What's Goin' On

A few interviews...
A couple never made it past the HR screening phone interview, but I made it to the third elimination round for one position. I am not too disappointed.  It was for third shift.  Yes, I am applying for just about anything that  comes close to fitting the bill.
Is it close? Does it come close to paying what I made? Is the position halfway close to what I have done? Is it permanent and regular hours?  75% gets an application...

Knocking down the to-do list...
The house is cleaned like I haven't cleaned it since we started using cleaning people.  I have been baking bread and cooking most meals at home. The home inventory is juuuusssst about wrapped up.  I have gone through and sorted out for the upcoming community garage sale.  My baskets have been dusted (don't laugh, that is no small matter!). My basement has been cleaned.

Spinning...
The Estes Park Wool Market released the hand spun skein contest rules, and one of the surrounding counties has already put out their county fair rules, so I am spinning to that end, keeping in mind that I am also practicing for Sheep To Shawl.

Merino/Alpaca, 50:50. The dark is the merino and the white is alpaca.  I spun the singles randomly on one bobbin. The next bobbin, I tried to sort of stagger the colors opposite.  Turned out sort of crazy and pretty cool.

50:50 camel and silk.  This is really sleek.  Only 145 yards.

Knitting...
I have finished up a couple of requests from Middle Daughter and Precious Niece., a pair of slippers (my family goes through slippers like Sherman went through Georgia!) and a circular scarf (out of my handspun, which was nice as it was a choice on her part).

On the upside of not working, while Spring took a backseat to 22 inches of snow this past week, I could take my mornings easy, and stay inside.

Spinny Stuff

I made mentioned back aways that after my handspun fair entries did (amazingly) well, that I was asked to be on a Sheep to Shawl team at the Estes Park Wool Market this year.

Briefly put, a team of five take a clean fleece, and from 9-2:30, card the fleece, spin and ply it into yarn, and weave the yarn into a shawl, take the shawl off the loom, give it a quickie rinse, towel dry it, and let it be judged. And also interact with the looky-loos.

The loom will be set up with the warp (the longish bits).  We have already carded, spun and plied that part so the weaver will have that set up. Only the weft (the crosswise parts) will be what is woven the day of the contest.

It's doable, but we will be busy for that five hours...or so I am told.  I have never really seen this sort of thing happen.  Turns out I am the least experienced on this team.  I listen to the conversations of my fellow team members and find out they have taken classes with some big names and gone to some highly acclaimed retreats.  Our alternate has previously JUDGED Sheep to Shawl contests.  Pretty humbling.

So far, as I mentioned, we have washed the fleece.  We met and sort of test spun to establish what we wanted to spin our singles to so we would be spinning consistently. We have carded what is going to be used for the warp, and we each took about 2 oz to spin into singles.  We brought those singles together last Saturday and we traded off plying parts of each others bobbins, so the warp yarn would consist of every one's singles plied with everyone else's.

I was very surprised at how consistent the yarn turned out. It was really pretty cool. I am going to learn so much from these people, not to mention getting to know the women themselves.

No Negative Waves, Moriarty...

In an attempt to stay positive, and also keep my head busy, I will speak to the accomplishments of the last month, and not that I have been out of work for exactly that long.

Oops.

There has been a whole lot of knitting going on.  And none of it is being worn by me. Which I think is absolutely out of this world. My people are knit worthy, and I am so grateful that they are so grateful.

Eldest took these socks that I finished on the plane on the way to see her right after I was let go. (Yep, I got a trip back east for a consolation prize...deets will follow.) Crosshatch pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch, out of Araucania Itata Solid.  This is a great pattern for a solid color that I will knit again.

A shop sample knitted up for a local LYS. Knit Hedgehog by Purl Soho, out of Cascade 220 and Eco Cloud.  That Eco Cloud was divine to knit up.  Too bad the project was so small!

Class examples for an upcoming class on felting/embellishing techniques. Felted Woolly Eggs, by Marie Mayhew, out of  Red Heart Wool among other things.  All that Red Heart I got from my aunt's stash in vintage colors were perfect for this.

A seamed sweater for the expressed purposed of practicing seaming. Pattern: Even Daniele Did It Again, from The Yarn Girls Guide To Kid Knits, out of Pingouin Acrylic I found at the thrift store.

