Home Improvement

I had a little extra money after working all the overtime in the world last month and chose to spend it on upgrading Beaker's home.  He went from this...

...which was cozy and he loved, but was frankly a tight fit.

To this!

It was the right price, an awesome color, gently used but pretty much all the parts are there.  I need to get a pin for the main door and one food door is wired shut due to a missing latch.  He has about triple the room and I can upgrade the nesting cockatiels into his old cage.  

Tomorrow I buy some more toys, perches & food dishes and then he will be in his new home tweet home.

Two-Trick Pony

My spinning mojo is back.

Forest Hideaway

These green socks have been finished for a while and I think they came out quite well.

I improvised the pattern.  I thought it would be nice to do a travelling rib but then I got bored and went back to stockinette. I continued 3 ribs down each leg to make an angled path though. How they came out two different shades of green I haven't quite figured out yet.  The yarn was in the stash for a few years before the perfect project came along, maybe the outside got a little bleached.

It rained a bit overnight and the sky has been full of interesting clouds today.  Blue sky and sunshine can, in fact, be boring.

Galen (the 17 year old cat) is still with us.  He takes up most of my time and attention thse days with medication, fluids, special diet. and his general love of being petted.  It sucks that he is getting old and infirm but it must be worse to be him (this evening was another where he ate dinner then puked it all back up).  He is extra soft today after getting fluids last night .

Feb 13 2016 

Posh Bunnish Guys

To celebrate Ostara today I had a "rabbit rampage" in the backyard.  Percy enjoyed hopping, digging, chinning everything he could reach, more digging, some grass eating and even some mid-air pirouetting.  He also got a nail trim but he was less enthusiastic about that.    Cecil just joined the family - someone from trivia found him in their backyard and I picked him up today.  He's quite sweet.  He did some observing, some lap warming and some yard exploring.  There were no rabbit fights but there was some carefully supervised sniffing.

I'm still learning the collage feature but I though this was a good first effort.

"...Always"

I finished the "After All This Time" socks a couple weeks ago, just in time for the deadline. They came out wonderfully. The second sock was knit in just four days which was rather crazypants.

 

I'm not sure if the last photo is a cat bomb of a sock picture or a sock bomb of a cat picture.

Winner!

I completed my "Sledding Joy" socks tonight and can say I made it under the burled arch for the Iknitarod.   I'm after the first few but well ahead of the red lantern.   

Now it is time to turn my attention back to the "MalWear" socks.  My goal was to have them both done by Sunday at Midnight but I'm pretty sure there's no way that's happening. Before the end of the month for sure.

Sledding Along

Happy Pi Day!

Tonight's big achievement was getting fluids into Galen (the cat) on my own. I like it when the vet does it and while $8 a treatment isn't too expensive it has been adding up.  He has been looking much peppier over the last couple of weeks.  Using pill pockets to get his meds into him and staying more current with fluids is really helping.  His coat is super soft and shiny and he is interested in his surroundings.  I found the heating pad and it has been pressed into use.  The weekend was chilly and rainy so it came in handy.

Knitting is progress, albeit slowly.  I have started to replace knitting time with Diablo 3 time and there's only so many hours in a day.  I will finish the Sledding Joy socks for sure but don't think I'll be able to turn in the brown socks on time.  Partial points are still points. Soar Ravenclaw!

Sad news out of the Iditarod - someone on a snowmobile tried to run down two teams and killed a dog.   The mushers are still mushing but it is very sad.

Sledding Joy

The first sock is just about done.

I just need to get off the internet and graft the toe. And put away laundry. And do dishes. And, and, and.

Checkpoint

The Iditarod socks are zooming right along.  This morning I started where the stitch marker is and am a out 3" further down the foot.  The goal is to finish tonight but I will be happy if I get to the place where the toe decreases begin.

Taking the cat for a blood draw in the morning but I should be able to get some knitting progress accomplished before work.

Mini Marching

It is a minisock theme weekend in Ravenclaw tower.  I had kits and mini sock blockers, I had empty needles, I had scraps of yarn. It was a great weekend.

As you can see, I got tired of knitting during the first sock and switched to a mini-er pattern.  They still take about an hour each.

Mush!

Watching the ceremonial start of the Iditarod and getting warmed up for the Iknitarod.  I made two mini socks while I was waiting for the race to start so ironically now I need a rest before I cast on for the sledding socks.   But I have my mug, I have some fresh tea and the weather is appropriately overcast.  After the live stream I'll walk the dog.

Wild and Free

It was time to get out and about and unwind from the crazy week at work. I dusted off my zoo membership card, checked and found out I could still get free parking at the Wild Animal Park, grabbed my re-fillable cup and hit the road.

First stop was the flamigos, of course, followed by an aviary.  The scarlet ibis are my new love - pink of course.  Next I headed up to the bird show.  I was a little early so I watched the lemurs and lorikeets for a while.  The bird show was excellent - lots of free flying and an interview with an African Grey.   The milky eagle owl was amazing as well.  

After the bird show it was down the hill to the tram ride.   There was lots of quality knitting-while-waiting time and the ride did not disappoint.  All 4 cheetahs were out, the screaming children eventually settled down and the tour was quite nice.

