Garter Stitch Plus

I have been knitting this scarf. The base is plain garter stitch in a combination of sea colours which I spun up a while ago.

I'm now knitting--would you believe a ruffle! I'll do one along each long edge of the scarf.

And you can see my dogs are still being up close and personal while I take things easy.

Heart

I'm working on my contribution to a quilt for a friend who has recently retired. We share a love of dogs amongst other things. The design is quite simple with different people embellishing or signing a heart block. Yep, those are doggy paw prints on the fabric.

I've just been browsing through boxes of fabrics to choose other relevant motifs.

Operating System

My task last night was to upgrade the operating system on my computer. I'd done my research and purchased the necessary discs. I popped the CD into the drive and settled down in the armchair to read while it did it's thing. Then a couple of things happened. The computer started making clicking and whirring sounds. I'd expected that, but my dog Macc hadn't. As far as he's concerned, any unexpected noise must be due to a small animal that needs to be hunted down! Off he went to investigate the situation.
Unfortunately the next thing that happened was something that shouldn't have happened. The installation disc got stuck and couldn't complete the upgrade. I'm sure it had nothing to do with Macc's hunting activities. This morning I'm off to the shops to exchange the discs and see if I can get the thing to work. Hopefully when I try it again I'll have more success and maybe Macc's "operating system" will have been updated, so he doesn't misinterpret the unexpected computer sounds as some sort of rodent.

Lists

I'm heading out of town later today. I have a friend's wedding to prepare for as well as the usual holiday bits and pieces. In these situations I just love to have a list of things to do. I wrote one out before going to bed last night. That minimised the urgent mental reminders which would otherwise have interfered with my sleep.

The extra twist on holiday preparations for me is keeping my dogs happy. I have a friend coming to look after them, so it's all good from that point of view, but they have an uncanny ability to detect any form of packing activity--even if I don't pull out my suitcase until the last moment!

As for the clever reminder gizmo, I picked it up from an office supply store a while back. It hangs on the front door knob to hold my keys and any other bits and pieces which I want to have to hand just as I head out. It's not nearly big enough to handle today's lists, though.

After a Long Day

Yesterday was one of those long days: the sort of day when I look at my diary and see that the ratio of commitments to available time and energy just doesn't compute. I don't allow that to happen often these days. One of my big realisations in the past few years has been that I cannot be in more than one place at the one time. I've been a bit of a slow learner in that regard. Yesterday's timetable didn't require that particular impossibility. There was enough time between each appointment to get from point A to point B and even stop for a cup of coffee along the way. And there really wasn't anything I could reschedule, so I decided to do my best and tackle one thing at a time.

I left home at about 9.00am. I made my way step by step through the things I needed to do. I stopped for a snack and a coffee every few hours. Travelling around the city was hampered a little by rain showers and storms, but it was OK. I finally got home at about 10.00 pm. I was surprised that my dogs didn't greet me with their usual enthusiastic woofing. I walked down to my bedroom to let them in and put down my things only to find this:

Auuuggghhh!!!!

Somehow I'd failed to close the pet-door properly in the morning. My dogs know how much I love them--I guess they assumed I'd considerately given them the option of sheltering from the storms in the comfort of my bed. There was no hiding the fact that they'd accepted my generous invitation. I'm struggling about whether to confess the next point, but what the heck! I didn't have it in me to deal with the mess before going to sleep, but I did grab my camera and snap a shot while I was thinking about it. I brushed down what I could, got into my PJ's, wrapped myself a clean sheet, and tried to go to sleep. Now the washing machine is chugging away and I'm posting the evidence of a long, long day. Today my calender is quite free, and it's just as well.

Dual Purpose?

Last week I finished making a bag to carry my quilting equipment to and from class. I used it for the first time on Wednesday and it was great. I didn't have bit of rulers poking out all over the place and threatening to slide out of my hands. All the cutters were safely tucked into their little pockets. I was rather pleased with my efforts.

One of the complications of self-healing cutting mats is that they need to be stored flat--really flat--otherwise they take on the shape of whatever they've been stored against. Lumpy bumpy cutting mats are not a good thing, and I don't have many flat surfaces available in my sewing room, so they ended up (carefully) on the floor. That's where my dear dog came into the picture:

I've mentioned before that he likes to be near me as much as possible, but he also likes to be comfortable, and the floor in my sewing room has no suitable soft spots for a dog to snuggle into. So when he found this piece of padded fabric on the floor he decided to put it to use. What better use than as a spot for him to lie while I get on with my sewing tasks! I turned around to find him well settled. He was a bit less sure of himself by the time I'd picked up my camera, but he wasn't letting go of his comfortable spot. So my equipment carry bag was doubling as a dog mat--not quite what I intended, but I guess it's all a matter of priorities.

No.2 Dog

Yesterday it was the turn of No. 2 Dog to provide the image of relaxed contentment while I did my spinning: My two dogs take turns at enjoying this cushion in the front window--though the bigger of the two always gets his own way if he wants to be there--occasionally they share.

Meanwhile, I've moved on to spinning kid mohair tops, fine, for the next stage in my folio presentation. Today's the day to finish up anything I want to hand in before the assesssment and Exhibition. I'm trying to take a leaf out of my dogs' books and relax about the fact that it won't be complete. I have to confess, I'm not as good at relaxing as they are.

Guard Dog

I've been spending a lot of time at my spinning wheel lately. On days like today I'm trying to get a couple of hours in before it gets too warm to handle the fleece. This morning I was determined to finish my fine merino sample. It's done! I've just put it to soak in a bucket of warm water.

While I was spinning, I was watching my dog, Macc, on his cushion near the window. He's reliably located within a couple of metres of where I am. When I'm spinning, that's easy: he can lie in his favourite spot. When I'm in working in the sewing room, he'll take up a position in the light court outside or in the hallway--sometimes in the sewing room itself. He's less consipicuous then, except that as soon as I move away I can hear the sound of his paws clicking on the bamboo floor as he corrects his position . . . then he'll settle again within the 2 metre radius of where I am.

This morning I was sure he was asleep --except for one tell-tale ear half raised in anticipation of any movement. I could see him snuffling and twitching in his doggy "dreams", with his nose tucked under one paw. He looked so cute that I stopped spinning and reached for my camera. It was on the table beside me. All I had to do was switch it on, but that little whirring noise was enough. By the time I turned back to him, I got this look: Not asleep really! Now he's just come in to check on me at the computer.

My other dog is quite different. She takes her responsibilities equally seriously, but they are more based around woofing at anyone who enters her line of sight, not so much on where I am and what I'm doing. Now that I'm about to sign off this blog entry and go check on my yarn in the kitchen, I'm anticipating Macc's next move. How many seconds before he's right beside me again?

Puppy Love

OK, so they're way past being puppies--they are definitely middle aged dogs. But I found this fabric irresistable:

My task for this morning is to turn it into doggy bean bag covers. It will be just right for their favourite spot in the sun. I'm planning to make two--one in the wash, one in use--and hopefully I'll be able to keep them looking somewhat civilised--the bean bag covers, that is.

Cohorts and Companions

Here they are. . .

TopDog:

And Underdog--but don't tell her that!
I figure they may as well get straight into this blog, since they get into everything else:)

They have only once seriously threatened my textile work. That was when I brought home a bag full of unwashed bunny fluff. Years of breeding could not be denied. I ended up hiding it in the back of a bookshelf tied up in several layers of plastic bags, but they still took the place apart looking for it.

Most of my work ends up having a dog hair or two in it, despite my best efforts. I did consider registering "Hair of the Dog" as a business name, but thought better of it.