Which Ewe Are You?

A fun quiz from Potter Craft. You can take the quiz by clicking here.

Greetings in the New Year

Well, I've been away for ever-so-long, haven't I? But, not because I wasn't knitting. I was simply busy blogging everywhere else! But I hope to catch up soon, and thank Ravelry for getting me back over here to post. I mean, it's quite silly to leave a knitting blog link over there, and then have my new friends land on a boring old rag of a blog that shows nothing new.

So stay tuned, and may you have hope and good plans in the new year. And may you live in uninteresting times. :)

My favorite baby gift

I've given away quite a few of these combinations, and here's another package that went to one of our favorite local farmers, from whom we buy raw milk.. The yarn is Meilenweit Multieffekt by Lana Grossa... typical sock yarn chosen for the bright colors. I won't mention from whom it was purchased because I was extremely irritated at how long it took to arrive, no response to my email query, and then an excuse that ...... but, I babble on.

Here's a shot of the finished socks. I call them the Terrible Twos Tootsies. I loved the way the striping turned out. I knit one sock with thread pulled from the inside of the ball, and the second sock from the outside, thus reversing the striping order, and switching the order of the red and yellow stripes.



The bird is a special treat and you can see the entire collection at Ouray Toys where I buy them. Great service from these people. You can order online. The birds are by the Audubon Society and have authentic bird calls built-in. Just squeeze the back-end. My favorite, of course, is the Meadowlark, since they're our backyard bird around here.

A Tiny Bit More Stash Enhancement

Some KnitPicks yarn and a set of their very wonderful double-pointed needles.

Learning socks

Sometimes, one gets good enough at a few things, that it's time for some new learning. I made a few pairs of socks recently that were such learning projects. I decided the wool wasn't risky, and I wanted to try some new stitches, so I experimented on each sock. Neither match each other in stitch pattern, but who will notice? Here are some peeks:




These are cable patterns that don't require a cable needle. You'll find them in any stitch pattern book.

I like this variation of the baby cable best, and I think hubbo will get a pair using this stitch sometime in the future. Best of all, no cable needles required.

The best shoes

Knitters often quiz each other on what shoes they like best to show off their hand-knits. Well, I don't know if these really show things off in a big and bold way, but we love boiled-wool Haflingers especially in the winter months. These shoes are enormously warm, lightweight, and offer fine sole-support. We wear them indoors and out. Here are the Haflis we got for Christmas presents:

I think they show off enough of the sock to call it a good presentation, don't you?

Kitty Knits

What's that, Queen Mum? Is there anything in there for us? Is it fun?

Why yes, my sweet little ones. We have mice and other fun things for you. Just watch while we knit these clever little creatures all in one piece, starting from the tail, working our way to the bobble ears, and on to the tip of the nose. Too clever, simply too, and each mouse takes less than an hour!



And fuzzy balls filled with roving and catnip for my good little mousers.


Now what's on the needles? A paw for the clever door hanger. It was so much easier to increase stitches switching to a smaller needle for two rows.

And here it is, with a face even the Queen Mum couldn't love! Ah, well, the next one will have whiskers to rival Hercule Poirot!

But the final test is for the kitties to determine. Bentley immediately falls in love with his new toy. Some cats are so gratifying to their people, and he surely is one such darling. Do you suppose his recent neutering experience has something to do with his fondness for balls?

What about Beamer? He's not so sure about it all. But give him a chance....

Mama Cat thinks she might want to see what this is all about. Beamer says, "Paws off, Big Mama, it's my toy!"

Did he just say what I thought I heard him say? These young kids have no respect.

Porsche thinks there may be way too much fuss over all this wool.

Little Miss Aloof is not going to be bothered by any silly old mice made of mere yarn.

Oh-ho! But just wait until everyone's back is turned. Some cats have their fun on the sly.

What about the Royal Felidore? Shouldn't he have something new and fun, too? Perhaps a nice hat with very special ears to keep his head warm in a brisk wind.

Look how extremely pleased he is. Don't you wish you had a nice cat-hat, too?

But of course you do. You can wear it so many different ways.

I think it would be rather more handsome with a tail attached to the back. The Royal Felidore thinks so, too. Can you tell by that excited look on his face? It makes the Queen of Socks want to snap up her needles and knit up another one without even so much as a pause.

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All that fun was compliments of Donna Druchunas and her book Kitty Knits: Projects For Cats and Their People. Thanks to her and her knitting buddies for helping us make these wonderful treats. Of course, we're not finished with all the many projects in the book. Next will be a few felted cat beds, a lovely alpaca throw, and a pair of those clever socks with a kitty face border on the cuffs. But, the felted mice will always be our faves. The book is worth it just for that pattern. To get your own copy, click here, and be sure to follow the rest of Donna's blog book tour for more excited kitties and their new toys. You can visit Donna at Sheep To Shawl for the tour schedule. We enjoyed our visit with you, Donna. And we love our mice!

I'm only a cat,

and we'll get along fine...

As long as you know

I'm not yours...

you're all mine!

~Author Unknown

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