Meet Buster

After days of being despondent, Duane suggested I should get a kitten.  Before we took Butterscotch for his final sleep, I held him to say a private good bye.  I thought about when we got the tuxedo twins.  Butterscotch was so happy to share his home.  Gave them welcome licks on the head and showed them where the food is kept.  It felt like he was saying he had a good life and I should give another cat a good life.

The lady from the ad on Craigslist said her neighbor found the litter of kittens in the backyard, dehydrated and dirty, three weeks ago.  She cleaned them up, bottle fed them, weaned them to solid food and litter trained them.  When I told her about Butterscotch, she said she had the perfect kitten, lovable and cuddly.

He is just that and more.  He's attached himself to Duane's chest.

Duane sits on the couch and Buster attaches himself.  Duane apologized that my kitten became him his kitten.     It's ok.  He did suggest that maybe I should get another for me.

Precocious little thing.  He's not put off by his grumpy aunties.  The girls fly into hissy fits when he comes up to them.  The past two days, he hides under things waiting to ambush them.  Not the least bit dissuaded by their hissing.  He is determined they will either like him or explode.

Duane said, "Great revenge for you, Butterscotch.  Come back as a kitten and go after them."  The girls weren't very nice to Mr. Scotch the past few years.  The timing isn't right for Buster to be a reincarnation. Maybe in six weeks, I'll take a scan over Craiglist and see if something jumps out at me.  Maybe.  Still waiting for the feeling like I've been punched in the gut to lessen.

Duane wrote a post about Buster.  He's much eloquent with his words than I am.

In other news, Duane had a lung cat scan in April.  The pulmonologist says that the scarring has not improved since his last scan in the ICU last year.  There are three holes in the center of his lungs.  They are looking into putting him on the transplant list, as his name wouldn't come up for three to five years.

This weekend, I joined Summer of Socks and Tour De Fleece, team Cranky Pants.  Hopefully it will bring back my mojo and there will be pictures.  I did get some nice quilting thread for my yoyo quilt on Saturday.  However, I can't find where I last put my fabric cutting scissors, so I sat down defeated for the moment.

Back to work today, when you'll read this.  Need to head to bed, 5 am comes way too early.

Thank you for all your comments of sympathy for Butterscotch.

So Sad

I haven't been around much this year, so busy with work.  Along way, I'm so tired when I get home, I lost interest in my knitting.  Work is going well, though.  A woman at work makes yo-yo quilts while she's on the phone. I was thinking that would be a great way to use up my mountain of quilting fabric without much effort.  This weekend, I sorted through some of it.

This past weekend, our Butterscotch stopped eating and drinking very little. A few days before, instead of fighting me over my chair, he started sleeping on the floor in the corner next to my chair.

We took him to the vets.  His liver is completely shut down.  The vet thinks it's liver cancer.  They re-hydrated him and sent him home with us for a couple days.  Wednesday at 9am, we take him back to be put to rest.

He was born in my closet on Memorial Day, May 31, 1999.  A week later, I injured my back at work and was put on bed rest.  The kittens were just opening their eyes.  We laid in bed together, just staring at each other.  Butterscotch has been my constant companion, ever since.

He loved to sit and watch the birds. 

My chair thief.

Lover of catnip.

Such a wonderful gentleman.  In the mornings he would let the girls eat their can breakfast first.

My knitting and spinning wheel buddy.

Before we got Dammit bunny, he was best friends with our Lexie bunny.  They would curl up together in front of the bookcase.  He would take his big clumsy seven-toed paw and try to pet her head, just the way we would pet him. Lexie resides on a shelf in our closet now.  Soon, Butterscotch will join her, to keep her company again.

Butterscotch, May 31, 1999 - June 13, 2012

We will miss you!

Who Switched My Bunnies

Something strange happened on the way down to Arizona. Well, many strange things always happens when I travel to Arizona. However, this particular strange thing is, I think somebody switched bunnies on me. They look like the same bunnies, but they sure don't act like them. I had packed all my Led Zeppelin cd's in a small box and set it aside. My son found it, taped it up and sent it on the moving truck. Dammit and I were really disappointed, the van we rented had a cd player and we were planning to make use of it.

