Thursday, January 31, 2008

My Dog, The Great Inventor

It is once again Dogs on Thursday, and perhaps more importantly, one day away from Friday! Its been much too long of a work week, or week for that matter.... a wake (Melissa's Dad), hair appointment (for which I drive an hour each way) and sick-dog-sleepless-night later... I'm very excited that the weekend is almost here! I missed my knitting night last night in order to get my hair done and can use some time with the needles.

So, back to the fact that its DOT. Now, if you're a doggy parent you know about our saving grace kongs. Those wonderful red inventions that can keep our furbabies happy for hours at least a good 10 minutes when we stuff them full of peanut butter (note to self... remember to stuff and freeze them before handing them over to the furry ones... I hear they last much longer that way).... What does one genius crafty creative lazy dog do when she decides she's too much of a princess to hold hers? Lola will glady show you... (as always, click on their names for more new pics!)

Lola_tirekongC Lola_tirekongB

We're not quite sure how it happened, but one rubber tire toy plus one peanut butter stuffed kong made for a happy and content girly girl. I wonder if we could patent her invention??? When asked "how'd ya do that?" she just looked up in between licks as if to say "I'm smarter than you think..."

Lola_tirekong

She also says "I'm beautiful... dontcha think?"


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Not to be outdown, here are some shots of the rest of the pack...

I absolutely love these shots of my big guy, Zeus playing in the snow.

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Here's Super Sophie dashing thru the snow...

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Followed closely by Tut...

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Knitting Along...

Yes, that's what I've been doing... just knitting along. My finished object from last week is the Kerchief Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I used about 1 1/2 skeins of Sugar 'n Cream twists...

KerchiefScarf_108

I finished one of my Fetching mitts. I'm using Heirloom Alpaca and Zitron Ecco, held together, and hence had to go down to a size 4 needle. I love the way these yarns are knitting up and the 2 strands together create a much more substantial mitt (if you are in need, A Knitter's Garden carries both yarns). One down, one to go!

myfetching_wip

My Booga bag is nearing completion. I'm using Noro 178. This is just about 2 skeins knit for the bag, then I will make the icord handles before continuing on with the bag (I didn't bother counting rows, just knitting until there's no yarn left)...

MyBooga_WIP

I've also been knitting away on my Potpourri Shawl, which was purchased in kit form from Knit Witts about a year ago...

PotpourriShawlWIP

I have some more WIP's going as well, but nothing photo worthy (or that hasn't been hibernating for months). I cast on my first Pay It Forward item last night while wathcing The Biggest Loser and will work some more rows on it at my hair appointment tonight.

In other news.... are you ready for some football????

GoPats

Lola, Sophie and Teutul are...

LolaSophieTut_11908

Go Pats!!! Push for Perfection........

Monday, January 28, 2008

Paying it Forward

Did anyone watch last night's episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition? It was our "hometown" episode... with the family living only about 15 - 20 minutes away. While we don't know the family, it sure felt like they were old friends after all the local coverage back in October when the show was here and again the past week leading up to the airing of the show.

Anyway, apart from the localness of the show last night, one thing that really stuck out in the theme all night long was Paying It Forward. Have you noticed the "Pay It Forward" button on the right side of my blog (as well as on many other wonderful bloggers)?
I signed up in August, with the promise to pay it forward within 6 months, meaning by the end of February. I've been contemplating what to make for the 2 wonderful ladies over the past few weeks and last night's show really got my brain thinking. I get to send some kindness along to Ally and Criquette. If either of you ladies have some specific wish list items in mind, feel free to let me know... I have some ideas, but your input would be great too!

Whether you're doing a fun little swap like this or not, please remember to keep Paying It Forward in life..... it truly is an amazing concept that is not at all hard to follow!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Winter Doldrums Topic #2

This week's Defeat the Winter Doldrums topic is...

