Ooops! and BYOB

Back a few weeks ago, I posed a question to you guys - when should I celebrate my blogiversary... well, since I have now oops-ed by two days, I guess I'll have to wait a little longer if I want to extol the virtues and benefits of blogging.... I am such a ding-dong sometimes (I was born a blond).

Oh well. Onward. I have been working feverishly on my BYO Bag. It is almost done (see?).



It is a little different from the original (the blue and lime ones below were knit by the designer, Moira Ravenscroft),


but I like to think of my changes as improvements, variations. Or, I like to stray from the pattern so as to imprint my own sense of style? Ok, so you don't buy any of that? Here's my rationale: (1) I used stash which did not include enough of the suggested yarn to make an entire bag and I did not want to spend any money right now (2) I like variegated yarns; and (3) what the heck? I went for it! LOL. I decided to introduce subtle changes by moving from seed stitch to stockinette to show differences in texture instead of changes in color. It is really hard to tell in this photo though, so once I get it completed, I'll post another photo so we can see if my changes work. Either way, it will be a useful bag and one I will enjoy for a long time to come.

Happy Tax Day, fellow Americans!

This is neat - Knitting Blogger's Favorite Recipes

This link will take you to the above site:

http://www.k1p1k2tog.typepad.com/knitting_bloggers_favorit/

am I?

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

DOT 040209 Dog Adoptions

Last week, I wrote about my sister and family who were thinking about adopting a doggie girlfriend for the family. Sunday they did drive out to Cumberland County and visited a lovely foster home to meet BB (for Big Blue eyes)... everyone seemed to like each other, so BB came home with them to see how it all works out. Beth, my sis, reports that Mrs. BB is coming along nicely. She is a shy girl and has evidently been mistreated by some menfolks in her past. She's warmed to Beth more than D and J, but they are calm types so it shouldn't take her too long to figure out they are good guys. Below is a photo of BB in her first few hours at her new home. What a sweet girl! I am looking forward to meeting her soon.

DOT 03.26.09 Petfinder

This is not my usual kind of Dogs on Thursday post. Dogs on Thursday celebrates each of our relationships with our dogs, our friends dogs, our parents dogs, and dogs in general. We love them; all of us; and they love us.

In order to keep the chain of love growing, Petfinder.com connects needy dogs (cats and other pets too) and humans.

You may remember a few months ago when I said goodbye to my sister's lovely Lady. Lady had been a comforting member of the family for a very, very long time. Well, I think they are ready to let another doggie girl (or boy) into their hearts and home. DS (dear sister) sent me a Petfinder link to a pretty little doggie girl with a note stating that they hoped to meet her this upcoming weekend! I am happy for them and for whoever they bring home with them. I don't want to identify the specific pup in case it does not work out for some reason. I know you understand. Once they bring their new fur-baby home, I'll get a photo posted of my new dog-niece or -nephew ... hey, that may be next week's post! Cool!

Here's a link to the shelter they are going to visit. This is one that I am not familiar with (which is kind of strange because I like to keep up with things like this). New Journey Animal Rescue in Cumberland County, Virginia.

Joe, my dachshund, came to me through Petfinder. I have a soft spot for them.

Blogiversary

Chan's post about her anniversary of blogging got me thinking: how long have I been blogging? I looked back and find that I actually have two milestones I can celebrate.

I started my blog on April 13, 2005. I am born, so to speak, to quote David Copperfield and Charles Dickens. 2005 is significant because I restarted my grown-up, single life in February when my divorce became final.

I actually figured out what to do and how to blog in earnest, though, on June 5, 2007. I think the 2007 date is more significant b/c it is after I joined TNK and continued on my path of finding myself (no, I won't digress).

So, the question is: which should I celebrate? Please comment - you guys decide and let me know.

DOT031909

This is Sampson:

Well, he looks a little scary up there, but below is another shot of the whole dog, the complete dog.



Looks a little less scary here, eh?
Sam is a rescued Boxer. Chris's family adopted him several years ago. A year or so before they got him, he was involved in attempting to apprehend a speeding automobile ... ok, he was chasing a car. It stopped and he ran into it, full tilt! You can't see it in either of these two photos, but Sam's muzzle is lopsided due to doggie facial reconstruction. Yep, his sweet face leans to the left when you hold his muzzle in your hands. He is a very sweet boy and thoroughly enjoys his belly rubs!

Like many boxers, he suffers from problems with his hips. Sam gets accupuncture treatments about once a month to manage the pain and increase his mobility.

Wild Violet Homespun and a Contest **

What's prettier than that?! Just something knitted or crocheted with that!

It is called Wild Violet and it is homespun and can be found here on Etsy. If you are not familiar with Etsy, you may not want to go there!!! Your wallet will be happier.

Dani is giving away a sample and you can read about the contest here. I met Dani on Ravelry and followed her to the blog. I hope my blog entry about her yarn gets picked b/c I love love love the colors! They are just my colors, don't cha think??

DD&DOT031209

Domino, Daffodils and Dogs on Thursday

It's about 52 degrees right now (8 a.m. EDT); yesterday it was 80... welcome to spring in central Virginia!

So many photos, so little time to sit down and plan a blog post. I was trying to let my photos speak for themselves, but then I started editorializing.

First up we have Domino, our kitty - she says, "Whaaaat?!"

Next is a photo I snapped of some of my daffodils that line the driveway; even though it is overcast, they still make me happy. What is it about yellow?

Last but not least is Lady. Miss Lady came to visit and basically never left. Her 'real' parents got divorced; she was unhappy living with just her mom so her dad took her, but then the adult daughter moved in (with her dog - another story in itself). New dog, being an aggressive sort, bullied poor old Miss Lady big time, so I said she could stay with us for a little while (thinking that when the daughter got herself together and moved back out, Lady could go back). Almost two years later, daughter just moved out recently, but Lady would be unhappy back with dad ... he's never there and she'd miss her fur-step-siblings... What's a kind heart (read sucker) to do?

On a final note, please click the Dogs on Thursday button on the sidebar and visit some of the other fur-families!

Don't you love a good Give-away?

I ran across this blog just last week and began following it. I added it to my side bar too. They're doing a cool give-away this week and I wanted to post about it so I could qualify for 2 entries - if you're not a fiber addict, just hang on and I'll post about something else (hopefully interesting) soon!

Thank you for stopping by here and please go read about the Desert Garden line of cool fiber schtuff!

DOT March 3, 2009

What a ball o' fire!

Here's lil Missy Jetta - sleeping, exhaustedly. By her nose is a piece of her stuffed cow (cow is now gone, having suffered the fate of many doggie toys - terminal toy disease known as Stuffednomore), where she can grab it and run if necessary! Her pillow? Joe, of course!

Snow!

This is / was the view out the 2nd bathroom window, looking toward the west (and please excuse the screen you can actually see in the foreground):



I took this photo late Monday afternoon. Pretty, isn't it?