Nippit had her spay surgery 12 days before we left. I was expecting, or hoping for a behavior change from her. Except the change I was hoping for hasn't happened, she's still Miss Dominatrix with the other buns. She was bonded with Dammit before the surgery. That has changed since she had to spend 10 days in a cage after the surgery. We let Betty out to run with Dammit, since they get along. Well, Nippit is pissed that Dammit cheated on her with another girl.

Dammit and Betty rode together in the big cage, and Nippit had smaller one to herself, as she just had her staples removed. The night we got in, Dammit decided to hump on Betty something horrible and she whined as there was no place to get away from him. We put her in a cat carrier until we could get a cage the next day. The best OH could find was a dog crate.

The carpet here is new, so we are keeping them caged. Twice a day we let them out for exercise and play time. Dammit and Betty are getting along again, so they are back together in the big cage at present. When we tried to let Nippit out with Dammit she ran right over and attacked him.



It looks much neater than this now that Betty is back in with Dammit.

The strange thing is, after 30 minutes when we chase them to put them back in their cages, they hop back in their cages by themselves. Sometimes they come up missing and when we go look for them they are sitting in their cage. If you would have told me they were going to do that before we left NY, well, I'd still be back there rolling on the floor laughing hysterically.

Dammit got to be a free roam bunny because we could not catch him to put back in his cage. Three days after neutor surgery, he jumped over the back of the couch and hid underneath up inside it to keep from being put back in the cage.

We're wondering who these new bunnies are. They look like our bunnies, but they sure don't act like them.



Mommy tell me a story.



I wonder what is in that room.





I just realized we don't have any recent pictures of Nippit hopping around. I'll have to take some tonight.

Roses are one of my favorite flowers. My favorite colors are pink, lavender and peach. Over the years, I've tried to keep miniature roses in the apartment. They've always died after a week or two. I did research online and figured out they weren't getting enough sunshine on the shelf that I was keeping them.

Bright Eyes has a fetish for roses is the reason I kept them up there. So, I put them in the window for a few hours a day and sprayed Bright Eyes when she tried to nibble them. The plants enjoyed the water spray, Bright Eyes did not. I was able to keep two rose plants alive for 6 weeks before I left. I bought two more and replanted them in another container. They are loving the sunshine here on the patio. Everyday, I'm finding new flower buds, there are about 8 tiny buds this morning. So far only one has bloomed.



Surprise, actual fiber content today. To thank my ex for fixing my spinning wheel, how better than to spin yarn and knit him some nice warm socks. I dyed this last year and forgot to mark what it is. I think it might superwash BFL. I just have to Navajo ply it, yuck. I can do it well enough, it just makes arms hurt, so not a big fan.



I found my cashmere silk and Golding spindle from Rhinebeck last year and started playing with that again. I have plans for the finished lace weight when I get it done. Just not in a hurry to get it spun up, such a luxury I'm savoring it, like the way I chocolate.




I'm in the process of sorting stuff out for sale: yarn, fiber and fabric. I don't want to open an Etsy store just to destash, so I'll list them on my other blog Knitting Kitties 2 and on the appropriate Ravelry forums. Ebay, I don't want to list there unless it comes down to it as I don't like the changes they've made regarding the sellers. I think those that have sold on Ebay know what I'm talking about.

Here's hoping OH finds a job very soon. He's had some good prospects the past couple days, fingers crossed they pan out. I'm working on my endurance to be able to handle working a part-time job. Last night I made it to the grocery store and back without my cane, about a half mile, with no stumbles from my bad leg.

Tomorrow I have a big day trip planned. It will be a surprise as to where I'm going. I'll bring the camera with me. Hopefully, I won't be too wiped out and will blog about it over the weekend.

Butterscotch says......

Sock Knitting Suspense, Frustrations and Nightmares

Who ever says knitting socks is boring hasn't knit socks from the top down. Remember the lovely blue SW merino sock I bought at Rhinebeck to knit my mom socks? I cast on, on the way home, only it had been awhile since I made socks and cast on too few stitches. Almost the whole leg finished and I had to frog and start again.

Then a few nights ago, in fit of insomnia, I stayed up and finished the sock, except for kitchener stitching the toes closed. It was getting suspenseful have way down the foot when I had the equivalent of the approximate size of those super bouncy balls found in gumball vending machines, maybe a good sized jaw breaker's worth. Every couple rows, will I have enough, will I have enough. Top down sock are adventurous, not for the faint of heart.

