How (not) to block a shawl

About a year ago, I made a shawl. It was a Christmas gift for my mother and I was very excited about it. Even though it was made from acrylic yarn, I decided to block it so that it would look its very best.

The only place big enough to block it was my bed. I laid out some towels and carefully started to pin it. Night time came and it was still wet. I decided to go sleep on the sofa so as to let the shawl block properly. I close the door and then go to sleep.

The next morning, I wake up and run to the bedroom to see how wonderful the blocked shawl looks. I am taken back by the open bedroom door and then even more taken back to discover that Dexter has jimmied open the door, pulled out pins and is huddled between a damp towel and my comforter creating a nice hump in the shawl.

Reward-Have you seen me?

Reward-One Can of Fancy Feast to the cat who returns my missing stitch markers

I know who the culprit is as I caught her "red handed"with one of them. ie she trotted by me with one hanging from her mouth. I followed her into the bathroom where she had gotten into the tub with my stitch marker and was batting it around the tub. I repo'd my property and went to return it to the tin that I keep them in and that is when I noticed that I now only have 3 of these stitch markers. So there are 2 missing. AND there is a silver one missing. I did notice that she so kindly left me the boring plastic ones but stole the handmade ones. GRRRRR.... I have torn my place up from top to bottom and cannot find them anywhere.

I'm declaring today a day of amnesty. If the stitch markers are returned to me then I will not begin making cat sweaters for you both. Lucy as you are more than likely the thief, yours will be black and white striped or dayglo orange. Dexter I'm going to make you one for not ratting out your cat companion. Dexter do the right thing! Rat out your sister's hiding spot and there will be a can of catfood for you AND no sweater. :D

So? Anyone want to make me a trade for a thieving cat? She will be traded along with the new cat sweater.

Moved from GOLO

The seedy side of Caturday

Yep, Dexter is really doing what you think that he is. I figured that I'd show you the non-cute side of Caturday. The side that you hope doesn't show up when you have house guests. "Oh my! What is that cat doing? Oooooh.. Really *nervous giggle* Ewwww."

 After I broke my ankle they gave me Vicodin. It seemed like my ankle didn't hurt that much during the day but at night it got really bad. I'd wake up in the middle of the night and feel like I'd twisted it.

I called my doctor who was equally as puzzled but suggested that I take an extra Vicodin and make an appointment to come in so that they could xray it again and to see if maybe they needed to look at resetting it or doing surgery which involved pins.

However, I hate taking Vicodin as it gives me horrible nightmares so after doubling up the first night like the doctor suggested and being chased by serial killers down Hillsborough St and jumping on the Wolf-line to try to get away from said serial killer, I decided to cut WAY back on the drugs. PLUS the only reason I woke up from that dream was that my ankle was killing me.

The next night I took 1/2 a Vicodin. I had planned on taking another 1/2 if I woke up in pain but figured that at least I'd be able to wake up if the bad dreams started again. I woke up and found Dexter balancing on my cast and he was biting the heck out of my toes. I was pretty loopy still from the pills but I had a spray bottle next to my bed so I spritzed him with the bottle and he ran off. About 40 minutes later, he snuck back into the room and hopped back on my cast. Being more lucid then, I could see that he was humping my cast and that was what was causing so much pain at night.

The next day I called the doctor and tried to cancel my appointment. The doctor kept saying, "Let's have you come in just to make sure." and I kept telling him that it was fine. Everything was fine and I didn't need surgery. The doctor at this point was pretty sure that I wasn't fine but being a baby about the possibility of needing surgery. He started on the whole lecture about how if it wasn't set properly I could lose mobility etc and how I needed to come in so that they could figure out what was causing the night pain. I again said that I had figured it out and didn't need to see a doctor. He pushed me again so finally I said that it was something at my house that caused it. And he still pushed me so I had to explain that the cat was molesting me when I passed out from the Vicodin. I was roofying myself for him.

The doctor didn't even put me on mute before he started howling with laughter. AND he put it on my chart so everyone from the xray staff to the person who redoes the cast inquired on Dexter's health.

 Later I heard Savannah growl and snap at him. She'd been laying down when he decided to make his move so when she stood up, it meant that none of his feet were touching the ground.

I then took him to the vet to see if there was anything that could be done about this behavior and I kid you not, she laughed at me and said, "Nope--but you get another boy kitty and he'll teach it to him and you'll have 2 of them." (notice I got a girl kitty who backs up the no means no policy wiht a fist full of claws)

Meet his "girlfriend" for the past year. Unlike Lucy she doesn't fight back when he goes to show his special brand of love. What cracked me up was at first that he would get frisky with his bed and then go to sleep on the dog bed. It was pointed out that this was normal cuz he didn't want to sleep on the wet spot. LOL

His GF is now much worse for wear. He's flattened all the sides on it and the fuzz is wearing off from him biting it. (and it has proven to be machine washer and dryer safe--it gets lots of baths) It is funny to me that he loves the purple one so much. I bought a purple and green one. The green one he ignores but the purple one gets him all frisky.

I let him keep his little bed, because it means that he's not going after my throw pillows (which I no longer have because I found him molesting them) or my yarn. (click for pic) And it means that I can put it in another room when company comes over and we might end up with a night that doesn't involve my houseguests being traumatized by my over-sexed cat.

(and yes, he is neutered)\\Moved from GOLO

Free to good home

Not really, but it is a happy thought. ;)

What would I do without Dexter around to protect me from that evil paper towel roll????

Notice the nonchalent, "What???" look on his face. He is a hardened criminal who got on the kitchen counter which he knows is not allowed, stole my paper towels (also forbidden) and to further add insult dragged his "prey" into into the living room so that he could happily shred it on my carpet. For some reason he has decided this spot in my living room is his kill zone. He will bring moths or any other flying insect that he can catch to this spot to be killed.

