Another Charity Run

We participated in another charity run this morning - Run Like The Wind 5k was put on to raise funds for The Schrodi Memorial Training Fund. The Schrodi Fund was founded by one of our trainers, Shari, in memory of her dog Schrodi. The fund is designed to help people who could otherwise not afford training to get the top notch training they need, often allowing them to keep a dog they may not have otherwise been able to. It's a great cause, and was a nice way for us to give back to our favorite trainer.

It's a proud moment for us when we can get out and do events like this with our dogs. They've all come along way with their training. Especially our Layla, when we adopted her out of the shelter 2 years ago she was shy, and terrified of everything, so terrified you could barely bring her for a walk. Today she ran like a pro, with lots of people and dogs around. A year and a half ago Aaron Johnson was living under a boat in a junk yard, today he wore a blue ribbon.

Dale and Aaron Johnson won their Race.

Layla and I also ran.

Cheers.

And the Winners Are...

Congratulations to the lucky 6 winners of my Earth Day Contest - They are Christine P. , Amy C., Hoganfe, Contessa Kris, Kim aka Images by Kim, and Antjamie. Please send an email to bluevalentinepress@hotmai.com with where I should send your re-crafted re-usable totes and your issue of Croq "The Trash Issue" and I'll get them on their way to you asap.

Thanks to everyone who played along. There were some great comments and emails with some great ways to live a little greener. Kim would like to implement this idea in her home town, I say go for it, and right on! The less plastic in this world the better. Including plastic water bottles, which is why antjamie's comment about ditching the disposable water bottles is so great - I myself made that change some time ago and it's amazing how much money and plastic you save, for myself personally, I drink a lot of water, like on average of 90 ounces every day, and that's a lot of refills. I love the idea of swifter covers, and riding your bikes to work. I thankfully get to work here at home but my partner has been making a real effort to commute via bicycle when ever it's possible. I also really really loved the idea of getting rid of disposable cups at the office - it's the perfect way to put all those free-be coffee cups to a good use. All it takes is a little effort and a little dish soap. Perfect!

Here's some updates on the project: As of right now I have 124 shirts, and I know there is more on the way. Almost all of these are prepped and ready to sew - thanks to my super next-door friend who spent her Friday evening helping me cut shirts. Some of the finished shirts have made their way out into the world - like 36 of them. And I've only had one person say "no thank you" they didn't want a free re-usable shopping bag, but he was a little weird anyway so...

Here's the biggest most exciting update: Blue Dog Rescue, the local mixed breed rescue group that I volunteer for has an annual fund raising 5k run - Run for the Rovers. They have asked and I have agreed to recycle last year's left over runner shirts into this year's swag bags. This should be about 60 re-crafted tees, and will probably be distributed to the first 60 registrants. Although myself and my partner are already registered to run, so that'll be two more re-crafted re-usable totes for me to get out into the world. If you're reading this and you're in Central Texas, hop on over to the race website, and get yourself registered to run. It's a lot of fun, it's for a great cause, and you can run with your dog, as long as it's spayed or neutered, and current on it's vaccinations. We'll be running with Layla. Way to go green Blue Dog!

I have to say I am so pleased with response I've gotten to this silly little project. My hope was to get my friends and family and their friends and family and maybe a few strangers excited about not using plastic bags anymore. Clearly this has happened. And that my friends, makes me very happy! So thank you all for your enthusiasm, and thank you all for wanting to jump on board and go a little green, and thank you all for not using plastic.

Book Recommendations for Crafty Folks, Gardners, and Knitters

I indulged myself, as is tradition, and made a rather large purchase of books on my recent birthday. A little gift to myself. I've had some time to sit down and at least turn all the pages and in some cases read quite a bit and I've got some recommendations.

First up, I've been dreaming of putting in an organic vegetable garden ever since I moved here to Austin. I've also been dreaming and scheming about some major landscape changes to the back yard. It's got great bones - a patio, a covered porch, and lots of shade - but I want it to be spectacular. Spectacular and dog friendly. It is their domain after all. I found these books: Dogs in their Gardens by Page Dickey and Dog Friendly Gardens Garden Friendly Dogs by Cheryl S Smith. The later has a ton of very useful information about materials, safety, and plant suggestions. She shares not only her gardening know-how but also some very practical advice on managing the dogs in the space. The former is strictly a picture book, but it does have a lot to offer in terms of inspiration. I recommend them both.

