Sayeth the Raven, Never More! Happy Halloween and Blessed Be!

 My friend Sue asked for a potholder adored with a Raven, one of my favorite designs, especially on Halloween. I think it may also be because she comes from Maryland so she's a Baltimore Ravens fan (after her alliance to the Denver Broncos). But this bird is pretty cool.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Back to one cat

Our cat Omi did not like our new kitten Harlee. It was getting so bad that we were afraid of severe injury of this precious little kitty. Although Omi bounded with Wookie for 8 years, apparently that was a one-cat relationship. After six weeks of keeping them separated with no softening, we made the sad and difficult decision to return Harlee to the shelter. I knew she would be adopted quickly whereas we couldn't give us our Omi. This potholder is a tribute to my Harlee.

So I have lost two kitties in less than two months. Wookie passed away and we had to give Harlee back. I have shed so many tears over kitties in this time. The good news is that Harlee was adopted within one hour of becoming available at the shelter, and she is safely at her new home. 

The other good news is that our sweet and affectionate Omi has returned. We were always surprised that Omi reacted so viciously to a kitten. We got another cat because we thought she missed Wookie. I think she did miss Wookie, but she didn't want to replace her. So Omi is now an only cat. She is very, very clingy now too. We love our Omi, but I miss my Harlee too. It is so easy to fall in love in only six weeks.

Wookie and Omi

Omi now alone

'Owl' Post One for Halloween

We have lots of owls here in Roxborough; in fact, we are warned to keep our cats and small dogs in at night because they are more in danger from owls than other predators such as coyotes or pumas. My kitties have always been indoor cats. 

But I love hearing the "Whoo Whoo" when the windows are open at night. We have had a very mild fall with temperatures only falling to the 40's at night, so we don't close the windows down until bedtime. With Halloween only a few days away, the owls seem to announce themselves even more so. 

Bears Slowly Disappearing for the Season

Bears are worth a potholder here in Roxborough Park, CO. This is also one of my most popular designs, often being sold with the moose design (See design of August 24, 2025). 

We live in the foothills of the Rockies, so wildlife is just a part of our lives. We have lots of deer, wild turkeys, foxes, raccoons, skunks, as well as numerous birds and squirrels. We even have some predators such bobcats (see July 10, 2025 blog), mountain lions and of course bears. Bears can be quite intrusive right now because they are preparing for hibernation. Since we back up to the mountains, I know they are hiding in the caves just a few hundred feet away from our back door.  

Just so you can see how close bears are to our house, this photo was taken from our living room. That is my husband Ken trying to take picture of a bear family with a deer carcass. The dot you see over his shoulder is the mama bear of the pictures below. This was taken in June a few years ago. We have had bears in our garage and on our deck as well. 

The mama bear had two cubs which probably were a year old because they were fairly large. This is why we make lots of noise when we go outside at night.

 

Lab potholder - Sometimes only one side works

See the face of this adorable Labrador? Head tilted, sad, pleading eyes, so cute. In double knitting, the opposite colors show on the other side, much like the negative of a photograph. In most cases, it appears good, but this is not one of those potholders. Even I have a hard time seeing the lab on the negative side of the potholder. I can see the nose. That's about it. I guess not all pictures work being reversed.

Lesson learned.

 

He Otter to be in Pictures!

 My son is obsessed with otters. So I made this potholder of his favorite wild animal. He immediately demanded I sell it to me. Like I am going to charge my son? I told him he only needed to buy me lunch the next time we came to visit him.

How much does he love this animal? When we were in West Yellowstone this past May, we went to the Grizzly and Wolf Center. He took this film of an otter playing in the stream. So cute!

Kitty and Yarn Potholder

Back to doing some potholders. This is a companion potholder to the one posted on July 20th. When I am not doing potholders, I am working on potholders, I am working on a long, blue, lace scarf. The problem is I don't really know when I need to stop. I find I am missing working on my Herding Cats scarf (September 5). I might have to make another.

 

Meet Harlequin, our new kitten!

It is time to meet Harlequin. She is a sweet, affectionate, loving, playful 6-month old kitten. We got her earlier this week. I have a story about my tortoiseshell Wookie and how she led to my new Tabby. I told the story of loving and losing Wookie on the August 27 post on this blog so you can see how special she was.

I like to believe that cats have supernatural abilities and Wookie seemed to have more than most kitties. A couple of weeks after she passed in my arms, she came to me in a dream. Her message was that it was time to move on and get another kitty. Our other kitty Omi was grieving and not eating much. And she told me the name of the new kitty was to be Harlequin. Where that name came from is a mystery. I hadn’t recently read it or heard it anyway, nor do I read romance novels (only mysteries; someone has to die in the first 30 pages or I don't want to read it). I told my husband Ken, and he said, “Good! Let’s go find her."

So meet Harlequin. When we saw her at the shelter, she reacted to us immediately as if she knew we were coming. We were not intending to get a kitten, but she grabbed Ken's arm as we walked by and then leaned into my hand as I patted her. I know she was sent by Wookie. So now, Wookie's work here is done but she will always be with me and never be forgotten.

Oh, and I was informed by Harlequin that she wants her nickname to be Harla, not Harley or Quinn. I guess the supernatural abilities will continue with Harla.

Now for some really weird signs that Harla was meant to come to our house. Back on June 23, I posted a small wall hanging of a tabby face that I knitted. At that time, Wookie wasn't sick and there was no hint that we would have a tabby in our house a couple of month later. Even the markings on the head are similar! Now you know why I believe cats are supernatural?

Here are some more pictures of our Harlequin aka Harla.

Fairy in the Flower Potholder

Whether you call this a fairy or an angel, she is taking care of her flower. This is another potholder for our church auction, done in double knitting using cotton yarn. 

44 Years and Counting!

 It was 44 years ago today that I married my best friend. I still call him my first husband, but my secret is that he is my one and only husband -- forever. Yes, we had a chocolate wedding cake with a giant kiss on top instead of a bride and groom figurine. We also sang a duet at our wedding. We have two sons who are very successful, so I guess we did okay. 

Here's to many more years together!