The first full week of October is Spinning and Weaving Week. So this year there was a contest called Spinzilla. I joined Team Stringtopia (#teamstringtopia) spinning up a number of different fibers during the 7 days the contest ran. Each team can have up to 25 people, and the Spinzilla pages explain about all the details.
As someone for whom spinning is a relaxation, a way to relax and enjoy fiber going through my hands to become yarn, enjoy the process as much or sometimes more than the end result, the production spinning for yardage was a bit of a jolt. However, I put aside all my knitting projects and spun as much as I was able. Now mind, I work full time outside the home, we have a multi-pet household and I take some classes of an evening, so the amount of time I had to spin was limited.
Knowing myself it was important to have multiple projects to work on during the week so I selected a number of different fibers. Some were single batts, some larger amounts. Prior to the beginning of the week I cleared my spinning equipment of yarn so I could start from empty bobbins/spindles, making it easy to keep track of just what I did during the week.
I have 2 spinning wheels, a double treadle Lendrum, and a Mazurka, and a Butterfly Electric Spinner. The Butterfly I have been spinning up some bouncy carded dark grey wool, so using an empty bobbin I spun more of this. As of noon on Sunday I had spun 732 yards of this wool. The Mazurka I spun some light grey CVM cross batts. I had recarded the wool the week before so it would be soft, fluffy and easy to spin. And it was. I ended up spinning 901 yards of this.
The Lendrum I used for all the other bits of fiber that took my fancy. In September I took a class at Stringtopia called Color Blending on Drum Carder. We made a number of interesting blends as well as batt structures like layered batts and taking a roving off through a diz. Several of these were spun up as part of my Spinzilla spinning. I found it very helpful to be able to switch around to different projects either as my eyes got tired or I just needed to do something different for a while. All in all I spun over 1168 yards of singles on the Lendrum.
In addition to all this wheel/electric spinner spinning I also took a carbon fiber micro trindle spindle and bison down fiber with me when I carpooled to work. Over 4 days of commuting I spun 3.15 grams onto one spindle then 6.63 on another. The 3.15 grams yielded just over 61 yards of yarn.
I still have to measure how many yards are in the 6.63 grams of bison fiber and how many yards I spun on the electric spinner last evening. However, as of this writing I measured over 2800 yards of singles spun over last week. In addition to the measuring of yardage I also need to get a photo taken of what I have spun.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Tour de Fleece 2013 and other fibery things
I've been a member of Ravelry since February, 2008 but haven't used it extensively until this year. Oh I'd added some of my books to the library area, put a few yarns into the stash and made some projects. I even took some photos of my work and yarns and attached them in the appropriate places. But I didn't use it extensively. Then for various reasons I put my fiber stuff on the back burner for a few years. I missed it, but was so busy with other things that there just wasn't time to do much about it.
Then in December 2012 my older son graduated from Marine boot camp at Parris Island, SC. There were several days of family activities before Graduation Day, as well as a very long trip there and back. Lots of time to knit and not lots of other things that had to be done! So I dug into my languishing WIP's (Works in Progress) and found a pair of socks that were a few inches long with lots yet to do and some pretty purple yarn that I decided would become a hat. I had a book with an interesting construction for a hat, so that's what I took. I made a small version of the hat to better understand the construction, then made a full sized one. I finished the hat on that trip except for the I-cord strings, which I finished shortly thereafter.
In the process I reaffirmed how much I love knitting and the fiber arts. I kept knitting, on the way to and from work, in meetings, on conference calls, while walking the dogs, whenever I had a few minutes with nothing else that had to be done, and whenever I could multitask and do it. Finished the knee socks. Knit garters for knee socks. Made another pair of knee socks. Started another pair. Got sidetracked by shawlettes, a shorter, crescent shaped shoulder shawl. Made 2 of these in very different yarns using the pattern English Ivy. I now keep them at the office as a bit of extra warmth in the A/C.