Bartered felted mats for Precious Niece's new NY digs. The 40-Years Felted Platter by Katherine Vaughn (Rav link) out of Patons Classic Wool, my go-to workhorse felter. Also an above shot of the hedgehog, which was a really cute little guy.

Bartered felted slippers for Dearest Sister's cold midwestern toes. Duffers, 19-Row Felted Slippers by Mindie Tallack (Rav link) out of Bear Brand Four Seasons, another bit of Aunt Cissy's vintage haul.

And a simple hat to replace the one Only Step-Son has worn since 2008 and lost this year.  He felt very bad, but I say hey!  If you weren't wearing it, you wouldn't have lost it!  He was very impressed that I could make another EXACTLY like the one he loved.  Thank you, Ravelry, and my compulsive note keeping. My own beanie recipe out of Patons Classic Wool.

On the needles right now are 2 projects... a pair of socks, and a circular scarf out of handspun (another barter effort with Precious Niece I will speak to later), along with 'decorating' the last of Woolly Eggs.

My mother would be proud!

See, It's Like This

About a month ago, I was told, 'the company was going in a different different direction, and the 28th (of February) would be my last day.'

One would think there would be ample opportunity to write posts, wouldn't one?

One would be correct, and yet, what does one say about it and remain even-handed? It takes time.  This is the second time I have been laid off...in February...at that place...by those people.

Today, I have bread baking, and cookies dough in the fridge...ready to eat.  I will exercise later, keeping the phone close by.  I had a couple of screening phone interviews last week, and thought I had a real chance for a call back from one.  Today is probably the outside of the timeframe, so it behooves me to stay busy. Busy keeps the mind from dwelling.

In the past month, I have gotten through the unemployment maze, organized my kitchen cabinets, cleaned my  own house, cleaned out my closet, and made a run to GoodWill as well as many more things off 'The List'.  I have more things to do.  There in the neighborhood garage sale in June, and the basement is calling.  As is the home inventory.

I have tried to look at the opportunity in this.  I am going to teach a class at an LYS in May, and have offered to knit some shop samples.  I am also considering offering some of my award winning handspun skills for sale in the dormant Etsy shop, but haven't made that progress.  I have been able to demo those spinning skills for the pre-school and kindergarten classes of the grandbebe girls, which I think was awesome to do.  In addition, the Sheep To Shawl team I have been asked to participate with has ramped up their organizational duties.

I have made myself a DIY lightbox to play with my fancy camera, too.  I would really be enjoying myself if this had happened on my terms, and the financial piece wasn't an uncertainty.

Going forward and onward and trying to see that it's all going to be just like it's suppose to be.

Drum Roll, Please...

Presenting...

Grandbebe Quilt Number Four!

In Blue and Red vintage (mostly), fabric collected (mostly) by Dearest Sister.

Embroidered by DSis.

Patches cut and assembled by the both of us.

9-Patches machine pieced by me.

Handquilted by me.

Supervised every step of the way by Boy Kitty.

Quality tested by the Cousins.

Made with all the love grown-ups have for their little ones.

Strange and Stranger

I have mentioned that I have been going through a stack of old quilt magazines forwarded to me by Dearest Sister.

The first several I looked through were from the 90’s and had some interesting articles and patterns, and I found some things that I flagged with post-its.

The next several were from the 70’s. These were…interesting.  Paper quality not near so good, and aging poorly and rapidly.  Very few color photos, and the black and white photos were taken with less than stellar care.  I imagine some copywriter being told to ‘get the camera and go take a photo of so and so and their quilt’…not professional at all!

Apart from how far we have come in the publishing sector, the articles and columns are enlightening.  There is poetry submitted using patterns in the poems. Quilters write in wanting to be penpals still in the 70’s, and wanting to exchange patterns.  One wrote complaining that she takes time to copy neatly and exactly her patterns to exchange, with labels, etc, only to receive in turn slipshod efforts.

I feel chastised.

But today, I looked through some from the 80’s, and the post-its came back out.  In just two issues, I came across articles about the LQS where I took my first class (Quilt Country), and about the quilting lady at Shakertown in Harrodsburg, KY, where I use to take my Brownie Troop, and everyone else whoever came to visit me when I lived in Kentucky.

