Dishcloth Swap -- Done!

I always enjoy Anne's dishcloth swaps. I made two ballband cloths, inverses of each other. These are being shipped to my dishclothee this weekend. I love how the same two yarns make such different looking cloths when you switch the order. I swear, dishcloths are not the only thing I knit! Come back next week, Tuesdayish, for a completely different finished object.

Puppy loves ice cubes!

Last summer when Lucy was a baby we noticed she loved ice cubes. I think it started by filling a bowl with ice and water for her drinking pleasure while we were outside. She loved scooping the ice out and playing with it before eating it. She figured out that ice comes out of the dispenser in the refrigerator door. As soon as she heard the ice hit the glass, she’d come running from wherever she was (even a dead sleep in another part of the house) for some ice. Since we were in obedience classes then, we never gave her any sort of treat without, at the very least, sitting nicely for it.

She still loves ice, still comes running for it, still sits before she’s given a cube.

I always serve ice water with dinner. Sometimes a cube gets stuck in the tube from the ice maker on its way to the glass. It always works itself free, usually in the midst of dinner. As soon as it hits the ground, Lucy is there. She thinks it’s pretty cool when the fridge magically dispenses ice.

Here are some pictures.

Anticipation
Sitting nicely for her cube
Mid-chomp
Happy dog!
And happy Dogs on Thursday!

SP12 Question of the Week #3

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

The perfect amount of stash is whatever you can get through in a year or so. Then when you've used up your stash yarn, you can go buy more. And we all know shopping for yarn is at least as fun as knitting with yarn!

I don't have a perfect amount of stash though. I have way more than I can use in several years. So I'm trying real hard (not always succeeding) to stay out of the local yarn stores. Stores I run across on vacation are exempt from this rule.

Dishcloth Exchange Weekly Topic #3

Well now that Summer has OFFICIALLY begun... what do you do to beat the heat? A nice tall glass of lemonade? Frozen Coffee? A dip in the pool? What's your favorite way to keep cool this summer as things heat up?

I go see movies on Saturday afternoons. I love to get lost in a mindless movie with my big box of popcorn and an icy Coke. The contrast of the sun and the heat radiating off the big asphault parking lot with the cool, dark theater is great. Last week we saw "The Incredible Hulk", the week before "Indiana Jones", and before that "Sex and the City". I wonder what this weekend's selection will be?

DOT Addendum

I have been writing my Dogs on Thursday posts when I have time, saving them as drafts, then publishing them on Thursdays. However something happened this morning that deserved its own post.

Doomed! Doomed, I tell you! I have been trying to make the market bag from Fantasy Naturale for a swap. My “pick up and knit” isn’t very neat, so I set it aside and began a completely different market bag. However, I thought I could redo my pick up and knit and make it neater and finish it at a later date for myself. Lucy might have put an end to that. She ate the circular needle. I knew she was into something when I got out of the shower this morning and she wasn't on the bathroom rug waiting for me. After a while she came trotting in with a smile on her face and something in her mouth. I opened it and pulled out a chunk of fat bamboo knitting needle. I knew this couldn't be good. I left the bathroom to see what was going on. Seems she'd taken the project off the breakfast table and ate the needle. I couldn't find much of the plastic cord so I think a lot went down her. The bag bottom itself seemed to be still together, just laying on the floor. I picked it up and took her to the bathroom so I could keep an eye on her while I finished getting ready. She just took a nap on the floor. I was a little mad but somewhat grateful. I had left four projects on the table--the Clapotis, the other market bag, the dishcloth swap dishcloth, and the one she got. Of all those, she picked the least valuable one. All I can think of was it was too close to the edge and she pulled it down. She's never gotten anything off the table before. She gets smacked if her nose gets too close to it.

Lucy can't resist sticks. I should have known she'd think a bamboo needle is a stick. It must have felt like her lucky day, finding a stick in the house. She knows when she tries to come in with one, it's a no-no. We just say "drop it" and she does before she comes in. Often the doorstep is littered with sticks. Sticks OK, knitting needles not OK.

Project Fruit -- Orange

This week I didn't make as much progress on my Clapotis as I would have liked. I worked on some other stuff for swaps (no photos yet) and just did other things. However, I am happy to see my yarn ball get smaller each time I do knit. It's now about the size of a small orange.

This is a fun project. I love to get to the part where I intentionally drop a stitch. I unravel it a few rows down, then work some more until I finish the 12th row of the repeat. Then I unravel all the way to the bottom. I feel like I am making progress! I like to stop and look at my rows of ladders (the right side in this picture). Then I look to the left. That side just keeps growing! It seems that no matter how much progress I make, I can't catch up. I guess that comes when I get to the decrease rows. Here's a closeup. I think this is going to go great with a white shirt and jeans.

