The Doggies - Part I

Today's post, as promised, is dedicated to two of my doggies. (Tomorrow will be all about my daughter's dog.  Both she and the dog live with us, and we are so happy that they do.  He totally deserves his own personal post.)  If you are not a dog fan, you may want to come back another day.  I have always been a dog lover, and can't remember a time in my life when I didn't have a dog to love.  For years, our family had a lovable English Bulldog named Rocky, and a feisty Yorkshire Terrier named Millie.  They never really cared much for each other and she was very snappy with him.

 

Our world changed a bit when one day, five years ago, my son was working at his part time job at a local golf course.  He came upon a small white dog wandering around.  He was in a golf cart, and this dog jumped right in with him.  It wasn't long until I got a call from him, asking if he could bring this dog home.  Of course you can't.  We have two older dogs (9 and 10 years old) and another dog would disrupt everything in our house.  Well, you can guess what happened.  He brought the dog home (he was initially only staying the night in the garage) and he is still here.  As soon as the car pulled into the driveway and I saw the sweet face of that precious West Highland Terrier, I knew he wasn't going anywhere.  We washed him, fed him and bought him a leash and a collar.  He slept in my daughter's bed the very first night.  We looked for his owners (sort of), but noone ever claimed the little guy, and for that we are very thankful.  He really did turn our world a bit upside down.  After a trip to the vet, we determined that he was still a puppy, and boy did he act like a puppy.

 

Those older dogs didn't appreciate his playfullness at all. They were old and tired, and I get it.  :).  Rocky died three years ago at the ripe old age of 12.  This is quite old for a bulldog. They have lots of health problems and are not known for longevity.  It was a sad time at our house.  We still have pictures out and talk about him often.

Max, the Westie, and Millie learned how to cohabitate.  They didn't care much for each other.  Max always wanted her to play, and at her age she wasn't the playful sort.  He is a very needy dog, and such a lap dog.  He loves to be near people, and must be touching them.  He believes every visitor to our home is there to see him and him only.  We have just enjoyed him so very much, and his personality is so unique and fun. He meets each of us at the door everyday when we get home and acts like he hasn't seen us in weeks when it has really only been a few hours.

So the family lived happily with the two terriers until......the daughter decides she needs a dog of her own.  Exactly one year ago, all 1.4 pounds of Henry the Havanese came to live with us.  Oh my, what a whirlwind this has been.  More about this tomorrow, because, as I said, he gets a post all to himself.  Don't be deceived.  Yes, he's the cutest thing ever, but.....

Olympic Socks

The UK baby sweater is blocking and waiting for me to finish the button bands and hood banding (yuck).  I don't enjoy finishing work.  I just really want to knit and have a beautiful product that is already together and doesn't need blocking. Yeah, right.  Fortunately, I am back on track knitting socks.  A few rows into the leg of the pink sock, I realized I hated the pattern.  FROG to the cuff and begin again.  They look much better and I have about three inches of the leg done.  I am calling these my "Olympics socks". 

 

Every night when I sit down to knit, I tune into NBC and check out the winter games.  I am such a winter person.  I love snow, and all of the fun activities that take place in it.  It is just amazing to me what some of the athletes are able to do.  I am particularly enthralled with curling.  Now those people are really good with a broom.  I wish everyone (or anyone) got so excited whenever I sweep!

 

 

NBC always includes some human interest stories in their coverage, and the latest one I saw involved several of our American athletes leaving Russia with one or more of the stray dogs that roam the streets.  How sad that these poor little things have no home, and are just wandering about looking for food and someone to love them.  If you google, you will find several interesting stories.  As a dog lover (and owner of three little darlings), this story just warmed my heart.  Maybe tomorrow I will introduce you to my sweet (well, sometimes that is questionable) doggies.