Right after Easter my new local fiber studio, Stringtopia, had a 'seasonal activity' where we dyed some tussah silk using Easter egg dyes. I started to spin up one of the 2 lengths on a trindle, thinking to make a reasonably softly spun 2-ply. Then a little at a time I started to get back out more of my spinning equipment, first my Mazurka wheel then the Lendrum. The Lendrum needed new drive bands and treadle connectors, so those got replaced.
Then along comes the end of June and there is talk on Ravelry about Tour de Fleece. The basic premise is to spin every day that the racers in the Tour de France race. I decided this was a good way to help me focus on spinning some every day. I'm posting photos here on Flickr.
Then in December 2012 my older son graduated from Marine boot camp at Parris Island, SC. There were several days of family activities before Graduation Day, as well as a very long trip there and back. Lots of time to knit and not lots of other things that had to be done! So I dug into my languishing WIP's (Works in Progress) and found a pair of socks that were a few inches long with lots yet to do and some pretty purple yarn that I decided would become a hat. I had a book with an interesting construction for a hat, so that's what I took. I made a small version of the hat to better understand the construction, then made a full sized one. I finished the hat on that trip except for the I-cord strings, which I finished shortly thereafter.
In the process I reaffirmed how much I love knitting and the fiber arts. I kept knitting, on the way to and from work, in meetings, on conference calls, while walking the dogs, whenever I had a few minutes with nothing else that had to be done, and whenever I could multitask and do it. Finished the knee socks. Knit garters for knee socks. Made another pair of knee socks. Started another pair. Got sidetracked by shawlettes, a shorter, crescent shaped shoulder shawl. Made 2 of these in very different yarns using the pattern English Ivy. I now keep them at the office as a bit of extra warmth in the A/C.
Right after Easter my new local fiber studio, Stringtopia, had a 'seasonal activity' where we dyed some tussah silk using Easter egg dyes. I started to spin up one of the 2 lengths on a trindle, thinking to make a reasonably softly spun 2-ply. Then a little at a time I started to get back out more of my spinning equipment, first my Mazurka wheel then the Lendrum. The Lendrum needed new drive bands and treadle connectors, so those got replaced.
Then along comes the end of June and there is talk on Ravelry about Tour de Fleece. The basic premise is to spin every day that the racers in the Tour de France race. I decided this was a good way to help me focus on spinning some every day. I'm posting photos here on Flickr.
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Springtopia Spring String Thing, more knitting
Over the weekend I attended Stringtopia's Spring String Thing. This was primarily a spinning related event, but there were also knitting and color related classes, which is what I took. Carol Sulcoski, author and owner of Black Bunny Fibers, did a wonderful job. I highly recommend her classes. I now better understand how to use various sorts of hand painted, variegated, self patterning and striping yarns. This is a topic I'm quite interested in. I enjoy knitting self patterning yarns, but it is nice to know more about how to manage the results.
I have some quite nice hand painted yarns that I have been trying to decide what to do with them, and these classes have helped me make some decisions regarding projects to best take advantage of them.
Currently I'm in the middle of a sort of sock analysis project. Having several balls of the same brand of yarn, Regia, in different colorways, I am experimenting with how needle size affects durability in the toes, heels and foot. Initially this will be in stockinette, later I expect to do some tests that use heel stitch or EOP (Eye of Partridge). Using Regia Blitz Color 02530, a grey-blue self patterning yarn I used 2.0 mm needles for the toe and heel, and 2.5 mm needles for the rest of the foot.
About the time I started to work on these socks I realized that I had missing gaps in my needles in the smaller sizes. I had 1.5 mm (US 000), 2.0 mm (US 0), 2.5 mm (US 1 in some brands), 2.75 mm (US 2), 3.0 mm (US 3) and so on. What I finally paid attention to is that it is possible to get needles in between some of these US whole numbers. Note also that the size of a needle in one brand is not always the same as that same size in another.
Because of this I am stopping using US sizes to reference my needles and instead trying to simply use the mm size. I also ordered more needles. I now have 1.75 mm, 2.25 mm as well as a full set of 1.5 and 2.0 mm.
