The Spring Cure - Bathroom

The Spring Cure continues at the CattyAbode. This week's biggie was replacing the nasty yellowed and cracked plexiglass insert over our vanity and switching out the old lighting to new fluorescent lightbulbs. As you can see, our bathroom is the size of a postage stamp with no external window, so brighter lighting helps avoid the 'we live in a cave' feel. When I took the ancient plastic insert into Vermont Plastic Specialities, the guys had a very hard time disguising their smirks. All I could offer was, "Hey, we rent."

(I had to stand in the tub to take this shot!)

I also changed out the vinyl shower curtain liner and laundered the old one for future use. To wash it, I just stick it in the washer with a load of towels and set it on warm/cold, then air dry it over our laundry rack. The towels scrub the residue off and I can usually get a few more uses out of it before it is time to throw it away.

Spring Cleaning

The osprey are here, so it must be spring. And this week, I found out there is going to be a huge community yard sale at the end of May. Taking my inspiration from here (warning - this site is a good way to waste a day...or a week - click at your own risk!) I have begun the Spring Purge. So far, two+ computer paper boxes have been filled.

Culling through my drawers, I was reminded I have never posted a pic of my favorite socks. These socks were made pre-blog, so I don't have a clue on the yarn (readers, any thoughts?). They have worn like iron and feel better each time I wear them. In fact, if I could remember the yarn, I'd make some more!

And FYI - no stash has been harmed during the Purge.

...and your little dog, too!

Edited to add action shots -
Sophie wagging happy.

Sophie's cheesecake shot!

Sophie's Skully Sweater

Project specs: Leftover Jawoll sock yarn in black with Mango Moon's Capelli in Cherry, knit on #2 Inox needles. The pattern ended up being created on the fly using Miss Sophie's dress as a sizing guide. For scale? The skull is the size of a 1/2 dollar. Sophie's owner has promised to bring her into work to model the sweater --ooo, live action shots!

On a more serious note, my boss (aka The Little Dog - not to be confused with Sophie) and his wife found out last week that she has breast cancer. Until we get more details and ways to help the family during this crisis, I started knitting a wrap for her.

I love the look of the Trinity stitch on the larger needles. And though you can't tell in this pic, the green is brighter and there are small beads interspersed throughout the border.

However, all this talk about dogs activates the alien in Miss Isabelle.

I'm so done with this!

I'm so done with:

Daylight Savings Time

Snow/slush/ice

Laundry

The Rosa Fingerless mitts (which I truly/madly/deeply love)

Project specs: the leftover Malabrigo from Tudora, knit on #8 Brittany DPNs. The pattern is my own - of course if I had been thinking, I would have put Tudora cables in the mitts. But I was just too darn excited to be knitting the Malabrigo!
Almost done is Sophie's Skully Sweater. I can't knit on this at work anymore - too many people stop me to look at the skull!

The Perfect Boyfriend

Cinco came to us a few weeks after the death of another cat. Someone had left him in a box outside the vet clinic where I worked. He was a matted, unneutered, flea-ridden, orangish puffball who bore more than a passing resemblance to Animal from the Muppet Show. The first time we saw each other, it was love. He was the quintessential lap cat, and the lap he most wanted to be on was mine.
The first day I brought Cinco home to meet the rest of the brood (only 3 others at that time), he morphed into 'attack cat' and terrorized them in addition to making me doubt my sanity. That is until the CatMan's footsteps clumped onto the decking. Cinco ran to the door, flopped over and proceeded to clean himself, looking for all the world like he had been waiting oh-so-patiently to meet his competitor for my affections.

As I've mentioned before, Cinco and the CatMan had an uneasy truce. Cinco's favorite mode of revenge on the CatMan was either chewing the edges of his paperback books, or if really upset, urinating on his clothes/backpacks/climbing gear. The CatMan's favorite nickname for Cinco was "Chewbookapeeboy." The only time the CatMan could do no wrong was after we had eaten dinner and his was the Lap of Choice.

Over the past two months, we have been noticing an onset of the "Dwindles", which culminated this weekend with Cinco no longer eating or purring. I will miss my boyfriend with his deep rumbling purr, old man sigh when he finally settled in to sleep, and even his ongoing insistence to be in my lap despite my protests (he usually wore me down anyway.)

Goodbye Mr. Cat. I love you.

Cinco - May 5, 1992 to March 3, 2008

Thank you for being a friend -

It was a rough week for me (hey look! Panic!) and a friend came to the rescue. She gave me some great advice, prayed for me, and shared her own issues with anxiety. I started these socks last weekend, and it became clear to me that they needed to be hers. And so they shall be.

Project specs: Plymouth Yarn Co "Happy Feet" (a superwash/nylon blend) in colorway #6 on #2 Inox. You really can't tell from the pic, but the colors remind me of an autumn forest: deep piney green, lighter moss green, tan, mushroom brown, and a deep claret. Maybe not the most Spring-y of color choices, but I think she will like them.

I love the Happy Feet yarn and at $6.00 a skein, it's an affordable treat! I even have enough left over to trim a baby jacket I've got on the docket.

But first, a dog sweater for a 3# chihuahua owned by a Harley ridin' guy. Ayep.