A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. ~ George Bernard Shaw
A long time ago (March 2009) I dyed this sock blank:
I immediately cast on the socks.
I loved the socks while I was knitting them, but it took me 28 months to finish them.
Fittingly, I cast off on Independence Day.
Milo was overcome with joy.
I put the socks on for their photo-shoot and (if I may be bold) I think they look fantastic.
Looks can be deceiving, though. The socks are so tight I can hardly get them over my heel. I fear that if I wear them I will blow a hole in the heel (as I’ve done with two other pairs of super tight hand knit socks in recent months).
That’s right, I spent 28 months knitting these socks and they don’t fit.
:: sigh ::
Luckily, my mother’s feet are two sizes smaller than mine and she likes pink. When she’s in town later this month I will give them to her.
Until then, Milo thinks they make a stylish pillow.
I have been bucked off the sock knitting horse but I’m going to get right back in the saddle. This yarn is going on the needles next:
The kitties enjoy sitting in front of the door and watching the birds play in the dogs’ water bowl. The birds are about three feet in front of the cats in this picture and they were both cackling like crazy.
As always, full details for the socks can be seen on the Ravelry page .
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin
Remember when this used to be a knitting blog?
Let’s revisit those days.
A couple of months ago a friend gifted me with a sock blank. I broke out the Kool-Aid and created this.
The blank became these socks.
I love them!
Full details are on the socks’ Ravelry page.
Since I am a crazy dog lady, I took portraits of the dogs with the leftover yarn.
Sadie shared a zen moment with the yarn.
Luka was supervising the photo shoot.
After Sadie serenely posed with the yarn she enjoyed one of her favorite past times: rolling around on her back. Sadly, my yard is mostly dirt so she got a bit messy.
Luka is much too dignified to engage in such behavior.
The dogs and I have gone hiking a couple of times since my last post. These hikes are the highlights of the week.
The dogs always spend the first hour or so running off their pent up energy.
We usually take a break or two on our way to the reservoir.
The dogs know when we turn on the trail that leads to the water and they take off running.
By the time I arrive they’ve already jumped in.
Luka isn’t fond of the drowned rat look and always like to shake when he’s standing right next to me.
Every hiking trip ends the same way: with the dogs sound asleep on the way home.
The napping continues once we arrive home.
Milo fears his standing in the Sleeping Olympics may be in jeopardy so he practices harder.
Finally, the smoke from the Arizona wildfire hung over this area for several days last week. It was very annoying during the day (a thick haze and smell of smoke in the air) but the sunsets were spectacular.
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things ~ Robert Brault
Things have been a bit nutty around these parts lately. The knitting has slowed down a bit, but the socks are making progress.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it but Sadie is a rather dorky dog. That’s why I’m especially fond of this nearly regal picture of her.
Finally, a recent sunset.
If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves. ~ Maria Edgeworth
The red sock blank is making lovely socks. They are flying off the needles. I turned the heels Saturday night.
Over the weekend Milo participated in the Sleeping Olympics.
One year ago today I spotted this at the Humane Society.
I cannot believe it’s been a year already. I’ve had so much fun getting to know Luka.
Well, most of it has been fun. That day last summer when I arrived home from work and discovered he’d shredded 15 rolls of toilet paper and 5 rolls of paper towels was definitely not fun (at least not for me).
Happy anniversary, buddy.
Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. ~ Unknown
Once upon a time this was a knitting blog. Today I am (briefly) returning to my roots.
Many moons ago I dyed this sock blank:
I finally finished the socks on Saturday night:
I have to admit that I didn’t really like the socks when I finished them. They didn’t turn out at all how I expected. However, I wore them all day Sunday and we made peace.
I probably won’t ever love them, but I do like them. And they’re a perfect fit.
More details can be found on their Ravelry page.
On Sunday I dyed the blank for the my next pair of socks:
I cannot wait to knit these. It’s tough to see in the picture, but it’s a subtle tonal effect that I think will make gorgeous socks.
Finally, a picture of Milo. I’m not sure how this position was comfortable, but he was sound asleep.
Life is the art of drawing without an eraser. ~ John W. Gardner
Spring is on its way to this part of the world and that means more time outside.
The dogs and I went to the park this weekend. The main activity of the day was running.
There was running in the woods.
And running in the fields.
Both dogs enjoyed exploring.
I love the look on Sadie’s face in this picture.
And in this one.
Luka continued his love affair with water.
At one point he became a bit obsessed with a tennis ball.
Where was Sadie while Luka was frolicking in the stream? She was catching a quick nap in the sunshine.
All of the park activity led to Sadie’s second favorite pastime….holding down the couch.
Sometimes Luka helps Sadie hold down the couch.
Luka is clearly not as committed as Sadie is, though. He’s been busy making friends with his new brother. (Notice how Milo’s paw is ready to bat Luka if he gets too close.)
Speaking of Milo, I don’t believe I’ve adequately demonstrated just how adorable he can be.
Here’s something random I noticed the other night.
Sadie is not a dainty girl, but her paw is dwarfed by Luka’s paw.