Second to indulge the book artist in me - I've been fascinated by pop-up books and their forms and structures lately and have been planning a new series of small artist books that will involve screen printing and pop-up structures. I ordered a fantastic book - The Pocket Paper Engineer How to Make Pop-Ups Step-by-Step by Carol Barton of Popular Kinetics Press. I've been familiar with Carol's work as a book artist for several years as she is quite accomplished. This book is great! Not only does it offer clear and concise tips, instructions, and tools list it has projects. There are several pre-printed pages which you cut, score, and fold, to make pop-up cards, and pockets within the book to store your finished cards. Very clever!

And of course I had to also indulge the knitter in me. This time rather then go for a book of patterns, which I seem to have quite a collection of, I went for instructions and encyclopedic references. Knitting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti and The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes. Both are staples to any knitter's reading diet and every knitter's shelve should have them.

That's it! Quite a haul I know but it was my 40th birthday so I went all out. All books are available from Amazon and I've included links in the sidebar. Happy reading!

That Holiday Spirit

I'll be frank - it's no small task to muster that holiday spirit when you're a Minnesota girl in Texas. I've always been a bit of a scrooge when it comes to Christmas trees and decorating, it seems like a lot of work - you drag all that stuff out of storage, you dust it all off, put it all up, and then turn around and take it all down again. Too much for my lazy bones.

My book group had our monthly meeting on Friday night. In the spirit of the holidays we read "Holidays on Ice" by David Sadarias, drank champagne, and had a little ornament exchange. I sat that part out, not being one to ever put up a tree or hang stuff about the house, I have no real use for ornaments, and thought it best to sit it out. I didn't really love this book either, I kept finding myself feeling offended, rather than humored. The champagne was good.

Despite my distaste for indoor decorations, I have always been a fan of lights, the outdoor variety - I love how they twinkle in the snow and get all reflective and defused, it's pretty. But here in Texas we have no snow. There is the Trail of Lights - a 1 mile loop through Zilker Park here in Austin with a pretty extraordinary light display. It's the annual tradition here in Austin, a town that loves to run, to have the Trail of Lights 5k the night before the light show officially opens to the public. It's a sort of sneak preview for those that sign up to do the 5k. In my attempts to muster that seemingly allusive Holiday Spirit, I registered and ran the Trail of Lights 5k on Saturday night. It was 85 degrees at the finish line at 7:30 PM - it was not feeling one tiny bit like Christmas for this cold weather runner.

Meanwhile back at the workshop... I'm not a complete Grinch and I do like to give gifts. This year, as I've mentioned I have taken the pledge to buy or give handmade, and that means knitting, and lots of it. And because the Etsy shop has had more sales then I can seem to keep up with, it has also meant journal making, and lots of it. Even the baby has tried to get in on the act.

bad puppy

The only holiday spirit I have been able to muster so far this year has been of the crafting variety, and I suppose there's nothing wrong with that.

Coming soon .... Pictures of the finished objects for Christmas 2007 - felted clogs for many, a felted messenger bag, a second Headline News newsboy hat, and Sock Monkeys.

What I'm Thankful For...

Turns out it did get cold, the front pulled in on Wednesday afternoon and temperatures here in Austin plummeted 45 degrees. It went from a record high of 89 degrees to a brisk 40-something in mere hours. It was absolutely Thanksgiving weather, and I was thankful for it.

I started the Thanksgiving Holiday by participating in the 17th Annual Turkey Trot 5 Mile (8k) Run for charity. Some 10,000 runners ran through Downtown Austin and the UT Campus. It was the perfect way to start Thanksgiving Day, I spent the rest of the day feeling healthy, and a little cocky, and absolutely guilt free. I was thankful for that.

After the race, and before going to dinner, I finished the Headline News Hat I had started, and as I said I would, I wore something warm, and hand-knit, and was thankful for it.

I really love this hat

Dinner was fantastic! Very traditional fare at a friend's, with tons of her family around. I made these Sweet Potatoes. They were well received and I was thankful for that. I was also thankful for the invitation.