Since I prefer knee socks I am doing a concurrent experiment with a ribbing I read about on Ravelry. It is quite stretchy and thus far I really like the bounce back that it has.
This ribbing is a multiple of 3 sts:
Rnd 1: k2, p1
Rnd 2: k1, yo, k1, p1
Rnd 3: k3, p1
Rnd 4: sl, k2, psso2, p1
(note that your st. count changes for rnds 2 and 3 and then is restored on 4)
Many thanks to author Barb Brown who posted this ribbing.
So, on the blue Regia 02530 socks I used that ribbing from just after the ankle (toe up) on up the leg starting with 2.0 mm needles. At the point where I started to need more room for my calf I switched to 2.25 mm needles. This really did give a lot more stretch than I expected. However, as expected it wasn't enough for the calf itself, so I increased up the center back around the middle column of stitches. This really made for a nice fabric. Stretchier and more flexible than the same ribbing on the 2.0 mm needles. I just can't believe how much difference there is between fabric made with 2.0 and 2.25 mm needles.
Above the calf my leg tucks back in below the knee, so I switched back down to 2.0 mm needles and also did decreases. I took out half of the increases I'd put in for the calf, then continued on the smaller number of stitches up to right below the knee itself.
These socks with this ribbing stay up quite well. I wear my hand knit socks mainly as bed socks. Often hand knit socks will fall down unless held with a garter, but at least thus far this pair stays up.
To continue the experiment I want to know more about durability on the foot and sole, so my next socks, currently still in progress, are Regia Blitz Color 02526, a nice green with some dark grey and purple. This pair I'm doing on the smallest needles I've ever knit socks with, 1.75 mm. The gauge is quite dense, as one would expect. I plan to use the same ribbing, although since I'm using smaller needles and thus more stitches on the foot I will likely adjust the needle size through the ankle and calf a bit differently.
After this I will probably take a short break from socks and work a shawlette/crescent before getting back to socks.
Things I still want to check:
- What happens when a larger needle is used on the instep? How does this affect fit and durability?
- What happens when heel stitch or Eye of Partridge stitch is used on the heel alone?
- What happens when heel stitch or Eye of Partridge stitch is used on the whole sole?
- On the toe and heel?
I have some quite nice hand painted yarns that I have been trying to decide what to do with them, and these classes have helped me make some decisions regarding projects to best take advantage of them.
Currently I'm in the middle of a sort of sock analysis project. Having several balls of the same brand of yarn, Regia, in different colorways, I am experimenting with how needle size affects durability in the toes, heels and foot. Initially this will be in stockinette, later I expect to do some tests that use heel stitch or EOP (Eye of Partridge). Using Regia Blitz Color 02530, a grey-blue self patterning yarn I used 2.0 mm needles for the toe and heel, and 2.5 mm needles for the rest of the foot.
About the time I started to work on these socks I realized that I had missing gaps in my needles in the smaller sizes. I had 1.5 mm (US 000), 2.0 mm (US 0), 2.5 mm (US 1 in some brands), 2.75 mm (US 2), 3.0 mm (US 3) and so on. What I finally paid attention to is that it is possible to get needles in between some of these US whole numbers. Note also that the size of a needle in one brand is not always the same as that same size in another.
Because of this I am stopping using US sizes to reference my needles and instead trying to simply use the mm size. I also ordered more needles. I now have 1.75 mm, 2.25 mm as well as a full set of 1.5 and 2.0 mm.
Since I prefer knee socks I am doing a concurrent experiment with a ribbing I read about on Ravelry. It is quite stretchy and thus far I really like the bounce back that it has.
This ribbing is a multiple of 3 sts:
Rnd 1: k2, p1
Rnd 2: k1, yo, k1, p1
Rnd 3: k3, p1
Rnd 4: sl, k2, psso2, p1
(note that your st. count changes for rnds 2 and 3 and then is restored on 4)
Many thanks to author Barb Brown who posted this ribbing.
