Wounded, but Still Walking (and Knitting)

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and prayers and comfort. It has been such a hard week for us, but it does get a little easier each day, the happy and funny memories taking over the sad ones bit by bit.

Tim doesn't seem to be disturbed by his brand-new only catness. He's enjoying the extra attention and coming around for company more often than he used to. He helped me photograph some images this morning.

"I don't think this is really my color..."

The body of the pink camisole is nearly complete. I need to decide how I want to proceed with the top, to follow the design and add more stitches to the rows across the chest, or to abandon the cross over in the front and knit it as one piece.

(from IK site)

What do you think? I want to take the top up for more coverage and I don't know if one knitted piece will ruin the design.

Lynne is collecting mittens for Christmas and so I've started on two pair, using a now vintage pattern that my mother used when she used to make mittens for us. The top two need final seaming, and I've begun the thumb area on the two on the needle.

"This could work. I'll take it."

On Saturday afternoon, I went to a not LYS that has an amazing selection of yarn. I treated myself to some black Rowan Big Wool in preparation for Fantine. I'm not going to start it yet, as it will be my reward for finishing the camisole, but I couldn't leave without taking something home.

I am again late to the party, I'm sure, but finally got a close up look at the many colors of La Boheme by Fiesta Yarns. Wow. I know you are all thinking, Debby, that is so 2003! I saw a few of them when looking for the ribbon and rayon boucle yarns I used for Oceane, but this time fell madly in love with Rain forest. It has pink and blue but in fall shades, mixed with a little copper. Try as I might, I couldn't find a good link for the colors I saw. The store only had one skein, and I need two for a shawl, so I'm going to check locally and see if they carry it. If not, I'll order that one skein and have it shipped and see what else I can use it for. Why oh why do I keep finding irresistable shawl yarns when I really want to be making sweaters??!!

If you received an invitation from me for Shelfari and did not want it, I apologize. I received one from someone, and as I was looking through the site and wanted to send an invite to one or two people, it copied my entire address book and sent out invitations. It's since happened to someone who got my invite too. I don't know if the site developers did this on purpose, but it is very embarrassing and does not exactly endear them to me. So please be careful with it!

Some had asked me about donating to an IBD organization in memory of Charlie, which is so sweet and thoughtful. If you'd like to do that (or just see what studies are taking place in animal disease and treatment), the Morris Animal Foundation is a great site to check out. The Winn Feline Foundation also supports the advance of veterinary medicine, and you can specify the type of research you want to support, in this case, GI or gastrointestinal disorders. I was so happy to find associations that fund studies for animals, as I didn't know they existed. And we'll be continuing in Charlie's Spokescat honor next spring with another Get Your Guts in Gear fundraiser, for human IBD patients like his Person. Now keep hugging your furry loved ones tight!

Comments

[Kara]

I am so sorry about your cat. It is amazing how special our pets become in our lives.

Your new tank is looking lovely.

[robin]

It's good that Tim seems to be doing well despite his "only catness." On the cami, I would follow the design, but knit more rows to increase the coverage (it does look really skimpy in the pattern picture.) I think it's great that there are charities that focus on animal diseases; I am more apt to donate to those or to specialty causes than to the big United Way type organizations. I feel like my donation makes more of a difference in the smaller charities. Glad you are making steps back toward feeling better.

[Felicia]

Tim is a very helpful kitty. I've got a fellow just as helpful with my blog photography. I'm thinking about you!

[Danny]

Sorry for the rocky start on Shelfari. I hope you can still enjoy the website :)

Happy Reading,
Danny

[Chris]

Aw, Timmy - it's good you're keeping your people company! That last picture of you (what yarn?!) is really nice.

[Sarah]

I'm glad the cami is going well for you now! The mittens are cute and so Christmassy!

[Sonya]

I think Tim may like being the center of attention. Cute mittens!

[Sheepish Annie]

I'm glad to hear that you are all doing well. And how nice of Tim to be so helpful! He knows how to step up, doesn't he?

[sarah]

Aww. People who think cats are insensitive beasts don't know any cats. Good for Tim. The cami is looking good, too!

[Kyle Kunnecke]

can you do a bit of decreasing right under the bust, then do a bit of short row shaping to increase each side? - whatever you do, I know you'll make it beautiful... of course, I think that bottom part of the cami could look super cute as a vneck sweater too (if you have enough yarn)

and little mr. yellow kitty is just bein a camera hog... it's good to know he's around - give him an extra squeeze from me and my 2 kitties.

xo

[Lynne]

Thanks for the plug, Debby...What festive mitties!

[Dana]

Tim is quite the feline in pink! It's so good to hear that he is doing well. You always wonder how the other pet will handle the loss of their buddy.

[Sydney]

I'm glad Timmy is doing so well, and helping! :)

The cami is looking good. I would think adding a few rows would work. You could also make each triangle taller and keep the low cut. (Hope that makes sense.)

[Brigitte]

Timmy, you take good care of your humans!

And I love the pink cami. I would definitely make the chest area a bit bigger, and probably forego the crossover action. Maybe make it a bit empire waist style? Then again, that's me, and my uh, boobage.

[Sarah]

Aw, Tim. Such a cutie. I'm a sucker for the orange guys! Per the tank top, I'd think about knitting extra rows across the front to get the coverage you want, then dividing for the triangles, and afterward faking the cross front with i-cord stitched on. Does that make any sense?

[Rebekah]

Poor Tim, it must be odd for him. He reminds me so much of my old kitty Diesel from child hood.

(diesel because he purred like a Mack truck)

Hmm, i think I'd go for more coverage on the camisole but that is a personal preference.

[Rachel]

That's so funny about Shelfari -- I've gotten a few invitations from people, including from a couple of folks I've barely ever emailed with (maybe they commented on my blog once or something like that). I thought it was odd that they were inviting me, but now I'm guessing the same thing happened to them. That's a pretty annoying flaw!

Good luck with the camisole! You can do it! And think how much better you'll feel when it's done.

[lisa]

That's a very sweet cami! Could you make the triangles bigger, and maybe put the straps in from the edge a bit? Check out the shapely tank top pattern for ideas about short rows and making bigger cups, http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/fbcprintx.html. Glad Tim is doing well.

[Julie]

I'm glad to hear Tim is doing well and that you and Chris are starting to look back at the happy and funny memories. I've been thinking of all of you even though I've been lame about writing you; sorry!

The camisole is looking great!

[Beth]

Tim is looking good! :) I like your camisole and mittens. I just picked up some mitten yarn today.

[debsnm]

Pictures!!!! We need pics of the new babies - please????? :D