Updates

Dear Mom,
Patsy is being de-programmed re-programmed re-finished re-trained.

So are we.

There is so much to say on the subject and the subject itself is so exhausting that I am not going to write about it too much. It has been just over 24 hours and I already see a different dog. I see the possibility of spinning yarn in my own house with my dog present. As I write this, Patsy is perfecting her "on the rug,down, stay" and so far she gets an A+. I could weep.

To be honest, I felt on the lunatic fringe of an anxiety attack after the meeting with the trainer on Monday night. So many new rules and new behaviors. FOR ME. Well, not just me- for all the humans living in the house. Now that I think about it, the only one getting off scott free is Bumper.

I was so stirred up Monday night that I had to cast on a new project that is in no way tied to any sort of Christmas knitting.
I have no business doing that, but nevertheless, I did. It was therapeutic. And it is one of those things that I have no idea what I will do with when it is finished and probably has no place in my wardrobe, but I love knitting it, love how it is turning out and that is enough.
It is Stephen West's Daybreak, and here it is modeled by the Young Man's leftover bowl of Cheerio's.

And a close up.

I am using two different skeins of Claudia's Hand Painted fingering weight yarn from the stash. So even though I have failed on my Sock a Week resolution, I am still using up sock yarn.
This is not my first Stephen West design. My Handspun Shawl was knit following his Boneyard Shawl pattern. And then after reading Melissa's blog I had the itch to start another. Along with Daybreak, I downloaded the patterns for Urbana, Chadwick and Flagstone. I am hoping to use some of my handspun and my abundance of sock yarn for these scarves.

In a further knitting update, I see my pattern for "Grandpa's Socks" will be in the January 2011 issue of Creative Knitting magazine-if you scroll down on that page you will see them.
And! I've added a new pattern to Warm Thoughts. The North Porch Hat is one of my best selling designs and the Husky, Hasty North Porch Hat was designed as a companion to the Cowl Catcher and as something that can be knitted up quickly if a last minute Christmas knit is needed.

I think that about covers it. Looks like we are going to be gifted with a couple more days of perfect weather. Maybe I'll give the windows a shine today!
Love,
Kim