DOT -- Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from one Labrador Retriever to all the dogs and their humans!

Fishy

I got a fishy package in the mail last week. I wasn't expecting anything. I hadn't ordered anything and I'd received the last swap package I was expecting. But I found a big box waiting on my doorstep. I took it in and found a beautifully wrapped gift. It looked so nice I almost didn't want to open it. But I did. Look what I found. A goldfish!
I love those fins and I love those lips!

It's from my friend Ariel. A few weeks ago she sent me a link to this goldfish pattern. I thought it was so cute. I told her it would make a nice gift for someone and she should include a package of goldfish crackers too. I wasn't saying she should make it for me, but I knew this gift would make someone happy. So Ariel made it for my birthday. My birthday is not until late November, but she couldn't resist sending it early.

I love my birthday goldfish!

I must add that I love goldfish crackers too. Thank you, Ariel!

Tape Measure

In the Autumn Scarf or Sock Swap (ASSS 2008) on Ravelry, I sent a package to Sharon in New Jersey. She sent me a nice thank you note and included a gift. It's a round tape measure within a felted cover. It's got a great personalized label saying it was "handmade at Sharon's Seaside Cottage". This is my new favorite tape measure!

Autumn Sock or Scarf Swap 2008

I participated in this fun, fall-theme swap on Ravelry. Each person had to send a sock or scarf pattern and the yarn to make it, plus one autumn item. I had a great partner named Courtney, or Knitnpurlgurl as she's known on Ravelry. Let's start with the yarn she sent. On the left that's Cherry Lips (love that name!) sportweight from bordertart.com. It's 100% blue-faced Leicester. I love that the fiber content is not just wool, but the actual breed of sheep. On the right is laceweight 100% merino by Susan Knits and Handpaints (susanknits.com). The color is Bing. Notice the tube of coordinating beads. These yarns are both beautiful.
Courtney sent me three scarf patterns. I'll be using the Cherry Lips to make Grasshopper (scroll down to see it). The lace yarn and beads are for Waves of Grain. I am really excited to make this! I also got the pattern for the Potato Chip Scarf -- how cute!

Now for the autumn items. The candles are warm apple pie flavor and mulled cider flavor. There's a mug with fall leaves, a box of chocolates, and some fall leaf confetti.
Here's a better photo of the mug. I'll be using this through Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Courtney! I love my package!

DOT -- Lucy's Bones

I have been a bad blogger, neglecting to post about anything recently.  But I certainly haven't been neglecting Lucy.

Lucy likes rawhide bones.  So I give them to her to chew.  But the funny girl chews them down to one knot, then she leaves them all over the house.  Here's one in the middle of the kitchen floor.

And here's one on the edge of the bathtub.  She set this one there as I was getting out of the shower.  These are different bones but the pictures were taken on the same day.
What's a Dogs on Thursday post without a photo of the actual dog?  Here she is with a stick (naturally) in the back yard, by the tree stump that was left when the tree was cut down.  A few posts ago I mentioned that a very large limb, about a third of a tree, fell on the house during Hurricane Ike.  It was removed and the rest of the tree was cut down.  Here's what's left.  Lucy is posing here for scale.

It's going to be a hat.

First post of October!  I didn't mean to neglect this blog, but real life gets busy.  Right after the hurricane I switched to my fall (actually all year except summer) schedule.  I am a much better runner than knitter.  The majority of the year (except summer, when I do it in the mornings), I run after work.  This schedule doesn't leave a lot of time in the evenings for knitting.  However, I haven't totally neglected it.  I started something, messed up, ripped out.  No need to discuss that.

Here's what I started yesterday.  It's going to be a hat, probably for my head.  This is the K1P1 ribbing.  Could be tedious, but the yarn made it a pleasure.  I can't say how much I am enjoying working with it.  It's called Jasper and it's by Berroco.  It is 100% fine merino wool according to the label.  It is so soft and smooth and (I know this isn't a word usually applied to yarn) creamy.  It feels great in my fingers.

I was creative in a whole other way today.  One of my life-long hobbies is baking.  I found a recipe on Martha Stewart's website that was so cute and appropriate to fall that I had to make it.  Here are my (Martha's) candy corn sugar cookies.  Yum!