Welcome

to my fringe factory!

I don't usually like working on what the Yarn Harlot refers to as the fiddly bits, but once I figured out a simple process to add fringe to my wrap, the task became EASY fiddly bits. A long ruler, each of the two yarns in yarn bowl/yarn bell, scissors, and a crochet hook comprise the factory---easy, peasy as my youngest granddaughter says. (She adds "nice and breezy" but I don't know what that would mean in this context.)

Of course I had the help of my quality control inspector, AKA Baxter. He approved. In fact, he approved so much that he wanted to lie down on it. NO! NO! NO!

Finished! And just in time for really, really warm weather. 

So! Just in time for summer storage.  

Magic Three-Yarn Scarf and Wrap by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

And I Halp'd

Remember that ancient ad for Hamburger Helper? I think that's what it was for. Well, my helper is not a cute little girl. It's Baxter.

See all the hairs on my NEW (be still my heart) ironing board cover? Baxter's contribution to my ironing.

And he helps with the warm, just-out-of-the-dryer laundry.

By sitting on it.  

Thanks, but no thanks.

Just Three to Go. Three to Go....Three to

This will never end!

I just finished the fifth section of Soumak and I was so pleased with myself....until I realized that there are eight sections total.

So I have three to go. 

It's 45 inches long. Or several cats in length. Baxter didn't think the tape measure was precise enough apparently, and added himself to help.

Three sections to go.....

Baxter's Big Adventure

I may have mentioned in the past that Baxter wants nothing more than to go outside. He will do anything to get off of the deck, which does now seem to be escape proof. (fingers crossed)

I bought him a harness and leash a few months ago and tried to take him for a walk. It seems, though, that cats, or at least some cats, don't quite get the concept of going for a walk. On a cat-related forum online I read that I should try to just put the harness and leash on him, take him outside, and let him go. So today I did:

At first he acted as if the leash weighed hundreds of pounds, hunkered down and did not move.  But then he was distracted by everything and started wandering. I did not hold the leash; the idea is that if the cat starts to go where he shouldn't, I just step on the leash and stop him. He ended up being so intent on capturing the lizard that was evading him in a small rock wall that he didn't even wander. He had a nice half hour or so of excitement and now he is showing his appreciation by falling asleep on my foot.

As for me, I was rewarded by what will be my first peony of the season!

Peonies are my favorite flowers! Except for roses! And lacecap hydrangeas!

I might have many favorites.



And now, for something completely different: last Wednesday night I had occasion to go to the top of the Queen building in Sandy Springs.

If you live in the Atlanta area, you are familiar with the King and Queen buildings; you can see them from 400 and from I 285.

But have you seen them from the top?

The very top of the Queen

The King seen from atop the Queen

It was fun to see a 360 degree view of Atlanta, but the building tops wouldn't make great tourist attractions. I noticed a sort of unpleasant, sewer-type of odor. I was correct:  all of the exhaust pipes from the entire 31 floors of offices and, ahem, rest rooms, lead to the roof.


Go and smell the roses instead.  

Update, of sorts.

So far, no squirrels or birds have shown any interest in the cornbread I put out. Weird.

I didn't know that there is a mill near us!  Sallyknit mentioned in a comment on the last post that she and her husband had just been up to Nora Mill Granary over the weekend to buy---wait for it---CORNMEAL.  I had no idea the place existed, but dH and I are going there this weekend. Real, fresh coarse-ground cornmeal will be mine!

And knitting. I have been knitting easy things since I finished the sweater for my older daughter and now I am working on my second pair of socks since Christmas. I love the bright, gaudy colors:

The yarn is Trekking (XXL) in color 550, 75% wool, 25% nylon. 

I just need to finish them before spring and summer arrive. 

AND, younger daughter taught me how to get to my Instagram page, so now I can see whatever the THREE people I follow post. There are people following me, and again, what on earth do they see? I haven't posted anything except for a picture of Taylor Swift that my granddaughter put there when she was trying to show me how to upload or download (I have no idea which) photos. And there is a picture of Baxter, but I don't know how it got there. I thought that maybe Instagram imported it from Facebook, but I am told that the sites don't work that way. Whatevah!

BUT, now I find out that there is something called Tumblr. I am not, as they say, going there.

