Lucky...Squared

I am pretty lucky. I have lots of time to knit, more yarn than I could knit in my lifetime, and I get to take lots of wonderful fiber-related classes and go on fun, fabulous fiber-y trips. Life--as related to my favorite pastime/hobby/addiction--is pretty great. In recognition of that, I have been making a concerted effort to direct some of my energy into projects for the benefit of others. So, when a thread on Ravelry popped up to make squares for an Afghans for Afghans project in memory of Kay's husband (she of Mason-Dixon fame), I threw my hat in the ring, so to speak. One evening of podcasts (some knitting-related and various NPR offerings) plus a skein of stashed Kureyon and I have my 10"x10" square. I hope it brings comfort to the family receiving the blanket and Kay's family, as well.

I'm curious...what are your favorite knitting charities? And stay tuned for a couple of knitting challenges; there will be prizes.

And...Jazz Hands

Next year, Sock Camp is going to be awash in Shawl That Jazz(es).

Earth Day

Tomatoes grown organically in my backyard last summer.

This year I am commemorating Earth Day by:

• walking to the pet store to buy natural cat food--taking my own shopping bag, of course.
• waiting eagerly for my new worm bin to arrive.
• anticipating the day I can safely transfer my vegetable seed starts into my garden.
• having taken part in a park clean-up on Saturday.
• making a donation to the America's Wetland Foundation.

I would love to make some grand gestures like putting solar panels on my roof, installing an on-demand hot water system, or planting a roof garden, but those things may be impractical, at least for now. In the meantime, I try to do what I can to preserve our resources by recycling, installing fluorescent bulbs where it makes sense to do so, and using a front-loading washing machine. I think this will be the year we finally replace our drafty, dirty, inefficient windows with more energy-saving versions, so by the time winter rolls back around (though I'm not entirely sure it has actually left as the weather people were calling for snow last night), we might save a bit on heating.

I was planning to go see Earth which was opening in theaters today, but I heard the directors on Fresh Air this morning, and I got weepy just hearing them describe one poor little elephant's fate. That one may have to wait.

Channeling My Inner Pioneer Woman

There was more fleece picking today. I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder with an iPod and SPF 45. Between the VM* and the BM**, sheep are dirty little devils. I also attempted washing some of the picked locks. After researching various methods, I decided to try cleaning the wool by laying it into the colander part of a salad spinner. (In case you're ever over for dinner, this is a spinner just for fiber-y pursuits, so no worries about wool in the watercress.) I filled the bowl with very hot tap water (ours is turned up pretty high) and dish soap, and then gently lowered the colander of locks into the water. After just a few minutes, it was remarkable just how much lanolin and other muck dissolved. (The first dunking also produced an odor that is not how you want your kitchen to smell--ever.) I would then lift out the colander, dump the water into a bucket (lanolin + other ick + my home's 100-year-old plumbing = a potential plumber visit, so the back yard is now fragranced with eau de Bridget), and repeat until the water rinsed clear and the wool smelled more like wet yarn and less like wet barnyard. The locks are currently drying on a sweater rack in the bathroom downstairs. I can't wait to see what they look like when they're dry.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be cleaning up a city park in celebration of Earth Day and our President. (Why is it that I will do that, but I can't stand dusting my own living room?) Hopefully I'll also have both a few hours of good sun and the energy to continue working on the fleece in the afternoon.

In other matters, as if Ravelry wasn't enough, I have fallen victim to the timesuck that is Faceb00k. My downfall comes as a result of an impending high school reunion, and a significant one at that. (That doesn't mean that I'm actually going.) One thing led to another, and all of a sudden, hours are flying by looking at who has friended whom. Halfpint never had these kind of distractions. (OMG. I just G00gled "Laura Ingalls Wilder half pint" out of curiosity and discovered that she Tw1tters. Srsly. WTF.)

*vegetative matter
**Yes, that BM. No, I'm not going to spell it out.

Supercrafty

It was perfectly lovely here in Chicago, so I took advantage of the warm temps and lack of a breeze to set up a table in the backyard so that I could skirt and pick the fleece I received from my sheep. Bridget is a Coopworth that two of my friends adopted for me for Christmas last year, and she was recently shorn and her fleece was shipped to me. The somewhat smelly box had been languishing for a couple of weeks while I decided what to do with it. After some initial research, it looked like the best course of action was for me to attempt the first steps of processing myself, and then send it out to be finished. I have never had a raw fleece before, so this is an adventure--a dirty, stinky adventure. I'm not even halfway through picking it, and I was at it for over 2 hours. (Not knowing what I am doing has a good deal to do with that.) I am fairly certain that I am either discarding too much or too little.

