Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Recently Finished Knitting

Stuffed bear from a kit that someone gave me at the last knitting retreat. Originally kitted and sold by Monarch Knitting in Pacific Grove. Yarn is some mint green textured acrylic baby yarn and pattern is written by the owner of Monarch Knitting, Joan Williams. I over stuffed it so it looks more bearish, with the full belly and all. There was embroidery thread to stitch on the eyes, mouth and nose, but I'm too lazy for that. Plus Teddy looks like a pretty good match with Ms. Black. Maybe one day I'll find good looking eyes for both of them together.



An angel pillow top, my first major intarsia project. I don't usually do color work, still don't like it. Texture and structure are more of my type.

The pattern is from Nicky Epstein's Knitting for Your Home . Her angel is a blonde and mine has a full head of gray hair (gray mohair left over from an afghan. I'm dreaming my own will one day grow that long again). The wing is Fun Fur, and skirt is two shades of purple from Black Water Abbey Yarns.


Tuesday, December 26, 2006

A Decade of Trying

Bucky the pug dog is eleven years old. We have been taking him to Pugtacular, put up by the Northern California Pug Club, almost every year of his life. It used to be held at the Santa Clara County Fair Ground in San Jose, then it was moved San Mateo, and the recent years we've been trekking up to Antioch for our annual pug fit.


Every year Bucky enters the pug race, and every year there was always a spiffy little girl pug beat him by a fraction of a nose. We all thought Bucky was going to go down the history like Michelle Kwon, a permanent second place holder.


Then again sometimes in the deepest of my heart, I know if Bucky lives long enough he's going to win the race some day, even if he's the last one left standing.


This year was finally the time. The judge gave him a five-foot "disability advantage" along with another eleven-year-old (the rest of the pack were all seven and eight year-olds). Bucky ran with all his might to the cookie.


Fifteen minutes later Mom and Pug won the third place in "Pug and Owner Look Alike". We won second place when Bucky was a year old. The gray hair didn't help much.


The retired champion resting at home.


Monday, December 25, 2006

Knitterly Gifts


Through Knittalk gift exchange, I received this wonderful package from Anne. They are:
1. Felted oven mitten in a lovely neutural colorway, nice and thick and comfortable. Even has a loop to hang it up.
2. About 500m of hand dyed fingering weight alpaca, enough for a very nice lace scarf. It's heavenly soft. I'm digging in my pattern books and magazines for just the perfect pattern.
3. A chocolate box from Schakolad Chocolate Factory . It's a box made of chocolate, with truffles inside. Absolutely cute and delicious!
Don't you just love gift exchange? Especially with someone far away, you never know what kinds of yummy stuff will show up at your front door.

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus

She didn't see me creep
down the stairs to have a peep


Merry Christmas everyone!