Notes From Sherwood Forest

ME, the PERSON of VERYPINK, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Fast-Topic-Changing Friday.

forgot2.JPG I’m so glad this turned out well, since it’s a gift and all.

This is the Felted Yoga Mat Bag from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

It looks like a quiver (for arrows). The recipient gave me a fine Robin Hood monologue once he slung it on his shoulder.

Next…!

img_1207.JPG At The Knitting Nest we’ve started a “Countdown to Christmas” campaign, encouraging knitters to get started on knitted Christmas Gifts.

One of my contributions is this stocking. It’s a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern, with a few mods.

I’m really happy with the way it came out. The fabric is dense enough to hold a lot of gift cards.

img_1199.JPG Aaaaaand, I’ve started a second one in green.

Next…!

img_1212.JPG I’ve had this little foster girl, Mia, for about three weeks now. We’ve found her a great new home in Calgary, so she’s going to be Canadian!

Here she is, checking out the cabin of her flight capsule.

You can imagine, I’m really going to miss her.

Next…!

img_1223.JPG Ever wonder what every color of Baby Ull looks like in a pyramid? Well, here ya go!

Need some Cascade 220? Please buy it from The Knitting Nest’s new eBay store! We have every color! (This is kind of my baby, and I’d love for it to do well.)

(Baby Ull will be in the store soon.)

Next…!

img_1216.JPG Several people have told me that my dogs are photogenic. I agree. I’ve also heard that they’re talented in the way that they hold still for photos.

I never really thought about it until I started TRYING to photograph Mia.

She. Won’t. Hold. Still.

img_1217.JPG Ike’s all, lemme show you how it’s done.
img_1218.JPG Abe’s all, yeah – I can hold still.

Have a great weekend!

It’s All About Mememememe

I was tagged for this photo meme by Kate, my long-time blog friend. I don’t normally do memes, but I loved the idea of using photos as answers…

2.jpg

Notice that I was able to squeeze in a photo of Ike and me…

The rules:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I’m not going to tag anyone for this meme, so if you’d like to play, consider yourself tagged. I’d love to see more mosaics, please drop me a note if you make one!

Have a great weekend!

Possums – 2, Basenjis – 0

I have another chapter to My Sensitive Security System…this time with photos!

It all starts calmly enough. Last night I was home from teaching a knitting class, watching Deadliest Catch and knitting. Abe is suddenly really interested in going outside. I put my knitting down and open the back door.

I plant myself back in my knitting chair. Then, over the din of crab pots crashing on the tv, I hear some strange doggie noises. Abe is making a frustrated yelpie-growl sound. I jump up to investigate.

img_0979.JPG His focus is this fence. I move in closer.
img_0976.JPG And I see these beady eyes.

“All creatures great and small”…whatev. Possums give me the CREEPS.

I find myself making this strange gargling noise of disgust in the back of my throat. Like a caveman sound.

img_0980.JPG Naturally, Ike wastes no time getting in on the action. He can’t see the possum at first, but he can smell it.

He knows something is there, and he wants it.

img_0983.JPG The boys spend several minutes running around, trying to figure out how they can build a ladder with no thumbs.

Then the frozen possum moves. It wobbles across the fence, sending the dogs into a frenzy. Then it FALLS, and Ike quickly snaps it up.

Even though my skin is crawling, it is actually pretty cool to watch my dogs hunt. They are so instinctively good at it.

img_0986.JPG I didn’t get many photos of this part, because I was really really trying to convince Ike to leave the possum alone. He doesn’t. He carries it around for a while, shakes it, drops it, carries it around some more…all while I keep making that grossed-out gargling noise in my throat.
img_0987.JPG Luckily, my domestic dogs don’t associate “hunting” with “eating”. Food is something that I lovingly present to them in a bowl, not something that they have to catch themselves.

Once the possum stops moving, Ike loses interest and comes in the house.

img_0993.JPG And Mia? Does not care about the stinky possum.
img_0997.JPG Once the dogs were in the house, I watched the motionless creepy rodent through the window and said to myself, “please be playing possum, please be playing possum.” Sure enough, the possum stood up and crept away.

Drat! Maybe next time…right, Ike?

Ewww.

Madder Than a Wet Basenji

Sort of a Fast-Topic-Changing Friday, except I’m going in chronological order…

100_1770.JPG My mom sent me this photo of my niece, Molly Renee, in the Vestee I made for her. I love to see my handknits in action.

Yes, this child is adorable.

Next…!

2537387776_c329f3ce5f.jpg Last weekend, The Knitting Nest hosted Franklin Habit on his 1000 Knitters pre-book book tour.

He is as charming and delightful as I imagined.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie.

2539975575_e69441822c1.jpg And he left us a big present – a larger-than-life Dolores on a wall of store.

I think everyone agrees that Franklin is invited back to Austin any time he’d like to come.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie.

Next…!

day-171.JPG Then.

Then I got food poisoning. Oy. I was too sick to knit, or even watch tv.

I wouldn’t wish salmonella on my worst enemy. Or a crocheter, even. (honk!)

Next…!

day-172.JPG Once I started to feel better, I finished up this French Market Bag and felted it.

Felted bags are GREAT for grocery shopping, especially in warmer climates. The felted fabric really works to insulate your cold food on the trip home.

Next…!

img_0847.JPG I also knit up this pair of Fetching.

Both the French Market Bag and these mitts are samples for a “Countdown to Christmas” campaign we’re running at The Knitting Nest.

Next…!

img_0857.JPG Everyone is a little mad at me this morning. We were about half-way through our walk when it started absolutely pouring rain.

According to three Basenjis, the rain is my fault, and they are punishing me by ignoring me. (They’ll get over it once they get hungry.)

Have a great weekend!