Finally finished some UFOs

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was trying to think about what I wanted to accomplish.  I was looking around my craft room and realized I had four unfinished knitting projects still sitting on my shelf.  The part of the projects I really don't like doing is the finishing work (tucking in yarn ends mostly).  So if I don't have some kind of deadline for the project (meaning if I'm not giving the project to someone in particular), I usually put the project on the shelf and let it sit there until I find the motivation to complete it.  The reason I don't like tucking in yarn ends is because at that point, all of the knitting or crocheting is done, so when I do this, it doesn't feel like I'm making any sort of progress, which is not very motivating.

I decided to finally complete those four.  Two of the projects needed yarn ends tucked and needed to be sewn together (one was a cushion cover for my rocking chair in the living room and the other was a pair of baby booties).  One project only needed yarn ends tucked (a baby hat) and the other project, a baby blanket for donation, needed a border crocheted. 

I first finished the booties and hat and with my sense of accomplishment and momentum, I moved on to sewing together the cushion cover for my rocking chair.  After finishing that, I started crocheting the border on the blanket.  I will still need to block the blanket, but the fact that I've finishing tucking in the yarn ends and finished the border was amazing progress.  I still have a number of projects on my needles, but at least I've completed those that were sitting on my shelf waiting to be truly finished. 

Banjo's new sweater

Because Banjo doesn't like his sweaters that have to be pulled over his head, I made him one that straps on his chest and belly (not literally).  Here it is:

 

 

He loves it, can't you tell?  Hee hee.

1/2 done with mending

I am finally using my Home Ec skills: I finally fixed our comforter (Banjo attacked it way back at the apartment) and I fixed part of Chris's superman photography belt.  That sewing stand is working great Dad!  Still on my list: Chris's fleece blanket and my gray pants.

I hope I can finally get to the part of winter that involves planning my to-do list for the new year and catching up a bit from the last.  Part of that list is tone up for the wedding dress.  I don't want to look flabby in my dress, so I asked Kim for some advice on how to tone a bit.  She has me on a simple yet painful list of exercises: planks (actually my favorite even though they are really tough for me), squats, lunges, push ups and military press.  My goal is to firm up a bit before the wedding - I think I have plenty of time, but if I don't start now and make it a part of my routine, it will never happen.  I love encouragement!

And for your entertainment, here's Banjo in one of his doggy sweaters.  It cracks me up that we put him through this (for those of you who think it's a form of torture, we did it because we wanted to keep him warm on the trip home from my parents...still funny as hell).

 

I'm thinking of knitting him a dog sweater this year that will not only be easier to get on him (i.e. two straps instead of leg holes) but also a more flattering color scheme.  Plus the horizontal stripes make him look fat...haha - couldn't resist.

Celebrations in Longville

Chris, Banjo and I finally got up to my parents this past weekend to celebrate Christmas - we didn't go last weekend because of the potential Snowmaggedon.  I finished the animals' stockings finally - I made one for Pokey, Banjo and Slasher, complete with their name.

We opened presents on Friday evening (at my insistence of course).  We all greatly enjoyed Chris's calendars and great fun was had by all...including Banjo who attacked the cat while we were upstairs.  To all of our surprise, Slasher did not slash Banjo - instead, I had to break it up.  The cat spent the rest of the night behind the toilet and the rest of the weekend in the bedroom with the door closed.  Banjo tried to convince us he just wanted to say hi, but we didn't fall for it.

There was a lot of really great food: Mom made Snickerdoodles for Chris and Russian Teacakes for me.  Plus she made broccoli bake (my most favorite side dish ever) and waffles and everything else under the sun.  So good. 

Pokey and Slasher and Santa got me pennies for penny poker (I have the reputation for not having many pennies in my jar).  This time, I came away with some pretty big wins - big wins for penny poker of course.  We also started a jigsaw puzzle Saturday morning after stockings were opened since the power was out and the sun was up.  I of course chose one of the most difficult ones: polar bears in the snow.  Needless to say, we didn't finish by the time we left today, so we'll see if my parents finish it (hee hee).

Happy New Year to all!

Oh the festivities...and the Snowmaggedon that didn't come

Chris, Kim and I went down to their parents' place for Christmas festivities.  We hunkered down thinking we were going to be trapped in by the snow that didn't happen.  We did play in the snow with the dogs though which was a lot of fun.  We figured out that the snow was deep enough so Banjo couldn't run far off leash.  He was a really could hop through it!  Chris will hopefully post some pictures of it...by 2011. 

We had the opening of presents this morning and luckily no one turned on the train again.  Chris's mom Sue got a train set to put under the tree this year and it turns out it drives Banjo and the rest of the dogs a bit crazy.  Banjo was very suspicious and barked incessantly at it, but Harley had some balls and flat out attacked the train - no barking, no warning. 

They got me lots of fun knitting stuff, which will keep me plenty busy next year.  We also got some Wii stuff and the full series of The Wire (amazing show and I'm crazy excited to watch it!).

Off to watch a movie and continue knitting on Pokey's blanket!  Merry Christmas!

Puppy does not like the vet

I've been putting off taking him into the vet to get his nails trimmed. So after we discovered how much fun he has in the cold, at Chris's prompting, we took him in. Crazypants gets freaked the minute you go into a place that smells like a lot of different dogs. He gets more freaked out when you clamp his jaws shut with the muzzle - he likes to have the ability to bite! But he was a really good puppy: even though he fought getting the muzzle put on him like a two-year old fighting whatever it is they fight, Banjo didn't growl at Chris or bite him at all, even though Chris had his hands around Crazy's neck and collar and everything. Very impressive.

After Puppy got weighted and stuff, they took him in the back room. Chris and I got to read posters about genetic testing (What mix is your dog?) and care for senior dogs. While we enjoyed the fine literature, Banjo was scared shitless...literally. The tech came back in the room and informed us that Banjo would be good for a while and that we shouldn't worry if his stool is soft for a bit. I can't stop giggling about that!

We also asked about how Banjo handles the cold. We were thinking he had arthritis and were wondering if we needed to give him meds. The vet looked at a video I took of Banjo, and she exclaimed "He needs booties." So I'm going to knit my puppy some booties (although I can't find a knitting pattern online to speak of - so I'm going to modify baby booties...how cute). We'll see if Crazy allows them to be put on his feet. That will be interesting.

We also have the option of giving Banjo glucosamine (just like his Daddy!) or doggy aspirin. Hee hee. Banjo was extremely excited to be leaving the room and was ecstatic when Chris took the muzzle off. Even though he was still in the lobby of the vet's office, Banjo was back to himself and was asking me and Chris if it was time to leave yet. He was a good boy :)

Puppy does not like the cold

We found out something new about Banjo: he does not like the cold. His back legs give into an arthritic bowlegged hop after a minute in the kind of weather we've been having. The poor thing bounds through the snow as soon as he gets out the door, does his business as quickly as possible and crawls up the stairs on three legs as quickly as possible.

I also found out that puppy does not like having things put over his head. In his goody bag that came with him upon adoption were two doggy sweaters (I hate doggy sweaters in general, but I thought it might be a good thing for Crazy). Turns out he doesn't like a person coming at him with clothing. I'm guessing he thinks it's the muzzle (hee hee). He hates when you take away his ability to bite!

I've been trying to think of a solution, one being I knit him a sweater that doesn't require me putting something over his head, but rather something that wraps around his underside, with a buckle or something, so it's more like snuggling in a blanket rather than torture.

Banjo's solution: hold it until spring.