So, on the blue Regia 02530 socks I used that ribbing from just after the ankle (toe up) on up the leg starting with 2.0 mm needles. At the point where I started to need more room for my calf I switched to 2.25 mm needles. This really did give a lot more stretch than I expected. However, as expected it wasn't enough for the calf itself, so I increased up the center back around the middle column of stitches. This really made for a nice fabric. Stretchier and more flexible than the same ribbing on the 2.0 mm needles. I just can't believe how much difference there is between fabric made with 2.0 and 2.25 mm needles.
Above the calf my leg tucks back in below the knee, so I switched back down to 2.0 mm needles and also did decreases. I took out half of the increases I'd put in for the calf, then continued on the smaller number of stitches up to right below the knee itself.
These socks with this ribbing stay up quite well. I wear my hand knit socks mainly as bed socks. Often hand knit socks will fall down unless held with a garter, but at least thus far this pair stays up.
To continue the experiment I want to know more about durability on the foot and sole, so my next socks, currently still in progress, are Regia Blitz Color 02526, a nice green with some dark grey and purple. This pair I'm doing on the smallest needles I've ever knit socks with, 1.75 mm. The gauge is quite dense, as one would expect. I plan to use the same ribbing, although since I'm using smaller needles and thus more stitches on the foot I will likely adjust the needle size through the ankle and calf a bit differently.
After this I will probably take a short break from socks and work a shawlette/crescent before getting back to socks.
Things I still want to check:
- What happens when a larger needle is used on the instep? How does this affect fit and durability?
- What happens when heel stitch or Eye of Partridge stitch is used on the heel alone?
- What happens when heel stitch or Eye of Partridge stitch is used on the whole sole?
- On the toe and heel?
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Socks and such
Lately I've been knitting socks again. I've always enjoyed knitting socks. They are small projects, portable, and with enough things going on to keep me interested. Cat Bordhi came out with a new ebook, Cat's Sweet Tomato Heel Socks. This book describes using a new short row technique based on multiple wedges instead of the usual 45% angle wedges that result from traditional short rows. I quite like the results and it is very simple and easy to do. No wraps, just turns, and a very simple pick up technique to prevent holes. This is probably going to be my go-to heel from now on, and what I've learned from this book will change how I look at all short rows and how I decide to construct them in future.
Some other interesting links I've run across are this one, which lets you upload images and get knitting charts. And here is a link to a blog post with a lot of size information that could be quite useful when you are knitting for a foot you don't have handy to try things on.
A couple of days ago I learned that there is a fiber shop in a town not far from where I live. It has apparently been there for a few years, but I've been so busy with non-fiber stuff that I haven't noticed. Well, I also never go into the downtown part of the town, I just go through on the highway to the grocery and then home. Anyway, the shop is Stringtopia Studio, in Lebanon, Ohio. They have an upcoming weekend workshop the end of the month which sounds interesting. They also have a couple times a week when they are open for people to drop in and work on their projects. I'm hoping to get over on Thursday to check it out.
Some other interesting links I've run across are this one, which lets you upload images and get knitting charts. And here is a link to a blog post with a lot of size information that could be quite useful when you are knitting for a foot you don't have handy to try things on.
A couple of days ago I learned that there is a fiber shop in a town not far from where I live. It has apparently been there for a few years, but I've been so busy with non-fiber stuff that I haven't noticed. Well, I also never go into the downtown part of the town, I just go through on the highway to the grocery and then home. Anyway, the shop is Stringtopia Studio, in Lebanon, Ohio. They have an upcoming weekend workshop the end of the month which sounds interesting. They also have a couple times a week when they are open for people to drop in and work on their projects. I'm hoping to get over on Thursday to check it out.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Mouser's status - All better now!