I was especially grateful that all three of the Wonder Mutts were included in the invitation and joined us for the holiday. I am thankful that I have three dogs, I am thankful that they are really GREAT dogs, and I am thankful that I have friends who love them.

I spent "Black Friday" at home, knitting, and surfing Etsy. I will uphold my pledge to Buy Handmade for the next big holiday. And yes, I couldn't be more thankful for that.

I spent most of Saturday at an Adoption Day for Blue Dog Rescue. And a good part of Sunday at Brunch with friends at the best damn Mexican Restaurant in Austin. I am thankful for Blue Dog and the work that they do. I am thankful that I have friends who eat Brunch. And I am thankful for Mexican food.

I come away from the big Thanksgiving giving thanks, and that my friends, is what it's all about.

Pomp and Circumstance

Aaron Johnson (Rescued Mutt no. 3) graduated from Basic Training at the Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior this past week. Needless to say I'm proud. He was the youngest pup in his class, he's just 5 months, and pretty much off the curve. And it's not just me who thinks so either, so does the trainer and everyone else in class. He'd have made the honor roll if there was such a thing. Congratulations, Good Boy Aaron.

Obviously I love all my dogs, they are all good dogs, but I love them all for different reasons and in different ways, because they are all very different dogs. For example; Aaron is the smartest, he's also the baby of the family, and therefore the silliest. Layla is the neediest, the neurotic one. She's also the most elegant, and gentlest dog I've ever known. She's a lady. She has a way with making other people and other dogs feel at ease, everyone who meets her loves her. The Mike is the affectionate one, the most attentive and loving. He's the giant lap dog. He's also a complete meat head, which cracks me up.

One thing all my dogs have in common is we train together. Next up for Aaron will be an Honors course and his Canine Good Citizenship Test. Layla and Mike both do Agility and will be trying Rally Obedience after the New Year. Mike has already passed his CGC Test. Way to go Mike! Layla has tried and failed - she is too attentive to the "stranger" and the "strange dog approaching". Mostly I like that she fails the test because she's too sweet, and we'll continue to take the test from time to time, just for fun.

Training isn't just an hour a week for us, it's an everyday thing. Everyday we walk, and every walk is a training opportunity. Everyday we play, and practice, and think together. Everyday we take advantage of whatever opportunity we have to spend quality time together. We do it because it's fun. We do it because it makes me proud and them confident. We do it because it brings us closer together. We do it because a good dog is just that much nicer to be around. We do it because there is nobody I'd rather spend my time with than these three good dogs.

"a blog mostly about knitting, but also about reading, shelter mutts, and other assorted craftiness"

There's lots of ground to cover since my last post, seems I've been absent from blog land lately only managing a post about once a week. As my last post noted there's a new baby in the house, and new babies require lots, and lots, of attention. So while I have managed to keep up with my half dozen or so ongoing projects, and with Aaron (just barely), I have not, shamefully, been able to keep current on my blog.

However, this morning I spent a little more than 2 hours running all three dogs ragged, and now they are sound asleep on the office floor. (Yup, nothing makes me happier than all my dogs scattered about the office resting peaceful, it's truly a lovely thing.) And so I take a deep breath and begin a much overdue blog post.

On the knitting front: I started and stopped, and started again on the Josephine Top from the Summer Issue of Interweave Knits. Yesterday at my knitting group I quit the dang thing for good, and I frogged my meager 6 rows of Josephine. It's too bad really because it is a lovely garment, I just can't seem to get it going. It's the lace thing, every row requires no interruptions, I always have to have the pattern in front of me, and I just don't have the luxury of that much quite time, remember I've got three young dogs, and so I end up not working on it at all. So frogged! I guess I'm just not a lace knitter.

I have been making progress on the Montego Bay Scarf. That pattern I can memorize, and if I'm distracted momentarily it's no big deal, I can pick up and know where I left off. I like that. I also impulsively whipped off an Amanda's Squatty Sidekick purse, all that's left is the fulling, which I intend to do just as soon as the laundry is caught up.

On to reading; I've joined a new Book Club, one that actually reads books. I love my old book club, but as I mentioned previously it tends to be more of a "wine and eating" club, which I've got no problem with. The old book club seems also to have fizzled on getting together regularly. I miss the old book club and will definitely join them for some "wine and eating" should they manage a meeting.

