Dishcloth(s)!

I have a new obsession: dishcloths. There's something about instant gratification that I can't resist. Last night I finished the Little Garden Girl Dishcloth. I started it at work last Wednesday (Yes, I kept my word about getting some knitting done during my lunch break.), but I couldn't bring myself to leave it there over the weekend. Here it is:


I have another dishcloth in progress, the Baked With Love Dishcloth. I started it last Thursday night while I was forced to stay in the living room. Usually I knit upstairs, where I have more room, but Kai was very sick and needed the bedroom. I'm knitting this dishcloth with size 2 needles, and I already regret it. I really wanted the picture to pop, which it is, but the struggle isn't worth it. I bought some size 4 needles last night that I'm going to use for the rest of the dishcloths that I make. The size 4 needles should make the stitches tight enough without adding unnecessary (and time consuming) strain on my hands and wrists.

Last night I went on a mini cotton yarn shopping spree at AC Moore. I bought a ton of new colors. I'm really looking forward to getting a bunch of dishcloths done quick, because I'll feel like a good chunk of the Christmas knitting is finished. The cardigans are really wearing on me. I'll do a couple rows on Bristow, and then abandon it for something smaller. I haven't even started my grandmother's cardigan. I wonder if starting hers will renew my interest in Bristow...

In other news, I'm torn about the impending baby shower item I'm going to make. I kind of want to make baby washcloths now. I found a ton of cute patterns on Ravelry that would look great in a set. Maybe, if I pace myself, I can make a cardigan AND the washcloths.

Bristow: Revisited

Sunday, 10/25/09, marked the resurrection of the Bristow Cardigan. I finished Rae's scarf Sunday afternoon and found myself ready to return to the poor, neglected cardigan. There's not much left to do. I just have to finish up the right sleeve, sew the pieces together, and add the button bands.

Since I've been going days without touching a knitting needle, I've fallen behind. I still have two more cardigans, dishtowels, dishcloths, a scarf, and various other crap I haven't yet invented to finish. Ugh.

One very lazy day I attempted to start the Chevron Lace Cardigan. I crashed and burned. I did two rows and discovered my stitch count was off. After spending about 30 minutes adding, subtracting, and multiplying (and maybe a little double integrating, if you catch my drift), I decided to put the yarn away. I think this project will require a tad more concentration than can be afforded whilst watching TV. One day soon I'll sit down without the TV blaring and work out the kinks. (I like to do everything in front of the TV. I think that just means I need double entertainment.)

I should probably start taking some of the small projects to work. I could knock out a couple of inches during my lunch break. However, I'm terrified that I'll make a mistake and not have enough time to fix it before my break is over. Plus, what if I accidentally break my needles in transport? Sigh. I suppose I'm being a bit irrational. Alright. It's settled. I'll bring the needed supplies tomorrow. It'll give me an "excuse" to work on two things at once. I think I'll start with the really cute Garden Girl Dishcloth. I really wanted to make it in pink, but I'll have to settle for purple. The store didn't have any pink cotton yarn. That reminds me...I need to get more cotton yarn.

Checkin' In

There's not much to report around these parts. I've just been doing the whole "work" thing. I have yet to pick up the Bristow Cardigan. Instead, I decided to finish up one of my WIPs. I started working on a scarf for my sister way back when. I never finished it (obviously), and I thought it would be fun to finish it up and ship it to her dorm room without her knowledge. It's pretty sad that I've been working on it all week and haven't finished. It's a basic knit stitch scarf! I'll probably finish it today and ship it out on Monday.

In other news, my computer has some sort of virus spyware thingy. I keep getting random popups propositioning me to meet new singles in my area. They're even complete with pictures of potential partners! I told Kai the computer has a virus, but I'm waiting for him to confront me about these "websites" I've been visiting. In a frenzy to safeguard all of my pictures from impending virus doom, I opened a Snapfish account. In doing so, I got 50 free prints, which was nice.

