She Knits By The Seashore

Charlie's Yarn -- first prize giveaway

The random number generator chose number 6, Karen from Mostly Self Taught Knitter, as our first winner of a skein of Charlie's Yarn. Congratulations, and thank you again for your donation to Get Your Guts in Gear!!

Our current total as of this Tuesday is $205. Chris has sent out letters to family, co-workers, and non-blog friends, but I wanted to point out that they are not eligible for our prize drawing -- only our knitting blog friends. Our next drawing for a skein of the Charlie's yarn will be the last weekend in April.  Our final drawing of two skeins of the yarn, plus a gift certificate for $21 to the winner's choice of yarn shops, for three lucky winners will be on Memorial Day weekend. If you would like to participate, please click on the GYGIG button in the left column for more details or to make a donation.

"Where is Yvonne's address on this thing? Must ask her how come she didn't make any Timmy yarn?!"

If you would like to purchase some Charlie's yarn, please visit Yvonne at Lavender Sheep. She is donating 50% of the purchase of the yarn to GYGIG as well. I bought two skeins, and am planning a Cat's Paw scarf from some patterns I found on Ravelry. There are two different patterns here and here; I'm trying to decide which one to use, and then I can get right to it.

Sock knitters might be interested in the cat's paw socks, (designed in memory of another kitty) or the cat face socks, also free on Ravelry. I believe the gauge needs to be adjusted on one or two of these patterns as they call for a heavier weight, but a switch in needle size should make them just fine for the Charlie's Yarn.

So what are your plans for the weekend? Chris has another race tomorrow morning, and then I hope to get a little shopping and a lot of knitting done this weekend. The Noni bag is almost completed and ready for felting. It will be so nice to finally have that off the needles. And then there are the Anne Perry novels that have me in their grip. I'm not going to get much sleep until Thomas Pitt takes Sir Charles Voisey down for good. Two books down, two to go. I'm off to Seven Dials now...

It Might Be Spring

Some people have flowers blooming in their gardens, or trees bursting into color. They can go outdoors with a light coat or no coat at all. Where I live, those things haven't happened yet, but there is one sign that the warmer weather may soon be upon us:

Racing season! That's Chris on the left with the red bike and blue/brown kit. He came in 6th, not bad at all for his first race of the season. The wind was vicious, and my fingers froze trying to take pictures. At least, unlike last year around this time, there was no snow on the ground!!

On Saturday night, we went to see Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I had read the Persephone book a few years ago, and though there are some minor changes in the film, it's pretty true to the book. The Art Deco sets and clothing were just the eye candy I've been wanting in a film. Do you think I could redecorate my house to look like Delysia's flat? Her bathroom is swoon-worthy.

Still knitting the fronts of Caroline, but nothing significant to photograph. I'll share a few quick book reviews instead.

The Whitechapel Conspiracy by Anne Perry. Chris started to read this out loud to me, and I couldn't wait anymore to solve the mystery, so I finished it last night. Our DCI Thomas Pitt is punished by his corrupt superiors for giving evidence in a murder case that convicts their associate. He is sent to work in the area of London known as Whitechapel, a poverty-ridden area and former hangout of Jack the Ripper. His wife Charlotte and maid Gracie decide that Something Must Be Done. What they do, and what they uncover, kept me glued to this book for hours, and I started the next book in the series, Southampton Row, right after I finished this one. Ms. Perry will be visiting a local book store next month to promote the latest in the series, Buckingham Palace Gardens. Must.read.faster and catch up to that book if I can.

Kitty Knits by Donna Druchunas. The subtitle of the book is "projects for cats and their people," and it does offer cat beds, felted mice, and toys for cats, along with items for Persons and their homes. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but to be honest, there is probably little in the book I would knit as is. What may be most useful to me are the charts of kitty designs, which I could adapt to other projects. If you would like more specifics, let me know.

