He'd developed the sniffles the past few days, but I didn't think anything of it. Some of the other cats and kittens had the sniffles too, so I thought they were the normal way of things for the fall. And he had sneezes that shook his whole little body, and then he'd be tired but fine. Playing hard. stop where he was, curl up and sleep.

Monday morning, he was sitting by himself, snuffly, cold to the touch, and had baby snot on his nose and chest. He didn't want his bottle, and I just thought he was too snuffly/snotty to drink. Funny, because the night before he'd guzzled down his 3 tablespoons of MKR milk out of the bottle.

Since he was messy, I pulled out the cat wipes and a towel, and started wiping him down, rubbing him with the towel to warm him up as I went. Then he had a series of what I thought were sneezes, shaking his little body (maybe they were little seizures, but I'm not sure, even now). He went limp, and I was a little alarmed, but only thought he'd tired himself out, and just needed to sleep and stay warm.

He was tucked into a sunny corner on the front step, wrapped in his towel, with 2 older cats to snuggle with. Another kitten came and snuggled on top of him, and then bottle baby was asleep for a while.

Then I went back a few hours later, to see if he was awake and hungry. He had moved from the top of the step to another sunny spot just below it, stretched out, and fell asleep for the last time.

At least I can say he was a heavy little kitten, with nice thick orange fur, and a full set of baby teeth. He was chewing on cat food and kitten chow, playing with the bigger kittens (ages 9 weeks and 4 months) and getting snuggle privileges with the grand-dame cat, Binka2.

Bye Bye, Baby, Goodbye.

You taught me how to "burp" a kitten when he's on a bottle, that 2 tablespoons is a respectable amount to make his tummy nice and round from feeding/nursing.

I'll miss looking for your noisy mewing, when you would climb my leg and hope you'd get an extra bottle feeding but settle for strokes and purring your little self crazy. I'll miss you climbing up to my shoulder, still a little sticky from just finishing your bottle, sniffing my ear, looking around, letting me tuck you back in with the other cats to get a tongue bath from them.

Bye Bye, Bottle Baby. You will always be a baby, and remembered as that cute, noisy, annoying but funny kitten.

Good thing I never got the urge to knit a kitten sweater. Never gonna happen!

Kitten - 4       Bottle - 0

Bottle Baby is chewing through the bottle nipples, and I threw away the third one this morning. He has sharp baby teeth now, ouch! He is still sucking and gobbling away at the KMR milk, between 2 and 3 tablesppons at each feeding, 2 or 3 times a day.

And boy is he growing! I have to get some new pictures to show how big my little boy kittie is growing; he is almost the size of the 7-week old kittens, and now has pretty huge paws. Of course, it's fun to see his tummy nice and round, and he has nice thick baby fur on him. I wonder what I should call him? Yes, he has no name as yet, poor little 4-week old baby.

And I think (and know from catching him at it) that he's sneaking momma cat milk from MeeToo, another momma cat (the mom of the 7-week olders) and B-2 (aka Binka II), the grandmom cat. B-2 is so old, if she wants to nurse, she just does. Always make me laugh to think of an old cat, so old she is no longer having babies (can't remember how old she is, just that it's older than 12 or 13), lying down with another momma's baby and just nursing. She really does sometimes. It helped Mr E.U. so much that he grew up, and he wandered off to find a new home. I no longer see him, he wandered off so fast!

In terms of knitting projects, I recently started knitting Trekking sock yarn marked "6 fach" which to my feeble interpretation means 6 ply, and is making a lovely pair of heavier socks. I'm working a pair for myself using US 2 needles, and they are soft, warm, and just right. I also finally finished a pair of Tsock Flock club socks, Frenchman's Creek, and they are pretty! I haven't blocked the lace tops yet, but I'm in love with the combination of blue, fancy stitches, beads, and the lace tops. I did have to cheat a wee bit on the second sock; I had about 12 rows of lace left to do, and 18 inches of yarn. So, I found some yarn in my stash, sneak-cheated it in, and finished the lace. And you can't tell where I did it, or which sock is #1 or #2, so there!

I just started the York & Lancaster socks, and it is going to be fun! The first sock I'm working on is the red one, and I love the heraldic patterning on the sock. I'm starting to wonder how it would work on its own, sans roses, for a pair of socks that I might make for my nephew (age 16). And said nephew has a neat sense of color for sock yarn.

