Cat Levels

The hurricane won't make landfall for a few days, but perhaps, like me, you will find this a handy guide to understanding the different levels.

Meanwhile, Maggie

While we wait to see how the hurricane develops, and which part of Florida Jim Cantore ends up in (please, not here, please, not here), the furry princess has been caught doing cute things.

Last night she curled up on my lap very neatly, while I did my knitting-to-a-movie thing (Some Like It Hot).

When she turned, though, I stopped knitting, as she was Very Interested in the yarn moving.

"Humph, like I care about your silly yarn."

All paws together. 

So she was very cute, but then she had a bad night--she isn't usually that disruptive to my sleep, but oh, half of last night was Not Good--and I wasn't really in the mood for her this morning. But her six-hour nap, though you'd think it would piss me off more, at least gave me a break from whining, and by this afternoon, I was ready to admire the cute again.

Cat loaf on box:

Unrolling the loaf.

Big stretch!

Pause.

 Caption this!

 That's one of my all-time favorite photos of her. The yawn-wiggle-stretch move is something else.

Not to Worry (Yet)

Yes, I know there is a hurricane heading toward Florida.

As of Wednesday morning, it looks as though it will make landfall on the east coast, and bring us nothing more than plenty of wind and rain--which, not that we love that, but it's far better than a direct hit (plus, you don't have to shovel it).

Yes, we're keeping an eye on it, and if the path shifts and it heads toward us instead, we will bug out. Being on the sixth floor, with the hurricane shutters down, no power, and not able to flush the toilets--it's not appealing, and will motivate us to pack up supplies and the cat* and head out of danger.
*Who vocally hates riding in the car; I hope we don't have to do this...

The nice thing about hurricanes, if one can use the word in reference to a natural disaster, is that they generally give you plenty of time to plan. It's not a 'get out now!' situation, but a 'if we have to get out in five days, what will we need to do?' situation. I can live with that.

Knitting Grows

This hasn't grown hugely since my last update, but it has grown! It's got (wee tiny) button holes, and is headed down to the border. Then it will be sleeves and collar and boom, done!

Well, and buttons, and washing, and blocking. Still, progress!

Come On, Now, Dad

My mother and I decided that we would go out to dinner last night because it was my dad's birthday--not that we don't eat out other times, especially off-season when you can just walk in to places and have no wait and your choice of tables--but we made a point of it. His 90th birthday and all. Out to dinner.

Here's a few things you need to know about my dad: he got more green lights when driving than the law of averages would suggest was possible, and he could get a parking space anywhere. Seriously, drive in to Boston on a Saturday afternoon, go around the corner to where he was headed, and oh look, there's someone pulling out of that spot. It was uncanny, and since he died, whenever I get a good spot, I tend to say, 'Thanks, dad' out loud (generally followed by 'How about a winning lottery ticket next time?').

So we ran a few errands before dinner, and yeah, we got a spot right near the door of one place, in the shade, yet, which is highly prized in the summer. So we were already laughing about that as we headed to the restaurant. It was about 5 miles away, straight down a busy road with many traffic lights.

Every single one was green.

Every one! And trust me, this is not a road with synchronization such that if you hit one, you hit them all. This never happens.

Thanks, Dad.

How about a winning lottery ticket next time?

(It would be hilarious if we won a bunch on the lottery and never got another green light, wouldn't it? I'd take that trade!)

Coming Along Nicely

I may not have wanted to put the shawl aside to knit something else, but that doesn't mean I'm not pleased with how the baby sweater is coming. Little garment, big progress! I mean, I started this Monday night, and look where I got to in just a few days:

That's one-quarter of the yarn, and I'm pretty sure it's more than a quarter done, so no worries there. Finish the body, do the sleeves, add a collar, and then it'll be button time.

In other news, I got a card in the mail today, and even before I opened it, I suspected googly eyes were involved.

(I was correct.)

I saw this in a store the other day, and it really spoke to me.

