How Did That Get on the Needles?

My next summer project was going to be Turquoise Jewel in KnitPicks sportweight Shine, 60% cotton, 40% model.

The pattern is designed by Jean Frost and published in the Summer 2005 Knitter's magazine.

Almost a year ago, July 30, 2005, I wrote: "Not only do I love the looks of this jacket, it is just the kind of knitting I love to do. As soon as a stitch pattern gets boring, it changes to another stitch pattern."

Turquoise Jewel has been on my mind ever since, even more so after I used Shine for the first time and discovered it would be perfect for this pattern except for the heavy lower border.


After swatching an alternate lower border in a variation of Feather and Fan, I was ready to cast on. Just needed to buy some yarn.

I couldn't decide which color Shine to order. Staring at the colors online and in the catalog wasn't helpful. Shine has bright, vivid colors. Laptop screens and printed catalogs don't do them justice. I was afraid to order enough for a jacket without seeing the actual color first.

I thought I wanted a purple/violet color but couldn't decide between orchid, violet, or hydrangea with occasional leanings toward cherry, grass, and cloud. Or I could pick turquoise and make it like the pattern picture. Indecision led to inaction. I needed a sample card.

Everyone knows that Knitpicks has free shipping for orders over $40, so I HAD to order some yarn with the Shine color card. Since I was planning to knit an alpaca sweater this fall and had all ready done some swatching with KnitPicks Andean Treasure, I ordered 15 skeins in Lagoon, a beautiful green heathered with yellow.


The package was sitting in the mailbox Saturday, the day I got home from the wedding trip. I was tired. I wanted to sit. I wanted comfort. What's more comforting than knitting on soft, fluffy alpaca? What's more tempting than new yarn?

And that is why I'm knitting super warm alpaca in the summer instead of Shine. Makes sense to me. In fact, I'm totally happy about it. I love this yarn. It's a total pleasure to knit, especially after knitting with linen on my last project. (Yes, as soon as the temperature goes below 90 on a day it's not raining, there will be pictures of the shawl.)

Since I'm mostly making up the alpaca sweater pattern as I go along, I decided to start with the sleeves. I did play around with the lace border and frogged a few times, so I was glad to have fewer stitches on the needle. Once I got the first sleeve the way I wanted it, I cast on the second before forgetting what I did. The result: Two sleeves almost ready to start armhole shaping.

Taking a Short Break

I'm taking a week off blogging to do some other things including a trip to St. Paul Minnesota for nephew Mike's wedding to Trudy.

Barbara, the Faroese shawl is done. There will be pictures when I return.

Also Mom's birthday socks, CIC socks, the finish of FLAK, and new yarn for my next major knitting project.

For my US readers, have a great Memorial Day weekend. I wish you all nice weather, safe travel, and congenial companions.

J is for Jade

Over a decade ago during a very intense period in my systems analyst career, I was project leader for a new order entry and customer service system for a major pharmaceutical company that has now been absorbed by Pfizer.

The project needed programmers which at the time were not easy to find. We were a little skeptical when our management decided to bring in several contractors from India to help.

The skepticism didn't last long. We were able to interview and select the best. The Indians were hard working and talented. Once I got the feel for their accent, there was no verbal communication problem. Their written communication was perfect King's English. Their technical skills were awesome.

Padmaja was my favorite. We worked together for several years and I know beyond a doubt she was the reason for the excellence of the project. When there was something impossible complicated to do, it went to Padmaja. She took a day or two to understand it, and then it was created. Perfectly.

Padmaja brought me this jade box when she went back to India to visit.

It's about eight inches by five inches. It's stone. It's heavy.

She brought back heavy gifts for many of her US friends. I believe I received the most beautiful.

I can't imagine how she packed them and traveled with them. Just another example of Padmaja doing the difficult and making it look easy.


Granddaughter Kimmy has been fascinated by this jade box since she was a toddler. Every time she comes to visit she fingers it, opens it, shuts it, admires it. It will be hers someday when the time is right.

Meanwhile I will treasure it and enjoy the memories it brings.

Race to the Finish

Pattern: Barbara from Stahman Shawls and Scarves

Yarn: Louet Euroflax linen, fingering weight

Color: Gray

Needles: #4 Inox Gray (teflon)

Will I be able to finish this shawl in time to pack it for the wedding trip next Thursday?