There are many people who ADORE receiving hand-knit or crochet items; but there are just as many who have no appreciation whatever of how much love, work, and time goes into a hand-made item. Share a story of a hand-made gift you gave to someone and how it worked out - good, bad, or ugly!

My best story / memory of gifting is the Booga bag that I made for my Mom and gave to her this past Mother's Day. My Mom knits & crochets and always wanted to teach me both, though I never got much past knitting a rectangle (aka blanket for my dollie) when I was about 7 or 8. At least not until about 4 years ago when I decided knitting might actually be cool and I wanted to try it again! Mom has knit & crocheted me many, many items over the years... but the Booga bag was the very first thing that I got to knit for her. Seeing her use it really makes me proud!


Speaking of Mom, a quick update... she is on her 2 weeks on, 1 week off rounds of the chemo pill until about May now. Thank you for checking in on her! Also, thank you for the kind words about my friend Melissa... she did, tragically, loose her Dad on Wednesday. Much love to her and her family at this difficult time........

Friday, January 25, 2008

Superbowl bound...

... and smelling pretty good too! Have you seen Tom lately?

Brady_StetsonAd

Its a bonus that its not Gisele in the ad with him!

I actually have a finished object for FO Friday, but sadly no pictures yet. I finished the Kerchief Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. An easy knit... I used Sugar 'n Cream twists (about 1 1/2 skeins). I haven't decided if it'll go in to the future gift box or what just yet, but will photo it soon.

I've been busy working away on several WIP's as well, including my Fetching mitts and Booga bag. I've been knitting away on a secret project that I guess could best be described as "test knitting" for a friend, although she's already submitted the awesome pattern to Knitty. I really hope they except it - its truly unique and useful! I picked up the Addis that I needed at Joanne's on Wednesday night so I can finally start my Adventure Bag. I'm making the Large Long Weekend size, so I'm quite sure this will be a WIP for awhile! In fact, Teutul laughs at the thought that Mommy might actually have it finished in time for her trip to Charlotte in May....

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We'll see! In the meantime, TGIF!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Another Award...

Wow, its like the Emmys this week! I just found out that Rhonda over at I'm Running to Win Two gave me the You Rock the Crib and Loveable Blog awards!

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Thank you Rhonda... its so nice to be loved! Now, I'm passing this Loveable Blog award on to all the same ladies I passed the You Rock one on to yesterday.... as well as to anyone else reading my blog!

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Dogs on Thursday (see today's earlier post)... and wanted to ask you to please visit the Best Friends Animal Society website. They've been doing lots of wonderful things for animals who would more often than not, be put down otherwise. They have a special dog area called Dog Town and actually have an awesome documentary show on National Geographic channel now as well. If you're a dog lover/parent and have not seen this show yet, you must check it out! It is on Friday nights at 9pm and then usually repeats over the weekend. Amazing reality tv... although I will admit to having tears rolling down my eyes at the end of the episode from last weekend when one of the volunteers was seeing Wiggles, a cute little bulldog, off to his new forever home. Having fostered so many wonderful babies this past year, I could totally relate and feel all of the same emotions (love, joy, pain, heartbreak, satisfaction....) that volunteer was feeling....

Snow Dogs!

No, its not snowing at the moment, though we have "maybe an inch" in the forecast. However, to put you in the white fluffy spirit, I present you with Snowy Dogs on Thursday!

Zeus has always loved the snow. He especially appreciates anyone who will toss him a few snowballs... (as usual, click on their names for more pics!)

Zeus_11408SnowCUTE

Zeus_11408Snow

Lola's favorite thing is to run around, full speed, in it. She sometimes does the bunny hop too.

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Lola_11408_Snow

Tut loves zipping around in it too... but then again, he just loves zipping! He's not always the most photogenic pup, so I especially love the second shot of him here.

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Sophie's been watching her big brothers & sister and has learned how much fun the white stuff can be. When she's not zipping around, she's usually sticking her head in a snow bank looking for treasures...

Sophie_11408snowRun Sophie_11408snowC

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We've been working on trying to get a half way decent shot of the 4 kids together... without much success thusfar...

