New Coat for ME!

Auntie Megan made me a new coat... it's red with a nice paisley flannel lining & a bit of blue stretchy stuff up front. This is my first coat. Well, kind of... I have another coat I use in the field, but this is my first real coat... Everyone else has their own coats but me. I guess I'm stuck in the same color scheme as my sister [red]; Newell has black, Evie is green & Oliver is blue. Aren't I handsome???

Mama took the photo w/her camer a phone again. She has yet to charge the camera battery.

Everyone ran at a meet this weekend. I only got to run 1x on Friday in LGRA. Supposedly, it isn't good to bump other dogs coming out of the starting box, so mama scratched me :( But it's FUN!!! Ayway, I'm proud of my little bro Oliver! He got his first title! Now, he's offically "Mesa Coronado, GRC." Oliver's the first pup in our house w/that title just like I'm the first pup in the house with a Ch. Houseguest Tara won in the FCh dogs today. She beat my older sister Evie. She's FAST. Cherry got bored [again] and came in 3rd. Cherry and I prefer other activities.

Anyway, it's raining, so I'm going back to sleep on the sofa.

~Gizmo 

Photos are more fun

than just a boring test post!!!

Here, we have Koigu KPPM #P126. This picture doesn't do the colors justice [I need to stop being lazy & actually charge the camera batteries rather than taking pics w/my camera phone]. Deep violets, plums, navy, pine, burnt orange to slate grey-brown. LOVE it! What is it going to be? Fingerless mitts/hand warmers from One Skein for ME. Speaking of One Skein, I need to learn to crochet so I can make the "geometric accessory bags" or the bath mat.

Bottom photo: sock pal socks I raved about in my previous post. Not sure if they're Opal or maybe KnitPicks? Pattern is Hedra. Love them--though they're knit a bit looser than I would do for myself, I love that they're solid! As babulous as verigated yarn is, sometimes you can't go wrong w/just some plain, simple solid colored socks. Two Needles Up to my sock pal! 

Upddates w/out Pictures

Well, I've been absent from the blog for awhile. Busy with work & after having to look @ a computer all day, I haven't really felt like posting anything! For the most part, I'm out of classroom training @ work in into real OJT. Still falls into the *blech* category but better than staring at an instructor all day. Updates in no random order include:

Cherry's going to show class still. We're making progress & are going to enter the Whidbey Island Show in a few weeks... Hopefully all the progress we're making will have paid off! Trotting around the ring = good. Stacking = not so good.

What am I knitting???

• I used up some left-over Blue Sky cotton to make a washcloth.
• Finished a few baby hats for co-workers [from One-Skein book] with left over sock yarn--everyone loved them!
• Finished a placket neck pull over from LMKG for a friend from law school who's due in a few weeks! It's trimmed w/Classic Elite Pima Cotton & the body is from Rowan Denim in cream.
• Still working on the clapotis w/the yarn I got from Angela this summer.
• I have FAILED at the Baudelaire KAL... I really didn't like how big & baggy the heel turned out. It seemed like it would be quite saggy & not the most optimum fit. So, notice the button on the side of the blog is gone now! Have to get the yarn on the winder & pull it all out. Think I will make a pair of hedra with the olive yarn instead!
• I'm working on a gift scarf [Purl Scarf from LMKG] using some Blue Sky bulky in the stash supplemented with some kidsilk haze. I think it will be quite fun & snuggly when done! Not sure who it will be gifted to.
• I so want to make some more of the hand-warmers from One Skein!
• Need to start on the xmas gift for my mom w/the Habu Textiles bamboo!

Melanie Harris... I have no idea if you will read this or if you have a blog but *thank you* for the wonderful socks!!! I participated in a sock exchange @ my LYS [look back to the dragon socks I did]. What did I get in return??? A very perfectly fitting pair of hedra's in solid white/cream maybe from Opal or Knitpicks [not sure on the yarn]. Pics soon, as the digital camera is on the charger!

HAPPY BDAY EVIE!!!

Evie turned 6yrs today!!!

This pic is from the day we brought her home on July 4, 2003. A wonderful, darling girl who has taken me to England, France, Canada and all over the U.S., including NY, WA, IA, GA, CA, WY, ID and a few places in between.

It's only been 3yrs, but I can't imagine my life without her!

Show This!

So, I took Cherry to the faux-show [as I call it... it's really an AKC B-Match, which means that you don't get any points or anything for it if you win, but it's good practice].

