Vet visit results

Liver almost makes up for the indignity of wearing this bandage. Dr. Pat's lucky I've never been a biter.

We've just gotten back from the vet, and the results are mostly good. In fact, Dr. Pat said we were doing a good job with him. (I'm not offended that it wasn't a great job. We don't always remember to do things like defrost his liver every other day.)

She took blood to check a couple of things, and they are back within normal range. He's not dehydrated right now and has been maintaining his weight.

His oil glands in his tail are going a bit crazy, and he's not grooming as well, so we get to wash his tail for him. I guess after the sub-q, this should be easy?!?

He's had a bump on his neck for several years now. We've asked about it before and been told warty growth/possible cyst. Last time we were in they cleaned it up since he had scratched most of it off. Our last visit was 4 weeks ago, and the area hasn't healed. He has been irritating it and getting most uncooperative when we try to clean it. Today she decided to biopsy it to make sure it's not a carcinoma. We'll know the results within a few weeks. We'll probably know the results much sooner than that, but they tend to overestimate the time it takes. A CYA move for them.

That's one thing about older pets. You think, okay, I can get out of the vet for maybe $75 this time. Oh no! Before you know it, your cat has his neck bandaged up, and the bill has just tripled. In the past I've had friends who thought I might become one of those women with 50 cats. Let me mention now there is no freakin' way! Pets are expensive. And how do I end up with the ones that have food allergies? The ones that can only eat one certain type of food? I've had 2 dogs now with skin problems, as well as 2 cats. At least there are so many more options now than there were even 10 years ago when we were having so many problems with April and her skin. I know which food Sassy can eat with no problems. Oops, didn't mean to go off on a rant. My vets are wonderful and worth every penny, but ouch!

Anyway, I must go now. The liver is defrosted, and he's been periodically coming back here to meow at me before running back to the kitchen. I am a somewhat well trained human. My theory is that it's a mutual relationship. He comes when I call him, so I must return the favor. Besides, I also have to stuff pill pockets with his arthritis supplement.

The eyes have it

See my pile of eyes? Sounds totally macabre, doesn't it? I was looking for eyes for amigurumis and found a website through Ravelry that sold quite a variety. I don't need many eyes right now, and the shipping would be more than my purchase. I decided just to buy a lot more than I need so the shipping would seem reasonable, thus my pile of eyes.

As of this morning I've sold my 4th book on Amazon. It's quite exiting. I think I'll save up my gift certificates (who needs cash when I spend on Amazon so regularly?) and get one of the seasons of Star Trek, The Original Series. That's something Keith and I will both enjoy. After all, "he's dead, Jim" never gets old. Or how about "I'm just a country doctor, Jim, not a miracle worker." It never ceases to amaze me how that old country doctor can find cures for the most odd things imagineable. As Keith says - he read the script.

I'll write more later. Scoots has another vet visit this morning. He needs his rabies vaccination, and while I wish I had remembered this when we were there a few weeks back, at least this way his doctor can check the results of the sub-q. Hopefully he's staying hydrated enough that we won't have to do anymore sub-q. I'll know if we do in just a couple of hours.

Eye Candy Sunday

Just a couple of photos, as promised.


Chemo hat for Gina. I've made it from Lion Cotton by Lion Brand. I had it from my washcloth knitting frenzy. Yes, I did screw up the count for one of the cable rows. I've decided it's a design element.

Automatic bedwarmers working to prewarm my side of the bed. And eww, my sheets didn't photograph well at all. They are a natural, creamy color and several years old. I'll make sure to pull up the quilt next time so you aren't subjected to yucky looking linens. (Ok, I'll admit I've just found a reason to go shopping.)

My second amigurumi egg, but the first one that came out looking like it's supposed to. I thought I had a better focus with the macro lens. (it looked ok on the camera)

As for amigurumi, I think Mad Crocheter and Beth have created a monster. I found myself thinking about crocheting the Residents while driving to work yesterday. Yes, I can crochet with tiny cotton thread and get the heads right. Well, maybe I can.

