Gimme some Hot Stuff Baby...

Today is, I believe, the 21st day in a row that Richmond, VA has seen 90+ degree heat. Generally speaking, I'm not one to complain too much about the heat, since I prefer hot to cold....but somehow, the hot of my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood is not the same hot I am experiencing now as a thirty-something. As much as I would like to chalk this up to global warming, I think the actual culprit is hormones. Some women start perimenopause in their 30s. I am not sure that this is full on perimenopause, but maybe it is peri-perimenopause...because I am finding the heat intolerable where I used to tolerate it easily. Not to mention that I am quite cranky on a regular basis these days and there are hairs growing out of my chin lately (sorry, Ryan, I know you hate talking about this stuff, but I'm all about open communication, as you know).
Tomorrow is going to be three digit temps here in Central Virginia. I am wondering what Weatherpixie is going to wear once it gets to 100. She's wearing a bikini now...wonder if she does pasties and a g-string in triple degree temps. Catharine has suggested that maybe she just melts.

Ginnie Lee, creature of the night:
So, I generally walk her an hour or an hour and a half each evening after work. I just checked the Weather Channel. It's 93 degrees out, but it feels like it's 100. I am hoping that once darkness falls, it might cool off enough for us to take a walk without either of us succumbing to heat stroke. Sheesh.





Ok, I really don't like to talk too much about work stuff, but I wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow night is National Night Out Against Crime. That means everyone should find out what their respective communities are doing and take part in the activities. It's important, and quite frankly, it should be kinda fun.

New Shoe Sunday!

There are a lot of knitters hanging out at TYL this Sunday. However, I am sitting in the back, chilling out of the comfy couch and working on the blog.



This morning I got up relatively early and had breakfast with Mini and Susan. Mini is my cousin. She just got home from a month in India, and she brought me a prezzie!
A new pair of sandals from India! I had to make this pic a little bigger than the rest b/c I wanted everyone to see at least some of the detail on the sandals. They are wonderful and I love them...thanks Mini!!

Susan is Mini's friend in Charlottesville (and she's my friend now, too!) and she drove Mini to Richmond when she left for India and came and got her today to take her back to Charlottesville. Wow! What a great friend!



Progress on my father's Christmas sweater is coming along at a snail's pace. I have just started the ribbing and have a few more inches of that to finish, which I hope to complete today...then I can start on the sleeves. Hope to make some good sleeve progress in the coming week.







Here's the daily pic of GL...I wish she watched me this intently all the time.GL has been having a hard time sleeping through the night these days. Usually, she goes to bed at 8:30 and sleeps all night, but lately she has been up at all hours whining and howling and staring intently out the window. I don't know what is out there, but I wish it would go away and leave my dog alone. GL probably needs another few hours of exercise a day, but I have maxxing out at an hour long walk these days. Look at weather pixie! She can tell you why!

A fond farewell

On Thursdays, I teach a Beyond the Basics class at TYL. My student for this session has been Megan. She has been a great student. Last night was our last class together. I hope she found it helpful...as I certainly enjoyed having her for a student. Megan's baby is due in October. Good luck, Megan!!




Thursdays are also teaching night for Cate. She only has one student this time, too...Carolina. Carolina made the CUTEST santa hat out of Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falik. It is such a great looking hat, I might have to make one for the upcoming Christmas season this year.
My own knitting has been conspicuously absent the last few posts. The truth is that I haven't made a lot of progress on it lately. It seems that while I'm knitting on my father's sweater...it's just getting shorter.

But it appears from comparison, it is actually getting ever so slightly longer....maybe this weekend I can get to work on the ribbing at the bottom and then contemplate the sleeves.

Here's the daily pic of Ginnie Lee.

Since she killed the squeaker in her favorite squeaky toy, she got two new ones: Mr. Lion and Mr. Frog. Mr. Frog is quite clever because he has Velcro along his back that allows me to replace his squeaker should it ever get destroyed. Mr. Lion is hugely popular because he has legs made of rope that flail about when he's shaken.

My wish came true!

Last night was knit night at The Yarn Lounge. It was a great turn out!

Autumn learned to cast on and she has started a purple ribbed scarf for her first project. She's doing great! YAY AUT!!

And look! My wish came true! Aren't they beautiful?? So fresh and delicious!

But they weren't the best part of the night! The best part of the night were these:

Aut MADE me two pair of earrings b/c I'm teaching her to knit. That's right! She MADE these fetching earrings herself! Aut is v. talented in all sorts of arts and crafts ways. I am wearing the ones on the right today! They go great with my suit!

Here's today's pic of GL. I don't know why she looks so sad. Maybe she's just tuckered out. She sure slept well last night!

Unexpected purchase

Yesterday was so busy, I couldn't post. So, I'm a little behind from the weekend.

First, Cate got a fetching new hair cut, and she looked just lovely:

I love the way she's got that little curl on her cheek. Cate has a great look.

Second, Daisy, who came to stay with us over 4th of July weekend was v. grateful for a place to stay other than the kennel, so Daisy's mom Kelli gave me a gift card to the Yarn Lounge. Of course, I had to spend it immediately! And what better to spend it on than a luxury that I would not normally buy for myself:

That's right! A skein of Mongolian cashmere! Woo hoo!

Third, I am teaching my friend Autumn how to knit, so we met at TYL on Saturday for her purling lesson.

She is doing so great, she is going to outknit me soon. Her work is beautiful.

Fourth, Saturday night Erik, Vince and I went to a baseball game. They were giving away chapstick with a mermaid/princess/barbie looking character on it. Quite manly and sportslike....

Here is Diamond Duck talking to the little girl who was sitting behind us. At some point in the evening, she hit me in the face with a green mini beanbag. It was an accident, I suppose....I wish I had gotten a picture of it.


