sigh

I have my tea.

I have my lemon cookies.

There is just a hint of rain in the air.

Knitting is right beside me.

life is good.

the Pig Bear

it was suppose to be a hot pink polar bear. If my family wanted a white polar bear, it would buy one. I was knitting it and let the Elder Twin pick out the color. True for any 6 year-old girl in a yarn shop full of colors and textures, she found hot pink acrylic and fell in love with it.

what does one get when making a polar bear in hot pink? A pig-like animal.



I am glad the Yarn Haven carries the same line and color or I would have had to import more yarn from Stash in Memphis. Normally, I would have anyways. But with the Younger Twins' impending surgery, I wanted to ship the doll off ASAP. And anyone with siblings knows one does not send one gift without something for the other as well. Hence, a quick stop to a LYS here in town.

all I want at this point is for her to like it.

Toys for Twins...with Pictures

I like to think this is a knitting blog, so I will post this before I read the newspapers today. Thus, I advoid politics stuff. I left the English Department thinking I would be leaving behind a world of paper-induced stress. Should have known librarians are very politically active.

I finished the faery for the Younger Twin and in a moment of guilt, threw a bear on the needles for the Elder Twin.

1st, the faery (with hair). This is too cute, in a handmade sort of way. This is an Alan Dart pattern featured in a Simply Knitting magazine this year. He rocks as a designer but he is so British. As in every little piece was to be knit flat, making dozens of little pieces to sew.
The finishing took an eternity and a half. Yes, the finishing would not have been half as bad if I just sat down and took care of it.




now, for the bright, 7 year old girl pink polar bear. The color doesn't show up very well in photos, just take my word for it. It is the shade of pink all girls love when they are six-ten years old. Seven year-olds just take it a step forward. Hey, I did not pick out the color. Not surprised that she picked it, but now I'm knitting a pink polar bear. The pattern comes from The World of Knitted Toys, a book that is wonderful. Where else can you find a wallaby, seal, and a moose pattern in the same book for less than $20? I don't imagine many places.



p.s.-I cannot tell which end of the bear I am knitting on right now. It might be the shoulders....but I wouldn't argue if you said hips.

Friday is my Saturday

seeing as how I now work all day Saturday and need a day to clean house and such. I spent most of today working on a doll for the Younger Twin. She is having her tonsils out next month and I want to do something for her. I cannot go home for the day, so the obvious choice was to knit something. And here she is. The only thing lacking is hair.



meanwhile, the Elder Twin bought a kitten. A friend of the family recently had a population increase of them, and Elder Twin had seen them. Mom said "No more animals." So naturally the kid called Her Dad and negotiated. She talked him into agreeing about having the kitten if she bought the cat. Then the little miss went to the family friend and offered 2 quarters for a kitten. 50 cents now buys a kitten. And to think, Puppy picked up Cable for free (before the vet bills). Turns out, Elder Twin is picking up after the kitten and everything. Didn't see that one coming, given how hard it is to make her pick up anything.

Puppy got a hair cut this week. Now all the neighbors think she is a cocker spaniel whereas before, they thought she was a lab. I think she looks more lab now and cocker spaniel when she is more fluffy.

the before picture



she was a little camera shy after her hair cut



but I finally got a shot in



speaking of Puppy, she is trying to tell me it is time for a walk. The whole looking longingly at the door is suppose to be a clue.

very appropriate

in more ways than one...

Neutral Tones
by Thomas Hardy

We stood by a pond that winter day,
And the sun was white, as though chidden of God,
And a few leaves lay on the starving sod,
--They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.

Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove
Over tedious riddles solved years ago;
And some words played between us to and fro--
On which lost the more by our love.

The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing
Alive enough to have strength to die;
And a grin of bitterness swept thereby
Like an ominous bird a-wing....

Since then, keen lessons that love deceives,
And wrings with wrong, have shaped to me
Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree,
And a pond edged with grayish leaves.

10 days of nothing new

except just about everything.

the Med Library I work at is now open nights and weekends. Tons of practical, hands-on experience and homework time. No knitting, since I am at the front desk and it might look like there is nothing to do.

homework is still the same 3 projects due by the end of the month. 1 of which is almost done, and another of which will be done tomorrow when I am at a computer that can read the work I've done. No clue what the last one is.

lookie! Pictures of the glove I am working on. I would have finished it by now, if it was the only project I had OTN. Ha! Like that is ever going to happen again. BTW, this thumb rocks. Best thumb I've ever knitted.





I have thrown a quick little vest/waistcoat for my in-class knitting. Ignore the yellow there, it will not be part of the project.



well, Puppy is hiding in a closet (some jackal downstairs is shooting off firecrackers) and I better go get her out. Till next time!

quick update

because I have lots of stuff to do.

I love my work study. Finding articles and pulling journals is so much more fun that what it sounds like. You just have to trust me on that one. Next week I start nights and weekends. On the plus side, classes should be better (one has to suffer the intro weeks before getting to the good stuff).

it is bloody September already. If you haven't thought about Christmas knitting, now would be a good time to start. My gift stock overflows with scarves, it needs more dishcloths but I can knit almost a complete one of those up during one class session. I so need to finish some WIPs. But when did I have so many?

this past weekend was spent in Memphis. I had all these wonderful plans, but family stuff came up. Like we had an impromptu birthday celebration for me (silly me thought it was next month). My Maternal Grandmother dropped me off at Stash and let the ladies there baby-sit me for an hour. I was pick-ed up before I had even started seriously looking at yarn. (Expect pictures on Friday.)

break timer just went off. Guess I better get back to homework.