If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll be quite familiar with our household kitties, Dany and Hana. We've had Dany for about 10 years now, and Hana for 8.
They've been great companions, and Andrew loves them, so we put up with their various quirks. Dany has a taste for chips and popcorn but generally behaves , while Hana wails like a banshee for food whenever he's hungry, and makes a play for whatever food we have out, no matter what it is.
However, lately, they've developed some habits that have been quite problematic. They are now occasional litter box users, preferring to use our basement floor instead. It's gotten to the point where there are "presents" waiting for us pretty much every time we go down there. Yuck. We're pretty sure Hana is pooping on the floor out of spite (when we make him wait for food, or when he feels we've let Andrew play with him too much, or whatever else he doesn't like), and Dany is peeing on the floor because Hana is stressing her out when he tackles her and fights with her all the time. We've taken them to the vet to make sure there's nothing medically wrong with their waste disposal systems, so now we're down to figure out how to make them stop doing it. I'm pretty sure if we went down to a one-cat household, the problems would stop, but I don't want to do that because I really like both of them. Still, this can't continue, especially since we've got young child in the house.
So, any advice out there? We need help!!
After the litany of posts about random things that weren't related to yarn, it's about time I posted something that WAS yarn-related.
Way back in 2007, I started a crochet ripple blanket, and even blogged about it (here's the entry). Well, that blanket never got done. I made more progress on it, but it was just turning out to be...well...really wonky. Being an inexperienced crocheter, I kept adding stitches, losing stitches, miscounting stitches; you get the idea. The blanket was misshapen and malformed. So, I decided to frog it, and try my hand at something that should eventually net me a blanket.
Granny squares.
I have to say, those little squares have been pretty fun to make. Kinda addictive. I think they'd be even more addictive if the yarn I was using didn't split so easily. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino is wonderful to the touch though, so I really can't say I dislike it.
However, that project is currently on hold for a bit. A while back, my friend Elaine and I embarked on a mission to design and make our friend Carolyn a blanket for her baby. We scoured through Stichonaries, and yarn samples to work things out - I gotta say that it was a pretty fun process. Being a joint effort, we each got an assortment of squares we were to knit. Here's an example of one of mine.
Recently, Elaine and I met up to discuss how we were going to piece the whole sucker together.
There's all the squares laid out on my dining table. We decided to border each square with single crochet in white, and then join the squares using a reverse single crochet that will create a bit of a bump that would resemble an i-cord (also in white). In addition to that, the whole thing is going to get a seed stitch border in navy blue.
Sounds great and all, except we're kinda late on this project. Carolyn had her baby back in November. Heh heh. Oh well. The blanket is big enough that they'll still get use out of it when we do finish it. I'm hoping I make good headway on it before my own baby comes. I've finished putting the border on 4 squares, but as you can tell, there's a whole whack more to go.
Speaking of babies, someone has to tell my cat that he's not going to be the baby of the household for much longer.
Kitty, just 'cuz you're in the portable crib, that doesn't make you the baby. Sigh. We're really going to have to watch him. At 18lbs, he's going to outweigh Baby for a while to come.
You know that phrase, "No rest for the weary"? As I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I get the feeling that phrase will take on more and more meaning. I just finished my last day of work on Friday, and what do I do on my first day off? I do my taxes. Hahahahahaha....ahh....yeah. Taxes. It hasn't been a fun process, but I think I'm just about there. Just need to decide if it's better to transfer some tax credits to the hubby or if I should keep them on my return.
As a reward for all the slogging through T4's, capital losses, and other tax credits, I thought I'd post about fun things.
For those of you who have been following this blog, you'll know that I have a weakness for bags. A BIG one.
Yup, it's another Lexie Barnes bag - it's the Darling in Kiri. I got it off this amazing site called Mamabargains. It was 53% off retail, and since I needed a diaper bag anyway, I figured, "Why not?". It's got these neat clips on them that will allow me to attach it to my stroller. Came with a diaper change pad too. I think it's going to be great for toting all the baby gear that inevitably will have to be carted around.
