Tag Archive | dogs

Escarpment Cowl

Do you know what an “escarpment” is? I had no idea but knitting the Escarpment Cowl made me curious. Apparently it’s a long, steep slope, and now I understand the name!

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It’s shaped like the Bandana Cowl I made recently, but it’s done completely differently, with no short rows at all. It starts out knitted flat, and joined later, and it creates a back with a nice narrow panel, reducing the bulk that has to fit under your hair while still keeping the back of your neck warm. I think it’s quite clever!

fullsizeoutput_1f98 And I think the yarn is quite marvelous. It’s Araucania Huasco Worsted in Grapeyard and the stitch definition is superb. The colors aren’t bad, either!

fullsizeoutput_1f94 I wasn’t sure how soft it would be when I was petting the skein, but it surprised me when I was knitting with it, feeling gentle and supple, not rough at all. And it washed up beautifully too: no purple in the water, a bit softer, and with a lovely drape.

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This one might get a lot of wear. And it was so fast to knit too; I’m definitely tempted to make more. But not until I finish some other WIPs, I swear.

One last thing: today is Grace’s Gotcha Day! We adopted her four years ago today from a local animal shelter and she might be the neediest, lickiest dog we’ve got, but she’s also the sweetest and the best snuggler. I guess we’ll keep her a while longer!

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Adopt, don’t shop!

New projects!

Feb20

It’s funny, the way grief can come back and just give you a swift kick in the ass. We’ve been having a long, cold, snowy winter, and I was joking with my husband about how living in the desert would be preferable. And bam, my mind took me back to being in Arizona with my parents after my dad retired, and he was so happy and loved it out there, and I felt the ache of missing him, sharp in a way I haven’t felt in a while. It passed, of course, but it took me by surprise. I wish he was still here, that’s all. And I wish I was in the desert right now!

But I’m not. Instead I’m home in the snowy Midwest, knitting all the time. On the last day of my 4-day weekend, I wanted to cast on something new, so I pulled out three yarns that have been calling my name to ponder, and went with the softest, fuzziest one. It’s acrylic from Joann (I bought four skeins when it was on clearance) but it’s fuchsia and fuzzy and perfect.

I chose the very simple knit COWL pattern and modified it bit, casting on more to make it a bigger, looser cowl. And I do love it, but I kind of want to use the other two skeins to make a snugger version too!

And then, because that was so fast, I went ahead and cast on with my second favorite of the three skeins, a purple Araucania Huasco Worsted. For this one I chose the Escarpment Cowl, which looks really cool. I love the idea of a shawl look with the ease of a cowl. And then I also cast on a new pair of socks, because socks. This yarn is Show Me Yarn Bootheel in the color Butterfly House, and I’m calling them the Granola Socks because I’m doing the 3×2 rib that Mildly Granola recommended.

Yesterday was a little rough because I had to adjust from knitting several hours a day to just knitting during lunch and a little at night. It wasn’t my favorite, to be honest. But hey. Gotta pay for the pups, right? Especially when they break a nail, crack another, and have to go to the vet for a bandage, nail trim, and meds. Sigh.

He slipped out of his collar in the waiting room, but thankfully he’s a lover so he just ran back to visit the girls behind the counter. He’s also up to 104 pounds, which I recognize is too high and the vet tech told me…TWICE. So he’s on a diet now which he won’t love and I don’t blame him. BUT! He rides so nicely in the car and sits patiently when I open the door to grab the leash, and he hasn’t tried to chew off his bandage at all. Not even overnight, when he was all alone! If I could combine the good traits of all three of my dogs, I’d truly have the perfect dog. Alas, apparently dogs are like people, with good and bad and you have to accept what you can’t change and love them anyway. Or try to, anyway. I’m still working on that.

If you are anywhere that has sunshine and weather above 30 degrees, please enjoy it on my behalf today!