Finally, the Solution

I left yesterday's post without a solution to the yarn stash problem.  I do have nice cream tables (which ended up in my daughters's den) and an attractive gold chest, containing lost of "good" junk that is housed in my foyer.  So...back to the attic.  I remembered an OLD chest of drawers that dates back about 30 years (to when my husband and I were first married and poor).  This thing was dusty and the hardware was beyond repair, but it was worth a try.  This time, I chose a barn red color (Red, Red Wine from Home Depot).  The first custom color they attempted to mix for me actually turned out more of a magenta and so not what I wanted, so the Red, Red Wine was the second color of choice, but a great one.  I also decided to try a new additive to create chalk paint.  After some internet research, I discovered that lots of people found they liked using calcium carbonate as an additive instead of plaster of paris.  I agree with them.  I mixed two tablespoons of calcium carbonate with one tablespoon of water and blended into 1 cup of latex paint.  This was a great improvement.  It created a much smoother texture and a better finished product. I ordered some brushed nickel hardware from doorcorner.com, and voila!!!

I bought some white hand towels to line the drawers and now a good part of my yarn stash has a new home.  I have my eye on an old toy chest of my children's.  It looks like it could use a nice coat of chalk paint, and would be just perfect for the rest!!  We shall see!

Storage Wars

As I commented in a previous post, my addiction for knitting socks is getting increasingly worse, and my yarn stash is also increasing.  In Algebra we call this a positive correlation.  This makes for a great "real world" example for my students.  Hmmm...could this stash of mine be a tax deduction since it is work related??? :)  Well, the stash was beginning to take over the coat closet.  Each time someone got their coat, there was a major yarn avalanche, so something had to be done.

I had been hearing all the accolades of chalk paint and had seen it all over Pinterest.  It was time to give it a whirl.  A trip to the attic uncovered some old coffee tables that were dusty and banged up.  I chose a nice cream color, and even made my own chalk paint by mixing plaster of paris with water and blending it into latex paint.

 I was quite proud of the result, and decided to bring new life to the chest of drawers that had been in my son's room.  Since he had just gotten married and had purchased new bedroom furniture, his old one, which was almost delapidated, was destined for Goodwill. I decided to salvage the chest of drawers. This time I chose a nice, rich gold color.  The transformation from a dark walnut stain was amazing.  I even used the same hardware, so the project was very cheap.

 This was going to be the solution to the yarn storage problem.  That is, until everyone decided it was too pretty to hide in a craft room.  It has now become a permanent fixture in the foyer, and contains all those little odds and ends that you're not really sure what to do with.  You know exactly what I'm talking about, right?  *wink*

 







Digging Out!

Wow! We really got hit by some snow here in the south.  I actually had THREE snow days in a row.  I don't think this has happened in our school system since 1996.  It was wonderful.  The snow was beautiful, and I took full advantage of those snow days to get lots of knitting done.  For  some reason, on Thursday, I decided to make a snow day hat.  I found a pattern that I loved (the Winston, which is on Ravelry), and went to my stash where I located some Berocco Ultra Alpaca, and I was off.  I now have  the finished product blocking and will post a picture as soon as it dries.

I have continued on with the baby sweater, and am happy to say all I lack are the button bands and hood band.  I am having problems posting pictures, but will try again tomorrow.

In all of this, my socks have been neglected, but as of tonight, I will be right back at them while I watch The Bachelor ( a nasty addiction of mine).  I need a break from the royal blue color, so the pink socks will take care of that.

I must also finish my latest painting project, which I will talk about tomorrow in my blog, so tune in!

Snow Day!!

Here in the south, we have been hit by a blizzard, and a very rare thing happened. My school system had a snow day. We NEVER miss school for snow, so these are very cherished times. I just love mornings at home alone. I had a nice hot cup of strong coffee, read the paper, watched I Love Lucy and did the crossword, all before 8:00, and very peacefully.   I Love Lucy is my favorite show of all time. I DVR it everyday, but it is a real treat to see it in its regular time slot. It makes me laugh each time I watch, even though I've see every episode at least 25 times.

The pink socks are on hold for a few days as I knit another baby sweater. My dear friend is expecting her first grandchild. It is a boy and both parents attended the University of Kentucky, so the sweater has a Wildcat theme, and will be finished off with basketball buttons. I'll post a picture of the finished product in a few days.

