Extravayarnza

This spring I knit several Double Knit scarves as gifts, you can find them here & here.
Tis the Christmas season & inspired by a scarf I saw in the latest Magknits I pulled out my graph paper once again. I knew from experience that soft yarns don't work for shadow knitting, but they do work in double knitting. Plus I know someone who totally deserves one more hand knit gift & would wear a piano scarf.
One Octave in I had a pleasant surprise...

When I was fingering scales on the scarf I noticed that it's fairly close the size of a real piano keyboard. I can just barely catch an octave on the corners of the keys. That's a real bonus.

It's official, I'm totally obsessed with knitting, yarn, and sheep. I've been working on my final project for my painting class. It's a series of 3 paintings that all go together. Mine is an abstract (to the point of graphic) look at knitting.

Painting One is pretty much finished~

Painting 2 is close to done~

(Painting 3 isn't ready for a debut just yet...)

Trent & my new plant were both being very corporative this morning so I have a bit of eyecandy to show off.

My pretty Succulent is slowly blooming. 8 days under my care & she isn't dead yet. This is looking up!

To reward those of you who have read to this point... I got lots of comments and emails on the last post after scout mentioned the socks being famous. She's filming an episode of Knitty Gritty next week & my socks are going along as an example of her yarn all knit up. I know I'll be excited to see the episode & I'll let you know when it airs (it will be a while, they film these things quite far in advance). For any of you living under a rock, Stephanie is over there now filming an episode! This is going to be an exciting group of episodes.

The mighty Trent glooms over his prey. With great intent & stealth his moves in for the kill...

Poor little Ms. Mousie pincushion doesn't know what danger lies only feet away~

Will she escape or will it be off to Mousie death camp?

Trent & I noticed this afternoon that the supply of his favorite toy was running dangerously low. Due to the apparent shortage of fur mice with the all important rattle inside we stooped so low as to clean! A few mice here, a few more there, then we hit his favorite hiding hole.. under the oven. Over 50! little toy mice. At least I don't need to worry about buying any for a long time.

Tonight I finished a big project for me & here's one more quick photo before they get packed up in the morning & sent off to SWTC.

Now it's down to a few last minute Christmas gifts to finish & I can get knitting on my very own pair of Thrummed Socks (they are so warm... I need a pair to keep.)

Now, for the first time in several years I'm not entirely single on v-day, but this year brings a fledgling relationship so still no big plans for the day. Instead I'm concentrating on a special guy who's been with me through all that relationship stuff over the last 5 & 1/2 years. The one who curls up with me every night when I'm knitting & keeps my toes warm all night. My buddy Trent~

As far I as know my plans tomorrow night consist of watching Bones (will Booth & Bones finally get together?), knitting on some yet to be determined project, and cuddling up with Trent. I count that as a good night.

I did have a lovely day today. Lynn stopped by & we spent the afternoon looking online for big full skirts for Contradancing this weekend. Nothing is more full than twirling around in a pretty skirt. Then apparently mum & I were the only ones willing to brave the winter storm to Belly Dance. So, Garnet gave us a semi-private lesson. I'm feeling much better about Belly Dancing now. (Plus she gave me to go ahead to sign up for the Intermediate class, but I probably won't till Mom's ready too).

Plus I now have a finished pair of Rockin' Knee Socks!

The cool thing... I finished the first one on the plane. I had no idea how close I was to the half way point of the skein. I used up every last inch of the skein & the second sock was only a couple rounds shy of the first. That Rocks!

Okay,
apparently I worried some of you last weekend with the whole 'potently bad news' thing. No one is sick or dieing, it was nothing that bad. I was awaiting the decision from Sharon (aka the wonderful puppy lady) on whether or not I was going to be Bruser's (aka Christopher Robin's) new mom.
Well, I just got the call & he's coming home on Thursday night! I promise lots of cute puppy pictures this weekend.
With all the change that will be happening in my life over the next year I really count on a few constants to keep me grounded. As much as I love Trent, a kitty alone can only do so much. The exercise & added regularity to my schedule that a Dog brings is going to be a big help. I'm already looking ahead to all the wonderful experiences to come.
I found a local AKC chapter that offers obedience & agility training.  I've always wanted  a Dog to do Agility with. Agility is like a high speed obstacle course for dogs. It's full of Jumps, dogwalks (like a balance beam), tunnels, weave poles, and other obstacles that test the connection between dog & trainer. They have to be willing to go through these tests & have to trust you to guide them where to go next. (all while running as fast as they can) It's so much more interesting than the show ring. Here's a page with lots of photos of Dogs running agility courses (many of them Shelties!)
The other bit of excitement is that  the Lansing Dog Park is going to open in June if all goes well. Since I don't have a fenced back yard this will provide a valuable place for Robin to really run around & have fun (under careful supervision of course).  This is much better than sneaking into golf courses after hours or during the off season (no I never did that...)
Well obviously I have a lot to tend to between now & Thursday Night, so I'll talk with you all later~

First off... yes knitting content will be resuming soon! I started a new shawl yesterday & am almost finished with a very important pair of socks, so stay tuned...

However, a little somebody has now bounded calmly walked into my life.
Introducing... Christopher Robin!

How could I resist taking him home!

Robin is a Shetland Sheep Dog. He was born Nov 29, 2006 which makes him 13 weeks old. Full grown he's expected to be about 30lb & a touch over 16" tall.

He really stunned me with his intelligence. At 13 weeks he already has sit mastered! They don't even teach that till 6 months old in the puppy classes. We even worked on lay down for a bit today & he did it twice. Good Dog

I was so stunned when I went to register him at the AKC site & the name Christopher Robin wasn't taken. I was worried that I might have to add some silly bit to his name. I'm not down with all that fancy nonsense.

Everyone pretty much agrees that he's the calmest puppy they've ever seen. Right now he's curled up in a pile of his toys taking a nap. Sharon said he's a very calm dog.

As for Trent. He's earned a big Gold Star from me (and a pile of kitty treats). They aren't instant ' bestest buddies forever!' but Trent's very curious & is walking up to the gate and getting nose to nose with Robin. No hissing, no growling, just not quite ready to meet without a gate yet.

Bravo Trent!

So, I've lost my favorite hat & these socks just aren't working...

I'm on 000 needles & they are still gargantuan. To the frogging pool with them. I really love this pattern though. I probably will redesign the legs of the sock & add some ribs between the cables to get them from 48 sts to something more realistic (and hopefully smaller than the massive 72 stitches of the current design).

As for the hat, it was my original hat in my EZ Fit hat pattern. I hope it eventually turns up. In the mean time I ripped out my meat head hat & am knitting a new hat in the lovely hunter green alpaca. I should have some pics in the next day or two once it actually begins to look like a hat.

I think I may just console myself with a scarf kit. A Dragon Scarf kit to be specific. I totally need one of these in Snuff.

Or maybe I just need to look at more cute puppy photos...

Robin visited me at work on Tuesday. He was so good. He'll be back Friday from 3-6 if you'd like to meet him in person! (can you tell he'd had a long day before he visited me? Vet visit & a walk with the Grand Dog in the park)

We can't forget Trent either...

I can also cheer myself up with these fab shoes I found in the closet. I purchased these 3 or 4 years ago & I swear I never wore them. They're perfect for taking Robin out in the snow (and yes, I have 2 laces on each shoe, I did grow up in the 80's you know...)

Okay,
This is very new to me, so I'll see how it goes... I hope I can figure out how to add photos.

While I've been working on this whole design project I've also been knitting like mad. I've got about 9" of the sweater I started Thursday already knit! I'm really loving knitting with this yarn (Rowan Cashsoft) and the angora is starting to give it just a little halo.

(hey the photo thing worked!)
My favorite part of this sweater is that I'm just totally relaxing on it. I didn't swatch, my yarn is the wrong size for the pattern so I'm making it up as I go, I just am trusting in my instincts to knit a sweater that fits. I don't even know what the neckline is going to be yet other than it won't be a boat neck like the original design. I've done a few measurements & it looks like my instincts are steering me right and it will fit.
I've been lucky to receive several gifts this weekend. Erin stopped by and brought Robin a super cool bag of treats!

The cow's legs, arms, and head can be pulled off. Robin hasn't figured that out yet, but it has a squeaker & he loves da squeaker.

Robin says Thank You!
Then I arrived at work Monday morning a mysterious skein of huggable green yarn was sitting there with a note simply saying Rae. I thought it was simply odd till I found out that it appeared there between when the store closed Saturday & when it opened Sunday. It seems I have a yarn elf...

Robin & I took a very long walk today. I think it may have been upwards of 2 miles right at dusk. By the time the sun set (and we were still at least 1/2 a mile from home) it got quite blustery indeed & the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. I started to think it may start down pouring any moment. Luckily we made it home dry, if a little tussled from the wind, and relaxed on the couch for some knitting & a little Mythbusters. Robin loved tonight's episode, it was all about dog myths.

I'm working away at my sweater, it's not too much different from yesterday... I figured it was more interesting when Robin was helping show it off.

The bananas I picked up this weekend finally archived the perfect level of brown so I whipped up some banana bread. I am the Queen of banana bread. I basically use the recipe out of the Betty Crocker book. I don't use nuts (allergy) so I have a few other additions to zip it up. First, I use Olive Oil instead of regular vegetable oil. Then I add 1 tsp cinnamon & 1 Tbl honey. It is so good...

I've also hit that point each spring when I feel like signing up for a bunch of swaps.
I'm currently signed up for:
SP10
Handspun Keychain Swap(Signups open till March 23)
Tiny Pincushion Swap
(Signups open till March 30)
Dye-No-Mite! (signups open till March 21)
The last one is particularly exciting because we'll be swapping all sorts of hand dyed things, not just yarn. It's open to roving, fabric, etc... since knitting isn't my only craft I find this very cool.

I also have a neat idea for a swap brewing. But, I need something to get it really going.
Does anyone have a spare copy of the Alan Dart Gnome pattern? I know I could order it from England, but that could take over a month for the pattern to arrive & I'd like to finish him up for Spring... So, can anyone help me out?