The new book club actually reads books, and talks about them at their regular meetings. They also eat and drink, but that seems to be secondary to the reading. When I attended my first meeting they had just read "The Time Traveler's Wife", a book that has been on my list for awhile now and one of the members was kind enough to loan me her copy, which I started and intend to finish just as soon as I read this month's selection. This month's selection is "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl". I'm not sure how it was selected but it's one I somehow got a BA in English without having read. I also just read "Water For Elephants" - I mention this only as a way of recommendation, it's a story well worth reading.

As for other craftiness, I've been binding journals, mostly for my Etsy shop. I seem to have set aside the Book Arts for knitting, and other necessities of life, but lately I've been making the time again. I've been working with my favorite sewn binding for hardcovers, the chain stitch. There is something tedious and repetitive about book binding, not unlike knitting, and that appeals to me very much. I've always enjoyed edition work.

And finally as for the shelter mutts: I've already pretty much covered that in the last few posts. The mutts are all well, and beautiful.

So that's the catch up post, pat your self on the back and resume breathing if you made it through this long, windy post. I'm off to Minneapolis, the first trip "home" since moving to Austin, and so I'll be absent again for another week or so. When I return I'll have finished objects from airplane knitting, tales of yarn store visits and stash enhancements, and news from both the MN Center for Book Arts and the MN Textile Center. Until then...

The New Baby In The House

There's a new baby in the house. He was my second foster for Blue Dog Rescue, he was born to a stray who had the good sense to stash her litter in a safe place, under a boat. Blue Dog Rescue won mom's trust and saved the litter. They all got boating names and foster homes. This little guy was called "Johnson". It only took a few days before I realized I could never let him go. He's what we call in the rescue world a "failed foster". The adoption is final, I'll be keeping "Johnson" forever. Because I come from Minnesota where everyone is named either Johnson or Larson, and my Mother's maiden name was Johnson, and my sister's married name is Johnson, and my ex-father-in-law is named Johnson, we won't be keeping that name.

I've named him Aaron. Aaron Johnson. He's a special little dog - smart, beautiful, happy, and with eyebrows to die for. He fits in beautifully with the rest of my small pack. He looks up to Mike, who will be an excellent role model. He's also the kind of spunky playmate Layla loves, while always respecting her dainty nature. I of course adore him. It was a perfect match.

The pack is complete. And happy. I will only be doing short-term respite fostering from now on, but I will continue to volunteer with Blue Dog and I don't feel bad about that. Welcome to the pack Aaron Johnson.

Where Have I Been

Gosh, you turn around and next thing it's been more than a week since you've posted to the blog. How does it happen...? Where have I been... ?

There was the new giant tattoo. It's my fifth tattoo, and for sure the most painful. It's going to be beautiful, but right now it's still too nasty to photograph. And too achy to love. And too sun sensitive to be outdoors. And not totally finished. There is still a few details to be added, in about a month when it's healed. I'm not looking forward to it.

There was the first ever foster dog for the rescue group I volunteer for. An experience I won't soon forget. She's a beautiful little girl, and extremely bright, and she make the cutest little pig noises, but to say she has issues is an understatement. It's not her fault, she's been through a lot, so I forgive her. But I'm not too sad to see her go. She's found a forever home, and will join them tonight. I hope she can try to be a good girl, and I hope they are as smitten with her as they seem, and grow to love her very much.

There's been knitting, some, not enough. I missed my Sit and Knit for the tattoo. I cast on the Montego Bay Scarf, not enough progress to photograph. I cast on The Ruffles and Ridges shawl, or something like it, I'm modifying, but not enough progress to photograph. And I whipped off a bag and a bucket hat for fulling, but haven't fulled just yet.

There is Habu in the wings. The LYS got a new order of Habu Textile Kits, so I wisely snatched up the Kushu Kushu Scarf and the Paper Moire and Silk Boucle Jacket so I could get the colors I want. I haven't even thought of casting on yet.

There was a flurry of doggie day care, play dates, training classes, adoption days, home visits and agility courses, for my own dogs and the foster. The mutts run me ragged, makes me feel like a soccer mom, without the suburbs and the mini van. Just a sweet neighborhood, a VW Golf, and lots of dog hair and exercise. I'm not complaining. Really.