Lastly, I promised a review of the Happy Tabby book, whose author Susan Daffron did a guest post on my blog on Friday.  The book is targeted to those who adopt a cat from an animal shelter or rescue group (as opposed to purchasing one from a pet store or breeder), but I think it also encompasses cats adopted by relatives and friends or those that show up at the back door and are slowly but surely adopted into the family. It offers basic information on feline health, including dental work, vaccinations, and senior care. Its strength is helping the new owner/guardian to understand a cat's behavior and motivations so that they can work out issues together. I get so upset when I hear about people "punishing" a cat for inappropriate behavior -- sometimes the cat is trying to tell you they are hurt or afraid or angry in the only way they know how. This book will help explain those signs, and what to do to correct the situation. It's a fast read, written in a friendly rather than impersonal medical voice, and will reassure those who have never adopted a cat before -- and even those of us who have --that some of kitty's strange quirks are in fact normal.

A Guest Post for National Poison Prevention Week

Author Susan Daffron has written a new book called Happy Tabby, about caring for adopted cats. Some of you may have seen the review on Chris' blog yesterday. I hope to do a review soon too, but on first glance, it seems like a handy book to keep on your shelf, whether you are a new pet parent or an experienced one.

I'm happy to host Susan today at our seashore in honor of National Poison Prevention Week. Perfect timing, as some of us are celebrating a wonderful, yet dangerous for pets, holiday this weekend -- Easter. I hope we can all keep the chocolates away from the dogs, and the lilies away from the cats (my Tim will chew on anything green!), so we can enjoy the holiday with our family and friends and not the local vet emergency staff. :) Welcome Susan!

****************************************************************************************************************************

Thank you for letting me write a guest post for your blog!

My name is Susan Daffron and I'm the founder of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals (http://www.naprp.com) and the author of books on caring for adopted dogs (Happy Hound - http://www.HappyHoundBook.com) and adopted cats (Happy Tabby - http://www.HappyTabbyBook.com).

This week is National Poison Prevention Week and I'd like to offer a few tips people can take to keep their cats (and other pets) safe from poisonous substances. As every cat owner knows, cats and particularly kittens love to get into things. That old saying "curiosity killed the cat" can be all too true when it comes to poisons.

Cats are hunters and unfortunately people often use poison to kill rodents or other "varmints" in their house or yard. In the world of toxic substances, you sometimes see references on labels about injury or death of "unintended target species." If a cat hunts, kills, and eats a poisoned rodent, she can become one of those "unintended targets." (So can kids, dogs and wildlife!)

Another unintentional way cats are poisoned is when humans attempt to give them over-the-counter medication. For example, acetaminophen, which is used in Tylenol and various cold medications is extremely toxic to cats. Never give your cat Tylenol; one tablet can kill a cat.

Cats are particularly sensitive to chemicals absorbed through their skin, so read labels carefully on the pet-care and household products you use. Topical flea products, soaps, cleaning chemicals, and insecticides you might use in your house or garden often contain chemicals that are toxic to cats, so read the label of any product you intend to use.

Also be sure to "pet proof" your household. Many common houseplants and outdoor plants are toxic to cats. The ASPCA site has a lists of toxic plants and other common poisons.
Toxic Plants - http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_toxicplants
A Poison Safe Home - http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_poisonsafe

Any time you suspect your cat may have been poisoned, get her to a veterinarian immediately. Prompt treatment can save her life. You want your cat to stay healthy and live a long time, so take a few simple steps to keep her safe.

Caroline

I finally finished the back of Caroline. The left and right fronts are on the needles now.

The Noni bag is nearly done, but I'm still struggling with the seams on the sides where you pick up stitches. I want to finish both of these projects yesterday so I can get started on something for spring!