Sorry all,
Still nothing blog worthy in knitting today. I've knit another inch or so on my sweater body... I may hit the armholes in the next day or two if I'm lucky. That's about it.
However, I do have a cute puppy picture for you. Today we had yet another perfect sun shiny day here in Michigan, we get so few of these each year that you really can't waste them. Robin & I went for a long walk on the Northern Tier Trail.
Between this trail & the River Trail in Lansing I can pretty much walk/bike anywhere in the city (within reason, I've hiked 8mi in the mountains before, that doesn't mean I have any desire to walk from my house to the state capital). The trail was pretty packed today, lots of joggers, bikers, and tons of dog walkers. Robin got to meet so many dogs today. By the time we got back home he just collapsed in a little pile o'puppy on the floor & slept for hours.
I took this photo near the beginning of the trail, when he was still all bright eyed & ready to go. I think the photo is really a testament to our training so far. I managed to choose a spot with a nice view of the pond plants behind, got him to sit there, and got him to stay while I walked 5 feet away & fiddled with the camera. This photo was actually the first shot. I have a few more on flickr, every single shot turned out. I don't think that has ever happened before.

Robin & I are starting puppy school tomorrow. One of the things that the school requested we have are a pouch that's easy to get into for treats. They gave us some suggestions like pants with a big pocket, a climbing chalk bag, or a small carpenter apron. My first thought was to use my Go Knit pouch, but I also have to use moist treats for the class and they are smelly & icky so I don't want to contaminate my knitting bag. I also won't use my pants pocket for the same reason.
Then today at work I was putting away some new yarns that I wanted to try out & realized that I could knit myself a treat pouch. I knew I wanted something that would hold itself open so I could quickly grab a treat. It also needed to be easily cleaned, able to attach to my belt loop, and deep enough for treats not to fall out. Here's what I came up with~

I totally love it! I used Nashua Cilantro, which is a cotton/poly blend with tons of stretch. I started with a hemmed edge so the bag holds itself open. Then I increased after the hem to give it a pouch shape to help the treats stay in when I'm moving around. I put a pair of eyelets near the top for a carbineer.
The treats in the background are the ones I picked out for puppy school. I love that they are tiny, so I can give Robin lots of them. Plus they are all natural (no preservatives or artificial flavors!) and peanut butter flavored rather than some stinky meat smell. Robin just loves them.
I see this sort of pouch as having lots of uses. Check in the free pattern section later this week for the pattern!

"...so you do know you have a Sheltie, right?"
That would be the answer you don't want to hear when asking your dog trainer about a barking issue. Yep, I knew Shelties were umm... vocal, but I think the neighbors would appreciate if he didn't bark at everything that moved on our walks. Plus apparently barking is self rewarding for Shelties, so simply ignoring him isn't going to work. Sigh...
On the plus side, other than that he's a little angel. Right now he's curled up on the couch giving me that look at says "mom, why aren't you over here knitting with me!"
Can't argue with that.

I have the pattern for the Doggie Treat Bag up on my site. It passed the practical exam tonight & is now Robin approved.

Robin & I just had a lovely anti-barking session over at the Brenke Fish Ladder and on the River Trail. I had planned to start working on heeling today, but there were tons of people in the park & barking seemed to be a big issue with Robin. Our instructor recommended teaching him an alternate behavior to do instead of barking. So, every time anybody came by on the trail he had to sit down & "look at me", once the person passed he got a treat. This actually worked really well. By the time we had walked to LCC & back he wasn't barking at walkers at all & only barked once or twice at joggers/bikers. This is a huge improvement over our last few walks. Now I think it's just a matter of being consistent with this new training.

In Knitting news today... My Cashcotton sweater is beginning to really take shape. Last night I had a marathon knitting session and finished up the back. Plus I went back to where I split the body for the arm holes & did short rows for the front (in a lace pattern...). I'm now just about to where I'm splitting the from for the v-neck. It feels so good when you can start to see that this blob of fabric really will become a sweater.

So, I've been neglecting blogging for a few days in favor of this...

I am so in love with this sweater. I still need to knit some sleeves, but I could help sewing the shoulders & adding in the neckband. It needs some major blocking (and sleeves...), but I was able to double check that yes, it does fit. By the end of next week I should have a new sweater! Another good thing, I've only used 4.5 balls of cashcotton dk so far. The whole long sleeved sweater should be just under 7 balls. That rocks!

I also had a rather eventful trip to my Dad's this afternoon. Robin got to have a long fun play session with Aspen.

Can you see where my love of herding/working dogs come from? I love this photo of Aspen, she's showing a classic Sammie smile. She also has the best coat right now that I've ever seen on her.
It's really interesting to watch Robin play with dogs of different temperaments. With puppies he's rambunctious, jumpy, and um... humps... much to my embarrassment. When we play with adult dogs he calms down and matches their temperament. Aspen is around 15 years old, so he mostly just calmly walks around with her. She was up for about a minute of chase & hide, but that's about it.
At Dad's I also picked a belated birthday present, my new to me laptop. It's a 15" powerbook G4, completely refurbished with mostly new parts. Considering that my old laptop had a 9" screen this is a mammoth improvement.

I will be sad to say goodbye to my old clamshell iBook, but he doesn't run most of the programs I use everyday, so it's time.

I can't believe how much of this I knit today. I don't think there's any worry of it not getting done by the end of the month... I have hit a bit of a glitch in the pattern, but I stopped & figured out how this misshapen blob becomes a sweater & I think I can figure out how many rows I need to knit before the last bit of shaping. Robin is so tired. We had a big evening at puppy school. He learned to look me in the eyes when I say his name. We got started with clicker training. We learned the gotcha game (grab the collar & say 'gotcha', helps with rounding him up easily later). AND most importantly, Robin did his first agility obstacle tonight! During our socialization session our teacher pulled out the tire jump. It was set so they pretty much walked through it rather than jumped, but Robin went right through twice! Yippy!! Now I need to get my tax rebate (or get you guys to buy some patterns) so Robin & I can get Agility in a Bag.
Okay, now for a whole bunch of pictures....
First up, the Baby Pearl Surprise Jacket (mostly done)...


Then Robin is learning how to be a couch potato...


There are a few more of those on my flickr page. Click on any of the above pics to go visit.

Robin gets a bath every other weekend. He's not a particularly smelly dog (actually he stays fairly clean), but he's just so lovely smelling and fluffy after a bath. We're on our 3rd bath now. He's starting to figure out there is no point in struggling. I don't think he likes getting the bath, but he does seem to be a bit more fresh the next morning.
I wanted to get a photo of his spiked hair do right after his bath last night, but it seems that wet shelties just can't stop moving! I've got a couple dozen photos of brown & white blurs. After his bath we just relaxed & watched Ocean 11 & 12. I hadn't seen these yet. Oceans 11 rocked! Once Robin was just damp he slept harder than I've ever seen him sleep...

I managed to do our nails...

(I love this photo)
And I just joined him for a nap...

This morning I though I should maybe give a quick review of Project Spectrum so far. I made a last minute run at white/gray/blue with knitting a baby surprise jacket.

Then I added on the most perfect buttons...

I'm starting out green/yellow/pink with a photo of some of my favorite yarn. I love it even more now that it has a new label!

Check that out! They now tell you the fiber content, weight, yardage, and suggested gauge. This color is Shaba green which I've knit quite a few projects in. I'm thinking I might knit a cardigan in Sea Moss (light heather green). I have a feeling you will be seeing quite a bit of green for the round of Project Spectrum.
(btw I feel like such a hick right now. I actually wrapped my radio antenna in foil this morning. You know what though? It works! Finally, static free NPR)

Robin learned a few lessons today.

1~ Mud is a totally terrifically wonderful thing. Lots of fun to jump in, then jump on mom, then splash in. The ideally everyone should be coated in mud up to their belly...

That goes for you too mom!

2~Unfortually muddy paws/feet/clothing all needs to be washed asap when we get home. Yep, that means a bath for puppies...

We ended up really exploring & going off the paved path tonight. A total of 3.25 miles!

The paths through the woods looked quite dry initially. Later on we found 10-20 foot sections that were quite deep with mud & standing water. There was no going around it, you have to go through it...
Robin was feeling particularly photogenic tonight. You can visit my flickr page for even more photos from tonight.

(Yes there is knitting content below. I don't mind if you skip all the dog stuff...)

Robin & I had a very successful class last night. Every week the barking thing gets less & less of a problem. We actually went to the vet Tuesday & he only barked when we first walked in and when our name got called. Night & Day compared to the first visit. Same thing in class. I'm teaching him that it pays (in food) to pay attention to me rather than bark at the teacher/other dogs/invisible friends... As much as that thrilled me, it's not what's gotten me glowing with pride. That was our socialization time.
Each week in class they bring out different things for them to check out & learn not to be afraid of. Since this school also teaches basic agility they bring out a few agility things. This week they brought out the tire jump again. Robin loves the tire jump. We were doing run bys within minutes of him seeing it again. Then we got to see a pause table. Up him went & laid down for 5 seconds. Such a good boy. Then the second coolest thing was the wobble table. This is a precursor to a teeter totter, basically a big board with a pipe under it so it moves when walked across. This freaked him out a bit, but he was willing to walk across it with a bit of encouragement (food). The coolest thing was defiantly the little mini tunnel. All like 9 inches of it. A bit weird to walk on, but within a few minutes he was running right through! Yippy! My boys going to love agility. We start agility class in 2 weeks.
Before that I'm picking up a few things for us to practice on. Sunday I'm getting a tunnel from Ikea. Plus I'm going to order a practice chute to go on the end so we can start getting used to that too. Then probably next month I'm ordering the coolest set of training weave poles.
I realize this is complete gibberish for many of you. If you're curious to know what I'm blabbering on about here's a link to a cool site that's all videos of different agility competitions.

Okay, I promised some knitting content too...
First off, A big Thank You! to my Secret Pal. She sent me a neat package yesterday with some sock yarn, roving, and bath products that are fragrance free! I'm super allergic to fragrance, so I really appreciate these sorts of things. I even had to switch shampoos because my old one was making my scalp break out in hives! So Thank You!!!! (and Robin says Thanks too, he loves the bone you sent)

I've been kinda crazy about my knitting lately. I'm knitting on several socks for various class. Book projects that I can't show you. But, I also have been knitting on the little donkey sweater. I spent a whole night weaving in more ends than should ever be on one part of a baby sweater.

