Fall has arrived!

Okay, so technically Fall started last week, but it's finally made its way to my knitting. After breaking up the short fling I had with some way too bright pink yarn, I re-cast-on for a pair of fingerless gloves in a more autumnal colorway.

I'm just starting the cable pattern and I have to say, I LOVE this yarn! Love the colorway. Love the feel of the yarn. Love the way it's knitting up. These should be nice and toasty for the chilly mornings to come. Sometimes, a yarn and pattern just do not mesh. This is not one of those times. Stay tuned for finished pics...

I have a problem

I love finding awesome deals on yarn. Yarn I don't really need. But it's just so irresistably pretty, dontcha think? Six skeins of this yummy mohair, wool, silk blend now reside in my stash. Well, my hotel room for now. heh It's not fattening... or illegal... so it's all good, right? ;-) And under $20 for the lot of it! How can that be bad? Heck, if the heat goes out, I can always just bury myself in my stash to survive, right?

I do believe the company I got this from is covering up the fact that they've perfected that method of transport used in Star Trek movies and beamed this to me. I placed my order late, late Wednesday night... and it was waiting at the hotel for me Friday afternoon! Wow. Okay, so it was only coming from Vermont and I'm in western upstate New York, but still. Now, what to do with it? I think this needs to be some sort of shawl or wrap. Any suggestions? I have 1200 yds and it's 8 sts/24 rows to 4" on US7 and a boucle (Wool In The Woods Harmony) - not looking to use all 1200 yds, obviously. heh =)

I started my fingerless gloves... and then frogged them. I'd started them on US6 dpns and realized quickly they were too big. I also realized... I didn't like this yarn as fingerless gloves. I loved that yarn in the ball. Still do. And it'll be perfect for something... just not fingerless gloves. ;-) At least, not for me. So I left that yarn at home last weekend and brought back some purple/blue/green variegated wool to restart my gloves. This colorway seems much more fall-like anyway. Pics to come...

BTW - Reilly is doing much, much better this weekend. Though it took longer than anyone (including two vets) expected and racked up a couple more vet bills along the way, he's apparently back to his old, bouncy self. =D Woo!

Hmm, any techies reading this? I know next to nothing about html. Is there an easy fix to make this section wider? So it doesn't cut off the edge of my pics? Just curious. It bugs me. =)

It's times like this I hate my job

Poor little guy. He's had a rough month. First, it was cysts that had to be removed, followed by him puling out stitches requireing a trip to the emergency vet's almost an hour away on a Sunday (of course) the last weekend I was home. Now, just as the time neared to get his staples removed, I come home and find this pitiful sight. Not exactly what I was hoping for when I got home at nearly 11:30 Friday night! He'd apparently been sick (not eating... this dog never refuses food!) since the afternoon though my mother decided to ignore this huge warning sign and even went to bed, leaving him in my bedroom where he'd thrown up multiple times. Yes, I'm beyond PO'd. So... half an hour after walking in the door, we were in the car heading to the emergency vet's again with a very sick little dog. Finally got back home just after 3a and spent the rest of the night mostly awake - Reilly and me anyway. Morning finally came around and things hadn't improved so off we headed to the local vet to see if there was any more to be done to help him feel better and to be sure it wasn't something more serious. X-rays thankfully came back clear so no blockage (which would have required surgery). Turns out it's gastroenteritis triggered by who knows what and the little guy has to take three different meds twice a day for the next week. He got fluids today to counteract dehydration and some special food (which he still won't touch). I'm just hoping I can get him to eat in the morning before I head back to the airport and back to NY. I really wish I could stay home until the pup is better. Times like this are when this job really sucks.

Fun-guy!

The hotel was repainting the parking lot today (yes, on a Sunday morning) so I had to be out and about by 10 this morning. Wasn't sure where I was headed when I left, but decided to just pick somewhere that popped up on my GPS and see what I'd find. I picked a nature park about 20 miles away and headed off. There was a nice little trail from the parking area to Shaver Pond, offering lots of opportunity to use my too-often-of-late neglected camera. When I don't shoot for awhile, I forget how much fun it is!

It was a beautiful walk...

and I found a few interesting fun-guys along the way. =)

Even found someone ready for his (or her) close-up!

There are definite signs of autumn...

I can't wait for autumn to fully show its colors. There is one good thing about being stuck here for a few months - New England Autumn!

I see moose!