(I took this picture after about 15 minutes of picking; rest assured I did have more finished than that little pile in the corner!)

After I got tired of picking poo and other icky things out of greasy wool, I decided to dye some yarn for Samro's Shawl That Jazz. (Sam was a fellow Sock Camper, and her pattern just skyrocketed to fame because a certain well-known knitter from Toronto just made one and blogged about it.) I bought the BMFA Falcon's Eye Twisted from a Raveler's stash at a pretty good price with the plan that I would alter the color once it arrived. Here it is in its original form:

and here it is after I finished with it:

Anyone interested in gardening out there? My friend is going to be on Martha Stewart tomorrow! Jerry (who is married to one of my dearest friends, Amy) is a landscaper with a really great sense of aesthetics. It's no wonder that he's getting this terrific opportunity--he's incredibly talented. The segments were filmed earlier in the week (Amy says taping went really well), and they will be on tomorrow (Friday.)

Camp Condensed

Triple Eagle

By now, many of you have read others' accounts of BMFA's Sock Camp, and what you have read is true: it was a really, really good time. All of the changes that were made since last year (new venue, less people, more free time to knit, spin, walk, relax, etc., yoga classes taught by Nathania Apple) all added to the experience. The hotel staff was great, the food was really wonderful, and the rooms came complete with giant jacuzzi tubs and gas fireplaces. It was heaven with yarn and pointy sticks.

Port Ludlow Resort

All of the classes were fab. JC Briar offered a cast off class, Stephanie, aka The Yarn Harlot, taught a class that used production knitting techniques to improve speed, Cat Bordhi introduced a brand new, super-secret sock architecture which will be in her upcoming book, and Tina Newton taught a dyeing class. Yep, that's right, dyeing with Tina Newton, The Depraved Dyer. (Tina also gave a "behind the scenes" slide show of BMFA as well as Oregon Coast pics she uses as inspiration to create colorways. It was truly a highlight of the week for me.)

My Three Skeins from Dyeing Class

This year's camp homework was to make a sea creature, with bonus points given for crabs, since this year's mascot was a crab. I made these Peekytoe Pedicure/Yoga Socks:

One of my favorite parts of camp was that I felt like I'd had a chance to meet and have at least a brief conversation with almost everyone. A slide show featuring everyone's pictures, complete with knitting secrets that we "confessed" on paper the first night, was a fitting, funny, bittersweet closure for the event. My secret:

"I would knit a hell of a lot faster if I didn't stop to admire my work at the end of every single row. I am a vain knitter."

Twice in a Day

I was missing my blogging mojo for a while, but I think it's back...for today, at least.

While I was gone, had a couple of out-of-town jaunts. I went with the husband to Madison. He was on business so I tagged along. I hit a couple of LYSs, one of which I recommend highly. Lakeside Fibers is a lovely shop with a fab cafe tucked in behind it. On a cold, windy day, it is a bit of a hike from downtown Madison (it was me and the ice fishermen out by the lake), but well worth the effort. The cafe has WiFi and serves salads, soups, baked goods, and wine.

I also took a trip back to PA to visit friends and family. I have finally discovered the key to visits home: keep moving. I stayed a maximum of two days in any one place, so I didn't have time to get tired of anyone, nor they of me. (Wasn't it that famous Bostonian-turned-Philadelphian, Ben Franklin, who claimed that fish and guests both smelled after three days? I shower daily, but you get the point.) I also managed to squeeze in quick stops at Rosie's Yarn Cellar and Loop on the way to the airport. I also got to see my cousin's baby in her "Blu" jeans. It was nice to see a gift knit "in action."

My Journey Wheel has arrived, and I am trying to get used to it. It is a very cool piece of engineering, and I can't say enough about the Bosworths' customer service. I really am happy to own one of their creations.

My friend, Liz, and I took a field trip out to The Fold. It was great to see Toni again, and Liz was able to find the perfect yarn for a project she was planning. If you are ever in the Chicago, do make the trip out to Marengo. It is a bit out of the way, but so worth it.

