Destruction and Doom

Yesterday I came home to a dismal scene. Every morning when Kai and I leave for work, Kai puts Xerxes in his kennel so that he doesn't destroy the apartment while we're away. I walk outside while Kai does this because I can't bear to hear him cry. Yesterday evening, upon arriving home from work, I found Xerxes LOOSE. Somehow he had gotten out of his kennel and managed to shred everything within reach in the kitchen and living room. He had my knives, Kai's birthday cards, our pens and pencils, etc. Worst of all, however, was that he had gnawed on my beautiful digital camera. The "shield" covering the battery and memory card was gone (Xerxes probably ingested it.), and the LCD screen was covered with dried slobber. I tried turning it on to see if it still worked, and to my surprise, it seemed to be functioning properly. I'm not sure how long it'll last, but at least I won't have to run out this instant and spend $200 on a camera.

Among the things that Xerxes destroyed was a can of cheeze whiz. He ate the whole thing. All of the cheeze whiz, that is. Thankfully, he left the can. Last night we had a training class, so Xerxes spent the majority of class embarrassing me with his farts. When he wasn't farting, he was peeing all over the trainer's carpet. He even lifted his leg and peed on the trainer's "tunnel." (It's some kind of tunnel thing that the dogs army crawl through.) You know your night is shot to hell when you have to pick up your dog and clamp his wiener shut with your hand. About an hour into the class, Xerxes decided he was done. The trainer has been trying to teach us how to make our dogs lay down, and I must admit that I haven't been practicing that particular command with Xerxes. I have my reasons. One - I don't care if he lays down on command. And two - he is incredibly stubborn when it comes to laying down, and I just don't have the energy to keep pushing him down. Because Xerxes refused to lay down, both the trainer and I had to keep correcting him with the "choke collar." Xerxes got really upset about the constant correcting and stopped paying attention. He just stood by the door with sad eyes that said, "Please let me out. I want to go home." When I didn't let him leave, he ran and hid underneath Kai's chair. That broke my heart. I let Xerxes sit out for the rest of the class, but stayed to watch so I could practice the new stuff with him at home.

Next week we have our last class, and I'm kind of scared to go. I don't want him to be scared. :(

I have good news, though. I am officially halfway through my sentence at The Landings at Pine Lake. I've got my fingers crossed, and I hope we make it to May without being kicked out. I'm not sure when I should start looking for a house to rent. Maybe March? I don't want to wait too long. The last thing I need is an extra month at The Landings.

Finally

I am writing a new post. Finally. I've completed many projects since I last blogged. Along with various cloths and one towel, I finished a Shell Stitch Scarf


A Turtle Tracks Cowl

(This is my favorite. I'm thinking about making another for myself since I gave this one to my sister, Rae.)

And a Swirling Petals Cowl (No link - search for it on Ravelry if you're interested!)


I am very much in a cowl knitting mood, and I've started yet another, The Burnished Leaves Cowl. (Once again, this is only available on Ravelry.) I'm doing it in a bright blue merino and acrylic blend. I bought two skeins of this yarn (Caron Country to be exact), as I'm hoping to get a pair of fingerless gloves out of it as well. In addition to the cowl, I have a Houndstooth Scarf on the needles. I was hoping this scarf would be a quick knit, but unfortunately I discovered that Caron Simply Soft and bamboo needles do not mix well. I'm considering ripping out my progress and starting over with metal circulars, but I haven't quite committed yet. Woe is me.

Aside from the knitting storm, nothing worth reporting has taken place in my neck of the woods. I took a mini-vacay this weekend, so I have a little extra time to relax and catch up on my Christmas projects. Let's see how many FO's I can turn out this weekend!

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I promise to write an update this weekend, complete with pictures. I apologize for my laziness.

Love,
Meghan

Palindrome

Here's my new "at work" project: Palindrome. It's a reversible cabled scarf. I'm making it in dark green for Kai's grandfather. This scarf will probably take more than a month of "at work" knitting to complete. But, I won't have to worry about bringing a new project every week.

I finished two more dishcloths, the Christmas Snowflake Dishcloth and the Christmas Scene Dishcloth. I'll be posting photos of these in my Ravelry account this weekend. My computer is still on the fritz, so no pictures here!

Yesterday I went back to AC Moore (poor Kai) to get MORE cotton yarn and needles. I stupidly bought one ball of each color last time, without realizing that I might need a bit more than one ball to make a towel/cloth set. Anyway, I think the situation is under control now, and I should be able to make everything with the supplies I have.

Today is Kai's birthday! Woo hoo. I'm ready for the food fest. Tonight we'll be having pizza and stromboli, and tomorrow we'll be having a 3 footer (Italian, of course - because that's what Kai likes.) from Shoprite. I'm looking forward to taking the dogs to my parents' yard. I don't think my mom feels the same way, though. I hope she realizes that I'm bringing them. I even bought Xerxes a manly diaper for the occasion. (I found asking a Petsmart employee for a peeband very awkward for some reason.) I plan on lining it with maxi pads. He's going to look so freakin' adorable!

My Computer Has The Flu...

Something very unfortunate has happened in my neck of the woods. My home computer has the flu. She started showing symptoms last week and has steadily degraded ever since. At this point she is unresponsive and in desperate need of technical attention. Due to this sad circumstance, my posting on this blog will become much more erratic than it already is. I hope that someday soon, my poor computer will once again frolic happily through the internets.

As a quick update, I'd like to announce the completion of yet another dishcloth. The Lattice Hearts Dishcloth is now happily tucked away in the Christmas presents box. I can't show you a picture because ::sniff sniff:: well, you know. I did post it on my Flickr, so if you REALLY want to see it, click on my Flickr badge. I've started a couple more dishcloths (I'm on a roll!) including my new "at work" project, the Christmas Scene Dishcloth.

My poor, poor Darby has an ear infection. Well, it's a yeast infection to be exact, but it's in her ear, which makes it sound a bit more palatable. (Yes, I said palatable.) She's been exhibiting symptoms for a while now, but I thought I'd be able to clear it up with some over the counter products. (Don't worry, I've had PLENTY of experience with doggie yeast infections. My parents' dog gets them often.) Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, and last night the two of us (Well, actually the four of us since Kai had to drive me, and Xerxes can't be left alone.) made a trip to the vet. After a quick look and swipe, the vet handed over some medicine and charged me $118.50. Yes, you read that right. $118.50. It made me cry a little. Darby now takes ear drops 2 times a day. She finds the process annoying, and Xerxes finds it downright terrifying. He pees a little when he sees her getting "medicated." What can I say? He's nuts.

I don't think I'll be getting too much knitting done this weekend due to it being Kai's birthday weekend. We have lots planned. We'll be going to his parents' house on Friday (Robert is coming to babysit-yay!) and my parents' house on Saturday. I feel a little unprepared since I haven't wrapped anything. His gifts are scattered across South Jersey due to my ::tear:: computer problem. (I had other people order them.) Oh, and I have a ton of house cleaning to do on Saturday. Ugh.

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.