Please Take A Second...

... to read this awful, heartbreaking, peed-me-off like you would not believe, story. I had just finished posting my entry for today (Dogs on Thursday) and this came in my afternoon headline news.

Officer Accused After K-9 Dies In Hot Car
Temperatures Reached 109 Degrees
UPDATED: 11:42 am EDT September 6, 2007

PHOENIX -- Authorities arrested a Chandler police officer Wednesday in the death of a police dog that was left in a hot patrol car for more than 12 hours, KPHO-TV in Phoenix reported.

I won't post the whole story here, instead click here to read it. If this ticks you off even a fraction of how much it does me, please, please take another moment to go here and file a complaint against this jerk! A dog should never, ever be left in a locked car for 12 hours - PERIOD. Nevermind the sweltering temps. And all the while he was napping, running errands and have dinner with his wife? The blog sensors won't allow me to type the words I really want to do so here.

Catch Up Part 1 - I got mail!

After a sleep deprived very busy week, I get to start playing catch up... first up, I got mail... some great mail!

Last Monday, after returning from Charlotte, I received my absolutely amazing Knitters Virtual Vacation Swap package from Robin. I knew I was getting to go on a fabulous Virgina vacation when she started sending me postcards about 2 weeks before my box arrived (the beautiful postcards with little notes made the experience that much more fun!). I had no idea just how much fun I had on vacation until the box arrived! Everything was wrapped up in pretty tissue ... but not for long, as I anxiously tore into everything... and unwrapped one wonderful treat after another. Robin really took the time to get to know me and I can tell she read my blog! Look at all the wonderful treats she crammed in to that big 'ole box...


I swear it was a bottomless box! As I tore through the packages like a 6 year old at Christmas carefully unwrapped each item, I found a book on Historic Williamsburg, a whole bag full of local brochures & tourist info, a Virginia lanyard, an instrumental CD of music for the state parks, ginger cookies, chocolate covered cookie dough (yum-o!), 2 Virginia magnets, Earl Grey tea, a deck of cards, 2 of the bestest smelling soaps made by Robin herself under the "Bird Bath Essentials" line (I'm not sure if she sells on Etsy, but if she does you must check out her product - Robin???), a handy wood soap dish/saver, a doggie treat cookie cutter, the cutest doggy keychain I've ever seen ("most affectionate dog lover," why yes, that's me!), a just as cute "best friend" paw print ornament, a personalized set of doggie stitch markers with a scissors fob (which I needed!) also made by the amazinlgy talented Robin, and 4 skeins of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in an absolutely stunning colorway (oh... what to make, what to make??!!). Everything is so amazing and so perfect for me... Thank you Robin - I feel truly lucky to have had you as my spoiler and now look forward to getting to know you more! Now for some close ups for your viewing pleasure...

Alpaca. Silk. Chocolate. Covered. Cookie. Dough. Need I say more?

Doggy themed goodyness...

The yummy-licious soap that I can't wait to use...

As if I weren't spoiled enough (is there such a thing as being too spoiled?), the next day I received my Dog Days of Summer dishcloth swap box from Nicol. The box took the declining USPS service an unexpected slow boat from the West Coast, but it eventually got here! Look how she decorated the box! She carefully wrapped up all the goodies in tissue and I once again tore thru them like a dog with a new stuffed toy carefully opened each one.


Nicol also paid close attention to my love of the 4-legged furbabies in my life as well and even knit me a super cool and thoughtful "DOG LUVR" dishcloth (its the dark purple one in the pic below, although you can't really see the wording well in the photo)!

Once again, I felt like it was a bottomless box...

