…….and pretty maids all in a row……..

Breeze had her babies Friday evening.  Thankfully she was a good girl and had them reasonably early in the evening and birthed them very quickly.  Why was I thankful?? Because I was sick as a dog (no pun intended) during the whelping.  My husband had been sick a few nights earlier with a 12 hour bug and given that I don’t usually get sick, I was hopeful that it would skip right over me…….but you know how that goes.  Yup….2 hours before Breeze got down to business, I started feeling queasy and in between puppy number 3 and 4, you guessed it…..not pretty.

Sadly one of the little ones wasn’t able to stay with us.  It always breaks my heart to lose one during a birthing, but I am thankful that we are left with 3 healthy, quiet little girls.  So now we are a house of 7 puppies. As you can see from this picture, Bliss’s babies are growing in leaps and bounds and thankfully are starting to quiet down. Life will be crazy……busy…….but fun.!

The Preemie Project

A few weeks ago, I discovered Tracy’s blog.  Tracy has dedicated a lot of time to The Preemie Project.   Given that I had done quite a bit of knitting for charity last year, I had taken a bit of a break from it, but after reading about this organization and seeing all of the sweet baby hats, I quickly became interested  Visiting Jean’s  blog and reading of her contest, gave me the little push I needed to get going.   I searched thru my stash as I have pretty much been housebound these days, to see if I could find anything appropriate.  Wool is not allowed.  With a little bit of cotton and a few hours last night, this little hat came off of the needles.  Given that I am up most all of the night these days, I am hoping to finish one hat every other night, thru the end of February. 

Chasing the Winter Blah’s Away

I don’t know how it is where you live, but here, this winter has just not been a real winter to speak of.  Late March is always my least favorite time of the year.  Muddy, dirty melting snow and raw days.  Somehow this entire winter has felt like March and it has been getting me a wee bit down, so I thought that perhaps some bright colors would help chase some of those blah’s away.  Even though I still have a brown NE sock to finish, this cheery blend of Opal Magic yarn has been quietly smiling in the corner of my office and knew it was just the thing to pick up my spirits a bit, and I was right…….it makes me smile!

The cauldron has been working overtime as well……..can you sense a change there as well.  Normally I like quiet colors, but the dreary winter days are calling for splashes of color.  This blend of electric green’s and blues were fun to work on yesterday, as we waited for the Superbowl to start.  It is another angoraless blend of merino roving.  It has been fun trying to stretch myself out of my usual color-zone

A finished Object and Something Yummy

I worked fervently at getting Shedir finished and off the needles, so that I could get it into the mail for my daughter, before Winter is over.  Hannah is happy to model the top of it for you.  Happy because you don’t have to see her face…lol.

I have mixed feelings about this knit.  It comes out a tad on the longish side when finished.  I was afraid to skip a repeat as I used a thinner yarn and smaller needle, than what was called for, but in retrospect, I probably could have.  Ash has long thick, thick hair, so I am sure that it will fit her fine, but I hate feeling not completely happy with something when I am done.  I was tempted to rip it back, but this is a fiddly pattern that is very hard on your wrists with all of the cabling, so I left well enough alone, given that I am mentally and physically exhausted right now.

Speaking of being exhausted, let me tell you just how pleasantly surprised and happy to find a little package from Vermont Nutless Chocolates this weekend.  After 2 weeks of virtually no sleep to speak of, the caffeine and sugar in this yummy package of candy is helping me cope a little better ;-)).

Thank you Norma for making me smile and helping me stay awake. 😉

 

                           "Clapotis"

Back when Blogland was busy knitting Clapotis, I resisted as I just don’t dig doing what everyone else is doing and I wasn’t really sure that I loved the pattern.  As time went by and I was looking for a pattern to compliment this lovely alpaca yarn, I stumbled upon the Clapotis pattern again and decided that I would give it a try………and I am soooo glad that I did!   I enjoyed this knit as much as I enjoyed "Birch" and I am sure that another Clapotis will be in my future.

Pattern:  Clapotis
Yarn:  Alpaca Yarn from Over The Rainbow Yarns
Needles: US#8, 5mm

I highly recommend this very enjoyable knit!!

 

Roving

One thing that is in very short supply with a new litter of puppies is SLEEP !. In between little cat naps, I have been trying to get some dyeing done.  I have been working on some merino without angora for the upcoming NETA Spa.  I know that some are allergic to those sweet fuzzy bunnies, and having a good supply of nice merino top, I thought I would play

What do you think?

 

 

 

Quizaholic??
Ok, I admit it…..I am a sucker for a good quiz, in fact my husband just this very evening, as he was playing with his brand new laptop, which by the way, has wireless capability AND a 15 inch screen, accused me of being addicted to them…..hmmpphhfff!!!  He may have a point though, I do enjoy them……haha!
I found this one via Lizzy B’s blog and it is just too funny!!!