And also this, which I may just have to try.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

More Found Objects

Super Bowl Sunday, Wonderful Guy and I got the heck out of Dodge, our guys being knocked out of the running a few Sundays earlier and all. I probably could have stayed home and made some progress on some projects, but I could tell he needed to get beyond the four walls.

I suggested a drive towards Lyons, where there is a quilt shop.  Works for me!  Apparently it worked for him, too, because that is what we did, and while he went for a cuppa’ joe, I looked around Quilting Hands.  Found some fat quarters on sale, along with a book (of course), then met up with him across the street.  As he was finishing his coffee, I said I am going to run through the thrift shop next door, as he usually isn’t interested in such places, but he chose to come along.

There wasn’t a whole lot there, but sometimes that is okay.  Stuffed full can be overwhelming.  I saw yarn, some mohair and some acrylic, which I passed over, and continued through the store. As I came back to the front, the Guy was still there looking at books, and asked if I saw the knitting needles?

Huwah??

There were a few pair of pretty neat vintage straight needles for $2/pr, and one was 10” sz 7, of which, for some reason I seem to have gone completely through. So …I NEEDED those.  As I was finding out how much the needles cost, the yarn was mentioned, and I succumbed to 3 balls of acrylic.  It was very nice for acrylic, and also foreign.  And very inexpensive.

 Enough for a baby sweater!

We then moseyed down the street to the next place which is a consignment store.  There was lots of fun stuff there  (more mohair!) and we each went our own ways looking at what interested us, then showing each other the stuff that catches our eye.  And what caught my eyes was a very nice quilt.  As I looked it over, though, I got very confused.  The top was obviously old, and handquilted, but the backing was a bit off.  The shopkeeper came over, eager to tell me about it. She said she had it appraised, and the top was from the 1880’s, but it was quilted in the 70’s.

Her story rings true. The top fabric is old (but in excellent shape), and there is attached documentation relating to the quilting of it (and the price for materials and services!) from the ‘70’s.  Regardless, I think it’s a great quilt, and I got it for what I think is a good price.

When we got home with my booty, we had ham, beans, and corn bread I had fixed that morning, and saw the most interesting half of the game anyway.

Found Objects

Back in the day, way back, I took my first (and only) quilting class at a local quilt shop on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo, called Quilt Country.  It is no longer in business, but I learned much in those six weeks back in 1977.

Kansas City and quilts are linked together historically in the patterns published in the Kansas City newspapers through the first half of the 20^th century.  One of the newspaper artists responsible for the publishing of these weekly patterns was Ruby McKim.  These patterns were collected by many quilters.  I am sure many were used in quilting, but I am positive they were collected.  In the stacks of magazines Dearest Sister forwarded to me from her finds that I have been going through, I have stumbled across two groups of these collections.

One group is about 2 dozen of actual newspaper clippings of the mid-70’s reprints of the original 1930’s publications.

The other group is a partial collection of about 35-40 patterns, copied, as in mimeographed, collated, stapled, and then offered, if you send a SASE to a woman at such and such an address in Cherryvale, KS. So did she collect them, copy them, and sell them to those who didn’t receive the paper?  I am wondering about copyright issues!

I have read that Ruby McKim was a newspaper artist and not a quilter, at least at first, and often the designs published were not exact, perfectly sized, and template ready.  Sometimes, the space allowed for the weekly pattern was smaller than the weekly pattern, and adjustments had to be made. I also know that the women, mostly Kansas women, who were receiving the paper, were an adaptive group, and that didn't stop them.  Quilts were made from these patterns!

Back when I took my quilt class, I started my quilt book library with, among other books, Ruby McKim’s 101 Patchwork Patterns.  Unfortunately, it and several others were on the bottom shelf in the basement when the waters rose.  Fortunately, I found a copy at the Friends of the Library booksale a few years back.  More fortunately, I found another copy for Dearest Sister at another FOL booksale a few years later!  I replaced in the same way a copy of Marguerite Ickis The Standard Book of Quilt Making and Collecting which I had also lost at the same time.

