Really - I Can Explain

Warning: No Knitting Content at all.



Before this goes any further, I would just like to explain.

So, um, yeah. I did, in fact, wrap my dog in aluminum foil.



No, it's not what you think. Neither the Boy-O nor I have lost our minds - we just wanted to test a theory.
Our Tommy is extraordinarily storm-phobic. He goes a bit round the bend, really - he won't eat, he pants and trembles intensely, and he won't let us out of sight (and attempts to curl up under our feet even if we're walking!). It's really disturbing and breaks my heart to watch.
Medication does not seem to help.

But tonight, while Googling for help with this problem, I discovered this and this. Since they both work on the same principle, I decided I'd give the homemade method a try.
It's too early to judge, but already the dog's been much calmer.

I've Been Knitting. Honest.

Just to prove that I still knit from time to time, I present to you the Blog Scarf.
This little cutie came about because I have this, um, thing - the Boy-O might lovingly refer to it as an obsession - about doing nothing. Y'all know, 'idle hands' and all that.
And blog reading, while highly entertaining, doesn't exactly qualify as productive.
So in order to sit and read blogs without a case of the guilts, I try to keep a simple project nearby (my regular knitting usually being at a point that requires my full attention).
Scarves are perfect for this.
Socks would probably be good as well, if I didn't happen to have the world's worst case of SSS (Second Sock Syndrome, doncha know). I forget this, occasionally - which explains the fact that I do still own actual sock yarn - but I haven't finished an actual pair of socks in forever.
So I stick to one-offs in order to actually get something finished.

Anywho - this one's simply garter stitch on the bias, made with KnitPicks' Elegance and SWTC Bamboo (the darker stripe).
Taking a page from the clever Sharlene of Mommio Knits, I think this'll be the start of a gift stash. Could come in handy, as forgetful as I am. Although I must say, the lusciousness of the alpaca/silk makes it very tempting ot keep this one for myself!

ETA: Whoops - just checked the label on the SWTC: that yarn is actually Phoenix.

There You Are!

Like the lovely Miz Wanda, I seem to have completely forgotten about my poor, neglected blog. I thought about posting, wanted to post, kept meaning to post, but can't seem to get my act together enough to accomplish this task.

So: there I was with nothing much to tell y'all, but feeling honor bound not to neglect you.
I thought about sharing what I've been doing instead of blogging (cooking, cleaning house, planning our vacation, working my way through this list - just three books to go!)
Rescue came, however, in the form of the latest Vogue Knitting. A very cute Spring/Summer issue showed up at my door just today.
(Dang: is it me, or are the models getting ever younger?)

S/S issues rarely thrill me - I am all about the comfy cozy woolens, you know - but there were one or two items that would make it down my personal runway given world enough and time (Norah Gaughan's fabulous lace suit and the sexy fitted dress by Mari Lynn Patrick leap to mind).
The rest are more inspirational than practical (honestly, if your age can be expressed in double digits, you oughtn't attempt to wear daisies on your clothes).
Some of these details are quite clever, though -- that they may make it into my personal knitting...

Boy Howdy

BY all rights, I ought to be annoyed at this moment. I got up early so that I could work on my knitting before I need to leave for work, "corrected" an error, and then (once I did the math -- arrgh), spent the last hour getting back to where I started.

But I don't even care. Because, dear friends, my husband is the Best Husband Ever.
Why, you ask?
He is taking me to ArtFibers for our first anniversary.

( As I understand it, there will also be some "visiting of relatives" and a mysterious thing they call "sightseeing", but seriously: we all know those are the Vegetables one must eat in order to get to the Dessert that is ArtFibers - it is yarn heaven.)

I am saving up now. With all this goodness to choose from, it's going to require a sizeable commitment.

Minnesota Beautiful

Pond in the sunlight. Yes, that is the actual name of this little body of water.

Ever have one of those days where it feels like the universe is suddenly perfectly aligned? As if, no matter what, it's all going to work out and everything will be, if not perfect, better than you had hoped?

Yesterday was just that kind of day for me. After a long and chilly February, it was glorious.

Possibly the least attractive picture of Lake Calhoun ever taken.

Y'all get what I mean, right? The birds were singing, the sun was out...
I think it's spring fever. I certainly hope so. We could do with a bit of spring 'round here.

Just to prove that the knitting is still happening:

The back of The Eriskay Cardi. I'm working on one of the front pieces now.

Anyone else reminded of Pig Latin with the name Eriskay?