Where did November go?

I can't believe that I missed the entire month of November! I'll have to do better. It is hockey season and it's really hard to watch a decent hockey game while blogging! I loves me my Washington Capitals!

On the knitting front--I am working on some Christmas gifts and Wicked for myself. Wicked it going fast! I'm almost done with the body and I will save the sleeves to do when I finish my gifts. I finished the Vine Yoke Cardigan. It went faster than any sweater I've ever done! It has a rather unique construction and it is done in one piece.


Details:
Pattern: Vine Yoke Cardigan by Ysolda (Twist Collective)
Size: 32
Yarn: Lorna's Laces' Green Line Worsted in Echo (4 skeins)
Needles: Size 9 Knit Picks Options
Modifications: None. If I were to make this again, I would go down a size and I would lengthen the sleeves. I don't like that the sleeve edging hits right at the crook of my elbow as It causes the edging to curl. I would prefer more of a 3/4 sleeve. Over all though, I really like this sweater!

On the sewing front--I need to also make a couple swap gifts today and I need to start my skirt for the SAR Patriot's Ball this coming Saturday. The gown I had wanted to make--the one I showed in the houndstooth check --didn't happen because I could not find any suitable fabric. I had this pattern which is now out of print:

I am making the lace skirt on the right. I bought some nice black lace with subtle gold accents and some light gold-beige lining at Joann's at 50% off and the skirt will go together quickly. The one problem is that the pattern calls for lace with a scalloped edge on both sides. You cut off the eding and sew it on the bottom of the flounce to finish it. My fabric only has a scalloped edge on one side so I don't think there will be enough edging. My machine does a nice satin stitch scallop so I got some black Sulky thread and figured that I would do that on the fabric then stitch a single line of metallic gold along the satin stitch scallop. I decided on this pattern because I already have two black silk bustiers. One is very simple--similar to the one on the pattern and the other is a Nanette Lepore piece that is ruched in front with the bottom forming a ruffle. I'll see which one I like best with the skirt. Then I have to decide whether to wear my black beaded lace open toe pumps or my black satin or gold satin sling backs! Oh the decisions!

Other news--I finally joined the world of smart phones! I feel a bit like a traitor however. Those who know me know that I am an Apple aficionado and I so wanted an iphone! I cannot switch from Verizon however. Just won't do it. The appearance of the Motorola Droid in Verizon's line up has me convinced that they have no interest in ever picking up the iphone. So I took the plunge. I canceled my laptop broadband account and upgraded my phone plan for the data and it is actually cheaper. I have also found out that one can tether their laptop through the phone to get online! Hmmmm! I'll have to play with that. I'm convinced that there isn't anything this phone can't do! The turn-by-turn voice navigation is incredible and you can add layers that show atm's, parking, gas stations etc. I have an app that lets me scan a barcode and it finds the item both locally and online by price! I've already used that one several times! I just love it! I'm still getting used to the phone however as there are some quirks that are different from my old LG flip phone. One thing that bugs me is that I cannot set the phone on speaker phone and have it stay that way. I have to push speaker for each call. That makes it a bit more difficult when driving.

I decorated the house the weekend after Thanksgiving! That's the first time I've done it before Dec. 1! I have not put on any Christmas music yet though which is not like me. I think I'll crank it up today. It was a sad putting up the stockings and realizing that I couldn't hang Mikey's! I still miss that little bugger. I saw a kitty at Petco yesterday that is up for adoption that I would love to take. He is a peach tabby about 9 mos. old and he was clearly someone's loved pet. He was extremely affectionate and I think he would fit right in with our 3 . Greg needs a playmate. Needless to say DH says I can't have him. I'm trying to convince him that it would be like replacing Mikey, but he's looking to lower the number of kitties we have. If it were up to me--I'd have a houseful of animals!

That's it for now! I'll try to be better at staying current.

Kitty Cam: This one is from the archives. The peach kitty made me think of Peanut who we lost in 2007. I love this photo. Peanut looks less than happy about being dressed up for the holidays, but he was a good sport none the less!

Then there were four

We've had 6 cats for 6 years now. We got Peanut in 1990, then Cosmo in 1996. Harley and Samantha joined us in 2000 and Greg and Mikey rounded out the bunch in 2001. The number dropped to 5 when Ems moved out just before Christmas and took Cosmo, AKA Mokey the fashion show kitty, with her. Now we have 4. As much as I hated to, I had to take Peanut AKA Deke to be put down on Friday night. Thursday night he could barely move his legs, he was weak and would appear to cry for food, but wouldn't eat. I know it was the merciful thing to do, but I still feel guilty. I guess the guilt comes from taking him to the vet's which is an unfamiliar place to him. I've read that there are vets who make housecalls for this, but ours isn't one. He was purring the whole time and the vet was extremely kind, making sure that he was looking at DH and me and that he was comfortable. He was down to 5 and a half pounds. He typically weighed about 11 pounds when he was healthy. I took these photos afterwork on Friday.