Two New FOs

Feb18

It’s been a productive weekend, friends. I mean, I haven’t left the house since Thursday but I’m not mad about it at all. Don’t worry, I’ve showered and done some chores like cleaning a bathroom and vacuuming the floors, but I’ve also gotten to do A LOT of knitting. Oh, it’s been heavenly. I wish it happened more often. I was able to finish two projects, including my long-lingering WIP, the Zomboni!

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Apparently I just needed to be in the mood to work on it, because once I got going on Friday, I couldn’t stop. It made a really long narrow scarf that will be super easy to wear, and the colors are perfect for me. (It will go so nicely with my purple hair!) The yarn is Caribbean by In the Deep Hue Sea, color Snap Out of It, and it’s quite nice.

My other FO was a quick and easy cowl, my gray Woolfolk LUFT cowl. I chose my favorite cowl pattern, River Deep Mountain High, and cast on a few extra stitches since I had plenty of yarn. It knit up so quickly, and I finished it last night while watching The Wife (which was SO GOOD. Highly recommend and now I need to read the book!).

I wanted to use all the yarn but didn’t come close. I’ve got about 3/4 of the second skein left, so I think I might get another skein the next time I’m at my LYS (which will be next weekend) and then I can make something else too! I love this yarn so much; it’s so airy and lightweight, but still so warm and cozy. I wish it came in more colors.

Now I’m down to five WIPs and none of them are calling my name today, which means casting on another cowl in either worsted or bulky. We’re in day 547 of cold, gray weather (I mean, it doesn’t FEEL like an exaggeration) and my spirit could really use some sunshine and warmth, and since I can’t get either of that outside, at least I can find some warmth in thick yarn, I suppose. And with puppers.

Jack says no yarn. Only pet.

Hope you all had a good weekend too, and if you’re like me and have today off, may you find yourself some knitting time!

Is it bedtime yet?

Feb12

Here’s the thing: 3:30 in the morning is not a good time to wake up. It’s just not. But for some reason Grace could not be convinced. The husband went down once to try to get her to stop barking, but it didn’t work, so rather than both of us lose sleep, I went down to sleep on the couch. And she was fine with that. She didn’t need to go out, didn’t seem to be hungry. Duncan immediately laid on top of me and went to sleep, Jack laid on the floor next to me and went to sleep, and she went off and did who knows what, but she was quiet and didn’t make a mess. Now, I love my dogs and there is a certain charm to sleeping with one on top of you, but man. I need a new couch if that’s gonna happen again or my back is not going to be happy. Thankfully, this doesn’t seem to be a habit of hers, just something that pops up once in a blue moon.

Why?? Why is she like this?

So, I’m a little tired today. But I’ve figured out what my new cast-on needs to be: a Sockhead cowl! We have a band concert tonight and I have no projects that are suitable for in-the-dark easy knitting. You can’t get easier than the Sockhead. Now I just need to pick the yarn! I’m thinking this pink and black Done Roving Frolicking Feet would look pretty awesome.

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Oh, and something sad: I wore my brand new Hedgehog Fibres Gossip socks yesterday… and they itched me! Not right away, but by the time I got home from work, I needed to get them off my feet. I’ll wash them and see if that helps, but if not, looks like the girl will get a new pair of socks.

I hope you all got more sleep than I did last night!

Inked

Jan2

I closed out 2018 with a bang, by doing something I’ve been wanting to do for years: I got a tattoo on New Year’s Eve! What better time to do something that’s both scary and exciting??

I first started thinking about one after my dad died, almost seven years ago now. I wanted a small eagle on the inside of my left wrist as a memorial to him, since he loved eagles. But I never found an image that seemed perfect, or maybe it just wasn’t the right tattoo. I kept thinking of things that I will always be passionate about, and I kept coming back to my dogs. Yet it’s still related to my dad because it’s thanks to him that I’m the dog mom I am today. When he was sick, we adopted his dog. Samson was a huge, gorgeous red husky mix, and he was pretty close to the perfect dog: he didn’t bark much, was gentle with everyone he met, he was good on walks, and he never got in trouble. I loved Sam, but mostly I loved that he was a connection to Dad, especially after Dad passed.