She was the only GH there [c'est la vie], so that's what the 2 ribbons on the outside are for--she won her breed [duh]! Then, we had a jaunty little pharoh hound for our competition for best of adult dogs/bitches in the hound group. The pharoh kicked our butt! Still proud of her though & she got a snazzy little toy [not pictured] to add to her collection.

The *point* show is tomorrow & there are supposed to be 3 dogs, 1 bitch & 1 special that she's going up against. Hopefully she'll win!!!! I'm so new to this whole showing thing so it's a learning experience for both of us :)

I also will add, on a non-dog related note, that I started my new job w/the federal government this week! Won't mention the agency, but I'm very excited. I have 8 weeks of class training & 4 weeks of on-the-job training, and even though it's fairly "entry level" it will give me a solid background in my field & allow me to move into the position that I *really* want as soon as a position is available!!!

Bad Bad Baudelaire...

Blech! Turned the heel & it's WAY too big! Big baggy sock :( I wear a size 7.5-8 shoe & this could easily fit someone wearing a 10-11! I started the heel towards the back of my arch, but it needs to be much shorter--so, rip it all out & start all over again...ugh...

Baudelaire beginnings...

Yarn: Wolle Rodel from Germany
Color: Heathered Olive #17345
Content: 75% Schurwolle [superwash] & 25% Polyamid
Needles: Addi turbo #1s

GH Puppies!

Corrine dated Gizmo for a few weeks this summer...they ended up having sex & Gizmo became a papa to 7 boys & 3 girls on Aug. 9th! Gizmo is thinking about disclaiming paternity since he's white/brindle & the puppies look nothing like him! Hopefully he won't become a dead-beat dad...

Got Ears?

Newell, working the magic of the ear action :) And a full belly from gnoshin' on cow bones all day yesterday...his jaw is mighty tired!

Eat your Heart out CuteOverload

Some complaints that I haven't featured Evie on the blog lately. She's shy but looking ador-i-able as always!

Dragon

Extreme close-up of the dragon socks I made for my secret pal at my LYS...

Yarn: Claudia Handpaints "A Walk in the Woods"

Very purplish-blue like my Sony Vaio!

Needles: Addi size 1 [want to get the knitpicks though!]

Gauge: for socks?

I'd show more, but who knows if my secret pal is lurking out there somewhere???

+++++++++

And on a greyhound related note...Happy 100th to the National Greyhound Association!

If you want a great dog, look no further than your local greyhound adoption group!

Greyhound racing, while controversial, provided us with Newell, who ran successfully in Arizona, as well as Evie from Colorado & Oliver from Florida. Cherry & Gizmo aren't "track" dogs, have the same amount of desire for running in their pedigrees. All have come from wonderful sires and dams tracing back to the 1800s.

And thank you to the track trainers & owners who treated my dogs so well while you had them! They have been a joy to own & we couldn't ask for anything more!

Play-Puppy Centerfold

Seems that Cherry is taking after Oliver

Just wait till she has puppies & loses that toned & muscular GH figure!

Apparently

I'm still slowly re-entering the land of the living after the bar exam! It's funny how everyone asks how I think I did...being that the exam is *somewhat* subjective from the standpoint that there are certain things the graders look for, but you have no idea if you'll be rewarded for describing or using the actual word...example profit a prendre, I'll let you all know in October when the results come out! How exciting! It's also exciting to visit w/friends & generally get caught up on life from the past few weeks that I've seemed to miss!

On other news...I went to Tricoter today & exchanged my leftover ball of STR Falcon's Eye from Hourglass for STR Lapis. Very nice of them to do that! The photo's a little blurry, but there are lots of rich blues, teals [or is it more a French blue?], emerald green & violet/purple. They had some kits for the fairisle socks in--looks more complicated then I'd want to put into a pair of socks.

Working on Clapotis now [as I'm the last person on earth who's made it]. Using the Swell Yarn [see post below] for it...so far it's going well. The color of the yarn is beautiful!

Happy Birthday Oliver!

Happy Birthday Oliver!

It's hard being 3yrs now huh?

Piece de Resistance! HOURGLASS!!!

Some of you out there know I've been working on it...and my goal was to finish it before the bar...AND I DID...small modifications must be made [namely, ripping out the neck and bringing it in more to avoid the Flashdance look, which was great in 1985, but very very bad in 2006, considering that if I bent over, you could see all the way down to business that, well...]

Anyway, the details are as follows:

Pattern: Hourglass from Last Minute Knit Gifts
Yarn: STR Falcon's Eye [3.75 skeins] lightweight
Size: 2nd to largest--I like wearing t-shirts under my sweaters & I also wasn't too sure how thin it would be w/the sock yarn!
Needles: Addi #7 body, Addi #5 dpns to start the sleeves, then back to the 7 circs...FINISHED on the new KnitPicks #7s [very very handy for attaching the neckline btw since you can put the end-caps on the cord!]