Inside I found 2 handknit dishcloths, 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss (do I sense a theme here people? if so, nice theme!) Baby Cashmerino in a yummy minty green color, a huge oversized skein of Bernat cotton in white, Lantern Moon straight needles (omg - Nicol, you're awesome!), chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter cups, chocolate covered cherries, a vanilla coconut candle (yummy) and some loose black honey flavorered tea & tea ball. I haven't had a chance to sit and relax and try the tea yet (did I mention how busy the past week has been??), but I'm really looking forward to it (my first experience with loose tea) - it smells soooooo good! I'm all set for a great night of relaxing and knitting now... if only that night will come soon!!! :) Thank you Nicol, everything is absolutely wonderful and great treats!!! I'm so happy to have gotten you in the dishcloth swap and look forward to reading your blog and getting to know you.

Okay, part 1 of the catch-up is done... part 2 to come tomorrow from the week which included returning home from vacation on Saturday afternoon and rushing straight from the airport to pick up the dogs at their new boarding place... Teutul coming to us with the hives & blown up snout on Sunday night and dealing with his mystery allergic reaction and a couple sleepless nights and vet trips (he's still on meds)... me getting sick on Tuesday and having to return to work, only to leave early... staying out way too late on Thursday night at the Tesla concert... a friends' cook-out on Saturday... Matt's racing on Sunday... the Hopkinton Fair on Monday & meeting friends there for the demolitian derby last night... and now back to work. I need a day off!

Ok, I'll Play...

I've been seeing the Pay it Forward going around on a lot of blogs lately and I finally decided to join in via Chan's blog. So, here's the scoop...

It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange, based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return... just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness continue to pass it along as well. You all know I’m already a PIF type of person. Here’s how it works: I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

So who will my 3 lucky peeps to join me in PIF (if you comment among the first 3 and don't want to play, just say so... no pressure!)?

Speaking of exchanges, I received my Virtual Vacation Swap (I went to Virginia!) package on Monday and my Dog Days of Summer box yesterday... and promise to post info & photos very soon! Both of my spoilers, Robin in VVS and Nicol in DDS, were super duper treaters!!! I absolutely loved everything and both of them really got to know me, which always adds that extra little touch when you realize your spoiler actually read your blog and took the time to learn what you like! You'll see soon...

Mom is now home, resting comfortably and happily knitting away! She has a visiting nurse twice a day and will be back to see Mr. Surgeon the end of next week. She thanks everyone for their well wishes, notes, cards, thoughts and prayers! I also wanted to publicly thank Heather for the wonderful knitting goody bag she sent for her (which I photoed but they're still on the camera), blogless Karen for the yummy See's chocolates she sent and the incredibly caring Grace for the beautiful shawl she sent. I can't wait to see my Mom wear it and will get photos when she does - but for now I tracked back a little on Grace's blog and found this and this (its the stunning Cherry Tree Hill / Mr Joe Montalpulcino shawl). Mom loves everything!

We had a bit of a scare with Mr. Teutul this week when he came to us on Sunday night with hives all over his head and his snout swelled up to about 3 times its usually size (he looked like a Rottie!). Off we raced to the emergency vet clinic where he received 2 shots and we were told it was an allergic reaction from "something" (well yes, thank you for that insight - the vet seemed like she was quite new and funny thing was, Tut knew she was not his "doctor lady," didn't really want much to do with her and even refused to get on their scale!). So, we were sent home, told to wake him at 2am and check for hives. Nothing then, but he woke me at 4am with them so I got up and gave him Benadryl, as they said to. He woke me again around 8am with move hives (including a bunch around his eye), so I called our wonderful vet and raced him down to see her before she went in to surgery... Another shot and a prescription of Prednisone, then it was back home (and he happily got on the scale there, sat right down ... aren't they fussy children funny how they know who their doctor is and all??!!). By then he had hives all over his body, so much that he looked like a wrinkly shar-pei... another dose of Benadryl... since then we haven't seen any hives, he takes the Prednisone for the next week or so (you have to start out with 2 a day, then 1 a day, then every other ... oh how fun!). They still can't tell for sure what he got in to or what made us worry like crazy about the baby boy, but we're leaning towards either a bee sting or maybe a spider bite. He had been rubbing his face on the couch & dog bed about an hour or so before (we thought he just got his face wet and was using the "couch napkin" like his sister does) the hives appeared and since that was the only time his snout swelled, that's my uneducated guess........ so, I ended up not getting all that I had hoped to get done on my day off on Monday... then I got sick yesterday... oh the joys! But I promise to download pics from the camera and get to some prettier blogging shortly!!