Yesterday I wound up some sock yarn he picked out at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (sadly, I couldn't go and missed out on the fun), and my mother and I were marveling at the colors he and his sister (age 12) both picked out for socks. As I was watching the yarn move from swift to ballwinder, I was dreaming up patterns to work the socks in, wondering which yarn would look best this way or that, and if I could sneak in a gansey-sweater-like pattern on this yarn or if a slightly masculine but fancy ribbed top would work best...Fun times ahead!

If I can get the patterns set up for those socks, I just might, maybe perhaps, take pictures of them, write up the directions and chart the patterning out, and include them in my sock book.

Yes, the never ending still in creation sock book. I have my rough draft of how a basic sock will be worked, my notes on sock patterns, and the outline of how I want the book to be laid out. Not to forget the book self-publishing software where I put all my pieces together to create the book before I can get it printed and bound into a real paper book!

Wow!

I keep having little Wow! moments, just thinking of putting it all together. And after the book reaches reality, and I can hold a copy in my hands, I think I'll still a few little Wow! moments. I'm sure anyone else who has ever had anything published, even if self-published, had those kind of moments with their first work!

He really yelled a LOT yesterday! So much so that I gave him an extra bottle (about 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons of kitten milk) just to keep his tummy full. And cheated, found a sleepy slightly older kitten (6 weeks old) who didn't mind another sleepy kitten (Mr Screamy Meamy) cuddling nearby in the sunny grassy lawn.

Bliss. For about an hour or two. Sigh.

However, in spite of his fussy mews and "crying" he is growing. I've seen definite size increase, but I am NOT measuring him in any way, shape or form. He grows, he grows.

At least I'm happy to report that his milk teeth are finally pushing through his lower gumline. Yep, when he chews, it hurts now! Those lower baby canine teeth are sharpest, with the other wee teeth between edging through. Now if only he'd grow the uppers out too. Then he can really chew on baby chow, and wean off the bottle.

Last night, I created a nest for him, as it was getting cooler. A cardboard box on its side, with some clean old rags inside to make it softer and warm. At first, I thought he wasn't going to sleep in it, he kept coming out and "whining" and mewing. Especially after his evening bottle session, he was really whiny. (Probably because he urped a little milk that I wiped up with one of his bed rags)

But this morning, I peeked into his "house" and saw him curled up in there, with a snuggle buddy, one of the 6 week-olders. Yeah! Something worked! Right now, he's snug in his "house" snoozing off his morning bottle. If it rains, I'll probably have to move his box to keep him and the box dry, but for now, he's happy and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping!

Yes, silence is bliss!

More like a supplemental bottle for him. Teeny kitten, male orange tabby, roughly 3 weeks old. His momma is a bit absent minded, which is unusual for her, she is usually such a good momma cat.

So, he screams and does his whimpering thing at the back steps to the porch. I try to ignore him unless it's regular cat feeding time (breakfast and supper), and then I give him his bottle. I actually bought a new kitten bottle yesterday to make sure he was getting all his milk.

He can drink from a dish, but then the other bigger kittens and cats come and suck up his milk. And then he walks around, unhappy, crying, looking for attention and more milk. We cheated yesterday, and conned the momma of another set of 4 kittens that are about twice his age to nurse him some, just enough to top off his tummy and let him go to sleep.

Last night, I gave him the bottle, and noticed he drank about 1 ounce before he pushed it away and started looking around. This morning, only fixed 1 ounce, and watched him chew/suck on the nipple until all but a little dribble was gone.

Not sure, but a few minutes later, he was hiding/wobbling under the steps, and his momma wasn't in her typical sunning-on-the-railing position. I hope she fed him an extra bit, and that's why I don't hear him yet. He needs to get the rest of his baby milk teeth out, then he'll stop chewing and do more regular nursing.

By the way, no, I am NOT knitting a kitten sweater for him. He's an outside kitty, and will wear the clothes God grew on him. So perish the thought! I am not turning into Nell of Dudley Doright, and knitting suits for all the critters.

I did the hat from the top/center out to the edge, instead of the usual hat directions I have been seeing. All the other hats start at the edge, you knit up so far for the brim, and then you shape it for the top or crown part.

Bleh.

I either run out of yarn, or have to tink (opposite of knit, or rip out) out until I have enough yarn to make the crown. I like my way better. I make it big enough to go around, and then knit until I run out of yarn, or almost, and then I bind off.

And yes, this hat had kitten approval!

Of course, my pictures would look so much better if I'd learn how to keep my arm shadows and camera straps out!

