Then there were three . . .

Mikey came into our lives on Friday night May 25, 2001. I was at home sewing Ems' graduation dress for the next Tuesday when she called me at 10 pm. "Mom! I found five kittens at the restaurant park!" Me: "Leave them there. Their mother must be around." Ems--"It's too late. They're already in the car!" I contacted the Howard County Cat Club which is a rescue group because I was concerned about the mother cat. Ems had seen her and she appeared to be feral and hid. The cat club trapped the mom a week later, had her spayed, gave her shots and released her as she was, indeed, really wild. I knew ultimately that the babies would have better lives if they were taken care of. In they came! Five tiny, and I mean tiny babies. Ems' first words were "One's polydactyl! Can we keep him?" Without hesitation, I said yes. These babies were about 12 days old. I had grown up with mom cats and I was well aware of all the developmental stages of kittenhood. I was worried that they may have been exposed to things that I didn't want my 4 indoor kitties to get so the babies were put in a box with a blanket in the kids' bathroom. We started them on KMR immediately. There were two all black males, one tabby and white male, a tabby female and Mikey, also tabby and white with his extra toes. He was named Mikey after Ems' friend Mikey who was with her when she found them. Mikey, the human, was really stocky. Mikey, the kitten, was also stocky with his big old feet, much like like a little bulldog. The kittens grew and we adopted out 3 of them. We kept Mikey's brother who was named Greg. Greg was the runt, weighing in at 1 3/4 pounds at 6 weeks old when the others were all in the 4 pound range. He was sickly and I couldn't part with him because he got so much extra mothering. Greg is now a 19 pound black panther.

Mikey had so much personality. The kitty sitter we have has always said, "Don't be surprised if Mikey is missing when you get home!" He was very talkative and personable. He would carry his cat teaser around (that's the feather on the end of a long stick) and drop it at our feet so that we would play "spinny" with him. Spinny was when we would make him run around in circles chasing the feather--much like chasing his tail. It was comical to see him do this on his big old feet!




This is how I remember him most--lying on the couch in his "rub my belly" pose. It was part of our nightly routine. In fact, if I was busy, he would come over and nag me to come to the couch so he could lie on his back for a belly rub.

I chronicled his illness here and in the last post I talked about the ordeal of the last week. We had decided last night to put in a feeding tube because he was doing so much better. I talked to the vet today and he wasn't doing well. I went to see him and his temperature had dropped to 96, his blood pressure had gone down and he had some fluid in his lungs. Ironically, his electrolytes were up to normal. He was very cold when I was with him and he was covered with a blanket and surrounded by heated rice bags to warm him up. He cried like I've never heard him and I knew what I had to do. He just had that look in his eyes. I told the vet and she cried too--saying that they had all become rather attached to him. I stayed with him when they injected his IV and he was already half asleep. He died peacefully. My gut tells me I did the right thing, but I am still heart broken.

Here are some favorite photos of my Mikey:

Running around under the rug!

Waiting for mom to get ready in the morning:

Nestling by the creche at Christmas time:

Napping on the dining room table:

Curious Mike:

Watching Mom vaccuum:

Celebrating the 4th of July:

Cuddling with sibling Greg:

Cheek to cheek with Harley:

Hanging around the window with Samantha:

Rest in Peace my little angel kitty. You enriched our lives more than you will ever know. We miss you.

Catching up . . .

I've been bad. I need to stay current here and I have no excuse seeing as I am off for the summer! I've got some swap projects to do. I'm participating in a Puck This swap (hockey fans) and a Tea Towel Swap with two Ravelry groups. I received my package in the Puck This Swap:


Some gorgeous lampworked beads in Washington Capitals colors and some goodies from Wisconsin--coffee, popcorn, jam and chutney! Good stuff!

I also started the Botanica Medallion Cardigan. I really need to finish my Musica Gloves but I couldn't stand it! I have the medallion done:

I'm please with it. It measures about 15 inches in diameter and it is blocked. I've started the outer band:

I've actually done twice as much as the photo shows. I'm intrigued with the design. The designer chose stitch patterns with different gauges so that the band actually curves and will form a circle around the medallion.

Other stuff that's been going on--I need to do some sewing. I have to finish a skirt I'm working on and then I'm doing another. Here are the patterns I'm using:


I'll post photos of the finished skirts when I can model them with decent shoes!
I made a new wreath for the front door. We decorate our house with Patriotic bunting and we have our flag out. I thought I would do a seasonal wreath for the front door:


Tomorrow I get my foot checked! It seems to be healing well. I've cut way back on taking the Advil which is a good sign. I'm still wearing the velcro shoe thingie when I go out. I am painfully reminded that my foot isn't all together healed when I step on a tree root or some other irregular spot of ground! I will also steam up some fresh veggies tomorrow. A few weeks ago, I ate lunch at Bonaparte's and they served a salad which was a bed of Romaine with lightly steamed green beans, zucchini spears, carrots, and beets plus tomato wedges and pitted Kalamata olives. It was topped with a delicious lemon vinaigrette. Here is my version of it:

The recipe I used for the lemon vinaigrette can be found here. The only change I made was to add 2 tsp. of sugar instead of 1/2 tsp. and I didn't use pepper. It is really good stuff!