Speaking of the princess, here are a few shots of her.

The last one is just to show that she isn't, strictly speaking, graceful and elegant ALL the time.

Of Yarn and (More New) Knitting

When I first posted about the Seashell shawl I'm knitting, Alison commented that she had just been gifted some very similarly colored yarn, and after a little back-and-forthing, she sent me a delightful package of assorted lace-weight yarns. What a fun mail day!

And though that yarn in particular is not an exact match, it is rather startling how close it is. Perhaps a slightly more pastel colorway? Lovely, in any case.

Meanwhile, though I am still very much enamored of the shawl, I made myself put it aside for something new.

A certain little boy turns one year old in October, and I think he needs a little sweater.

More details, of course, to come.

Knitting Comes Along

I was knitting last night on the lanai, and decided to hold up the shawl to see how it was coming. Not turning off the knit light first made for an interesting effect.

Looks rather possessed, doesn't it?

In the light of day, as promised, I took pictures with the increase rows marked, for comparison with how the yarn is pooling in sections.

So there's above the orange marker, below it, and below the blue one.

And the colors just swirl around!

I really like how it's coming along. Next up, another increase row, and on we go!

Which?

What do you think of when you look at this position?

A) Ham hock
B) Turkey leg
C) Other (please specify)

Still Loving this Project

I've continued to work away at the Seashell shawl, and continued to be entranced at how the colors are playing out.

When I get to the end of this section, I'll take its picture again with stitch markers at each increase row, so you can really see how the pooling has shifted each time.

Last night, Maggie let me take her photo with it while she had a bit of bath.

"It's right behind me, isn't it."

"Oh well, who cares?"

She had a good nap, while I got more knitting done.

Movie Synergy

On Sunday, we went to see Hello Dolly, which was in theaters for its 50th anniversary.  It's a favorite of mine, and I enjoyed seeing it on the big screen. Tonight I'm watching WALL-E, of course, so I will leave you with this trivia question they put up. Find the error!

Knitting-in-Progress Reveal

As I mentioned last week, I wound the yarn and started knitting a new project. And since this one is for me, I can blog it along the way!

The yarn is Eclectic Lace from Spunky Eclectic, and the pattern is called Seashell (links in that previous post), and the colors are knitting up just amazingly gorgeous! It isn't the softest yarn in the world, but it can't be beat for color. I could call this project Fun With Yarn Pooling. Feast your eyes.

Plenty more updates to come! In this last photo, it was only a few rows after an increase row, which has led to completely different pooling. It's kind of fascinating me.

Knitting Reveal

Now that the recipient has the gift, I can finally blog about the cowl I made this summer! Wow, it turns out I really like to blog/Instagram my knitting progress in more like real time. But no matter, this one went well, and here it is, in the many shades of different lighting.

The pattern is the Willow Cowl, and the yarn a skein of Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Glitter Sock in the colorway Flamingo (that was onnnn saaaaale!). As well as the wool and the sparkle, this yarn has a bit of cashmere, making it quite delicious to knit with, and hopefully to wear.

I cast on and got the project started for my trip up to Boston in July, figuring that it would be good plane-and-travel knitting, which it was. Here it is, in progress:

And slightly farther along.

With it mushed up on the circular needle, you couldn't really see the pattern yet.

And here it is, home again, in an artsy shot with the project bag and my drink, when I was struck by the colors.

Night shot, getting close to done!

 Almost there:

 Here's where I decided to stop; the pattern is written for more repeats, but I was getting low on yarn, and ready to be done with it.

The top edge rolls:

 Until you tack it down underneath, making the top edge a match for the bottom picot edge.

And then it doesn't roll!

This photo above and the one below are before it got wet.

And here it is, laid out to dry.

And finally, dry!

I really like the look of it.

 Even inside out!

So that's kind of fun.

I might conceivably make one for myself someday. But right now, too many things are jostling for my attention: more on that another day.