At least that’s what I thought. But after Samson died, just a couple years after Dad, I found that I missed his company a lot. I missed seeing his face at the door when I came home. I missed his big, warm body at my feet. I missed the comfort I got from petting him. I missed having a dog. So after six months with no pets, we brought Jack home, and I fell head over heels in love with him. His exuberance made me laugh, his heavy warmth comforted me, and his soft, thick fur absorbed many tears as I went through a long period of grief and depression. He is selfless and generous and loyal and such a damn good dog, and I love that almost all dogs are the exact same way. Grace came home ten months after Jack, and Duncan arrived about a year and a half later, and here I am with three big mutts that make my life complete. And none of that would have happened without my dad, and Samson. I look at this image on my arm, and I think of my dogs. I think of Samson, and Dad, and I smile.

Why?? Why is she like this?

P.S. No, it didn’t really hurt. It was uncomfortable but not painful. The dentist is worse for me than this was. The girl went with me because she’s been the most encouraging about it. And yes, I LOVE it and have no regrets whatsoever!

P.P.S. Shelter dogs are amazing! Adopt, don’t shop!

Weekend Highlights

Dec10

Did I mention the girl is home for winter break? She got back in town Friday night…and drove straight to her old high school to see her friends in a choir concert. The next night she went to another concert. But we got a little bit of visiting in there too, and yesterday she spent the whole day with us. It was a pretty good weekend, I have to say.

Friday night and Saturday had a lot of pupper time while knitting, which is the best, plus I finished my Growing Leaves cowl and pinned it out to dry. Hope it blocks out nicely!

Sunday, we drove to Weston, MO, a cute little town with a great downtown. We had lunch at our favorite cafe (but our favorite waitress wasn’t there) and we went to the yarn store (which was CLOSED). But at least we bought fudge and saw Father Christmas. And I was so disappointed about the yarn store that my people took me to Yarn Social again to see the Treasure Goddess‘s trunk show so I got new yarn anyway, haha! I even ran into a local Instagram friend there!

I finished the weekend with a family viewing of The Santa Clause and casting on a new project, which I already love.

I hope you all had an equally lovely weekend!

How do you wash your socks?

Dec7

Okay, for those of you who may not know, I have dogs. Three dogs. Three large dogs that go outside and inside and outside many times a day.

Grace, Duncan, Jack

I also like to knit more than I like to clean house. Those two things mean that my socks typically have quite a bit of dog hair attached after I’ve worn them, and hand washing them in Eucalan just doesn’t feel like it’s getting them clean. So now that I’m down to my last clean pair of handknit socks, I’m asking for advice: how do you care for your socks? Do you hand wash? Machine wash on delicate? Lay flat or put in the dryer? What’s been successful for you?

On my needles this weekend is a new cowl, called the Growing Leaves cowl. I spotted the yarn in my stash recently and it immediately made me think of a work friend. I could make her a gift, I thought! Well, it’s a lace cowl in fingering weight yarn and I have other projects calling my name too, so it might not get done by Christmas. But since she has no idea it exists, I think I’m okay.

And the best news of the day?? The girl comes home tonight for winter break! That’s almost a whole month we’ll have her home! Maybe I’ll even get her to sit and knit with me one evening! I bet if I share some good yarn with her, it’ll happen, don’t you think?

Happy Friday, friends!

Hogwarts Cowl

Dec2

In my quest to finish some lingering WIPs, I pulled out my Hogwarts cowl this past week. It’s very comforting because it’s all stockinette in the round, and it’s Harry Potter colors! When my brain was too tired at night to work on something with an actual pattern, I worked on this. And yesterday, the boy had his winter guitar recital (he ROCKED it!) and I had two solid hours of knitting time. By the time we got home, it was time for the ribbing and the bind off, and this morning it had a little photo shoot.