Here is what looks like an almost finished sock, waiting for kitchener, with it's marble sized yarn ball stuck to the end of the needle. Well, it's about to be frogged, again.



What!?! What went wrong now? You ask.

I read on a post on Ravelry that SW Merino acts like silk and stretches. The problem, my mom and I wear the same size shoe, but her calves are bigger than mine. So, I knitted the sock a little loose for my leg. It should fit her well, except if the yarn stretches. I confirmed this with my helpful Plurk friends.

Then the mind debate began. Leave as is. Cast on smaller. If cast on smaller, how many fewer stitches. The mind boogles.

Well, just have her try it on, silly, you say.

Two things. First these are a surprise. Secondly, she comes over once a week to take me shopping and when she gets here, she's ready to go. The whole take off shoe, sock, try on, take off, put original sock and shoe back on, too much hassle.

Well, measure her leg and say it's for those leg warmers she wants.

Yep, thought of that. Except, my DD (not dear) borrowed my tape measure last week, and when it will resurface my possession is questionable. Yes, I could and should go buy another one, but, I just want to get these damn socks finished.

An answer came to me when I read Close To My Heart's blog post. Blueberry Waffle socks in fewer stitches, would be snug yet the stitch pattern would be stretchy enough. What better than blueberry waffles for blueberry colored yarn. This will feel like a whole new sock instead of redux times trois.

After another insomnia episode last night, I'm now this far.



I've been pretty depressed and anxious lately, as I have some stuff going on and about to have a whole lot more really crappy stuff happen soon. Nothing I can share on a public blog. It's a lot like watching a snow ball roll down hill and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

For part of my night, I started spinning the merino/tencel from Rhinebeck to chear and distract my mind. I had said, I thought it would be like the merino/silk I've spun before. This is far slipperier and I wouldn't suggest an advanced beginner to try it for fine singles. It would probably be much easier for a thick single with much pre-drafting prep in advance.

I took this picture with flash. Way shiny. I will try it again when there is sun, and no flash.



This should be a very light fingering 3 ply when finished. I think it should make wonderful lacy stockings.

Lexie says, "Psst, Dammit, I gots a secret."

Rainy, Windy and Blowing

It's dreary weather here in Western, NY.

Bootsie says, "It's a good day to stay in bed."

Can You Stand Another Day of Cute Bunnehs

I waited til late to post and am tired. Can you stand another bunneh picture if I promise to do better early tomorrow?

Dammit and Lexie say:

You call this dinner?

Plodding Along

That title thing, thinking up a good one, I'm not so good at. I think I was doing pretty well there for awhile, but the daily posting is getting a bit of burn out. Not even at the halfway point of NaNoBloPoMo, but I will persist. I just hope I don't bore you readers in the process.

I really need accomplish a goal right now. So that is why I signed up, to challenge myself and reward of the satisfaction that I persevered. That is the reason for the title, it's how I'm feeling today is just plodding along. It's kinda like the way little Lexie hops.

My connection is getting better slowly. I was going to call complain today, but then remembered all the schools are off today. So, I figured they would use the increased use as a reason. Fingers crossed that they were just doing work nearby and it will continue to improve.

As a reward for doing such a good job at posting for me, Bootsie received a container of her favorite sparkle balls. She wanted me to tell all of those who commented, "Thank you."

As you can, the clan had to come for inspection of Bootsie's booty. Not their favorite toys, she was left to have her fun of destruction.







Dammit has been really, really bad with the carpet lately. He loved Trisquits as a treat, then tired of them and moved on to Wheat Thins, now he's pretty much tired of them. Why, oh, why won't he tire of snacking on nylon? So, I bought him some tiny bunny corn cobs. The fascination lasted as long as the video. Sigh.




Led Zeppelin fan? Yes or No. I believe some are skeptical. He was so bad last, switching from the carpet, get sprayed, climb the bookcase, chew my magazines, get sprayed, rinse and rapidly repeat many times. So much so, I was to just throw the spray bottle at him. Instead, I put in his Zeppelin DVD and he ran over to his area by the door. Did a leaping and binky dance to Black Dog until my hand touched the camera. He flopped down mid-leap and quietly lied there listening to the music the rest of the night.

