A Lovely Gift

Knitting

I received the loveliest gift from Bridget.



Aren't they sweet? These are five stitch markers made to resemble Fame. Each marker is in a different position, sitting, begging, laying down, playing, standing. They have Fame's white face marking and her half white collar. Since I always carry some knitting project in my purse, I'll always have these markers with me to remember Fame. So thoughtful of Bridget. Thank you so much!

These stitch markers were made by WeeOnes Creations.



So what am I knitting these days? I've set aside my Cameo sweater. I have completed the body, still need to do the button and neck band and the sleeves. I'll finish the sweater, I'm not unhappy with it at all, just bored and needed a change. I started the Bath Time Blossoms, a project I've always wanted to knit. I'm enjoying this very much. It's fast knitting and enough variety to keep me interested. I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fine and really like this yarn. It's just the size and texture of yarn I enjoy working with and knits up easily. I am currently using two different shades of lavender and white for this project, which I plan to give as a gift. I see me ordering more Cotton Fine in the future in my favorite colors.

I've also decided to teach myself a little about quilting. No, I do not have plans to become a master quilter or anything, I simply want to learn enough to make a few small quilts of my own. I took a class but it didn't go very well. I did not learn much and left with the feeling I was imposing on the teacher. My choice of first project may also may have been partly to blame as turned out to be almost all fusible applique and didn't give me much chance to learn about cutting and piecing. So I've been scouring the web and library books for knowledge. I taught myself to knit and I don't remember that being too difficult, but teaching myself to quilt seems very challenging. Maybe I've gotten too old to learn! No pictures to show yet but I promise to share my failures along with my successes. Hopefully there will be some successes.

Dogs

Nothing new on the dog front. We have agility trials this coming weekend - outdoors, with forecast of rain and chilly temps. Doesn't that sound like fun? It's my birthday this weekend and I'm thinking JJ could give me the gift of passing his final Open Jumpers course and moving on to the Excellent Jumpers class. Are you listening JJ? No, he's sound asleep, snoring in his dog bed.

Thank You

A sincere thank you to everyone who sent me comments or email on my loss of Fame. I'm sorry I haven't replied to each of you individually. Honestly, it's still too hard. Having bred/owned/trained/exhibited Pembrokes for 30 years, you'd think I'd be beyond this, but I'm not. Fame was so young, so full of potential, so wanted to enjoy life. It hurts so bad that she never got the chance.

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

- Crowfoot

Fame

Kantishna Remember My Name
8/25/2007 - 8/16/2009

Fame, I will always remember your name. You will live forever with me. You were so very, very special.

Time For Prayers

I know I've asked before, but it's time again for many prayers and positive thoughts for my Fame.

Fame started to agglutinate this evening. This means her hemolytic anemia is active again. It had been under control since her terrible crisis back in December of 2008. In December her HCT was 12. That's so near death I don't even want to think about it. This evening, her HCT as 21.3, or maybe it was 21.7, I forget, I was so upset. So we started Fame on loads of pred again along with cyclosporine. Tomorrow we will start antibiotics and some kind of human medicine (sorry, forgot the exact name) to help her stomach cope with all the prednisone she will be on. Tomorrow we will also decide if she needs a blood transfusion or not.

I've already been warned by many knowledgeable and insightful people that the second, or Lord help us, third or fourth time around, battling this disease is much more difficult with not a very positive outcome. I'm willing to fight for Fame as long as she is willing and able to fight. Please send us your best.

Fame's New Hobbles

Knitting

I know I said I was going to warp my rigid heddle loom instead of knitting and even though I had a large block of time this past Sunday for doing just that, I ended up knitting on my Cameo sweater instead. I am hoping to get to the joining of the front and back before I set this project on the side burner.



