Brrrrrrr!

The first hard frost of the season.....

Another Foggy Morning

Perfect for enjoying some quiet time knitting with a fire going in the wood stove. I decided to pull out a shawl pattern that I've been working on for some time. Pictured here is my "swatch". I knit this just to see how the lace patterns would play together. It's knit from small skeins (samples really) of hand spun Shetland wool. The larger version I'm currently working on is also being knit from hand spun Shetland wool. A worsted weight. Most of the shawl is done. I'm working on the lace edging. After the worsted weight version is done I plan on knitting yet another one using fingering weight yarn. Then I will go through the pattern making sure it is as close to error free as I can get it and release it, hopefully, sometime before Christmas. I'm definitely not one of those prolific designers who release multiple patterns on a monthly basis. I enjoy the entire process to much to rush it.  :)

There were some pleasant surprises outside today. Like this:

And this:

And this:

Tinking.....again. :(

I'm starting to feel like I'm actually going backwards instead of making any forward progress with the warm shawl. Picked it up to work on it for a bit this morning. Spent more time tinking than knitting. First I ended up knitting the same row twice even though I looked at both my chart and my row counter to see where I was. Tink, tink, tink. Then I turned the piece into two-sided lace by knitting the next right side row instead of a wrong side row. Tink, tink, tink. I did manage to knit the next few rows with no mistakes but am finding the piece rather stressful to work on. I'm constantly double checking myself now. Did I count that right? Did I knit the right row? Are things lining up right? Are they where they're supposed to be? Seems like the harder I try, the more I screw up. This is a relatively straight forward piece of lace. I honestly don't know why I'm having such a hard time with it. I know I should just set it aside and work on something else for a bit. Clear my mind. Come back to it with fresh eyes and a new outlook. I feel obligated to work on it until it is done simply because it is a test knit (although the pattern has already been released and there is an ongoing KAL for it at this time). So frustrating!!!!!

I'm going out to work in the barnyard and pasture for a bit. At least I can vent some of my frustration while cleaning up camelids piles. Who knows? Maybe a few of the sheep will come over for some loving. It always makes me feel better to see their tails wagging when they are enjoying a good scratch. 

Aren't they cute? Cable caps for my Hi-ya Hi-ya interchangeables.

My "boys"

There was a comment on my last post about how having a special bond with a dog makes life so much better. It got me to thinking about the other "boys" that share my home and my life. The bond with each one is different....which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Let's start with the oldest...Rudy. Rudy is a golden retriever mix that we adopted from the pound when he was five weeks old. He is now 11 years old and doesn't get around as well as he used to. He has really bad hips that don't always work like they should. Rudy is my farm dog. He's always with me and is incredibly patient. He will wait for however long it takes me to do something even in the worst of weather. He is devoted to me and I would be lost without him. He is the reason I got Tucker. It is my hope that Rudy will teach a Tucker how to be a great farm dog like he is so that one day Tucker can take over allowing Rudy a well deserved rest.

Onto the miniature dachshunds. There are 3 of them. Two of them my loving hubby brought home. Ratt was the first one he brought home. Ratt was a rescue. He was in a very abusive living situation (as was my oldest but I won't get into that). He was very timid when he first came to us. Skulked around and cringed at any loud sounds. Ratt has been with us for four years now. He is very trusting and very affectionate. His favorite place to be is in my hubby's lap being loved on. Ratt is the dapple and tan in the photo.

Pictured with Ratt is Dexter. My hubby brought him when my youngest figured out that she simply couldn't give him all that he wanted and needed. Dexter is a very demanding dog. When he wants something he wants it now and will let you know. He is devoted to my hubby. Loves him to pieces. He spends his days waiting for my hubby to walk through the door. He does love the spinning wheel. Loves to hear the soft "whirring" noise it makes. He will get as close to the wheel as he can (sometimes using the treadle as a pillow)  and fall asleep with a smile on his face. (Yes, they do smile. Super cute to see.)

The last of the dachshunds is Harley. He is the smallest of them all. He is my "little piece of chocolate". He's never far from me. My hubby gave me Harley during a rather difficult time. My miniature schnauzer wasn't doing well and we knew he wouldn't be with us for much longer. My hubby thought that Harley would help ease the pain of losing my miniature schnauzer....which he did. Harley and I have a very close bond that is a bit hard to put into words. He's always with me. When he's not with me he's watching me. He always knows where I am.....and hates having a closed door between us. He is very protective of me. Sometimes I feel as though my miniature schnauzer told Harley that it was his turn to watch over me.....as silly as it sounds. My miniature schnauzer was the same way Harley is. 