Very Random

In the news.

First up:  Baxter

He lives to escape this house and be an outdoor cat. We started out by letting him out on the deck with a baby gate at the top of the stairs.

Pfttt he sneered, jumped over the gate, and down the stairs he went.

So then we (royal we, meaning my husband) built a tall gate/door using lattice.

Oh, pulleeze, said Baxter.  And then he jumped up and over, and went down the steps.

So then dH put lattice above the other lattice so that he couldn't climb over.

Again? sniffed Baxter, and found all the weak spots between pieces of lattice and wiggled out through them, and, of course, down the stairs he went.

NOW, we think we have him trapped.

He climbs up the lattice a.n.d, can't figure out (so far) how to go across, upside down, the horizontal piece at the top.  There is also a piece coming back from the corner of the post and he can't (so far) get around that.  

So he is confined, for now.  I'm not betting against him.

It is sort of an ugly solution, but maybe when the lattice is stained to match the rest of the deck, it won't be so bad. I hope.

****

In further news, inquiring minds have been inquiring What did Knittergran get for Christmas? (You know you have.)

This:

What is it?

That's what I asked too; turns out it is a boot jack. I have a pair of boots that I just love, but I can only wear them when my husband is home to pull them off of me. Problem solved, except for TSA agents. If I fly alone and want to wear my boots, well, I can't. I don't think I can ask the TSA agents to pull them off of my feet, and I don't really want to carry my boot jack with me. Takes up space that can hold knitting!

********

Which reminds me:  knitting.  

I frogged the huge sock and have started over with the yarn that matches the finished sock.

And I finished this:

made from this:

It's a simple generic pattern.  (Cast 120 stitches on to size 7 circular needles, knit until you don't want to anymore, or until you have just enough yarn to bind off with, use Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, and you have a cowl.)

****************

In other news, I heard a commercial on NPR for a program called News in Slow French, I checked it out, and I love it. I have a subscription now and I can listen to it anytime and for as long as I want. Since my French-speaking friend moved back to Quebec a few years ago, I haven't had anyone to speak French with, and I don't want to continue to lose what I had. This program is perfect. There is also News in Slow Spanish. 

**************************

Soon I am off to the gym where I work out with a trainer who is trying to kill me.

He is not this scary, but ALMOST!

So far, he has not succeeded in getting rid of me, but he keeps trying. OUCH!

If he continues to not succeed, I will live to write another post.

Progress and Bad Boy Baxter

I've been knitting and knitting away, and finally, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am almost at the point where the decreases for the sleeves begin and I have knit the sleeves to that point also. Yesterday I got a bit cocky confident and knit so absent-mindedly that I made a mistake and had to take back one of the cables, AGAIN. I really need to pay better attention. 

I apparently do love knitting cables and watching them form; I keep choosing cabled sweater patterns to make and this is my third in the past two years. I have knit some lace and keep buying lace weight yarn and lace patterns, but never seem to get around to making them. I'm beginning to suspect that I don't enjoy lace-knitting. 


Now for Bad Boy Baxter.

Early last summer my husband built a tall gate so that Baxter could spend time on the deck and not escape. A couple of weeks ago, twice we thought he was on the deck, but we couldn't see him and assumed he was in the house. Hours passed and we would walk past the windows that overlook the deck and there he was! How on earth could we have missed him?

Turns out, we hadn't, because we finally saw this:

He climbs the gate! And then climbs down the other side and goes off on an adventure. Bad, bad Baxter! There are coyotes and foxes around here, as well as one orange cat that likes to fight and that had pretty thoroughly beaten Baxter up when he escaped a year or so ago. 

My husband has put a section of lattice, about four inches deep, along the top of the gate, at a 90-degree angle to the gate, and Baxter is so far defeated in his efforts to escape. He meows, rams himself against the gate, puts his head through the holes, but can't get out. 

We win! 

For now.

PTSD

We have had our four grandchildren here since last Tuesday.  They are at the airport now waiting for their flight to Austin, TX, where their Dad and their dog, FeeBee, will be very happy to see them.

Baxter and Molly, however, have had mixed reactions to the intruders.  

Molly, even though the kids have been gone a couple of hours now, is still in hiding in the basement, where she spent most of their visit. Is there PTSD counseling available for cats?