The other day, I worked in an office in a small townnorth of Albany, just a few miles from the New York/Vermont border. I finished the office early so I decided to go for a little drive. Hadn't been to Vermont before! So off I went to the nearest town, Bennington, to see what I could see. And what did I see? Moose! Very cool, painted moose to be exact.
And one covered in tiny photos:
Yep, very cool. They have an annual Moosefest and hire artists to decorate a dozen new moose every year. There are more pics of the other moose in my flickr account if you're interested. =) So, if you're anywhere near Benningtong in your travels, stop by and check out the moose!

Organic, Low-Salt, Low-Sugar, Vegetarian...

Why must I choose only one? I was looking at ketchup the other day at the grocery. There were so many options! Now, I can choose standard recipe, thick, low-salt, low-sugar, organic, spicy, the options are almost limitless! Don't get me wrong, I love that the choices are there... but why do I have to choose only one? This is pretty much across the board with all packaged foods. Why can't I choose low-salt and low-sugar and organic??? Does it not make sense that many people who would choose any of these options, might want them all? Frustrating. Any wonder I prefer to cook myself?

It was supposed to be a stress-free weekend...

Does this look stress-free?
Yeah, I didn't think so either. Poor little guy. Had some skin cysts removed a few days ago, wasn't given an e-collar by the vet (really, what is wrong with that vet?!) and he pulled out some of the stitches so had to deal with the mess and have things fixed... with a trip to the emergency vet's 45 miles away. *sigh*
I do think I figured out the inspiration for the first "pill pockets" though!
haha Worked like a charm! Reilly does love his fruits (and veggies too)!
It's been nice having the house to myself this weekend (my mother is visiting her mother and my sis in OH). I've organized the freezer finally. One of the few places in the kitchen I haven't overhauled since being here. I picked up a couple of plastic shoe boxes today to wrangle in the smaller items in the hope that my mother will actually look and see what she has before buying more stuff. I can dream, right?
I also picked up a couple of shallow storage bins to slip under my bed so I could move the large red suitcase (that's been holding a good chunk of my stash) out of my bedroom and into the basement... where I discovered my mother now has THREE bicycles. *sigh* One is older, though I'm sure, still usable as much as she would actually use it if it was cleaned up and serviced. She had a newer model in the garage that probably just needs new tires or something. Now there's a third in the garage... brand new... tags still on. I don't know the last time she actually rode a bike. I guess my attempts at helping her declutter aren't helping...
Anyhoo, I sorted my stash mainly by fiber content and decided my two balls of this:
are destined to become fingerless gloves! So pretty! And will go perfectly with my black wool coat. =) Haven't picked a design yet. I'm open to suggestions...
I also came across this:
Such a pretty, pale lavender and so very soft! I'm thinking baby something. Baby what, I don't know. A sweater perhaps? Or possibly a hat and matching booties? Decisions, decisions. Again, open to suggestions!
Some of the stash isn't making the cut. Once I saw it all together, some skeins just didn't inspire a desire to knit. I'm thinking of putting together a bag to pass on to someone... I've also got a bag full of clothes, shoes and purses mostly, ready to donate to Goodwill or somewhere. Planned to take care of that today, but the little guy had other plans. Ah, well, the longer the bag is here, the more that will end up in there! =) Just gotta get it out of the house before my mom realizes it's donation stuff and decides to sort through it...

Twisty Fun!

Socks! Finally. Here's pair #3 for the year. Yeah, I'm not exactly prolific. heh I started these back at the beginning of February in Indiana. They went to Seattle with me... then to Arizona... and more recently, to upstate New York. Do socks earn frequent flyer miles?!?

Gotta say though, now that they're done... I LOVE them! They're so bright and fun and so very comfy!

The yarn is Beyond Basic Knits Superwash Sock in Lemonade Twist. I grabbed the skein on the way to Knit Night one night, needing something to work on. I cast on, not knowing where I was going with these. After finishing the first toe, I realized this colorway just screamed for cables. I worked out a simple cable pattern that worked with my stitch count and off I went. The first sock went quickly. The second... not so much. =) I didn't keep any notes on the first sock and realized once I got an inch or so into the cuff on sock #2 that I'd begun the cuff ribbing too soon. I hate ripping back! So I put it off. Finally picked these back up on Sunday, ripped back the rows I needed to and off I went, finishing up and weaving in ends Monday night. Now I have one more pair of handknit socks to brighten up my sock drawer. =)