Then I pulled out my sewing machine & whipped up a lovely misshapen box bag.

Now that I've figured out what I'm doing on that I'm going to sew up a few more...

Sorry I've been away for a few days. I've been working on Rent & I pretty much have been collapsing on the couch when I got home.
Today was a big day too. We had a big family Easter brunch then a few of us piled into a car & zipped over to Ikea, then back again for a big dinner. The main reason for heading to Ikea today was a get a few of those kids play tunnels. I set them up when I got back from dinner & Wow! Both cats & Robin have been non-stop running through these things!

Trent ~ Hey... This is nice I think I'll move in...

Robin ~ Umm.. Trent? I do believe Mom bought these for me.

Robin~ That's much better... Tunnels Rock!

Still my favorite photo has to be this one~

Okay, back to play with the fur kids. I'll have some knitting content tomorrow!

So, Yes I've been attempting to knit lately. My book projects have been begging for more attention & so is Robin, so bloggable knitting is a bit on the pitiful side.

So, sitting through 3 shows of Rent may seem like 525,600 minutes (I'm sure actually watching the show is much more entertaining), but I now have actual proof. Two socks almost entirely knit during those shows...

The sock in front is out of CPY Panda Cotton, the one behind it is in a machine washable Alpaca. I ran out of knitting half way through the 3rd show. I was told that the look of terror on my face was quite memorable. It didn't help that 2 of the guys in the cast continuously asked me out, over & over to the point I was considering a harassment complaint. I had to walk that thin line of being polite, but firm, so that I wouldn't get in trouble for decking one (or two) of the actors during the performance. Knitting was very therapeutic during all this, so you can imagine the down hill slide of my attitude toward them once the yarn ran out.

So, while not fending off unwelcome advances from horny guys who only wanted one thing (considering they were in town for only 2 days) I was working on my Little Democrat sweater. I'm down to only one sleeve left to knit.

I think this sweater is so cute. I decided to pick up stitches & knit the sleeves onto the body. I've realized some flaws in my plan to knit a little USA flag onto the other sleeve, so that is in a holding pattern till I work out a tiny but viable chart.

Now that I've gotten myself all upset again about this weekend I'm going to leave you with some puppy pictures. How can you be upset when these eyes are looking in your face?
(I took bunches more of these yesterday, click any of them to go to the flickr photoset to see the rest of the photos)

So, This weekend marks my shops 2 year anniversary! To be technical we made our first sale April 11, 2005. I still am finding it hard to believe it's really been 2 years. I absolutely love my job. I can't really see myself doing anything else at this point. So, those of you in Lansing can stop by this weekend for a little cake & a big sale.

Also, I've been contacted to help with the Detroit Tigers Stitch N' Pitch game on September 9th. We're going to be purchasing a large block of tickets for the game so that all of us Lansing knitters can sit together. Tickets are going to be $15 & it also includes a bag of knitting goodies at the game. Our block is in the upper deck along the 1st base line. I'll be purchasing tickets as soon as they go for sale in about 2 weeks, so if you're interested in going please contact me to be sure you'll have a seat. Tickets are going to be more limited for this game than some of the other events due to the Tigers success last season. So, you'll want to get in early to be sure you have a seat with the Stitch N' Pitch group.

Okay, puppy news. Robin & I walked almost 6 miles today! The big excitement on our walking route today was the first ELHS soccer game at the new lighted field. I decided to take Robin over to the soccer complex to see how he'd do in a crowded situation. We made it there just before the game began so the part of the complex we could go to was just buzzing (I don't believe they would have let us into the stands, we hung out in the unfenced part that included the concession stands). He passed with flying colors. He behaved perfectly, no barking, no running up to people, no jumping when people petted him! Now I feel completely confident in bringing him to all the fests this summer.
This afternoon Robin did the cutest thing. He carried all of his stuffed toys over to the sliding glass door. Then he nested up in them for a nap in the sun.

And because I don't want to be accused of playing favorites I think Trent is overdue for an appearance on the blog. He and Robin are becoming best buds. It's so cute to watch them play together. However at the end of the day a cat just has a regal side that a dog just can't mimic.

Okay, well I've just spend 2 days recreating the class list. It's redone... time to move on.

One of the new classes I'm teaching this spring is Cut That Knit. It's a little wrist warmer that's steeked open to add a button band. In theory I hope to ease a few knitters discomforts with taking scissors to their knitting.
I've been busy knitting up & charting out the design for the class project. The sample is out of Silky Wool which just has to be one of the best yarns ever...

This is version 2 of the design & I think it's just about right. The only change I'm going to make from here is to add a couple more stitches to the steek. I think it might be a bit less stressful to new steekers to have more than a 3 stitch safety zone. The steeks are crocheted so they are going nowhere & we're sewing in ribbon to finish off the edge. I'll have pics later this weekend of the finished wristband.
I've also been working on a pair of Monkey socks (in Cookie's blog colors no less). It feels good to have a simple pair of socks to tote around. Every sock I'd started lately got ditched because too much thought was needed to knit it & I've got plenty of stimulating big projects right now. But these are perfect~

I have one other project that I'm going to start this weekend. Robin's favorite toy, or at least favorite plush toy, is this bright green fun fur bone.

He loves his fun fur bone! Unfortunately he's starting to over love it...

I stitch it up over and over, but I think it's not long for this world. A search was performed for a replacement, but none was found. So, I'm doing the unthinkable for Robin... I'm knitting him a new fun fur toy. A better one... One that will last forever...A felted one with no seams.
Okay I'm off to build my reserves to knit with the dreaded fun fur... This one's for you Robin~

Okay, today I'm playing the role of freaked out mom. My little Robin is having a particularly difficult teething day. He's in pain & I don't know how to make it stop! Both of his lower Canine teeth are coming out today (long pointy ones). Those are big teeth to loose both on the same day. The left one is out & he bled all over his toys... The right one is sticking out of his mouth at a very wrong angle.
I just picked him up a chilly bone & it's in the freezer now, but I'm still being a bit frazzled by all the blood. He will look awfully silly without his canines though...

Okay Rae just a few deep breaths...

Well today was just about the most perfect day I've ever had.
The main event was a trip to see the Detroit Tigers with the family. Now, after last season I was starting to think I was bad luck or something because every game I went to last season they lost. Gosh, maybe it was my handknit Tigers Socks or something because the game today was amazing! The weather was beautiful, the tickets I purchased just happened to be aisle seats & in the shade. We won in the 12th inning (all those people who left when we were down by 2 at the top of the 9th missed the most exciting part of the game...)
I think we're going to try to go once a month this season, Tigers games are just so exciting.
Then we went for a really nice dinner in Williamston & for icecream at DQ after. I'm telling you, The Perfect Day!

Plus when I came home Robin was so excited to see me & we curled up in my new hammock to watch the sun set. Yeah, did I mention I now own a hammock? I've wanted one since I was a little kid (kinda like how I wanted a Sheltie since I was a little kid...)

The hammock is one of those new ones that folds up into a bag so you can take it with you. How cool is that!
I finished my first Monkey sock. The only changes I made to the pattern was to use a short row heel & pull the pattern down into the back of the heel. I'm pretty ease wear wise on my socks so lace on the heel & toe is safe for me.

The finishing touches were also put on my wrist band for the class I'm teaching next month. I found these little hand carved shell buttons that matched just right. Then I used some knitting themed ribbon to finish off the cut edges inside.


I found out that I am the only Rachael Blackledge in the entire country...

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Spring is finally here in Michigan. Robin & I enjoyed escaping out for a long walk in the April showers. Early flowers are blooming all over the woods. Plus when we go walking in the rain generally we see lots of dogs on the path (and only dogs/dog walkers). The last couple weeks we've been running into a group of black & white dogs on the trail. Robin just loves the border collie in the group (I guess it's a family thing). We found out today that they joined the same agility class we did! So they'll get to play every Wednesday night.
However, that's only part of the whole walking on sunshine thing. Many of you will probably remember the Dragon Shawl I knit last summer. I knit it as a wedding gift for two of my closest friends who are engaged. I love that they found each other, they are the two best people I know. I worked with J all week on Sweet Charity and after the final show on Sunday I went out for Oberon with the two of them. This was the perfect opportunity to present them with the shawl.
Lets just say it went well. They totally understand the value of a handmade gift & I've never felt so good about giving a gift. Especially when they wrapped me in their arms & told me I was a good person. That meant the world coming from them. And she looked so beautiful wrapped in the shawl...
Okay, so yes I was way busy last week. I kept thinking I'd blog when I got home, but I was working 12+ hour days & pretty much fell right asleep when I walked in the door.
One thing that happens when I work in the theatre is I usually knit lots of socks.
First up for last week was finishing my Monkey socks. These really ended up as almost a tribute to Cookie... seeing as how I used her pattern & her blog colors. So I decided to take it one step further & use my leg to take the photos!

There are 2 socks, but I only had one leg to use...

This is one of the 2 spots I changed from the pattern. I swapped out the heel for a short row heel & carried the stitch pattern down into the back of the heel.

and I'm pretty sure this is different from the pattern... I think I'd lost the instructions by the toe. Well, either way I again carried the stitch pattern down the top of the toe.
Can I just say that I love these socks. I'd totally knit this pattern again!
I knit more socks over the week, but I think I'll cover those tomorrow... but just a quick sneak peek...

(it's Socks That Rock w/ silk in it)
Good Night Robin
Good Night Siouxsie

Good Night Moon

If you haven't read this news story you need to check it out!
THOUSANDS of rich women were conned by a firm into believing LAMBS were valuable miniature POODLES.

So,
in the last installment I showed you all the amazing new Socks that Rock Silkie. Yep, 3.5oz, a touch under 400 yd per hank, 81% superwash merino, 19% silk. Wow...
Plus with half a skein you can just eek out one of these~



Right now this yarn is only available to Sock Club members, but the rumor is that it should be available on their website soonish. I'm using all my will not to knit the second sock right away.
Now why would I do such a thing? Well, I have another new sock yarn that needs to be tested out!
This is a limited time sock yarn from Rio De La Plata~

Can you say yum?! Again the word on the street is that they are only making these shifting multi-ply yarns this one time. I have a ton at the store right now, but once it's gone I probably will not be able to get it in again. (that makes me really sad, but there's nothing I can do about it...)
Some Doggie news...
Now that I'm home again at night Robin & I are back on the trails every evening. Walks are becoming quite pleasant with spring in full force.