Post tram ride I started to wander back to the front.  I went past more flamingos (the creepy red-eye ones are less creepy in person).  I found the warthogs by accident.  I was going to pass by but a keeper was telling someone about the bat-eared foxes and I perked right up.   I watched the hogs for a long time (they were very interesting until nap time when 2 lay together and then 3 lay together, each set in a perfect line by decreasing size).  Finally gave up on the foxes (they are more nocturnal) and went around the corner.   To my delight, through a break in the trees I could see the other side of the enclosure and a flash of movement. The little bastards all came out as soon as I'd left.  I watched for a while, then crept back to the front and watched them for a long time,  walking, barking, sunning themselves and generally being awesome.  They are super furry with spindly legs; much like shetland sheep with huge ears and pointy noses.  After that were the okapi (so plush looking) and the secretary birds.

I circled around past the tram and headed up toward the elephants but took a long break to look over the savannah vista.  There were a bunch of rhinos out, some pretty antelope and even some entertaining people.   Then it was a last push up to the elephants (and more quality knitting time).  They were pleasant to watch and then there was the sex.  Well, OK then, elephants, you go at it. I'll just stand here.  Hearing the trumpeting was cool though.

Finally it was time to think about leaving.  Up past the chinchillas (missed the baby tiger), watched the bats for a while in the bat house,  refilled my soda and hit the flamingo pond to knit and watch until closing time.  A little coot who was resting by my bench made a good companion.

Sock Sunday

Well, I suppose if I am knitting 4 pairs of socks in the next two months I can make Sock Sunday a regular feature.

Progress this week has been good.  The once and future "Mush!" socks have been reincarnated.  Nothing special going on here, just stockinette for miles.

The "Always" socks are up to row 67 of chart C / D and the gusset increases are well underway.  This is a new kind of heel for me so I am following directions and hoping it will turn out well.  I made my first Russian join yesterday when the yarn broke at a tender spot.  So far, so good.

These are the "Forest Hideaway" socks, so named after the colorway. This yarn was a reward for finishing the Camp Loopy projects a couple years ago.  It has been waiting for the perfect project and so far it is turning out well. The yarn is very lovely and soft.  I am improvising the pattern: started with ribbing, then moved to spiralling ribbing, then got bored and kept just three "paths" going down the leg.

Sunset Socks

A well-matched pair, indeed

Isobel

The little hat is done and has been pressed into service.  It's still too big but I like that it covers my ears, so it is staying that way.

Yep. It's a hat.

Preheating

Samah approved

Before

The Steampunk Blanket

I made a little lap blanket. It all started at Christmas of 2012 when I got a set of Loopy Cakes in “Steampunk”. I bought 3 skeins of “Mohagany” in solid series to flesh it out.  It took three years but now it is done and I even used it to fend off the drafts today at work.  

When I cast off last night, I had three inches of yarn left over.  I won at yarn chicken!

Monday Musings

Well, not musings so much as a progress report.

Blue & white socks, ribbing done, well into the leg of sock 1.  This was my work / laundromat knitting today and it was perfect.

Steampunk blanket:  it is here on the desk, I can totally finish it tonight (12" to seam, a couple ends to secure and a ss border all the way around) if only I would get off the internet.

Today was laundry day and cat fluid day. Neither was too horrible.  Tuna salad on homemade bread for dinner rounded out the afternoon.

Super Sock Sunday

Green Snape Socks - added several rows more after the photo session.  Am on to the second set of charts and the increases for the gusset.  We are making a Fleegle heel - I know what a heel is, I know who Fleegle is, this should go well.  This one is perfect "Midsomer Murders" knitting because it needs a chart.

 White / Blue / Gray plain socks.  These are for the HMC #2 and are coming along nicely.  This one is my mindless knitting for the week.  Just around, around, around.

Green / Gold Pelle fair isle mittens.  You can see the beginnigs of little cats on the left hand mitten (4 feet and a ball of yarn).  The palms are also patterned.   This is also a good "knit in place" project, again due to the chart.  I really need to catch up the second one so I can do the same rows in the chart concurrently.  They have different charts but I think it will prevent 2nd mitten syndrome.  

Janet & Ruth are also making "kitten mittens" and today we had a nice "cast on" party.  I was already through the first cuff and jumped right into the patterning.  A good thing too, as that is where I needed to talk through some questions on the pattern.  It isn't poorly written by any means but it has a lot less hand-holding than most current / modern patterns.

In other news, Tuppy the cat has been super affectionate tonight. I wonder what he was up to while I was gone today.

Snacktime

Galen and Bingo hope I am bringing food as soon as I put down the camera.

We had a yarn & beer meetup last week and it was a great time.  I aquired some destash yarn and a little new yarn.  I am on a real sock kick right now so I have to be well stocked.

This one is becoming socks right now.

Monday Musings

It's official - I need to rip back the crochet hat and rework with a smaller hook.  I'm also going to leave off the ribbon row and the ruffle.  It was just bad all around.   Smaller hook has been obtained. Just need some wine now.

Progress is good on the new socks.  The yarn is just superb, it's a yellow / orange / pink / purple colorway called "Summer Dusk".  Stockinette in the round is seriously better than therapy.  It makes everything better: laundry, TV time, vet waiting room, break time, telephone call time.

Took Galen to the vet for a blood draw to check how the thyroid meds are working.  His fur is fluffier but is acting a little strangely and is becoming fussy about his food.  That reminds me to go get the chicken I cooked up and hide his pills in it.