I've finally gotten all my planters done! I'll leave you with some photos of some of them:






Kitty Cam: Two couch potatoes--Harley and Mikey!

Fashion 911

I've been busy tending to a fashion emergency. I had my concert at school last week on 5/28 and I tried on my summer little black dress only to find that it was uncomfortably snug. I wore something else for the concert, but I needed a dressy dress for a wedding we went to this past Saturday. So Friday the 29th I headed to Joanns to look. I had a McCall's pattern in hand figuring that I would find an embroidered linen or something suitable. Nada. I browsed through the patterns and found a great Vintage Butterick pattern:


I included the drawings to show the unusual construction of this dress. There are no side seams on the bodice. The front wraps around and hooks in the back then the back zips up and the extensions wrap around the front and cross to the back where they tie. This dress takes over 5 yards of fabric. I looked at some silk dupioni and the only color with enough fabric was fire engine red. I typically love fire engine red, but my thought was that using it for a "fat" dress would make me truly resemble a fire engine! I bought the pattern and left the fabric. I spent Friday night making a muslin. I found that the dress gapped at the neck and armhole edges. I pinned tucks in the muslin to adjust the fit:

I slashed the pattern and made the alterations on the pieces. The pattern had the bodice lined with the fashion fabric. I used Bemberg rayon lining. I also lined the skirt, taking out about 1/4 - 1/3 of the fullness as it is a full circle and I didn't want the lining to be as full. I was really pleased with the end result!




I love this pattern! I've always been fond of 50's dresses and I had a collection of them which I sold off. I've decided to make a cotton version of this one. I ordered some flamboyant red flowered cotton for the next one!

I also finished Simplicity 2733. I have mixed feelings about this one. I love the design but I hate the way the front has pockets. There are three layers of fabric in the front which just seems wrong for a design made out of a slinky knit. I also don't love the fabric which is a rayon/ lycra knit. I dislike sewing with rayon as it gets iron shine which bugs me. Anyway, here's the finished top:


I have done no knitting. Nada! I need to finish my musica mitts. I'll try to do that while I watch hockey tomorrow but that is really difficult. My yarn for the Botanica Medallion shrug came. It is a lovely tan cotton/ silk blend. I'll start that once my mitts are done.

The wedding we went to Saturday was lovely! It was in Baltimore at a beautiful Catholic Church in Charles Village by Johns Hopkins. The reception was at the Baltimore Museum of Industry which is right on the water. I snapped a shot of a famous Baltimore landmark:

I don't know if it is clear enough to make out but it is the Domino Sugar factory sign!

I also got one of the centerpieces from the table:

There were three of these on each table--each in a can of a different size and shape.

I stayed home today. I've had bronchitis since Friday and I needed to get to the doctor. After getting an antibiotic, I'm starting to feel better so it is back to the old grind tomorrow!

Kitty Cam: Mike and Harley, cheek to cheek!

Bad Blogger!

I've been really bad! Funny how life just gets in the way sometimes. The last time I wrote anything was the day before my birthday! As I mentioned in that post, DH took me to a Caps game the weekend before for my birthday. On my real birthday we went to Timbuktu's for some famous Maryland Crab Cakes. He also gave me these:


Believe it or not, this was all I really wanted for my birthday! I mean, what do I need? For some reason, lately I've become really sensitive to onions, which I happen to cook with a lot! I only buy Vidalia onions, which in the past never bothered me. Now, my eyes burn and water and I end up looking like a raccoon with eye make up smudged all over my face. These suckers really work!

Friday of spring break, my friend Cat and I went to Annapolis where we walked around and browsed in all the neat little shops. We ate lunch at the 1747 Tavern on Church Circle. It is a tea room and it is quite lovely.


Easter weekend we ended up visiting the kids in the Burgh. Saturday evening we checked into the hotel then headed off to the Sharp Edge Creekhouse for dinner. Bird was working the bar and he waited on us. Unfortunately, we were missing the Caps game and we had to watch the Pens instead, relying on the updates during the intermissions. After dinner, we headed off to Sonny'swhere Ems was bar tending. She now has the Saturday night bar tending shift there. Sunday morning we went to mass at the Duquesne University Chapel with the kids and Joan. We met up at Bird's house where I was able to at least get a shot of Ems and Joan:


Note the college boy decor on the mantel! We then went to the Double Wide Grill in the Southside, one of our favorite places, for brunch. We headed home after spending a little more time with the kids.