The edging is about one-third done. There have been several tinks and frogs and I'm not sure how many hours I have spent on it. Maybe now that I'm more experienced, it will go forward without any more ripping out.

I'm finding it's very difficult to read my knitting with the linen yarn. That is slowing me down some.

The border repeat is 20 stitches. I have marker pins every twenty stitches to aid in finding errors quickly.

Will there be enough yarn to finish the border?

I think so. If not, I have swatches I can frog and use but I'd rather not. The swatches have been washed and I'm not sure they will knit up to the same gauge as the unwashed linen.

Will I use the linen yarn again?

Yes, I think so. Final determination on that will come after I wear the shawl a few times. It's not the easiest yarn to knit with, but it doesn't hurt my hands. The lightweight beauty of the yarn and washability count for a lot.

Monday Miscellany

This post may read like I'm whining. I'm not. Having lived 61 years, I know when life is good and right now life is good. Still, even in the best of times there are those little things that happen . . .

Weather News
It's been raining or getting ready to rain or just finishing raining for the past six days. Also, it's chilly. My joints are wishing for some dry weather and sun.

The grass has grown so long it's getting the bottom of my jeans wet when I walk though it and all garden plants have had a large growth spurt - the weeds growing three times quicker than the intended species. The Lily of the Valley is in the weed column. It's currently blooming and smells lovely, but it's growing in way too many places I don't want it.

Nest Box Invasion
We had a beautiful tree swallow nest in one of the nest boxes. There were five pretty white eggs snuggled down in a bed of white chicken feathers. An English sparrow (also called House Sparrow) got into the nest box, pecked holes in all the eggs, and threw the feathers out onto the ground. I hope the sparrows decide to establish a nest of their own in that nestbox because I'll be watching and waiting to get revenge.

It's easy to tell the English sparrow nests because they incorporate garbage in with the dried grass. How appropriate.

If my threats against the "cute little sparrows" upsets you, please read this.

English Sparrows commonly kill adult Bluebirds and other native cavity nesters and their young and smash their eggs. The House Sparrow is partially responsible for the near extinction of Bluebirds in the US. Since they are not native to this country, they are one of the few birds not protected by law.

Status of Barbara Shawl
I only have four more very long rows to knit on the Barbara Shawl and then I can start the border lace. And maybe I can finish the border lace before running out of yarn. The amount of yarn left on the cone is starting to look worrysome.

This is the fourth shawl I've ever knit and possibly the third one to require more yarn than I started with. Even though I'm aware of my tendency to underestimate shawl yardage required, it appears I may have done so again. It's going to be close. Very close.

I think I'll use that as an excuse to ignore housework this afternoon and sit and knit.

Tenth Annual Louise Lunch

Subtitle - Pictures of Mothers and Daughters I love.

Each year on a Saturday in the middle of May, four generations of Louises meet for lunch to celebrate our middle name (Louise), Mother's Day, and Heather's (the third Louise) birthday.

Yesterday was our day, a very special day. It was Heather's actual birthday and we hit the Mother's Day weekend.

Marguerite Louise - the first Louise

Mom's birth certificate doesn't have a middle name. When she was a young woman she was fond of the opera Louise so she took Louise as a middle name.

Here she is opening one of her Mother's Day gifts, a blog word cloud teeshirt.

She blogs at Odysseuse on the Move.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!


Heather Louise - the third Louise

The first time I heard the name Heather was in church. The pastor mentioned his niece, Heather. Heather's dad-to-be liked the name, and I agreed it was perfect for our soon to be adopted baby daughter.

Once we had the first name, we started thinking of middle names. Heather Louise topped the list.

This is Heather Louise with her Opal Chameleon birthday socks. She likes them.

Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day Heather!


Kimberly Louise - the fourth Louise

Even with three generations of Louises, I didn't think of it as a tradition. I was very surprised and honored when Heather chose Louise as the middle name for her daughter - my first granddaughter.

When Kimmy was a baby, we started the Louise lunch tradition for our family Mother's Day celebration.

Ten year old Kimmy is not a mother and wasn't having a birthday, but in honor of our tenth Louise lunch she received a pair of Siamese cat earrings that resemble her pet.



Happy Mother's Day Anne!

My Mother's Day picture post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my wonderful daughter-in-law Anne and granddaughter Sydney Anne.