But the best part is, the brim can be rolled up as much as the wearer wants, and the kind of ribbing (mistake stitch rib) makes the yarn look beaded close up...for which, I do not have a good picture!

Now I just have to figure out how to post my "finished" pattern, and how to pdf convert a file correctly, ah such fun.

Guess that means I'll be handling the newsprint for now, until I find a new place of employment. Definitely need an incoming source of income soon, to pay for internet time, pay off older bills, buy new tires for the car, etcetera. Life costs.

Sock book is still in the works, with ideas popping in and out of my head, getting scribbled down on paper, crossed out, re-written, toyed with, re-worked, and thought over. However, nothing's ready to put into pre-print setup yet. Good thing I worked out my rough outline of how I'd like the book to be laide out first. Now for me to work out the fine details, finish the designs, find a few older designs, or move them into a later book.

I still have to sit myself down and work on the sample socks, the ones that will be featured in the book. At one count, I had 6 designs, and at another count, I had over 20, and not sure how many exactly will end up in print. I'll probably have to look at how the sample knits up first, and what kind of deadline I'm giving myself to finish the book.

By the way, I'm trying the avenue of self-publishing. As in, write the book, do my own editing, get someone else (friend, family) to read it over and make suggestions, fine-edit and clean it up, do electronic cut-and-paste into a template...and print from an internet book publisher. Fun to think about!

I just hope I don't derail myself with gifts and other projects, which could be soooo easy!

As in...write up my hat directions, or, say, design gauntlets for someone for Christmas gift, or, plan out Christmas knitting, start it, knit it, forget about the book...

Not gonna happen!

Well, I hope not. Book first. Presents can come out of the book if need be, or even be a silly person and send copies of the book to knitters as gifts.

But starting something new is always so seductive!

Gee, what a cliche'! But oh, so true!

I have ended one career, about to embark on a change in employment. Not sure which new direction, just happy to have one chapter ended and be starting on another one in my life.

So, for now, focus is on finishing my rough drafting of knitting instructions for my sock book, and then I'll knit up my samples, take pictures, and piece it all together. Just glad I don't have to sew flat pieces up together!

Yes, I'm a "round earther" and not a "flat earther" as I like to put it. As few little pieces to sew together as possible. Yes, I hate seaming knit pieces. Not sure when it started, my hate-hate flat knitting feelings, but I despise and pity the magazines that insist that all sweaters have to be in flat pieces and sewn up. Seams can be bumpy, and thick, and get in the way of wearing the sweater. I much prefer something done in the round, or in just about as much in one piece as possible.

I don't mind doing duplicate stitch, or the occaisional weaving of stitches together at an end. But why do something flat, that goes on a round body? I mean, c'mon! Our bodys are not flat angular boxes, we all have shape and some sort of curvature to our bodies. Makes sense to do our knitting that way too, doesn't it?

Hmm, no wonder I love to knit socks or gansey sweaters. All in some kind of continuous or almost continuous knitting, with almost no seams. In socks, especially, who wants a seam on their toes, or to have it rubbing their foot in some spot?? I have a niece, age 12 (going on 20) who hates seams on her toes. She's been known to take her socks (store bought) and pull the toe part way down and under her foot. Just so she doesn't feel the seaming. Glad I can knit some for her, that not only are comfy and soft, but have no knots, no seams. Good thing she's not a flat-earther. Good girl!!

We need rain. Really really do. The ground's hard, dry, dusty, and plants are starting to brown/yellow up and look sad.

At least my brain's still pretty happy with new ideas, growing more socks than I can write down at once. But, I'm playing it smart, and sticking with socks that I've already designed, and made for this book. I can always write another one!

Now, where did I hide my notes?

This week is a particular example of the weather patterns. Tropical storm coming up via Florida, and it's a crankly left ankle. Brace is on, Teva sandals all I can wear for the day. No fancy shoes, they won't fit around the brace.

Sneakers and hiking boots were out for the day for 2 reasons: 1. sneakers don't look good with what I'm wearing to work and 2. boots are too warm for work right now.

 So I walk with a slight hitch in my left side stride, and I've been doing such a good job of normalizing my walk that nobody's really noticed that the ankle's bothering me. Until the spy the brace, and think that I've injured myself somehow.

Sorry, nope, old injury. It's the result of falling down the stairwells at high school, twice in the same school year, about 4 months apart, when I was in 10th grade. I was, what? about 15 or 16? Anyhow, I have a very weather-wise ache when it's cranky.