If you're in the Lansing area I have a really cool dog event to invite you to.
This Friday from 5:30-8:00 the Friends of Greater Lansing Dog Parks is hosting a Dog Paddle at Hawk Hallow! Robin & I are so going to be there.
More information is available on their website.
Speaking of Robin...

I think he's telling me to keep my eyes on the road! (no worries we were at a red light)
We finally start out agility class tonight. Wednesday has just been a bad night for rain. Luckily the forecast looks good for tonight (knock on wood).
To prep for class I spent last evening baking doggie treats.


Those are doggie banana bread & cinnamon chicken treats. Robin approves!
These are the easiest things I've ever baked and none of the ingredients are gross. Most are probably already in your cupboard. Usually meaty flavored treats involve things like putting liver through a food processor, but this recipe used canned low sodium chicken broth. Very easy.

This is a quick update from earlier today. The weather did hold out & Robin got to enjoy his first agility class. He did so well! I've very proud tonight. He went right through the weave poles (set at a beginner angle). The A-frame through him a bit, but with a ton of positive reenforcement he made it over. Once he went over right there was hardly any hesitation the next time. He just needed to see that it wasn't going to hurt him & that there were treats at the other side. I even got him to stop on the contact on his way down (for those of you who don't know about agility, on obstacles like the a-frame the dogs feet have to touch a contact zone at the beginning & end of the obstacle. This is to make sure they don't jump onto & off of the beam and hurt themselves)

They put us in the group with what I think of as 'pocket dogs'. At first I was a bit miffed that we weren't with the shelties, aussies, and cocker spaniel, but when I though about it I think it's better this way. He is too young to work on jumping, so if we work with the tiny dog group he can just walk over the jumps & not risk injuring himself. I suspect they thought about this...

Robin loves some of the new training games they showed us. Especially the game that teaches them to go to your hand. I hold my hand out & tell him to 'touch'. Then he goes to my hand & touches it with his nose. That's got to be the easiest way for him to get a treat...

& what does Robin think about all this?
I'll have to ask him when he wakes up.

He's been napping for 5 hours straight since class got over. Apparently agility is hard work ; )

Just a forewarning... not a single stitch of knitting happened today. Nor will any be shown on the blog tonight. Today was all about Robin.

I had the morning off, so Robin & I started off our day with a 4 mile hike (note to self... next time you wear shorts remember bug spray). The woods are still going crazy with wild flower. My favorite flower is in full bloom right now~

Where I grew up the woods would literally be carpeted with Trillium blooms & May Apples for about a week every spring. I have to look a bit harder for them now, but luckily I saw that the trees were starting to get leaves & knew it was the right time to find them. Two days ago they weren't there yet. As a kid I always was amazed how a plant that's so fragile (they die if you pick the flower & are heavily protected) could flourish in my backyard.

After that hike in the sun Robin had a few hours to crash at the shop before we headed off the Dog Paddle.
The Dog Paddle is a special day where dogs are allowed at the Hawk Island beach and it's a fund raiser for the first official Lansing Dog Park.
We just couldn't miss this. Robin doesn't get to play off leash with other dogs very often. Plus I was curious how he would take to the water. Robin just had a blast! The first thing he did was run up to the pair of Great Danes. Eventually he found a cute little 4 month old Collie pup who was his perfect match for a playmate.

I got him to venture into the water quite a few times. I love that he would wade out till the water reached his belly, then he would yelp & book it for dry land!
There was quite a bit of media coverage. One of the photographers was quite taken with Robin & took tons of photos with him. I wish there was a way to get a hold of those! Hopefully a few will make it into the story, I believe he was with the free paper that comes out on Thursdays?
Robin was absolutely wonderful tonight. I was a little apprehensive to let him off leash (the area wasn't fenced) but he mostly stayed by my side & when he did run and play he came right back to me.
These are a few of my favorite photos from tonight... you can click any of them to head off the the flickr set with all of tonights photos in it.

This weekend really breezed by. The whole weekend was filled with wonderful activities. Even here at work I had our new employee Rachel in & we got more done than I could even have imagined. Every ball of yarn that could be out is now out. The class room is once again a class room & the storage system is now complete with all shelves & boxes packed with yarn. I once again have some breathing room.

This weekend I found myself knitting on two projects that have some close deadlines. The gnomes really should have left on their journey the end of last week, but gnome number 2 still needed some knitting done on him... Well he's down to the finishing touches, all that hairspray & jazz. I want him perfect for the big trip, but I have to share a photo of my favorite gnome knitting stage with you:
The webble wobble...

The other project is one that I just can't photograph. It's a sport weight shawl that was cast-on then forgotten about a few months ago. The shawl's knit from the center out & is hexagonal in shape, so there just is no good way to photograph this thing! It's just this purple pouchy misshapen blob squished on a set of circular needles. However, I'm hoping to continue my tradition of finishing a shawl for/at TNNA (first weekend in June...). I'll knit on this one a few more days & if it's seems undoable I'll probably sneak back over to my half finished peacock feathers shawl. Either way I need a new shawl in 4 weeks!

Robin continued to have a big eventful weekend. Actually Saturday was a day of rest for him. However Sunday totally made up for that!
We had the first meeting of the new Yarn Tails knitting group!!!!
Luckily we found one of those square picnic tables that up to 8 people could sit at & for those of us with dogs who can't be held on to at the same time as knitting, the table had lots of spots for leashes to be attached. Robin was loving spending a few hours with some really cool dogs.

Plus it was the first Sunday gallery walk in Old Town & the farmers market. We broke up the group early to head down to Gone for the Dogs to get the pups some treats then zipped over the farmers market to look at handspun yarn & get the dogs more treats (one of the vendors had all natural liver dog treats).

When we got home Robin & I enjoyed some good grub on the grill & headed for a long walk. I decided to go along the grassy side of the river & see how Robin would do off leash. Umm yeah, he walks better off leash than on. He stayed right by my side, came right back when he stopped to smell something. The bikers/joggers on the paved side of the river didn't phase him. and we got to play fetch! This will now be a permanent part of the walk. I'm just so pleased with how well he minds me off leash.

In fact I was so pleased he got rewarded with a bath when we got home *lol*

I don't think he saw it quite as a reward (the work torture might have come into his mind), however the massive amount of *oh he smells so good I just want to hug him & squeeze him* cuddling he gets in the days after a bath more than makes up for the bath.
I'm just going to leave you with some photos of flowers in our yard & on the path from this weekend...

So, I need to blow some steam. I'm just a touch upset right now & I really shouldn't be.

Tonight was Robin's first big boy training class. We moved up to Beginning Obedience at the OTCGL. This is our local AKC obedience club.

To set this up, you all should know I have some issues with authority figures. I was always the kid in class who even when the teacher was very nice & pointed out a mistake in a positive way I still started crying. This sensitivity goes double (or more) for male authority figures... In school I solved this by deciding that all that mattered was that I knew that I knew the materials, I don't give a rats .... what the teacher thinks. I don't think that attitude works very well.

So, I noticed earlier today that the teacher for Robin's class was a guy. I almost decided not to take the class right then & there, but it was the only class at any of the training facilities that worked in my schedule for the next 2 months.

This guy was really nice about everything, but he's an opinionated AKC obedience competing dog guy, and we're going to do things the right way. Poor Robin was thrown into the deep end of the pool tonight. I had steeled myself in advance because I figured heeling would be lesson one. Yep.

After much praise & correction to Robin & much constructive criticism from the instructor I'm just feeling really drained. I was practically in tears after the class. I feel really silly about this, but I guess it's just who I am. I will get through these 8 weeks, both for myself & for Robin.

And let me tell you, I have to go & get a 'choke chain' for this class. I'm totally only doing it because Brother Christopher (of the Monks of New Skete) recommends them & talks extensively about the correct way to use them in their book, not because this guy teaching my class told me Robin would respond better to it.

I’m going to go curl up with my dog now...

I realized I neglected to write up a good Thank You to my secret pal over the weekend. A fantastic package arrived last Friday~

It's so hard to choose a favorite thing in here, great sock yarn, tasty mints, a super cool book that I'd never even seen before... but I think my favorite is this~

I'm really sensitive to fragrances & she found me some sheepy soap that's all natural! I just love it.
The soap is from a company called Down to Hearth.

Robin has also been getting a few gifts lately. In fact his toy bin increased by 5 toys in 3 days. Probably that's a bit too much, but I felt so guilty after Monday's class. BTW thank you all for your support & suggestions about our bad experience in class. I found a training collar I can live with (has a nylon braid woven into the chains to help keep hair from getting caught & also to make it more comfortable for Robin). I also decided to stand up for us a little more starting next week. If I don't think Robin will respond well to something (like stepping on his collar to keep him in a down!) I just won't do it. I'm paying for this class & they can't force me to do anything I think will do more harm than good.

I'm also reading The Monk's of New Skete's book How to be your Dog's Best Friend: A training manual for Dog Owners. I really like their training methods & I think this will help support my decisions in class.

In the mean time I think Robin is turning into a Detroit Tigers fan!

I don't often to Meme's but I found this one over at Pollyanna & think it looks like fun~
Mark with bold the things you have ever knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book 2008 with any luck!

Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars

Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit (so would male knitters change this to “teaching a female”? I left it in, but it’s annoying me)
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch

Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
RugOkay, that one is an UFO, but I'm doing it!
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair (unintentionally, but with plans for later doing on purpose)
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

What have you learned to do that has marked a definite change in your knitting life?
Well it would probably be the first scarf I knit when I became a serious knitter (as opposed to knitting once or twice a year...) Right from the start I 'designed'. This is the project where I taught myself how to purl (literally taught myself, I didn't know any knitters or have a book, all my purls were twisted, but it didn't matter).
I started with garter, then moved to stockinette, worked for a while in basketweave, attempted all sorts of diamond shapes & crossing diagonal lines all using knit/purl. Then reversed the whole thing for the other half of the scarf. This forced me to interpret my knitting and deduce the pattern due to a lack of any note taking. I also visited my first real yarn shop when I decided the scarf was finished & realized I didn't know how to bind-off. Luckily I had made a million of those potholders on the little square looms & figured if I found a crochet hook I would just pull loop over loop then fasten off the last one.
The search for a crochet hook lead me to an amazing yarn shop in the French Quarter (yes I happened to be in New Orleans when the scarf was finished) where I saw my first $100 hank of yarn and I think where my dream of owning a yarn shop first started to fester in a dark corner of my brain.