As any of you crafters know, I've got too much stuff already to get finished or started, yet my brain keeps spinning with new ideas or patterns I've got to make. If only I could win the lottery and have maybe 6 months of self-imposed hermitage to get some of this stuff done. And D'oh! it's back to only 12 million.

First amigurumi finished!

One of the greatest things about doing crafts is that I am continually learning things. Yesterday, after I crocheted an entire happy egg in cotton classic and the bottom of an egg in Fantasy, I realized that I have been crocheting incorrectly all these years. I haven't been putting the hook in quite the right space when making a stitch. Explains a lot about why my crochet looks a bit crappy. I've left the egg in the cotton classic, but I frogged the one made in Fantasy. I really need to knit up another hat for FMWC tonight, so amigurumi will have to wait until the first meeting of the amigurumi group tomorrow.

I'll have to take pictures tomorrow morning of the egg and the cabled chemo hat. Sorry for teasing you by not including pictures. It's actually been raining here for the past few days, and my stone bench is too wet for fiber goods right now. Honestly, I have no desire to stand in the sprinkles just to take a picture or two. I'm not complaining as we desperately need the rain. The water levels at Lake Lanier haven't risen yet, but it takes a day or two for all the runoff to get there.

Not another obsession

Amigurumi is the newest one. I think a long affection for Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty has softened my resolve to not start anything else. How can I resist something so darn cute? Did you go and look?

Now go here and see what else is possible. All with a hook and some yarn. In some cases, leftover bits of yarn. Sure, you can knit cute things, but crochet has the advantage in this fiber genre. In June a book will be published that has amigurumi monsters, ninjas, and aliens, all cute and tiny.

I've almost finished the first chemo cap for FMWC. I plan to finish it tonight, wash & dry it, then mail it maybe on Saturday. Hopefully I'll have enough laundry to run tomorrow so I can toss it in and take care of any initial bleeding of the yarn. I'll post a picture when it's completed.

You know, I do think of deep and meaningful things to blog about while I'm brushing my teeth or driving, but I get in front of the computer - nothing. Sit back and enjoy some rambling about trash tv for a few minutes. With the writer's strike, tv has been worse than usual. I think I vented about this another time. I do read voraciously, so I'm not vegging out in front of the telly every night, but I've not mastered reading and knitting at the same time, and I'm so far not an audio book fan. Perhaps one day I will be. Anyway, I was channel surfing last night, wanting to knit for a little while longer, when I found Pussycat Dolls Present: Girliscious. Keith and I had watched the last one, Search for the Next Pussycat Doll. Let's face it, my hubby is a red-blooded American male who is going to watch girls who look like stripper wannabes gyrate around on his tv. It's produced by one of the same guys who does America's Next Top Model, and it is a whole lot like Top Model except for the regulars. For all the baby Oprah stuff Tyra has going on, she can be likeable. Nigel Barker seems genuine and a guy you'd want to be around. Twiggy is a sweetie, and I just love the Jays. Top Model can be so fun. On the Pussycat Dolls you have Robin Antin who looks totally freaky. She's over halfway there to being the next Joan Rivers, or maybe that woman who is doing all the plastic surgery to look like a cat. Her sidekick Mikey is a such a bitch. The guy from the record company always looks sour and cranky. In my whole life I never thought I'd say L'il Kim is the best thing going, but she's the only one who seems halfway likeable. So save yourself the trouble. I've watched this drek for you so you don't have to.

Writers, please hurry up and get some decent shows back on! I'll want more Nova and Nova Science Now! More Bones and House! Now, where are my Futurama disks?

Adventures of a newbie bookseller...

or how to complicate something that should be so simple.

I've gotten notice that my third used book has sold on Amazon. You would think this would be an easy enough way to clean out a few books I've got laying around, and it mostly is.