Here they are with my brother Dave at his trumpet shop in Portland, Oregon.

Barbara Shawl Progress Pictures

Pattern: Barbara from Stahman Shawls and Scarves

Yarn: Louet Euroflax linen, fingering weight

Color: Gray

Needles: #4 Inox Gray (teflon)

Taking shawl progress pictures with hundreds of scrunched up stitches on the needle is a challenge for me. For these pictures, I split the stitches up onto three needles. Then, because it's a Faroese shawl with shoulder shaping, I draped it over the corner of a padded chair.

The top picture shows the back panel. On the right, the shoulder shaping is on the shoulder of the chair. The left side is just bunched up on the top of the chair asking to be ignored for now.


Here I've turned the shawl around for a front view.

I have hopes of getting Barbara done in time to wear to a wedding. In order for that to happen, it has to be suitcase ready by May 24.

Because I'm busy with other non-knitting, time consuming projects and I plan on knitting the scalloped lace border, it's going to be close. One major frog will make it hopeless, so I'm trying to stay relaxed and careful.

Since I dislike knitting under pressure, I have a few alternate wedding outfits in mind. If I don't get to wear Barbara, I'm the only one who will realize I'm not wearing what I wanted to wear.

Sunny's Stairs, Pappy's Bravery

Background for why Sunny has stairs and why the mattress was on the floor is here and here.

When we first got the doggy stairs, I put them next to the loveseat where I sit with my laptop and the little dogs snuggle in next to me. I was right there to make sure Sunny used the steps. There wasn't an alternate way for her to get up and down because the steps were in the way. She quickly learned to use them but it took a few weeks for her to like using them.

Last week we put the mattress on the bed and moved the stairs into the bedroom. It took just a little bit of training for Sunny to understand we wanted her to use the stairs to get up and down from the bed.

I'm very pleased with the Ultralite Pet Stairs from Discount Ramps. They only weigh ten pounds so they're easy to move around, yet they're sturdy enough to stay in place. I ordered a second set for next to the loveseat.



Our neighbor has a goat. Glory, our big old dog, does not like the goat. We've been teaching her not to bark at the goat and she knows she's not supposed to bark at the goat, but when she thinks she can get away with it she sneaks in a bark or two (or three or four).

Yesterday I went out for a dog walk with Glory free and the two little dogs on their Flexi leashes. Glory barked at the goat. The goat came running to the fence that divides our property and Glory ran over to bark in the goat's face.

Lady, a large dog that lives with the goat, took exception and ran over to the fence growling to protect the goat. Glory and Lady had a dog fight through the fence. It is farm fence with squares about 4 inches by 4 inches, so they couldn't really do harm to each other, but it looked and sounded violent and I ran over to pull Glory away.

Twelve pound Pappy, who is little enough to get through the farm fence, did. He attacked Lady just like he was a big dog and got his head bitten. Fortunately, Lady's owner arrived on the scene just then - probably because I was screaming - and pulled Lady back.

It was an ugly, scary incident. Pappy is a gentle, calm dog, but he thought he needed to defend Glory. Now he has a hole in his head. You can see it over his left eye.

Opal Yarn in the Mail

I ordered some of the new Opal from Simply Socks Yarn Company on Thursday evening and it was in my mailbox today. Almost instant gratification. It was my first order from Allison, but with service like that it won't be my last.

The picture used to sell this yarn shows Petticoat 1291 with deeper colors than it actually has.

My skein is a pastel beauty. I'm going to enjoy picking a pretty pattern to go with the lovely colors and knitting it up.

It's going to be my next pair of socks, Mom's birthday socks, unless I change my mind or Mom tells me she doesn't like it.


This is Opal Hagebutte Rose Hips. Looking at the Opal picture, I never dreamed the actual yarn was going to be this gaudy colorful.

The colors are bright and the color repeats are very short. If I had seen this yarn in person, I probably would not have purchased it. But, now that I have it, I'm challenged to find a pattern that will show off the colors. Maybe something with a slip stitch.

Any pattern suggestions for multicolored yarn with short lengths of each color?

Botanical Invaders

Have you ever planted something in your garden and regretted it later as it turned into a pest?

One gardening friend claims she had to move in order to get away from the lemon balm she innocently planted one spring. Many of the mints like lemon balm are invasive, but at least they're easy to weed out.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that the most troublesome plants at Violet Acres were not purchased and planted by me. They were here when we moved in, looking tidy and pretty.