About 99% of the time, I don't need any extra support or bracing on that ankle. It's just another joint that functions fine. But when that 1% kicks in, all I can do is brace it, prop it up, and pop another OTC tylenol or ibuprofen to take the edge off. Or think about knitting.

The knitting book progresses. I now have a shopping bag of sampling yarn, all wound up into balls, anxiously awaiting their turns at being knit into sample socks. I still have the rough draft, have started on my introduction section, and started roughing out how I want to write each section. Interesting process, and I can wait to see the finished book! Now if only work-work would motivate me as much!

I luvs it!

Easy for me to use, takes up space of one book, holds several...and less paper using up trees. Now I get to figure out how to translate some of my knitting instructions to a format that I can upload to it. New experience!

I'm participating in the Tsock Flock 2008 projects this year. So far, 2 tsock kits in process (yes, I need to post pictures! Hey camera! Where you hiding?) and just received the Tsurprise Tsock kit yesterday. I'm running out of tsock tsize needles...oops! Need to back off of the ts-es for a bit! And I can't seem to figure out if I want to join 2009 or not. Hmmmm!

So, I have to figure out which sock-in-progress I can finish fastest to free up another set of size 1 needles. I use 2 circular needles, usually the Addi turbos in size 1 (really, they're more like size 1 1/2) and I have a set of Harmony size 1 (2.50 mm) that are currently entangled with possum sock yarn. I can say that the yarn is luscious to knit! Just wish there was more of it in the world!

I did finish a hat for a very good friend the other day, now all I have to do is finish it off properly and work the yarn ends in, give it a gentle wash, package it up and mail it to Colorado. I'm thinking of writing up the directions and posting them on the G-Woolykins website as a free pdf download, not sure when that will be yet. The hat looks great, works up fast (well, for me at least) and uses the same amount of yarn as a pair of socks, and yes, uses sock yarn. The hat I made used one skein of Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Crystal Dawn (purchased from Simply Socks), and my mother told me that it looks beaded. Of course, it has kitten approval!

I'm currently also roughing out a book outline for a sock books, to be titled G-Woolykins: It's Socks and I am having fun! So far I think I have about a dozen possibilites as sock designs to put in there, when I originally thought I'd only put about 6 in there. Then I started remember the various socks I've designed over the years, and started counting them up as I wrote my list out...hmm, about a dozen!

Next step: find where I put all my older design notes and charts, so that I can re-write them more clearly, add in different sizing options, and make nice pattern instructions for the book. And use my wonderful software to create charts and stitch directions that are actually legible...as compared to my usual scribbled notes in my knitting journal! Not that it's not a nice journal, with a Laurel Burch horses cover.

On this: 

I buy lots and lots of paperback books a year, and read almost all of them. These are "just for reading" books, some fluff, some science fiction, some mystery, some thriller, a very eclectic selection of reading material. And they pile up. Or I hand them off to another person, and hope that she can read them. But I think my mother's a little overwhelmed with paperbacks right now...

And I would never ever think of replacing my knitting library or books on knitting with downloads to an e-book.

Cons: uses electricity/needs periodic recharging, costs $$$ to buy, $ to download books, viewable only in direct lighting (not backlit)

Pros: very few recharges (especially if I turn off the wireless antenna), holds lots of books instead of being a huge stack of books, can travel on the plane with me (smaller and harder to lose than a laptop pc)

I'm still weighing my options, and considering my options.

And also wondering if I'll be the idiot who buys the thing at the current price, only to see a price drop in a month or two and swallow my guilt. Who knows?

For the past few weeks, I've been slightly obsessed with finding a pattern or top that's lacy enough to wear over top of my sundresses and tank tops, but shows the colors/designs through the fabric of the top.

Haven't found anything to my liking, all of the pullover tops or t-shirt style tops are way too solid for my liking, and to my feeble eyes, look like they are all variations of the same lace pattern.

Solution: design my own overtop!

I have my basic design "cartoon" drawn up in my knitting journal, and made notes about what kind of lace patterns to play with. Easy, fast, but nice is my current designing mantra. Overall pattern, with garter stitch...well, I'm still playing with the stitch design in my head, I have to admit!

Well, on Saturday I went with my mother to a yarn store we both love in Pennsylvania, and I found the perfect bamboo fiber yarn to play with, Bambu 7, and Bambu 12. The Bambu 12 is finer than the Bambu 7, so I have to swatch up to see what looks best and which lace pattern I like. Whatever yarn is left over, I can use up in lace shawl design or practice, or just quietly make a surprise lace shawl for a friend as a gift. No yarn goes wasted in my stash!