Now one last recommendation: Go check out the comments on 'How many knitters does it take to change a light bulb' I'll warn you though, it's hours of bust at the seam entertainment!

Finally, Gnorm & Gnuman the knitting gnomes have been sent on their way. Finishing up Gnuman took everything I had in me, but he turned out so cute!
So, this morning they started scheming...

They opened up the Knitter's Travel Guide to try and decided where they should stop first.

So Where will they stop first? Swappers keep an eye on your mailbox. Gnorm & Gnuman have packed their bags, jumped on a plane & should be arriving at their first stops early next week!

Now that the Gnomes are on their way off I've gone a bit crazy starting new projects.
The first thing I started with a Ballband Face Cloth (I don't do wash rags)

I'm using Online Alpha which is a dk weight mercerized cotton. The yarn is really soft & shiny plus the colors are very rich. Everyone has been right about these being addictive. I've just about finished the first one & am who else I could knit one for...

We received a huge order of Claudia's Handpaints today. I had to swipe a couple of skeins to hop on another big knitting bandwagon, the LMKG chevron scarf. Just look at how much creamy goodness is in these colors!

I played around with test knitting these a bit tonight & the scarf is going to be just smashing.

I also want to share with you a few pics that the photojournalist at the dog paddle took of me & Robin. The other pup who's in some of the photos is McKenna a 4 month old collie. (Robin is in the bandanna)



The last pic is the one that made it into the newspaper, but I just love all three. I'm really glad they posted the additional pics on their website. I suspect that free professional photos don't come along very often...
I've noticed that the photos make it look like Robin is beating up on poor little McKenna. Trust me, she was giving just as good as she was getting, it's all just puppy play.

Let me just say this will be a pretty random post. I have been quite busy this week.

In knitting news I first need to say a big Thank You to my Hogwarts Sock Kit pal she has already sent me my kit & it's so cool!!!

Yeah, most of that chocolate is already gone...
I love JaWoll sock yarn. It's so soft & wears like iron. My first 'real' knit socks we're out of this yarn & they're still around and kickin'. (my actual first pair was out of Bernat Hot Sox acrylic and have fun fur cuffs so I just bring myself to count those)
Plus the Harry Potter candy was so yummy.
BTW: Alison's new Harry Potter knitting book, Charmed Knits came into the shop today & sold out today! I immediately reordered it & since the ship out of Grand Rapids more copies will be here either Friday or Monday. The book is totally wonderful in every way. I'm trying to decided if I need a weasley sweater or a wizard cloak first...
My current knitting focus is finishing my Spiderweb shawl for TNNA. I don't know if it's going to happen (I might be driving to Toronto next weekend, so that would improve my knitting time, on that note can anyone recommend a good/cheap hotel room in Toronto? preferably not too far from the Yarn Harlot book party)
I've now finished my third ball of SWTC inspiration (alpaca & soy silk) and am around 20 rounds from finishing the first chart. That's 2 maybe 3 more days of knitting to finish the first section.

My current big project at work is this:

I'm switching our old customer appreciation card system over to new cards & a new storage system. The main bulk of the work is switching everyone over to the new cards & marking them all off. My hand had such a cramp by the end of the day. I worked on this for 5 hours straight & only made it to M.
But the new cards look so much nicer!

and the new file drawers hold so many more cards (no more worries about over stuffed roladex things) and they are very pretty looking~

The other bit of shop news is the tragic loss of one of our neighboring businesses. Lazeez restaurant a few blocks from us burned down on Tuesday afternoon. It happened so fast. I went out to give Robin a potty break. When we went behind the building the skies were blue. We walked back around to everyone standing on the side walk with shocked looks on their faces. This is what we saw.


Luckily everyone was warned before the fire got out of control & no one was seriously injured. It really makes you feel powerless to see how fast their business was destroyed.

Okay, let's move to a happier subject...
How about a pretty flower picture?

I saw this lovely walking through the MSU perennial gardens. The signs still seem to be being sorted out, so I don't know what it is, but it's really a pretty plant.

I didn't let our Obedience teacher get to me like he did last week. He again told me to do something with Robin that I won't do, I just played dumb & didn't do it. (I am so not grabbing his muzzle & holding it shut to keep him from barking).
Luckily Robin & I both love our Agility class. Tonight he went through with flying colors! He's now seen & performed every obstacle that he will eventually see in competition. Many are still at a beginner setting, but he's seen them & know what the point of each of them are. We even are starting to work on sequencing. My favorite to see him perform tonight was A-frame to tire jump to weaves (all off leash & on my command! that's so cool because those are difficult obstacles) & we also did chute (a blind tunnel he has to push through) to a jump, then a 180 degree turn to the stay table. It's starting to feel like this is really going to happen.
The funniest moment of the night was when we were doing an exercise where we did a circle of different types of jumps. Some of the jumps are window or tire jump, so I dropped the leash to let Robin go through. The plan was just to let the leash trail behind & complete the exercise, however Robin hates his leash dragging on the ground. So he just stopped & picked his leash up in his mouth and continued to jump. Every time he jumped he opened his mouth & the leash fell out. Then he stopped & picked it up again before the next jump. This happened over & over all around the circle.
I think next week the leash needs to just come off.
However nothing tires out a pup like an hour of agility training...

I had a lovely time knitting a little distraction project. When I work on a big knitting project (like the spiderweb shawl) I need a little side project once & a while.
So I gathered around the fur kids & got to work on a super cute little hat.
Siouxsie actually sat near by (kinda unusual)

Trend sat down to give himself a bath

Robin was fresh from a bath himself & decided to take a nice long nap.

Okay,
Many of you have probably seen the Sweet Baby Cap over at Hello Yarn. The pattern is freshly translated & I had a partial skein of Claudia Hand Painted in Poppy!
This hat turned out so nice & was a really easy knit.
The photos don't come close to showing the correct color of the yarn. It's a super saturated orange/red/pink & my camera just about blew a circuit attempting to capture the color.


Robin humbled himself about and allowed me to photograph him in the hat... this is as close to the correct color as I got.

One part of the pattern is a little fuzzy. I attached the ties by picking up 3 stitches at each of the 2 back pointy bits. Then I worked an i-cord on each at the same time (one from either end of the ball).

This ended up working really well. I was freaked out at several points that I might run out of yarn (I only had 30g to start with) but I had a comfortable amount left over in the end.
I want to leave you with a photo of my clematis that's overgrown 2 trellises and 2 pine trees. It's in full bloom right now & really is quite a view!

More photos of the current blooms in the garden can be found on my flickr page.

I've got a little sewing project on my hands right now. The store bought bandannas are way to big for Robin & I really wanted some different prints than I could find, so I've decided to sew him up some nice reversible bandannas.
Doesn't he look so cute!


Plus I have several other prints to sew up...plus a few knitting themed fabrics on the way!

Here's the deal though. To buy enough fabric to sew up one, I have to get enough to actually make 4. Robin doesn't need 4 of each print.
If I sew up the extras & put them on etsy is anyone interested? They fit a small to medium dog (neck size up to around 12") and all edges are completely finished off. I find these have long enough tails to tie in a square knot on Robin & the tails are short enough he's not chewing on them very much.

I am already half way through my Argosy scarf in the Noro Cashmere Island. I love how soft it is & this pattern really shows off self striping yarns to their full potential.

For those of you following our drama with Robin's obedience class, class 3 of 8 was tonight. I still don't like the guy & it's very obviously that Robin doesn't either. When he came over to push Robin back into a down Robin just freaked out. However as long as he doesn't ever touch my dog again I think we'll make it through.
Robin just isn't comfortable going into a submissive position when that particular teacher is near by. His downs are solid out of class, but he gets all skiddish and uncomfortable when he's there.

However I'm noticing he's taking a liking to the Shepard pup in class. I'm cool with that. I think I may be taking a shine to the Shepard's owner... puppy's are the best icebreakers.

I'm leaving it off today with a photo of Robin from our pre-class walk this afternoon. He's really starting to look like an adult Sheltie! Plus I just think he looks so happy in this shot~

I don't mean that in any relaxing watch bad movies all day on Sunday sort of way. It is hot here! It's been 90 or close to it for the last couple of days & I just realized that the air hasn't been on at home. I've been sweating buckets here melting onto the couch & just thought to check the thermostat. It was 84 degrees in the house. No wonder why I feel like I'm in an oven. Poor Robin's been laying at my feet panting... the heat doesn't seem to effect the cats for some reason though.
I guess it doesn't help that I have a large purple object laying on my lap either. A large unphotographable object. I'm more than a repeat into the final chart & am about to go up to the biggest needle size. I think (assuming I don't turn into a puddle first) it will be done for TNNA in 9 days.
I do have a finished sewing project. Here's Robin's new set of Bandanas!

I think he likes them...

I'm planning on putting up the extras on etsy when I get back from Toronto (I have between 1 & 3 additional of each print) and I believe I can make some larger ones in the interest is there.
Oh yeah, I'm headed to Toronto for Stephanie's book launch party & the yarn crawl on Saturday. Yippy!
My last trip to Toronto was not as good I had expected.... I suspect that being lead around by a troop of knitters will give me a pretty fabulous view of the city. I don't believe I'll have internet access at the hotel, but I'll be taking tons of photos & you'll either get the full report when I get back (probably posting on Sunday) or if I find some free internet access in Toronto I'll sneak in a quick post.

I got up bright & early this morning to go help out at my first dog Agility trial. Robin is months away from being old enough to compete, but I figured that I could learn a thing or two volunteering at the meet.
But you know what? It was tons of fun! Totally worth waking up way too early for a Sunday.
Plus it gave me the kick in the rear to head over to Home Depot to pick up the PVC to make these~

This afternoon I put together both of the jumps & the set of weave poles. When I add in my tunnels & chute I think it makes a pretty respectable set of practice obstacles.

