Hansel?…Hansel?!

Do you remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon with Hansel and Gretel and the witch? The witch had hairpins that flew out every time she ran, and Hansel and Gretel were fat little blond kids with German accents?

Every time the kids said, “We’re Hansel and Gretel!” the other character would say, “Hansel?…Hansel?!” Like they were suddenly surprised and kind of angry to hear the name.

I don’t really get it, either, but it is what I think of whenever I hear “Gretel”.

Speaking of Gretel…

img_7348.JPG I finished Gretel.

It’s very cute, and it was fun to knit. I could go on and on about how much I like this pattern.

But truthfully, this was my second try.

img_7275.JPG My first try wasn’t quite as successful.

I SWEAR I got gauge. I was surprised that I had to go up three needle sizes to get gauge, especially because I usually have to go down a size or two.

I was nearly finished knitting before I tried it on for the first time.

It made a good face warmer.

img_7318.JPG Back to the good one.

The pattern is really pretty, and the designer does such a good job with decreasing while maintaining a cable pattern.

Mine is made with one hank of Cascade 220.

Ravelry details.

img_7328.JPG On to some irritated dogs…

Sunday was Basenji Bath Day. This is a BIG DEAL around this house.

Since Basenjis clean themselves like cats, baths are only necessary every 6 months or so.

After their scrubdown, the two younger dogs believed that running round the house would dry them off…

img_7316.JPG …While the two older dogs wanted to go outside to dry in the sun.

I can practically hear them saying, “We are wet. We are mad. Let us out NOW.”

Angry, perhaps. But they smell like lavender.

25 comments on “Hansel?…Hansel?!

  1. I absolutely love your self-portraits! You always manage to snap a photo like we’re getting a glimpse into a fraction of a second of the action in your life. It’s fantastic and hilarious.

    Gorgeous hat! Looks like you need a trip to Paris to go with it. Can’t you just imagine it?

  2. I love it in pink. (wait, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you knit one in pink..)
    I’m making one in navy right now and I love it.

  3. In the face warmer picture, the needles look monstrous compared to all the other needles pictured with all your other projects. 🙂

    It’s wonderful when doggies smell…not like doggies. Around here it’s Mango flavor. Because you should always want to eat your dog when you’re done, right? 😉

  4. Ah, bath day. always a treat! mine does the running around like mad trick, in addition to giving the towel the death shake and rolling around on the rug. we use oatmeal, and it smells like breakfast lol.

  5. What a pretty hat. I didn’t know that Basenjis only have to be washed every 6 months or so. They sound like an interesting dog breed.

  6. I love your Gretel! The first version looks like it would have been big enough to pull down over your shoulders and wear as a tube top…

  7. You have it made!! Only having to wash your dogs every six months!! Izabelle needs it as much as the seven year old–I have found if I use baby shampoo (hypoallergenic of course) the nice smell lasts longer!! Also, she would LOVE to dry off in the sun, however its freezing outside and her fur would break off!

  8. I love the look that one your dog is giving you in the last photo. As if to say “How dare you do that again. Maybe I don’t like to smell of lavender.” lol.
    Gretel looks great!!

  9. Staci,
    I admire you for being able to keep your sense of humor when you discover that your cute little tam has turned in to a tube top!

    And I LOVE it when the boys smell like lavender. If I were you I would check my shoes very carefully before I put them on. The poochie in the back ground of the 2nd picture is very obviously figuring out his revenge.

  10. Damn that gauge—it hurts when it bites, doesn’t it?!?! Love the pattern. Another item to go on my list. The boys are so cute and I can smell them now. Good for you that you only need to do it every six mos. or so!

  11. Love the hat! I still need to lern how to do cables – people keep telling me they’re easy but I just haven’t been brave enough – maybe that beautiful hat would be the final inspiration:)I so admire your talent.

  12. Ok, first of all, I completely know the cartoon you’re talking about! It’s one of my faves. Second, your hat is adorable and looks fantastic on you. Thirdly, there’s just nothing sweeter than warm, clean fur. The boys are adorable!

  13. I loved the Gretel so much that I bought the pattern /right/ after reading your post! 🙂

    Of course, now I’m worried that I won’t get the right gauge either. Should I just trust the needle size listed on the pattern?

  14. I LOVE this hat, and I adore the color you chose. I just purchased the same pattern…now I just need to find the perfect shade to use.

  15. I love that hat. Cables are so very fabulously intricate-looking.

    And of course, the dogs seem to look prettier now that they’re lavender-scented.

  16. I love Gretel! Darn you for linking to Ysolda though . . . I see several things I want to knit now.

    You know, I too used to think of that cartoon until Zoolander. Now I think of Owen Wilson as “Hansel”

  17. Gee whiz, I can’t get over the wonderful things you knit! I’m at an impasse; had to quit my lessons when it was so hot here, because I couldn’t stand the feel of wool on my hands. I’m sure I’d NEVER learn to knit if I lived in TX! Anyway, cable looks spectacularly, devilishly difficult!

    Been meaning to ask: have you ever used soy silk???

    Don’t tell your boys, but Ruby hasn’t had a bath in ages. I give her about one a year just on principle, but she really doesn’t need it. She never rolls in anything nasty, and dirt just dries up and falls off her. She doesn’t smell at all. Basenjis are the best! The only grooming required is nails. 🙂

  18. Yes, I remember that cartoon! I am reminded of it every day! I’ve grown up to have that witch’s arse!

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