This squirrel was lounging in the tree outside my work window. She (he?) looks like a lady of leisure, doesn’t she? She (he?) wasn’t much in evidence all winter, but now that spring has nominally arrived, she has been rooting around in her old nest and stirring things up. I’m fairly certain this is the squirrel that nearly attacked me the other day when I came between it and an old acorn lying on the ground.

I think she looks a little plump. I’m wondering if there will be little squirrels in the nest soon? That will be fun to watch. Last spring I sat in a different location, so I haven’t gotten to spy much on the squirrels. I have watched birds nest, though.

The sun came out today for 10 minutes – a rare occurrence in springtime Portland – and I managed to get a decent picture of the sockapaloooza socks. This is still not quite the right color, but I think it’s probably as close as I’m going to come. Digital cameras do not seem to deal well with purple. At least the cables show.

I’m a little further along than this now, having just started the gusset increases. I had to stop and test swatch the heel. The 60-year-old Beehive instructions aren’t like any other heel I’ve ever worked. And, since I’m working everything upside down and backwards, I had to swatch it twice before I came up with something that’s a reasonable facsimile of what’s in the picture. Now that I’ve worked it once, though, I like it and I think I might work the same heel on Tangle’s birthday pattern.

I searched through Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush because that book has a ton of different heels and toes in it. But none of the heels that Nancy Bush shows resembles the heel in the Beehive instructions. So I am henceforth dubbing it the “Beehive Heel.” It’s really a cool technique that uses decreases (or, in my case, increases) instead of short rows. Strange, but very round and nice looking. I think it will be comfortable to wear. I can’t wait to get one finished on the Sockapaloooza socks so I can try it on.

Isn’t it hard to type when your keyboard has a big, fluffy kitty tail draped across it? Kidd is taking a nap on my desk and insists that is the place his tail must be. Although I’m trying to avoid it, I don’t have a lot of sympathy if I accidentally pull a few hairs that happen to be lying on my keys. I have encouraged a different tail placement, but Kidd disagrees vehemently.

The cupcakes are done! The cupcakes are done!

Only about a week late! not bad, I think.

These are gifts for the guys in #1 Son’s band. No, I don’t know yet what a punk band is going to do with four cupcake hats. #1 Son has promised pictures, and I will pass them along.

I made a few changes to the pattern. Since my hats need to be adult-sized, I cast on 88 stitches and used US#7 needles. I knit the cake part for 3″ and the frosting for 4″ before beginning the decreases. About 1/2 way into the “nubble” row (the dripping icing edging) on the first cupcake, I realized that knitting 44 little nubbles would be the death of me, so I crocheted them.

The particulars:

• Needles: Size US#7, one Inox gray, one Crystal Palace bamboo
• Cascade Sierra (cotton/wool) in color #50 for the cake part
• Cascade Indulgence (alpaca/angora) in color #9434 for the frosting. (These kids better appreciate that fiber!)
• Crystal Palace Little Flowers (nylon metallic novelty) in color #409 (Spring Picnic) for the sprinkles

In other crafty news, I’m still turning cables on the Sockapaloooza socks. I’m thinking of getting started on the sock pattern I promised Alice at Tangle. But good intentions are being derailed by a bag idea. Stay tuned.

I visited Kidd in the kitty hospital today, and he’s looking pretty chipper. He’d eaten some solid food. Dr. Specialist believes he will be able to come home tomorrow. Moo Cow is missing him, and so am I!

Poor #1 Son. He came home last night really sick, with chills and fever. I sent him right to bed. I know he has to go to class today (it’s the last one before finals). I woke him up briefly this morning before I left and gave him some Advil and a glass of water, then left him sleeping while I headed to work.

Captain Kidd, although he seems generally better, will not eat much and has gained no weight. Tomorrow he goes back to the vet where he will be kept a few days. Dr. Specialist believes that Kidd has developed a food aversion because eating made him sick before. The only way around this is to take the eating choice out of his hands (er… paws) for a couple of weeks and try to get him plumped up. Poor baby. He will be able to come home, probably Sunday or Monday.