Tonight is knit night at TYL. I MUST remember the camera. Should be a lot of fun. I hope Stew gets doughnut holes again. Those are the best.

Saturday Geekdom

Cate and I met at The Yarn Lounge on Saturday b/c she started a blog too! So we're geeking out today and working on our blogs together! How fun!

Of course, I'm a big dork and forgot the USB cable for my camera so I can't upload any of the pics I took yesterday.

So....just to have something to put up there, I will post some old images out of my pictures folder.
Here's GL ... you can tell she's had a busy day:

And here she is doing what she does best:


Here is a fun picture of Stewart and I taking a picture of each other taking a picture:


Sometimes, I just crack myself up....

Oh, btw, many folks have asked about the fluffy white dog that GL is pictured with in an earlier post. His name is Hudson and he's a Great Pyrenees. Isn't he a cutie?

TGIF

A lot of stuff today b/c I might not be able to post again until Monday.

Of course, I forgot the camera last night, so there are no pics of class or the Yarn Lounge. Cate had her beautiful version of the Knitting Pure and Simple baby cardi. Her's was green and had lovely embellishments. Here's my version:

Not nearly as lovely as Cate's, but I'm still quite pleased with the outcome. I'm particularly pleased b/c the yarn is the Sugar 'n' Creme you get at Ben Franklin, et. al. that only costs $1.50 a ball...and it uses about 3.5 balls of yarn...what a bargain for a great sweater.

Can I just rave for a moment about the Knitting Pure and Simple patterns? These patterns are just wonderful...beautiful, uncomplicated and well written. I have many of them and plan on getting more soon.

In fact, here's another one...my father's Xmas present... The V-neck top down pullover for men from Knitting Pure and Simple:

Obviously, it's still a WIP. I feel as though I've been knitting the body now for 100 years and it's never going to get to the required 25 inches before I can start the ribbing and finish that portion. Of course...then I have to get to the sleeves. I'm so glad I started early...

I tried to make some more baby gifts. These booties have a glaring error....anyone care to guess what it might be???

Of course, Roz, practical as ever, suggests I should knit two more booties...one big and one small, so then I'll have two pairs. Of course this makes perfect sense. But I don't want to do it, b/c I'm too demoralized by this huge discrepancy in what is a rather easy pattern. Good grief.

Bought some new reading material. The Knitter's Stash book has about 5 patterns I'm dying to knit and about 5 others that I would really like to knit, so I thought it was a good investment.

I'm usually not one to buy magazines full price, but I had to get this one b/c of one pattern:

Doggie Blanket! I have to make this one at some point for my sweet Ginnie Lee. The question is what to make it out of? It has to be washable if GL is going to use it, but I'm not sure I have the energy to knit something that big out of cotton (not the easiest to work with, you know). A washable wool, perhaps? Suggestions? I, of course, will have to modify one of the blocks to make sure it looks like a B & T Coonie.

And here is the daily pic of my B & T coonie:

My sister got her that bone for Xmas and she squeaked it and squeaked it and squeaked it for 7 months. Finally, the other night she killed the squeaker and then collapsed with it.

Maybe I can figure out how to open it up and replace the squeaker, then sew it back up again.


BTW, does anyone know how to get rid of some of the glare on these pics? Photography is not my thing...and the pics on everyone else's blogs look so much nicer than mine...

cute, huh?

I have been meaning to take pics of my yarn and works in progress (WIPs), but haven't had enough time and quite frankly, it's been too bloody hot! It's hard to get motivated to do anything at all when it's so hot...and I like hot weather! But without central air and no good ventilation in my little carraige house, it can be a little miserable.

Today it's only 89 degrees rather than 98, which is what is was a couple days ago. But tonight I have a Beyond the Basics class at The Yarn Lounge, so I doubt I'll get many pics taken...but I'll try.

Meanwhile, I'll post a pic of the last finished objects (FO), which are a baby kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting and a pair of baby booties from online pattern which I modified slightly.




*I* am not having a baby. But there are eight (yes, eight) babies due to various co workers in the next several months, so I am on a baby knitting spree. The sweater and booties above might well have gone to the same recipient, seeing as they match and all...but because there is so much baby knitting to do, I broke up the set and gave them to two recipients.

They are both knit out of Rowan RY Yarns Cashsoft 4ply in Quartz. I used a total 2 balls for both projects and have a smidge leftover. That kimono knits in a flash and is super cute. The booties take about 2 hours each to knit and that includes me stopping and staring off into space occassionally.

Ginnie Lee is at day care again today so she'll get worn out enough to be able to be a good dog at the Yarn Lounge tonight during class. Hopefully, we'll capture it on camera.

A tired dog is a good dog

Ginnie Lee goes to doggie daycare a couple times a week. It is a lovely facility over in Church Hill where she just plays with other dogs to her hearts content.





Obviously, some dogs are bigger than she.



And some dogs are smaller than she.


But in the end...

they're all friends!

There is a lot of yarn in my life right now. But I'm going to have to address the yarn later, b/c it's too much to talk about right now.

Greetings

Hi, I'm Sangeeta














And this is my blog. I had an idea to have a blog about my two favorite topics: Knitting and dogs! As you can see above, I am holding a ball of yarn. You will see quite a bit of yarn on this blog. But there is something that you will see more.

This is Ginnie Lee:


She is my best friend and (mostly) faithful companion. Ginnie Lee is a Black and Tan Coonhound. She is a rescue. She had a somewhat rough time at first, but now she lives quite comfortably. Ginnie Lee is my most favorite subject of pictures, so you will see many pictures of her...probably more pictures of her than of my knitting.

In fact, here's another one:


Ginnie Lee likes a close up.