FInished at last

I've finished The Manwell sweater. Isn't he a cutie! You can't really see it, but there is a small pocket on his right side for slipping a treat into. I just love this little coat.

Breath

It’s been so long since we’ve talked. I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had a chance to breath. But today is a day of breathing. And blog writing.

First, Wednesday morning Mac & I were checking out the tulip situation in the big flowerbed and saw something small and brown twitch. Sure enough it’s Earnheart. I was afraid he didn’t make it through the winter since his hole was unattended and no one had seen him until now. I know what you’re saying, “how do you know it’s Earnheart?” I know because he’s a big chubby chipmunk. I’ve never seen one this tall or this wide before. So Yay, we have our chipmunk!!

I’ve spent the last few days being a quasi-vet tech. At least that’s how I felt as Mum & I administered shots and did feedings. The short version is that 3 litters within a month is a lot for one person to handle. Especially when the kittens are small and there are more of them than there are nipples. We’ve been on red alter-since Saturday when the second litter was born. Weighing or feeding every four hours to make sure the babies survive. I love my Devons something fierce, and I wouldn’t walk away from breeding but sometimes there is a moment of pause as you realize that were it not for your midwifery and days spent monitoring the babies growth, few would survive to adulthood. The joy from raising them and sending them to their new homes comes at a very high cost as you brave a life or death situation every hour of that first week. Breeding is not for the faint of heart.

But on a lighter note, here are two of the older boys. As of yet, they do not have names. We’re leaning toward Robin Hood and Friar Tuck. Although Mum thinks that since they are Nessa Rose’s babies all the kittens should have the word Rose in their names. I’m pushing for ness in their names, so Lock-Ness, Hayness, Aness, Oness…names like that. You can see where this is going.

It’s somewhere near the start of a month, which means I need to enlighten you on this months challenge and last months results.

I’m not finished. April did not go so well. Work has been insain and this little dog sweater isn’t turning out the way I imagined. I knit 11 of the 14 inches and decided to stop and try again. The second attempt was much much better, but the back wasn’t right and I was 5” in when I realized this. Rip. Third attempt had crazy ribbing that tapered down too much at 10” this insight came to me. Rip. The fourth attempt is ok. It’s currently 8” long and I’ve begun to accept that this will not be the pinnacle of my designs. If I had 2 months to design it, then maybe but for now it is what it is. The deadline for the book submission is May 11th, so I need to wrap this puppy up pretty soon. (did you get the pun?). Yes I’m working on 3 patterns for a book on knitting with sock yarn, but to be difficult I’m not knitting socks in the tradition sense of the word. So this month’s challenge is to complete the non-sock sock knitting.

The Lu!

I've been working on the Manwell tonight. I’m decreasing down the sides and it’s a bit of a challenge. I had to rip back about 4 rows. Which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. You know what was extremely unpleasant? Picking up 117 stitches with size one needles. Oy!!!

We’ve been cat sitting for Miss Lulu & and her much older “sister” Walter. They are night and day. Lulu is just about 6 months old, remember when Meow Meow Head and I went to Pennsylvania to get her? Who would've thought that that little chatter box would turn into such a big beautiful girl! She’s already taller and longer than Linus, just not as filled in. As you may remember Lulu is a Savannah. Which I must remind me myself of whenever I see her, since I can’t help but wonder at “what a funny looking Devon Rex she is!” The Lu, is wild and crazy and makes strange noises which are hilarious and make her all the more endearing.

The Manwell

I bet you don’t know what these are. They are CO2 cartridges for my Seltzer Machine.

I have to tell you that this one of my favorite inventions. You pour water in a bottle, screw it onto the machine with or without soda mix, and press the button a few times. And in 30 seconds you have seltzer or soda or carbonated Chrystal Light, whatever you like.

No plastic bottles for the landfill. No gas consumed as the usual bottles of soda are trucked into your local grocery. No late night trips to the kitchen to find that The Boyfriend has finished off all the cola. It’s always here, it’s always cold and it’s a lot cheaper. I love it!! Mine is a Sodastream but I’m sure there are kinds of soda machines out there.
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What’s that, you think I should continue on with the April Apparel Aspiration? Funny, I do too.

Only I’m redirecting my goal from a sweater for myself, to designing a dog sweater for Manwell, a friend’s Yorky. I’m using J.Knits (of course) Superwashme Sock yarn in color Mesa which is a lovely purple, navy, fuchsia, denim, red color. Ok so it’s not the most masculine color but Manwell can handle it. This weekend Mac was gracious enough to model it for me.
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Progress has been made on the Starling socks that Callie and I showed you last weekend. I’ve turned the heel on the first sock, and am about 5” into the foot of the second. Although this still isn’t as far as I was before I ripped back. I love the stripes. There is something about this color that makes everyone who sees it smile. Even my Dad likes them. Too bad, y’all they’re short socks for me for the spring!

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And this lovely piece of Faux-Enterlac is what I’m calling the big sock. It’s designed using chunky yarn, knit on size 10.5 US needles. It literally took me 4 hours to make one. I think they’ll make for a great gift pattern, fun, quick and very usable for those who aren’t wild about regular hand-knit socks. House socks!

So there you have it, what’s been on the sticks and on my mind! Happy Sunday!

I would like to be a Neptunian

I would like to be a Neptunian from Futurama. That way I’d always have a set of hands to be knitting while I went about doing all of the other things that must be done. (this is Elzar, a Neptunian cook taking on a slug).

Today I painted the interior of the two front doors. I’ll share a photo later on when I have my camera. I seem to have left at work last week. The boys have definitely not enjoyed the day in the upstairs bathroom. They have all the necessities, food, litter, places to sleep, yet they are still scheming on ways of escaping their confines.

Mac did dart out when The Boyfriend wasn’t looking. He made a beeline downstairs are rubbed on the wet door frame leaving lots of his fluffy hairs behind. Luckily I immediately caught him (although he was doing his favorite thing running away purring). The damage was repaired and some how Mac came out of it paint free and purring.

I was thinking about it, and in the 41 months that we’ve lived here, I’ve painted the following…

• One wall in the master bedroom
• Downstairs bathroom
• Upstairs bathroom
• Bue half of the living room
• Laundry Room
• Cathedral Ceiling
• Upstairs bathroom
• Downstairs bathroom
• The Front doors
  

That just leaves the kitchen, dining room, and guest room without my handy work. I'd say that's pretty good for someone who doesn't like to paint. I think the kitchen is next on the list. The wine color could really use a fresh coat. I think darker colors show more dings and scratches.

For fear of ending up on CuseGirls list of knit bloggers without knitting content, I must inform you of today’s total so far. 1,525 yards! I didn’t think it was possible but the goal does seem to be within my grasp. I need another 235 yards before next Tuesday. That’s totally doable!! I will be thrilled to start my April challenge which will be the April Apparel Aspiration. Last week I began knitting one of Julie’s designs for an A-shaped sweater using one of our new yarns. I would love to finish the sweater in time to wear it this year. I am two inches into the sweater but after watching Meow Meow Head bust through garment after garment in the time it takes me to knit a couple pairs of socks (typically a week a sock). I’m hoping I can pull this off.