I ordered a book a couple of years ago that got shipped to Ohio instead of to me, and I had to contact the seller to track it down and get a refund. The book itself went to Ohio and stayed there somewhere. So, for some piece of mind, I figure the $.75 for delivery confirmation is worth it.

My first book was uneventful enough. My second book, however, has been a little wierd. First of all, it's a car maintenance manual. I thought I had entered the ISBN from the back, but somehow I ended up listing it under the wrong model year. I didn't catch it until it was sold. I emailed the buyer, explained my mistake (the cover's for several different model years are exactly the same) and offered a refund. The buyer said it still had the year he needed, so send it. I asked Keith to mail it for me since I had to work for the next couple of days and would have some difficulty getting to the post office. What I found out is don't just give Keith the receipt showing what I did previously. I must write down exactly how I want it shipped. He sent the book off with media mail (which is fine), signature confirmation (not fine for a $9.00 book). Now this poor guy has another hoop to jump through to get his repair manual, and I feel slightly idiotic.

As for me, book #3 sold today, expedited shipping. You can damn well bet that I'll be mailing this one myself. It's just easier for both of us and will save us some of that couple aggravation that happens over the ridiculously small things.

In other parts of life, the family member with cancer (hereafter known as FMWC) started chemo last week. When I spoke to her on Sunday, she said if I was making her any chemo caps that I'd better get going since her hair will start falling out sometime in the next week or so. I can occasionally take a direct order, so I started one last night. I'm using the pattern from Stitch'N'Bitch Nation which is becoming my standard cable hat (I usually tweak it every time I do it), and I'm using some Lion Cotton that I have from a dishcloth knitting frenzy. The great thing about this cotton is you can toss it into the washer and dryer, and it comes out fine. It does bleed some, but I'll pre-wash it. While at Wal-Mart I picked up some Peaches and Creme in a couple of more colors that she likes. The prayer shawl will be put on hold while I get these knocked out. Pictures later.

In case you've been wondering, Scooter has been doing pretty well. He hasn't gotten dehydrated again since we did the sub-q. Keith did take apart his recirculating water station to clean it, and we've got to get it up and running again since Scoots has been refusing to drink from a bowl that has sat for whatever lenghth of time he deems too long. He needs his rabies vaccine, so he'll go in again next week, and we'll find out then if he needs any more sub-q.

Above you see the Seaweed Prayer shawl in progress. I'm on the second ball of yarn, and it looks like I won't need all 10 balls after all. However, I'll keep them until I'm finished, then I'll make the decision about returning any of them. This color is so beautiful, I doubt any of them will find their way back for store credit.

It's been a busy week. On Tuesday Keith took the day off with me so we could run a bunch of errands. This weekend is a big knitting retreat, so I worked an extra day this week. The past 2 weeks have seemed so full that all I can think about is getting a nice long nap this afternoon. We haven't let the kitties sleep with us the past few nights since they take up so much of the bed, but Grey doesn't like this one bit. She comes to the door sometime between 4:30 - 5:30 a.m. and starts meowing in the most pitiful way. She sounds as if she hasn't been petted or loved on in eons when it's only been about 5 or 6 hours. I realize that to a cat that is an eternity, but I would so love an entire night's sleep. 7 hours divided into 5 hours + 2 isn't the best night's rest.

We're having a taste of spring right now. The daffodils have started blooming, and the air feels soft. You can smell the new growth in the air. I do love spring, but this year I find I'm thinking even more about the heat that follows, and I wonder about the coming drought. I probably need to get a dump truck load of mulch to get all the trees prepared while we're still having some rain.

When I feel more lively, I'll write more. Right now I see cats heading towards the bed. Looks like a great idea to me.

Seaweed Shawl update

I've been working on it as much as I can, but the family member it's for started chemo yesterday. I need more time to knit!

I'll post pictures later, but I did want to toss in some knitting content. I will say it is gorgeous and worth the wait.