Then something jogged my memory this past month of another book lost.  I bought it right after I finished the class.  It was relatively new, all color, and therefore, expensive.  I may have spent $8.00 on it, so it took some considerable rationalization at the time.  I could not remember the name, just what I have already mentioned, and that it was paperback, and the cover mostly blue.  I was successful one other time finding an out-of-print book at biblio.com so I went there and searched with tags quilting, patchwork, and a publication date from 1970-1980.  As the titles came up, I went to Amazon to check out the covers, as biblio.com didn’t have many of them photographed.

Well, I found it.  Primarily Patchwork, by Marjorie Pucket.  I just love it when I am have carried off a successful plan!

A for Effort

I also don’t believe February is too late for yearly goals.  Waiting a bit has a couple a benefits.  I can sort of see how the year is beginning to go.  And I can put a couple of January  accomplishments on the list of goals, only to see them marked off ‘toot sweet’!

Look at meee!  Already the whiz!

So anyway.

Under growing and learning and  increasing skills,

1.      Learn and hone new knitting/spinning skills.

a.       Take seaming classes

                                                              i.      January (MSK)

                                                            ii.      February (FiberFest)

                                                          iii.      Knit seamed things

b.      Take spinning workshop at EPWM (?)

c.       Enter handknit skeins in:

                                                              i.      EPWM

                                                            ii.      Larimer Co Fair

                                                          iii.      Boulder Co Fair

d.      Take dyeing classes

                                                              i.      February (Lambspun-fair premium)

                                                            ii.      May (NCWG-natural)

e.       Learn to blend fibers with drum carder

2.      Household inventory

3.      Participate in neighborhood garage sale (June)

4.      Increase photography/photoshop skills

a.       Figure this one out

5.      Quilt

            a.   #4

            b.   #5

6.      Renew/learn new quilting techniques

a.       Doll quilts for Grandbebe girls

b.      Machine quilting

c.       Ornaments

7.      Yard

a.       Raised beds

b.      Cold frame

8.      Health

a.       Exercise more often than not

b.      Ride to work starting in May or sooner

c.       Get some hiking in this year

d.      Get a grip on this post HRT wgt gain.

So I am going to figure out how to post this as an additional page over there in the margin and hopefully we will see how far we get this year.  If nothing else, I will be well on my way for a list of goals next year!

A New Baby

I have been really really really wanting really really really badly to get to some closet cleaning and organization. For a really really really long time.  Really.

My reasons are that I occasionally watch part of an episode of Hoarders and it freaks me out just a little. When work is frustrating and I don’t feel productive, home takes the brunt and I get ALL productive there. I have had on ‘THE LIST’ a home inventory since a couple of my knitter peeps lost their home to fire, and then a whole lot of Larimer County residents did likewise last summer. That is an overwhelming task without some clearing out and organization of closets and drawers.

Any of those are sure and adequate reasons by themselves. However.  It took all of those….and THIS! To get me moving.

Fricke Signature Drum Carder

I found a screaming deal on one of the used equipment forums on Ravelry, and decided to buy my very own drum carder.  Obviously I needed to find a place for it to live in the Craft-tudio. One thing led to another and before I knew it, this had happened.

I love me an organized linen closet.  Especially when it’s mine. (camera phone...it was handy...)

I admit that I have slowed my pace.  Only the upstairs has been marked off ‘THE LIST’.  And only the cleaning has happened.  None of the inventorying has occurred.  But progress! Which is good!

And my new baby?  She purrs! Being a belt-driven model rather than like the chain driven one I rented from the guild, there is a much different sound when operating. The whole gizmo has much more wood and less metal, so I told the Guy ‘She is just sounds more…organic! Come see!’ And of course, because he loves me, he obliged, and pronounced the sound produced as ‘purring’.

Now, timing is everything.  I bought Drummie (yes, I named her.) (yes, she’s a she.) after I had the guild carder for 6 weeks, and most of the fleece I had on hand, was in fact, carded.  I only had about 1/3 of my last alpaca fleece left to card.  Hardly enough to play with, I should think. So I will just have to see if maybe there might not be something to buy at the upcoming Fun Fiber Fest.  After all, Drummie and I are still getting to know each other. I claim necessity!

Speaking of Progress

Once I made a statement.  I stated that the grandbebe quilts weren’t ‘late’ until after the grandbebe’s were two years old.