I've been pretty busy lately so have neglected to post about Mouser. She was inside with me for 6 weeks and 2 days. Her last abscess healed up, walking quite well on the injured foot and with new, short fur on her completely healed chest she went back out into the world on a Wednesday. I was working from home that day and when I took the dogs out mid-morning and she wanted to go out, I let her through the door. She stayed on the porch and didn't seem to want to come back in when I took the dogs back inside. When I checked on her about 10 minutes later she was happy to come back in. It was a bit cold, but dry. A few hours later I checked to see if she wanted to go back outside. Yes, she did, but when I went back in, she came right back inside as well.
Mid afternoon, around 3 or 3:30 PM, I took the dogs back out. This time when I took them inside she didn't want to come back in. She hung around for a little while, and I fed her outside again as I had always done when she was living outside. Over the rest of the day I checked on her a few times, and while she was often there, she didn't want to come back inside the house.
Since then she has gone back to her usual pattern of being around for a few days, then gone for a few days. She is more vocal about greeting me, and even more insistent about being petted. She tolerates being picked up, but clearly prefers to be on her own 4 feet.
The fur on her chest is now fully grown in and it is no longer possible to tell it was ever shaved. Her foot is fine, and all the fur has grown back on that as well. I was amazed at how fast the last couple of abscessed areas grew the hair back once the abscesses were healed.
It is wonderful to see her running up to greet me, jumping up on the railing and clearly a very happy, confident cat! Many thanks to my wonderful husband and younger son who helped care for Mouser. I couldn't have done this without my husband. Many thanks also to the wonderful vets and staff at Waynesville Veterinary Hospital.
Mid afternoon, around 3 or 3:30 PM, I took the dogs back out. This time when I took them inside she didn't want to come back in. She hung around for a little while, and I fed her outside again as I had always done when she was living outside. Over the rest of the day I checked on her a few times, and while she was often there, she didn't want to come back inside the house.
Since then she has gone back to her usual pattern of being around for a few days, then gone for a few days. She is more vocal about greeting me, and even more insistent about being petted. She tolerates being picked up, but clearly prefers to be on her own 4 feet.
The fur on her chest is now fully grown in and it is no longer possible to tell it was ever shaved. Her foot is fine, and all the fur has grown back on that as well. I was amazed at how fast the last couple of abscessed areas grew the hair back once the abscesses were healed.
It is wonderful to see her running up to greet me, jumping up on the railing and clearly a very happy, confident cat! Many thanks to my wonderful husband and younger son who helped care for Mouser. I couldn't have done this without my husband. Many thanks also to the wonderful vets and staff at Waynesville Veterinary Hospital.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Update on Mouser
I did get some more photo's of Mouser's healing abscess wound today. While the hair around the opening is falling or she is pulling it off (not sure which) the healing is progressing quite rapidly, in my opinion. Here are some pictures:
And here's one of the ways she likes to lie when I rub her chin. She really is a sweet girl and is becoming quite a lap cat.
And here's one of the ways she likes to lie when I rub her chin. She really is a sweet girl and is becoming quite a lap cat.
A little help for Mouser Outside Cat
For several years I've fed the neighbors barn cats whenever they come over to my house. I don't leave the food out all the time as the opossums, skunks and raccoons like it, and I prefer them to not be close by. One little cat in particular has come regularly, staying for several days, before going off on her own for a few days. Sometimes she'll be around for a couple weeks in a row. Since the dogs go out several times during the day she gets fed and some loving and petting when she's around.
She has learned that if I'm there the dogs won't bother her. Ironically, she shows very little fear of them, trying to rub against them and purring. Chipper is the only one who will stand still when she rubs against him. The others startle and will move, or in the case of Cadee, bounce, away. Chipper has been renamed from Charlie, since that just didn't seem to fit him well and he doesn't care what we call him as long as he gets food and to run and play.
For a long time we just called her Outside Cat. The neighbors had a name for her, which I think is Fig, but since I wasn't sure we just stuck with Outside Cat, Outside Kitty or Outside Puddy. Until she started to bring me mice she'd caught. She is quite a good hunter, perfect for a barn cat. After she'd brought several I dubbed her Mouser. She doesn't seem to much care, so long as you pet her and scratch her chin.