Aah, butter

Now for the information on my butter making experience.

I looked at allrecipes.com to see if there was anything else I needed to do, and it's super easy. Take your heavy cream, dump it into a blend and punch the button.

So here's what I did. I bought my non-homogenized, organic whipping cream at the Farmer's Market and poured it all into my Kitchen-Aid. Yes, the whole quart of it. I used the batter blade, not the whisk. As I cranked up the speed, cream went flying all over the counter as I don't have a splash guard, and apparently not a lick of sense either. Keith came in as I was blending quite slowly and devised a splash guard with aluminum foil. I cranked up the speed again. The cream became softly whipped, then stiffly whipped. I kept beating it. It was so cool when the whipped cream began to collapse upon itself. I tasted it, and I could taste the butter droplets in it. I kept going until the butter separated from the liquid. I carefully spooned the butter into a sieve to drain it (and yes, I knew not to press it.) After it drained for a little while, I spooned it into an enamel bowl and pressed it to get more buttermilk out. Now I have about a cup & a half of real buttermilk and maybe a pound of homemade butter. Next time I'll use less cream and the blender.

Please know that I'm here to do the ocassional asinine thing so you don't have to. Have a great Valentine's Day. Since we don't celebrate Hallmark holidays, I'll find something to watch and get-a-knittin'.

Happy Valentine's Day, 2008

No time for a post, but check out this Valentine greeting.

I'll relate my butter making experience tonight.

Week in review

This past week has been chock full of activity, and I could really use a nap today. I won't get one as I'll be working.

I went to visit my grandmother in Athens on Tuesday. At her age and after the strokes, I have to remind myself that she's not joking when she asks "who are you?" I thought she was joking, especially since she told me in December that she wouldn't have recognized me. I thought this was a continuation of a joke, but later I realized that she's serious. Her eyesight isn't what it used to be, and I'd had my hair cut by about 3" since my last visit, so my hair looked a little different. I just don't always remember that she can't joke anymore. I realized my mistake later when she started asking me questions that included was I her first grandchild and was Brett my brother? My family is so incredibly lucky that my aunt and uncle are such patient and loving people that they can and have cared for my grandmother for several years now.

This past week was also the Atlanta Knitting Guild. I have knit nights on Wed nights, so when there's a guild meeting too, I'm out 2 nights in a row. When I was in my 20's, this wasn't a big deal. In my 40's, even though I have fun both nights, I'm so ready for be on Thursday night. However, I end up staying up late since I need to unwind.

On Friday I met up with Daphne for a latish breakfast and to discuss getting the prayer shawl group set up. I haven't seen Daphne for any decent length of time in ages, and somehow the day just got away from me. We went for a late lunch too since we had been talking for so long we needed refueling. I got home in time on Friday to do 3 loads of laundry and make macaroni and cheese from scratch for dinner.

At least I get to stay home most of the day today. I started on the prayer shawl/blanket that I've been wanting to make last night. My yarn finally came in yesterday. I purchased 6 balls, and now I'm wondering if I should get the rest in this dye lot since it's Malabrigo, and it never looks the same twice. Here's a picture of the start.

The pattern is not the one I had originally planned on doing. It's one called Seaweed stitch in Barbara Walker's Second Treasury. There is a seed stitch border to make it lie flat. I could have used garter, but I really love the was seed stitch looks, and I tend to use it when I can. Seaweed stitch is reversable. It does look different on each side. I think it will make a very interesting shawl. The person I'm making this for loves the beach. I thought the Malabrigo Emerald Blue has all those tones of the ocean on a sunny day. When going through the stitch pattern books, Seaweed Stitch suddenly leapt at me, and I knew I had the perfect one.

Let's see. We gave Scooter his last sub-q on Tuesday, and I think he's getting dehydrated again already. We do have some of the fluid left, as well as a couple of sterile syringes. I'll have to call the vet and discuss this development with her. In the meantime, I'll get the recirculating water bowl back up and running. I wonder if he would drink diluted chicken broth regularly?