Dogs on Thursday -- in the park

In the middle of Houston, in the middle of a big park, there are some trails in the woods used by mountain bikers, runners, and dog-walkers. Lucy and her daddy often go in the mornings while I am at work. This past Sunday we all got up early for a walk in the trails. It's amazing how quiet and isolated this is. You can't hear anything but birds.
There's a nice clear stream where Lucy cooled off.
Almost done. Time to take a break, come out of the woods for some simultaneous drinking.
I want to go back!

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OK, those are the cute puppy pictures for this week. Now here’s some random rambling.

As Lucy and I go for walks, we meet all sorts of people and we talk to them all. Or they talk to me about Lucy. Before I had her, I never walked around the neighborhood. I run (a lot) but that’s not conducive to conversations with strangers. Here are a couple of recent things people have said on our walks.

A couple weeks ago we’d reached the turnaround point of our 2.5 mile walk. We stepped off the trail so I could give Lucy some water. A woman was adjusting her helmet and preparing to ride her bike on the same trail. She looked at Lucy and told me I had a pretty dog. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but the cyclist then looked at her again and asked me, “Is it a woman?” No one had ever asked me that before. People ask if it’s a boy or a girl, male or female, but never, “Is it a woman?”

Monday night we were walking on the trail next to the flood control ditch and we came upon a man with a golden retriever. By his clothing it was clear that he was someone’s yard man or landscaper. I didn’t think the dog was his because he didn’t seem completely comfortable with it. The dog insisted upon greeting Lucy and because the man couldn’t pull him back, I let Lucy greet the golden. They were smelling each other and playing and getting the leashes tangled up. I asked the man the dog’s name. He told me the dog was Hunter and he was Miguel. He had a strong accent and I could tell English wasn’t his first language. Looking at the dogs, he then asked me, “Are they same race?” I told him Lucy is a yellow Lab and Hunter is a golden retriever. I understand his confusion. They are about the same size, similar coloring, just different hair length. After we said bye, I laughed to myself. No one had ever asked me about Lucy’s race before.

SP12 Question of the Week #2

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation?

I looked forward to days full of possibility...so much fun could happen on any day.

When I was a kid I loved summer vacation! The days seemed endless when school was not in session. My parents were teachers so they were on vacation too. Other than dinner, there was no structure to the days and I could do whatever I wanted. When I was young I remember playing outside with neighborhood kids. I remember riding my bike to friends’ houses, swimming lessons, lemonade with lunch.

When I was older, I remember watching soap operas with friends. A favorite was “General Hospital”. Remember Luke and Laura?

I’ve always read a lot and I stayed cool by reading lots of books in the basement. I read so much through the years, everything from most of the Nancy Drew books in elementary school to Stephen King in high school.

As a kid, those three months of summer seemed like they’d last forever. I miss the freedom of that.

Dishcloth Swap Weekly Question #2

Share with us how you know that summer has truly arrived.

I know that summer has arrived when traffic improves because school is out. (My normal commute goes through four school zones.)

I know that summer has arrived when it's so unbearably hot and humid that I am not inspired to do anything outside.

I know that summer has arrived when I don't need to listen to a weather forecast to know that each day's high will be 95 and the low will be 75.

Summer is not my favorite season in Houston. (Do we even have seasons here?) It lasts from May to October. However, I do like having more hours of daylight, spending time on the deck after sunset, grilling good meals, and seeing lots of mindless movies in cool, dark theaters.

Crafty Gifts

I came home last night to a big box from my mom. Look what she sent me! (You might have to turn your head 90 degrees to the right, because no matter what I do this picture is vertical instead of horizontal.) Mom is a quilter and I've been gifted with many of her quilts over the years. This one is going on one of the guest beds. Look at that olive-colored object. It's a lovely purse for knitting needles and whatever else you might need for a day out and about, say knitting at the yarn store or in a cafe. Here's a view of the needle section. And here's a view of the place to put your drivers license, credit card, money, lip gloss, whatever. Each side opens like this.
This is by Namaste and is called the Cali Clutch.

Cleaning instructions: Cows are hard to clean...this isn't.

I love my gifts!

SP12 Question of the Week

What is your favorite summertime drink?

I most often drink big glasses of ice cold water, lots of ice please. But that's a boring answer.

My favorite summertime drink treat is lemonade. I mean homemade, no mixes for me. When I was a kid, my mom made a lemon-orangeade combo, using both fruits. That's really good!

I've recently discovered a Mexican drink called agua fresca. It's basically juice from fruit, water, and is sweetened with sugar, served with lots of ice. So far watermelon and canteloupe are my favorite flavors. Very refreshing!

I have also decided that it's too hot for red wine in the summer, so I'll have white if I want a glass this summer.

I'm getting thirsty!

Dishcloth Exchange Weekly Topic #1 - Favorite Patterns

Anne, organizer of the dishcloth exchange, asks us to post to our blogs at least once per week. In order to encourage that, she provides a topic each week to get us going. Posting on that topic is optional, but I like this question so I'm answering.

What is your favorite dishcloth pattern?