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I took the photos before I washed it and blocked it, so please ignore any dog hairs or stray ends! It looks a little more rainbow-ish than Harry Potter-ish to me, but I do love all the colors together, so I’m sure I’ll wear it quite often.

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The yarn is a Hogwarts House Pride set from Nerd Girl Yarns on her Binary Sock base, and it’s lovely yarn. I almost wish I’d made striped socks with it! The pattern is improvised, but you can see my notes on the Ravelry project page.

And while we were gone for those two hours, we left the puppers free to roam the house, rather than locking them up in the kitchen/dining room, and I’m delighted to say they didn’t destroy a thing! While I’m not confident enough to leave Duncan free all the time, I’m optimistic that he’ll grow up to be a trustworthy pup!

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Two of a Kind

Oct28

I have two shawl projects on my needles, one fingering weight and one sport weight. One is garter stitch and one is stockinette. But both started with a few stitches and a garter tab, and increased six stitches every two rows to just over 260 stitches. And both seemed to take FOREVER. At first it was relaxing, just la-di-da knitting along, but then it became very OMG am I there yet?? Well! After this weekend, I am there on both of them!

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Now I get to move on to the fun lace sections! The top is my test knit, so no pattern to share yet, but the yarn is Araucania Huasco. The bottom is Late Harvest in the new Manos del Uruguay Feliz yarn, color Wildflowers.

I was outside photographing a different project and took the time to snap a few photos of the dogs too. Jack may be my favorite but Duncan is so photogenic and handsome!

Grace didn’t stand still long enough for a good photo, and Jack…well, here’s Jack.

After a couple of hours outside, we’re all happy to chill on the couches for a while. I wonder how much lace I can get done tonight?

A Year of Duncan

Sep7

Today’s Duncan’s Gotcha Day! For whatever reason, last fall I decided we needed a third dog, and it was a challenge to find one to fit in with the two we already had. We had a boy and a girl, and I thought it would be better to have two girls and one boy. So we met a lot of girl dogs, and none of them were a good fit. Then one of the people at our Great Plains SPCA said we’d probably be better off with another boy dog; that two girl dogs typically don’t get along as well. With that, our search started fresh, and it wasn’t long before I spotted Duncan’s picture online. I went straight from work to meet him and loved him enough that I had the kids bring the dogs up and we all had a long meet and greet. The boy wasn’t convinced at first; he’d seen another one online that he liked the look of. But the rest of us talked him into it (or rather overruled him) and we took Duncan home!

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He’s definitely been the most challenging dog we’ve had. He destroyed more things than either of the others and we had to keep trying different solutions. Finally we got gates and the dogs stay in the kitchen when we’re not home. I don’t love it, but they’re together, it’s bigger than a crate, and he hasn’t chewed up anything since then. At night, he sleeps in the kitchen and the other two sleep in the living room, and everyone seems happy enough. I hope he’ll get to a point soon where we don’t have to lock him up, but I’m not sure I trust him just yet.

He went from 65 pounds to 100 pounds of muscle. He’s not fat, just very solid. He and Grace have a great time rough housing, and she’s totally the boss of him. He’s the most gentle of the three dogs with the sweetest little kisses, he’s a big cuddle bug that will sprawl on your lap like he only weighs 10 pounds, and he’s fantastic with the little kids in our family. He’s just pretty darn awesome. Even with the chaos and bills and dirt, I’ve only once questioned the decision to adopt Duncan, and that was shortly after we got him when he chewed up some of my books. But he’s growing into a great dog, and I’m pretty sure that even the husband is glad we have him!

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All of our dogs are rescue dogs, mixed breeds from local shelters, and they’re all fantastic dogs. Adopt, don’t shop!