Why or how each dog found their way to our home isn't really relevant. They have each created their own unique place here. Each of them has blossomed (or is still blossoming in Tucker's case) into the amazing individuals they are. While I may not have that special bond with each one, that's okay. There is still plenty of love in the house. There is always someone there who will cuddle with you when you are feeling blue. They all feel safe, secure, and happy. When it's all said and done that really is the only thing that matters.

Did we ever think we would have five dogs? No. Definitely not. Does it get chaotic around here? At times....YES!!! Especially when they are running through the house playing. Do they all get along? Yes. We monitor their interactions with each other and only intervene when absolutely necessary. They all have their own unique personalities and it's important that they learn to respect each other. Would we change things? Definitely not. I can't imagine not having any of them.

Have you met Tucker?

I'm guessing not since I failed to introduce him when he first arrived (was too distracted with the new sock machine). Tucker is my five month old Great Dane/Bloodhound mix puppy. He was an "oops". A very pleasant "oops".  :)  I was given pick of the litter and chose Tucker shortly after he was born. He got to come home at 9 weeks old. Even though this was the first time we saw each other there was an instant connection. He ran right up to me without any hesitation as if he knew he was finally home.

It's been amazing to watch Tucker grow. When he first arrived he was a baby at 20 pounds. At 3 months he weighed 44 pounds and was about 20" at the shoulder. At 4 months he weighed in at 62 pounds and I have yet to get him to stand still long enough to see how tall he is at the shoulder. He has learned to manage his gangly legs and very large feet.....which makes for a very active puppy, albeit a very large one.  :)

He is incredibly intelligent. Picks things up very quickly....when he's not practicing his selective hearing skills. Very loving and affectionate. He just hasn't realized how large he is yet. He still thinks he can climb in your lap for hugs. He is very, very vocal. He "talks" a lot!!! He will let you know what he thinks about everything.  :)  He has even been known to "back talk" when he is told to do something that he doesn't want to do.  He's definitely something very special and I can't imagine life without him....even on his most trying days (and there's been a few).

Tucker at 9 weeks.

Tucker at 3 months sitting with Ratt, one of our miniature dachshunds.

Tucker at 4 months sitting with Harley, another of our miniature dachshunds. Harley is the smallest weighing in at 9 1/2 pounds. He is also Tucker's playmate. It's funny to watch them chasing each other around the yard. Harley is quick to let Tucker know when he is too rough or has stepped on him.

Pea Soup

The fog that has rolled in this morning is as thick as pea soup. Started off wispy. Now it's hard to see the outbuildings, trees, or pasture fence from the house. Wonder how long it will take to dissipate....

Frustration....

That's exactly what I'm feeling with not one, but two projects I'm currently working on. One project is a knitting project.....the Orenburg warm shawl (formerly known as the test knit). I'll be moving right along, feeling the "flow" of the lace, thinking things are great......until I do a stitch count. And find I'm one stitch off. After hours (sometimes days) of going over the piece I finally find where I lost that single stitch........10 rows down.  :(   Happened again today.  And this time the "oops" is staying.  I've spent more time tinking than I have knitting. Or at least it seems like it. At this rate one of two things will happen. It won't get finished until sometime next year. Or I will get so frustrated with it that it will be put aside and never finished.  I've got 31 out of 47 teeth finished on the first border. I'm hoping that once the first border is done the other 3 will go quicker. After all, I've been making all the mistakes in this one.....and I really do want to finish this project.

My other frustrating project is a spinning one. I fell in love with this roving. Loved the color and thought the blend would be a fun spin (darn near has everything in it but the kitchen sink). Not so much. The staple length is much shorter than I anticipated or really enjoy working with (3" or shorter). Quite a few of the "ingredients" in this roving are rather slick.....combine that with the relatively short staple length....not a terribly fun spin. At least not for me. I had started out spinning this on support spindles and wasn't really enjoying it. Thought it would go much quicker and be a bit more fun on the wheel. While it is going quicker, still isn't any fun. I'm only pushing through because I really love the finished yarn (which was spun on supported spindles). I hope I can finish spinning this up soon. I really want to spin up some Shetland. That's always a great spin for me.   :)