My new dietary restrictions have gotten easier (or I have become more resigned, and having to buy a smaller pair of jeans didn't hurt.) There are a few cravings that still get me (the sound of a cocktail shaker practically brings tears to my eyes), but I am mostly making do. I did find a recipe that I have made twice that you might want to try, Harvest Wheatberry Salad. I do not add the sugar substitute (it's not needed), and I have made it with both dried cranberries and dried cherries, and both taste great. Go easy on the cinnamon, especially if you have good, strong stuff from somewhere like Penzey's or The Spice House. It's crunchy (from the walnuts and celery), chewy (from the wheatberries), tangy (from the lemon juice), and sweet (from the cranberries or cherries.) It's good stuff. (The page takes a while to load when you click on the link.)

I have laundry, chores, and homework to do before I head out for Sock Camp on Monday. I'm sad that my camp-buddy, Liz, won't be going, but I'm looking forward to another trip to the PNW.

Color Study

One of my assignments for Sock Camp is to make a study of the colors to which I gravitate. Over the years I've noticed that I love combinations of dark reds and greens. When I was a kid, we used to pass a house on the way to the mall that had dark red siding and green shutters (or maybe it was the other way around), and my mother always commented that she loved how it looked. I never thought much of it (I was hung up on the architecture, which I didn't love), but clearly it struck a chord with me, too. (I also love blues and greens together, but don't most folks?)

Sea Slug Hat

Thanks, y'all, for the supportive comments. Every day I get a little less pouty about things. And, hey, I got to torture my first waiter today.

I got the new Vogue Knitting and was intrigued by the EZ Snail Hat. I guess I hadn't noticed it in The Opinionated Knitter (I think that's the correct book), but the pics in Vogue piqued my curiosity. Still on my service project knitting binge, I grabbed the last skein of Lion Brand Woolease Thick and Quick in the house (it's one of the washable "go-to" yarns that I use for charity knits) and cast on. This thing flew off the needles--about 2 hours of knitting. Maybe the color wasn't the best choice for this particular project, though; it kinda looks like a slug. I'm not sure how many people who don't know who EZ is would really want to wear it. (There are some pretty "interesting" designs that get a pass in the fiber community but seem a bit strange to non-yarny folk.)

I'm making great progress on the Ribby Pulli that had been hibernating for a while. If I put my mind to it, it could be done by the weekend. After that, I want to cast on a sweater that was reverse-engineered at the Cat Bordhi retreat I attended in October. (The pattern isn't public yet, but there were plans to do so.) The process was really fun. Someone brought a thrifted sweater with really interesting construction, and Cat and Judy Becker (of Judy's Magic Cast-On fame) dissected it and wrote it up. I'm not sure how it is going to look on me (it reminds me of something I would have worn in the late 80s or early 90s, but I don't think it's dated, actually), but I want to make it as a kind of souvenir of that really great week.

Aptly Named

Isn't it true that you never want anything more than when you are told that you can't have it? Well, that's the way it is for me, at least.

Basically, the genetic train wreck that is me is dangerously close to derailing (sounds dramatic, no?!), and I am having to give up a number of things I love in order to continue down the track. The occasional Sazerac Cocktail, gone, ditto the Sidecar. Red Velvet Cake, you are banished, and take those potatoes and pretzels with you. The medical hammer has come down, and basically I am on permanent South Beach Diet in order to stave off some not-so-fun medical consequences. The good news: I could end up a skinny bitch. The bad news: I may not be kidding about the bitch part. (The drag is that I drink rather moderately as it is (average two drinks a week), and there is no bottomless cookie jar here at the house, so when you think that you eat reasonably well already, to find out that you have to be even better is a bit of a blow. Hell, beets, a vegetable I love, are on the "avoid" list. I already eat whole wheat pasta, and that isn't helping. Damn.) So, Purls Before Wine it definitely is. Grumble, grumble, bitch and moan. There are many worse things to suffer, but it still sucks. At least I can still eat (non-fried) oysters, so get out yer shuckin' knives, boys, cause I am all over those slippery little devils. Unfortunately, I will now be one of "those people" at a restaurant. "Um, can I get the roasted root vegetable without the parsnips and the rutabagas? Oh, and light on the olive oil. Is there sugar in that dressing? Can I just get oil and vinegar. Do you have brown rice? No bread. Just berries for dessert." I apologize in advance to event planners, waiters, waitresses, and line cooks everywhere. I didn't choose to make your job more difficult on purpose--believe me.

There is knitting and spinning to report, but they lack proper visual documentation, so I will post about them later in the week.

