Special Ellie Post

This is a little video from when I was out in Washington State:








Aren't they just adorable?



P.S. We leave for Ohio tomorrow so I won't be blogging until Monday or Tuesday. In-laws have no internet! :)

Wookie's World

Hello everyone! Mommy says I've been like a teenager this week, some days good and some days crazy! Any who, we have a couple videos for you:











Hope you enjoyed! I am in the middle of a haircut right now . . . it's taking forever, because I don't want a haircut, so I'm not really playing along.

Oh yes, I am super excited about this weekend. We are taking a car trip to Ohio to see Daddy's family. I love car rides . . . we shall see how much I love a 5-6 hour car ride though. Mommy assures me we will take potty and water breaks. See you guys next week!

Sliding Shawl

Sneak peak of a test-knit shawl :








This is shortly after I started the border. Unfortunately, the yarn estimations were incorrect and I am waiting on more yarn to finish it up! It is a lovely design and I cannot wait to show you all the finished and blocked item!

PS: If I can get everything working correctly Wookie will have a video tomorrow and Thursday will be a little video from my May visit to Washington State. *fingers crossed*

Sunday Inspirations

For some reason this summer, I have enjoyed wearing skirts, so this Skirt Pattern from Anna Marie Horner is a definite try this summer. Nice and simple.


Recipes I'd like to try:


These Mini Cherry Clafoutis look delicious. Plus, as I grow older, Cherries are definitely one of my favorite fruits.

I'm not sure my husband would go for these, but Shrimp Burgers sound good to me. Sandwiched between a nice Gluten-Free Ciabatta Bread. Cannot wait to try these. Even the home-made tartar sauce sounds good!

Congrats for more Equal Rights!

This definitely deserves its own post:

New York State finally voted YES for Gay marriage rights!


It's most definitely about time. Now the other states who are behind need to get their acts together.

Knitty First Fall 2011 Review

Knitty First Fall 2011 is up!


Patterns:

Creekbed - - I absolutely love the colors used in this. That’s cause I am a Fall kind of girl though. The scarf is a simply chevron with a play on colors and I love that Stephen West admits that. I’m not much of a scarf knitter, but I could definitely see making more of a short scarf/cowl.

Dunes - - I really like the movement in this shawl. The straight lines contrasting with the perpendicular waves are lovely. I also like that it is meant for handspun.

Rhodion - - I am quite drawn to this. I think the close resemblance to an actual floral design is well done. I’ll admit that it is more like a scarf construction so it is unlikely something I would have the patience to knit, however it is quite tempting to try.

Kuusk - - The geometric lace is lovely. Unfortunately it makes a very thin cowl with not much coverage and the lace is really hidden as a cowl.

Dragon Wing - - I find the construction and look of this so very intriguing, but less so when I read that it was two pieces connected. For me this is visually appealing, but not likely something I would knit.

Pretty Twisted - - I like the look of these little wrist warmers, but I am not a person who is likely to wear them. Although, it is slightly appealing if I knew how to hook the face of a watch onto one of these.

Darrin - - I like the general look of this layering garment. Not so much a fan of the belt look, but one doesn’t have to use the belt. I like the way the construction makes the outside of the arm detail, but I do not like how the construction creates all that fabric bunching under the arms. Unfortunately that is really the big downfall for me with this and I am not likely to knit it.

Leaflet - - A nice, simple top. I do like the detail down the spine though. Often all of the sweater detail is focused on the front and I like this attention to the back of the top.

Undercurrent - - A nice colorful hoodie. I know that part of the way all the colors work in this garment is due to it being knit in multiple pieces, but I am unlikely to knit something in pieces.

Date Night - - I like this, which somewhat surprises me. During Fall/Winter though, this would make a lovely layering piece with a tank underneath. I am not a fan of the multi-color version though. I really would like to make this, I will most likely make the sleeve ribbing a little longer by a couple of inches. Hmm, will have to consider what yarn I would like to use.

Kindling - - Unfortunately not a fan of this child’s sweater. I don’t like how the top half is purls out and the bottom half is knits out. It creates an awkward break. The cables abruptly ending with the purling makes the top half very detailed and the bottom half bare.

Chasing Snakes - - I like these. Just enough detail to not makes the sock too boring, but not over detailed. Mostly I appreciate the variety of sizes.

Gratitude - - Love the story that goes along with these socks, but I also like the pattern. I like the detailing of these socks. The whole design works well with the individual pieces of the design. Not sure if I’d be able to fit into what she considers and XL, but I would definitely knit these just for the process of it.

Lingerie - - A lovely pair of socks. I really like the way the design leads down into the foot pattern. Delicate and lovely! The back of the heel is done wonderfully. Definitely would like to knit these also.

Double Helix - - Interesting structure and working not top down, nor toe-up, but heel out. Another sock that I would love to try just for the process of making it. Pattern provides many pictures and definitely seems doable.