Both of the dogs are still kicking. The had mani-pedis at Petsmart on Wednesday. I splurged and went for the $11 nail grinding over the $9 clipping. Usually I'm very disappointed with Petsmart's services, so I decided to try a different one before writing them off all together. At the previous Petsmart, they'd only clip off a tiny bit. I understand they don't want to hurt the dog, but come on! In a week the nails would be right back where they were before the clipping! The groomer at the new Petsmart did a very nice job. He took off a decent amount AND he threw in a free ear cleaning. I will be requesting his services next time I'm in need of nail grinding.

On Thursday, the same day that I had to walk home from the train station (and was consequently in a very bad mood), I found that Darby had emptied my bookcase during my absence. Among the things that were totally destroyed, I found my photo album and GPS. The photo album can be replaced. The GPS, not so much. Let's just say it was a very bad day.

Darby's housebreaking seems to have gone out the window. Yesterday, after pooping and peeing outside 15 minutes before, she dropped a load in the living room. Then, 30 minutes after dropping the load in the living room, she dropped another load AND peed 2 times! All three poops were rather large, and I cannot for the life of me understand how she can possibly store that much poop in her intestines. FRUSTRATING.

There are some good times, though. Here's Xerxes:

He fell asleep with his but in the air.

And then there's Darby:

who is adamant about walking on the furniture, regardless of orientation.

They've gotten very cuddly with each other, and I managed to snap these pictures of the two of them cuddling with each other at bedtime.

If only every day had less destruction and more cuteness...

A Finished Object!

I finished Kai's Balaclava today! Here it is:

I plan to take a better "action" shot when Kai comes home from watching the ever so mesmerizing football game. This project came close to death plenty of times during its creation. I dropped a couple stitches here and there, miscounted, got distracted, you know the deal. But, when all was said and done, we had both made it through alive.

I've decided that I don't like knitting with bamboo double pointed needles. There was absolutely no "slide" to the yarn while it was on the bamboo needles. Now, I suppose a little friction isn't a bad thing with working with double pointed needles, but when it feels like the yarn is cemented down, frustration ensues.

I am now at that pivotal point where I have to decided whether I want to move on to something new, or finish up the Bristow Cardigan. I'm leaning more towards something new. The Bristow Cardigan still bores me, and I have a couple months to finish it. Perhaps I should work on some dishcloths, or the Chevron Lace Cardigan, or ...?

Kai's Balaclava

So, as I've mentioned before, I've been working on a Balaclava for Kai's birthday. Progress has been slow due to an unfortunate bout of laziness. His birthday is November 6th, so I'm pretty sure I'll get it done. Here's how far I've gotten:


This exercise in Balaclava making has been good practice for knitting socks. I'm hoping to be a double pointed pro by the time the hat is complete.

I'm going to try to stay focused today and work only on the Balaclava and the Bristow Cardigan. The washcloths have been calling me.

First Day of Training!

Yesterday was Xerxes' first training class. I must preface this by saying that I know next to nothing about proper dog training. All of the dogs I've come into contact with (up until now) have been decently behaved. There's the occasional trash picker, or counter swiper, or couch surfing dog, but in my opinion, these behaviors are minor compared to the terror that is Xerxes.

The night started off rather frustratingly. The class was scheduled for 8:00 pm (ugh!) in Mantua, which is about 25 minutes away from my apartment according to MapQuest. Because it was dark out, and the roads we needed to take were a bit unfamiliar to us, I decided we should leave at 7:15. At said departure time, we loaded up the car and hit the road with printed directions in hand and the school's telephone number in case of emergency. All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS we brought along the number. After driving up and down Chews Landing, we came to the conclusion that the next road we needed to take, Barnsboro-Blackwood Road, did (and still does) not exist. At this point it was 7:50, so I called the trainer and told him we were having a hard time finding his place. He, using the fastest speech I've ever heard come out of a man's mouth, gave me back road directions that included about 500 twists and turns. It's a miracle I was able to follow what he was saying, let alone arrive at the school. By the time we arrived, it was 8:30.

