Woven Squares & Doggie Duds

I turned on my pc today, fully intending to post and re-arrange this blog (which I'm ashamed to admit I started over a year ago without ever posting a single word). I ended up spending a couple of hours reading other people's blogs and joining a monthly knit-a-long dishcloth group.

If that isn't a classic example of attention deficit disorder, I don't know what is. And truth be told, I couldn't bare to wash grungy dishes with handknitted cloths. Still, I did find many lovely patterns done in an easy knit/purl which can be knit in cotton yarn for dishcloths or in other fiber and stitched or woven together to form afghans, lapghans...which is what I intend to do with the patterns I printed out. I plan on knitting every pattern containing hearts (there are several) until I have enough to fit my daybed.

Lately, I've been weaving 4" squares on my Weavette loom using my stash of red yarn and incorporating many of the patterns from Licia Conforti's Textured Patterns for the Weavette Loom, Volume I. The materials I'm using are not the same dye lot, not even made by the same company, nor are they the same shade of red. The effect of using a variety of 'reds' will make the finished blanket appear shaded and hopefully pleasing to the eye. Well, to my eyes anyway. Besides, it's a great way for me to reduce my stash of odd ball yarn.

Using a small loom to weave is as relaxing as knitting. Sometimes I'm 'forced' to put down my knitting needles and reach for my little loom simply because my hands are aching. If I'm not doing some type of fiber art while mesmerized by television, I'll snack unmercifully or nibble on my cuticles ~ two items addressed on my New Year's Resolution List.

I went on a knitting rampage before the holidays. I had to in order to get through them without pulling my hair out. Holidays and birthdays are especially difficult for me since I moved here to Georgia from Massachusetts almost six years ago (a long story best saved for another post).

I enjoyed knitting the dinosaur sweater depicted above for my one-year-old Shih Tzu, a gift from my girlfriend, Shanda K. last Christmas. The pattern is from a Patons knitting book I've had for years. I was just waiting for the dog to knit it, I guess.

This bright red cargo pocket sweater was quick and fun to knit. It was a bit loose on Emmy's

undercarriage so, I crocheted a chain, wove it

through the ribbing and double-tied it in a bow

to improve the fit.

I intend to whip up a batch of these for Emmy, my daughter's Yellow Lab, Honey, and my friends' dogs in time for winter '07-'08. It's a pattern I found online that can be used as a basis to create my own doggie fashions. I can picture knitting one embellished with 3dimensional designs from one of Nicky Epstein's books like decorating a pastel sweater with flowers, leaves, and vines for a cool spring day. Not many of those here in Georgia but a girl can dream, can't she?