There is the new button press. I finally broke down and got a button press off ebay. It gives me an excuse for all the ephemeral bits, pieces, and scraps I keep saving. As well as an outlet for some small graphic projects. You can see what I've been up to so far at my Etsy shop.

And there it is - you spin yourself around a few times, and a week flies by. Now it's time to get back to all of it, and do it all again.

Long Time No Blog

It feels like it's been ages since I've had a new entry here on the blog. It has in fact been over a week. I had a house full of visitors from Minneapolis. My sister, my niece, and the three little people were here for just over a week. I'm not usually one for having house guests, in fact the last time members of my family visited I put them a hotel. It's not that I don't love them, I do, I just don't like house guests. Incidentally, I also dislike being a house guest. This time a hotel just wasn't feasible, so they stayed in my little house. Despite that, I was able to enjoy the time with them very much, we played, we ate ice cream, we hit some thrift stores, and in general had a great time. But I just couldn't get anything else like blogging, done.

Until yesterday it was almost a week since I'd done any knitting also. Unheard of I know, but I had a minor injury. I was hanging out in the yard doing a little yard work with the mutts. The mutts were having a fast and furious game of chase and headed in my direction. I could see what was going to happen next, but I couldn't do a thing to stop it. Little Layla deeked just at the last possible second, and Big Mike barreled right into me. I fell, heard my shoulder make several strange popping sounds, felt an amazing amount of pain, yelled out, tried to lift my hanging arm, heard several different strange popping sounds, felt a little less pain, and pulled myself together. The dogs had stopped to stare. My sister says she heard or read somewhere recently that orthopedic surgeons are seeing as many rotator cuff injuries from knitters as they are from athletes. I wondered how many they see from knitters with very large, very fast, and not at all graceful dogs named Mike. After a week the shoulder still aches, and I still can't hook my own bra, but as of yesterday knitting was possible again. Thank goodness!

In celebration I went to my Tuesday afternoon sit and knit at the LYS. I had missed last week, because of the bum wing, and the house full of guests. Only this week I didn't knit. Instead I learned some basic crochet techniques. I've been doing a lot of free-form, make-it-up- as-you-go-along knitting lately. Mostly it's taking the form of skinny scarves, lariats, necklets, and necklaces. They're nice little diversions from the progress I'm making on "Sizzle" and the Branching Out Lace Scarf. When I get tired of following the patterns, I make a lariat. I wanted to be able to mix it up a bit with some crochet. And so yesterday I learned how to make baubles, and loops, and few other basics that will allow me to improvise with a crochet hook.

I also added to the stash, just a little. I've been absolutely fascinated with Habu Textiles Yarns lately. I fondle them, and smell them every time I'm at the LYS. I love , love, love the textures, and the amazing earthy colors. They were the perfect thing for me to continue to improvise with. I promise to post photos of the finished objects soon. I should be posting progress photos of Sizzle and the Lace soon also, I'm a mere few rows from having the back complete on Sizzle, and more than half done with the lace. Now that the shoulder is allowing knitting again, and the house is deplete of guests, it should be soon.

Knitting News, but Mostly a Reading Post

It was a whirlwind of a weekend. There were three different sets of house guests. The Boyfriend's 17 year old visited from Mpls. for most of the weekend. She's a good kid and I like her. We all saw Pirates Three. Promptly upon her departure my niece arrived with her three wee people in tow. I've missed them since moving away to Austin, and the visit was far too short. And promptly upon their leaving the four legged guests arrived. I had to pick them up actually. I agreed some time ago to do the doggy sitting for a good friend's two dogs while she has her first baby. I of course had no way to know that all would converge almost simultaneously. In the chaos I found no time to knit or write.

Yesterday, after the 4 dogs had run themselves nearly ragged in the yard, I did make it to my Tuesday Afternoon Sit and Knit. I was a half hour late, but I made it. And I needed it. So better late than not at all. I cast on Sizzle and made some legitimate progress. In one short session the back of the sweater now measures a full 4 inches from cast on. Time to start the dart decreases.