My number one pain in the garden butt is Lily of the Valley.

When we first moved in, I was delighted to see a large patch of Lily of the Valley. I'd unsuccessfully tried growing it several times in my previous urban yard with no success.

Unsuspecting the relentless and robust underground runners, I naively transplanted it to empty patches of other gardens. One of my worst gardening mistakes.

When Lily of the Valley is happy, and Lily of the Valley is very happy on my property, it travels underground and pops up where ever it feels like popping up. It sprouts leaves in the middle of whatever other plant happens to be where Lily wants to be, which happens to be everywhere and anywhere.

I can't use Roundup on it without killing plants I don't want to kill. When I dig it up by the roots, each little piece of root that breaks off considers itself the start of a new underground runner.

On bad days, I've considered letting the whole five acres be covered with Lily of the Valley. It would be very pretty and fragrant in the spring.


Cinnamon ferns are another plant I was thrilled to have growing so happily here when we moved in. And I still like them, even though they require stern control to keep them in bounds.

This garden was ignored for too long, and the ferns took over the hostas, hellebores, and an azalea bush.

I'm in the process of digging out the ferns that are in another plant's territory, but it's not a one day project. Once I get them under control, I will be much more vigilant about removing ferns that stray out of bounds.


What grows berserk in your yard?

I is For Idaho

Idaho Facts:

• State Capital - Boise.
  
• State Motto - "It is forever"
  
• State Flower - Syringa
  
• State Bird - Mountain Bluebird
  
• State Tree - White Pine
  
• State Gem - Star Garnet
  
• State Nicknames - Spud State; Gem State; Panhandle State

A Few Famous People from Idaho:

• Ernest Hemingway, author
  
• Lana Turner, actress
  
• Gutzon Borglum, Mt. Rushmore sculptor
  
• Mariel Hemingway, actress
  
• Myrna Stahman, scarf and shawl designer

Looking at Northern Idaho from the air, it's all mountains and evergreens. No deciduous forests like we have here in SW Michigan.



See where it says "Post Falls" just south of the Canadian border?

Next month I'll be spending a week there visiting my Idaho girl.


Here's a memory from my last visit to Idaho.

Come on, Grandma! Get down on the floor and let's play!

Life's Simple Pleasures

I've been tagged by A Cracked Pot.

Name ten of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

Having no idea what other people have used and not being very creative, I submit the following list.

I further revolt by not tagging anyone else to do this. It's a pleasant, easy post for a day when blogging seems like a lot of work. If you want to do it, it's all yours!

Life has many simple pleasures. These are the first ten that popped into my head today.

1. Violets in the spring.
   
2. Snuggling with my dogs while drinking my first cup of coffee in the morning.
   
3. Playing "peek" with granddaughter Sydney and hearing her laugh.
   
4. Lunch with a good friend.
   
5. Singing my favorite hymn, And Can It Be, in church with the organ.
   
6. Fresh Michigan strawberries in June with Bisquick shortcake.
   
7. A freshly mowed lawn.
   
8. Waking up without an alarm clock.
   
9. Listening to a good book on CD while I knit.
   
10. Being alive.

What's one of your simple pleasures?

Weekend Finished Objects

Pattern: Eagle's Flight by Megan Humphrey

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Rainforest Chameleon

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Heather's birthday socks done with two weeks to spare!

The color pattern almost overwhelms the stitch pattern, but somehow the total effect is rather chameleon like. Heather is the type of person who appreciates something unique. I predict that she will like these socks. Since she's a very thoughtful and kind person, I doubt I'll ever know if she doesn't.

Next birthday is Mom's in mid June. Plenty of time to knit her something nice. The ideas are churning around in my head. Round and round they go and when they stop, I'll cast on.



Pattern: What's In My Pocket Vest by Claudia Krisniski with a simple knit/purl pattern for interest.

Yarn:Knitpicks Sierra, 70% wool, 30% alpaca

Color:Pool

Needles: Addi Turbo #10.5

Gauge: 3 stitches/inch, 4 rows/inch

April/May is CIC Vest and Sweater challenge time. Our CIC_Knit List goal is 400 and it was past time for me to start knitting on my personal goal of 4.

