Yarn and Knitting

Hey, let's talk about yarn, about new yarn and old yarn, about knitting with yarn, it's all related so here we go!

Old yarn: I was looking at my sock yarn storage the other day and felt that my color sorting had slipped a bit, so I made a note to take it all out and sort it again.

I have a lot of sock yarn. I didn't take a "before" photo, oops, but here's "during."

And once I got it tidied again:

So that's better!

There's a little new yarn in there, but let's see, the last yarn purchase I blogged about was the String Theory, and that was the most recent. So we're caught up on that, until I receive that package in the mail, ahem.

All right, so, knitting then. I mentioned last month that I started a project to travel with, and a few wedges in, I tried it on to see how I was liking it.

Which turned out to be, I liked it just fine! The pattern uses short rows, so it gets deeper on one side than the other, which is kind of fun.

I don't believe I mentioned the project bag I got for this, which I happened to run across online just after I started it, and was juggling the two balls of yarn. The etsy shop GracesCases makes bags that separate the balls, and it made all the difference.

I want to get a bigger one, so I'm keeping an eye on the shop until I see a fabric that speaks to me.

Back to the knitting: I made a ton of progress on the trip, both during the actual travel, visiting Grandma, and just sitting around the house. These photos are all washed out for color (the one above is much closer), but they show the size of the thing.

I weighed my yarn periodically, and didn't have enough left to do another wedge, so it's just the last few rows that need doing. Have to pick that up again! The sock is past the heel, the blanket continues, but I'm most excited for this one.

And, yeah, excited to think about what's next...

More Maggie Time

Miss Maggie would like to point out that a picture here and a picture there hardly captures her extreme cuteness, it's been a month since she got a whole post, and she deserves some more dedicated time. Who am I to argue?

Paw through the slats.

Cat loaf on box.

Tucked in.

Laid out.

Toes!

She gets longer.

Contentment.

Breathing?

Paw stretch.

Propped paw.

"I'm adorable, right?" Yes, dear.

"That's right. I am."

Trying to get a good shot from under the glass table.

It's harder than I thought.

"What are you doing under there?"

"People are so weird."

"I mean, if you want my picture, fine, but get a good one."

"Make the vacuum stop, please."

The desk drawer has a nice tail holder.

Update on the Dentist Stuff

You may perhaps recall that I went to a new dentist last fall, and felt dubious about how much work they said I needed, though that may have been influenced by getting frozen half to death in the office. Then I had a terrible time getting my deposit back after I decided not to have the work done right away after all. Did I write about that? It was epic.

So, naturally enough, I decided to try a different office, and get a second opinion about all that work that the first office assured me I needed. That appointment was yesterday (I waited until I was due for a cleaning again: two birds with one stone).

And according to dentist number two, I don't need anything. Nothing done.

Well. That's $1500 I'm happy to spend on other things.

This Week's Kittens, and News

Before I get to the latest kitten photos, I have some sad news about this recurring event that's been on the blog since last summer. The shelter where I've been volunteering is, for a combination of valid reasons, changing things up, and the big change is that they will no longer have a physical shelter location, which means no cats and kittens that need socializing by yours truly. This makes me sad, of course, but I can understand why they're doing it, so. What can you do, eh? Change happens no matter what.

I will still be going for the next few weeks, as long as there are kittens to visit, and then this little chapter in my life will be done. Sigh.

Back to the babies! The pair I've been seeing is still there, and they were sleeping when I arrived.

"You rang?"

Side-eye and sideways.

Being kittens, they woke right up, and soon I had quite a few blurry motion shots, as well as some super-close-ups.

"Hi!"

"Hi!" 

One brief pause between tussles.

I tried demonstrating to one of them how nice it is to be a lap cat. 

Which the other, naturally, was not going to stand for. Leap!

Which ended with a lap full of wrestling.

Moving on: last week's "I will allow you to pet my head" mama was in No Mood for Such Nonsense, and hissed at me, so I let her alone.

She didn't seem to mind me petting the baby, though.

He found me partly scary and partly fascinating. Meanwhile, Mama gave me the stink-eye every time I looked her way.

Three of the foursome from last week:

They were in a hissy-and-pissy mood to start, but the fourth one came wandering over for attention readily enough. And showed off her fabulous belly.

"Rawr! I am fierce!"

This guy was threatening to bite my toes, so I slid the sandals off, and he checked them out instead.

And later, allowed me to pick him up so he could pose nicely.

Finally, new girl.

She had only been rescued Saturday (dumped outside a hotel, the poor thing), and was not at all sure about this whole people thing (very understandably). When I first sat down near her and started talking to her, she was making biscuits on the blanket, but when I opened the door she retreated to a safe distance, listening without committing to my program of love. Give her time.

Not Something I've Said Before

Q. What did you do today for the first time, ccr?
A. I shot my mother.

Her doctor is trying her on a medication that's an injection, so I was helping her out with it. But it's kind of fun to say!

Last Weekend's Kittens

I'd better get these photos up before I take some more!

The pair of kittens that I've shown before are still there; they are pre-adopted, but not going home until next week, I believe.
Her:

Him:

And, attacking the drawstrings on my capris, her on one side:

And him on the other:

That was the least blurry action shot of him, but he did hold still for just a moment:

And I got a teeny tiny tongue shot! Thlurp.

Next I went into the room with four babies. Three are dark:

One is orange.

And they pretty much never stopped moving.

Just adorable. I also love this "belly up to the food" shot.

When I went to leave, I looked back and they were all curled up together. Say it with me: awww!

Last stop was a mama and her little boy.

She wasn't leaping up for attention, but wasn't scared, either, and let me rub her head a bit, not worrying that I was reaching over the baby to do it.

He found, as kittens do everywhere, that mama is the best toy.

Doesn't she look patient?