Hot pads for Bella and Simone

I have cats. Two in fact. But my son Dane has dogs.

For his birthday, I made him some hot pads showing off his puppers (his word, not mine) named Bella and Simone. We get to dog-sit whenever he goes away, and also when he comes to visit us overnight. He lives about 2 hours away so we often get our dog-fix.

This is Bella (the other one is Dane). She's a German Shepherd/Husky mix. She has the most beautiful ice blue eyes. She is very sweet and always willing to play. She will bring you a ball so you can play with her. I don't think she ever get tired.

 

The hot pads are made using double-knitting using cotton yarn. The pattern is from Nifty Knitter Designs available through Ravelry.

This is Simone. She is a chihuahua/dachshund mix. And since dachshunds are also know as Weiner dogs, they are often called Chi-weenies. She is very affectionate and is not a "yappy" dog. If you sit down, she will be in your lap within one second!

They are just too cute for words!

Not everyone is a fan. Wookie and Omi have to stay upstairs during the dog visits.

Dane's Guitar Mitts

 I designed this one on my own for my son for Christmas. Sorry, I really don't want to write up the pattern. I used a guitar motif that I found in my massive index of patterns. It is doubled knitted so you get two mitts in one!

My son Dane graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in classical guitar and sound engineering. Since there were not many jobs listed on Craigslist for classical guitarists, he went back to college an got a masters in accounting. He is now a CPA, but his first love with always be guitar. He is really, really good too, but being good at something doesn't mean you will be able to make a living at it. At least he can keep his hands warm.

A year in review - or lousy excuses for not keeping up with my blog

I made the scarves in blue, maroon,
purple, rose and red.

I noticed I did only two entries all that year. Not too good if I want to continue writing a blog, but it has been  a good year for my family and me

So I'll try to cover some of the highlights just so you know. And I hope to do better next year. In that light, I will write New Year's Resolutions tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Knitting
In some ways, I have lost some of my knitting mojo. I still knit but not at the frantic pace I did in preview years, especially the year after I retired. . I think it is because I have had so little success with selling that I just didn't build up my inventory. Even on Etsy, I have sold only a couple of items. I do better with patterns though. I think I will dedicate the next year to knitting for charity instead.  I did make a hat for my son and husband for Christmas and I completed lace scarves for my Divas (my women's group). I will include the pattern for the scarves in the next few days on this blog.

A before and after
of my personal journal

Writing

Even if I haven't kept up on my blog, I do keep up on my personal written journal. In addition to the writing, I print out pictures on full-sheet sticker paper and stick them into my journal. I did notice of the past year that I fill the pages more and more with stickers and less writing. I don't know what that means, but I hope I can do better there too.

Travelling
In June, Ken and I took a month-long trip, but not just any trip -- probably the trip of a lifetime. We went to Europe. It was not only sight-seeing, we visited family. We went to Swedish, Denmark, and Germany, with a short stay in Iceland and England. We also spent a week in Washington D.C. to attend Sophie's wedding. She is the daughter of my best friend Sheila. I will write most about these adventures in other blog entries.

Health
In October I had the bane of the female gender -- I had a hysterectomy, and it was one of the best things I even did. I feel so much better and I can't even describe why. But since then, I have lost 20 pounds and will continue to the future.

My son Lorne
My oldest son now lives in Los Angeles and works in Hollywood as a film editor. Late year, he got a job with BuzzFeed and he loves  it. I guess this means he won't be coming home to live anytime soon. I hate it when you raise independent children and they leave you. Alas.
If you want to see some of his work, you can go to YouTube and enter BuzzFeed Unsolved and Worth It.

My Son Dane

Dane modeling the hat I made for him.
The scarf came with the coat.

With an undergrad degree in classic guitar, Dane decided to pursue his other talent in Mathematics. (Funny, just not too many job opening for classical guitarist on Craiglist.) So he went back to school and will complete his masters in accounting this spring. He got an intern job at an accounting firm during tax season, and at the end of the flurry of returns, they offered him a full time job. So he is fully employed with a good salary even before he finishes his degree. CSU (Colorado State University) told him that they had a 100% employment rate out of this program. Guess they were not kidding.

And finally my kitties

We have had Omi and Wookie for a little over a year now, and I am passionately in love with this two little creatures. Omi is the perfect cat and Wookie is the magic cat. Omi (the black kitty) is loving and affectionate. She has to be next to me almost constantly. If I sit down, she is on my lap and will even crawl up to shoulder to get closer. Wookie is a tortie, but she is entirely and completely my cat. She doesn't like anyone else to touch her and hides even from Ken. But if I am sick, she won't leave my side, purring constantly as if her purrs will cure me. And I have always gotten better, so maybe she has something there.