AND....the good news is that I just got a text saying we have another snow day tomorrow! More coffee, crosswords and Lucy! I should also be able to make a good bit of progress on the baby sweater so I can get back to my socks! Maybe a snowman will be on the agenda tomorrow as we'll.

The Little Lost Sock

Some of my yarn came! This one is Lion Brand Sock Ease in Cotton Candy.  Love the pastel blend of colors that is very springy looking. It seems a bit scratchy, but it was inexpensive and one skein will knit one pair of socks.  Hopefully, after a wash and block, they will feel softer.



I was so anxious to cast on these socks because...I have a new set of sock needles!! You can see them in the picture.  They are Knitter's Pride Karbonz.  The set includes sizes 0 to 3.  There were a little pricey, but I must continue to feed my addiction you know.  I really do love them.  They are great!  I had been using Knitter's Pride Dreamz, which are colorful and made of birch.  I loved them too, but there was a problem.  We are currently renovating our kitchen, and everything (including things not in the kitchen) is in complete and total disarray.  In the midst of the disruption, a sock in progress has gone missing, as have the two sizes of double points I was using to knit the foot of the sock.  I have looked in all of the logical places it might be, along with some very illogical locations.  My cute little red sock is not to be found.  Hopefully when the cabinets go back on the wall and the numerous storage bins are emptied, it and the missing needles will reappear.

 

So....in the mean time, I decided I NEEDED some new sock needles to replace the lost ones.  After some research I chose the Karbonz, and so far, I think it was a good choice. 

Before I cast on the socks, I used them for this newborn hat to match the sweater I made for a friend's niece.  This is an adorable pattern that knits quickly and is one piece for those of you that hate seaming (like me). You can find it on Ravelry as "Yoked Baby Sweater".  I just made up the pattern for the hat.  It still needs some buttons to make it complete. I think tiny pewter buttons will be a perfect finish.

 

Today I will press on with the pink sock, and of course look forward to visiting the mailbox as I'm waiting on the rest of my sock yarn order to arrive!  Socks rock!

I Have A Problem

Ok, I admit it.  I'm a sock-a-holic.  The problem is that I have absolutely no desire to cure this addiction, and it seems to get worse all the time.  I've been knitting for 40 years.  I knitted for my children when they were babies, and actually, my 21-year old daughter still enjoys my knitted goodies.  I've knitted countless sweaters, hats, mittens and scarves, but my real addiction began a couple of years ago on a school trip.(I haven't mentioned that despite my addiction, I teach math to eighth graders every weekday.  This could be a whole other blog, and could also explain any grammatical errors you may see. Language Arts is NOT my strength!) I needed a portable project to knit on a bus filled with students headed for our nation's capital, Washington, D.C.  I have to admit that I had long admired the bright, colorful, self-striping effects of sock yarn, but for some reason, thought working a heel flap, turning a heel and creating a gussett were much too complicated for my amateur skill level. 

It was on a rainy day just before our departure date that I found some rainbow sock yarn at my local yarn shop that I just couldn't pass up.  The royal blue, cherry red, sunny yellow and bright green colors were too much for me, and thus began my addiction.  I did muddle my way through and finish those socks while on the trip.  The students were quite impressed that I could actually produce a wearable product from what to them resembled extra large toothpicks and a small ball of yarn.  They monitored my progress daily, anxious to see what had been accomplished, and see each part of the sock appear. (If only I could get them as interested in the pythagorean theorem or the quadratic formula!)

I still have have those socks, and I enjoy looking at them and laughing at the outcome.  I have come a long way since then.  I have learned LOTS of helpful hints and techniques along the way.  Now I can look at my finished producs and smile with satisfaction.

I hope to share my love of knitting on this blog, and share photos of my projects (which aren't all socks).  And by the way, I can't wait to get home, because I have yarn for three pairs of socks in transit.  Sock yarn is great because it fits in the mailbox, and is a happy surprise when you open the box!