Just had to vent into the series of tubes for a moment. I promise that this will not become the "what I wanted but couldn't have or my blood sugar will spike" ranty-type bloggy thing. I'm sure many of you deal with similar and worse situations with a great deal more dignity and stoicism than am I. *End of temper tantrum*

We will soon resume our regularly scheduled high-in-fiber blog diet.

Finish What You Started

One of the things I hope to do in 2009 is finish at least one project a week. That may mean finally sewing up a sweater started in 2008 or it may mean that I have to cast on a baby hat at 6pm on a Sunday night just to have something to finish. However it happens, that's what I would like to do. So far in 2009 I have completed:

a Noro striped scarf,

a Sophie's Toes Magic Ball scarf,

two baby hats for the service project currently running in the Knitters for Obama group on Ravelry,

a Chevron Scarf,

a charity blanket made for Blue Moon Fiber Arts that Tina will give away,





and two Brangelina Hats, also for KFO.

The blanket was the only project that had been on the needles at the start of the year.

I've also decided to evaluate UFOs. Either it gets finished or frogged. I've picked up the Ribby Pulli again, but the Hiker's Waistcoat bit the dust, mostly because I'd lost my place and was too lazy to figure out where I was. (Seriously, it's not a hard pattern, so that's a pretty pathetic admission.) I plan to cast the vest on again and start fresh, but I did pick up a similar one on sale at the Sundance Catalog for a great price, so who knows how that will go.

Cartoon Clubhouse

After reading the blog post about missing the latte foam drawings he used to do, the husband gave me this:

He went up to Starbucks and asked them to make the foamiest steamer they could, then he brought it home and drew the picture. The image on the right is a cat, and the image on the left is yarn and needles. (The needles are kinda hard to see 'cause foam is a tricky medium.) How funny is that?! Yup, this is the cartoon clubhouse we live in.

Holding Out Hope for 2009

There are some things in this world that you just can't give up on. You're certain that if you just hold out a little longer, events will surely go your way. Well, blog-o-friends, here is your proof that if you have faith, things may just turn out:



This sock has been MIA since May. I took the pair on the SeaSocks cruise to Alaska, and I was absolutely certain that they both came home with me. Nonetheless, when we got home and I went to wash them, one was gone. The remaining sock sat on my dresser for a while, then I put it in a drawer. I even contemplated letting go, but something kept me from parting with it. (You see, my optimism was fueled by a similar incident with a pair of mittens a few years back. It took two years, but the pair was finally reunited. I never gave up hope.)

The husband found the beloved sock while--ironically--helping me to look for a missing credit card. (Visa is still on the loose, but I'm pretty sure it is on the premises since the last time I used it was to pay a plumber here in the house. I'm only giving it until tomorrow before I give up the ghost. No worries, though--there have been no unauthorized charges.)


While the universe gives, she sometimes takes away. Alas, I need to call the plumber again. It seems that an outdoor faucet has sprung a bit of a leak, and the side of the house has been turned into a frozen waterfall. Two plumber visits in as many weeks? Hmmm...maybe 2009 isn't looking as hopeful as I'd originally thought.

Goals for an Improved 2009

1. Lose weight. Duh.
2. Go to yoga on a regular basis. (See #1.)
3. Get rid of at least one pair of shoes for every two pairs I might acquire. (This may be harder than you know.)
4. Only buy yarn for which I have a specific project in mind. (This WILL be harder than you know. BTW, I've already had a "falling down" at the Woolgirl sale. Ooops.)
5. Spend more quality time with my husband.
6. Get those $%&**@ house projects started that I have been yapping about for years!
7. Eat better. (Pretzels do not constitute a meal, even if you are originally from Pennsylvania.)
8. Get started on developing the knitting education program that I have been thinking about for a few years.
9. Read more books that aren't necessarily about knitting.
10. Try a new restaurant every 4-6 weeks. (Not too hard to do in Chicago. I could try a new one every day if I set my mind to it, but that might adversely affect #1.)

There are other things that I would like to do/do better, but I'd better keep it manageable.

Knittah, please!

My friend, S.A., and her feller spent the better part of the day driving from Alabama toward Chicago. (I say "toward" because weather has stopped them in Indiana for the night.) Somewhere in Tennessee, I think, based on where I surmise they were when the text message came in, they spotted a woman knitting AND driving, doing about 80 mph. Not only was she weaving in and out of traffic, she was doing COLORWORK!!! I say, "Knittah, please! Put down those needles before you hit someone. Better yet, next time, take the bus." Seriously, Christmas deadline knitting should not become a road hazard.

