Hotter Than...

When it gets to be in the 90s without a lot of relief in sight, I find it is a great excuse to hibernate and knit. Hmm, yes I know, I rarely need an excuse to hibernate and knit but if I say that it's because of the heat, it sounds better. Maybe.

The day started off with taking the dogs to the veterinarian. Allie had managed to get something in her eye over the weekend and scratched it a bit. Fortunately I was able to get them there before it became roasty toasty outside.


I am "making yarn" for a shawl for a friend. She wanted something in red which of course is adding to the sense of warmth even with the a/c cranked on "just above really, really cold." Actually, after looking at my electric bill last year, I am using my 2 floor fans more this summer.

The yarns are a lot more red and less "pink" than this picture shows.



Now onto the knitting. I have about 5 or 6 red yarns that I am using for this shawl and will add more as I go along.  The CO will be about 140 sts and I'm using size 13 circular needles so once I actually start knitting, it should go rather quickly.

When I talk about "making yarn" I mean that I am cutting various yarns into 12-14" pieces and then just knotting them together with an overhand knot as I did for the blue shawl.

Bo bos, and fiber

Had to take my younger Shetland Sheepdog to the vet last week as he had managed to injure his foot. I think he stuck it under the fence and got it caught. Scrapes and cuts top and bottom and extensive bruising but no broken bones. Thank the dear Lord for that.

I have hidden capsules in peanut butter which was easy and soaked his foot in warm water and Epson salts which wasn't. I finally managed a Rubbermaid type tub and he would allow me to put the injured foot in that while he balanced the other front foot on the edge of the tub. Conner didn't think there was any reason to get both feet wet.

Sunday afternoon he threw up and didn't eat supper or breakfast on Monday. He was however, drinking tons of water. So off to the vet we went - again. Turns out he had an infection in the pancreas which required an overnight stay and IVs of antibiotics.

I'm not sure who this was harder on, Conner, Allie or myself . I missed the little stinker and he and Allie had never been apart since I had gotten him. Thinking back on it, Allie wasn't exactly jumping for joy when he came home today. She probably liked not having her tail pulled.

Knitting friends came over last night and Z brought Wobbles who is a dear, sweet puppy. Allie was very pleased to have another dog around that didn't want to pull on her body parts.

So, between administering to dogs, driving back and forth to the vet's office, and thinking about cleaning out a closet, nothing much has been accomplished lately.

I have started another Baktus scarf (pattern on Ravelry) and no, I haven't finished the first one yet. I have to take the first one to the Post Office to have it weighed since I need to know when I have used half the yarn. My scale that I used to measure dyes and fiber died after 35 years. I am thinking a bit more on this second one as I am using 2 balls of sock yarn and the half way point will be when I finish the first ball. DUH! So much simpler than using one ball which weighs 3.5 ounces and having to weigh it.

Facebook is taking up a lot of time but I am having such fun. I have found friends who I had lost touch with and that has been a real gift. J and O I haven't seen since 1968 and it turns out they live just a few hours from my son. How great is that? J and I were roommates when we were teachers in FL. I am really looking forward to seeing them again.

Must clean a closet. Must clean a closet.

Is it Fall yet?

I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since I posted anything. I blame the life writing class I am taking. I have been writing at least 3 pages a week for that so have forgotten about the blog.
Got together with some friends and we played with the paintsticks on silk scarves. Loads of fun. Thanks goodness for texture plates as I have no drawing ability. It was a lesson in branching out in color which I am going to try next time. A couple of people did some awesome scarves with a lot of color and they were perfect for the time of year particularly.
I didn't get to make the trip to MD that I was looking forward to but several things have occurred that made me realize that I needed to be home for a bit to help some people . Funny how things work out like that.
Anyway, the topics for the writing class have been 1) a room in a house where we grew up, 2) a momentous day in our life, 3) a story about a relative or stories that a relative told, and the current one is writing about our faith or how an event helped focus our faith.
It has helped to have actual topics upon which to focus rather than just rambling.
I am knitting a baby kimono and some baby bibs since there seem to be little ones joining this world. I am finishing up prayer shawl # 8. This one is different in that it is a triangular shape but the color is various shades of purple and I love that. #7 has the colors of the rainbow in it which was what was requested by a young friend when she asked me to make one for her.
I have found a fun knitting group which is knitting for charity at another church so I am doing that twice a month.
In the meantime, I have a house that desperately needs to be shoveled out, 2 dogs that need grooming, and more yarn projects stacking up for the holidays. On the other hand, there is a great set of paper tiles for tea bag folding which will make wonderful tags for the gifts if I ever get either category finished. Geez, I need a clone!!!!!