dogette blogette

THis is the little dog. She is very odd. She likes to be carried, but will not sit on your lap. Reminds me of both my kids as babies- they wanted you up, moving, on your feet.

A small dog provokes deep seated opinions. There are those who instantly adore her, based on size alone. Then there are those who instantly despise her, and me, based on, you guessed it, size alone. What really messes with their head is that I have one tiny dog and one giant dog.

I try to take the middle road. Annie is a poorly adjusted little animal who clearly had a complicated past with minimal positive experiences. She was found as a stray in a farm town out in the valley. She's complicated to love, and though her personality , ability to enjoy life and ability to initiate contact with us big footed folks has advanced, it has advanced very slowly. On the other hand, she's the most darling little muffinette in the whole world, and look at that fluffy tail!

End of Summer

Well, today was actually cool. I didn't force the boys to take jacket, as I usually do, and they were both miserable and cold at pick up time. This little sitting are was a new innovation to chez woolly. The umbrella has those little mist things that cool the air. I could sit there and watch the kids play in the driveway, or ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk.
The hollyhocks in the foreground are running rampant. The idea was that they would be the back row in a bed that's about 15 feet by five feet deep. Instead, I just let them take over. Glorious fun.
I should be more excited about the beginning of sweater weather, but I have that childhood feeling of disbelief that summer, beautiful golden summer, is over. I'm going to go fondle some wool, and see if I can get over it.

Quilt Show

Well, I hung a quilt in our local, non juried, non judged quilt show. I'm not really sure what my idea was in doing so. Our local shop has it as a fund raiser for a worthy cause every year, and some one off handedly mentioned it to me, so I did. I didn't feel particularly invited, but I didn't feel un invited, so I tried to get over myself.

I think I thought that it would feel like more of a milestone, and that's why the hollow feeling about it. Maybe I was looking for praise, and that is always the wrong way to go into these things. Like most adventures, I would have had a better chance in getting somewhere if I had first thought out where I was going!

Another interesting thing that happened was that I discovered that my step father did not know that quilts were used as an art media. He was just fascinated that people bought fabric just to cut it up. The he said, ( get ready) if I wanted to make him one he would put it on his bed. Wow, really? My mother, on the other hand, was very taken aback that she was admonished for touching quilts. Her thought was that they were all machine washable.....perhaps I was adopted.

In any case, my quilt made it home, and it looks wonderful on the daybed that we use as a couch in the play room. I plumed up all the pillows and finally hung some posters down there, too. I should take a picture while it's still clean.

There were other, lovely quilts there, but I somehow managed to blur a lot of photos, so I will spare you.

Dog Blog!

Isn't she lovely? Her name is Gingersnap. She's five years old, house trained, doesn't chew, doesn't bark, and gets along with the five pound chihuahua. Oh, and she's 89 pounds. What more could we ask for?

Yummy Ocean

Here's the progress I have made on the ocean waves stole, from justonemorerow.com The yarn is from the dye day a few days back. Interestingly, the color of the yarn is pretty close, the color of the rug is way off. It will look even nice blocked.

Oh, and I got my Ravelry invite. I added my books, the ones I could. No idea how to add yarn or projects as the only source acceptable for photos is flikr and i do not have the strength to set up one more account for anything.

Oh yes, nursing content. Well, actually, very little. I've been plugging away at the job, slowly reducing the number of dumb questions I ask. I find it fascinating that so many departments of the hospital have no understanding of how the other departments work, or don't work. Say a patient, formerly very sick and now just depleted and on the mend, needs some equipment. You'd think that the MD would understand that we needed a signed order, the folks who deliver the equipment would understand that if the contact person for delivery is not home, they are most likely at their family members hospital bed side, fretting about things, and that the folks who track all of this in order to prevent unnecessary days of hospitalization would realize that all this needs to happen in an organized fashion. Some how the department that teaches people how to manage their newly, and frequently shockingly medical equipment laden life ( that would be my department) is the one that takes the hit when this supposedly simple chain fails. Over all, very frustrating, as I and my fellows have a unique longitudinal view of where the hospital to home system works and doesn't work. Someone could ask us, I suppose, but, as Eyore would say, no one ever does. But hey, I get payed by the hour, and it's not a bad gig.

We're So Lucky to Live Here

Which is how I think of the name of the quilt I'm making. Here's one possible layout. The spaces will either be filled with a black and white fabric in the stlye of my heroes, Gwen and Freddy, or the blocks will be trimmed to fit.

I need to take a closer picture, but each house has a child's face in the window.

I tried to not use batiks, which was, for me, like giving up a drug. I have to say though, I'm more pleased than I usually am at this stage.

Baby Jacket

Here's a jacket I mad to use up all the Lamb's Pride bits I had. I love singles yarns.

I made this with afghans for Afghans in mind. The latest email from them however, is asking for bigger kid stuff. I think I will make some of the wonderful Lopi socks ( why does no one spell it sox? I love the way that looks and one so rarely gets to type an x) ANYway, they are a 35 stitch sock pattern that makes up faster than fast, and I have got to face facts about my Lopi stash. That is, it's too hot where I live to wear Lopi, or any bulky wool, and that and the White Buffalo Unspun that I went a little nuts over are taking up an entire amoire. I could use the space , frankly. Actually, I was doing pretty good on the stash reduction until my two LYSOs decided to close their stores. I need to get back at the stash management. Not necessarily reduction, mind you, but the organization of
whatever it is in those tubs, and getting some charity knitting done, and finding the perfect pattern for a Kureyon sweater.

I love the jaunty way the belt ties on this sweater. The pattern called for the ties to be tied in a bow, but I thought that would make an uncomfortable lump for the baby to lie on

Joy!

Life is good. Here's proof:



To commenter Tanya- nope, haven't spun any of it yet. But I did ditch all my other projects and cast on the Ocean Lace Stole on the mohair. I love me the hair of the Mo.

Fiber Friday

I've been spending my Fridays off in fiber/spinning. I want to be a better spinner, so in order to do so, I need to spin more, right? I'm working at getting past the hoarding mentality I've had- That is, keeping the good stuff for when I'm a better spinner and only spinning things that are cheap or boring. Bah! to the dye pot!

All of the below were dyed with Jaquard Acid dye- colors today were purple, lilac, fire red, Aztec gold, turquoise, and kelly green. Kelly needs to be toned down a bit- a little fluorescent in the roving on the gate. Other wise, I am very very pleased.

The Baby Goes to Kindergarten

I thought i was ready, but I'm not. This is the last baby. He is five. He cannot wait until tommorow. Kindergarten. His teacher had better adore him, or else. I know I do.