Last Saturday, I had a special treat. Chris gave me a gift certificate to a local day spa for my birthday, and I had a facial. It felt wonderful on my skin, which can get red and irritated from rosacea plus the dry winter weather. I'm sorry I don't have more photos for you, but it was pouring buckets outside, and very dark inside. This is the main door, under a carport. Fun to pretend you are a lady of means, and have your driver leave you at the door. Since my driver was off that morning, I parked my own car in back and walked. :)

I'm in one of those moods lately, with all the drab weather, where I need a little glamour. I love those vintage films like Indiscreet with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, or Come September with Rock Hudson and Gina Lollabrigida, with the sunny Italian scenery and lush villa scenes. Oh to be transported into those worlds! Since I've been working on genealogy, I particularly like the films set in Italy (or Hollywood's interpretation of Italy!)...if you have any favorites you could recommend, please let me know.

GYGIG fundraising update: our total for our first week is $155. Thank you so much!! Yvonne has four more skeins available of the special Charlie's Yarn to honor our kitty's fight with IBD. If you haven't seen it yet, and would like to, please click on over to her site. We'll be drawing our first prize winner for Charlie's yarn on Friday March 28. If you'd like to be entered in that drawing, please click on the GYGIG button on the top left column for details on how to make a donation.  Thank you!!

Gossamer Wrap

The Gossamer Wrap is finished. It's not quite what I expected. But I'm not sure what I expected.

Pattern: Gossamer Wrap, Australia's Creative Knitting, Issue #14

Yarn: Dive Teseo, 7 balls, #25565 (pattern calls for Colinette Mohair, which would give the Gossamer effect that's lost here)

Size: Approx. 30" x 75"

Needle: Size 17 circulars

The photo above gives the best view of this wrap on the diagonal. Originally I was going to add fringe, which is what the pattern calls for, but I don't think it will look right. This is what happens when I buy yarn first, and then try to find a pattern to "make it work." I wanted a triangle shawl, but couldn't find something lacy enough that would help to break up the striping effect of the yarn. Then I found this pattern, not realizing that it wasn't quite a rectangle. Since I only wanted to make something to wear around the house for warmth, it's fine. I just hope it doesn't look too dorky, even around the house!

I have a photo of my friend Ollie to share:

We met in the infirmary at the shelter, where he was being given antibiotics due to recent dental work. But he's back in his room with his friends now, and always comes up to say hello to me. Though I hope he'll be adopted soon, I will miss him! One of the very cool things about the shelter where I work is that the cats do get adopted regularly. It's happened several times already; a kitty is rescued, stays in the infirmary while being treated for something like a cold, or recovering from spay/neuter surgery, and then by the next time I'm there, they've found a new home.

I like to share photos of the cats I meet with you. We all take zillions of photos of our own pets, and I wonder sometimes if these cats have ever had their pictures taken, or if they've been fussed over like they should be. So from time to time I hope to share their photos, and fuss a little over them too!

Recently I found out about this very awesome animal transport project. Animals needing rescue/transport out of kill shelters to either no-kill shelters or new homes are driven by people who sign up for various segments of the trip. Most of the animals are dogs, but they serve cats too, and possibly other animals. It's almost like an underground railroad. So, for example, if you have a dog in South Carolina, and he's being adopted by a family in Massachusetts, a rescue group will break down the journey into drives of an hour or so between the two states, over a weekend. All the stops are pre-arranged, the drivers are given supplies and the veterinary papers, and then the dog is slowly transported from one place to the other until he gets to his new home. Is that not the coolest thing?!

I signed up for the daily digest on Yahoo, so if there are any cats coming through my state on a day I'm free, I can help. (Our vehicles aren't really suited for dogs, and I'm not experienced with them). If you'd like more information by state, you can click here. If I do participate in one of these, I will let you know how it goes. After hearing about so many bad things going on in the world, it makes me no end of happy to see how kind and creative people can be too.

Getting Our Guts in Gear, Again

Last year, Chris, blog photographer, husband, and bike racer, participated in Get Your Guts in Gear, a 210 miles/3 days bicycle ride to raise awareness and funds for patients with Crohn's Disease and Colitis. Charlie, our cat, who also had IBD, was our Spokescat. He knew firsthand about the discomfort, tests, and treatments of the disease along with his Person. They were the same, for both human and cat.