Unfortunately there was no other knitting to report. There is a lot on-the-needles. Seems I'm still not motivated enough to finish that pretty brown purse, and not sure just what my problem is. I'm thinking of frogging the orange tank, but can't bring myself to do it just yet, I can't bring myself to work on it either so it seems that frogging is inevitable. I've completely given up on the squares for the afghan, I found a pattern I love, but won't start that until I get some of these other projects safely off the needles.

I have been wanting to get caught up on a reading post. My reading has been bordering on prolific. I finished The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean about a week ago. There is a strange phenomenon with this book, seems every time I mentioned it the other party would reply "oh that's the one Adaptation was based on." But I never saw that movie. I tried to see that movie, but I hated it, and slept instead. I didn't hate the book. In fact I rather enjoyed it. I was struck by the fanaticism of the orchid collectors, and realized how true that fanaticism rings with both book collectors and knitters. Seems there is something lurking in the universe that pushes collectors over the edge to obsessive. And that's what this book is about.

I immediately started, and finished How to Be Good by Nick Hornby. It's a fast, fast read. It is a really light and witty story, but it touches on a pretty big theme - how do we define what it means to "be a good person". Is "good" defined by our professions, or are family status, or our ability to treat others with kindness? I'd highly recommend this one for a quick summer read.

After that dose of 'light reading" I felt compelled to pick up The War by Marguerite Duras. It's slowing me down some, and the title is really all I have to say about it just yet, it's a memoir of Duras' experience as a French survivor of WWII and Nazism. I love Duras, but this one's incredibly dark, and sad, and daunting.

Yesterday I set The Duras aside in favor of something a little less daunting and a lot more fun, Yarn Harlot Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. It was among the "Thank You" gifts I received for taking care of my friend's dogs. I read the Harlot's blog everyday, and this book is a genuine treat. I think that like Orlean's book it's about being obsessive. And like Hornby's book it's about being good. But mostly it's about knitting.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I survived Dog Camp. Barely. I have to say that is just about the most exhausting thing I have ever done, and I've done a triathlon. In fairness, Dog Camp was also about the most fun I've had. From Friday to Sunday it was pretty much non-stop action. We tried our luck at Lure Coursing, this is the sport where the dogs chase a lure, in this case a white plastic bag that's attached to a wire course. The course covers a fairly large field in several directions. There are high speed straight aways and sharp turns. And lots of barking dogs waiting their turn. Both dogs loved this sport, both dogs are VERY fast, I don't love this sport. It's the frenzy I don't love. And so we only did it once.

We tried tracking, and honestly I felt it was a bit boring. Although, The Mike did air scenting, or the precursor to search and rescue, and loved it. I'm not surprised that he excelled at this, Mike has a great nose and uses it all the time. It's an amazing sight to watch a dog "see" with his nose.

We also spent some time on the Agility course, which is the sport we train in regularly. Both dogs have fun at Agility. Mike's enthusiasm makes him technically not very good, but he's awfully fun to watch charging over or through the obstacles usually in some random order he decides for himself. Mike's exuberance would certainly get him disqualified from any real competetion, but we do this for fun, and fun he has. Layla on the other hand approaches Agility the way she approaches everything, with grace and elegance. She floats over jumps, and walks the dog walk, and the teeter, like a supermodel walks a runway. She's not fast, but she's beautiful. Although by Sunday's Fun Match Layla was too pooped, for even this - her favorite activity - and mostly we sat in the shade and watched.

The Mike won an award, "Recall Super Star", and my proudest moment - he swam! Turns out Layla is a natural in the water, which somehow didn't surprise me. The Mike put up a fair amount of resistance, he is a willful dog who fears much of the unknown. However, once in the river with me at his side he proved to himself he could do it, and because he is such a strong dog, he is also a strong swimmer. Luckily I am also, together we swam.

Although I brought my knitting with me, I knit not a single stitch. Progress on the yoga mat bag - nil. Progress on the One Skein Tank - nada. Progress on blanket squares - nilch. This was the Wonder Pups' weekend. Now I'll get back on the needles and will have knitting progress to share soon.

Edited To Add: A post sans photos, no hands for cameras - when your handling leashes, and treats, and water, lots and lots of water.

