Good morning starshine
The earth says hello
You twinkle above us
We twinkle below

Good morning starshine

You lead us along

My love and me as we sing

Our early morning singing song

Gliddy glub gloopy

Nibby nabby noopy

La la la lo lo

Sabba sibby sabba

Nooby abba nabba

Le le lo lo

Tooby ooby walla

Nooby abba naba

Early morning singing song

As I was taking Miss Maggie for our morning walk in the yard, and saw the day’s beautiful sunrishe, this  song floated around in my mind.

Of course, the picture would be so much prettier without the electric wires, but it was the only view that I could capture the beautiful morning sun today.

What a difference a week makes in a puppy.  Little Miss Hellon Wheels has settled down considerably and I have to admit, either Cavaliers are not very bright (LOL) or this girl is extremely smart.  We’ve been dealing with some sad dog health issues, so Maggie has been a wonderful diversion 🙂

Felting Again

This weekend, my husband offered to tend to the small zoo and I took off for a day of learning new felting techniques.

My friend, Michelle of Sunshine Daydreams Gardens, a talented girl in her own right, hosted a day of felting classes, given by Australian fiber artist, Julie Williams of Jaruleeli FeltART.  Julie has been in the US since march and is felting her way around the world.

Michelle’s lovely gardens were a perfect back drop on a warm summer day for felting, lemonade and good company.

Someday, I hope to have a garden as lovely as this one!

This particular class is called the rose bag. It is a resist bag with a resist rose in the center.

Starting out with a plastic pattern and some cotton fabric, the merino and in my case, bits of silk are felted on to the fabric.  A separate little flap attached to the bag is also felted.  This flap will eventually become the rose in the center of the bag.

Now mind you, I am used to felting with a sander, so rolling the wool around on a bubble wrapped noodle was certainly a work out…LOL, but when it was finished, I have to say that I was very pleased with the results.

There are things that I think I might change when I do this again and a sander will definitely incoorporated, but all in all, it was a fun class and it’s always nice to meet new fiber artists.  I love learning new techniques!

Blue Gifts
 This summer I have participated in Lynne’s colorswap.  Summers with the all of the kids (and their
friends) home is usually crazy busy with children activities and
hopefully squeezing in some work.  I thought that it would be fun to
give and receive treats……something for me to look forward to in the summer’s insanity…… and I
have not been disappointed yet!

Emily has sent me the most wonderful blue gifts.  Some Regia sock yarn, seeds for 2 of my most favorite flowers, some yummy treats (one of which is missing…LOL) and best of all some handmade paper, which is absolutely beautiful!

Thanks Emily!! 

Peacock iridescence in veridical shadows,
Violet blooms spread to noonday sun.
The world’s beauty is a swirl of color,
But in the flower’s center is bright stillness

Deng Ming~Dao

Do you see all of those little droplets? 

Yes……………..

    rain,
           rain,
                  rain

and a little more rain is what we have had for most of our early summer here in the Mountains.  How about you?  Has your corner of the world been sunny and warm… or hot, muggy, rainy and miserable like it has been here…..ick!  Let’s hope for better things in July!  Happy 4th!!

Color Me Orange

I have had a few comments from some of my favorite fiber people checking to see if I am still alive…LOL.  Working full time, if even from home, has certainly put a crimp in my blogging.  I have tried to spend what free time I have working on some different fiber ventures.  I take lots of pictures, but unfortunately, I run out of steam at night and opt to spin instead of blog…..but I do miss blogging, so I am going to try to get up a bit earlier in the morning.  Now,  I am not an early morning person, however, getting up early will not be as hard as it might sound for me…..I will explain a bit later…hehe.

I promise though, I am really going to try to be better with responding to comments, as I do appreciate and enjoy each and every one, even if I didn’t have a chance to say so. 🙂

I bet you are wondering what the heck those bright orange pictures are……..hmmmmm……….

I had some balls of merino roving left over from this winter, so I thought that I would play with them, along with a few of the silk bricks I have sitting around here.

I have been participating in the Color Spectrum Swap, that Lynne has been hosting and wanted to make my swap partner a present with the 2 hands that the good Lord gave to me, so I though I would play with some felting and these 2 bags are what I ended up with

I have been wanting a bag for my double pointed needles, but haven’t been able to find one that I liked.

Because I have a tendency to randomly grrab a dp needle out of the pottery vase they have been living in to pull up my hair when I get one of those damn hot flashes that visit me hourly, I am forever misplacing one, so I thought it was time to create a bag for myself. 