Six Random Things

I was tagged by Jocele for Six Random Things, so here goes:

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. (I tagged four 'cause I'm pretty sure some of the other people I would have tagged have done this before.)
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Six Random Things about me:

1. I love being surrounded by "real" art. The pieces we have around the house may not ever be worth more than we paid for them (and, in most cases, probably less!), but it really makes me happy to have art in my home.

2. I was a cheerleader in jr. high and high school. Hard to believe, I know...

3. I hate to be forced to listen to half a conversation while someone loudly babbles on the cell phone at the grocery/Target/on the street/in a restaurant. Seriously, I don't want to know that much about you and your significant other/medical condition/legal woes. And don't get me started on driving and cell phones...

4. I would eat raw oysters every day of my life if I could, preferably with a peppery mignonette. Or with spicy horseradish and lemon and a dash of Tabasco. Ummmmmmm.

5. We used to have a fab espresso machine. Every weekend, my husband would make my frothy beverage of choice and he would draw pictures in the foam using a toothpick and paste food coloring. It was so silly and very fun. Starbucks moved into our neighborhood, the machine broke, and I don't drink coffee very often anymore (it makes my stomach very, very sad), so coffee drawings have fallen by the wayside. I miss them.

6. If I had the means, I would have homes in New Orleans, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC. They are cities I return to again and again. (Plus, oysters are readily available in each!)

Next up...I'd like to tag:
Lynnette
Monica
Emily
Carey

Have Yourself a Merry Bleeping Christmas* from a Friend in Chicago

*I've been known to drop a few F-bombs, but seriously, Rod and Patty have set a new bar.

While we are here digging out from snowbanks and political scandals, I thought I'd provide a few pictures of my favorite Chicago holiday event, the Christkindlmarket. Vendors from Germany come to Chicago from just after Thanksgiving to December 24 and offer traditional German wares in (unheated) wooden huts, just as they do in Germany and Austria. There are gluwein booths and sausage stands, hot cinnamon roasted nuts, and other delectable treats. In an effort to be multi-cultural, they also include importers of items from South America (warm, woolly hats come in handy this time of year), Ireland, and a few other countries and regions. These folks are at the mercy of whatever Chicago throws at them. On our annual Christmas date last year, it was brutally, viciously windy and cold. This year it was windy and snowing. (Windy can be a theme here.)

The tree at Daley Plaza is an odd one. It is actually constructed of hundreds of smaller trees wired together to form a big tree. Interesting...

Caroling out in the snow.

After the market, we walk a block over to Macy's (formerly Marshall Field's) to see the holiday windows. After that, it's up to the 7th floor to see the Grand Tree in The Walnut Room, then out for dinner. It's one of my favorite nights of the year.

Now that I've completed all of my holiday deadline knitting and shipped out all of the gifts going east, I'm focusing on decorating the house and setting the menu for Christmas Eve. We've decided to skip the real tree this year. I'm doing the wrought iron tree with the fiber-themed ornaments again. I haven't decided what else is coming out, but I think simple is the game plan.

Speaking of Christmas knitting, here's what was on the needles:

Blu for my cousin's baby, Cora Jane

Hats for Stitches from the Heart

Spring Forward Socks (dyed and knit by me) for my Aunt to gift to someone at work

Cat Hat for my cousin

Plus a Brangelina Hat (forgot to photograph that one) made for a giving tree that my friend, Barb, was doing for charity. (If you decide to make one, my experience is that it comes out rather large--even large enough to fit over our disgraced governor's hair--so you may want to cast on fewer stitches.) It certainly wasn't the metric ton of knitting that some people do for the holidays, but those little jeans were a challenge to my patience. The knitting was easy and the finishing wasn't difficult in terms of skill required, but I took them apart three times until the stitching looked good enough to me. I even re-did the little label twice. I must have stitched one of the pockets four times. (I was obsessed.) In the end, I think they're pretty cute. Hope she can wear them more than once or twice.

Holidazed

I am caught up in the frenzy of holiday merriment. And when I say merriment, I mean painting my kitchen, getting a few broken floorboards fixed so no one plummets into the basement on Christmas Eve, and finally having extra leaves made for my dining room table. (Those are going to cost more than the table did, but I can't think about that right now. The table was a huge deal we picked up at an antique festival years ago, so I guess things just balance out. Gulp.)