The sweater looks as if it could fit a doll doesn't it? I am totally winging it as far as gauge goes. I could get the suggested pattern gauge on US size 8 needles but didn't like the looseness of the stitch pattern at that size. I played around with several other needle sizes and decided I liked the look of the Broken Rib pattern on US size 5 needles best. So I am trying to fit my gauge on size 5 needles to the size of the sweater. Wish me luck! If it doesn't fit, oh well, it's the learning process that counts right? Actually, when I hold it up to my favorite sweaters, it seems okay. It is a very "stretchy" pattern. Failure or success, I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Dogs

Fame was fitted with her Dog Leggs this afternoon. Fame has been diagnosed with MSI, medial shoulder instability, similar to rotator cuff injury in humans. Supposedly, these braces will keep her shoulders stable for the next 4 months and allow her ligaments to heal. I'm so, SO happy Fame survived her hemolytic anemia, now I just need her to survive the side effects of the drugs that saved her.



Sorry for the fuzzy picture but Fame is still adjusting to her hobbles and can't seem to sit still for the camera. Keep your fingers crossed for my little Fame-ous!

Busy Summer

Fame survived her bamboo knitting needle, knitting pattern and yarn eating experience just fine. Can't say the same for my mother's bed socks. They were so saturated with dog saliva and slobber I tossed the entire project into the garbage. I did order more yarn and the pattern (again) and plan to start over. I was enjoying knitting those socks, I just don't have the ambition to start it over so soon.

Knitting

Meanwhile, I started the Cameo sweater from Custom Knits.



This is Rowan Cashsoft DK in a creamy white. (Yes, I know, I've been in a "white" mood lately.) Love the yarn, enjoying the pattern. However, my right index finger has still not healed. Perhaps you remember my complaining about it this past winter. I injured my index finger many years ago and then last summer re-injured the very same spot when a knife slipped while I was cutting up lemons and limes. I use my right index finger to push the yarn along and am constantly irritating this finger all the time I am knitting.

I need to take a break from knitting. I'm not too happy about it but it needs to be done. This finger has got to heal! I plan to keep the Cameo sweater in my purse and knit while I have free moments, but I've decided to go back (way back) to weaving on my rigid heddle loom.



I used to be a decent weaver. Though I haven't done it in years I'm sure I can learn again. Above is a picture of one of eight placements I wove way back in 1975. They've held up nicely. These are made of 100% linen. It's time to pick up this hobby again and give my sore finger a rest.

Having said that, I need to find a large block of time to re-learn how to warp my loom and that's a problem. My busy summers do not lend themselves to big blocks of unused time. I'll update my blog with pictures as I start the process of warping, whenever that may be.

Dogs

The dogs and I have been doing lots of agility trials lately. We've had some very successful weekends and some less than such weekends. Still, we've always had fun.



I've been feeling guilty about ignoring obedience this spring so beginning in June, have made a conscious effort to do more obedience training especially with Dusty, Shamrock and Bunny. My goal is obedience trials starting in August. We'll see how it goes. I'm in the office much of the rest of June and those two hours of commuting time each day mean a negative two hours a day for dog training. Oh well, it's good to have a job.

Fame is having more health problems. Fame started limping on her left shoulder when she was on so much prednisone for her hemolytic anemia. Although off the pred, Fame still limped intermittently through the winter and spring. The limping is constant now. I was able to get Fame in to see Dr. Julia at Twin City Animal Rehab where she was diagnosed with MSI, Medial Shoulder Instability. Big Bummer! The pred saved her life but the muscle wasting side effect has caused another serious problem.

Fame was measured for and will be fitted with shoulder braces next week. I'll take pictures of her in her "hobbles" once they arrived. It will be four full months of shoulder braces for Fame along with tons of crate rest and stretching exercises, walking only, no running and absolutely no agility, ball chasing or playing with her housemates! Fingers crossed she'll be able to do obedience and agility after all this sacrifice.

Meanwhile, I'm relaxing tonight in preparation for a very busy upcoming work week. Here's a little relaxation I created. It's one part vodka, two parts Pom Juice, a splash of OJ and 2-3 ice cubes. Excellent if I do say so myself.



Now I must go. It is thundering out and this sends Dusty into a total state of panic. Time to go rescue my little friend from his terror.