Is that not obvious? I make a lot of ballband cloths. There's a photo of my latest one a couple posts below, and more a couple posts below that.

I like the cloths that have pictures too. One of my favorites is this turkey.

I don't think I've met a dishcloth that I did not like.

Project Fruit: Apple

I’m making progress on the Clapotis! I am currently knitting the “straight rows”. I’ve done four repeats of the 13, though this photo shows about 3.5 repeats. Now the yarn ball is about as big as a pink lady apple.

I’m liking what I see!

Guacamole is an essential food group.

At least it is to me. Remember, avocados have good fat!

I really liked the green colors of this Sugar & Cream yarn. Then I read the name of the colorway: guacamole. So of course I had to buy it. I combined it with some neutral cotton to make, once again, the ballband dishcloth.

Lately it looks like all I knit is dishcloths. Not true. During the week I often don’t have big blocks of time to knit. Instead I have little chunks of free time after work between dinner, dog walks, chores, etc. This dishcloth pattern is simple to do then and no matter where I’d previously stopped, easy to figure out where I am in the pattern. I find I need longer, uninterrupted stretches of time to work on my Clapotis. One, it’s got many more stitches per row. Two, I need to know exactly where I am on the pattern. If I dropped that stitch in the wrong place, I’d never recover!

So dishcloths get made.

Lucy is One Year Old!

We got this cute little puppy last July 28 but she was born on June 3. She is now one year old! Here are some pictures of her puppyhood. She was so cute and so small when we got her. When people would see Lucy, they'd first remark on how cute she was. Then they'd say, "You got a Lab. What were you thinking?" Or, "You got a Lab. Do you know what you are getting into?" I had never had a dog before, so the answer was no. My boyfriend had a bit more experience with dogs than I, but he hadn't previously had a Lab.
We kept saying we were getting a yellow Lab, but then I realized her official breed had a longer name: Labrador Retriever. What about the retriever part? According to all I read, it meant they were good hunting dogs, used to retrieve birds for hunters. So I bought her a mallard duck to hone her instincts.
She looked so sweet when she was asleep!
One day early on my boyfriend washed his Jeep on the driveway. He took out the cargo liner and washed it. That's when we discovered Lucy loved water. She used the cargo liner as a swimming pool.
Rambunctious puppy had to be settled down by being squeezed between my thighs. Look at that face!

Apparently blogger only lets you post 5 photos per post, so this will be continued.

Lucy is One (Part 2)

Lucy's grandma (my mom) sent her this tire when she was very small. She couldn't even pick it up. As she grew a bit, it became one of her favorite toys. Going swimming at the dog park became a favorite activity! She'd play with dogs for a bit, but once she found the pond, all she wanted to do was swim. That's her Lab instincts coming out.
For Valentine's Day she got a chocolate-covered strawberry, doggy-style.
Lucy managed to rip up the little tire her grandma sent her. I wanted to get her the big one. Then one day we were walking and Lucy found a $20 bill. She would have eaten it if I hadn't pried open her jaws and removed it. Coincidentally the large tire costs $20 so I used Lucy's find to buy it.
Here she demonstrates some of her dog paddling skills.
To all those people who said, "You got a Lab. Do you know what you are getting into?": I must say No. I certainly didn't. I had no idea she'd be so expensive with numerous vet visits, her crates, blankets, toys, food, treats, training...I even bought a Jeep to tote her around in. I had no idea I'd miss so much sleep when she was young, getting up every three hours to take her out. I had no idea how hard it would be to eat a meal without interruption when she was young. I had no idea how much fur she'd leave all over the house. I also had no idea how good she'd make me feel when I came home and she was so excited to see me. I had no idea how quickly she'd be potty-trained and take away that worry. I had no idea how quickly she'd learn her commands and skills. I had no idea how much fun it would be to spend the morning at the dog park with her. I had no idea I would love her so much. I had no idea she'd become such an integral part of my life that I can't imagine I ever lived without her.

Weekend Dishcloths

I must be excited for the dishcloth swap. I made dishcloths this weekend.

The one on the left was mostly finished when I found it on Friday. So I completed it. I took the leftover blue yarn and found a colorful, coordinating yarn. I knew the blue wasn't enough for the whole "vertical bar" section of the cloth, so I started that part with a pink. Then I ran out of blue towards the end so I finished with orange. I think the cloth is cheerful and summery. I'm keeping these.

Sheepy Cloth

Last week I finished my sheepy washcloth and soap sack. This was the latest project from the Seven Deadly Spins club. These were fun, quick things to knit. The Unique Sheep Pima Petite cotton was very soft. It smelled so good! I think it absorbed the scent of the "Peace" of Mind milk and honey soap that was part of the package.The only thing I did differently was make an I-cord to close the soap sack. The pattern suggested braiding three strands of yarn instead. I thought this was too skinny and I was having a hard time (or running out of patience) braiding these thin strands, so I made an I-cord instead.
The sack is puffed-out with the yummy milk and honey soap.