Lucy - Best Dog Ever

An eventful busy summer - some good, some sad - So we're still here... moving date changed to end of September so I have an extra month to sort and pack (and organize my yarn stash of course). But time is running out and between working and cleaning and packing and life stuff, it's a bit tricky. Quite the summer. It rained pretty well every day. And with "ten months of winter and two months of bad skating" (hubby's words) in this area, we SOOO appreciate the warm sunny weather. Did not get much of THAT this year. But hopefully all of you people getting the hurricanes are safe and we are all thinking of you. There was frost here yesterday morning. Gotta finish my CPH (for those of you who do not know, that is the "Central Park Hoodie" from the Knitscene magazine that so many of us have been working on and I just ADORE this pattern. Am starting another one this coming weekend - as I really want to wear it in the cooler evenings now. Here is a progress pic...It is being knit in Cascade Heathers 220 in the evergreen and is just gorgeous yarn to work with and beautiful colour. I love the cables and the pattern is really well written and easy to follow. I have blocked (I am going to have to figure out a better way to block, as had to pile all of these pieces on top of each other to fit the blocking board ) and it's all ready to seam and add button bands and hood. But need to finish the second sleeve (why is it taking SOOO long? tell ya in a minute) and get going on it. I am freezing and really want to wear a cozy cardi. Still have to work on the Kilim Shawl (can't upload the pics right now cause computer was reformatted and repaired and a lot of the stuff is GONE off my computer - I saved my "work" and some other stuff but most of my pics are gone and had to reload everything for my iTunes podcasts, songs etc. so it's been a real pain) but my take-along or "go with" project (as Sharon on She-Knits podcast says) is this pair of socks. Mostly being done in the car when out to get groceries or running errands etc. And no, not while I'm driving. Hubby and I do those things together (how boring eh? Those are our "dates" together but we like it). They are just Yarn Harlot simple socks in Becky's yarn (http://www.dkknits.etsy.com/ ) in a multi and the Blue Jean Queen sock yarn. Not much else. No time right now. I am winding yarn though and I did to join the Wollmeise Sock Club (done by lottery, so I feel LUCKY) and am pleased to have received my first shipment - so beautiful - really, the colours are just so prety and I like the pattern a lot too. Here's a little pic of the yarn Claudia sent, representative of her homeland Bavaria.

Really nice gift package - can't wait to knit with this (well, let's rephrase that... and say I can't wait to KNIT AGAIN, let alone with this yarn). I just miss my knitting time.

Oh, and I have a spindle now. So for the next post, I will tell you about SPINNING!! YAY!

Finally, after listening to so many of you talking about spinning and seeing all the blogs, I had to try it. And I'm hooked already. One time, and I'm done. I just spun my first yarn and we won't talk about that right now... as it is thick and bulky but someday I will spin skinny yarn, I just know it. (think positively, right?). So that is enough about knitting (and spinning) for now. This has been a difficult summer. With the moving packing and trying to sell the house (dontcha hate that? trying to have the house "perfect" for a random phone call where people are just going to come over and inspect your home?) so that was stressful. Youngest daughter off to University, and getting her settled (yes, I cried... you will too - just wait and see - especially when the baby one leaves, it is a bit of a shock) but now we have adjusted nicely (amazing how quickly we can adjust to quiet house with just two of us here - very pleasant actually) and focusing more on the move to the temporary place (waiting for the new house to be built and of course, there are delays, so everything will be in storage for a while - except my YARN). And our older dog "Lucy" has been sick for a couple of years, treated with medications etc. She got worse a couple of weeks ago and then last week she just went downhill pretty fast. Called the vet, explained what was happening, and the vet said she needed to come over now or the suffering would get worse and it would happen very quickly with this disease (Cushing's disease) and all of her other problems (liver, kidney, blood disorders, tumours, cataracts, deaf, severe arthritis, and a lame leg - so she basically walked on three legs and carried that fourth one - she could run, but the back legs ran as "one" leg together as if they were tied together - very cool to watch and amazing how mother nature can heal an animal and how well they adjust - no surgery because of her age and her problems, and she healed quite nicely) so ANYWAY... it was time. And our beautiful dog is not suffering now and died so peacefully outside on the grass with us and her little pup friend, and we all sat around and ate doggy treats (the dogs did anyway, we were drinking... a necessary evil at that point) and we all chatted and doggies just rested beside us and relaxed. So it was a nice way to go. And really, I am so grateful that the vet came to our home (we are rural so the vets visit the farms to tend to the animals ) and we could just ease her into it and she just fell asleep with us sitting with her. This has been her home for sixteen years and she was free here, fenced in two acres, lots of room to run and play, raised the kids, had kitty and doggy friends and we both work at home, so she had constant human company. We gave her the best life we could and she gave us back so much more, in spades... it was so rewarding having this dog in our life. And she helped raise this little dog, and train her with us... so we are very grateful. Our beautiful dog (lab/collie mix - rescued at eight weeks and lived to such a good old age) has been a wonderful enriching part of all of our lives and we will always miss her. So Lucy Jane Laver - you rest now...After a perfect dog has had a perfect life, Our beautiful dog deserves some rest.