In the very same photo of the Darling is something else that is fun. Kitties! So let's see some more of them!
Lounging in the sun is great.
"Huh? Wake up? What do you mean?"
"Meh. I don't care if I'm starting to look like a turkey."
Nothing beats a comfy chair.
Bags and cats. I feel better already.
Back in 2008, I decided to be a part of Team Canada for the Summer Olympics. It was great fun, and I managed to knock off 2 WIPs that had been lurking in my stash. Well, before I knew it, Vancouver 2010 is just around the corner, and I haven't decided if I want to be part of it again. Normally, I would dive right in without any hesitation, but there are a couple things that are complicating my decision this year.
The first complicating issue is the fact that the hubby and I are actually, physically GOING to the Olympics for one week. While I can take knitting with me, we all know that it's just that much harder now to bring all the little things that you never know if you'll need when you're finishing a project. That said, I suppose I could always just be less ambitious with my project, and aim to finish it during the first week of the Olympics.
The other thing is that, and I suppose this is the big news that I haven't really talked about here yet, is the fact that we're expecting our first baby in the spring! Remember that Classy that I mentioned before? Well, that's being slated for a baby sweater for the little one on the way. I know many of you are probably saying that this may be perfect for the Ravelympics -- something to spur me on to finish some goodies for the forthcoming baby. I considered that too, and it's not without its merits. However, I have to admit that this pregnancy is taking its toll on my knitting time. It takes me just a little longer to do just about everything now, and after work I have a hard time staying awake past 9 or 10pm.
I honestly keep waffling back and forth between whether I join or not. Sometimes having a deadline, even if it's a friendly one, is nice to keep me on track. Sometimes, it stresses me out. Then again, maybe the fact that the baby is going to enter this world whether the sweater is ready or not should be deadline enough? I still can't seem to decide.
How about all of you? Any of you planning to join the Ravelympics?
And since there haven't been any photos in this post, here's a random one of some cute kitties.
As promised, here are some stacked cats.
Please forgive the blurriness; my hand isn't as steady as I'd like it to be when taking no-flash photos.
Also, I'm making good progress on my EZ Baby Surprise Jacket. It's still a bit of a mystery how it all will magically form into a sweater, but I'm sure it'll become clear when I've got it all off my needles.
This isn't really the best photo ever, but it showed the colour of the Jojoland best.
Man...I always seem to take terrible photos...I need to learn how to do that better. Then again, I probably chose the absolute worst time of day to do it. The dead of night is when natural light is at it's worst, but is unfortunately when I'm most liable to blog. Oh well!
WARNING: This is a really long post. Sorry!
I completely forgot to mention that I had started another stackable cat! Well, here she is. Say hello to Fran.
Since there wasn't really any way I could name all the cats I'll ever make "Kitty", Jamie was kind enough to come up with names for me. And so, here is Fran with her little brother, Stan.
Since it's the middle of the night, taking a nice no-flash picture of Stan and Fran stacked on Hanatarou wasn't going to happen. But rest assured, it's coming.
And because cat butts are cute...
My thoughts on this project:
1) I like the medium sized cat because you can get more of a 'slouch' effect in the body. Or maybe I over-stuffed the small one.
2) I like the face I did on Fran better than Stan. However, I wasn't so great with Fran's arm placement, so I guess they're even.
3) I somehow need to figure out if I have enough yarn left over to make the large cat. Jamie wants to name that one Elan, but I'm not totally sold on that name.
4) Fran is more felted than Stan, and I think I like the effect.
And now for a total shift in which I ask all you wonderful people for help. I started the EZ Baby Surprise Jacket. I read the pattern out of "Knitting Workshop" a few times before starting, and admit that I didn't understand everything. However, I optimistically thought that I would be able to figure it out once I got there. Well, I'm there now, and I still don't yet it. I did the first set of decreases to get what I think are the called for "5 ridges". I now have 144 stitches. Now, the instructions say "At 5 ridges, INCREASE 9 sts (K3, M1) across end sections, believe it or not for fullness above CUFF." And then it says to do 22 decreases to get 90 sts.