One more thing before I sign off for now. I'm still planning to make my own butter. I mentioned this at knit night and was disappointed by the reactions I got. For me there is a sense of wonder that you can do this. I grew up in the suburbs eating margarine until I went off to college and bought my own groceries. I've never made butter, and I can appreciate the tranformation that cream undergoes to make this wonderful, delicious product. Thank goodness there are other knitters here who do appreciate it, and enjoy eating the results of their labor. Thank you to Janice and Debbie for starting me on this.

What is Sonny Perdue thinking?

I just have to rant for a minute here. We are in a drought people! A few weeks of rain doesn't begin to fill up Lake Lanier. Alabama and Florida are clamoring for water from that lake, and what does our governor do? Hey, it's ok to water your lawn. That is just a great use of a limited resource. Now, the watering restrictions are still in place on a local level, so luckily I think a lot of local governments still have pretty strict restrictions in place. However, check this link out. It shows current water levels at Lake Lanier. Should you really be filling your pool or watering your lawn?

If you want more scientific data, check out this chart I found.

I will admit that both of my sources are from the internet, and while I know that we can't always believe what we read, I've lived in the South my whole life. I don't need a chart to tell me we're in a drought. I can see it with my own eyes on a daily basis.

I'll write more about knitting and other fun things later. I've been working on Ravelry some, and there is now a group for Toasty by numma numma fans. More specifically, Toasty for Needle Nook.

Daily creativity

I want to direct you to Janice's blog, Knitting, With Dogs. I've linked you to her thing a day entry where she links you to what thing a day is. She's been doing this in February, and I'm so enjoying watching what she's doing. She made butter on the first day, and I've always wanted to try it. The Dekalb Farmer's Market carries a brand of dairy products that are non-homogenized, so I'll get some of their heavy cream and make my own butter. I won't be as low tech as Janice since I have a KitchenAid (thanks to the world's greatest husband.)

When Daphne and I had lunch a few weeks ago, I mentioned the prayer shawl ministry to her. She's very involved with her church's prayer group, and I remembered she wanted to knit, but she doesn't have much knitting time. She loved the idea of it, and her church is ready to get started. I'll be their knitting expert. Please take a minute to appreciate the irony of a non-observant Jew helping a church get their prayer shawl ministry going.

We have one day of sub-q left. We're getting better at it, as I knew we would. Like everything else, it needs practice. Unfortunately, I'm sure we'll get that practice since this is most likely to be a semi-regular thing.

Stash organization

I've been working on my stash again today. I took photos of the sock yarn box and got some of them onto Ravelry. I have to know what I have in order to knit it up.

I have a lot more Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky than I thought. I had originally purchased it when I started knitting for things like sweaters and scarves, but I soon learned that it is much too itchy for me. It does work great for hardwearing things like mittens, and I used it to knit a lot of mitten for the holidays last year. However, I still have quite a bit of it, and I've been pondering how best to use it. I will admit that I thought about cat beds, but even my kitties prefer Malabrigo (or the high thread count sheets, preferably right above my head;)

So I've decided to use it up making some mittens to turn into Diana at the AKG, and she can take them to the Atlanta Women's Day Shelter. I can use up my yarn knitting for a local charity, and the people who receive them will hopefully be able to use them. This is the first year in the past 2 or 3 that we've had prolonged cold weather, so I think they will be welcomed.

I will admit to be totally surprised when I read Main Street Yarns and Fibers newsletter for this month. I was so happy to learn about Lucy Neatby that it was a little while before I saw the list of local Georgia knit blogs. There I was on the list! It's quite exciting to know that other people actually read my ramblings, especially since I'm not strictly a knit blog. I know, there are days when I'm definitely a cat lady blogger. Thanks Ruth, for including me!

