September 29, 2012



Pattern: Sweet Honey
Designer: schneckenstrick
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Perfect
Color: 6043
Needles: Circular - 4.5 mm

Nadja, a designer in Austria, asked me to do a test knit of this little pullover pattern. It is knit flat and seamed - a relatively quick project with a sweet look. I did the largest size.

Meanwhile:
 
Nora, girl detective, does surveillance work in the Sobeys parking lot.

September 27, 2012

A Puppy Shower For Nora

   
Himself has the good fortune to be surrounded at the office each day by just the greatest team of people. They are all wonderful to work with and make his job so much easier. Their assistance so often goes far beyond the call of duty and, over the years, our entire family has benefited from their kindness and consideration. Late this afternoon, they told him he was needed in the library, where he discovered, on the table, a cake and bags full of gifts for little Nora!

  Now, isn't this a lucky puppy!
 
 Retriever Instincts - Nora finds a stuffed mallard duck!
 
Nora, a biscuit treat, and her new cow.
 
 
These gifts bags are full of cards, dog food, biscuits, kibble treats, a ball, toys, poop disposal bags and even a bag dispenser. Surely no puppy has had a warmer welcome. Nora has spent the evening in puppy heaven!
 
 
 
 

September 20, 2012

Sweet Peasy in Purple

 
Pattern: Sweet Peasy
Designer: Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Smart
Colour: 5226
Needles: Circular - 3.75 mm

I made Sweet Peasy before, with the 3/4 sleeves that Heidi intended. And Lucy Darling seems to like it a lot. While that region of France does not get the snow accumulations that we do here in Canada, we always find winters there cold - the kind of damp cold that seems to penetrate our bones! So this time, for winter, I made it just a tad longer and knit full length sleeves. I want her to be warm and snuggly till spring!

Meanwhile, in the garden...
 

 Nora! Sit!

September 18, 2012

Introducing Nora Theodora

Ms. Nora
 
We brought Nora home last Friday evening and, needless to say, life has not been the same since!Puppies are labour intensive (to say the least) but she is simply adorable, and it is worth the investment of time and effort to raise a great companion for the years ahead.
 

Ah, the early morning dew is so refreshing!
 

Resting

Bark mulch for roughage

Nora in the Astilbes
 
Baby Nora

Quiet time at the end of the day



 
 


 
 

 
 

September 12, 2012

Happy Birthday, Haddums

 
Our Snow Bunny
 
 
And Sweet Little Thing
 
 
Grew to Be A World Traveller
 

 Sometimes Sensitive
 
 
And Playful
 
 
 Sometimes Hilarious
 
 
So Witty and Sharp
 
 
And Always, Always The Life Of The Party
 
Happy Birthday, Golden Girl
You light up our lives.
 
 

September 09, 2012

Getting Ready - About Two Weeks To Go

Four of the ten
 
At the invitation of the kennel owner, we went to the Annapolis Valley a couple of weeks ago to see Ritchie's litter of ten puppies. Ritchie is one of the loveliest Golden Retrievers I have ever met. And she is going to give us one of her babes. There were only ten puppies in the pen when we arrived but I could have sworn there were a hundred! It was difficult, by times, to keep track of them all! They had different color collars for easy identification but their roly poly little necks meant that each one had to carefully inspected to see what color was down inside that fuzzy fur. Despite watching carefully, I found myself picking up the same one, over and over again!!!
 
Is this one ours??
 
We don't get to choose the puppy. The owners assess their clients and decide on who gets which one, based on personalities and what kind of dog is desired - a dog for obedience trials, champion show dog, a companion, a field dog, etc. We want a sweet, personable little girl who will be a life companion for the next (hopefully) couple of decades of life, and boss Luke around when he visits! It was interesting to see how, even at four weeks of age, some of them really had distinct personalities and characteristics. Their Dad, Landon, lives in Timmins, Ontario. He is a Goldpaw retriever and you can see from his photo on the website that he is, indeed, a handsome fellow.
 
A trip to the pet store...
 
This morning we went, for the first time, to Pet Valu, a pet food and supply store on Spring Garden Road in Halifax, to stock up on puppy supplies. We normally would go to Global but it was closed today and we were in a puppy frame of mind. We purchased a collar, a few new grooming tools, deer antler (!)chews, small balls, a baby kong, spray tooth cleaner, and a kennel - something we have not owned in the past. But we decided that it would come in handy for training and the short periods of time that the baby will be left alone in the house. Our last dog, Lucy, had Annie as a role model, mentor, and companion. Annie was an alpha female and took the new puppy in hand, so somehow or other, a kennel just didn't seem necessary. And everything worked out just fine. But this baby won't have an older mentor and she deserves a different approach based on her own very individual needs.
The gal working there this morning was really helpful and there was a steady stream of customers (and dogs!) coming and going from the store.
 
So about a couple of weeks to go. We haven't settled on a name yet. We have a short list of possibilities and we will know when we finally see which one is ours.

September 08, 2012

Handsome Socks

 
 Socks for September
 
Pattern: Simple K3P1
Yarn: Regia Twin Color
Color: 07307
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm
 
This is the first time I have used the Regia Twin Color sock yarn and, like all Regia yarns, I like it very much. Regia is cast iron dependable.

September 06, 2012

Stainless Steel and Rusty Red

 
Inspired
Socks For A Chef
 
Pattern: Simple K3P1 Ribbing
Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Socka 100
Color: 2459
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

September 05, 2012

Peasy Purple

 
Inspired
 
Pattern: Sweet Peasy
Designer: Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Smart
Color: 5226
Needles: Circular - 3.75 and 3.50 mm