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Where'd Sophie go??!!

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We'll get there.... I know I still need to update my blog header & button too...

Happy snowy days... and TGtomorrow'sF!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Rockin The Crib

While perusing my Bloglines today, I discovered that Natalie at Bark 'n Knit gave me an award! Looky here...


napaward

Now, you know me and my wandering inquisitive mind had to go and Google "nap warden" to discover the origin of said award. I found it here.

So... now its my turn to unleash the Nap Warden Award on some of my fellow blogging friends. I hereby declare the following as official Crib Rockers (in no particular order)... insert drumroll here

Kare of More Coffee Please (aka Old Lady Kay) ~ One funny lady who often has be ROFLMAO with her posts!

Dianne of Brit Knitter ~ Another wonderful knitting doggy Mom. Creative, talented and one amazing spoiler to boot!

Emily of Yarn Miracle ~ She hosted the first ever Dishrag Tag... enough said! (Oh yea, and she does have a little miracle on the way as well)

Chan of Chan Knits ~ Quite possibly my seperated-at-birth-long-lost-twin. We share a great love of animals and fiber.

I kept my list short & sweet, but please know that if you are reading this, You Rock and you deserve the award too! I just didn't want to turn my post in to a blogroll book. I think anyone who takes the time to read my blog rocks (and thank you for coming back)!!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

An Aggressive Independent?

You Are a German Shepherd Puppy
Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive.
You've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone you choose.



You Are 58% Independent



Overall, you're a pretty independent woman. You don't follow trends just to fit in.

You've got your own cool thing going on, though you sometimes still care too much about what other's think.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Topic

This week's Winter Doldrums Dishcloth swap topic...

Weekly Topic: Dishrag. Dishcloth. Face cloth. I've seen folks get all fired up in forums when someone refers to their knit or crochet creation as a dishrag, as that's somehow offensive to them! When you're working on yours, what do you call them? Also, is there a difference between a dishrag and a dishcloth? How bout a facecloth? Are they all really the same thing?

I would say yes, they are the same thing... unless you knit something like a heirloom piece, then it becomes a face cloth or even a doily. However, if you've used your dishcloth so much that its beginning to fall apart, it probably is only eligible for dishrag status at that time... I am actually planning to tackle a few Heirloom facecloth patterns soon!

18 and 0... Superbowl Bound!

Yes, its great to be a Boston girl!

SuperBowlBound

Tedy

JrandTom

Unfortunately, Brett and Green Bay didn't make it. We would've liked to have seen someone as classy as Brett get to the Superbowl this year... but ah well, beat up on a Manning if we must.

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1 more to go for PERFECTION.........

Now for a little Monday morning humor...

God asks Peyton Manning first: "What do you believe?"

Peyton thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, "I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my fans."

God can't help but see the essential goodness of Manning, and offers him a seat to his left.

Then God turns to Tony Romo and says, "What do you believe?" Tony says, "I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I've always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the playing fields."

God is greatly moved by Tony's sincere eloquence, and he offers him a seat to his right.

Finally, God turns to Tom Brady: "And you, Tom, what do you believe?" Tom replies, "I believe you're in my seat."

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Giant Baby Breeze

The "Giant Baby Breeze" hat ended up being a great fit for Nathaniel! Isn't he just a handsome little model?

NathanielHat_108b NathanielHat_108c

NathanielHat_108



Its so great to see your knitting work look so great in use... and even more special when the parents love it so much they beg you to recreate it in a larger version! I had fun adjusting the original pattern, sized for a baby, to fit growing Nathaniel. This was the original hat I made for him in the fall of 2006 and as you can see, he was already rocking his natural modeling skills back then too!

nathaniel_closeup

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Amen....