We sat through about 2 hours of lecturing. I felt like I was back in college. He even gave us clipboards with paper to take notes! He told us everything there is to know about dogs. There's too much to list here, so I'll spare you the synopsis. The trainer, Steve, introduced German commands to us. He said that using English is a bad idea, because you don't want just anyone to tell your dog what to do. You should use distinct words for obedience. We learned "nein," which means "no," and "ya so braf hund," which means " you are a brave hound." As you can imagine, I felt pretty silly yelling NEIN, and then praising Xerxes with ya so braf hund. I sounded like an angry German woman. I'm pretty sure that listening to me yell these little tidbits will be very entertaining to my friends and family.

When we finally got to the training part, he taught everyone how to use "training collars" (commonly known as "choke collars," though we weren't allowed to call them that), which we practiced on his arm. Using those things properly is harder than it looks! During the course of the training collar demonstration, the trainer used me as an example. (Uncomfortable!) I had to practice on him while everyone watched! I found it incredibly hard to concentrate because Xerxes howled the whole time I was separated from him.

After learning how to properly use the "training collars," we moved on to our first task: training our dogs to not eat pizza that's put right in front of their face. Xerxes, in all his glory, decided to be a dunce. It took a while to get his attention since he was more interested in the cat that was slinking around. Kai had to wave the pizza at him multiple times. Long story short: those "training collars" are mighty effective. After about 2 minutes, Xerxes was running away from the pizza. We also taught our dogs to not run outside when a door is opened, and how to walk on a leash without pulling. When all was said and done, we left at 12:00 am! That was a 3 and 1/2 hour class!

We are supposed to practice all of these things and have them mastered by our next class, October 27th. Our biggest challenge will be Darby. She doesn't have the behavioral issues that Xerxes is so lucky to possess, but they do feed off of one another, and I'm concerned that she will "untrain" him. Due to her delicate mental state, I'm positive this kind of training will do nothing but make her poop herself, so training them both at once with the same technique is out of the question. This should be interesting...

The Fight

Since Tuesday, I've been doing very little besides worrying about my apartment situation. I hinted in my previous post that I received an abusive, anonymous note from a neighbor regarding Xerxes' barking. This wasn't the first time. About a month and a half before, I received a handwritten letter from an unknown source stating that my dog barks all day long. The first note upset me very much, but I brushed it off and continued seeking treatment for Xerxes' separation anxiety. I saw a vet, put him on Prozac, and tried all kinds of training techniques. Up until now, I was fairly content believing that he only barks for a few minutes in the morning when we leave, and that he's quiet the rest of the day.

The second note put me over the edge. It was much worse than the first, completely condescending, abusive, judgemental, and above all GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT. Nothing bothers me more when someone mixes up their "there's." I'm not quite sure what was going through the writer's mind when he or she decided to attack me over something of which I may not have been aware. I was certainly not aware that he barks all day long when I am not there, because I AM NOT THERE. In fact, I'm not aware of anything he does while I'm at work. I am not sold on this barking all day long claim because 1) He's silent when we return after 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, etc. and 2) Anyone who willfully bashes another person without allowing that person to explain or defend themselves (or gather more information) is not someone to be trusted. Whatever the case, I cannot let this immaturity continue. I did something about it.

I called the office and explained the problem to them. I said that I had been receiving harassing anonymous notes and felt uncomfortable. I told them what I have been doing to solve the problem, including enrolling Xerxes in a $375 militaryish behavioral smackdown class (We start Tuesday Oct 13th!). The guy on the phone told me that anonymous notes are unacceptable and to please bring the note I had over to him so he could photocopy it. (I had thrown the first one out.) I complied and sweetly told him that we don't want to start trouble with any of our neighbors, and that their (the neighbor's) accurate and honest reports of Xerxes' noise-making would be incredibly beneficial to his training. He agreed with me that anonymous notes are no way to handle the situation, since such notes do not allow me to explain to the neighbor that I am not ignoring the problem.

I have to say that after reporting the notes, I feel a bit better. At least the office knows that I'm not some lazy a**hole who makes annoying their neighbors a top priority. They'll see me as a somewhat responsible person and not the "disrespectful" and "inconsiderate" person the neighbor will most surely portray. Furthermore, when it comes to the epic battle that will most likely ensue if Xerxes' training doesn't take, the other side will look very immature by comparison.