This vest sat partially done in my knitting basket for several months until Saturday when I fished it out and finished it up.


Pattern: What's In My Pocket Vest by Claudia Krisniski using the Eagle's Flight stitch pattern instead of stockinette.

Yarn:Knitpicks Sierra, 70% wool, 30% alpaca

Color:Pool

Needles: Addi Turbo #10.5

Gauge: 3 stitches/inch, 4 rows/inch

It was a rainy weekend, so after finishing the first vest, I cast on for a second one using the Eagle's flight stitch pattern on the front and back. This is the stitch pattern from the Opal Chameleon socks so I had it fresh on my brain. The vest knit up very quickly.

I've never measured and have no proof of this, but I think it's quicker to knit a CIC vest than a pair of CIC socks.

Getting Back in the Groove of Home

I'm home.

I still occasionally find myself singing A B C D E F G. . ., Sydney's favorite song on her Leap Start Learning Table. I'm sure I heard it several hundred times while in Idaho, but each time was a delight as she smiled and danced along with the catchy little tune.

Who needs coffee when a bright eyed little sweetie like this wants to play at seven in the morning?


The Michigan reality is yardwork. There is still much to clean up at Violet Acres and we're working on it old people style - a little each day.

Many little spring flowers are in bloom including my favorite, the blue violets. They grow wild on our property. There's a large patch in the west wooded yard and other scattered "volunteer" plants here, there, and everywhere.

The bluebird eggs hatched yesterday. It's been too chilly to open the box and take pictures, so there are none.


Pattern: Eagle's Flight by Megan Humphrey

Yarn: Opal sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Color: Rainforest Chameleon

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

There was some knitting done on the trip, but not much.

These are daughter Heather's birthday socks sitting crooked on the sock blockers. I'm hoping to finish them this weekend.

H is for Hands

One of the most memorable moments of my life was being present for the birth of my first granddaughter, Kimberly Louise, in 1995.

Seeing my own daughter give birth to her daughter was awesome, but the very very best part happened about ten minutes later.

Daughter Heather still had post-birth work to do and she called for new dad Tony to come be with her, meaning I got to hold the new born Kimmy. There was a rocking chair in the room. While we sat together and rocked, she grabbed my finger. Ten minutes old and she grabbed my finger.

I know babies do this all the time, but this was MY granddaughter and, therefore, very different and special. Instant bonding. Instant love.

This picture was taken after Kimmy went home. Her little hand in mine. I love it.

I had a mouse pad made from this picture and used it at work for years until the picture wore off.


It was almost ten years later before I was grandma a second time. Granddaughter Sydney Anne was born to my son John and his wife Anne 2000 miles away in Idaho.

I missed the birth, but four weeks later I flew west to meet my new granddaughter.

As you can see, the meeting was a success. Sydney decided her paternal grandmother was OK and gave me the sealing finger hug on our relationship.


Last August I had the pleasure of bringing Kimmy on her first plane trip.

Two of the most important people in my life met for the first time.

The tanned hands of nine year old Kimmy held the baby pink hands of four month old Sydney and declared her an OK cousin.


Writing from Idaho where I'm having a wonderful time with the one year old hands of Sydney Anne.

Finished Embossed Leaves

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt from Interweave Knits Winter 05

Yarn: Austermann Step, 75% wool, 25% nylon with Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil

Color: 03

Needles: Addi Turbo #1

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch in stockinette

Most knitters who knit this pattern say they just love how the last leaf is continued to completion in the toe decreases. With a bit of regret, I have to admit I didn't bother figuring out how to do that.

This pattern is written for the standard 64 stitches around, and 64 stitches around is too big for me. The leaf pattern, unlike most other lace patterns, fits snug to my leg with 64 stitches because of the ribbing designed into the stitch pattern. I continued the leaf pattern down the instep on 31 stitches and decreased the sole to 29, for a total of 60.

I'm sure I could have charted the pattern toe decreases to work with 4 less stitches, but I'm stuck in a toe rut. I like the way I always make my toes. Whenever I try something different, I wish I hadn't. And I was in a hurry to finish these socks so I could cast on the pair of Opal Chameleon socks I'm taking to knit in Idaho.

They're done and I'm happy with them. I plan to wear them on my travel day Wednesday.


Temporary Barbara Setback
I frogged 6 inches of the Barbara shawl last Friday.