One of the things that I wanted to avoid was having to roll the bag up and tying it with a ribbon….call me lazy, but I just don’t like bags that roll.  I made this one to fold in thirds and snap or button close.  All in all I am happy with it 🙂

And A Little More Orange…...

Remember I mentioned having to get up early in the morning??  Well, here is the reason………..

Meet Maggie, our Orange Belton English Setter puppy!  She comes to us from Bob and Francie Stevens of Fieldplay English Setters.

A bigger dog is going to be my new challenge.  Keeping her in show shape, is going to help my shape…LOL!

A big THANK YOU to Bob and Francie!

 

The above quote is from my favorite little book, 365 Tao by Deng Ming~Dao.  It is tomorrow’s reading and it was fitting for my post this week.

Being the ADD adult that I am, sometimes I lose sight of the big picture.  I get involved in so many things, that I find that I am like a canoeist with one oar, going round and round in circles, but getting nowhere. 

You have seen how my life was turned upside down this past spring in my work life and now that I finally have a handle on that part of my life, I want to try and focus on some new things.  There are many things that I want to try, but I am really going to try to stay focused on one or 2 new things at a time, and try (not easy) not to get too distracted.

One of the things that was on my list to learn was how to warp a loom
from front to back as I hate dealing with the lease sticks and raddles
needed to dress from back to front.

This past Wednesday, I visited with a good friend of mine, who has a small weaving studio in Maine and she spent 5 hours helping me.  I quickly wove the scarf that we warped and put another warp on, lest I forget my lesson. 

I learned quickly that after tying the warp on the front beam, to raise the shafts looking for threads that got crossed in the reed.  I am happy to say that I find this way of dressing a loom, so much easier and much faster.  There is no right way or wrong way to dress a loom, but this is the one that I think is going to work best for me.

One neat trick that Karen taught me was how to tie on a new warp to the end of the old warp, so as to bypass all of the threading.  Cool beans!!!  I figure I will leave this little loom, unitl I can find a small folding floor loom, with a chenille warp on it for scarves.

Karen thought I was crazy attempting a new skill with black chenille and at times as I was cursing, I agreed with her, but once I got the warp on, I was happy that I put on the color that I wanted.  I quickly wove the first black scarf for my Dad’s dress coat for Father’s Day and then I thought about trying something different.  I am using a pale purple chenille for the weft against the black.

Using such contrasting colors, it is important to keep selvages neat, as there is no way to hide them.  I have found that using an end feed shuttle has really taken care of my once messy selvages. 
The shuttle that I use is a shacht end feed shuttle that I stained and oiled.  It is the smaller one and this baby flies easily thru a shed, keeping the selvages neat and tidy.  Being the sucker that I am for nice wood, I would love to purchase a few Bluster Bay end feed shuttles, or other exotic wood shuttles in the future……..I’m thinking ahead to Rhinebeck!  This type of shuttle is expensive, but to me, it has made such a huge difference in my weaving and is worth it’s weight in gold.  I only have one, but the bobbins are inexpensive and easy to change.

My next goal is to find a used 22-25 inch folding floor loom (an eight harness one would be great)………if anyone out in blog land has one, give me a shout.  I am contemplating putting my Vermont cherry wheel up for a trade 😉

Knitting and Angora Fluff

Ok, I admit it……….I have been working on a few other things too.  I said that I was "trying" to be focused.  I am still working on the "trying" part.  In between weaving, I did manage to do a bit of knitting and a little spinning. 

I have to keep busy when I am watching tv at night.  I don’t know why, but I feel guilty just sitting and not working (thanks Mom!)….so this is what I have been working on in the evenings.

Another sock done in the embossed leaves pattern from Knits Winter 2005.  I just LOVE this sock pattern.  It fits nice and snug, is pretty to look at and easy to knit.  The yarn I am using is Opal Magic. This yarn is not quite as soft as the Austermann yarn, but I do love the way the orange changes from an orange sherbet light to a darker orange and all the ecru/black stripes in between……fun, fun, fun!

I have also been working on some angora roving.  The bunnies are getting their haircuts one by one and I have been dyeing it up as quickly as I get the fiber shorn.  This upcoming week will have me sitting behind the carder (when I am not weaving…focus, focus!),
getting some rovings ready to sell. 

Sadly I lost one of my bunnies today.  She was an older girl, and I knew that her time would come soon, but it is always sad to lose one of them.  These bunnies are such sweet, quiet animals who give so much in the lovely fiber that they produce.  Sleep well my little one.

