Goodbye Dear Friend

I had to say goodbye to a dear old friend a few days ago. Kona was not "my" dog, but for the past seven years or so she has been my friend, walking buddy, and daily companion. Her absence is deeply felt.

This first photo is one of my favorites. She was such a gentle sweetheart, and she loved her stuffies. In this photo she managed to pick up a "bouquet" of them, five in all, to greet her dad when he came to pick her up after work.

The photo above is not a great one, but for me, it remains a great memory. At seven years of age, she was still a puppy at heart, and she had great fun that snowy day in December of 2016, racing back and forth along the heavily snowed in path of Townsend Park.

Such a beautiful girl, here laying her heavy head across my knee in hopes that I will stop weaving for a moment to give her some one on one attention.

Kona was a wonderfully well behaved girl who could be trusted to lay quietly at my side, not disturbing a thing in my weaving room full of enticing yarny temptations.

Kona and I walked together at least five days a week, through the deep heat of summer, 

and in the bitter winds of winter. 

 You'll be dearly missed my old friend!

Imaginarium Monster

 A while back my daughter destashed my way, a crochet amigurumi monster book, "Edward's Crochet Imaginarium" by Kerry Lord. It sat in my fibre arts library unused for a long time because I find crocheting tightly rather hard on my hands -- or at least I did at the time. Since receiving a wonderful set of ergonomic crochet hooks as a gift that has changed. 

I've tackled creating my first monster. He (she?) is made completely from handspun yarn. The division for those bulbous toes and fingers, as the pattern was written, was darn near impossible, but once I worked out my own "toe-up" version it was much easier and a lot of fun.

The pattern book is a modular type of thing with mix and match parts you can put together in any combination. Combined with yarn choices and colour placement the variety you can achieve is endless -- and FUN!

The knobby tail, scruffy hair, and belly button were my own innovations. The project was fun and interesting enough that as soon as the last stitch was done on the first, I started on the second. 

The eye on a stalk is the start of a monster being made to meet a guild challenge that is due in September. Stay tuned!

DRK Everyday Socks

Socks. A minor finished project. 

Simple mindless knitting to occupy my hands while I watch episodes of "Fruity Knitting", a favorite knitting podcast that I highly recommend to anyone interested in knitting, wool production, sheep, or hiking. It is very well done with loads of interesting content. There are even small nods to crochet, weaving, and spinning.

"I'll Knit If I Want To", is another knitting podcast I regularly watch. The sock pattern I used for these socks, the "DRK Everyday Socks" is one designed by that podcaster, Andrea Mowry of "Drea Renee Knits".

The socks fit very well, but I find having ribbing on the soles a bit to textured for my sensitive feet. I think next time I'll knit them with stockinette soles instead, but keep the ribbed tops.