About a month ago now she came in limping on her left front leg. She didn't want me to look at it and I couldn't see anything obvious. Since she's basically wild I figured it would be best to see if she recovered on her own.
A week later I thought I saw a reddish, sort of raw patch on the next to outside toe on her left front leg, the one she wouldn't put any weight on. My son and I worked together to hold her carefully and put some hydrogen peroxide on her foot. The reddish spot foamed, sure sign of infection. There was also foaming, even more, on the other side of the same toe. The fur hid the spot it came from, but after a bit of bubbling a thick reddish discharge came out. We treated her foot again later that night, and again the next day. It bubbled the next after that didn't any more. She still was limping, and after a day she was gone on one of her rambles, limping all the way. She is still able to jump quite well, and can move quickly if she wants to, even on just the 3 legs.
She was still limping a week later, when it was time for the dogs and Hawkeye Cat (aka Inside Cat/Puddy). I spoke to the vet about her. He figured it was probably an abscess.
I explained that I was afraid to bring her into the house. Cats that live outdoors can be infected with diseases that can quickly kill a cat, like Hawkeye, who has been living indoors and not exposed to such things. I didn't want to risk Hawkeye by bringing Mouser into the house. Also, Mouser is an outside cat. I know she eats dry crunchy food, and will drink water from a bowl, but no idea whether she would use a litter pan. Nor how she would handle being inside and especially taken for a ride in a car which would be required to get her to the vet. The vet agreed that it was a potentially grave risk and we agreed to give it another week or so to see if her foot got better and I could talk to him about her if it didn't get better.
Didn't see her for a few days, then she was back on Monday, October 15, 2012, still limping, but rubbing and purring as always. When rubbing under her chin, which she loves, I noticed that there was dampness on her neck. When I looked further there was a very large wound gaping open. It was nearly 2 inches across and about an inch tall. No blood, but it was oozing clear fluid. The skin was completely open, showing muscle underneath. She wasn't looking quite so fit and glossy, either. It was late in the evening when I found this, but there was no way I could leave her to live outside with that wound. I brought her inside, put her in a bathroom with a thick towel to sleep on, food, water and a litter box.
First thing in the morning I called the vets office. They got me an appointment early that afternoon. When we arrived they took her to the back to be tested for infectious disease. They would not even consider taking her into an exam room, which confirmed my worries about Hawkeye's safety even more. Fortunately she was negative for infectious disease. They gave her an antibiotic shot that was good for 2 weeks, shaved the hair around the chest wound, a little bit around her bad toe on her left front leg, and another spot on her right front leg. All were abscesses. The chest wound was an abscess that had burst open. They had drained the fluid out of it. The fluid had built up in the pocket of skin under the wound, causing it to stretch open even more. Drained of the fluids the wound opening was no longer so large, down to about 3/4 inch around. Not nearly so large, but still plenty big enough.
The chest wound would need to be cleaned with gauze pads soaked in medication (used for surgical scrubbing) twice a day and any fluids that built up pressed out. The vet figured it would take probably 3 or even more weeks for it to fully heal closed. It has to heal from the outside in to prevent infection from being trapped inside.
In addition the closed abscesses on her foot and leg need to be treated several times a day with warm compresses until the abscess opens to let the infection out.
Since I will be keeping her in the house until she heals up I asked the about fleas and internal parasites. They agreed both should probably be treated for. They would. So I did. They gave me medication for several sorts of worms and I would pick up flea medication at the store the next day.
Fortunately my husband will help me doctor Mouser. I couldn't easily have done it by myself. She did pretty well for a wild cat, but she is still pretty well wild. Fortunately she knows me well, and for the last couple of years I've picked her up, petted her and put her down, so she trusts me pretty well. Ironically she is very stoic when the chest wound is cleaned. The only thing that seems to really bother her is the warm compress on her left front foot.