Baxter came and went from view throughout the week.  He occasionally found temporary (but ineffective) hiding places:

And other times he was quite happy to spend time watching the kids.  This morning he even seemed unhappy that they seemed to be preparing to leave.

But sitting on a suitcase didn't work.

MOLLY! NO!

I never say that, do I?  It's always BAXTER!  NO!

But nope, this time it was Molly and I caught her in the act.

Do you see Gertie?

This is Gertie.  Isn't she c.u.u.u.t.e?  She was a Christmas gift from Sallyknit, who made her and her nine buddies.  

Do you see where Gertie lives?   in a top row cubby, between a photo of younger daughter and some books, where cats can't get to her.  (Hah! say the cats.)

Do you see sweet, innocent, widdle Molly, sitting in front of the bookcase?  Hi Mom.  I'm just sitting here, doing nothing.  Yes, Gertie was on the floor.  I don't know HOW she got there. Really. Prolly Baxter did it.  Yes, it was Baxter. He's the bad cat.  

No, Molly, it wasn't Baxter. 

I just came upstairs and found poor Gertie, being assaulted, assaulted, I tell you, by Molly.  I rescued Gertie.  She is fine.  

Something happened while we were away for Christmas.

Molly learned many bad things from Baxter.  Soon after we came home, I looked into the kitchen to see Molly on the kitchen counter.  I had never seen her there before.

And now, poor Gertie.  

Molly---

And Ah Hay-elpd

says Baxter.

I am blocking the Color Affection Shawl and as always, Baxter finds the whole process fascinating.  First he dipped a paw in the sudsy water where the shawl was soaking to test the water temperature

and then he checked out my shaping.

 But then he started pulling out the pins to let me know I was doing it wrong.  Since I can read the tape measure and he can't, I told him to stop. He jumped up on his perch (the ironing board) to supervise.

In the end, he approved, so now it is drying.  The yarn is Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sock and Baby ---wonderful soft yarn and I love her colors.

The shawl seemed to be drying as I pinned it out, so I think I will be able to fondle try it on later today.

A Pause for the Philosophical

All of the events of life can be seen as learning experiences if we just stop to think about what we have learned from the bad as well as from the good.

What I have learned from the kitchen cupboard project:

1.  Home improvement projects are not fun.  This one has been a nuisance and an inconvenience.  Everything people do on HGTV looks like so much FUN!!! so I don't understand what is going on here.  hmmmmm... Possibly the police visit and the gas fumes might have something to do with it...

2.  Mission creep is a real phenomenon.  The cabinets get painted; the walls need re-painting.  The cabinet doors need to be re-hung; many of the old hinges are broken-buy new hinges.  For no reason whatsoever, the door on the refrigerator breaks; buy new refrigerator.

3.  Baxter can get on top of the refrigerator.  No problem, says he.  And so there he is, time after time, just lying there.  After some thought, I've realized that he does this for one of two reasons:

     a.  Because he can.
           or
     b.  To taunt me.

I'm going with b.

The doors and drawer front panels go on tomorrow, God willin' and the creek don't rise.

It's been pouring for hours.

Just Random, Mostly

Well, first of all, I do not like the new Blogger interface.  Just for the record.  Just in case Blogger even cares.

Secondly, I am knitting away on this project:

By knitting away, I mean I am on row 22 of 200 rows.  This should be an easy project, but it didn't start out that way.  It required using a provisional cast on of 395 stitches.  doG help you if you lose count along the way, which is even possible when using markers. So when I made multiple mistakes in the first several tries I made to get going on this, there was no way on this green earth that I was going to just rip it out and start over with the cast on.  No. Way.  That would be, I swear, as bad as doing a prep for a colonoscopy when you aren't even having a colonoscopy.  It is just that bad.  (I apologize for the thought, but I realize I am still offended by the stuff I had to drink for the prep.  Bleaghhh..)

But once I got going, I realized that I was going to have to count 395 stitches on each and every row.  Are you #$%^&;* kidding me?  I moaned and whined, and then I learned that the now Knittergran-certified genius Lucille had found a way around counting all those stitches.  It does involve markers and genius.  