I’m off to the ol’ root canal shortly.

At least my cold seems to be of short duration. It’s down to the mostly just annoying stage. I managed to work a few rows on the brim of cupcake #3. And I’ve turned the cables again on the Sockapaloooza socks. I now believe that they will fit.

And tonight things will be looking up because I will be amongst my people as I knit at Tangle. The first sock class is tonight. I hope I can talk. I can just see me trying to teach via gesture. Thankfully, knitting is something that can be taught by example.

I just found 1/2 of a bar of chocolate in my drawer. It was a present from one of the women I spent the weekend at the coast with a couple of weeks ago. I’d forgotten (really) that I stuck it in my drawer at work, just in case I needed it some day. Like right now. Oh my goodness… it tastes sooooo good.

Almost I can get back that wonderful calm energy I felt all that long weekend. Lazy shopping trips, long beach walks, talking, eating, knitting. It was all so nice.

It took no time for that to just fade away when I returned to the city.

I’m still here at work, finishing up a couple of things after most have left. The walls are being repainted, and a crew is here with ladders and such. They’ve turned a radio to a country station and are singing along to the music. 🙂 A little different atmosphere than the usual work-a-day world.

If I close my eyes and taste that chocolate, I can almost transport myself back to the beach.

Stressed is desserts spelled backwards…

The green basket weave socks are just past the point where I could legitimately make them anklets so I must admit publicly I will not wimp out. I will finish them. But they are not yet to the point where they go back to being mindless destressing knitting. I must finish them soon because I must start on the Sockapaloooza socks, Alice’s socks, the samples for the sock class, and several other socks ideas that are tumbling around in my head willy-nilly. It appears that 2006 will be the year of the sock, any other plans I may have made to the contrary.

Thank you to those who have asked after Kidd. He is doing better.

I have finally found a food that he likes. Fancy Feast Gourmet Gold with Ocean Fish and Salmon. Dry food. Kibbles. [shrug] I’ve been tempting him with all of the moist food, as close to Gerber baby meat as I can get and still be cat food — expensive little cans full of bits of yummy things with gravy poured over. He turns his nose up at them.

I filled a little bowl with the FFGGOFS kibbles and he spent a solid hour in the kitchen crunching away. Go figure.

Cats are strange.

I’ve been quiet the last few days because I’ve been out of town. I was invited to spend several days at Lincoln City with a wonderful group of women (and one wonderful girl). We had a marvelous time walking on the beach, shopping, eating, playing games and laughing. And, yes, some knitting was accomplished – although not much.

The weather was amazing! Clear and very cold. On Saturday the wind was so strong it blew the waves up in spray. But the sunshine was so nice.

This picture is looking south toward Siletz Bay from just below The Inn At Spanish Head. You can see the rest of the pictures I took on the Galleries page under Lincoln City, 02/2006. We saw a spectacular sunset and sunrise from our rented house high over the beach.

In the good news department, Dr. Specialist called me as I was on my way out of town. The tests showed only IBD and no sign of lymphoma. Yea! #1 Son was great at giving Kidd his medication and keeping him in Gerber baby meats while I was gone. Since I’ve been back, I’ve been tempting Kidd with all of the yummy cat foods I can find, in the hope that we can get him back to eating his regular food soon.

Life is beginning to get back to what passes for “normal” around here.

[ed.] I just realized that I typed “IBM” instead of “IBD.” That must have raised a few eyebrows.

Happy Valentine’s day to everyone!

I didn’t hop on the Knitting Olympics bandwagon. Just too much to do. I am, however, working on a tiny little project that I think should qualify me for some sort of honorable mention. Pics hopefully tonight or tomorrow. At least tomorrow, because this project has to be finished before Thursday AM!

Because Thursday afternoon I’m leaving for a couple of days down on the coast with some friends. All girls, no guys. Yep, #1 Son gets to stay home while Mom goes out and has some fun. That’s a first! I am now praying that there will be no snow in the Coast Range, since I have neither snow tires nor chains. The weather reports are indecisive. It could get interesting.

No update on Captain Kidd. We should know more today either way.