I'm up to the second fair isle stripe on the "not Christmas knitting" sweater. The pattern called to change to color 1 immediately after the lace. I felt it would be too much of a stark contrast and continued on with the pink. Just as the second color started right after the first three repeats, my happiness is that the pink did started right at the finish of the second repeats.

The colors are a bit subdued than shown in the photo. I think it's starting to look like something that could be found in a boutique.



This is Bright Eyes, and Mommy's baby. Duane says she is me if I were a cat and visa versa. Just like me she has a hard time keeping her eyes open for pictures. I'm feeling high anxiety tonight, because she woke up from her nap hobbling, not putting weight on her right hind foot. I picked her up and attempted to check out, but she whipped around with her left front and almost tore my face off.



Later, I was able to pick her up in a towel, but Duane took her from pointed with feet pointing away from the light. Yeah, that's ok, I can just use my laser beam eyes. So when he turned her around, she wriggled partially free, scratched him good, and made her escape. She's now hiding under the dresser. Hopefully, we will be able to try again tomorrow. I'm hoping it's just a splinter, and a good amount of salve will help work it out. I'm hoping.

Taking Over

Hi everyone. Mom can't come to the blog today. So I offered to write this post for her.



We are making sure she finishes this sweater for Grandma. The colors are nice but Bootsie prefers silk, herself.



It's a hard job keeping Mom off the laptop, but Bootsie can handle her.



No Mom, no Plurking for you, just keep knitting.

They Did It Again

Well, they did it again. You may remember from this post a ball of SW BFL all ready for dying had been tortured and terrorized. I salvaged it by dying it royal blue to make Duane's Cubs sock for the playoffs. If you know how the playoffs turned out, you also know we don't want to discuss that any further. Let's just say Snoopy is sulking in the doghouse.

This time the wool in question was tucked away neatly in a box, with the flaps securely folded down, or so I thought. Never underestimate the cleverness of determined cats paws. Yes, it's SW BFL again, it came smelling very sheepy, shall we say. This time I took photos of the evidence. As you can see there is a fair bit of cat spit on that one part. DNA evidence will be needed, as they are all pleading the 5th and demanding their attorney for questioning.



My mother often complains to me that when her feet get cold she can't get to sleep. A couple weeks ago, I suggested she might like hand knit footies to warm her feet. She said that instead she would prefer leg warmers, as her legs get cold since her quadruple bypass surgery. That she can't stand her feet covered and sleep with them outside the covers. Now, this is the first she's ever said this, but who am I to argue with her.

So, I asked her what color. She says whatever I want to make them. Gah, I hate that. Finally, she says blue. What shade of blue, I ask. Well, a pretty shade, she told me. Yeah, that really defines it, Mom. Cat spit wool number two is now destined to be some pretty shade of blue, and knit into leg warmers. I believe I will knit footies as well, because I know she will complain about cold feet.

I got a fair amount of spinning done yesterday. I finished one bobbin, and started on the third, the second one is about halfway. This is Crown Mountain Farms SW merino, color Lola, I had purchased awhile back to spin in between my own dyed fiber.



I have loved to cook and bake ever since I big enough to drag a kitchen chair over to the counter to watch my grandmother cook. My own mother hated to cook and did it as simply and seldom as she could. Dinner on weekends was often bacon and eggs, during the week we at with my grandparents when mom came home from work.

Fortunately, my step-mother also liked to cook. On the rare visits to my Fathers, I watched her intently as well, making plans for when I was old enough to do so myself. No helping was allowed and it was lucky that I have a photographic memory.

At about age nine, my mother was only too happy to let me practice with simple casseroles. Back then we had an old gas stove that the oven had to be lit with a long wooden farmer's match. We lived one house down from my grandparents at that time. So after school, my grandmother would go with me to light the oven then went into the living room to finish watching her soaps, while I prepared dinner for my mother. Poor Grandma would then go home to fix dinner for Grandpa and her brother, who lived in between us.

My mother was so impressed with my endeavors, she gave me a grocery allowance every Saturday and sent me shopping with my grandparents. There was something I noticed back then and still do today. Though my cooking was very good and this has been confirmed by numerous victims recipients, I don't enjoy eating it as much as I do when someone else cooks. I've been told it's because I've spent so much with food making it, that I'm sick of it by the time it comes to eating it. Other people who love to cook, have told me they have the same experience.