You will drink too much gin. Not the worst way to

die, but you won’t remember too much of your

life. Hey, at least you made some people

laugh!

And my husband…….who BTW, I am completely green with envy of his new toys, but he is a
good guy, so I won’t pout that much….

You will be smothered under a rug. You’re a little

anti-social, and may want to start gaining

new social skills by making prank phone

calls.

What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla

A shadow edge is never on the edge.
The time to contemplate the ending
is before the ending.
Deng Ming~Dao

Such quiet beauty in the monochromatic world after a snow storm.

Time to Weave?

I was so excited today when I went to the post office and found my new Handwoven magazine waiting for me.  This new issue is dedicated to making towels and learning a new weave with each one.  There is a nice mix of 4, 6 and 8 harness weaving, along with a very nice Rep Rug.

I am looking forward to life settling down a bit, so that I can dress my loom up again.  Unlike knitting or spinning, where you can just sit and spin or knit while watching TV, weaving is such a different process.  The  important part of weaving goes into the planning, the math and the threading.  Making sure the tension is just right and praying that you didn’t cross any threads along the way.  I dress my loom from back to front, but a good friend and weaving teacher is going to teach me how she dresses the loom from front to back.  I am looking forward to the new challenge and dishtowels are one of my favorite things to weave, as they are a great quick gift.  Under the magazine is one of the towels that I wove last year to test drive my new to me loom.

Allison’s Spindles
Now……..as much as I love to spin on a wheel, there are a few out there who know how much I do not like spinning on a drop spindle.  For some reason, I have the hardest time drafting the roving with the right hand, which makes it awkward.  I think some of my problem goes back to my childhood days, when as a left handed child, I was forced to write right handed.  Many times I still want to use that left hand, but my brain thinks in a right handed way….believe me, my spindling is not pretty…LOL

However…….I am always a sucker for a good cause and I make no secret that a lovely piece of wood sucks me in every bit as much as a greasy fleece.  Last week I received an email from my friends Pam and Jim Childs of Hatchtown Farm.  A very dear friend of theirs, Allison, who had purchased many spindles from them in her short life, had recently passed away.  Allison’s spindles were being sold with the donations being sent to Dr. Rowe’s research fund.  You can read more about Allison’s story on this page

I am honored to own this lovely spindle.  Somehow, I am going to conquer the drop spindle this time around, in honor of Allison 😉

Puppies
I will leave you with this little puppy collage.  They are all doing well, in spite of being a bunch of noisy youngsters.

I think that Bliss enjoys her trips
outside into the cold air.  You can almost see her smiling.

Breeze had her xray today and she also has 4 pups, so hang on..same bat channel, same bat time for the next round 😉

Here they are!  Born in the middle of the night of course, Jan. 25th.  She gave us 3 boys and one little girl.  It’s been a long time since I have had tri-color puppies here.  I forgot just how much they look like little baby cows.!  All 4 babies are doing well and after the shock of trying to figure out what the heck these squeaky, moving objects are, Bliss is being a very good Mum.

This young man, fascinated by all of the noises coming out of the puppy pen, has decided that it must be his mission in life to figure out just what is going on in there. He is ever vigilant by the pen…….thank-fully Bliss is a good natured girl and is tolerating nosy young men well.  Time will tell if Breeze will be so tolerant next week with her babies……

Lest you think that I have forgotten how to knit, I figured I would through in a little fiber content.  Can you guess what it is?

It is Shedir from one of the Knitty Suprises and I love working on it……a very fun knit if you like cables.  I am using some handspun polwarth.  This was to be knit over winter break for my college aged daughter.  Of course she left for college yesterday, hatless.  There are just not enough hours in a day sometimes….

I promise Ash…..it will go out in the mail by Monday, with a little surprise ;-))

Yum……

It’s hard to believe that 24 years have past since I had my son.  When he was a little guy, I used to call him Honey Boy and for a short spell there, I swear he thought that was his name, as he would refer to himself as such to others as well…..LOL. Homemade Boston Creme Pie has always been his favorite birthday cake.

Miles has had a rough couple of years, but has come out on the other side maintaining his never ending sense of humor and a new maturity.  I am very proud of the kind hearted young man he has become!

The Meme
Felicity of Sweet Georgia tagged me…Oh dear, I am so bad at these things…..here we go down that slippery slope again….LOL

Four jobs you’ve had in your life:

1. Waitress/Bartender
2. Front Desk/Auditor
3. Registration Supervisor
4. and most important of all…..Mom

Four movies you could watch over and over again:

1. Moon Struck
2. School of Rock
3. A Christmas Story
4. There are probably a bunch more, but I just can’t think of one off the top of my head.