The best thing is even with purchasing a set of PVC cutters (a must have) all 3 pieces cost less than $30 & took all of a hour to put together. They even fold flat & slide under the deck for storage. That's about as good as it gets.

Okay I need to go console my poor pup who after a fun hour of training got rewarded with a bath. He's all wet & curled up next to me giving me that "how could you claim to love me & do still this to me" look...

I think that had to be the worst nights sleep ever. I was wiped out from a day in the sun & fell asleep on the couch watching a movie. Now, our couch is comfy & well worn in, so I sleep just fine on it. I even managed to turn the tv off just before crashing.
Trouble started when at around 2 am my aquarium's very noisy light decided to come on. I suspect this is related to the power outage that effected my alarm clock on Saturday since they are on the same circuit (the only one that lost power... I think someone blew a fuse & didn't tell me).
That was a quick fix, off the couch, turn the dial on the timer to better reflect the correct time, back to sleep. Except Robin decided he needed to go out right then, so a few more minutes & I really got to sleep.
The thing that killed my sleep for the night?
At 4 am I heard what sounded like either the sliding glass door or a window opening, a big crash, then Robin was up at arms letting loose a mean growl. That wakes you up! Next thing I knew I had a big stick and was carefully going through the house room by room turning on all the lights & checking the windows. Now this probably wasn't the wisest course of action, but if someone had really broken in we have an open floor plan, I was in the living room & there are no doors, so to escape the house I would have to go right by where the noise came from anyway. Besides I Robin was looking mighty menacing at the moment & I was happy to have him by my side.
Luckily all I found was a window that was left open at night (screen still intact) and a cat on top of the kitchen cabinets making all sorts of ruckus chasing a moth that I probably had let in when I let Robin out a few hours earlier.
But by that point my hackles were up and was much to freaked out to either fall back asleep on the couch or venture into my room in the basement (was to many hiding spots down there on the off chance there was an intruder in the house)...
So I did a load of laundry. Yep, laundry...
When that went in the drier I still didn't feel anymore at ease. I figured the only way I was getting any more sleep was to lock myself in my mom's room with Robin (mom wasn't at home).
Eventually I fell back asleep only to be woken up again at 8am to what sounded like gun shots & more of Robin's barking.
Neighbors having roof work done... when you've had that sort of night air powered nail guns can definitely sound like an actual gun.
I just gave it up at that point & made breakfast and read the paper.

I still want to know what Trent did chasing that moth that sounded so much like a window opening!

To brighten my mood & keep me sane today since I'm wound just a little tight at the moment, Robin came to work in all his cuteness (and cleanness since he got a bath last night). He even decided he wanted a photo shoot & started posing for the camera (really, he hears the click and makes a 'don't you just love me' face).

As of today Robin is now 6 months & 2 weeks old. Wednesday he graduates from his Intro to Agility class & next Monday he finishes up his Obedience I class (the one with the teacher I hate, so no tears shed over that one finishing up).
It's hard to believe only 3 months ago he was this little pup!

He just looks all grown up now *sniff* *sniff*

So, I've once again been very busy since you last heard from me.
Robin had his Obedience class Monday night. We unfortunately found out we have 2 more classes rather than one. Robin is acting more and more skiddish with this teacher. The teacher actually asked if he was abused by his last owner & accused me of not working with him enough. Those of you who know Robin, you know those accusations are ridiculous. Luckily I was on my game that night & snapped right back at him & told the Dick (conveniently that's his name) that Robin just doesn't like him & that I'd appreciate it if he didn't directly address or ever touch my dog again.
Next week I'm breaking my no hotdog rule & making sure Robin has an extra special treat for the class.

The next day brought a visitor to my yarn, Hedwig!

Hedwig was knit with 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Astrakhan & 1 ball of Anny Blatt Fine Kid. The pattern can be found in Charmed Knits (patterns inspired by the Harry Potter books/movies).
The pattern was fun to knit. I did run into a rather large issue when sewing it up though. The base of the body was 3 times larger around than the bottom edge of the body. I ended up folding it in 4ths to make it fit. I emailed Alison to find out what was up & I'm still waiting to hear back from her, I'll let you know if I find out what's up with the Errol pattern.

Tonight I was finally able to finish binding off my Spider's-Web Shawl!
It's currently soaking wet, blocking on the only bit of floor that is big enough to hold it (and only because I moved some rather large pieces of furniture).
The room it's in has vaulted ceilings, I'm standing on top of a large desk & holding the camera over my head (near the highest part of the ceiling) & I still couldn't get the whole thing in the frame. ...


Pattern: Miss Lambert's Spider's-web Shawl from Victorian Lace Today (Full Hexagon)
Yarn: Inspiration from SWTC, color 388, 21 Balls!
This shawl was a real needle killer! My size 2 Bamboo survived, my size 4 Bamboo had the metal casing on the join bent way out of shape so it started cutting the yarn, the size 6 Denise had the ends snapped off the cable, finally I relented & when I moved up to the biggest needle I used a size 9 Addi Turbo, those are indestructible.
I'll do a better photo shoot once the shawl/blanket is dry. At 2.3 pounds & 7.5 feet across (lightly blocked) I think this has definitely moved into the blanket range.

So what's the next shawl for me?
Well, I'm test knitting this shawl for Sharon Winsauer (designer of the dragon shawl)
This is proving to be just as challenging of a knit. I'm about half way through chart 1 of 15 & and really loving it! I'll start posting photos as soon as it looks like something.

Okay, lets end on a super happy note!
In fact it's a happy puppy!

Tonight Robin graduated from his Intro to Agility class!
For "Finals" they set up an actual full course for us to run that included all the standard obstacles except the teeter totter & the weave poles.
Robin did super well. The only thing we would have gotten marked down for on our second run was a refusal of the dog walk, but we backed up a bit and he went right over it on take 2. This was done all off leash, with a couple dozen dogs near by,and someone on a big riding mower right next to the park. He listened to me the whole time! I'm so proud of him.
Now I need to decided if we want to jump into the next class up or take this one again to help build his confidence. The instructors said they'd support me either way. I'm leaning toward taking this one again since it would be Wednesday nights again & I would have to really rearrange things at the shop to free up my Thursday nights.

Despite today not being my dream of relaxing at home all day, I had a lovely day.
The sun was out. I had a nice brunch with my Grand Parents. Then I managed an hour long nap before meeting up with the Yarn Tails Group.
Robin & Annie even managed to both be still enough for me to manage a photo (my camera is awful with movement, so getting 2 dogs clear in the same photo is quite a rarity).

My Dad then treated me to a movie. We went to see Knocked Up (I don't recommend seeing this with your father & little brother BTW). It was everything the critics claimed it was & more, if you liked 40 year old virgin then you will love this movie. It gets beyond the college bathroom humor & turns into a genuinely sweet movie at the end. My only real warning is there is just enough shown during the birth scene to make many people uncomfortable (I'm not sure I really ever wanted to see a baby crowning, especially on the big screen).
Then Dad did his usual thing & told our good looking and totally charming waiter really dirty jokes and managed to completely embarrass me.
I forgive him because it's father's day.

Oh, & the Pegasus shawl is now up to row 52. I took a few minutes & spread the whole thing out on my blocking wires to get a good look at it.

I think after I made those snappy (rude but true) comments to Robin's teacher last Monday he finally realized that perhaps there might be an issue. Today I saw him make a real effort to try and help me and Robin. He asked lots of questions about how Robin acts out of class (Is he a shy dog? Is he generally afraid of men?...) Then when Robin tried to run away when he tried to offer him a treat he stopped the class to try and bond with Robin a bit.
He let Robin sniff him & gently reached forward offering a very good treat, and was eventually able to pet him without Robin shying away. Boy did that make a world of difference.
I was able to finally catch up with the rest of the class & was able to leave Robin in a stay & walk outside the building. Dick (the instructor) stood by him just in case, but Robin stayed put. I'm not sure how many classes we have left. Dick seems to say a different number each week. Last week he said 2 classes, this week he said 2 classes. I just will keep going till he gives me that certificate.
Anyways Robin is crashing out on the couch next to me. He was doing so good by the end of class!

Now lest you think I may be playing favorites I just can't forget my little prince Trent. He's my head mouse & is in charge of keeping my wool stash moth free. He may be a little skiddish & a bit temperamental (and perhaps the only cat I know of who's afraid of the dark), but he'll always be my baby~

I'm in a very peaceful perfect place right now...

The pegasus shawl is half finished & sitting on the coffee table~
Siouxsie is sleeping on a chair near by~
The yarn I dyed today is handing in the window infront of the fan drying~
Robin is curled up at the end of the couch (a well earned rest after his graduation from his obedience class this evening...say it with me No More Dick!... for those of you who missed that, I don't hate men, just Dick the obedience instructor)~
I just finished reading Knitting Under the Influence (highly recommended! I read it in 3 days, but beware there is a bit more sex in it than your average knitting novel)~
& Trent seems "fixed" again & has retaken his former throne sleeping on top of my end of the couch~

I'm going to go sleep on my couch now & I don't think I've ever been happier to do so~
Good Night~

I've been laying low the last few days. It's so hot out & I was more than a little upset yesterday afternoon.
I still haven't solved that issue, but I bugged them enough that they gave me an address to write to (a couple dozen phone calls will do that). Supposedly I have a good change of getting a refund if I write a real letter to this person.

Otherwise I've been busting my buns on Pegasus, watching a few ball games, and hanging out with my boys.
And really, who needs eHarmony when you've got boys like these?

As you can see I've finally got a little Harmony going on in my house anyways. They even will drink out of the water bowl at the same time. It's actually quite humorous to watch. Trent has always "tested the waters" before drinking. So, I put the bowl down & Robin, being the messy puppy, just dives right in. Trent spends a minute or two first pawing at the water, and waits for Robin to slow down enough that he can dare to stick his head in. Finally he shoves Robin over & very cautiously drinks. Robin of course spills water everywhere within about a 5 foot radius, Trent never spills a drop. Trent's always been my neat freak.