Barbara is a Faroese shawl. The sides have a 10 row repeat but the center back has a 20 row repeat. Somehow I knit the wrong row in the center back panel and never noticed it until days and much knitting later.

It's frogged and the stitches are back on the needle, but I haven't forgiven myself yet for not noticing sooner.

Barbara is packed away until after I return from Idaho.

Countdown to Idaho

Only two more days before I wake up before dawn and head for the airport and Idaho.

I'm in triage mode:

1. Has to be done before I leave - laundry, packing, income tax (done!), clean out purse, books from library, organize sock project, go to bank for cash, pack, post H for the ABC Along.
   
   
2. Would be nice to have done before I go - clean kitchen, clean bathroom, vacuum house, finish raking out gardens.
   
   
3. I'll think about this when I get home - most of the housework, yard work, FLAK, Barbara Shawl.

According to the National Weather Service 5 day forecast for Coeur d'Alene, it's going to be about ten degrees colder there than here in Michigan. The Idaho nights are dipping below freezing and the Idaho high temps are in the 40s and 50s.

Son John and Daughter-in-law Anne have planned a fun week for my visit. They're going to be busy doing things and I'm going to babysit. I'm trying to remember what it's like to feed a one year old. It's been a long time.

I can hardly wait. Now, what do I have to do next?

Stuff in the Mail

Just about the only complain I have about my favorite sock yarn, Opal, is that I have no place to buy it in person. The online pictures never do justice to the beautiful colors and patterns.

This is Opal Chameleon from the Rainforest collection. I audibly ahhhed when I took it out of the box. As usual, the colors exceed expectations. I'm hoping I'll be better able to show the beautiful colors when I start knitting it.

There was another ahhh when I touched it. Recent Opal collections seem to be plumper and softer than earlier collections. It feels heavenly.

Daughter Heather asked for something with green for her May birthday socks, so this yarn is scheduled to be knit during next weeks trip to Idaho. Now I need to find the perfect stitch pattern to show off the yarn colors.


Another package in the mail this week contained the new, improved Janet Szabo's Aran Sweater Design. I'm excited to have this 175 page addition to my knitting library.

It has all the basic, technical things you expect to find. Information that will allow you to follow a published Aran pattern and get profession looking results. Then, it goes on to teach designing: finding attractive cable combinations, getting the sweater to turn out the right size, picking yarn and color, and much more.

There's more. It goes on to describe and diagram bottom up construction, top down construction (neckband first and body first), dropped shoulder construction with and without saddles, peasant sleeve construction with and without saddles, set-in sleeves with and without saddles, raglan sleeves with and without saddles, and raglan construction bottom up and from the top.

Very impressive. I will be using this as a reference book for the rest of my knitting life.

And I have to mention the four patterns at the end of the book. One of them, the Set-in Sleeve Aran Project, is on my knitting list for that Dusty Teal Peruvian Highland Wool I have sitting in my stash. You can see a picture of the pattern here.

Updates on Gail, Sunny, Bird Nests, and the Rabbit

Gail's Christmas Socks
Back in February I wrote

Gail the dog trainer has a birthday the same day as John and I'm trying to decide if I'm going to knit a pair of socks for the occasion. She got a pair for Christmas which I've never seen her wear, even though she told me she loves wearing them. Was she just being polite? I see her twice a week. The socks should have made an appearance by now. It would give me great pleasure to knit another pair of socks for her, but I don't want to give her something she doesn't really like.

Her birthday was March 18. By the first of March, I still hadn't seen her wearing the gift socks, so I sighed and bought her a book for her birthday.

Then she started wearing the socks. She wore them three times in the two weeks before her birthday. I was so pleased. And now I know what to give her for Christmas next year.

Sunny
Two weeks ago Sunny had back spasms was diagnosed with spondylosis, excessive bone production that occurs between spinal vertebrae in dogs. Two of her lumbar vertebrae are all ready fused together and her entire spine is showing excess calcium deposits.

Sunny is off drugs now and we're working on training her to go up and down the pet stairs instead of jumping on and off the furniture.

Gail the dog trainer had a dog with spondylosis and let me know she can help with good advice on what Sunny should not do. We've had several talks about Sunny and doggy school.