Happy Feet

Embossed Leaves made with Austermann Step Yarn on size US 1 needles

(Stealing Carole’s idea)
Good:  I loved knitting this pattern, it is my new favorite!
Good: They fit.
Bad:  Almost…..I cast the second cuff on a little bit too tight, but not tight enough to rip out.
Ugly:  The yarn had a knot right around the heel of the second sock and although I tried to match it back up……….I missed a little.

All in all, I LOVE these socks. The pattern is 2 rounds of 8, which makes the sock go by very quickly.

The cast on was a 1×1 rib long tail cast on.  It was a new to me cast on and I did the first sock without any problems, but somehow I must have done something wrong on the second cuff as the tension is very tight.  With a little bit of stretching, it fits fine, but it still bugs me a little………. as I said though……….not enough to pull it all out.  I have a pair of orange opals started, but I am going to pull them out and do them in this pattern.  I love the fit and I really love the way the pattern carries down over the toe, leaving out the need to kitchner stitch them 🙂

Weaving

I started this scarf last fall as a demonstration piece at the Fryeburg Fair, but here it still sits.  I am not a big fan of table looms…….I much prefer my big floor loom, but I am going to be taking a weaving class on Wednesday and need to bring this little loom with me, so I figured it was time to set about finishing this scarf.

The bad thing about letting something sit on your loom, is not remembering what the plan was.  I couldn’t remember how many yards I had warped onto the loom and silly me, I forgot to pin my measuring tape to let me know how many inches I had already finished. I am usually pretty good about taking notes if I am going to stop, but not this time…uugghh!!   So……….I just kept going and going.

I would stop and look at it
and maybe a few "damns" passed by my tongue. (eek!)  I didn’t dare stop as
there is nothing I hate worse than to pull a scarf off of the loom,
only to have it be too short. On the other hand, it is much easier to  hemstitch when the scarf is still on the loom being held tight.  Of course it didn’t help when the kids walked by and said………"Isn’t that finished yet?? 

Row by row, it piled onto the front beam……….Oh dear, what do I do?……..Are the children right, I have I gone too far….but what if it is too short?? a dilemma, a conundrum?   On and on I went for a little longer, until I reached the end of the warp.

Holy Crap, it is a scarf for the Jolly Green Giant!! 

Good:  It is big enough for 2 scarves!
Bad:  I had to run 2 rows of hem stitching off the loom

It never ceases to amaze me the transformation in rayon after it is washed and dried.  Rayon when it comes off the loom is not soft and is very stiff.  After a bath and a run thru the dryer, it is as soft and plush as can be.  One important thing to remembes, when working with rayon, is to keep those ends bound until it comes out of the dryer, as you will be left with bare thread if you do not.  Once the fringe has been unraveled, it can only be very gently handwashed.

Speaking of washing…….

Good:  All 8 dogs, including the puppies had baths and their lovely locks blown dry, yesterday.

Bad:  Today it rained.

Ugly:  8 wet, muddy, smelly dogs.

(Picture of  10 month old Kali right after her bath….priceless)

Job pressures are overwhelming.
Responsibilities are heavy.
When I close my eyes,
The demands of others are all I see.
Deng Ming~Dao

The last few months have been demanding days between the business of tending to puppies and additional work duties, but thankfully it is slowing down.  I have had the never ending feeling of being late for a bus…..running, but not quite catching up.  Feeling as though life is just rushing by me. 

Today was the first day in a long time, that I have felt that I am finally caught up.  Perhaps it came in the reclaiming of my kitchen.  When I have puppies, my kitchen table goes out into our hallway, and the puppy pen inhibits our kitchen space…………today my kitchen was reclaimed.  Time for the 2 remaining pups to lose the security of the puppy litter box and learn their potty manners.  Perhaps it came back with the purchase of new plants and herbs for this years "victory garden", or maybe it was just the rush of warm spring air, signifying the rebirth of life.  Who knows, but I feel like I am almost back………whoo hooo!!

A few of you asked how Eddy did at the show last week.  I am happy to report that he took a 3rd place in a good sized class on the day of our National Specialty.  Eddy is a little wild man, but he managed to mind his manners in the ring this day and I was pleased.  Such a pretty boy and so full of life. Doesn’t he look as though he is having a good time?  A happy little boy he is for sure! 