Pegasus is just about 2/3rds of the way done. I'm planning on doing another blocking wire shot for you all tomorrow. It looks so cool right now! The head, mane, and tail are all completed & I'm mainly working on the wings from this point on out.

Robin & I are working our way through the Star Wars movies (just the good ones...you know, IV, V, & VI). I've rediscovered that I don't actually like Luke very much. He just whines his way through the first 2 movies. Then he tries to be all bad ass in the last one. I think this is my first time watching them since III came out. It's interesting seeing them again knowing more of the back story.
All six movies on free on Demand right now. I might just watch II & III, but I don't think I could ever ever sit through episode I ever again.
I think Robin has become a Star Wars fan too...

BTW: 4 1/2 hours is much to long for a baseball game to go on. I love watching baseball when I knit since I can concentrate on my chart & just listen for the cheers. Any good play gets shown again, so no worries about missing any thing. None the less 13 innings & 4 1/2 hours gets to be a bit much. At least I got lots of knitting done!

Some things in life just take two.

Such as little striped baby things...

I used another skein of purple & another skein of green plus the left overs from my BSJ to knit up a cute matching hat. The pattern is my EZ Fit Hat. I tried to mimic, but not match, the stripes. Plus I had another elephant button, so that had to go on the hat.

Socks also take two.
This is only the first, but another will be joining it shortly!

Still can't get a good photo of this one, but they are quite pretty. However I'm now on a deadline, so I need to get going on these!

It takes two to be a team.
Robin & I spent the week strengthening our little team. Tuesday (or it that Twosday?) we learned how to run & bike. Specifically I was on the bike & Robin was running. This is actually quite difficult, but I think we pulled it off really well for our first try. Robin understands heeling well enough that he stayed right next to me & didn't try to cut in front of the bike, nor was he afraid of the bike.
I had to learn what his speeds were (much slower than I usually bike is the easy answer) and use his commands from agility to cue him when we were going to change from walk to jog to run (I use "move it" and "slow"). I also had to pay a lot of attention to how tired he was getting & when he needed a potty break.
It was lots of fun & Robin just enjoys running so much. I'm glad we found a way for him to get a good run in & for me not to ruin my knees keeping up.

Tonight we had a quick agility refresher in the back yard because class begins again Thursday night. Wish us luck!

Okay,
One of the most difficult obstacles for a dog to learn in agility is the teeter. I finally bit the bullet & built one of these for Robin. Since it took me a couple of tries to build a base that I felt was safe & since I totally love the finished project I'm putting a tutorial up here.
You knitting folks will probably just want to skip this post, but I'm hoping this might help out some of you dog folks. I think my favorite part is that the whole project cost under $60.
I've built mine to AKC regulations & use those measurements in this tutorial.

Materials - Teeter Board
a 12"x2"x12' board (I would recommend regular lumber rather than treated lumber because it weighs less)
a cup or two of play sand
a quart of blue flat paint (I used Glidden - Regatta Bay)
a quart of yellow flat paint (I used Glidden - Slicker Yellow)
paint brush
painters tape
a 1' piece of 1.5" wide pvc pipe
6 - 1.25" wood screws
2 - 8" pieces of perforated steel plumbers tape

Materials - Base
1" PVC Pipe - 2 10' lengths cut into the following pieces;
6 x 10"
2 x 6"
5 x 15.25"
1 x 8.25"
2 x 4 7/8"
8 x 1.5"

6 x 1" elbows
12 x 1" tees
PVC primer & glue

I would recommend having a ratcheting PVC pipe cutter, a tape measure, and a sharpie handy (and lots of paper towels...).

Preparing the Board
I placed the board on a sturdy box to keep it off the ground. I also only painted the top & sides. If you wish to paint the bottom I would recommend giving that a quick coat of paint before you paint the main surface. I would also recommend sanding the board with a palm sander.

Mark out & place a line of painters tape 42" from each end to mark out the contact zones.
Paint a layer of yellow across the top & sides of the marked ends of the board. While the paint is still wet sprinkle a fine layer of play sand on it. You may need to paint a foot or so, then sprinkle sand, then paint more...
Once this layer is dry, paint another layer & add more sand.
Once that layer is dry coat with one last layer of yellow paint.
(so you have paint, sand, paint, sand, paint)
Move the tape so it lines up with the edge of the yellow contact sections.
Paint the center blue in the same method (again 3 coats of paint with sand in between)

At this point leave the board alone to dry for a while & move on to the base.
Base Assembly

Start out by assembling the whole base without glue.
Hopefully these photos will show you where everything goes...


What isn't shown by these photos is the top section that acts as the pivot point. I didn't glue most of that section (so that the board is removable) and it just gets in the way at this point. (so set aside 2 - 6" pieces, a 15.25" piece, and 2 elbows)

a hint for assembly, I assumed that the pipe would fit into the connectors 3/4". Some of the pieces that the length is really important for I marked this out on each end to be sure they didn't go in too far.
Also, the 1 1/2" pieces are used for when connectors butt up against each other. They should fit right up against each other without the pvc pipe showing.

Once the base is dry fitted & everything is lined up correctly I drew a line across each join with the sharpie. This is so once you start glueing everything you will have a guide to help you line the pieces up. (you can see these lines on the photos above)

I glued this by first laying the whole base on it's side. Then I pulled off the side assembly & glued this first. (the vertical piece plus the two side bottom pieces)
Next I put glue on the next set of joins and seated the side on it.

This photo shows the base on it's side with one side off. You can see the purple primer on the next 3 joins that I'm gluing. Assembling it this way will help make sure that the whole thing still lines up.
One those joins are dry then remove the side again, but so you can get to the next join.
Continue gluing the base together in this fashion until you reach the other end. The only pieces I didn't glue was the diagonal braces. These are held in by lots of other glued parts & are held in really well.

Once the base is glued together glue the 6" pieces to the open spot on the tee. Also glue an elbow onto the remaining 15.25" piece.

Okay now lets move back to the board while the glue cures...

Take the piece of 1 1/2" PVC pipe & wrap the pieces of perforated plumbers tape around the center. Theoretically it should be just off center, but because of natural variences in the wood you'll want to play around and find that place where one end stays on the ground & it's easy to pivot the board (I carefully calibrated mine to AKC standards... the board hits the ground is just under 3 second when a 3lb weight is placed 12" from the raised end, this all depends on finding the correct pivot point).

Place the piece of PVC pip along this pivot point. I screwed the pipe directly to the board at each end. This is a little tricky because you need to get the drill inside the pipe, but creates a really sturdy join. I then screwed the plumbers tape down just as a back up system.

In this photo I've already placed the connection to the base into the pivot pipe.
The base is then inserted into the elbows & the whole thing can be turned over.

The teeter should measure 24" tall at the pivot point to the top of the board. If for some reason it's over you can easily fix this by shortening the 6" pieces of pipe.

The duct tape is only on there because I'm an idiot & cut the top pipe half an inch too short. Of course I realized this after I glued it onto one of the elbows, so I need to get a new elbow tomorrow & fix this. It fits, but just barely.

Despite my little error I gave my teeter the big test. I walked across it. Gosh that's scary! But it felt sturdy & I feel totally safe letting Robin start to train on this tomorrow after I fix that last little piece.

D is for Dog Friendly

I've become a big proponent of Dog Friendly Spaces. I suppose my new position as a dog owner is part of that. Robin is a very social puppy & gets along so well with other dogs. He also loves it when we can find wide open spaces where he can go romp around. I think that's a big part of why he really excels at agility.
He's become a very well behaved dog who I can trust completely as long as there are no bikes or cars near by. He comes when called, breaks off play when I ask him to, and when off leash he generally stays at my side better than when he's on leash.

In the next 2 months we will have 2 dog parks opening up near my house. The big cool dog park should finally (fingers crossed) open up this month. I'm really really eager to bring Robin down to this park. We've met many of the other member's dogs & those play sessions have gone really well!
East Lansing also announced yesterday that a smaller dog park will be opening just a mile down the bike path from my house! This is someplace that Robin & I walk past every week. So convenient. Plus they say they'll have it open by October.

Lansing also has a dog friendly ice cream parlor. How cool is that?! I still haven't made it over there, but I plan to make a trip over to Cones and Bones in the near future.

Another favorite dog friendly romp in Lansing is Gone 2 the Dogs. This is cool little shop in Lansing's Old Town that has kitchy little toys, leashes, home made dog treats, and offers a place to cool down and get some water when Robin & I walk the River Trail. If nothing else I make sure and get Robin a special treat whenever I'm near by.
Oh and how could I forget, they make the coolest pet calender each year. They're called Bark & Buff, no you don't need to get your mind out of the gutter on that one. Check them out here...

Michigan also boasts many dog parks including one of the best in North America. I've also been told of a dog friendly beach near Muskegon.

Even Ravelry is dog friendly! One of my favorite knitting/agility blogs started an agility group on Ravelry.

And I'd be a bad blogger if I didn't send a big Thank You to Rose Mary!
She knit me the most fabulous socks for Sockapalooza. They're RPMs knit in STR Rockstar. My camera doesn't capture they're awsomness at all, but trust me, they rock.

Okay, this won't be a real entry in the MeMe thing, but still, it has a now familiar ring...

R is for Rae
R is for Robin
R is for Rain
M is for Mudd
P is for Parks

More specifically Dog Parks, even more specifically it's for the quasi-opening day of Lansing's Soldan Dog Park.

Now if you add all those things together you get a few things...
You get muddy shoes (actually if you're shoes get sucked off into the mud you get muddy socks too).

You also get a soaking wet muddy Sheltie

Robin & I sat for a while watching the rain was making rings in the pond.

He seemed really deep in thought watching the pond, I wander what he was thinking...

Since we got home he's pretty much slept. He played, and played, and played... apparently tag is the preferred game when dogs get together. We even ran into another Sheltie!

Those two hardly slowed down. My camera blurs with the slightest movement, so this is the best photo I got!