Sunny loves doggy school. When Sunny and Pappy see the treat bag come out they know it's doggy school night for one of them. They sit and watch until I tell them which one is going. The one who gets named jumps around in excitement. The other one goes off to the back room and pouts. It's totally unacceptable that Sunny never gets a turn to go to doggy school.

Fortunately, Sunny's favorite part of doggy school is the obedience, so we're going to switch her out of Advance Hobby/Agility into an obedience class. Tomorrow (Tuesday) night will be our first time to attend.

Bird Nests
It was 59 degrees today. The swallows have returned, the black flies have hatched, and I officially pronouce it spring in SW Michigan.

Mother bluebird peeked out the nest box hole at us during the first morning dog walk. Later I checked and there was the first blue egg. She'll be laying one a day now until she has four or five.

The Mourning Dove nest has been abandoned. Either a predator got into it or the cold killed the naked babies.

Mourning Doves are stupid, clumsy birds. I know most people like them. I like them too, but they're still stupid and clumsy. This pair got confused about nesting season and did it a month early. I'm sure they'll try again.

Jill asked . . .

Any chance you can point out the Mourning Dove nest? Is it really that pitiful stick or two under the bird?

Yes. That's it.

Just spotted this nest on the shelf of an old, unused satellite dish way out in the back field.

It's a collection of coarse weeds and dead, dry leaves. Looks like it would blow away if I sneezed on it. It's just as pitiful as the Mourning Dove nest.

I'm not familiar with this type of nest and I haven't seen the associated birds so I don't know what they might be. If I see them return to this nest I'll report.

Anybody know what kind of nest this is? Want to guess?


The Weight Loss Rabbit on My Sidebar
In my April 1 post I promised

Next Wednesday I will weigh myself, reset the rabbit if necessary, and see if I can hop him along a bit before I leave for Idaho.

I kept that promise and was delighted to see that I have not gained any of the lost weight back. The rabbit is exactly in the right place.

I do admit to being a bit challenged in finding the motivation for the last five pounds. I'm working on it.

Knitting Log for April 8

Last week I did more swatching with the fingering weight linen.

Both are Faroese shawl swatches from Stahman Shawls and Scarves. The top is Frances, the bottom Barbara.

Knitting the first three swatches, Elizabeth, Gracie, and Marialis, I decided I liked the linen best on #4 needles, so I stuck with #4s for both of these.

I was excited all the while I was knitting the Frances swatch thinking it was the perfect shawl for the linen yarn. After the swatches were washed and blocked, it was obvious that I preferred the looks of Barbara. Barbara more delicate and the edging is pretty and rounded.

That doesn't mean I'm never going to knit Frances, but for this yarn in this color, Barbara is the chosen one.


Pattern: Barbara Faroese Shawl from Stahman Shawls and Scarves

Yarn: Louet Euroflax linen, fingering weight

Color: Gray

Needles: #4

Friday evening was cast on time. And away we go.


Pattern: Follow the Leader Aran by Janet Szabo

Yarn: Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool

Color: Antique Rose

Needles: US #5

Gauge: 22 stitches/4 inches in Moss Stitch

The FLAK body has turned into mindless knitting. Well, I do have think a little to make sure the cable crossings are going the right way. But not much.

The body measures eight inches down from the underarm seams and I calculate I need 24 more rounds to get the length I want before starting the ribbing.

I'm hoping we get one more FLAK installment with helpful hints on how to pickup the neckline and make it look nice. When knitting sweaters I frog necklines more than any other part. I'm good at making them too big and making them too small. The FLAK neckline will be more challenging than usual picking up stitches along those ruffly cables.


Normally I find a pattern I want to knit and then go looking for yarn. This is an exception.

I want to knit myself a sweater using Knitpicks Andean Treasure, a 100% alpaca sport weight yarn. I've been trying to imagine what kind of pattern to use for a soft, fluffy alpaca yarn.

A few days ago I swatched the Larkspur Lace Pullover in the Spring 2005 Cast On. The picture in the magazine is not clear plus the sweater is knit in a variegated yarn. Without looking at the stitch charts, you'd never guess this sweater had an interesting stitch pattern.

The entire Larkspur Lace sweater is knit in the eyelet pattern seen just above the eyelet ribbing in the swatch. I think the part of the swatch without eyelets shows off the beauty of the heathered alpaca better. If I use any eyelets in my version of this sweater pattern, I'll use them sparingly.

This is going in my stack of potential future projects.