Alright, so, knitting. I haven't done anything to Mom's Bristow Cardigan. I'm really bad, I know. I just couldn't concentrate! I started the Balaclava for Kai this weekend. It's been an adventure. I fought viciously with the double pointed needles. I think I've got a laddering issue going on, but it probably won't be noticeable since the yarn is navy blue and the stitches are already big. (Note to self: when knitting socks, knit with 5 double pointed needles, not 4.) I would like to make some serious progress on the cardigan this week AND finish the Balaclava. We'll see. My furchildren may take up all of my knitting time.

Dear Condescending Neighbor

Dear Condescending Neighbor,
The anonymous notes that you leave on my door are neither helpful nor constructive. Your anonymity does not allow me to address the problem with you personally. But, you probably do not want to discuss the issue, because if you did (as any reasonable person would), you would have signed your note.

It is quite cowardly of you to continue to insult me and my intelligence behind the veil of typewritten letters. Yes, I realize my dog barks, as do most dogs with vocal cords. Yes, I am aware that I signed a lease stating that I would "be cognizant and respectful of the other people around" me. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe you signed the same lease I did. Your notes border on harassment. How respectful is that?

I do not need a lesson in apartment living from you. You can continually call me "disrespectful," "inconsiderate," and "a downright nuisance." Unfortunately for you, your insults fall on deaf ears, because as I see it, people who attack others through anonymous notes are cowards. Perhaps if you bothered to show your face, you would learn that I am quite respectful of my neighbors and am doing everything humanely possible to deal with my dog's separation anxiety. You suggested I leave "the premises." I guess you are unfamiliar with how leases work. Believe me, I would gladly leave this dump if management would release me from my lease.

I suppose I could try to seek you out. I could walk around knocking on doors, waving the letter in the face of whomever answers, asking if they wrote it. But you and I both know that won't work. You won't admit to writing it, because then you'd have to admit to acting immaturely. I think I will save my breath.

Alas, I will have to wait for you, the anonymous bully, to report me to management as you have threatened to do. Then we can duke it out face to face. I can't wait!


Until then and with much love,
Meghan


P.S. I am almost positive that the 5-6 minutes of barking doesn't stop my neighbors from "enjoy[ing] there (sic) morning routines."

Prozac

Well, it's official. A couple of days ago I decided to take Darby off Prozac. She went on it shortly after I adopted her, because she was so painfully timid that she couldn't function. Within three days of taking Prozac, Darby began to "socialize" with us. Over time her personality began to show, and she started eating and playing regularly. I didn't want her to stay on Prozac forever, which is why I've come to the decision to stop medicating her now. I think that at this point, she's the best she's ever going to be. She is still wary of strangers (which I don't particularly mind) and runs like the sky is falling whenever she hears a noise, but most of the time she acts like a normal dog. I think that from here on out, Xerxes is all the medicine she's ever going to need.

Xerxes is another story. He's still on the Prozac, and he's staying on it for a while. He hasn't mastered the art of juggling his bladder and emotions just yet, so he squirts quite frequently. In fact, he squirted on the couch last night while I was petting him. He also continues to get incredibly upset when I go to work. We now have to crate him in the bathroom, instead of letting him have free range of the bathroom, because he tore up the wall and door frame.

Do not, however, think for a second that Darby is without flaws. She decided to catch up on some after school reading yesterday while Kai and Xerxes picked me up from the train station.

She was so pleased with herself that her head began to recede into her neck.

I'll give her this, though. She is not nearly as destructive as her brother.

I can't post a picture of just one of them, because that would be unfair. Here's Xerxes looking innocent:

What a cute little boy!

Anyway, I haven't posted any Bristow Cardigan pictures lately. I took a picture of the completed left sleeve last night. Here it is:

I started the right sleeve last night, and I'm hoping to get pretty far on it this weekend. Fingers crossed! I'm nervous about doing the button band. I've never picked up stitches before. Yikes!