As for cats, we successfully did the sub-q on Scooter. Since we were here at home, he was more wiggly and less cooperative. We got almost the entire amount of fluid into him when he suddenly bolted, leaving us getting squirted with saline solution by the iv. Honestly, not too bad for the very first go at it. I have a feeling that we will become much better over time, but we'll do it to keep Scooter with us. Did I mention that he was still slightly anemic, so he gets to continue having liver? For him, that is the best part of all this.

Off to get my stuff together for knitting this afternoon. Since I did 5 pairs of mittens last year, they are a very easy item for me to whip up, and I don't have to pay to terribly much attention.

Lucy Neatby!

I can write this now as I have already paid for my spot. Lucy Neatby is going to be at Main Street Yarn & Fibers in May. Woo hoo! What does this following confession say about me? I have watched part of one of her DVD's while knitting and drinking too much wine with other knitters, and I actually learned things! Besides, who can pass up a teacher with hair like that? I can't wait. I think it will be lots of fun.

In other knit news, I would suggest if you want to try Malabrigo's Silky Merino, head over to Needle Nook soon. That yarn has been flying out of the shop. Several Ravelers from other parts of the country have been ordering it, and every time I go in, there is less and less of it. I will mention that it is so much prettier than the pictures on the Malabrigo website are. Silk just has that glow to it.

As for my beloved Scooter, Keith said that the sub-q isn't difficult at all, and he won't have any problems doing it. Thank goodness, because I'm a bit more squeamish. Scooter is definitely looking better and perkier.

Sub Q thank you

Thanks for giving me the encouragement about having to do sub-q at home. Luckily Keith is getting to learn how to do it in just a little while.

It's truly amazing how much better Scooter already looks and seems to feel. He's getting a B vitamin supplement with the fluids, and I know personally how much a dose of B-12 can make you feel better. His spine doesn't feel as ridgy and pointy now either. And yes, I do think the worst of it is the feeling that I'm poking a needle into my kitty. However, I think Keith has the detachment and the more medical attitude to do it. He really is a great hubby.

He does have a very different view on things than I do. When I mentioned to him that I planned to take an afternoon just for crafting, he said "you do that every night!" For one thing, I don't knit every night. Secondly, I do it while I watch TV, and I'd still be watching TV even if I wasn't knitting, so I don't think it counts. I'm thinking about a chunk of uninterrupted time when I can get a lot done. Oops, now that I think about it, I do get Saturday nights when I watch the Britcoms. Well, I just want more time, specifically for some sewing. I'd rather take sewing time from mopping, not from knitting. (But who in their right mind enjoys mopping anyway?)

Have a great weekend. I'm still not quite sure what it holds for me. I had planned to go to a Superbowl knit party tomorrow, then decided I needed to check with the local relatives to see if Keith and I needed to help anyone out. One has said she's covered for this weekend, but I still need to make sure the other is alright. When I stopped to think about it, I realized I have 3 older relatives with Alzheimer's/dementia issues. I was telling Emily last night that I don't mind the getting older so much, but I don't want to end up feeble and confused. That's so hard to watch as they seem to fade away.

So let's end on a more cheerful note. I've been awake to watch the sunrise several times this week, and it's been just gorgeous. This morning as it rose it turned everything a very lovely, glowing rosy pink color. Now the sky just looks grey, but it was incredible and vibrant just a short while ago. Get out and watch the sunset tonight if there are some clouds to catch those rays and refract them. If the night is clear, and you're far enough away from city light, go do some stargazing.

Have a great day.

The vet visit

Scooter and I went to the vet this morning. He serenaded me with the most pitiful meows imagineable the whole way there.

Our concerns have been, as I think I mentioned before, that he just seems to not be his old self. We don't think he feels very good, although he has a great appetite. We're pretty sure he has some arthritis (the vet agrees). I thought he might be dehydrated since he only wants to drink fresh out of the faucet water, and we're not always there to cater to him. (He is dehydrated.) He only weighs 6 1/2 pounds too. A few years ago he was around 13 pounds.