The Race is On ... Go Lucky 13!

I received the Lucky 13 box for the Dish Rag Tag yesterday afternoon from the lovely Grace (notice her husband's wonderful artwork added to our team's box!).... and inside I found these goodies...

Grace sent 2 yellow skeins of Peaches & Cream (which btw, am I the only one who hadn't yet knit with this? I can only find Sugar & Cream around here...) for the tag skeins, 2 beautiful green skeins of Filatura Luxor DK cotton/acrylic blend for my gift, a knit & crochet Dishcloth pattern book (I might have to ask Mom to do some of the crochet ones for me!) and a lovely petal dishcloth!

Of course, this is a relay and the race is on, so I immediately got home and got to work on a dishcloth for the next tag in line... Ally! Thankfully I have a wonderful man who not only did the grocery shopping, but then fed the dogs and cooked dinner last night so that I could knit, knit, knit! Thank you honey! I was actually going to do the petal dishcloth for Ally as well, however the lovely yellow colors that Grace sent inspired me to do my second sunflower dishcloth and this is what Ally will be receiving...

I finished it up, weaved in my ends and got Ally's box of goodies all packaged up and ready to go just as the season finale of Hell's Kitchen was ending...

The box is now back in the hands of the USPS, as I dropped it off on my way to work this morning.... let's go Lucky 13!!!!!!!!!!!

I also just found out that Karen, who I got to spoil in the Dog Days of Summer dishcloth swap, received her package that I sent ... and I did good, she loves it... yea!!!

Sometimes she even knits!

...and occasionally ends up with a Finished Object! Not that this one is big, but I did finish my dish cloth for the Dog Days of Summer Dishcloth swap last night and got that package off to my pal this morning. I did another one of the petal dishcloths in a fun, summery colorway...

I hope my pal likes her package I put together for her! I also just got an email from my Virtual Vacation Swap spoilee and am very intrigued as to who she is now... she's been paying attention to my love of Charlotte, NC and racing! Speaking of swaps, I received my prize from my Secret Pal 10 hostess Kerry for the final contest she had for our group. She sent me 2 skeins of Catalina Chunky in a warm grey/charcoal color...60% baby alpaca, 40% merino and oh so soft! This would make a fantastic scarf for the man... if only he would wear a scarf. So instead, I think I'll make him a hat (which he will still only wear when snowblowing the driveway or maybe sitting out in the frigid temps to watch a Patriots game) and then either a hat or mittens for myself. Thank you Kerry for the wonderful prize!

So... back to the knitting and proof that I really do knit! As mentioned above, I haven't had much for finished objects lately, however I have had a severe case of startitis. I'm not sure if its been all the wonderful new patterns coming my way or stress or short attention span lately, but I've started and/or gotten ready to start quite a few projects in the past 2 weeks...

This cat bed that I saw over on Paula's blog. No, I don't have cats, but I do have friends with cats... and small dogs. I thought it would be a fun and somewhat mindless knit, plus I had some colorful Lion Brand wool in my stash and even some dreaded fun fur around to use for the trim. I haven't gotten too far on it due to the icky, sticky, nasty heat wave we had last week. The wool wasn't the most fun to work with those nights...

Another recent wool cast on ... my second Booga Bag, which although intended for myself, may wind up being a Christmas gift. I bought this Noro yarn the same time I bought the yarn for Mom's, but I think for the next Booga I'm going to use Wisdom Poems.

I'm on a bag kick and have 2 more just itching for me to cast them on ... in fact I've already put each in their own project bag! One is the amazing Bar Harbor shell bag that both Heather and Lora are knitting.... I am going to do this first one using the yarn called for (Lamb's Pride), but think I might like to try the Poems yarn for this pattern as well (Heather is using it for hers). Did you notice I even over-coordinated by using my Bark Harbor tote for my Bar Harbor project bag??!! Yes, I am a total geek...