Tuesday it was back to the old grind. I am totally burnt out this school year. The burnout comes earlier and earlier these days. There is so much pressure to improve test scores that nothing else matters. Kids are not getting a well rounded education anymore and when you teach poor kids, with limited life experiences to begin with, you really deprive them of some of the most valuable learning experiences. With the current economy, we have given up raises for next school year and we have been given a lot more work to do in the same amount of time. I've decided that I am going to more or less work to the rule next year. This means that I'm not staying late anymore. I will bring some things home, but I'm not working hours and hours of unpaid overtime. It galls me that that teachers are actually expected to do that.

Things are getting interesting around here. DH was laid off last week which is a major bummer. He will get 4 weeks of pay after which, we will find ourselves exhausting our savings. I'm just hoping that we won't have to go into our retirement accounts which have already lost about 40%. Needless to say, I didn't attend MD Sheep and Wool Festival this year!'

The high point for us has been the Caps! Not only are they in the playoffs, but they are now in Round 2! It is ironic that they are playing the Pens in round 2. They've never beat the Pens in any playoff round. Game 1 was yesterday and the Caps won! This series is really being hyped up. If you are a hockey fan, then you've read about the Ovechkin vs. Crosby rivalry. To that, I say this:


Kitty Cam: Mikey is on the Caps bandwagon!

Bad Blogger!

Oops! I did it again! I went on a 2+ week hiatus! This was purely unintentional. There were two factors. First, I've been in a winter funk. Why? Because we really haven't had a "real" winter. It's been bone-chilling cold, but there's been no snow other than the two days of wintery mix we had which caused schools to be closed 2 days due to ice. The mercury has gone up then down then up then down. It's been insane. It needs to pick a place and stay there for a while! The second reason I haven't blogged is that I've just been busy with school, DAR, knitting group etc. etc. So let me catch you up on what's been going on.

I don't remember if I mentioned this. Bird came home for the Inauguration--not for the Inauguration itself, but to get a beer. Not just any beer, mind you, but a special limited edition beer. This beer was a special brew that was only getting tapped on inauguration day in NY, Philly and DC. Here's a photo of the keg handle.

The beer is called Obamagang. The keg handle is highly collectible and the bar was guarding it carefully! Bird went to Frisco to enjoy his brew while watching the swearing in.

I finally finished my Silken Scabbard. Here are some photos:



I love the way the braided cables morph into the horseshoe cables:

This sweater is incredibly soft on the skin. Here are the details:
Pattern: Silken Scabbard by Stitch Diva Studios
Yarn: Malabrigo Silken Merino in Topaz, 50% silk, 50% merino--6 skeins
Needles: Addi turbo size 4 and 5

I learned two new techniques with this sweater: The tubular bind off and how to correct a cable boo boo. I discovered that i had crossed one of my cables the wrong way on the sleeve 8 rows after the mistake. I did not want to frog back 8 rows so I just dropped the 6 stitches involved down to the row where they cross, corrected the twist and the picked them back up to the row I was on. It took a while, but I'm glad I did it. I tend not to frog things. I find it just too painful!

This sweater took way longer than it should have. It hibernated for short periods. I want to do another for the SKC knit along. We are making wearables with cables. I have two things on the needles for this. First, I have started the Opulent Raglan:

Mine is in a darker brown yarn called King George by Bristol Yarn Gallery. Boy is this yarn soft! It is a worsted weight blend of 45% baby alpaca, 45% merino wool, 10% cashmere. It feels like a cloud! I think this sweater will be a fairly quick knit if I work on it some every day. I'm hoping it will fit okay. My stitch gauge is right on but my row gauge is off. I always have that problem!

The second item I have started is the Chunky Cabled Tam:

This tam is made out of 2 strands of Manos. I got the same yarn but in a light orange. It is a flattering color and I think it will look good with my winter jackets.

The other project I have underway is a sewing one. I am setting up at the Homespun Yarn Party with my friend Sheila from Wullenstudio. Sheila dyes gorgeous sock yarns. I am selling project bags, mini rolls --little rolls that hold cable needles, stitch counters etc.--and needle rolls for double pointed needles. Most of my designs have cat prints. Here's a photo of some of the project bags which I am using:

The mini rolls fit into the pocket. I can actually cram a sweater in progress in one of these bags but they are really perfect for smaller projects. I will be making a bunch and I have gotten a lot of kitty prints plus a few others.

I decorated the house for my DAR luncheon on Saturday. I always have flowers in the house, but I was delighted that Trader Joes had bouquets of 2 dozen roses on sale. I managed to use one bouquet in the powder room:

On the mantel:

And on the dining room table:


It's the end of high school hockey season, so I am busy with playoffs and all star games. At least I can bring my knitting to the rink!

I leave you with the Kitty Cam:
The two big lugs, Mike on the love seat and Greg on the floor, love to bask in the sun.