I toyed with the idea of cotton, maybe soy silk, linen, blends of cotton/linen, cotton/rayon...and then found the bamboo fiber yarn. I was lost in the softness of the yarn, and I like that it comes from a plant. Wool is just a touch too warm for summer overshirts. Shawls, stoles, sweaters in general, fine, but as a summer layering piece, a touch too warm for me. So, bamboo yarn it is!

To be continued, obviously!

I mean, when my grandfather died in 1986, it left a pretty big hole in my world. Especially since he died one week before I graduated from high school. And I realized right away that he'd never be there again, I'd never be able to talk to him again, show him what I was crocheting or knitting, hug him. But even so, I realize that Grandad was happier being with Grandmom again. (Call me crazy, but I believe in heaven. Period.)

Now, Dad's gone. I miss him. I miss being able to stalk him. I'd walk behind him, stomp my feet (so that I wouldn't startle him), and say "stomp, stomp, Stomp, STOMP, POUNCE!" and hug him from behind. Sometimes he'd hear me coming and stop still to make it easier for me to hug him. I miss hugging him. He was just the perfect size and warmth for hugging.

I still have good memories of him, and not just of the last few years with his various health troubles, his increasing difficulties walking or keeping his balance (I had to be careful not to knock him off his balance when I hugged him), or other problems he was having. Good memories such as: him laughing at the television, laughing at jokes I told (and sometimes retold to him), the hugs, sharing my trips to the southwest, his trips to Texas/New Mexico/Arizona area.

We're still finding things in the house from Dad as we clean up and reorganize. One item was a Father's Day card I had given him, that he held onto. Two days after he died, Mom found a letter he wrote to all of us children years ago, but it had no date on it, so I'm guessing about roughly when he wrote it. It made me cry, laugh, and puzzle over why he wrote it like he did, and didn't write another letter to add to it. But oh, so glad he wrote it, as it helps in the grieving and healing process.

Love you, Dad. Miss you. Can't wait to see you again!

My father passed away Sunday, May 18, 2008. He was 72, and went in his sleep. Peaceful. Painless. Best way to go. I'll miss him, and miss him now. My trip departure was delayed for a week, and we had a memorial service on Saturday, May 24, 2008, at my youngest brother's church.

I did go on my planned vacation, just less the river trip component, which I understand from my girlfriends was cold and wet! But as for the rest of the trip, I met with them in Vernal, UT, and we did the rest of our touring and having fun sightseeing.

After I gave them their surprise socks, that is! And were they surprised, each girlfriend getting a pair of socks that I had picked the yarn to go with each personality, which was a perfect match in each case. Sorry, no pictures of those socks, that's one thing this blonde forgot! But I did take pictures of socks-in-progress while traveling, and I can happily report that yes, I did knit a pair of socks during the trip, and finished them too.

Good thing I packed enough yarn for 3 pairs of socks; I finished a pair of socks that I'd started the week before the trip, started a fresh pair on night 2 in Vernal that was finished by Las Vegas. Then I started another pair in the airport, knit most of the first sock on the planes, and then finished the pair last Friday. About another pair in a week, I'd guess on. I still have one ball of sock yarn sitting there, asking when it'll be turned into socks.

Sights seen: Flaming Gorge (day trip, neat geography), McConkie Ranch (day trip, neat petroglyphs), Nine Mile Canyon (loads of petroglyphs!, we drove for about 2 days worth, overnight camping),  Bryce Canyon (overnight camping and great views), and Zion Canyon (overnight stay in a motel and sight seeing the next day), ending in Las Vegas (overnight stay in hotel and then departure from the airport the next morning).

I still have to organize most of my pictures now the memory cards are out of and away from the digital camera. I have to take them away from the camera, or I'll end up adding to the frames on them, or I worry about accidentally deleting views.

Next week, I'm starting almost three weeks of fun travel. My vacation travel for the summer, probably for the whole summer. Just myself and three good friends, on a trip that will take us on a river trip, camping, traveling, sightseeing, and just hanging out together.

Which means I still have to finish downloading all my knitting/wool/sock/previous pictures from my camera memory cards, bad me!

So, here's hoping I've picked out the right yarn for 3 pairs of socks, with accompanying needles to knit on (2 circulars, 16 inch length) and with the little scissors-and-needle for finishing tucked into my suitcase. And with a sock-in-progress in my carryon bag, besides my usual pretzel goldfish crackers to munch on.