Since I've started spinning and dying my own fiber, I've noticed it's the same as cooking for me. It's just not as fun as spinning someone else s dyed fiber. The exception is merino/angora/silk. That stuff is deh spinner and knitters crackz, I'm telling you.

Today, I'm dying more wool for the store and the cat spit stuff. Bootsie has determined she should help.




This one here, Mom.




This is the one, Bootsie wants.



Bootsie surveying the process.



It's coming along just as she wanted it to. Kreative Kitties, where the kitties really do the creating.

For all Dammit's fans out there I'll leave you with a picture of Dammit enjoying his No Quarter dvd. He didn't do many binkies during yesterdays marathon. I think he, Lexie and the cats did a little too much partying the night before, in celebration of their three day weekend.

By the way, I really dislike Nikon Coolpix's five second delay from the time of clicking the button to clicking the picture. Dammit's don't hold the perfect poses for more then a second or two.


Ignore the clutter, those papers are in front of the tv as a carpet deterrent. Yes he really is watching, bunnies eyes are on the sides of their heads. Besides, his would turn a bit after I clicked, that stupid five second delay. Also notice the pink Bootsie house, Bootsie is on the top tier, watching as well. Normally every evening she can be found sleep on the floor in front of my feet until I go to bed. Except on Zeppelin dvd nights, we all know she secretly a big fan.

Yay, For Three Day Weekends

It's a three day weekend here at Knitting Kitties. GD and DD have Monday off. Despite this awful cold I came down with Wednesday night, the bunnies, kitties and I have much planned. We are starting off with cranking Led Zeppelin on stereo. Dammit's request of course and it sounds better than the roofers noise.

It was a year ago this month, Dammit let us know he loved Zeppelin more than carpet. He says just keep the Zeppelin playing and no carpet will get hurt.



Some of on Plurk are wondering if cold are contagious via Plurk. Everyday someone new is coming down with same cold. What do you think?

Wednesday morning I woke to a small sale on etsy. Which worked into a couple more sales. It encouraged me to buy a bunch of sock yarn to dye. Now, to pray to the crochet, knitting, yarn gods that it sells. In economic times such as these hobbies become more popular for recreation. Quilting had a boom during the depression. Bright bubble gum pink quilts to warm ones body and cheer the spirit, were quite popular. Will see bright pink socks, sweaters and shawls this time around?

Just a short post today. I'm off to do some knitting, spinning and dying. Now, if I can figure out how to get this elephant off my chest and porcupine out of my throat. Cross stitch and crochet have been singing a siren song to me lately. Who knows what all I might get into. It's a three day weekend, time to craft party.

This is what is on my spinning wheel currently. Lola, SW merino from Crown Mountain Farms, because spinning someone else's dye job is like eating someone elses cooking.

We Interupt The Quilt Show Posts For........

Cubs Win!!!!! Cubs Win!!!! They won their division on Saturday.



I know I'm late, but Friday really wiped me out. Not a Cubs fan? Not a baseball fan? Sorry.

I now, Queen of Wipsluts, have a challenge before me. Remember the wool in this post. I have one more bobbin to get spun up, ply, then get those socks knitted by playoffs. Will I be able to stick with it? Not get diverted by all my other lovely projects. Check back later and we shall see.




This photo is as of yesterday afternoon. I finished the second bobbin last night. I will set the twist when I kettle dye to even out the dye.

Now for a contest. Guess how many yards are on this plying bobbin. Leave your answer in comments with someway for me to reach you by Saturday. The answer closest will win this skein of kettle dyed, by me, lace weight merino, 440 yards. If there is a tie, I will look through my bins for more lace weight.



Here's a hint, there's five ounces of two-ply lace weight merino/angora/silk.

If you have been following my blog this year, then you know my bunny Dammit is an enthusiastic Led Zeppelin fan. He was a bad bunny a week ago and chewed the satellite cable, so no Zeppelin for a week. Saturday, I relented and played How The West Was Won cds. When Dammit heard Moby Dick, he ran out from under the secretary (his daytime den) and bounced about the living room doing triple binkies. I picked up my digital camera, but smart arse that he is, he flopped down.

Sunday night I stayed up trying to capture evidence. Ran out of batteries twice. Grrrrr Please excuse rusty closet door, it's from the rain off Gd's stroller. I get to fixing it one of these days.

Hope you enjoy, it took all afternoon to get it on You tube.