Well.  Fine.  It’s not like either the quilt or the grandbebe’s are going to go sour!  And there is nothing like a deadline, or past due date to get me moving.

Anyway.  Grandgirl Four turned two in December.  Therefore, I ramped up the quilting in January.  I have made grand progress.  Truly. In the  four short weeks since really starting to crank it out, I am almost past the point of being able to use the hoop and will be moving to the outer edges for quilting.

I am pleased with my technique (mostly), and really pleased with Dearest Sister’s embroidered parts, and super pleased with our choices of materials and patch selections.  We definitely will have to do the same team activity for Quilt Numero Five.  (See here for the down-low on that one.)

Anyway #2. As part of the Great Closet Clean-Out, I came across a stack of old quilting mags DSis came upon through some "opportunity", and gave to me.  And because of this recent quilting time, I have been thinking that maybe I can diversify and/or upgrade some of my piecing/quilting skilz along with my other fibery interests.  Therefore, I have been perusing some of these old ‘zines. I have remembered some things that perhaps I knew and forgot, or perhaps I didn't know at all.  I am not sure where I will go with my new ideas, but do believe technique will be improved in the piecing of the fifth quilt.

Anyway #3. The Boy Kitty thinks the quilting is the best thing since canned cat food.

These are not constructed or posed photos.  I am constantly removing him from the quilt. Fortunately, he does not shed, and I like to think he has excellent discernment.

New Experiences

After living in northern Colorado for 16 years, Wonderful Guy and I seized the opportunity to go to the National Western Stock Show last month.  My cousin came from western Kansas to attend.  He is a farmer/rancher sort, so was going …you know…as a professional.  The Guy and I were rubberneckers mostly, but also wannabees.

 The outside of the expo center.  There are other critters on the other side, horses and cattle and such.  This was my favorite.

You see. I put the idea in Cousin’s mind that he might raise some fine fleece sheep, and he is okay with that.  Really he is. His plan was to work in attending some of the sheep shows, and with him in tow, my plan was to check out the fleeces. I educated him on what a spinner looks for, or at least, what I look for.  We chatted up the tenders of the fleeces, and he talked up some of the sheep people when I wasn’t around.

We spent some time in the evenings looking at my Fleece and Fiber Source Book (Deb Robson and and Carol Ekarius) checking out the really handsome breeds, the stylin’ breeds with their fine wool, and the ones that we thought might best survive the predators Kansas offers. Otherwise known as the ones with horns and/or the sheep with muscles....

What we figured out is that we have more to figure out before the decision is made and sheeps are purchased.  That is good.  I prefer prudent decision making to rash rushing off.

Then he spent the sheep money on a couple of Scottish Highland cows…which I do believe is his first love!

However.  We drove to Denver for the show on two separate occasions, one with the two eldest Grandgirls in tow.  Omifun!  (And also exhaustion)  There were stories to tell the parental units about pony rides and petting zoos and foot long hot dogs and funnel cakes and ice cream and cotton candy and Cousin getting his boots shined, but the story that got told first?  ‘There was a buffalo with blood on his horn.’  Yep. Blood and gore.  It could have been poop.

Here Grandgirl #1 is detailing the footlong hotdog she shared with her sister for lunch to her parental units.

Grandgirl #2 took about 4 steps to each one of ours! She was zonked within 10 minutes of starting the car.

(Both of the above photos are with camera phones.  No apology, only explanation)

What was a non-event happened at the learning center on the kid's floor.  Members from (I think) the Rocky Mountain Weaver's Guild were demonstrating spinning and weaving.  My grandgirls were all whatever...spinning wheels and wool...seen that....ho hum.  A woman was handing out little tufts of alpaca and telling the observing children that the ladies 'were spinning this alpaca fiber into yarn.' And my girls handed it right off to me.  Here, grandmama, this obviously is for you.

This is just because. She was having fun, and I got a genuine smile from her.