Four places you have lived:

1. Massachusetts
2. Florida
3. Massachusetts
4. New Hampshire
   (can you tell how sheltered my life has been..LOL)

Four t.v. shows you love to watch:

1. CSI
2. Criminal Minds
3. Law and Order
4. Starting Over

Four places you’ve been on vacation:

1. Wales, UK
2. Williamsburg, VA
3. Cape Cod
4. Burbank, CA

Four websites you visit daily:

1. Bloglines
2. Margene with coffee
3. EBay
4. Infodog (weekly for show results)

Four of your favorite foods:

1. Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce
2. Broccoli soup from Jacob Marley’s
3. Pizza with pepperoni and feta cheese
4. Lobster, dredged in butter

Four places you would rather be right now:

1. Plum Island in the Summer
2. Wales, UK with my husband
3. Stowe, VT sitting fireside apres ski
4. Eating lobster on the rocks at Lane Cove, Gloucester,MA

Four bloggers you are tagging:
(this one scares me…she knows why…LOL)
   Only  if you want to guys……no pressure;-))
     1.  Jean of the Scottish Lamb
     2.  Liz of Pocket Farm
     3. Judy of Smatterings 
     4.  Anne of How The West Was Won

Finally…….the fiber content
What to do with this lovely malabrigo yarn??  I have 10 skeins of this yummy, soft yarn, which should be enough to make a sweater.  This yarn is similar in weight and gauge to Manos yarn, but a wee bit softer.  I have a few ideas kicking around, but I would love to hear your ideas on what patterns would work best with this yarn.

Thanks and have a great Monday!!

"B" is for "Bliss’s Babies"!
(click on the picture to see the wee ones)

Little Bliss is our resident tricolor Cavalier.  She is a quiet girl who has done very well in the show ring.  I have to admit, that I was very hesitant in breeding her, as she is so little, but her breeder assured me that Bliss’s mom, who is equally as small in size as Bliss is, whelped 5 puppies without any problems.

As you can see from the xray (and for those who can’t I added some arrows….LOL), there are 4 babies.  In this picture of Bliss,she is looking  very svelte, however, now she is looking as though she may have swallowed a watermelon.  Being as little as she is, there is no place to hide those babies.  If you look at her, you would swear she was having an entire football team instead of just 4 wee pups.

B is also for Bathing………

Friday is usually reserved for bathing dogs.  Kali being full of mischief is usually one who needs a bath.  We are experiencing some really strange weather up here in the mountains.  The temps have been ranging in the 40’s and 50’s!  Needless to say, the dog yard is getting soupy….YUK…..MUD!  Thankfully Cavaliers are small enough just to toss in the sink.  (You can see that I still haven’t made up my mind about tiles for the backsplash…..too many choices out there!)

B is for the "Beauty" after the Bath….

Given
that I really want Eddy to have the best chance of finishing his
championship in both the "old" club (CKCSC,USA) and AKC that he can have, he will need
to be bathed weekly.

Even though he has the
coat of a mature dog, he is still fairly
young at 9 mos of age and does not always have the best aim out in the dog yard…LOL.  Trust me, we all are much happier that he enjoys his baths ;-).  This little dog is truly the sweetest dog that I have ever owned.  Such a gentle spirit this boy posses.

B is for" Big Cookies" and "Bunny Balls"!
I so enjoy reading bloggers who also like to cook.  One of my favorites is Yarnstorm.  Jane always has THE most tempting pictures.  I have decided to try and get back in touch with that domestic side that has been hiding. (just ask my hubby….hehe)

I picked up this cookbook at the library this week and I LOVE it.  I may have to even bite the bullet and purchase a copy.  Watch out Martha!

 

The cauldron as my DH likes to call it, has been pretty busy this week.  As I will be a vendor as the NETA Spa weekend in February, the dyepot and carder have been working in over-drive.  I am just praying that I can get enough of this stuff dyed and ready for the weekend…..eekk.

These lovely little balls are on their way to one of my favorite bloggers…….Happy Spinning!

And Finally….."B" is for "Big Moon"….

Sandy, this one is for you 😉

January’s full moon is the "Wolf Moon"
Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled
hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full
Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon
After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied
that name to the next Moon.

Sheesh……..I guess B was a "busy" letter for me!

Spectrum

Pure light is all colors.
Therefore, it has no hue.
Only when singleness is scattered
Does color appear.
Deng Ming~Dao

Do you remember seeing this loom back in October?  I was using it to demonstrate at the Fryeburg Fair.  I had finished all but the fringe during that week.