So Lucille, this is for you:

Thirdly, I have learned that Baxter still likes yarn, LOVES yarn, as in chewing and eating yarn.  And Molly likes, LOVES the movement of the needles.  Yarn + moving needles= knitting.

So, yay.

However, I did make a mistake on a recent row and I counted the stitches to be sure.  There is nothing I can do about it, and it won't show since it's at the edge, so it is what it is.

Who's counting?  I'm not. Not any more, no matter what.

This is not going well.

I have written occasionally about Baxter, my mischievous cat. He loves to play, and play, and play, and then, play some more. But I am older-ish. dH is older-ish. And we can't play ALL of the time.

What better solution could there be than to adopt another rescue kitten?

So we did. Her current name is Molly; it's her third name and I think this one will stick. But for the first 24 hours we didn't even see her. She was hiding from us and from Baxter. This morning she finally came out of hiding---she had found an access hole through a wall in the basement that allowed her to get into the area under the bathtub in the basement. We can't fit in there, so we had to wait. And wait.

But she has come out of hiding and she is limited to the basement for now. dH's office is there so she is not alone, and she has gotten friendly (or desperate) enough to climb on our laps and allow us to pet her.

Baxter, on the other hand, is very put out. He is hiding in our closet, the same place he hid for two days last summer when our older daughter and her four children came to visit. He eventually joined the fun, so I hope that he will join us again this time. But he is p*ssed!!! And he lets us know it by hissing any time he hears or smells Molly. He even hissed at ME when I petted him after petting Molly. At ME!!! His favorite human!

I am told that all of this is normal, and that in days, or weeks, or months (months?!) the two cats will settle down and be buddies.

I'll believe it when I see it. And I am hoping that Molly won't like yarn.

Chipped

Baxter----isn't he cute?!

This photo was taken by Mrs. G during her visit. He was hiding from her.

He had his annual physical this morning, after a hairy ride to the vet's office. I could not get him into his carrier and called the vet to cancel the appointment. Instead, the receptionist told me that if I were comfortable doing it, I should drive to the office (only two miles away) with Baxter and the carrier in the car. When I arrived, I was to call the office from the parking lot and they would send a vet tech out to help.

That's what I did. The vet tech opened the back car door while I held on to Baxter; I was sitting in the driver's seat. I handed Baxter to the vet tech and she quickly loaded him into his open carrier on the back seat. He was happy to get into the carrier to get away from this stranger.

His appointment was a breeze. He weighs nine pounds and is perfectly healthy. I had him chipped so that if he ever gets outside again, whoever finds him can have a vet scan his neck area, and the vet will be able to track us down. I hope we never need it.

Now he is back home---after willingly riding IN his carrier for the return trip---and is busy licking all the vet and vet tech cooties off of his fur.

Innocence Lost

Poor Baxter.Until last Thursday night, Baxter has had a dream life. Everyone is nice to him; he doesn't have to share his kingdom with any other four-legged animals, and lately we have even allowed him to go out on the deck, with the steps blocked off and with us out there with him or just inside on the sofa by the windows. He loves to go out and sniff whatever it is he sniffs. Along with the garage, it's his only wilderness.

The world was a wonderful and kind and safe place.

But last Thursday night, when I was at knitting, dH forgot that he left the door to the deck open. He went upstairs, turned on the Tour de France, and forgot the rest of the world, including Baxter's wilderness world. After dark, he heard the sudden crash of the gate and the yowling of two cats. He ran downstairs and saw the orange cat that wanders the neighborhood and Baxter running after him around the to the front of the house. The orange cat ran across the street and Baxter hid. dH went inside to get a flashlight and searched for Baxter. Eventually he saw the reflection of the flashlight in Baxter's eyes but Baxter would not come out of the shrubbery.

I came home to find dH sitting at the edge of the driveway with a flashlight and a container of Baxter's treats. Baxter wouldn't come out. I took dH's place and talked to Baxter while dH went inside to get some tuna fish. Baxter cautiously emerged from the shrubs (he loves ME the most; it ain't bragging if it's true), and I grabbed him.

For two days Baxter hid in his cube, not even coming out for food. He is skittish and even now (Tuesday) mostly hides. He is a little more active when he appears and he is eating, but he is not back to his normal bad boy self.

Maybe Prozac for cats?