Knitting from Necessity and a Sale

The last few days I've found myself knitting from necessity. It all started when I had to run to the post office, just quick and it was late, and I was tired, and so I didn't put Layla in her kennel. Layla love, love, loves her kennel. Layla is a strange dog in a lot of ways, and one of those ways is she suffers from what is known as "separation anxiety", in lay terms she freaks out when left alone, unless she's in her kennel. I literally wasn't gone at the post office for more than 15 minutes. When I got home Layla snaked out of the bedroom to meet me at the door with the gnarled remains of my wallet. So after I called the credit card companies and the bank to request new cards (yeah, you should heard the costumer service reps responses when I said "my dog ate it, no seriously") I knit myself a new wallet. Yesterday when I went to the Post Office, I put Layla in her kennel, and the Post Mistress complimented my new wallet.

Meanwhile, the clutch went out on my VW, and so it was in the shop, and I was sans motorized vehicle. No big deal really. I live in a neighborhood where I can walk places and I have nice bike. The trouble didn't arise until I went to Yoga and couldn't quite manage carrying the yoga mat on the bike. So I left the mat at home, rented one for the day, and started working on a pattern for a yoga mat bag that I can fling over my back next time I want to ride the bike to yoga. I've frogged the bag in progress 3 times to make changes. I'm currently closing in on what I think will be the final design. I hope to finish it this weekend at Camp.

Yup, we're taking the wonder pups to Camp. The Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behaviour puts on the camp for dogs and their people every year. We'll take over a resort on the Blanco River. There'll be Agility, Lure Coursing, Tracking, and Swimming Lessons. I've got a bet with the trainer that they won't be able to teach The Mike to swim. I hope I lose, I'd like The Mike to swim.

On a final note, I'm having a sale in my Esty shop. I've marked down a lot of the wintry woolly items by 20% or more. I will continue to clear out the wintry stuff as I add some of the summer knits I've been working on, including the yoga mat bag. So if you feel like it grab yourself a bargain.

Progress report on the blanket - 3 squares finished 60 to go.

Crafting for a Cause

Crafting for charity is a concept that has been around for ages. And it's everywhere. You can knit hats for cancer patients, or the homeless. You can make blankets for premature babies and children in need. You can knit blankets for shelter dogs. You can contribue locally, or globally. The possibilities are astounding really. From time to time I will showcase those causes that I've been a part of. It's my way of spreading the word.

One of the charity crafting causes that I support is Crafters for Critters. It's a one woman operation really, a website featuring handmade items donated by independent crafters that are then sold with all the proceeds going to animal rescue groups. Each quarter they give to 3 or so different rescue groups, one is always greyhound specific. The groups benefiting are rotated, there by sharing in the giving. There are some great things for sale, jewelery, knitting, sewing, and all kinds of craftiness. It's a great place to do a little gift shopping, gifts that give twice.

I chose to support Crafters for Critters quite simply because animal rescue is something I believe in and that touches me personally. There are far too many great dogs in this world that through no fault of their own are languishing in shelters , or worse on the streets. Irresponsible pet guardianship and careless breeding are the cause.

I currently have two rescue dogs. The Mike aka "Bubby" and Layla. They're both GREAT dogs. Mike has been with me since he was a 12 week old puppy. He and his 12 litter mates and their mom were rescued by Animal Ark a no-kill shelter in Minnesota when the puppies were just 3 weeks old. He moved with us to Texas. Layla was adopted from the Town Lake Animal Shelter here in Austin, TX. She had been a stray.

The Mike is one of those happy, thinkin dogs. He is an expert sleeper, and will do anything for food. He's the meathead of family. Layla has come along way since we adopted her. She was extremely undernourished, and afraid of everything. Now she's beautiful and graceful, and busy. In England there is a saying "no sheep, no collies" and if you've ever known a herding dog you get it. But Layla's only sort of a collie and is content to herd The Mike and my knitting if I'm careless. (Yup, Layla moves wool from room to room whenever she gets a chance).

Myself, my partner, and both dogs train in agility at the Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behaviour. We do it because it's fun. It's a great way for us to all spend time together, and it has truly changed the dogs' lives. It gives them confidence, and an outlet for their athleticism.

But I've digressed... I was speaking of crafting for a cause. When your done looking at the Crafters for Critters website do a Google search for "charity knitting", find something you believe in, and get to knitting! It will make you feel good, it will make other people feel good, and knit by purl it will help to make the world a better place.

Peace!