Finally, some knitting…the current pair of socks.
Follow the grain in your own wood. ~Howard Thurman
We’ve had arctic cold around here lately so the dogs and I haven’t gone on any adventures. We can barely go on our daily walks. All I have to post today is a mish mash of pictures.
Sadie doing what she does best (holding down the couch).
Photogenic Luka.
Mister No Name continues the cuteness.
The cats have become friends and are now hanging out together.
Finally, a new pair of socks.
Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. ~ From the movie An Affair to Remember
The arctic temperatures moved out in time for the weekend and we took advantage of it. I had some errands to run and then we ended up at the dog park.
Being cooped up in the car for a couple of hours meant they were ready to run.
Once they burned off all that energy it was time to explore.
The stream has started to freeze.
Both dogs enjoy exploring the ice.
Sadie loves to eat snow.
Luka splashed in the freezing cold water.
Sadie preferred lying in it.
But not for long.
Exploring the woods is always enjoyable.
When Sadie took a break I was able to snap a nice portrait of her.
My portrait of Luka didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped.
This one is better.
All of the running was exhausting. Here’s how Luka spent the evening.
The kitties continue to (literally) sniff each other out.
And I will soon have a new pair of socks.
Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland
What is it about getting older that makes the years fly by? I cannot believe the sun is setting on 2010.
2010 was a rather slow knitting year. Life was busy and I also had several weeks when I did not knit a stitch. I still managed to finish six pairs of socks.
My big knitting related accomplishment this year was my yarn diet. The last time I bought yarn was one year ago today. I didn’t think I’d be able to go a year without buying yarn, but I did. And, shockingly, after the first few months it wasn’t difficult. If I’m tempted by pretty yarn I just look at my stash and realize that I already own a ton of pretty yarn and don’t need more. I’m going to extend my yarn diet to 2011 and attempt to go two years without buying yarn.
Personally, my life hit rock bottom in March. That’s when I had to say a sudden goodbye to my sweet Kishka.
I miss that dog and her songs of woo every day.
Sadie lost her buddy, but other than that she had a good year in 2010.
She lost 10 more pounds (total of 28 lbs. lost) and has become a running wonder.
Sadie’s world was rocked a bit in April with the arrival of her little brother, Luka.
Sadie gets annoyed with Luka at times (he loves to play…she loves to nap…this causes conflicts), but I think she’s glad to have a partner in crime.
The summer of 2010 was the summer of adventure. For the first time since my debilitating hip/back injury I felt strong enough to hike. The dogs and I logged a lot of miles on the hiking trails.
The highlight of our hiking adventures was the discovery of a place for the dogs to swim.
I anticipate many hours spent there in the summer of 2011.
Romeo had a quiet year.
Well, it was quiet until last week. He’s accepting the (still nameless) new guy better than I anticipated.
There hasn’t been any snuggling or affection, but the hissing has stopped. I’m confident they will become friends in 2011.
My life has been such a roller coaster in recent years that I no longer try to imagine where each new year will take me. I have no idea where I’m going in 2011 but I’m looking forward to the journey.
Deal with the world the way it is, not the way you wish it was. ~ John Chambers
I have new things to blog about! (Finally.)
There is new yarn (it was a gift so my 2010 yarn diet remains intact).
I finished a pair of socks last night.
Complete details (and more pictures) are on Ravelry.
My workplace shuts down for 10 days at the end of the year so I’ve been spending a lot of time hanging out with my furry family.
I’ve found out just how much time Sadie spends sleeping on the couch.
To be fair, we are back to our regular walking/park activities (7 weeks after my ankle injury) so Sadie is getting a lot of exercise.
It’s been very mild here so Luka has to cool down when we return home from our walks.
Here he poses with his new stuffed cow.
And, I caught him sleeping with his tongue sticking out.
Finally, there is something else that’s new around here.
I would love to do a proper introduction, but the poor guy doesn’t have a name.
Ever since Parker died 3 years ago I’ve thought about getting another cat. I didn’t know how Romeo would react, though, and didn’t want to tick him off.
About 6 months ago I decided that Romeo would be okay with it and started making periodic visits to the Humane Society. Until last week, no one caught my eye. Last week this face caught my eye and (most important) he meowed at me each time I walked past him.
The new guy is around 3 years old and he was a stray. He has claws and this has been rather startling for the dogs.
Sadie approached the new cat like she approaches Romeo (slowly, with her tail wagging). However, she didn’t get the head nuzzle she was expecting. She got swatted across the face. If a dog can give a “what the hell?” look I believe that’s what she gave me when she ran to my side.
While Sadie is keeping her distance from the new guy, Luka is a slow learner. Here he is a few nights ago (moments before being swatted across the face):
The swat sent him looking for cover:
A short time later the cat went into Luka’s crate and chased him out. An hour or so later they declared a truce.
If I don’t come up with a name soon this cat is going to start answering to Orange Cat. Anyone have any cool cat names to share? I’m leaning towards a couple of names but don’t know if they fit him.