I've been meaning to update you all on my Mom and wanted to let everyone know that she is still on the chemo pill with a 2 weeks on, 1 week off schedule and things are going quite well. She's very upbeat about it all, even happily telling me that she went to pick out a nice wig on the insurance's dime last week! She's been knitting away on her latest obsession (and one of most of ours too!) lately, dishcloths......... and is always looking for new patterns. Right now she's trying to find one of the "Man At The Wheel" statue or rather, The Fisherman At The Wheel Memorial in Gloucester. If anyone knows of such a pattern, please share!

Unfortunately, in great sadness I ask everyone to please pray for my friend Melissa's Dad. We each are sure we were brought together (in the odd musical ways that we were) to help support one another through our parent's cancers ... and tragically, her Dad is losing his battle. I've just been told Melissa has approximately one week left with her wonderful father. A man whom I have never met, but Melissa describes as "... A true gentleman. Someone who actually stands every time a woman enters the room, opens doors, NEVER disrespects a woman, never even sees them as he only has eyes for his wife. Somebody who has never ONCE put himself first, always the needs of others. Someone who would literally do anything for someone in need..." Please keep them in your thoughts this week.......

I leave with something you may seem unexpected at this time, a Kid Rock video... but please do take a moment to click play, sit back, watch, think and listen.......

Friday, January 18, 2008

Are my shades too big?

Happy FO Friday! Yes, yes... I have finished objects!!! I actually finished them last weekend, however since I've been slow with downloading photos, I'm just getting around to posting them now.

First up, the extra large version of the Heirloom Baby Breeze hat I made for
Jenn's adorable Nathaniel. I made this baby hat for him last year and he's of course, since out grown it... but Jenn loved it so much she asked if I could fudge the pattern for a larger version... so, I give you the giant baby breeze!

I'm anxiously awaiting some new modeling shots from Jenn and will share when they come.

I also finished my very own Amanda hat over the weekend and love it! I'm not typically a winter hat person, but this hat is just soooooooo soft and comfy and so far, has not given me that awful staticky, flat, winter hat head that everyone dreads. I even finished in time to go outside and photo it during our last snow storm (we got another foot of white stuff)...


A model, I am not, but I also took a stab at showing off my very overly priced chic designer shades that I bought last summer (bonus points if you can guess who) ... only to never actually have worn them because.. 1) I thought they were way too big for my face and 2) they were expensive and I tend to not use that expensive stuff so much (I know, my bad... if you buy it, use it, right?). So tell me what you think... honest opinions of the uber pricey shades on little 'ole me?

Nic_11408b


And, since you're being honest with me (you are, right?), how do those big shades above compare to what I normally wear, which are much smaller (although these were still somewhat pricey... see, I normally get the $5 shades since I tend to toss them here, there and everywhere, but the ones below were my first "splurge" - they're by Columbia brand and were $80 at my eye doctor's office - non prescription)...

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So I'm waiting... do I look like a total dork face or what??? Do tell!

Back to the knitting... yes, there was more of that done this week! I made progress on my One Row scarf over the weekend... this is a bit more than 1 skein of the Wisdom Sonnet (wool/silk blend) down...

I have a funny dog story to end your week. Some of you may know about the Evil Banana Incident... the day Zeus stood crying loudly at his bowl of food, looking so pathetic ... the day I learned he did not like bananas anymore (mind you he'd eaten them for a good couple years prior!). Well, we still give them to Lola & Teutul who love them and so when they got some this past week, we gave Sophie some too (as Zeus stood guard to make sure none of that evil mush ended up in his bowl). Did she like them like most dogs? Um, not so much. No, she didn't cry at them, she just gave me a funny look as if to say "how dare you," then proceeded to spit banana pieces out... everywhere. She normally eats in her crate, but I brought the dish out to the floor to avoid having mushed banana in there (as always, please ignore the dog hair... you already know that I could vacuum during every waking moment and still not be able to keep up) and this is what happened...

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Notice how she carefully spits the pieces out and scoops up all the kibble around them? She's very resourceful...

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She had a ring of bananas around her when she finished (which were quickly scarfed down by trash collectors, Tut & Lola)...

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