Photos show a sweater that hasn't been blocked or otherwise shaped, other than slapping it on the floor for a photo, so excuse the wrinkles & poufiness. The one sleeve is very white-green alternating stripes, which is kinda cool...not too much pooling anywhere, but note the gap in the neck? No kidding, if I stood up straight & could take better pictures of myself, it would fall right off my shoulders & end up around my waist! Generally very happy otherwise, would do the pattern again, probably in solid black [may the KnitPicks Shine?] for a dressier look? This will be perfect for comfy, casual days when you want to look better than just wearing that ratty old sweatshirt from the back of the closet but still want to be relaxed!

Bridget missed out last night seeing it 99.9% finished...very long weekend running the dogs, but more on that later...

BACK TO BAR STUDIES...one more week & it's over, yeah me!

For your viewing pleasure

Giz & Cherry's step-bros...from their mom Chynna... 8wks old!

Gizmo wearing a hat...

Pretty Cherry...

New Schwag...

Hmmm...I went to bar review class this morning, stopped by the farmer's market on the way home...got some berries [YUM], candied covered pecans [double yum]...and some eggs [since my secret Canadian supply has been confiscated at the border...]

AND found this wonderful yarn goodness!!! It's from A Swell Yarn Shop ...picked up 2 skeins of this gorgeous color called BOLD... and got a mini-lesson/demo from owner Angela on how to use a drop spindle! Very Cool [but bad b/c I have too much stuff to knit already...and a bar exam...]

How can you not like this site...

From reading her blog, I learned that she's *very* anti-puppy mill [very cool, the anti not the mill] and pro-adopt-a-pet! A kindred spirit!!!I may have to venture out to Redmond again next weekend to see what she has to sell!

[edited today to add the actual picture I took in the car on the ride home...]

WTF

is up w/the wonki-ness of blogger lately? I download pics & text and the formatting sucks. If I had *time* to do it myself, I wouldn't be using blogger...

Finally, new Knitty is up! Good patterns...the last issue had a bunch of crap in it. There, I said it...you were thinking it...

And for the record, did you know:

That the WA version of UCC9 covers SI in personal property, agriculture liens, fixtures & certain intangibles. A PMSI has a close nexus to the collateral & can perfect by mere attachment for consumer goods [20-day grace period to perfect non-inventory items by filing]. Attachment gives creditors rights against the debtor, collateral & 3rd parties that know about the SI. Perfection protects creditor SIs against other SIs, most transferees for value & bankruptcy trustees. Perfection needs attachment *plus* possession, control, filing, mere attachment or a title certificate. Perfected creditors have priority over unperfected & the 1st creditor to perfect is the 1st in right. Perfected PMSIs have priority over all others...

HAHAHAH...crabby day for me doing secured transactions & commercial paper! Still no pics, but I'm on sleeve #2 of hourglass and started the branching out with the skein of hand-dyed 2ply cashmere from Sundara...Is it August yet?

~c

Happy 4th & Happy Birthday!

Cherry & Gizmo turn 3yrs today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

And remember to be safe this holiday & keep pets away from the fireworks!!

[public service announcement brought to you by the letter "Z"]

Bar Update

Again...unexciting for those of you smart enough *not* to go to law school!

Essays completed:

• Torts [practice & graded]
• Property [practice & graded]
• Civ pro

Still have to do crim pro by Thursday. What's in store this week? Ahh...the exciting realm of administrative law, partnerships & corporations! Might throw in some crim law for fun! Can I just share that I absolutely HATE HATE HATE torts & property. They have to be the worst subjects in the world...not only are the full of balls that can be hidden [yes, hide the ball is a favorite game in law school] BUT, they are tediously boring w/lots of crap to memorize. I am the world's worst memorizer...

My mom rec'd the KPPM one-skein gloves I sent her on Saturday. Wow to the post office for delivering in 2 days. Will post pics at some point I promise [not like anyone really comments anyway!]...

But I digress...it's 11:45p and it's still like 80 outside [probably in the 90s--around 30 something for those of you on celsius today?]--that and we have no freakin' A/C in this house!!! How is it that the last 3 homes purchased haven't had A/C???? Why don't homes in Seattle have A/C? Apparently the planet is the hottest it's been in 2000 some years, yet we here don't recognize the need for A/C!!! Conspiracy of some sort? Blech...I'm off to retreat to bed & the portable A/C we put in there...good night...