Next month we will head to Connecticut, for Cavaliers Of the Northeast’s Annual Specialty..  Fingers are crossed for good things… but at the end of the day, if Eddy does everything that he was supposed to, then I am happy.  He is such a lovely little dog, who I am proud to share my life with.  Who could ask for more?

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Fibery Stuff
The only thing that I can say about this Step yarn is…..YUM!!  I love the way the pattern evolves and I love the feeling of the yarn in my hand.  Feeling a bit frustrated from the lack of a finished object in some time, I have really pushed with these socks.  Just turning the heel of the first sock in 2 days, I am encouraged that I will have a new pair of socks by the weekend!

The inspiration for these socks came from Marguerite’s blog.  The pattern is from the Winter 2005 Knit magazine….Embossed leaves.  It is an easy lace pattern that keeps your attention and moves along quickly!  I highly recommend it!!

I hope that you all enjoy the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and that many of you plant those "Victory Gardens".  In these days of high oil prices……why not support your household with homegrown veggies!   Enjoy!!

Kicking a pebble by the side of the road,
Watching it tumble pell-mell
Chance and randomness become order.
Deng Ming~Dao

The title to this day’s meditation that contained this little phrase is "Uncertainty" and this weekend has been a whole bunch of just that.

I had snapped these pictures a week or so ago for my "I’ post, but I just didn’t find the  time to get the post up last week, before I left.  Somehow they ended up being so appropriate for today’s post.

Weather and water are strong forces to be reckoned with.  Water can be quiet, still and gentle, or it can be ragingly wild.  The pictures that I snapped to share with you, show the calm, gentle side of water, but this weekend I experience her wild side as well.

Thursday, I left home for the Cavalier King Charles National Specialty Show that was being held in Kentucky.  My trip ended up being very much like that little pebble getting kicked and landing where it may.  I missed my flight on Thursday morning as I arrived at the airport a bit late after seeing  Bullwinkle on the road up close and personal, thankfully we did not collide, but it always rattles my nerves when I see one.  You tempt fate driving on these mountain roads in the very very wee hours of the morning, as that is when your chances of meeting up with a Moose are pretty strong.

From that point forward my day was a day of complete randomness.  Bumped from one flight to another and then another and then another, I ended up on a flight that flew directly into a thunder and lightning storm.   I felt pretty sure that Eddy and I were going to meet our maker, but thankfully we arrived at the hotel 17 hours after we left our home that morning.

More randomness throughout the weekend.  Lost luggage, moving to another room at 1:30 in the morning after finding an entire army of ants enjoying the little bit of my Kentucky Mint Julep on my nightstand and bed (aacckkk!).

A 3:00 am wakeup call to start today’s journey back to the crazy wild floods that are happening here in NH.  It was only by the grace of the Gods above that I passed through Manchester when I did, as the Merrimack river flooded the portion of the highway that I had to travel, very shortly afterwards.

Whew………….I am glad to be home!!  Say a prayer for the good people of New England dealing with all of this flooding.

Yarn and Pressies

What a treat after this trip to come home to some presents!  Last month I joined Lynne’s Project Colorswap.  I was a bit hesitant as I have not had the greatest luck with pal swapping, but Renee  has been a wonderful swapper!!  I certainly could have used that bright green luggage tag on this trip for sure!!  Thanks Renee!

Another little package was awaiting me as well.  Even though I had been looking forward to attending this dog show, I was very bummed out that I would be missing one of my favorite fiber events, The NH Sheep and Wool festival. This festival has traditionally been my mother’s day present.  Because Mother’s day wasn’t a happening thing for me this year, I figured I would buy a few presents for me this weekend 😉

I don’t think that I need to introduce that soft Tomato colored yarn…….I couldn’t resist that yummy orange color!  The sock yarn however is a new one to me.  It is Austermann Step yarn and it contains aloe vera and jojoba oil.  I had not seen this yarn before seeing it on Marguerite’s blog and I couldn’t resist picking up some on my travels home this weekend.

Thankfully now with this big dog show/work weekend behind me, life is going to quiet down a lot.  I am looking forward to having more time to focus on fibery things again ;-))

Yes, I admit……….I have been such a haphazard blogger lately.  It’s strange how life can turn in a completely different direction in just a very short time.

My days have been filled with taking care of the puppies and work.  What little  free time i have had, I have tried to squeeze in some mindless knitting (more about that soon).