The other bag waiting to be cast on is the Noni Adventure Bag. I'm going to do the mungo huge largest size and this will be my first ever project involving a zipper, so I'll surely be screaming and cursingcalling on some of my close knitting friends for help!

I'm also getting read to cast on the sun hat from the new Debbie Bliss Family Knits book, however I'm going to use Louisa Harding Kashmir DK from my stash instead of cotton, so it'll be more of a fall hat than a summer sun hat. I'm going to make it for a special little lady, however since her Mom sometimes reads my blog, I'll reveal who later! I also got a new Vera Bradley bag & matching change purse (perfect for small notions) and had a coupon to get a free matching card holder, which is perfect for storing my knit/fiber related business cards! Do you like? Its the new Mod Floral Print and I absolutely love it! (click on the photo to see larger - note my adorable pin from Dixie's Pet Project, whom I blogged about yesterday, on the left of the bag)

I also still have several WIP's that haven't had much progress made on them lately... my ankle sock and radiance lace headband included...

... as well as some scarves and other goodies galore... I need to get back on a serious knitting kick, esp if I have any hopes of getting holiday knitting done... did someone says its August 10th already??!! Happy Weekend Knitting!

New Button!

I have a new button for everyone out there to use when linking to my blog ... starring my very own furbabies (who say Woof and "won't you link our Mom's blog, please?"). What do you think?

Afterthought / Update... Thanks to Ericka for pointing out to me that my button was huge - sorry! I guess I just assumed people would size it to their preference or use the automatic settings in Flickr (if you use that to upload your stuff)... so here are two smaller versions. I'll even do custom fittings if you need me to - just let me know, ha ha ha!

You can still use this one too if you'd like...

You can grab them here (however please be kind and upload them to your own server, thanks!) or from my sidebar.

While I have your attention... I also wanted to post my contest answer for the Dog Days of Summer Dishcloth Swap! We've been asked to post what we like to do when the dog days of summer are wearing us down... Me? I like to grab a nice cold beverage (iced tea, iced coffee, Diet Coke with lemon or sometimes a nice cold beer), sit in front of the fan, watch tv and hang out with the doggies (preferably its a day when they don't insist on sitting in Mommy's lap!)... sometimes I knit, sometimes I catch up on magazines, sometimes I might even nap (note - the napping doesn't happen often!).

Now, I promise some knitting content soon... yes, she really does knit! but in the meantime I wanted to mention the cool MOO cards I just got (photos later)! Have you seen them?!?! OMG - how cute & cool!!! I also wanted to give huge kudos to their customer service department. They sent an email out last week appologizing for a mix up at their printer, indicating I *might* be receiving someone else's cards by mistake .... please just toss them and rest assured my *correct* cards were on the way ... and oh yea, btw also please order another set of 100 cards free of charge on us (free shipping too!)!!! Well, today I received my original 2 sets, as well as the 2 sets that were immediately shipped as replacements when they had the printer mix up ... and all of them are correct and my cards! Nope, no mix up at the printers with my cards ... and to think the company was proactive and just reprinted & mailed everyone's cards from that day instead of waiting to see who got the right cards and who didn't... now THAT is good customer service! Oh yea, and I still have the additional free set on the way too... love this company!

TGI-friggin-F!

Oh I am so happy its finally Friday! Its been a stressful week of sorts ... work hell crapola stress coupled with lack of sleep makes for nearly no knitting... and one grumpy knitter!