I dug out some photos from a past Christmas about 12 years ago.





He used to sleep in the town square of the train board, knowing that the kids couldn't step on it to get him. This inspired us to create the following insert for our annual Christmas card:

I miss him sitting next to me on the couch and crying for cheese when I go in the kitchen. He is buried under the grape arbor with our little angel kitty lawn ornament over him for now. He will get a nice garden stone with his name on it.

People who don't have pets often don't understand how us pet owners can grieve so much over an animal. They are family members to us. They depend on us to take care of them and in return, they bring us joy and unconditional love. Deke did that for 17 years. I only hope our other kitties live such long lives. Meanwhile, I am flanked by Harley and Mikey as I write this, so I won't be short on kitty love. I still feel Deke's absence and will for some time. Time will heal that.

Back in the Saddle Again!

Today was day 3 back at school! Surprisingly I've been able to get up fairly well which is surprising for me. I even went in a half hour early today for a meeting. I still prefer sleeping in if given the choice. The kids have been pretty good too which won't last long. I suspect the resurgence of winter has a lot to do with that. Once we get a stretch of spring weather, things will change! Once the spring fever sets in, the behavior goes down the tubes fast!

I ended up having a lovely birthday. I cooked dinner since it was Easter and I had bought a ham. DH and Bird had an ice cream cake for me. We did do a special birthday dinner on Thursday night at Timbuktu's which, in case you are unaware, has the best Maryland Crab Cakes on the face of the earth! I don't care what others say--you cannot get Maryland style crabcakes anywhere but Maryland. Period! I've made that mistake. You know--you're on vacation and see it on a menu somewhere in another state and make the mistake of ordering them thinking you will have a little taste of home only to be disappointed. I have learned to accept the fact that truly excellent crab cakes can only be purchased in Maryland!

DH gave me a nice little surprise for my birthday!

I have always wanted diamond hoops! These are gorgeous! The photo just doesn't do them justice!

I have been working on Sahara and I'm loving this Great Big Sea yarn by Handmaiden.

The sheen that this yarn has just doesn't show in the photo. It is simply gorgeous and I think it will feel heavenly against the skin. Notice the stitch markers! I made special ones with kitty photos! You can see pictures of Harley and Mike!

I am playing with the beads to use on this sweater. These are size 5/0 triangle Mizuki glass beads in an assortment of oranges. Some have silver cores and they all look quite different. I will string a few to see which ones I like best.


Speaking of kitties--Greg has been really clingy since I returned from Chicago. I guess he's afraid that I'll leave him. He still insists on getting under the bedspread. He does it so well--without messing up the bed. You just walk in the room and see a lump in the bed!


Peek a boo!

The sudden return of winter has Bar (real name--Harley) sleeping by the radiator again!


I think I will have to take Deke (real name-- Peanut) to be put down. I didn't realize how bad he was until this evening when he was having trouble moving his legs. He got off the couch and his legs just went out to the sides and he couldn't stand. It is just so sad. He is very weak and has stopped eating. It's just so sad. I have to tell myself that it is the merciful thing to do. It's just not fair to let him suffer anymore. It's something I've never had to do before, but I think it is time. I'll post some favorite photos as a little memorial.

My last day of freedom!

This is my last day of freedom as can be evidenced by the fact that it is almost 1 p.m. and I am still in my pj's. One nice thing about being off is that I've been able to spend some quality time with Peanut, alias Deke. He's 17 years old and in failing health. Given his symptoms of extreme weight loss, drinking a lot of water and peeing excessively and everywhere; he either is diabetic or has renal disease. I will probably take him for a diagnosis, but I won't put him through any extensive treatment. He won't take pills and reacts almost violently if he has to stay over at the vet. He's just too old to go through that. He's so skinny and it's hard to believe that he was once actually on weight reduction cat food! He's been cuddling next to me on the couch when I sit to knit. It's difficult to pet him because his spine feels like a stegosaurus due to his arthritis. He's in a good mood and gets playful sometimes. It makes me sad to see him in failing health.

I was excited to see snow yesterday afternoon, but it turned out to be just flurries. The cold wind remains and the twins, Samantha and Harley, have been competing for space by the portable radiator.

One of them ends up sleeping there all night.

I started the Pop Up Paws. This project is reaffirming my realization of being a yarn snob. I am making them in Plymouth Suri Merino yarn and it feels to incredibly good! It makes it hard to put them down which means I should finish them quickly! A sweater out of this stuff would be an absolute dream! I'll post a photo when what is on the needles actually looks like somthing! Right now it is just 10 rows of ribbing!