You can download the graphs and pattern here. Be warned… in the words of Elizabeth Zimmemann, it’s a very “pithy” version. I was winging it as I went along.
tiny zig-zag instead of straight stitch because of the slippery factor in the acrylic. Twice for security.
Moment of truth… the cut. Ugh.
So far, so good. Heavy sigh of relief.
Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Part of the hem. He’s named after my cousin’s dad (uh.. yea… I guess that would be my uncle) and they are going to call him by his middle name (Nels short for Nelson). It’s on the hem along with a couple of hearts but I couldn’t figure out how to photo the whole hem at once.
There it is. Knitting finished. Now comes the part I dread. I’ve done steeks a bunch of times but it always takes shots of vodka a strong will to cut something you’ve knit. Especially when you knit it in acrylic – GASP! Because acrylic doesn’t stick together like wool does. Dan’s Hardangervidda has been a royal pain. It was knit in super-wash wool and the yarn is slicker than snot. Every time he wears it I have to repair something.
I’m a wool snob but I love my cousin. She has four girls age eight and under and now the baby. I think she’d appreciate not having to worry about felting wool. Still… now that I think about it I wish that I had gone with the wool because she’s going to have to hand wash it anyway and seriously, he’s probably going to get to wear it like twice. I need to get it in the mail in the next couple of days because if he weighed this on January 1st….
… chances are that he may have already outgrown it. We’re going up to New Hampshire for a visit in February but I’m afraid to wait that long. Usually it takes me at least a week to work myself up to cut but I don’t have the time with this one.
Thanks for all the kind words about Lucky aka Sir Cha Ching. He was pretty out of it all day yesterday. Aggie was very gentle with him and sort of hovered over him all day like she knew. She’s usually jumping on him and tugging him around by an ear or a lip or whatever she can grab with her teeth. Not yesterday. She sniffed all the parts that hurt and stayed by his side. It was so sweet.
Lucky has yet another nickname. Lucky, I now knight you Sir Cha Ching. No. That’s not Oriental. It’s in reference to the money this sweet, sweet little guy has cost us thus far. After the initial adoption fee and the gas to drive to Indiana to pick him up he’s had a few medical issues. A few weeks ago he had a skin infection. While at the vet it was discovered that his teeth are rotting right out of his head due to the lack of nutrition all those years at the mill. We took care of the skin infection and he had his dental appointment today. Holy Shnikies. You know it’s bad when you walk in to pick up your dog and the vet says, “I’m warning you… it’s not pretty. The boy is adorable but he’s a train wreck. We had to pull seven teeth instead of three, he has a ear infection and an anal gland infection.” then she turned the bill so I could see it. Let’s just say it was over $900 and less than a grand. Did I say Holy Shnikies already? My first thought was that Dan was going to have my head. My husband is the sweetest guy there is but he grew up on a ranch. He loves the dogs but he sees them as dogs. I see them as kids. I decided to take the bull by the horns and call him from the vet to let him know. He said a couple of things and then said, “Well… it had to be done. Hopefully he’ll be okay from now on.” He loves our dogs more than he’ll admit. You only have to see him with them when he thinks no one is looking.
rescue fee: $350
gas and hotel $500
vet bills $1400
This face:
Priceless. He’s worth every cent and we’d do it all over again. Just know that if you take in a rescue you better be ready for vet bills. Lucky was worse off than a lot of rescues are but just take it into consideration….
Here’s a work-in-progress post for Kim (Woolen Rabbit). This is the little Norwegian sweater I cast on for my cousin’s mountain man baby. Good thing it’s a quick knit or he’ll outgrow it before I even get it done. Good incentive. I totally screwed up my math so when I got to the patterning I had to completely change it and come up with my own. I pulled out the graph paper and started fiddling. I learned something. Norwegian patterns are much easier to do on and odd number of stitches. Of course I had an even number. Grrr. I’ll share the chart I did in a future post. You can just make out the column of green on the upper left that will serve as my stitching line when it comes time to cut.
I was supposed to meet an Elann friend for lunch yesterday but they closed the roads down on post and the boys got yet another snow day home from school. I would really have liked to go meet T but I have to admit… our backyard is beautiful as a winter wonderland. You can’t even see the houses behind us.
Yesterday was a perfect morning for fresh warm muffins. These blueberry muffins are FABULOUS! I just beat the butter and sugar by hand instead of pulling out the Kitchen Aid and they were light and airy and perfect. I happen to have the book (Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook) and love it. It’s chock full of excellent recipes. You can also find the recipe here.