Inlay - - Definitely will be knitting these socks! Hopefully soon! LOVE the texture that is created in the inlay sections. A nice range of sizes are also available.

Bosnian Socks - - I love the colorwork in these socks. So much detail! Colorwork socks with a large of 9”, will most likely not fit me though. I have a strong dislike of the toe on these though.

Tortora - - Interesting look, kind of gives me a whole “outer – space” type feeling. Feels very alien. Might be a hat I would try, I like the beanie version more. However, I doubt an 18” unstretched would stretch to fit my head.

I Crocodile - - Unfortunately, I just figured out that I am not a fan of the colorwork slouchy look.

Commuter - - I want to like these fingerless gloves. I love the folded over look, but when buttoned for more coverage they look a little wonky to me. Not a fan of the wrist/arms being the same stitch count as the palm, meaning the arms look a little baggy.

Morse Code - - I am normally not a mitten fan, but I love the story and idea behind these! Even without the back story these mittens are nifty looking!

Dolly Dearest - - Not really a fan of a lot of this recreation stuff Franklin Habit has been doing, this included. The little booties are kind of cute, but don’t really care for the other knitted item.



Overall, pleasantly surprised with this Knitty as there are quite a few things I like for different reasons. I recommend giving this issue a glance if you haven’t already and let me know what you think!

Apologies

The Wook and I apologize about our absence. I have been having some headache issues and having been sleeping well. But we will be back this weekend with some videos of the Wook training. See you all then!

Happy Solstice

Hope you all had a wonderful Summer Solstice! I had to work, but later in the day Wookie and I got a couple of good walks in.

Mystery Medallion Shawl

Yarn : Knit Picks Palette

Color : Mustard

Content : 100% Wool

Care : Hand wash / Dry flat

Needles : US 4 / 3.5mm

Pattern : Mystery Medallion Shawl

Modifications : None, I did the shawl exactly how the clues were.


Now this isn't the normal use for a yoga mat, but it worked wonderfully! :)


As you can see, this shawl is Wookie approved!




This shawl went pretty quickly knitting it up on lunches at work. I've been done knitting it for a little while, but hadn't had a chance to block it. Now it's all blocked. I like how it came out, even if it's too warm to wear it right now! :)

On the yarn, I love how the Knit Picks Palette knits up. I will definitely be buying more in the future.

Sunday Inspirations

I know I have linked to these inspirational sayings for each day before, but I am linking again to Clyde The Mad Tatters blog simply because I really appreciate him posting these. Some times, you just need a good reminder. One of the reasons I also love the Monday Musings from Romi of the blog Rosemary Go Round.


This Book Strap Tutorial is very nifty!


Recipes I’d like to try:


I have the burden or blessing in my family of being the only daughter who really doesn’t have much natural skill in the kitchen. I say burden, because I am the odd man out here . . . I got the short end of the stick on that one. However, it is also a blessing, because I can learn from them. My sister, Rhoni, is a fanatic when it comes to pastas and she does them super well. She recently posted her Spaghetti Sauce and her Chicken Parmesan! I definitely recommend both of them!

Emily from A Joyful Abode recently linked to her recipe for Roast and I have to try it, is sounds very flavorful, which I find difficult to achieve with a lot of recipes.

These Scalloped Apples sound super delicious, especially with some Vanilla Ice Cream.

All of the Gluten-Free cookies I have tried have a crumbly nature to them, which I know some people don’t mind or even prefer, but I am not one of them. However, these Chocolate Chip Cookies appear to have more of a normal texture, which definitely makes me want to try them!

Not only does this Chicken Cordon Bleu sound super yummy, but it also would be made easily into Gluten-Free. This is going on my list of things to make!

The older I get, the more I like pickled food, so these Pickled Vietnamese Diakons and Carrots sound interesting. These seem like a nice side dish to something that is a little spicy. A Mexican restaurant in Ithaca served something similar with their food and both my husband and I loved them, so I will have to try this recipe.

On the same thought process, these Pickled Onions sound good too!

I have never had Kimchi but every time I see a recipe for it, it sounds so interesting. I think I will have to give in and try making some.

Food Friday - Chicken Creamy Spaghetti Casserole

So I tried the recipe for the Chicken Creamy Spaghetti Casserole.

I changed just a few things up. When cooking the mushrooms I also added 1/3 finely diced onion and about 1.5 cups of frozen peas. I also, did not add any wine to this part of the cooking. Since my husband and I have different gluten dietary needs, this was baked without the noodles.





I sprinkled Parmesan and Mexican shredded cheese on the top, then put the olives on top and baked it.










The husband hand mini penne noodles, while I had my Chinese rice noodles. I served it with roasted asparagus, yellow squash, and cauliflower. Here are a couple pictures of my plate.








