Your Gloves, Ma'am

A few weeks back Southern California had a blast of unseasonably cool weather which caused to me wonder ~ why ~ had I not spent all Summer knitting fingerless gloves?


So I got busy and knit myself a pair of Lace-Up Fingerless Gloves from Alterknits. This is a simple and fun pattern to knit and the only modification I made was at the behest of my knitting group who (to a one) felt the ribbons were much too Medival for their taste and suggested I try using a lacing made from the matching yarn. Thank heavens for friends who prevent you from going out looking ridiculous! Not that there's anything wrong with looking Medieval, mind you. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Specs: Alterknits; Tilli Tomas Aspen yarn (yarn left over from my Cabled Down Raglan sweater); modifications: dropped down to US 7 needles due to yarn substitution and instead of lacing with ribbon I made a twisted cord with tassel (method explained in Last Minute Knitted Gifts) If you don't have this pattern book, a similar free on-line pattern is Toast (compliments of A Friend to Knit With).

To jazz them up a bit I might (I only said might) try adding a black ribbon.



Speaking of my knitting group, it was my turn to host last week and the roses in the picture below came from Jane's garden. It's a complete mystery to me how my neighbor's gardens thrive whilst I can't seem to grow a single flower on my property. I strongly suspect that I'm experiencing a unique micro-climate of stronger winds and hotter days. It's really too bad as I would love to have a flowering garden and would, if only I could, but obviously I can't, for the aforementioned reasons.



Even amongst the many beautiful gardens in Topanga, Jane's rose garden is a standout. When asked her secret she will hint that it somehow involves a special aphid-killing talent. She might just you her secret if you ask and you can find her on-line at T Ching (a blog about tea, design, and life) where she is one of several contributors of amusing articles on tea and life. Check out her first published article The Moaning After.

Are you a Procrastiknitter?

I am a procrastiknitter. I am calling myself this because I can't seem to get started on my Cabled Riding Jacket (a Teva Durham pattern in Loop-d-Loop ). I love the pattern and I love the yarn (Mostly Merino). The cause of my proscrastiknitting is that the pattern will be difficult to downsize sufficiently to fit me well. I have gotten some helpful suggestions which I'll explain more about if they work out well. This phenomenon takes place when you avoid a project because it will be hard to knit in some fashion or another. As a result, you find yourself knitting on easier projects instead. But this week I am going to conquer my procrastiknitting. Unless I find another excuse to procrastiknit.

In Closing, A little About Beagle Antics

Have you ever wondered how your dog was able to get into something when left alone? This video will explain a lot about how dogs behave when left alone and is a must see video for all dog owners - The Amazing Escape of Sophia the Beagle.

Whenever we leave Mr Puffy alone we implement a procedure called "beagle proofing" the house. Beagle proofing the house involves placing furniture upside down, covering furniture with noise making contraptions (we swear by a sofa scam) and checking that the doors leading to bedrooms or food storage areas are shut. The procedure is pretty quick at home in Topanga but can take much longer at other locations. I, frankly, would be embarrassed if my Mom and Dad had to go to such extraordinary steps to leave me alone. But, that's just me.


In our family, when someone laughs when called on a matter, we call that the laugh of guilt. What's this, is Mr Puffy actually exhibiting the laugh of guilt?