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!

Here There Be Dragons!

More potholders for my stash. We have an auction coming up at our church, and this is one of the items that will be available. 

A friendly, fire-breathing dragon is always a good way to protect your hands when removing your cookies from the over!

Herding Cats Done!!

I finished it and I love it! I could say it took me months and months, which it did, but the truth is weeks would go by and I would not work on it. It was a very fun project to work on. It is double knitted so a cat that appears white on one side is black on the other. It is easy to see this by looking at the cat at the very bottom of the scarf. I use the same method when making my potholders. 

This pattern was designed by Lisa Hannan Fox, and you can purchase it on Ravelry at www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/herding-cats-scarf. It is really a deal at $6.99. 

I can't wait for the weather to get cold so I can wear it every day!!

Elk Poholder

We have a large elk herd close by Roxborough. I have some neighbors who get up nearly every morning to go looking for them. I would rather sleep. The elk will be there later without me getting up before the sun. If not, I can just look at this potholder. By the way, I gave this potholder to that neighbor.

My Best Seller -- The Moose!

Yes, I do sell my potholders. I did a holiday table at a craft fair last December, and this is my best seller -- The Moose. Even now, I don't have any; I sold the last one last week.  I will have to make some more.

Cabin in the Woods potholder

I am trying to decide if I like the green or the white cabin better. The trees look better in green, but the white trees look like winter. I guess if I can't decide, it means it is a success, right?

My Wookie - update

Update: Wookie passed away on August 27. She died peacefully in my arms. I am crushed and broken-hearted. She was a very special cat, and she was very loved.

I will be losing my Wookie, and my heart is breaking. Wookie is a 9-year-old tortie with the most beautiful light green eyes. She is suffering from kidney failure. She is still eating and drinking, and seems to be in no pain, so we are going to just love her until the end. It may be days, or weeks, or even months. There is no way to know when. 

Wookie is a magic cat. During her lifetime with us, I have had three surgeries: two for female reasons ending with a hysterectomy, and the third was a compound fracture of my right leg. For the female problems, Wookie would lay her chin on my stomach and purr. Then last year, I broke my leg in six places by falling down some stairs on vacation and needing surgery. Once I got home from the hospital and was bed-ridden, Wookie took care of me. She would lay her head on the broken leg through the cast and purring for days on end. I rarely needed pain killers. I swear she was healing my injuries with her purring.

Wookie is truly my kitty. She rarely leaves my side. She is so affectionate and loving; I just don't know what I will do without her. I will still have my black kitty Omi, but it will hurt so bad. 

She has helped me through pain, but she will not be able to help me through the pain of losing her.