In my effort to destash, I decided that I was going to sell this loom, as I really do not use it very much.  However, really wanting the ruana that I had envisioned, I set about getting the second shawl finished before I had to meet the woman that had purchased the loom……which meant I had two days to get the second shawl and the joining finished……..eekk!  As you can see from the picture, one shawl is done on top of the other shawl, then they are joined to the 1/2 way point and finally the 2 remaining sides bound off.

This is one finished item that definitely needed to be shown on a person to be appreciated.  Modeling the front view, much to her dismay as she was in her "spinning" attire (not the same spinning we do…LOL), is my oldest daughter Stacey.  The back view is me.

It was hard to weave, holding 3 strands of dark colored yarn, but all in all, I am pleased with how it came out.

It has been a busy few weeks here and promises to get even busier with 2 litters of puppies coming in a few weeks.  Stay tuned for my "B" pictures!

Can you guess what this is??

How about now??

Yes, it is the infamous Clapotis.  Back when everyone was doing this scarf in blogland, I just wasn’t that interested, however in digging thru my stash, I came upon some alpaca from Over The Rainbow, and knew that it wanted to be just that.

After doing lace work socks and cabled gloves on size 0 needles and
struggling with the lacework on River, this scarf is a pleasant change
of pace.  The knitting is almost as mindless as plain stockinette
stitch and I get some derranged sort of pleasure from dropping that
stitch and letting her ripppppp!   Kind of like pulling a run in your
nylons when you were young…..LOL.

The true color of these yarns lies somewhere in the middle of these pictures. The red in clapotis s more orangy than berry as it appears in the top photo.  It will look nice with Paprika.  Pictured in one photo with the Clapotis is some 20% bunny roving that I spun last week…….and that belive it or not is more Berry colored than pink.  Hard to belive that the skein with the star is the same skein with Clapotis.  It’s funny how one picture can capture a color so perfectly and completely miss the other object in the same picture.

 

A River Run Dry
I finally finished up with River.  As much as I enjoyed working on Birch, I can honestly say that I did not enjoy this process nearly as much.  There was a definite flow to the pattern, once you "got" it, but I just didn’t get the same sense of satisfaction working on it.

However, I do like the finished product and I know that I will enjoy using it whenever the opportunity arises

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.

In the beginning, all things are hopeful.  We prepare ourselves to start anew.   In order to start, we must make a decision.  This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation.
Den Ming~Dao

   Auspicious:  Giving promise of success, prosperity, or happiness; predicting good; as, "an auspicious beginning."

This year my resolutions are not really resolutions, but a desire to become fit……..in body, mind and spirit.  I am knocking on "50’s" door and I want to enter those years as "fit and whole" as I can be, so that I can enjoy not only my life, but the lives of my children and grandchildren.  Here’s to a new and exciting year!!  Cheers!

"A" is also for "Angels Pride Edinburgh"

Remember last week when I mentioned that crazy trip to Boston?  Well, this 9 month old young man was the reason for that trip.  "Eddy" is from Germany, bred by Tanja Engels of Angels Pride Cavaliers  His mother is a girl from the UK that almost came to live with us here, so I am very excited to have this young man here.

However, as excited as I was to have him…….the trip into Boston was dreadful!!  I grew up outside of Boston, but I never get used to driving in the city.  Eddy came via Lufthansa airlines and was scheduled to be picked up around 1:30 pm.  I showed up at the airport, only to find out that I needed to go to the Cargo area.  The girl at the desk, not having a good command of English, sent me on my way.  After 2 trips thru Sumner Tunnel (have I told you how afraid I am of tunnels?)  I finally found my way to Cargo, which is almost in Revere, not Boston.  At the desk, the woman…..who also had very little command of English (sensing a pattern yet?)  reprimanded me for being early.  It was now 2:00????  Eddy finally came in around 2:30 and then I was told that I needed to go to Customs in East Boston to have him cleared.  Remember……..this girl does not speak very good English and her directions were sketchy at best.  This time it was 2 trips thru the Williams Tunnel…..(eekkkkkkk!!!).  We finally arrived home in NH sometime around 6:30pm.  Although it was a frustrating day in Boston, the frustration was well worth it.  Eddy is a calm, sweet gentle boy that I am looking forward to getting in the show ring this year!

"A" is also for" Accidental Mistakes"

It seemed that everything I have picked up to knit since Christmas has been a bust.  The NE socks with the pointy toes……now fixed, then the Morehouse Merino Cardigan that needs to be completely pulled out, as somehow I messed up on the very simple, easy raglan sleeve increases and River. 

After fixing the toe on the socks, River was the easiest thing to fix next, so I decided that she would be the focus of my attentions this week.  I think part of the problem is that I am itchin’ to start something new, but I really want to finish these WIP before starting something else………so I will plug along, although the Cardigan may wait now until Spring, while I contemplate what may be the next thing on my needles….