After much consideration, this is how I have interpreted the instructions. The 22 that is mentioned is the total number of decreases, not the number of decreases after the increase row (5 ridges). On the increase row, I need to add 9 sts to EACH end, meaning a total of 18 sts (160-88+18=90; the math works, so that's how I decided that). Now, do the instructions mean that I should K3, M1 on one side until I've increased 9 times, and then subsequently do the same when I've got 27 stitches left, leading to 9 increases on each side? Or, do I (K3, M1) x 9 on one end, knit to the end, and on the return row, do (K3, M1) x 9 at the start of that row? The only reason why I came up with the latter scenario is cuz I just realized that you can't really end a row with an M1. Am I totally thinking about this the wrong way? HELP, PLEASE!
Remember this post? Well, I sort of get it now. I haven't even finished one measly Tulip sweater yet, but I already want to buy more. And more and more and more, in a bunch of different colour combinations (I already have one other kit, but I want like 3 or 4. Or 5).
This is the squishiest yarn ever! And so easy to work with! And look at the pretty colours! Yeah, I know that everyone else in the entire world has already knit with it, but I didn't realize just how great it was until I finally tried it for myself. Must. Buy. More.
This little cardigan isn't being knit for any baby in particular, in fact it's MINE and will stay MINE so I can pet it and look at all the pretty colours forever and ever. Oh, and humiliate my cat with it, too. I think she actually liked this one, though.
I was feeling ambitious, and was determined to finish the kitty today. So, I pressed onward!
Meet...uh...Kitty! Yes. I suck at naming. Would any of you lovely people like to take a stab at naming him/her?
Of course, it's not a stackable cat unless, well, stacked on another kitty. Therefore...
Some things I learned thanks to this project:
1) Mattress stitch - Wow is this ever a neat technique! Quite magical indeed.
2) I suck at embroidery.
3) Making toys so so much fun! And you get to be a little lazy with your ends because you can always hide them in the stuffing. I love that part.
Okay....back to my Monkeys now I suppose (^__^)
Stackable cat fever hit, and I decided to finish knitting up the little appendages today, and felt them.
Doesn't look like much yet, but I have faith that a cute and cuddly kitty is hiding in there somewhere. The pieces are drying as we speak, so I should be able to sew everything up this weekend. I decided not to felt it too much because I wanted the stitch definition to still be there. I'm quite a novice felter, so I'm not really sure if what I did was correct, but I guess we'll see!
So, it seems that I have fallen prey to 'second sock syndrome'. It's not that I haven't started my second Monkey, because I have (only on the 3rd repeat of the lace pattern for the leg though, and definitely not worth taking a photo of), but I couldn't help falling victim to the cuteness of some of the patterns over at Mochimochi Land, and wound up buying a couple of them. I wound up getting the patterns for Stackable Cats, and Pepto and Tums.
Sad to say, I've already cast on for the small version of a stackable cat - the body, and 2 ears are finished. I just need to finish up the arms, legs and tail. All the little pieces seemed a bit odd to take a picture of, so I'll take a picture when it's all done. I'm a little scared of how much seaming is required, but I need practice anyway. And what better way to do it than to churn out lots of cute little kitties?
I seriously wanted to buy a lot more patterns (Tubby was just so cute!), and this has kinda gotten me on a toy making groove. It's going to take some discipline for me to get my sock and garment projects done now! Haha!
My sweater is done! Yay!! The top-down raglan that I cast on rather spontaneously back in January is finally done. I procrastinated on this one big time, but it's finally finished.
Here it is in its unblocked state. Dany seems very interested in it. But, I didn't like the fact that some bits were curling here and there, so I gave it a good soak, and lay it out again.
It's going to take a while for it to dry completely, so I won't be able to take any pictures of how it looks on me until then. I did try it on periodically as I was knitting it, so I'm not worried about the final fit.Forgive the crappy photos =D
