when I was taking the pins out. My blocking wires have not yet arrived in the LYS, I should call them about that soon - if I remember. I have finished MS3 but not blocked it. I made the wing. It is in black Zephyr yarn with beads. The yarn is from Sarah's yarn. I have finished the cabled cardigan, it just needs buttons and a photograph. I have also almost finished my first toe up sock in my samurai yarn - technoblah. I'm ripping out 5 rows and then starting the cuff. I love the colours, the yarn is a bit splitty, but that is why she switched base yarns. I will try to post pictures of the sock soon. Oh and I made some Mason Dixon Knitting wash cloths.





These are addictive, I know there will be more. I found (finally) some sugar 'n cream cotton (recommended yarn) and it was cheap so I have a lot. But now I gotta go...

Oh yeah, about the title - the fast food chain Taco Time just started selling fresh sushi at the University of Calgary. It isn't awesome, but it is good enough to buy.

Wonton

I am making 8-9 of these (6 are gifts for friends, well their cats but is there much of a difference?). I will take a picture of all of them when they are complete. I have 4 done. They are quick to whip up. The pattern is from Knitty (Feline Dim Sum) and the yarn is Patons Classic Merino Wool.