Kona's Memorial Tree

Today would have been Kona's 14th birthday. Sadly she passed away in April of this year. We planted a Venus Dogwood tree today in her memory.

She was a wonderful dog and she is dearly missed. 

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!

Narrow Scarf Passes the Test

In late November I scrounged around in my stash looking for a ball of somethin-er-other to pair with a quick and easy pattern I could do while waiting in the car while my husband had cataract surgery, since I was to be his designated driver after the procedure.

This little scarf, somewhat of my own design, but inspired by the Pomegranate Shawl by Drops Design, paired with a single ball of King Cole Riot Double Knitting, fit the bill. It's simple garter stitch other than a bit of shaping done on every 6th row. My innovation was to give it an I-cord edging all around.

It's been finished for a few weeks now and has passed the test of daily use. It's warm and cozy and just the right length and width. I like the way it hugs my neck without long ends to worry about.

It's nice and warm on our chilly early morning dog walks.

 

Graduation Day!

 Teddy graduated from his basic puppy training today. 

He even got to wear a graduation cap for a few photos.

We had been warned at a previous class to have him practice wearing a hat and posing for pictures, so he had a few "training sessions" with a little party hat.

Kona saw him and seemed a little put out at the attention he was getting,

so I let her in on the action.

First Project

The first project sewn in the newly renovated and redecorated sewing room is a Christmas outfit for a dear friend,

my walking buddy, Kona.

She doesn't look overly excited about it does she?

My Walking Buddies

Five days a week I enjoy walking with my buddies. Always the fur-girl on the left. Often the handsome fellow on the right too.

We're extremely fortunate to live in such a beautiful area.

With the perfect mix of sunshine and a little rain the foliage at the Blue Heron Reserve has really closed in! 

Sun on Snow

We're experiencing some beautiful sunshine here in Chilliwack but the temperatures remain below freezing and the excessive snow is going nowhere.

 Townsend Park sees a lot of dog walkers, even in this weather. Unfortunately, yet understandably, getting a walking path cleared is not a priority for the equipment crews.

This is definitely a situation where I am thankful for all those who have blazed a trail before me! As long as one sticks to the beaten path the going isn't too bad. Step off that trail though and you're over your knees.

I don't normally let Kona off leash but with no walkers or dogs in sight I let her run free for a few minutes. She had an absolute blast! She is such an obedient, well trained dog that whenever I called her she came charging back and stayed at my side until released again with an "okay". 

That's Enough!

Christmastime and snow seem to be a natural go together, but enough already!

It's just not safe to walk a dog along the road mess that has been pushed onto the sidewalks so I took Kona to a nearby park only to find that the walking was pretty tough there too.

Kona is no dummy though. She walked along the edge, almost under the shrubs, where the snow wasn't so deep -- and left me to slog through the more difficult depths.

My trailKona's trail

I paid her back by taking her picture. She hates cameras and refuses to look at them. (Sorry about the up-the-nose shot Kona.)

I haven't seen icicles forming on a building for years.

These ones, on a building in the park, were particularly long and beautiful.

Bitter Wind Chill

We are experiencing a break from the gloomy dark days and torrential rain. Unfortunately that still doesn't mean that this morning's dog walk was pleasant.

It's terribly cold and windy! It was -9 degrees Celsius with a windchill factor of -15 when I took Kona for her morning walk. (That's 15 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit, for my American readers).

Puddles are very common here in Chilliwack's "Coastal Rain-forest" climate. Seeing them frozen? Not so much. 

I think someone should invent indoor toilet facilities for dogs. 

Appreciating Shade

So grateful for the shade!

My daily dog walks are usually one and a half to two hours long, but with the extreme heat we've been experiencing I've had to shorten them up some, for my sake and for the dog's.

Kona insists that the walks still happen, but she's no dummy. When given a choice she always picks a route that takes her through the shady spots and down to the slough for a drink. 

Luckily, early in the morning one of our favourite routes has plenty of shade -- at least until we have to head home along the hot city streets.

Even then Kona will want to cross the road if it means she will be able to walk within the shadows.

Off to a Good Start

After scrapping that failed, fuzzy blue-violet and chartreuse warp, I've wound another warp and this one is much proving to be much more successful!

The warp is all cotton and the colours chosen were inspired by the ball of dishcloth cotton you see in the centre. The white, green, and light blue are not in the warp but may end up included as weft. 

Kona was a patient supervisor of the beaming process, though she chose to lay right where I would have to step over her every time I went from the front of the loom to the back. Using the "yank and crank" method of keeping a uniform tension I was stepping over her a LOT. 

I put this warp on my loom so that it wouldn't be empty when a visitor interested in Saori weaving comes by. But I find it a very pleasant warp to weave and cannot seem to stay away. I may end up using up all 6 metres of it before the guest arrives! 

The colours are most accurate in this final photo. I have no idea what the final use will be of the yardage, but I certainly am enjoying weaving it. 

Three Colour Clasped Weft

After weaving the first few inches on this black mercerized cotton warp I discovered a tutorial on a three colour interlock technique (about 1/2 way down the Ravelry post). After some initial confusion and the need to pay close attention to the steps in the tutorial I've "caught on" and now find it not only easy, but fun!

I've decided to stick with the technique for the remainder of the 6m warp.



Kona felt the weaving was getting more attention than she was, and that just wouldn't do!





The entire length of cloth is being woven in mercerized cotton. The warp is 5/2, and the weft is 10/2, and 8/2 in bright colours accented with the same 5/2 black that the warp is done in.



I'm thinking it will eventually become some sort of clothing. We'll see what it says once it is complete.