I have finally narrowed down my choice with the puppies and Miss Bibbity will be the only one to stay.  I was sorely tempted to keep her sister, but I have found in the past that littermates tend to bond to each other instead of their people, so I will only keep one of the girls.  I will bred their Mum one last time time to my little German boy, so hopefully there will be another girl to go forward with, down the road.  I have to say though, I have had so much fun with this batch of puppies. 

Next week I head off for our National Specialty in Kentucky with Eddy, my little German boy.

H is also for Healthy Pet Products

It seems as though I go thru cycles with the animals.  My focus will be on the rabbits and then shift to the dogs when necessary and then back to the bunnies. 
This little girl to the left, Libby, has struggled with chronic ear infections over the years.  She is such a dear girl and it pains me to watch her struggle with her ears.  After a lot of research and chatting with a number of people wiho have dealt with this, I have decided to put my dogs on a raw diet.  Over the years, I have resisted feeding raw for fear of the germs, but seeing what it has done for others who have fed this way and what wonderful condition the dogs are in…………and the allergies disappearing, I relented.  Libby is wearing a "snood" to keep her long ears out of her food.  She looks a bit silly, eh?  She is always very excited now to see that snood though, because she knows that it is LUNCHTIME!

Of course being the type A personality that I, not only am I feeding raw, but I have decided to become a distributor for Healthy Pet Products.  I am so pleased with the results that I am seeing in the dogs, that I am convinced that this is a good thing for them.  This diet is manufactured by a good friend’s husband and it is one of the few "complete" raw diets on the market.  Complete meaning that I won’t have to fuss with adding all kinds of supplements, which is important to me.

Finally the Fiber

Sooo……….you can see that my focus has been almost completely on the dogs, but now that the pups are heading to their new homes and life on the job front is not quite so insane, I hope to shift gears a little bit.

Remember how much I enjoyed working on that Malabrigio sweater?  I loved every minute of it and I LIVE in that sweater.  Yes, it pills, but it is like putting on an old friend each time I wear it.  Soft and cuddly!

Well, the LYS was having their 20% sale, and given that we are trying to
conserve gas by making fewer trips, I decided to splurge and get enough
yarn to make 2 sweaters.

 

One thing that I have discovered during this busy time, is that it is too easy to get caught up in spending waaaaay too much time in front of the computer reading blogs and trying to knit, not just for the sheer pleasure of knitting, but more to have something to talk about in blogland.   I am looking forward to getting caught back up with what you all are doing out there, but I am making a commitment to myself to take a little more time to stop and smell the daisies so to speak and a little less time on the computer ;-). 

After completion
Come new beginnings,
To gain strength,
Renew the root.
Den Ming~Dao

The days here in the mountains have been outstanding!  Days full of sun and warmth.  I am amazed at how big my perennials are getting…….and the best part of all of this is…..we escaped MUD season, which is no small feat in the mountains…..whoohoo!!

The little verse above speaks to me of cycles……beginnings and ends.  My life has been full of both.  I am now working full time at home…..a new beginning, but an end of sorts as well, as it has not allowed me the luxury of keeping up with my favorite blogs or some of my fiber pursuits.  The craziness of it all is starting to settle down, so hopefully I will have some free time to get reconnected again and renew my roots.

Part of the cycle of my life has been finding special forever homes for my little ones.  4 of the puppies have found wonderful new homes.  Little Tommy, pictured to the left was the first to leave.  Oh how hard it is to say good bye.  Tommy is a puppy so full of personality and expression and his new family adore his little antics.  Thankfully, most of my puppy buyers keep in close contact with me and send us pictures.  Hannah is always grateful for those pictures and she lets the new owners know that she expects them……..soon and frequently…..LOL

3 of the puppies will stay now for at least a few months.  I will watch these girls grow carefully and assess them daily as they romp in the yard.

All 3 of the girls show promise, each for different reasons.  I will most likely only keep 2 of them though, as it will be difficult to give all 3 the proper attention they need to develop into confident adults.  In saying that though, keeping the 3 girls here for now, helped ease the sadness of saying good-bye to the others.  They are enjoying the warmth of the days and the romps in the yard with the older dogs…………..ah….life in the day of a little puppy girl is good right now.

Fiber

I have managed to squeeze a little spinning time in over the last week.  The first picture showing the singles on the bobbin gives the best representative of the color.  I was so pleased with this yarn.  I was striving for laceweight for a shawl, and I think I have come pretty close…….slightly heavier than fine laceweight, but close enough for a shawl.  I should end up with over 800 yards and 4 ounces of this wonderful corriedale.  I can’t wait to get it on the needles ;-))

G is also for gifts…….