Over the last week the opening has reduced in size quite a lot. It is now about 3/8 inch high and about 1/4 inch across. The skin and hair around it aren't looking very good. The area was shaved, but the hair seems to be falling out as well, possiibly because the liquid that seeps out is matting it together. We wipe the excess medication off from the surrounding hair and skin as best we can, and try to soak off any dried stuff.
At first we did the compresses twice a day, but for the last few days I've increased that to 3-4 times per day. She is still limping and doesn't like it handled at all.
It's pretty ugly, but here are some photos taken last Friday, October 19, 2012. As you can see, it is healing, with pink edges, not the red inflamed edges it originally had. No pictures of that, sorry. We had inflicted her with enough indignities without trying to add photos to it.
She has learned that if I'm there the dogs won't bother her. Ironically, she shows very little fear of them, trying to rub against them and purring. Chipper is the only one who will stand still when she rubs against him. The others startle and will move, or in the case of Cadee, bounce, away. Chipper has been renamed from Charlie, since that just didn't seem to fit him well and he doesn't care what we call him as long as he gets food and to run and play.
For a long time we just called her Outside Cat. The neighbors had a name for her, which I think is Fig, but since I wasn't sure we just stuck with Outside Cat, Outside Kitty or Outside Puddy. Until she started to bring me mice she'd caught. She is quite a good hunter, perfect for a barn cat. After she'd brought several I dubbed her Mouser. She doesn't seem to much care, so long as you pet her and scratch her chin.
About a month ago now she came in limping on her left front leg. She didn't want me to look at it and I couldn't see anything obvious. Since she's basically wild I figured it would be best to see if she recovered on her own.
A week later I thought I saw a reddish, sort of raw patch on the next to outside toe on her left front leg, the one she wouldn't put any weight on. My son and I worked together to hold her carefully and put some hydrogen peroxide on her foot. The reddish spot foamed, sure sign of infection. There was also foaming, even more, on the other side of the same toe. The fur hid the spot it came from, but after a bit of bubbling a thick reddish discharge came out. We treated her foot again later that night, and again the next day. It bubbled the next after that didn't any more. She still was limping, and after a day she was gone on one of her rambles, limping all the way. She is still able to jump quite well, and can move quickly if she wants to, even on just the 3 legs.
She was still limping a week later, when it was time for the dogs and Hawkeye Cat (aka Inside Cat/Puddy). I spoke to the vet about her. He figured it was probably an abscess.
I explained that I was afraid to bring her into the house. Cats that live outdoors can be infected with diseases that can quickly kill a cat, like Hawkeye, who has been living indoors and not exposed to such things. I didn't want to risk Hawkeye by bringing Mouser into the house. Also, Mouser is an outside cat. I know she eats dry crunchy food, and will drink water from a bowl, but no idea whether she would use a litter pan. Nor how she would handle being inside and especially taken for a ride in a car which would be required to get her to the vet. The vet agreed that it was a potentially grave risk and we agreed to give it another week or so to see if her foot got better and I could talk to him about her if it didn't get better.
Didn't see her for a few days, then she was back on Monday, October 15, 2012, still limping, but rubbing and purring as always. When rubbing under her chin, which she loves, I noticed that there was dampness on her neck. When I looked further there was a very large wound gaping open. It was nearly 2 inches across and about an inch tall. No blood, but it was oozing clear fluid. The skin was completely open, showing muscle underneath. She wasn't looking quite so fit and glossy, either. It was late in the evening when I found this, but there was no way I could leave her to live outside with that wound. I brought her inside, put her in a bathroom with a thick towel to sleep on, food, water and a litter box.
First thing in the morning I called the vets office. They got me an appointment early that afternoon. When we arrived they took her to the back to be tested for infectious disease. They would not even consider taking her into an exam room, which confirmed my worries about Hawkeye's safety even more. Fortunately she was negative for infectious disease. They gave her an antibiotic shot that was good for 2 weeks, shaved the hair around the chest wound, a little bit around her bad toe on her left front leg, and another spot on her right front leg. All were abscesses. The chest wound was an abscess that had burst open. They had drained the fluid out of it. The fluid had built up in the pocket of skin under the wound, causing it to stretch open even more. Drained of the fluids the wound opening was no longer so large, down to about 3/4 inch around. Not nearly so large, but still plenty big enough.
