Sheep Shots

No, not spinning my wheels.

I just seem to be stuck in a gray and beige world these days.

First up, 2 cups of catnip mice ready to be packed into their somewhat airtight container. These 4 are a Christmas surprise for Riley and Dexter, two of Sparky's cyber cat friends.

They were a special request. The cat-warming gifts she sent earlier this year have been loved right to death.

I used a bit of lambswool/angora blend dyed with


totally natural "dyes" (tea and coffee) for varying degrees of tan.
Pattern for the 3 wearing mouse ears is from Barbara Albright's Odd Ball Knitting.

Pattern for the yellowy one is linkied there. It's an old tried and true pattern that I have been knitting up for at least the last ten years. The pattern is yellowed with age. The mousie is yellowed with coffee. I used the same leftovers (heated and simmered) to dye the last of the yarn. There will be at least one more mouse.

These guys (assumption) are all stuffed with catnip. The scent of the herb has completely overpowered any coffee or tea scent that might have lingered on the toys.

Sandy Paws hears that R & D have been good kitties (mostly) and is sure to bring lots of kitty prezzies. Sparky, on the other hand, is hoping to cash in on cute.

And speaking of Sandy Paws (we were, weren't we?) I spent some quality time with our Rotary club's very own Santa today. We were ringing bells for the Red Kettle (Salvation Army). Lots of fun, especially watching Santa interact with little kids.

The ringing went off with only a minor hitch (two different service clubs scheduled for the same location at the same time!) but was miles better than last year when we were wedged in the "breezeway" between two sets of doors at the mall entrance to one of the department stores. That was wicked! Cold! Damp! Drafty! Cramped! Did I mention cold?


And on the other neutral knitting front, I am pit high with one sleeve, halfway there with the other, and have half of the waist ribbing completed on the body.

I have set no deadline for this project, but it's possible that I could finish by the new year!

I didn't bother to unkink the yarn before I cast on the reknit. I'm pretty certain that the odd waviness will fall out in the wet blocking that I have planned since spit slicing is turning it pretty normal looking.

And now, I think I will crawl into bed for the second last sleep before I must return to work. Truthfully, I am looking forward to it! A little.

Bad weather is predicted for overnight. I think tomorrow might be a good day for tea, cookies, and knitting.

Labels: big people clothes, cats