Anyways, the dog park rocks, wear good shoes (tightly laced!) and you'll have a good time. (I need to note for those in Lansing, right now the park is in 'beta testing'. It's open to members of Friends of Lansing Dog Parks. We're still picking up trash & getting grass to root in the open spaces...It will be open to the general public really soon. )

Okay, first I have some shameless promotion.
I made up a batch of alphabet stitch markers that are great to use with Cat's new book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. In the book she gives each stitch marker a letter & uses those letters to refer to individual markers in both the instructions & in the diagrams. These sets feature beads with the letters used in the book right on the bead and make it much easier to follow the instructions in the book.
There are two options, a smaller set with A-D.
These are the main letters used in the book. With these you'll be set for any sock in the book except Coriolis & Clematis Vine.

There is also a larger set with A-F.
You'll need an "E" marker for the Coriolis socks and both "E" & "F" for the Clematis Vine. So with this set you'll be able to do any sock in the book.

The beads are Pewter & all the finding are Sterling Silver. I also have 24k gold plated beads coming in late this week to make up gold sets. The links above the photos will bring you to my etsy shop where the stitch markers may be purchased.

Friday was actually my second blogiversary! Rather than posting I was hiding in the back of my shop with the tornado sirens going off & sheets of rain pelting down. Luckily Lansing wasn't hit too hard. We didn't have any tornadoes & the damage was minimal. The major tornado was actually out by where my hairdresser lives in Potterville. Again, luckily the storm claimed no lives in Michigan.

So, with an entire summer's worth of rain catching up to us & Fall severe weather beginning I'm having a bit of a contest.
Please leave me a comment with your favorite way to cheer up on those long gray rainy days.

I'll close entries on Aug 31 & announce the winners the first week of September. (oh, prizes, there will be prizes... I've got some lovely yarns in my stash...)

On a quick last note: Robin & I had our first Agility competition Sunday. The weather was lovely, we had a wonderful day, and despite having some sudden fears of the tunnel, Robin did really well & we're looking forward to our next match.

The weather has been absolutely perfect the last few days. Partially cloudy, mid 70's, basically perfect. The rain was much needed, but the sunshine is appreciated too. I particularly love watching the sunset after a plane or two has touched down at the airport. There are some really nice upsides to living under the landing path of a relatively small airport.

I've been knitting a lot this week. I couldn't find batteries for my camera, so I just haven't been blogging about it. Mostly I'm working on the border of Pegasus (for those of you awaiting Pegasus I got far enough to give my corrections to Sharon, so the pattern should be arriving soon!).
When Pegasus frustrates me or I don't have enough attention to knit on her (happens a lot actually, she needs my full attention) I am knitting swatches up of all the new Fall yarns.

I'm aiming for 8"x8", but I'm not being too picky about size since they're just swatches! These are turning out to be very fun to knit. Plus it means I get to knit with every new yarn. Very cool!
I have finished another since I took that picture this afternoon, & have another almost done and two more started!

In fact in addition to all that I've got my scarf for the red scarf project half finished.

And I decoupaged!

That's my new correctly sized topper for my ball winder station.

Robin also celebrated a birthday of sorts... He turned 9 months old! Isn't he a handsome lad?

Now I've been asked a few times how I get my puppy to sit still enough for a photo (plus get him to look in the direction I ask him to). The key is in the reward....

Does Robin want a carrot?

That looks like a mighty fine carrot...

Tisk, Tisk, Tisk... Robin Leave It!

Okay, take the carrot~

And faster than a speeding camera the carrot is gone. Robin loves his veggies!
See you in September

The weather took a nasty turn over the weekend. We have near freezing temperatures, wind gusts up to 40+ mph, and patches of rain that's closing in on becoming a frozen mess. However no matter how bad the weather gets you can almost always find some redemption...

Like a sudden Rainbow between storms, a brilliant arch of color and blue in an otherwise black sky~

or maybe some whiskers on kittens~

how about a puppy basking in a moment of sunlight?

Unfortunately I couldn't get a clear picture of Trent & Robin eating out of the same dish this morning. They really have started to become good friends.

I'm zipping through my Brennan Cardigan at an almost embarrassing speed. Yesterday I knit the first of 4 diagonal rib panels. I was a little worried about how it would fit into the back (it looked way too small and funny shaped to fit), so rather than starting on the other back panel I did a bit of seaming.

Luckily it fit like a glove!
I also finished up the sleeves during Camelot.
Now I just need to knit one more rib panel for the back, then both fronts, and finally a ton of ribbing for the button band & collar.

I have a new pattern almost ready to be released!

Meet Delphine~

And her twin~

The crazy thing is I posted the pattern page up on Ravelry about an hour ago (with a note that the pattern will be available soonish) and it's already been added to 2 queues. That's so wild!

So here's the details,
Delphine Mittens are written for 2 different gauges, DK and Aran weight yarn.

DK version:
Sample uses Debbie Bliss Rialto and Mirasol Hacho
Size 3 double point needles
7sts per inch over stockinette colorwork

Aran version:
Sample uses Debbie Bliss Railto Aran and Socks That Rock Heavyweight
Size 5 double point needles needles
6sts per inch over stockinette colorwork

This pattern would be a great first colorwork project. You never use the same color for more than 5 stitches in a row so floats are less of an issue, plus the palm pattern is pretty mindless.
Each mitten will probably take only a couple of evenings to knit.

I'm super excited about this pattern! The charts are done and the written instructions are roughed out. I just need to finesse things and finish the second mitten. Then the pattern can be released.

My only problem is these eyes keep following me distracting me from my work...

That and the now daily trips to the new dog park right by my house. I love that there is a dog park now within walking distance. It's got nothing on the big park across town, but it certainly gets Robin tired out so I can work.

Bet you didn't think I'd be back...

To be honest I didn't have internet access until a few weeks ago. The phone company(s) made the move a right disaster. It really boils down to I strongly can not recommend Cavalier. Just my 2 cents.

Anyways both the shop & myself are all settled in at our new location. Basically every aspect of my life changed in December and January. I suppose a quick overview is in order to get everyone caught up.
~My mum got married & moved out of state.
~I purchased a lovely building in a great neighborhood and moved both the yarn shop and myself into it.
~I'm now also the landlord of 2 apartments and got to jump into that mess feet first with a nightmare tenant who after his eviction left the apartment a disaster.
~I was offered the opportunity to wholesale my alphabet stitch markers and am now in 14 stores in 6 different states.

I've given talks, presentations, interviews, and designed an entire block of the month afghan.

I think the afghan has been the highlight of my knitting since I was last on here. I don't have a photo handy of the whole afghan, but here's a few of the squares:

I've also knit up a super cute baby set for the shop. It's a Knitting at Knoon pattern (Wee-One Welcome Set) and knit in Lynn H's Cushy Color Sport.

The other highlight of my winter crafting is actually a crochet project. This is done in Queen Ann's Lace in Noro's new yarn, Taiyo.

I've got lots more to tell, but I plan on updating this blog a whole lot quicker now.

Before I go I should give a quick update on the fur balls!
Trent has settled in to apartment life quite well. I think he likes having a more limited range. Plus he has a super cool jungle gym thing on top of a shelving unit.

Robin is now 16 months old! I can hardly even believe it. He got his big boy coat all in this winter. Despite how he looks, it's all fluff. He got a bath today and trust me, he's skinny as a rail.

(no that photo isn't from today... that was about a month ago)

Wait who's that!?
That is Toshiko the Australian Shepherd. It's a long story, but she's now living with Robin and I. She's a super sweet girl and they get along great.

So, I have a whole bunch of pictures to show. Both knitting & of the pups, but although I uploaded them to the computer & edited them I totally forgot to put them on flickr before I went to work. I did however upload the video I took of Robin & Toshiko at the park yesterday.

Robin has a system worked out... He likes to splash in the water, but he doesn't swim. Toshiko however figured out how to swim last Friday and has totally loved it since then. So, I throw a stick into the lake. Robin watches it, wishing it was his. Toshiko does all the work swimming out to get it. Robin promptly attempts to take it from her as soon as she gets back into the shallows. This generally works out pretty well for him.

I'll be back tonight or tomorrow afternoon with a whole lot more to say. It's been a long week.

Also, for those of you in Lansing. I have a small favor to ask.
As I'm writing this 1/3 of our fantastic dog park is being blocked off due to unexpected popularity. Yes you read that right. The park is so popular they're closing a 1/3 of it (including the beach where this video was taken). One of the people who lives near the park is apparently good friends of our mayor and told him the park was too loud and disturbing the peace of the neighborhood. So he immediately decided that it should close. We found out Sunday night & it will be fenced off by end of day today.
Friends of Lansing Dog Parks has set up a mediation between the mayor, the neighbors, and themselves to hopefully resolve this. However I'm asking for those of you who use to park to write to our local city counsel and the mayors office to explain why the park is important and should remain open. If one person can apparently cause such an instant and dramatic effect in him, hopefully if we all speak up we can change his mind.

Thank You.

Knitting has slowed almost to a stand still here at Chez Extravayarnza due to an accident washing dishes where my fingertip made a good bid (but thankfully unsuccessful) at leaving my hand. Not bad enough for stitches, but since this was my right pointer finger it's quite necessary for knitting and in a great deal of pain at the moment.

So, I'm instead reveling in the joys of dog ownership in the spring. I do love the ease in taking walks with the pups in the spring/summer/fall. (I love walking in the winter too, but my winter boots need a rest).
Right now at the dog park (which has earned a bit of a reprieve) the ground is coated in wild Bleeding Hearts (aka squirrel corn), May Apples, and Trillium.
Trillium are my favorite Michigan wildflower. Last year I had to hike through a 1/4 mile of poison ivy to view their fleeting blooms. This year the North West corner of the park I visit almost daily is carpeted with them. I can't tell you how happy this makes me!
Soon the canopy will fill out and all we'll be able to see is green skies and brown ground. I try to really enjoy this early spring carpet of life in our forests.
We've enjoyed 7 days straight of 70 degree (20 C) plus weather.
The downside to all this warmth for those who own Shelties is that this is the big time of coat blowing. Robin has built up this thick fluffy undercoat from a long winter & has decided that it simply must go. I brushed out an entire grocery bag of fur off of him alone tonight & he looks about 6 inches less wide. I think there is still plenty more undercoat where that all came from too. Luckily he doesn't shed much on his own, it all sits there until I brush it out.

So, I suppose I'll close this out with some photos...