DOT -- Sisters

Though it's not always obvious from this blog, I actually have pets of two species.  I've had kitties about 20 years and a dog for about 1.5 years.  The current kitty is Maggie.  She was an only child for a couple years before 8-week-old Lucy came to live here.  At first Maggie wasn't sure what to think of Lucy and she'd hiss at her.  Then she'd give Lucy a lot of space, but if Lucy didn't respect that space Maggie would swipe her across the nose.  My boyfriend used to remind Maggie that at one time she was the newbie and the older cat Ted wasn't so sure about her.  I guess this eventually sunk in.  

Maggie and Lucy don't cuddle up to each other, but they are certainly tolerant of each other.  Look how close they can be without any raised paws or harsh noises.  They are learning to be sisters.

In Progress, Part 2

It's nearly impossible for me to knit one thing from start to finish without also knitting at least one other thing simultaneously.  Here's my second work-in-progress.  This is a tank top/shell from Blue Sky Alpacas.  It's a quick knit so far.

In Progress

Thanks to the wonders of Ravelry, I now know what a "smoke ring" is.  Previously I was unaware of such a thing.  I kept seeing this one called Old Shale Smoke Ring and thought it was very pretty.  I realized the suggested yarn is Mountain Colors Bearfoot and knew I had a skein of that.  So I cast on.  It's easy (only one round of four in the pattern is not purely knit) and pretty.

Pets told me they'd like to model my work-in-progress.  Here's Lucy.  (Please excuse my pajama pants.)

And Maggie.  

DOT -- Lucy's Valentine Portraits

On Valentine's Day we went to the dog park to swim, then took a shower there, and came home to be Furminated.  The result is a sweet-smelling, nicely groomed puppy.  I put her Valentine's Day bandana on her (it's got little hearts with peace signs in the interiors) and took her Valentine's Day portraits.  Guess that makes me both her groomer and personal photographer.

She even smiled nicely as I was photographing my scarf exchange scarf.
I think she's very photogenic.

Finished Scarf for ISE7

I finished my latest scarf.  This one is for my partner in the International Scarf Exchange 7.  The pattern is Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine Vogel.  The yarn is Hacho by Mirasol, a nice merino.  I cast on 46 stitches and ended up used three skeins of yarn.
Lucy gives her approval.  I hope my partner likes it too.

DOT -- Lucy's Super Bowl Experience

Our girl did not seem to have any interest at all in watching Bruce Springsteen's half time performance.  (Myself, I really enjoyed it.  The man can rock!)  Was she tired from the morning at the dog park, swimming for an hour?  Or did she just not care?
Earlier she was interested in watching her daddy tap his little keg of Heineken Light.  (See her nose in the lower left.)

PS  Looking at that first photo--my house doesn't really tilt.  My camera and I did, however.

Just Like Martha

But her footballs are shaped better.

I saw this recipe in the January issue of Martha Stewart magazine. It looked so yummy! I knew I had to make it for the Super Bowl. It required the purchase of creme de menthe liqueur but that was accomplished with a quick trip to the liquor store.
Yeah, I know the Broncos weren't playing, but I wore my team's shirt anyway.
Where I differed from Martha: I added a couple drops of green food coloring to the frosting. The creme de menthe I bought was clear. My other option was sort of brownish. The liquor store guy told me the only difference was the color. Maybe if I'd chosen the brown, the frosting would have been green? Not sure...but in order to get it to match the center of the Andes mints footballs, I added a couple drops green food coloring. For the laces on the footballs, Martha glued white sprinkles onto the mints with frosting. This seemed like a lot of work to me so I (luckily) found a tube of white icing in the grocery store and used that to draw the laces.

The verdict: TOUCHDOWN! (In other words, delicious!)

A note on the Super Bowl numbering system: I always know the number of the Super Bowl because it is my age. The Super Bowl and I are both 43.

Swap B

The other swap I did was called WTF (Winter of Trading Favorites).  My partner Danette sent me everything I need to make a pair of socks!  There's a pattern especially for beginners, blue striping wool, a set of DPNs, and Eucalan to wash them.  She sent me goodies to eat and drink including chai, ginger cookies, and a box of candy from her hometown candy store.  I like when someone sends something local to them in a swap.  

Look--Danette made a set of stitch markers in honor of my cat!  Thank you, Danette!

Swap A

I can't seem to get enough swapping. I recently completed two swaps I found on Ravelry. Frances from Cambridge, England, was my partner in the Valentine's Day swap. She sent me two cute soaps (a penguin and a reindeer), pink Rowan wool and a pattern for piggy mittens, a bunny giving me a Valentine hug, a CD of Evensong from Kings College in Cambridge, a chocolate bar, a really cool card, Cambridge magnet and keychain, and a very cool handmade journal.

This journal is really creative! She included a crocheted flower, charms, buttons, and stamped papers on the cover. Thank you so much to Frances for a lovely box of gifts!