The results of his visit are that he needs subcutaneous fluids and vitamins for a few days. I was shown how to do this at home, but I'm not sure I can actually inject him. Keith is taking him back tomorrow to learn how to do this also. We wait for the results of his blood test to see if he still gets to eat the organic liver every other day. Much less baby food meat and back onto cat food since baby food isn't a balanced food for cats. He also has a cyst on his neck which he's had for years, but he's irritated it, so we've got to clean it every day until it heals. And the topper is a small spot on his gum that we have to watch. Let's face it, cats are not the most cooperative of creatures, and I'm not sure how Scoots is going to react to me trying to look in his mouth once a week. Oh, and we're starting him on an arthritis supplement to make his joints feel better.

My overriding concern with my old pets is to make sure they are comfortable and happy. Scooter has been my favorite pet for his entire life because he is an affectionate, good-natured, sweet cat. We will do whatever we can to keep him with us, but only as long as he is comfortable and enjoying himself. I just don't want to be surprised as I was with Pixel who seemed absolutely fine, then totally crashed in less than 24 hours. In the meantime, Scooter has been complaining a bit since he's been home. I'm sure the subcutaneous fluids aren't that comfortable, and no kitty likes going for a ride in the crate. Crates are ok to nap in when they stay open and stationary, but close them and put them into the car, and they become a most cruel place to be. I've turned on the heating pad so he can sleep on the bed, but he'd rather walk around and complain about how mean I've been today.

As for me, I think I'm going to block out 1/2 day off each week just to craft. No housework during that time. I think if I can have 4 uninterrupted hours each week I can make some real progress on some of these nearly finished quilts that I have. In fact, I have one that only needs the binding cut and sewn on, and all I've done is think about it in passing. I can get a lot done in 4 hours. I also have 3 curtain panels that are all finished except for sewing the linings in. I'll see how this goes and report back.

As this isn't starting this week, I'm off to toss wash into the dryer. Woohoo.

Sewing Seduction

Help, I'm being sucked back into sewing! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

First, it started here, on The Blue Blog, with Alison's knitting bags. Ok, what skull collecting knitter in her right mind could pass up that ever so fun fabric. (What, you're still here? Go look at her blog and then come right back.) Alison has been sewing from that book, Bend The Rules Sewing for several months now, and I broke down on Wednesday and bought it. This was right after I searched on Ebay and found the Knit Pirates fabric. I will say here that I did first go to the designer's website to see if any local stores here sold it. The one nearest to me did carry that particular designer, but after an extended walkthrough the store, I determined they didn't have the Knit Pirates fabric. I do support my LQS (local quilting store) before shopping online where possible.

Anyway, I'm now waiting for said book and fabric, and I caught up on some other knit blogs last night. Bad move for me. I found this on Mason Dixon Knitting. You're looking for the entry, owl right, already if it doesn't pop up immediately. Don't you just love that owl? I had to follow the links to find the pattern (written in Japanese, but with pictures that I, as a quilter, can certainly follow.) There is also the Tutowlrial by Moonstitches if you also find yourself in dire need of making an owl (or a whole flock) with all those wild bits of fabric you have hanging around.

As for knitting, I think I mentioned here that I had to rip out part of the Roses for you sock due to not paying attention to where I was in the lace chart. I worked on it for a short while last night, and I think I only have one more lace repeat to do before I do the ribbing for the cuff. It's interesting as I approach the end of this, my fourth toe-up sock, that I still have trouble estimating just how much yarn is left. I will put the sock on and make sure that I'm happy with the length too.

Anyway, let's just hope I'm the one getting the mail when my packages from Quilt Taffy and Amazon get here. I'm supposed to be de-cluttering!

TGIF! I get to meet a friend whom I haven't seen in over a year at a bar tonight that has some of the best hamburgers here in Atlanta. I may have some family running to do too before that day is over, but at least I've got something fun to look forward to tonight.