And the orange cat? HE needs to have a chat with his owners, who in cold weather, put a PINK quilted vest on him. I don't know for sure that he IS a he, but based on his behavior and Baxter's reaction, I'm pretty sure HE is.

Mrs. G Has Left the Building

but her shoes remain!

Perhaps this means that Mrs. G (of the Women's Colony) will be back!

Or she was running so fast to escape from Baxter that the shoes couldn't keep up.

Either way, it sure was lots of fun to meet her----Safe travels Mrs. G!

Another UFO?

Doesn't this look comfortable?

This is Baxter, perched on my knitting bag, which is full of unfinished objects. And I guess that because Baxter is still pretty poorly behaved at times, he is an unfinished object/project.

And as uncomfortable as this looks, Baxter spent most of today on my knitting bag, asleep.

Crazy Baxter. He has beds all over the house, but preferred this today. dH says it's because he thinks he is getting away with something. Maybe.

Or he's crazy.

We Have A Christmas Tree!!!

We haven't had one in years because we usually go to Austin for Christmas. When my older daughter had two children, she and her family came here. But now she has four and travelling with four at Christmas time is not something I would ask her to do. Someone is usually ill at some point over the holidays and four children, even my wonderful grandchildren, can FIGHT and ARGUE when confined too long in the car. I would hate to find out that my daughter and s-i-l had left one or more of them at a rest stop somewhere between here and Austin.

The second, and more important reason we didn't have a tree last year and almost didn't this year is BAXTER.

But I came across this table top tree when I was out today and couldn't resist. It was only $19.99, including the stand, but it became a bit more expensive after I bought ornaments that won't break my heart if Baxter gets/destroys them.

So far, his only interest is in drinking the water in the stand. I'm not counting on that to last.

(Oh, if anyone is looking for another of these really fancy tree skirts, you can find one in the kitchen towel section of Target. No expense spared here.)

BLOCKING HELP

That I didn't want or need.

Hmmm....What's this???

(Daughter's sweater soaking)
Testing the water:

All four feet in:
And now out:
And yes, there I was again, taking pictures instead of reinforcing what NO means. But I was so surprised that he would get in the bathtub and the two inches of water in it that I ran for the camera. He was in and out several times, but when he started walking on the sweater, and then, even worse, chewing on one of the long strands of yarn I will use to sew a side seam, I took him out and banished him from the room.

I have never soaked and blocked pieces before sewing an item together before, but in a recent post by the Yarn Harlot she mentioned that she was doing that, and if it works for her, maybe it's a good idea. The sleeves were so curled on the edges that sewing them up would have been difficult. I'll see how this works, once all that heavy wool dries.

Bad A** Baxter? Not My Kitty!!!

A little over a year ago, we adopted a rescue kitten and named him Baxter. He is a sweet, sweet kitty! He snuggles, he plays, he sleeps. He is so good natured that he even let 8-year old Lily haul him around when she was here for a visit. She took him repeatedly from point A (the counter, the table, the washer and dryer) to point B (the floor, the floor, the floor). He didn't protest AT ALL. He is such a GOOD boy!

And then last week, he had his one-year check up and I didn't recognize this cat who has lived with us for the past year.

There was a pen of cute, cute kittens in the reception area, and since Baxter is an only cat and an indoor cat, I thought that he might like to meet some of his own species. I put his carrier down near the pen so that they could all meet. The kittens were thrilled. They wanted to meet Baxter, play with Baxter, love on Baxter; Baxter hissed. And hissed some more.

We went into the exam room where I let him out of his carrier and he was quite happy to wander around and sniff all the new smells.

The vet tech came in. She talked sweetly to him. He hissed.

The vet came in. When it was time for Baxter's shot, the vet took ahold of the area where the shot would go, and Baxter WENT CRAZY. Batsh*t CRAZY! He tried to bite the vet; he tried to claw the vet; he hissed at the vet.

I was mortified. I apologized. He has never done any of this before!!! I promised. I apologized some more and then asked if someone could trim Baxter's nails.

We can try, the vet answered through clenched teeth. He took Baxter away to a different room. I don't know what happened, but Baxter's nails were trimmed and we were sent on our way.

Once we were home, my sweet Baxter returned. I don't know who that cat was at the vet's.

Not MY Baxter.