Kung Fu Fighting Canine

Despite the still sensitive looking wound on his front paw, squirrel lust overcame Pedro and he broke one of our neighbors fence boards in half.

No one witnessed this so it is hard to say which part of his iron dog self went careening through the wood.

It was an older, somewhat rotten plank with a knot in the center, inherently weak , so says the man of the house. Karate chop! What will that dog do next? It amazes me how such a gentle, loving creature can be so powerfully destructive. 80 Lbs. of pure love!


On another front, the Shetland Shawlet is progressing nicely. I saw some folks on Ravelry had made cute mini versions using 1 skein of Malabrigo lace and 14 pattern repeats.
Since most women I know seem adverse to actually donning a 'shawl' I'm thinking I can sneak these into their wardrobes as 'scarves'.



I wanted to make my friend a hat for her birthday. I picked out the perfect yarn at Twisted, a lovely colorway of Silk Garden Lite that I knew would complement her long, auburn hair.
I looked at hat patterns and debated and knit on the shawlet and read this months book club selection and generally procrastinated. Then I remembered Calorimetry and cast on.
It turned out well and the fit was perfect, she loved it!



It was such an easy and fun knit and I had half a ball of yarn left so I knit a second one for myself.
I rode my bike to work this week and it was the perfect thing to wear under my helmet to keep the cold wind (and hail) out of my ears. I might need to knit some kind of neck gaiter too.

Such a fast and easy pattern and a great way to use up those 1/2-1/3 skein leftovers and stray buttons.

Pedro the Porch Guard

Family Visit

My mom and brother just visited us for a week. It was fun to have them here for so long. My mom took this photo of my brother Nate and I and the dogs on the front porch.
We don't normally spend a lot of time on the front porch as it is in need of some...ahem.. serious repair.
My brother thought it was charming and was spending a lot of time out front people watching with my dogs for company.
I am still experimenting with all the fun settings on my new camera and thought this setting would give this photo a very Dorothea Lange look.





By the way, according to Jeff Foxworthy, "if your porch collapses and injures more than two dogs you might be a redneck". We may have cause for concern illustrated here.

Knitting in Paradise

A very long (6 hour) car trip with three dogs who were surprisingly well behaved. Either they knew our destination or Morgan did a great job packing the car and maximized the dog comfort factor, probably a combination of the two.
Morgan was a doll and drove the entire way so I could work on the Triangle.





And then there was Festivus; Blues, Brews and Bronze in Joseph City Park six short blocks from my house.
It was fantastic fun all around and the after party was at our house. Our tenant, Kate has done wonders with the house, painting and new flooring and the place looks amazing! I will post some photos later in the week.
I did not knit a stitch on Saturday because there were just too many old friends to catch up with.
There are few things better than an good music, beer and catching up with old friends in a park with a view.





Today was all relaxation and knitting at the lake and on the front porch. The Shetland Triangle will be complete very soon.



Great birding in the shade of mature Ponderosa Pine at the head of Wallowa Lake.



Hi to everyone in Portland!

Free for the Picking

I forget that although picking blackberries is free in the northwest, it is not without hazard and consequence.


Stinging Nettles


Thorny thickets


Scratches, scrapes and wet pants


Next year I am bringing a machete.

I took all three dogs and they had a wonderful time smelling smells and playing in the creek. We only frightened (briefly) one man with a small dog all day which is remarkable. All three of my dogs are mild mannered and sweet but we look scary from afar and it is nearly impossible to walk all three on leash by myself.
We go to off leash areas and out of the way spots but inevitably encounter others.


Pedro is growing into a very well behaved little dog. He stayed very close to me and always came when called, a relatively new phenomenon for this high spirited American Staffordshire Terrier puppy.

Tempest (who is 12 and is surviving Cancer, Hypothyroidism, Arthritis and a host of other health issues) was a trooper. She bush wacked through blackberry brambles more slowly that the rest of us but alway emerged from the thicket wearing a grin. She especially delighted in laying in the cool creek and drinking.

All three of them were exhausted when we got home which was reward enough.





And then there was jam.......with lavender.

So Long

It has been so long since I have posted. I started back at my new old job and have been very, very busy, also spring has sprung and I have been dashing outside between rain showers whenever I am home desperately trying to repair the total annihilation of my yard by puppy. One half of the backyard now has no grass which is just fine with me as it is less to mow. My husband has washed his hands of the entire situation and I have to admit it is discouraging. I want to grow tomatoes and have it nice enough to have friends over for some parties this summer. Alas I will try to keep my expectations low for Pedro is only a year old and there is so much more destruction in his future.
I keep starting knitting projects but have not finished anything for what seems like forever. I started a linen hand towel so I could experience knitting with linen. I have four or maybe five socks on needles (all different) and what else...the Gyrid has once again come to a screeching halt. I need another circular needle to continue and am working on addis so I need to get another expensive needle.
I think I am going to go home a do some knitting. I deserve it!