Working for a Living

Still here...still working....still not a permanent employee after almost four years.  Which is longer than I was a permanent employee at some most of the positions on my resume.  Including one of the stints I worked here before, and quickly closing in on the second.
Ah, irony!!!
After our recent yearly financial check-up, it seems that optimum security will be achieved if the Guy and I can contiue to contribute to The Retirement Accounts fully for another four years.  It also seems that can best be done with my continued employment, so rather than the freedom to believe that we could possibly do without my income, I am thusly obligated to continue.
Taking the long view.  Looking ahead.  Planning for the future.
Gritting through each damn day with no incentives, no growth opportunity, no raise, no bonus, but putting it out for for everyone else's...
And counting down the pay periods.
And building up my fabric/yarn/fiber IRAs.  You better believe it.  Oh, not it big giant ways, and always with an eye for the bargain, as that is my wont and need.  But it is also my little reward.

I believe that it's an age thing, not being put on permanent.  That is a difficult thing to come which to come to grips. There have been times that my sex has brought me lower paychecks, and it was said to be due to experience.  And I found myself helpless to fight that.  But angry nonetheless.  Now I feel that there are hungrier, cheaper, younger bucks that are eager, and I find myself too tired for the fight.
Again, I find myself a bit ragey at being put on the back burner. Punks. I helped fight the fight that gave them their damn smart phones!  There's a chain of thought there, but I stopped my HRT in November and it's a little hard for me to connect the dots.  Something about breaking ground in a non-traditional field for women, learning Windows 3.1 when people thought computers were 'hard', and in general...looking forward and being willing, dammit!
Trying to keep the positives in the fore front.  Trying not to whine.  It's a paycheck, not a bad one, and the best I can do right now.  After all...I do not have retail, service industry, or admin experience.  My options are limited.  So I keep on keeping on as long as they will keep me on.

See 'Em Now!

Last August, The Guy and I met Eldest and Her Guy for some vacationeering in Glacier National Park. A fine time was had by all every single day we were there.

There were bears and mountain goats.  Huckleberry 'something' everyday and also pie.  Lots of pie.  Even if it was the tail-end of beargrass, there was some and there were plenty of other wildflowers.  Mountain peaks at sunrise. Beautiful lakes, creeks, and rivers. A bit of canoeing.

And glaciers.

The Guy and I were last at Glacier in 2005 a few months after I had an ACL repaired so did not do a lot of rigorous hiking.  At that time, the story was that the glaciers would be gone by 2035.  The rangers this time around were saying it seemed they were going faster, and would probably no more in 8 years.  Well heck!  Do the math.  We were last there seven years ago.  If we make it back there in another seven...

It seemed important to make the effort.  Now this effort required some logistical planning as there are bears in Glacier.  Big hungry bears.  We prefer to hike with rangers there, and the ranger led hike to the Grinnell Glacier was on the other side of the park from where we were lodging, leaving about 8:30AM.  We were going to have to leave WAY early to get across Going-to-the-Sun road, with construction, with minimum coffee, to catch the boat across the lake...yeah, logistics, but GLACIERS!  MELTING!

So we tried it.  We made instant coffee with hot tap water (better than it sounds).  We ate breakfast bars in the car. While stopped at the construction, we caught morning alpenglow on the peaks. We got to the boat dock in plenty of time....and the line for those hoping to get on was way way long...(yeah, we didn't have reservations, another story).

After some head huddling, we decided to take the next boat across, and hike on our own, without the protection of fearless rangers.  We determined this hike is well traveled, and probably bear free.  And if not, we had bear spray.  And GLACIERS!  MELTING!

So off we went.  For me, it was probably the best day of the time in Glacier.

Cooling our heels waiting for construction wasn't all bad. We watched the sunrise on the mountains.

We weren't imagining things.  Bears everywhere!

 The glacier melt shows in the run-off lakes a turquoise color.  That's not Photoshop.

 Beargrass. Lewis and Clark named it beargrass, not because they eat it, but because every time they saw it, they saw bears.

 Grinnell Glacier, with Salamander Glacier above.  Used to be one glacier, but with melting, has separated into two. Look here (about half way down the page) for photos from 1938 to 2009 of this particular glacier showing how it has decreased in size.

The change in hue of the color of  the run-off lakes is evident as they descend.

(3.8 x 2) + 1.5 (the little hike between the two ferries) = 9.1 miles. Yes. She is leaning on the pole for support!  But in a good way.

