Paw prints on my heart

My little bundle of sweetness got to come home from the hospital today! It's still a mystery as to what made her sick, but she certainly had a little upset tummy. The x-rays revealed nothing other than normal, so we're thinking maybe the little "Greenie" bone I gave her might not have gotten chewed up well enough, and maybe a little piece lodged sideways in her throat. We just don't know, but I do know that from now on, I will be watching her a lot closer with the treats.She seems back to her old young self, and in fact, made quite a show in the waiting room when the vet tech brought her out to me. Lots of kisses and tail wags, along with little whimpers of excitement! If you want unconditional, non-judgemental love, loyalty, stress reduction, and a faithful companion, adopt a dog!! We're so happy she's back home begging for those belly rubs again!!

It's been a while since I've shared what I've been up to in my fiber world, so I thought I would start with my 'Knit Red' project. I believe I already shared the back of my Cabled Cardi by Norah Gaughan, that I've already completed. I'm coming up on the halfway mark of the right front, and wow, what a gorgeous pattern! Do you ever seem to gravitate towards one particular designer, or maybe even a few of them? For me, one of those designers is NG, but it doesn't surprise me since I love everything about cables, and she seems to use them often.

I finished knitting my Layering Shrug by Juju Vail, at the first of this month, but blocking is not one of my strong suits, so I put it off for a couple of weeks. I should have done it sooner, because as it turned out, it wasn't so bad after all. I absolutely love how it turned out and it feels like a dream on! I'm looking forward to wearing it this Fall. Great pattern, and the yarn I used was Aimee by Louisa Harding Yarns, a cotton cashmere blend.

My spinning mojo seems to have returned, and it's funny because after a six month break, I seem to have a better understanding of the process, as well as better control. Over the past two days, I've spun probably about 3/4 ounce of BFL, and about 1/2 ounce of merino. Considering I haven't done any since about January actually, I think that's a pretty good start to conditioning my hands and fingers back into it. I've been spinning on my drop spindles, which I enjoy a lot, but I did play around a tiny bit with my wheel this past Sunday. I think I've figured out why I don't use my wheel more. It sits in my living room, and I need a better place to sit where I'm more comfortable. In a couple of months, our remodel should be completed on the kitchen and our sunroom. As soon as it is, I plan to stake out a spot in the sunroom to sit at my wheel. It's also better lighting since it's pretty much all window all the way around. I'm very excited!

The 'Stitch Red' project for the Heart Institute has me very excited, as I've said before. So much so, that I can't stop buying red yarn! Yesterday, we received an order of Cascade Vintage at the store and I quickly grabbed up at least a sweaters worth. I have no idea on a pattern yet, but I'm sure that won't be a problem once I've finished my Cabled Cardi. I'm thinking I might also have to have some Rowan Kidsilk Haze in red to knit the Mohair Twist Sweater by Sarah Hatton. So many cute designs in this book!!