This past weekend, instead of lowering the frenzy level by working on my Christmas deadline knitting, I made baby hats for Stitches from the Heart. All told, I knit seven. Clearly, I was obsessed. I'd met Kathy Silverton, founder of Stitches from the Heart, at Cat Bordhi's retreat this fall. I was really touched by her passion for the organization and I knew that I wanted to help out. I'm sorry that it has taken me this long to get a box of goodies (plus a donation to help with the enormous postage costs incurred by distributing the knitwear to hospitals, nurses, and social service agencies) sent out to her. I hope to send regular shipments once I get done with the dreaded deadline knitting.

Leg Three: Friday Harbor, WA

So much has happened since my return from Friday Harbor (is it too much to say that it feels like the whole world has changed?), so my post may be a bit short on details.

The retreat that Cat Bordhi hosted (the first of two in October) was phenomenal. If you have ever taken one of her classes, you know what a remarkable teacher she is. My only criticism of her classes is that you always want them to be longer. These four days covered things that I'd done in other workshops with her, but there is always so much more to absorb. And, she is constantly thinking of new techniques and encouraging innovation, so I would never hesitate to repeat a class I'd taken before. There were 20 participants, and the length of the workshop gave us time to get to know one another just a bit. The energy of the group was really wonderful as these things go, and I enjoyed the company. It was held at the States Inn Ranch, and most of the workshop participants stayed there. I decided to stay downtown at a funky, renovated motel called Elements (which appears to have been recently renamed Earthbox), and that worked out well for me. I had enough group time, but also got to enjoy some away time, which was perfect. The rooms at Elements are much nicer than the motel-y exterior would suggest (modern furnishings, wood floors, microwaves and fridges, etc.), and it was great to be withing walking distance of the shops, etc. I did take most of my meals at the States Inn, and they did a phenomenal job with that. The baked goods, in particular, were highlights for me.

We had classes in the morning and evening, which left afternoons free to wander. I took in the Sculpture Garden at Roche Harbor,

visited the island's camel, Mona, went to look for rabbits at South Beach (no rabbits, but I did see two huge Bald Eagles), fed alpacas at the ranch, and did a little shopping downtown. All in all, the balance of time in class vs. free time was perfect.

It was a marvelous end to a two-week festival of fun. (New Orleans, the Kentuck Festival and this retreat all in the same trip? How fabulous is that?!) I already have next year marked on my calendar.

Now that I have recovered from pre-election stress and post-election euphoria, I am concentrating on holiday projects. I have some gifts that need to be finished (um, and started), and I'd like to paint my kitchen before our annual "Christmas Eve with the Feinsteins and the Cohens" dinner party. (I said that last year, too.)

A Cat and a Hat

We are still enjoying the post-election afterglow, but we've had to return to the call of homeland issues here in our actual home.

One of my two cats, Pitch, had surgery on Friday to remove some tumors under his skin. This has been a recurrent issue for him, and this is his third surgery in five years. This time he had nine removed. He is such a trooper, and once we get over the hurdle of getting him into the carrier (he is seriously strong, and he can latch onto me so tightly that he feels like he weighs 190 lbs, not 19), Pitch handles the experience with tremendous stoicism. He doesn't look quite as Frankenkitty-ish as he has before, but he does give the appearance of having been in a hell of a bar fight since several of the incisions were on his dear, sweet face. So far, all of the tumors have been benign, thankfully, but I just wish they would stop. He's 13, and they won't want to keep putting him under general anesthesia for additional surgeries as he gets older.

In knitting news, I happened upon the perfect pattern for my cousin's Christmas gift. I knit something for her every year, and I was planning on a hat or cowl or possibly both. I found Linda La Belle's Cat Hat and knew it was just the thing. (Well, I hope it is, anyway.)

It was a very, very quick knit, done in just a couple of hours. I used one skein Malabrigo Aquarella in the Indy colorway (yea for the stash!), and I think it came out rather well. I may also make a cowl or wrist warmers to go with it, but I have a batch of holiday knitting yet to do, so that will only happen if time allows. (I've got two more skeins waiting in the wings in case I get to it.) Just the thing for a quirky 20-something.

I need to go because Pitch is lying across my left hand (all 19 lbs. of him) and alternately nudging and nibbling the fingers of my right hand as I type this. He clearly wants some undivided attention, and he's earned it.