Charlie passed away from IBD-related lymphoma last fall. (Let me stress that this can happen in cats, but not in people, though humans with IBD may be more susceptible to colon cancer). It is now time for GYGIG 2.0, and the ride is even more personal to us. Though GYGIG raises awareness and funds for research and treatment for humans, and hopefully one day a cure, what doctors learn helps veterinarians too.

To honor Charlie, and help raise funds for Chris' ride, I asked for the help of a talented knitter, dyer, and fellow Crohn's patient -- Yvonne of Lavender Sheep. She took out her dye pots, worked some magic, and created Charlie's yarn, a limited edition sockweight yarn.

Tim: "Do you think it looks like him?" Rosie: "I think it looks like meeeeee!"

Here is a closeup of the yarn, but my photo is more brown than in real life:

For every donation to GYGIG we receive between now and Memorial Day (May 26), we'll enter donors into a prize drawing for some of Charlie's yarn. We'll give away one skein of yarn each during the last weekends of March and April. On Memorial Day, I'll choose three winners and give away two skeins of yarn and a gift certificate to a yarn shop for $21.

If you would like to purchase Charlie's yarn as well (and see a more accurate photo of the colors), please visit Yvonne at Lavender Sheep. She'll be donating 50% of the sale of each skein to GYGIG as well. The yarn is 100 grams, 460 yards, for size US 1-3 needles, just right for socks. Two to three skeins will make a scarf, which is what I plan to do.

If you would like to read about last year's 210 mile, 3 day ride, please click here, here, and here. You can use the button at the top left column to read Chris' story on the donation page. Thank you in advance for your support.

Rosie with one of my skeins

"I still think it looks like me..."

Birthday Mail

Some birthday treats from last week that I wanted to share with you:

Jennifer sent me some beautiful yarn, including her own sea blue handspun that I'd admired in one of her posts. I am so honored -- I've never worked with handspun yarn before. If I had spun yarn, I don't know that I'd be able to give it away.

My friend H in Australia treated me to some 1920s mystery novels, recommended to me a long time ago by Erika. She also sent a copy of Yarnstorm's "The Gentle Art of Domesticity," which is only available to US readers through the UK's Book Depository. I've started to read it a few pages at a time -- the photos are lovely and so inspirational. And Chris treated me to the genealogy book in the middle.

While not birthday mail, it arrived during birthday week -- my special swap spa package from Keri. The sheep slippers are absolutely adorable. Keri created a "pedicure" package of spa items for feet, and included tea, cookies, and the softest yarn I've held in a while, a lace weight Malabrigo. I've never knit with this yarn before, so I'll need to find a special project for it.

I feel so indulged. Thank you so much everyone. It really cheers me up and provides much-needed inspiration. A recent project I was working on did not turn out as I'd hoped, and I'm not feeling that   "invincible summer" from my previous post right now. But we are on the verge of spring (at least in the northern hemisphere), and daylight savings time starts this weekend, when all things are made new.

In the Midst of Winter

When we were driving to one of the beaches on Cape Cod on Sunday, we passed this sign:

I could think on that for days.

Here is a photo of our b&b, Agape, in Yarmouth:

It was so cozy! Delicious food, a fireplace in our room...I could have stayed all week. As it was, I didn't feel like we had enough time there to really appreciate all the comforts they offered.

Here is Nauset Beach, taken by Chris. In fact, all the photos were taken by him, since it was too cold for me to get out of the car! The wind was especially strong on the beach.

Here is the Nauset Lighthouse:

And the Three Sisters, moved off of the shore and safely in the...woods?

An explanation (click for readable size):

As short as our time was there, the change of scenery (and someone else cooking meals) helped me to feel rested and somewhat restored by the time we had to head home. The sea air, cold as it was this time of year, helps me tremendously. Where do you go, or dream of going, when you need restoration?