I won't complain too much about the lack of sleep because that was due in part to the loveable Bella, whom I started calling Isabella (short term foster Simon's human sister/our good friends' beautiful 15 1/2 month old daughter). If people actually heard me, I'm sure I would've gotten some is she freaking insane??? looks with my "who's a Bella... is-a-bella..." doggy talk, but alas, I thought it was cute & clever. You see, Miss Bella-bell (my other nickname for the cutie pie) had 2 modes -- GO, GO, GO, GO or CRASH. There's really not much in between with this active pup (after all, she is a pup and a terrier!). It was like having a baby in the house who didn't sleep thru the night... she would decide to wake up each night sometime between the god-awful hours of 2:00 - 3:00 am and decide it was time to pounce and play. Even Zeus would huff at her as if to say "hey little lady, its time to s-l-e-e-p!" Again - not complaining too much because she was an absolute joy and love bug. Was... translating to the great news that Bella went to her forever home last night with Nicole & Ryan in Manchester (they're about 15 minutes away)! We were sad to see her go so soon (I'm not sure which is worse - the ones here for 3 weeks before they go or the ones who stay just a short week... we get attached and love them all), but I am happy to report that she went to a perfect home... they are both young & active and like to jog & hike (oh how I remember those days ... about 10 years ago!) which will be great for Bella!

When we arrived to drop her off, they had already prepared a little basket of toys for her - including a hot pink Bobo just like Lola's (only smaller)! There was also a little rawhide bone in there, which Bella promptly found - and claimed - and after a couple minutes of exploring, she plopped down in the living room and began chewing... and chewing... and ignoring the rest of the world... I went to say goodbye and she could've cared less (how rude!)... I don't even think she realized we left. And I was worried about her going to a home that didn't have any other doggies to play and wrestle with... (although Nicole promised she'd bring her to the doggy park)! Should I pout or just be happy she seemed so content in her new home??!!

So back to that lack of knitting this week... I really don't have anything to show. I worked on my tank some more at Joanne's on Wednesday night, but not enough progress worthy of a photo. Speaking of Joanne, check out the A Knitter's Garden listing in the brand new Knitters' (and other) Travel Guide 2007-2008! She has copies of this fantastic resource book at her shop for sale - only $12! I snagged my copy Wednesday night and am impressed - its much larger than I had expected and now I won't be wasting so much time googling yarn shops when I go on vacation.

As part of the Dog Days of Summer Dishcloth Swap, we've been asked to post our favorite handknit item. Mine is not something that I have made, but rather something that I received as a gift last Christmas from Dad & Mom-Sue (Matt's dad & stepmom). Sue made me this absolutely stunning sweater, using Classic Elite Premiere, which means its not only visually beautiful, its amazingly soft and snuggly too!

I wore it when I met Kate Jacobs and she loved it too!

We were also asked to post something that we've seen on a fellow DDSD swap participant's blog that we would like to make. This was fun because it got me scrolling thru some strangers blogs and I came across - woo hoo! - yet another Doggy Mom Knitter's blog, Basset Knitter (omg, how cute is Elsie??!!)! And I'd love to make this cat bed. Yes people, I did just say CAT bed! I can knit for friends' cats too, right?? It looks so soft and squishy ... and definitely looks like a fun knit too... who can't resist a cat bowl? And oh to use up that fun fur that is stuffed somewhere under a bed or maybe inside one of my dogs' beds....

Anyone planning to go see The Harlot at Border's on August 2nd? I missed her last appearance at Webs because we were in Charlotte, but I did catch her there in 2006 and can't wait to see her again. I sent in my registration and am working out the carpool details with Joanne. Sounds like it'll be a fun night, even if it does mean rushing from work to get there... Stephanie is well worth the rush!

Not to bring the mood down, but unless you live under a rock I'm sure you've been hearing about the sad-excuse-for-a-human-being, Michael Vick and his horrendous dogfighting in the news lately. Please take a moment to visit the Humane Society of the US site and tell the NFL to act on this!!!!

Dishcloth Swap Contest Answers

My answers for the Dog Days of Summer Dishcloth Swap contest...

Someone who crochets: Alexis H
Someone who's never made a dishcloth before: Diana C
Someone who has been knitting\crocheting for less than 2 years: Val D
Someone who has been knitting\crocheting for more than 5 years: Joanne M
Someone who is from a non-US country: Jodie W

Dog Days of Summer Dishcloth Swap Questionnaire

Here are my answers for the Dog Days of Summer Dishcloth Swap...