When confronted with the evidence of his wrong doing he just couldn't care. In fact, he went back to shredding moments after I sighed, "Oh Dexter..."

On a side note, I feel like his new diet is not working. Look how porky he is in this picture.

Moved from GOLO

Two Cats, One Bug

Let me start off by saying that I relocate spiders, daddy long legs but for some reason water bugs/palmetto bugs freak me out. I don't like to kill them but I'm too scared of them to trap them in a cup like I do a spider. (so this story doesn't end well for the bug)

I have a strict no cats on kitchen counter rule. Up until recently this has not been an issue. I hear a crash, so I run into my kitchen to investigate and I see Dexter in a cabinet--his weight has broken the shelf and cans of beans have rolled out of it but he's wedged himself in there anyway on the broken shelf and giving me the "What? I'm not on the COUNTER" look like this is absolutely normal. I'm puzzled by what made him not only break the counter rule but to open a cabinet--it is very un-Dexter. All of a sudden a humungous waterbug scurries out of the cabinet.

I shriek and Dexter gives me a look like, "Yay! I was looking for that!" and he deserts his broken shelf to go chase the bug. I debate getting a shoe but I figure that he will kill it--I mean he learned to open a cabinet to get to it.

Lucy jumps into the fray. Now this bug is running across my apartment followed by 2 cats. Dexter has a rule that if Lucy touches a toy before he does when I throw them for him to fetch then he won't play with it. Apparently that rule stands for waterbugs. When it would run, if Lucy got to it first and touched it, he'd walk away and wait for it to run again.

Meanwhile the thing burrows under my rug in the living room. In order to get to it, I have to move all my furniture off it. Before I can kill it, the bug makes a beeline for my kitchen and darts under the fridge. Both cats peer under the fridge and then decide it is too much trouble. At this point, I'm deciding if I want to move the fridge to get to it when it scurries back to the dining room. Dexter sees it first, then Lucy. They corner it and I think for sure that it is now dead but nope. I kid you not, they were both patting it on its head. Not smashing it but really gently patting with no claws just like I pat them.

Dexter sees me reach for my shoe so he picks the darned thing up and before I can stop him, he carries it to my bedroom and sets it free in there. Thankfully, by this point, the poor bug is not running as fast and I am able to put it out of its misery before it can reach the sanctuary of my messy walk-in closet.

I feel like my cats aren't living up to their end of the bargain. They are both rescues and I live up to my end of the deal. I feed them and give them shelter but they should handle the bugs that wander into my place. (preferably without breaking my kitchen cabinets and introducing the creepy crawleys to my boudoir)

Moved from GOLO

Dear Lucy and Dexter

Moving from GOLO.

Hi there,
It is me--you know the one that opens your canned food for you?

I’d like to clarify something for you. At night when I’m sitting on the sofa and I call for you both it would be nice if one or both of you actually came to sit with me. Also you will notice that I pat the sofa inviting you to sit with me, this is an invitation to come get affection. Lucy, you just don’t seem to get this at all and just look at me like I'm crazy, and Dexter I guess in your cat brain it is a challenge to steal my seat when I get up which I really don't appreciate. I appreciate it even less when you dart into my spot as I'm almost in the seat and then scream like I'm crushing you.

What I’d really like to clarify is that the time for getting affection is definitely not when I’m trying to go to the bathroom. I don’t need both of you rubbing on my ankles, purring and Dexter the nipping of my calves when I don’t pet you is very distracting---do I harass you guys when you’re in the litter box?? (seriously, when I am sitting on the sofa this behavior would be welcomed and rewarded with attention and love but in the bathroom it is not welcomed)

Lucy, this next bit applies to you so pay attention. Whilst I thought it was a little cute at first, the obsession with watching the toilet flush is getting a little creepy especially as now you try to reach in and catch things before they go down the drain. You are officially banned from the bathroom. (though it will come in handy when I need to catch you to go to the vet, I’ll just flush the toilet and have you come running)

Also, do not wait until I pick up my knitting to suddenly be the lovebugs of the year. I'm not buying it.

I’ll try to forgive the laundry pooping incident and keep you boxes filled to the tippy top but can you work on the above for me?

And one more teensy little thing. I realize that you do not enjoy the healthy cat food as much as you enjoy the Purina that I bought that day that I ran out and had to hit the grocery store for food. I do try to hook you guys up by mixing a small part of Purina into the other food. I will be discontinuing this practice due to some wiseazz (again, looking at you Lucy) picking out all the Purina and spitting out the Avoderm onto my carpet. Thanks for teaching this to Dexter.

It is possible that you may have learned this from watching me pick out all the pretzels from my Chex Mix, but you will notice that I put them into another bowl and don’t chuck them on the carpet to be vacuumed up by the help. And we don’t have a maid--that’d be me that has to clean up all the half chewed kibble before the dog gets to it. (and by the way, if you train Savannah to eat your food like that she will inhale both the Purina and Avoderm--she isn’t a cat food connoisseur like you two and will eat any and all cat food that she can find)

My knitting queue might exceed my life expectancy

I probably should stop going to Ravelry and finding new and exciting things that I want to knit.

I currently have the yarn and need to make:

Citron Shawl
Traveling Woman Shawl
Felted Slippers
Cabled scarf
1 more mitten (1/2 way done the second one)
Coronet cabled hat from Knitty
Cabled gloves (this are going to be torture-fingering wool and size 1 needles...I should have them finished by next year this time LOL)
Calorimetry headband

So far, I have made:

Ruffled scarf
Fingerless gloves as seen on Doctor Who
Clapotis
Brambles beret I love this hat! I am SO going to make another soon. :)
Knitted dalek
2 felted bags which I use all the time.