This was pretty darn good! I definitely recommend it. I am a fan of casserole like foods though! :)

Wookie's World

Hey guys, well the bucket of photos seems to be working now, so lets get on with the show.

First, after I blogged last week, Mommy thought she had a wonderful idea to help me cool down. She had me take a shower with cooler water. I'm just not sure about this woman's intelligence level, because seriously how many different ways can I tell her that I do not enjoy being wet!?!? She insists that you see how crimpy my hair gets after I'm wet.

Look at what the water does to my beautiful hair!?!?!? It gets all crimpy and poofy!












She says that during Winter she will let me grow out my hair, but that in Spring when I get a haircut again, she is going to try to blend my hair with some wool and spin it. I'm telling you guys this woman is just a little off her rocker. I mean, I know I am super terrific, but stealing my hair? And why would you need to add sheep, aren't I great enough all on my own?

My hair wasn't even very long and look how much of it there was! It was crazy!





Any who, I also got a haircut this weekend. Mommy was sticker shocked on how much it costs to get a good shaver for a doggie with thick hair. It works really well, except the blade gets hot. She read up on it though and still thinks it was
the right shaver to buy because it cuts easily through my fur. We just need to buy a second blade so we can switch back and forth as the blade gets hot. Back to me though, don't I look rather spiffy with my hair all cut again?








Mommy did okay for her first time shaving me. I was very cooperative though, she said
she is very glad my Washington State Mommy taught me to be such a good helper when being
shaved. It's not as smooth as it could be all over, but it is fairly good. She said I
will get shaved more often now, probably every other weekend so I don't get too warm.

We are doing lots of work with our Clickr training and Mommy says I am responding well,
much better than the previous attempts. We are going to try to get Daddy to take a video
of us doing our training so we can post it next week. See you all next week!


Love,
Wookie!

Wookie's World

Well guys Mommy's Photobucket isn't working right now. Evidently they are having something called maintenance!?!?! Any who, I will try again tomorrow.

Love,
Wookie

New Scrubbie for the Dishes

No Sunday Inspirations today, just didn't find any. So we have an FO instead!


I loved my Crochet Scrubbie I made back in March of 2009. Let me tell you, I had no idea it would last me a little over 2 years! I was just hoping at the time that it would last me longer than the sponges I purchased at the store, which only lasted a few weeks at best!

I will admit I was disappointed when it started falling apart though, as it was a wonderful tool for washing the dishes. Once it got a little hole though, it didn’t take long for it to become mostly useless. So I knew I had to make another. This time though I wanted to use the remaining ball that I had in a different color and wanted one that was larger. So I took the same principle, I cast on 30 stitches and started crocheting, decreasing always at one end and increasing at the next. This is what I got.




Here you can see the diagonal seam.


This is all I had left over from the ball I had!




I have used it a couple times now and it is working wonderfully! This different colorway did bleed quite a bit on the first use, but now seems fine. I am still so glad I picked up this yarn so many years ago when it was being discontinued, I wish they still sold it!

Lacey Thorns - Finally Finished

Yarn: Rozetti – Always Dreams

Color: 116-04 (Variegated bright pink)

Content: 75% Acrylic / 25% Wool

Care: Machine wash and dry flat

Needles: US 2 / 2.75mm

Gauge: 7sts per inch

Pattern: Taking inspiration from the Mistletoes pattern.


Modifications: I am using the cast on numbers (20) and the starting foot numbers (40), but everything else changes. The top of the foot pattern is a simple lace stitch pattern called Lace Thorns from the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns. I start the gusset increases when my heel begins. My gusset stitches increase to 68 stitches total, then the heel turn adds another 8. The heel decreases my stitches down to 48. Lace pattern all around for the small bit of leg and then 2x2 ribbing lined up with the pattern for 6 rows.













They were a little warm to put on for these photos as our weather has been rather warm lately and this are thicker and mostly acrylic. I love the way they turned out though. Is there room for improvement? Yes, I should have added a few more stitches to the gusset, you can tell the lace pulls more around my heel. I will be very happy to wear them this Fall though!

Wookie's World

Can we say warm? I mean seriously people, I am from a cooler climate. You know, the summer is the 70s and maybe into the mid 80s. This in the 80s days in a row with around 60% humidity is killing me! The AC is suppose to be installed in the bedroom hopefully this week. I'm not exactly sure what AC is, but Mommy and Daddy assure me that I will feel much cooler. Also Mommy is going to buy clippers this weekend to cut me super short again. Honestly, I am looking forward to the rain the is forecasted for tomorrow, I am getting use to these thunder/lightning storms and they don't bother me much anymore.



Until then I try to distract myself with toys. Who knew knitted toys could be so much fun?!? Mommy needs to put squeakers inside them though.