1) Do you knit, or crochet, or do both? How long have you been knitting \ crocheting? Knit only. My Mom tried to teach me when I was a young child and I learned the very basic stitches back then. About 4 years ago I decided I wanted to get in to it again and asked her for some supplies at Christmas. I would say I've truly been a knitter now for about 2 years....

2) Have you knit dishcloths or dishtowels before? Yes!

3) What are your favorite cotton yarns? Is there a cotton or linen you’ve been dying to try but have not? For dishcloths, Sugar 'n Cream is a good 'ole go-to, but I do love trying out other cottons, including Debbie Bliss, Knit Picks and Lion Brand. I just got a skein of Dale of Norway Stork that I can't wait to work up ... I would really love to try some Blue Sky Organic Cotton and Vickie Howell Craft!

4) Are there any cotton yarns you don’t enjoy knitting with? So far I haven't really found any that I didn't enjoy.

5) What type of needle do you prefer using? (Metal / Wood / Plastic) I love good quality wood needles and Addi Turbos. I'd love to get my hands on some lovely luxury needles from Lantern Moon, including the coconut palm straights and sox sticks.

6) What other projects do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? I love knitting small projects (near instant gratification) ... socks, hats, mittens, scarves, bags... I adore the One Skein Wonders book ... and I do have several sweater projects lined up to do also.

7) Do you have other hobbies or enjoy other kinds of crafting? I am a beginning drop spindle spinner and I hope to soon find time to start some beading (stich markers and such). I like to read, spend time with my dogs, try out new Rachael Ray recipes (not that I have any time for cooking lately), traveling, touring wineries when on vacation, etc...

8) What kind of treats do you like? Chocolate? Candies? Nuts? Yes, Yes and Yes... I love chocolate (milk & white), sweedish fish, Haribo gummy raspberries, chocolate covered gummy bears, chocolate covered pretzels, macadamia nuts, almonds, peanut butter cups.... do I need to go on?

9) What colors are your kitchen and bath decorated in, if any? My kitchen is a sage green color with icky brown cabinets... Bathroom is a light purple lilac color with butterfly & dragonfly accents.

10) What are your favorite colors and what colors do you dislike? I love all shades of purple (lilac, wine, mulberry, etc), blues, reds, sagey greens and autumn colors. I dislike neon shades and large quantities of bright orange & yellow.

11) Do you drink coffee? Tea? Other beverages? Yes and Yes. I can not exist without daily coffee am a big coffee drinker and love light to medium roasts and flavored coffees. I do enjoy teas as well. I drink a lot of Diet Coke, Pomegrante juices/teas, Vitamin Water and other flavored waters. Also love the drink mix packets that you can dump into a bottle of water! And you can never go wrong with a glass of wine!

12) Do you have any kids (human or pet variety!)? Three of the 4-legged variety, which you will see all over my blog - Zeus (6 yrs), Lola (5 yrs on July 4th!) and Teutul (3 1/2 yrs).

13) Do you have any allergies? Cigarette smoke.

14) Please share 3 tidbits about yourself that you think your pal and other swappers might find odd or interesting.
a) I am a big NASCAR fan. I love Tony Stewart, Scott Wimmer, Ryan Newman and JJ Yeley.

b) I'd love to open my own business someday that would combine my love of dogs and knitting/fiber arts! Since a doggy day care/yarn store combo wouldn't be every knitter's dream (can you believe that some people are not knitting dog hairs in to their projects constantly brushing dog hair off of their knitting??!!), I'm thinking along the lines of a Friends Central Perk type of coffee shop where you bring your doggies and knitting along to hang out with good friends, drink java, knit, gossip, share doggy tips, share patterns, etc (and yes there would be knitting, doggy & coffee related merchandise - my perfect one stop shopping spot!). {Note to anyone thinking of stealing my idea... I will hunt you down ... I will... really... but hey if you're in New England and want to be a financial backer, look me up!}

c) see this post