Puppy Love

Monell has moved to his new home. I miss my big ol' boy.. he was just about the perfect dog. Never mind the dog aggression (who could blame him?), the resource guarding (he is getting so much better!), and the fecal obsession. He is my ideal dog - big, quiet, friendly (but not overbearingly so), gorgeous, a gentleman on his walks, and generally well-behaved. Perfect.

So when we got the call less than a week later that an emergency foster sitter was needed, I was a bit reluctant to volunteer. Mo is a hard act to follow. But I had no reason to say no, and thought it might be nice to have another dog for awhile. Along comes Mimi....

Now really, who could resist those eyes?

Mimi is another return, so she is well aware of what houses are all about. She's very much a lady, most of the time. She tolerates the kitten, even allowing him to sleep on top of her crate at night, and chew on her tail during the day. And she roaches. In the middle of the hard floor.



She is also a very patient model.


I'm very surprised she hasn't found a new home yet. She's just as wonderful as Monell!



In the above picture, she's modeling what I have so far of a dog coat that I started back when we first got Abba. It's not perfect, and I'm not a huge fan of the yarn (Dark Horse Yarns "Fantasy").. so it's taking me longer than usual. Perhaps it will get it's own post someday.

FO! Rusted Root

Finally - pictures of a finished object!


I've had a relatively productive summer as far as knitting goes, and have actually created things I can (and probably will) wear! Whoa. Creating clothes out of sticks and string is almost as fascinating as creating bread out of flour, water, and yeast. Such magic! Who knew?



(Side entrance to the Howard County Court House. So gorgeous!)

I'm about the gazillionth person to have knit a Rusted Root.. and I can certainly see why it's so popular. It's a quick, easy knit that is super-easy to customize. The recommended yarn comes in any color imaginable, and is reasonably priced. The pattern is well-written, and there are hordes of people to help you out if you get stuck. I'll definitely be knitting another Zephyr pattern in the future.

My only complaint about the pattern is that the yarn is worsted weight, which makes it somewhat hot and bulky for a summer knit. I guess this will be relegated to spring and fall for me...

While down at the Ellicott City section of the Patapsco River, we noticed some fun rocks. These were striped like zebras:


And these had up, one on another! Ah, the wonders of nature. ;) (Actually, it was fun to watch people cross the bridge and notice the stacked rocks. They made everyone stop and smile.)

Eeekk.. a roach!

This is the first roach we've seen in our new house!


Way more fun to discover than the ones we found I'm used to from Florida.

Mo had his first potential adoptive parent come by yesterday. As much as I don't want him to leave, I think that this person could offer the perfect home for him. We'll see. In the mean time, he's Tucker's only friend...


I had big plans for a photo shoot this weekend so that I could finally post pictures of some of my recent (and not so recent!) FOs. Unfortunately, it didn't quite happen. Didn't even come close to happening. Perhaps I'll get myself together for next weekend.

However, I did make it out to the barn for an early-morning ride. Mornings at the barn are perfect. I miss waking up to my ponies in the fog....

About time...

..to introduce Monell, our latest foster.


I was a little unsure about fostering him, since he is a return and has some issues. He's turning out to be incredibly easy, however.. as well as a lot of fun. This boy already knows all the basic commands, and will perform tricks for you (without solicitation) if he thinks you might be hiding a treat. He can be a bit aloof at times, but loves it when you get down on the floor with him.

Dogs have been flying out of here, and I'm definitely enjoying having this guy around. I hope he sticks for awhile.



As for knitting... this orange Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Dyed Cotton has tempted me every time I've gone into Spinters. I haven't been able to capture it's color properly, but the name does it: Squash.


It's being turned into a Drawstring Chemise from the Spring '08 IK. I had to modify the pattern for a heavier weight yarn, and my own measurements. I also lengthened the midsection by about 1.5". I'm hoping that during blocking I can squeeze another inch or so of length out - it still seems a little bit short.




Perhaps I'm just abnormally proportioned, though. ;) I did have a heckuva time finding a backpacking pack that would even come close to fitting. I'm too skinny for even the XS size of the Gregory Deva (my top choice).. and it was about 3 inches too short for my torso. (I finally ended up with an XS Osprey Aura 65, though it's still about an inch too short.)

Anyway. I enjoyed the pattern, and would even consider knitting it again with a different yarn. Something wool/silk, possibly.

Next new project in the knitting queue is the decidedly girly Rusted Root. Thanks to a wonderful destashing knitter on Ravelry, I have some brilliant red Cotton Fleece that I am extremely excited about....

Goals n' other assorted things

Not too long ago, a friend posted 101 Things to do in 1001 Days. I had never seen this before, but became instantly intrigued with the concept. Since then, I've found myself creating a list in my mind, adding to it as the days go along. So perhaps it's time I make the list and goals a little more concrete.

The main site for this idea seems to be here: Day Zero.

While making concrete, one-time goals is a good thing, I would also like to create a shorter list of things that I will repeat on a weekly or monthly basis. I'm terrible at keeping in contact with people, so that would play a large role in this particular list. I'm going to start with this list first, since it's much much shorter and I'm still working to attain 101 TTD. ;)

1. Hand write a letter twice a month.
2. Call someone every Sunday.
3. Read 2 new books a month. (I tend to reread the books I already have)
4. Ride at least 3 times a week. (I used to ride several times a day, every day.. so this is getting ridiculous!)
5. Go for at least one hike a month, and not always in Patapsco.
6. Update this list every 6 months.

That's it! We'll see how it goes.



In other news, life is moving right along. R leaves for England soon (grr!), I'm going "camping" in a few weeks, and we just found out this morning that we're getting another foster dog. This guy is definitely a dog in need - he was returned after 3 years living in a home. He has some issues that we will be working on, but I hear that overall he's a sweet little dude. Pictures soon! :)

Attack of the kittenhead!

I love an underdog. Given a choice, I will invariably pick the runt. It's just not in my power to resist.

Except when I have a grown up runt at home. A grown up runt who, while certainly my favorite living cat, is the only cat like her that I can handle.

(She's long since been put on a diet.)

So when we went to pick out the newest addition to our little family, R and I resisted the call of the runt. We totally resisted. We picked the "big boy" of the litter - the precocious one. And boy, is he full of it. He's non-stop. No time to cuddle. Must climb the curtains. Must eat books. Must attack feet. Must kill Squirrel. Must destroy yarn.



He's being a normal kitten in these pictures, and I only don't have pictures of him being bad because I need both hands to stop him. ;)



This is one crazy kitten. Good thing we adore him.

Today was a long day. One of those days that would make you swear that time was moving backwards. And it was made even longer by a faulty a/c unit at work and an afternoon rain storm that left the highways at a standstill.

So what a pleasant surprise to find a package in the mail at home! And not just any package, but one from a person living in another country.. a person I've never met. A package full of the most wonderful things!



Included were two booklets about the New Forest.. one is a Visitor's Guide with enticing pictures.. the other is a book of stories. (And oh, how I love stories!) But I was most amazed by the lovely hand knit mohair scarf. I keep looking at it, amazed that someone who knows me only through Ravelry and blogs would take the time to knit this for me. It is beautiful, and I will cherish it. (And as I told Bea - it will get lots of use because I'm not at all fond of the cold!!)



How refreshing that there do exist, in this crazy world, people who are so thoughtful and kind. I'm inspired.

Thank you, Bea!

(Someday I'll get a better picture of the scarf!)