In closing, I wanted to share the cute little tape measure that Jean of the Scottish Lamb, sent to me recently.  Jean had offered to send me a copy of the CD from our mutually favorite American Idol…….. Tayler Hicks.  Taylor personally sent Jean a copy and gave her permission to make copies for her friends (how cool is that??).  Jean tucked this cute little gift in with the CD.  Not only is she generous…..she is talented!  Thanks Jean!!!

Hard to believe that this year’s sheep and wool festivals are gearing up.  It feels like winter just got here and now it is gone…….

Today was the Denmark Sheep Festival in Denmark, Maine and what a good time was had by all!

Albert and Victoria, donned in their matching sailor suits greeted each and every guest today, as they entered.

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I had contemplated skipping this event as I am so behind in fiber production, but then again, I was looking forward to a day away from my office to enjoy the company of the many fiber friends I have not seen much of this winter.

Hannah, being the blossoming fiber artist that she is, came with me to help man our booth.  She is such a great little helper and what a fun way for her to learn about counting change and a little math.

One of my favorite displays this year belonged to my good friend, Michelle Delucia’s of Sunshine Dream Farm.  See that nice big bag of white roving to the right???
Well, it came home with me ;-)).  It is some fabulous corriedale top from Michelle’s sheep, Calvin.

A funny story…….As Michelle and I were weighing out her Corrie top, a few people were standing by watching us.  A little later, a woman was shopping at my booth and saw the corriedale roving that I had for sale, and she was very confused.  She asks.."Why would you buy corriedale from the other booth when you have some here??".  I explained to her gently that Michelle’s roving was top and mine was carded roving."  Hmmm……..I think she though I was crazy…….LOL.

It’s been such a long time since I have purchased any yarn or roving, as I have just been so busy in my real life job, that it was a treat to be out shopping again in the fiber world…. and of course I couldn’t just stop at the lovely corrie top, as this scrumptious orange silk was screaming at me……….and then of course, the little sheep pottery coffee mug, made by my friend Julie of Kick The Moon Farm came along for the ride home 🙂

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All in all, it was a great day with wonderful friends.  I visited with such nice friends as Sherri the traveling NETA correspondence, Helen our NETA leader, and the down-home spinners.

Even Hannah had a fun enough day that she was willing to smile in a photo with the felted flowers that she created thru out the day…….and any day that happens……it is a GOOD day!

Imagine a sculpture
You work on every day.
If you stop, the beauty
Will slowly go away.
Den Ming~Dao

Little by little, inch by inch, my little shawl grew.
I love Dao’s verse above. It is easy to let life consume us when we get busy.  Even though life has been crazy busy lately, I have managed to knit a little bit every day.  The little shapely shawl was a fun shawl to knit.  A great first lace pattern for anyone who is tempted to give lace a try.

Pattern: Judy Pascale’s Shapely Shawl
Yarn:  Judy’s wonderful silk/merino singles

I added a row of crochet picot along the edge with a bead at each point, to give the shawl a bit of weight. 

Moving right on to the next project………see, I really am trying to be true to one project at a time, although, I may sink down Cassie’s rabbit hole this week.

This is the silk yarn from Judy that I am sampling for her.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to like working with pure silk, as it really does have a different feel……but I like it very much.  The shine is incredible.  I was going to do Barbara Walker’s Frost flowers, but I didn’t like the way it was knitting up, so I changed gears, looked through a gazillion patterns and settled on the Trellis framed leaf lace scarf featured in the Winter 2004 Spin Off.  The pattern calls for size one needles, but I jumped up to a size 7, so that the openwork would really show.  I will add the beads called for in the pattern along the bottom of this as well.  The silk is very light and will definitely need the added weight for a nice drape.  It’s working up quickly, so perhaps if I do trip in that rabbit hole, I will be finished soon enough to start something new.

Puppies
That bittersweet part of raising puppies is coming.  This little boy, who we call Giorgio will be leaving for his new home in a few days.  He is going to live with a close friend of mine in Pennsylvania. Hopefully he will be in the show ring in a few months.  His new owner is flying in to spend a few days with us and then will head back home with this little guy on Friday…we will miss him.  The other 2 boys will be heading off to their new homes on Sunday. 

As many litters as I have raised, it still is hard for me to say good bye to the babies.  The only thing that makes it a little easier is seeing the joy on the faces of the new owners that will love these babies up.  They certainly do bring smiles……….don’t they?