Picky Cat

The Boy Kitty gets about a third can of canned food each morning, with some meds. I would say it's his favorite part of the day, but one doesn't know for sure.  He has many favorite parts of his day.  Sleeping in the sun with Best Dog Ever.  Laying on the Guy's papers while he is working. Climbing into my lap while I am knitting/quilting. Hanging out on top of the fridge. Watching the backyard.  Watching the frontyard.  His whole day is favorite.

But I digress.  He does love his morning feeding.  And should whoever gets out of bed first forget, or delay, or be off the routine, Boy Kitty reminds by various means.  Loudly talking.  Weaving in and out of the legs.  Stretching to reach the kitchen counter as if to say 'Hey! Forget your lunch!  What about my breakfast!?'

So we prepare his bowl.  And take it to his feeding station in the laundry room.  Where he dives in and finishes in short order.

Unless we have chosen the venison flavor.

Last trip to the pet and feed supply store, I picked up a couple cans each of of the different varieties of the brand we started a few months ago including a couple cans of the 'venison and green pea'.  It's not the green pea.  He eats other varieties with that.  But the cans of venison?  Each time we have sat that down for him it is tasted, and walked away from.  The remainder is left to be thrown away the next morning.

Boy Kitty has no truck with deer meat.

Tee Tiny Socks

Along the same lines of the last post, I made 11 tee-tiny Christmas Stockings as gifts for my Bunko buddies to give during our annual gift exchange.

Our gift exchange requires that we bring one gift of worth a small amount, which I did, but also brought the little handknit socks for all of them as a bonus.

They have come to realize my knitterly tendencies, and generally are complimentary to the handknits I wear to our gatherings.  A couple of them are crafty in their own rights, and one has joked in the past when we have exchanged gifts about looking for her handknit socks from me.  The idea of knitting them ornaments had been percolating in the back of my mind, and I determined last December that this was the year I would do it. And so I began.

About Thanksgiving.
For the get-together that was the 1st week in December.

Nothing like a deadline.

I used the 'Mini Stocking Ornament' (rav linky) pattern by Mara Jessup.  The cuff is a seed stitch rather than a rib which I think works better for a smallish object like this. For material, I went through my tail-ends, and pulled out all the ones that were of holiday colors in the weight range of fingering through worsted.  I used needles sized 2 (fingering and sport) and 6 (worsted), and magic-looped them all.

I hung them on the edge of a gift bag toward the inside, and let them all pick one as it was their turn to chose a gift.  It was a surprise, and they were tickled , comparing each to the other.

When we met for January, the tee tiny socks were made mention again.  Definitely worth the effort.
(But I am not sure I am a production knitter!)

MIne Are Knit-Worthy

Guess what? I made some of the gifts I gave to others.  Surprise!  While I have read and heard stories that this can be disappointing for some, I practice the attitude that once given, the gift is out of my hands for the recipient to do with as they will.  It is my choice to follow up with additional time and effort, but I hold no resentment or misgivings or second thoughts once I give a handmade gift.  Done and finished.

Before Christmas, Eldest asked for my Ravelry password, and snuck a pattern into my queue.  The Step-Daughter was traveling with us and saw a hat she liked, full of cables.  I said I thought that was within my capabilities.  She also commented that 'those infinity scarves sure were cool'.  We spent some time with the Rav search engine (which is AWESOME!). The aforementioned traveling took us to see my SIL, who questioned what it took to get on the 'slipper list'.  And Middle Daughter wanted handknit socks for Christmas.

SIL recieved the slippers enthusiastically, which I have heard fit beautifully.
I sent Middle Daughter a couple of pair of socks I knitted over the summer, which she unwrapped over the phone, and loves.  I think that gives her four pair.  I think she is ahead of the other girls.
Eldest and Step-Daughter unwrapped their handknits on Christmas with praises and compliments.  The articles were worn continuously pretty much until they left for their respective homes. Very heartwarming indeed.
And the little handknit ornament I made for Wisest Sister?  Made it to Facebook.  With many 'likes'!
I see the toes of handknit socks peak out from the cuffs of jeans.
And I see the hats of Christmas past on the fellow's heads.

Pretty humbling, and rewarding at the same time, I must say.  One needs others to knit for, really.  When we picked up Eldest from the airport, she commented on my sweater, and asked how many sweaters I had knitted for myself.  I counted them in my mind.

This one really needs others to knit for.