Any who, onto our training regimen. Mommy has been trying different approaches to training. She says she sure dogs are just like children/people and not all of them learn the same way, so she wants to find what I respond best to. She says at least her college education might help her train me better. So we tried the stuff we talked about before, which did help some, but I resisted to some of the more serious types of training and was acting out. So Mommy went searching for other ways that I might like better. Right now we are trying out "Clicker Training". We are learning from Mary Woodward, Karen Pryor, and Gary Wilkes websites. I guess I am liking this training. I get good treats when the clicker likes what I am doing. We even ordered some books. Mommy says we can review them once we receive them and try to use them.

We'll see if we can get some video of us for next week. Love you guys, but we are going to take a walk to go pick up Mommy and Daddy's Chinese food, so I will see you next week!

Sunday Inspirations

Anyone who’s ever read any of my reviews knows that I am not so much a fan of knitted or crocheted jewelry, I almost always think it looks tacky. However, Laura of Nelkin Designs has a lovely knitted necklace called Butin Collar and it is not tacky, in fact I think it is quite nice.


Recipes I’d like to try:


This Mexican Frittata looks not only good, but interesting! I love the idea of Avocado in there!


I am a huge fan of Tuna, but let’s face it, I only have like 2 things I do with it and they get old. The Pioneer Woman’s Tuna Melts look delicious!


The weather here keeps fluctuating, but when it’s warm, I just want a popsicle . . . isn’t that what everyone wants on a hot day? I recently bought fudge popsicles from the store, ugh, the chocolate flavor is all watered down and to say the least, they were a disappointment. Now these Homemade Fudge Popsicles sound super good . . . plus its chocolate, the good kind!

Blogiversary Contest Winner

Random number generator picked . . . . #1! Congrats Monika!



The weather is super rainy and stormy today so no FO pictures . . . maybe tomorrow. Wookie says cuddle up with a pet and wait out the rain!

Mystery Medallion Shawl

Jen of Knitting Like Crazy held a mystery shawl knit along for the month of May. I casted on the day after the first clue came out, May 7th, and knit away. I was only a couple rows away from finishing clue one, when I realized my stitch count would be off when I completed clue one. So I gave a good look at the shawl to see where I messed up. Can you see it?

Can you see how the top diamond is a bit smaller than the next one?


Yes, people. I missed a lace row and the purl back row after it!



So it was frogged and I cast on again. This was right before I left for Washington State. I knit in the airport some and on the plane. I got a few rows done while visiting. I am finally finished with Clue One . . . again.

A very rough blocking to show the pretty.




As you can see the diamonds are correctly sized now. Also you can see Wookie's little feet in the top left corner. He wants you to know that he must supervise everything!


Wouldn't you hire this face?




I have moved onto the second clue and am quickly making progress. I have given myself permission to cast on for Wendy's Summer Mystery Shawlette when I have completed the Mystery Medallion. P.S. - Clue Four has been released!

Wookie's World

Yet another busy week folks. We’ve been working on behavior and crate training. Mommy says I have to learn that I am not Alpha. I say why? Oh well, Mommy says she already sees small differences in my behavior and that this is a good thing . . . I have her so fooled.

Saturday we went to the park again, only this time we went to the other half that is by the water. It’s not water to swim in . . . it’s kind of icky, but there are lots of paths to walk on. We’ve had so much rain here; I am told around 2 or 3 times what Buffalo normally gets in May. The ground was soggy and muddy; in some places even the paths were flooded. We walked all the way around and I had so much fun in the mud. I even rolled around in some of it, Mommy just laughed at me. I tried to chase some Canadian Geese. I even had a German Shepard try to make friends with me. He was walking with his Daddy and he didn’t even have to wear a leash! I mean the nerve! He just walked up to me like he does it every day or something and sniffed my face. He seemed like a nice chap and I mostly behaved, then he left.

Now I wasn’t going to tell you all about this, I mean, a guy has to have some dignity, but Mommy says it was hilarious. So, since I aim to please, maybe you all will find it funny too. On Saturday we also went to the pet store, before we went to the park. We got some new treats to try . . . I won't even touch them! Any who, Mommy saw a tiny Chihuahua around the corner, in another aisle, of course she immediately said hi to the little guy and he happily ran towards us. Mommy said he was only like a couple of pounds and she could probably fit him in one hand. I personally thought he was scary and had to run and hide behind Mommy! I mean seriously people, what is funny about that?

As you can tell by the lack of photos above, Mommy forgot to bring her camera. See, I still have some more training to do with her.

We came home and had to take a bath! I was unhappy and pouted on Mommy's lap until I fell asleep.





I also wanted to show you my room . . . this is where I like to sleep sometimes. Mommy put this nice cool blanket in there that she made when she was a teenager.






Well, that's all for now folks, I'll be back soon though to talk about my training and what we are learning. I say "we are learning" because this is definitely a learning experience for Mommy too!