The chest wound would need to be cleaned with gauze pads soaked in medication (used for surgical scrubbing) twice a day and any fluids that built up pressed out. The vet figured it would take probably 3 or even more weeks for it to fully heal closed. It has to heal from the outside in to prevent infection from being trapped inside.
In addition the closed abscesses on her foot and leg need to be treated several times a day with warm compresses until the abscess opens to let the infection out.
Since I will be keeping her in the house until she heals up I asked the about fleas and internal parasites. They agreed both should probably be treated for. They would. So I did. They gave me medication for several sorts of worms and I would pick up flea medication at the store the next day.
Fortunately my husband will help me doctor Mouser. I couldn't easily have done it by myself. She did pretty well for a wild cat, but she is still pretty well wild. Fortunately she knows me well, and for the last couple of years I've picked her up, petted her and put her down, so she trusts me pretty well. Ironically she is very stoic when the chest wound is cleaned. The only thing that seems to really bother her is the warm compress on her left front foot.
Over the last week the opening has reduced in size quite a lot. It is now about 3/8 inch high and about 1/4 inch across. The skin and hair around it aren't looking very good. The area was shaved, but the hair seems to be falling out as well, possiibly because the liquid that seeps out is matting it together. We wipe the excess medication off from the surrounding hair and skin as best we can, and try to soak off any dried stuff.
At first we did the compresses twice a day, but for the last few days I've increased that to 3-4 times per day. She is still limping and doesn't like it handled at all.
It's pretty ugly, but here are some photos taken last Friday, October 19, 2012. As you can see, it is healing, with pink edges, not the red inflamed edges it originally had. No pictures of that, sorry. We had inflicted her with enough indignities without trying to add photos to it.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Life is moving along and I'm still stitchin'
Haven't posted in a while. Things around my way are doing pretty well. The dogs went to the vet yesterday and are doing fine. Hawkeye Cat as well. Yes, it's quite a production when we go to the vet. Three dogs on multi length leashes arranged so they go diagonally across from shoulder to opposite hip on down to the dog(s), and a cat in arms, also on a leash. The dogs enjoy the vet visits, especially since once in a while I'll take them over for nothing more than to just sit in the lobby for a while until they calm down, then take them back home. None of them seem to mind getting shots, and all love kissing and being petted by the vet and office staff. Even our newest guy, Chip aka Chipper. (He used to be Charlie, but this fits him better.) He isn't nearly as afraid of new people now, and is much faster to warm up and want to be petted. I've been practicing doing baby talk to him since he growled at one of the ladies on staff one day when she had baby talked to him. I felt terrible about that, since it had never occurred to me that might be a problem. It was very clear that while he was unsure already, any sort of baby talking he took as a signal that Something Very Bad was about to happen to him.
I do wonder what he went through before he was rescued. However, now he seems to take that in stride, along with feet touching him. That also used to freak him out. He was in fear for his life the first time I happened to raise my foot up at him to scratch his chest. It took a couple of weeks, but now he's happy to be petted with feet, or see a human do some strange gyrations that include feet of the ground.
Cadee is no longer the extremely shy dog we rescued years ago. She is still cautious, but she is also a very happy, cheerful dog. She's happy to go with you anywhere, always dances with joy when it's time for a walk or to do something. It was a turning point for her when she finally snapped at Chip when he was too intense and chasing her one day. So many times before that she had this look like she wanted to, but didn't think she was allowed to defend herself. When I saw her whirl and snap at the air in his direction, the doggy version of 'get out of my space!' I praised her and told her that she was wonderful, didn't have to put up with his stuff. From that day on she has increased in confidence. Now she'll even play with him sometimes, even though he tends to be much higher energy than she is comfortable being around.
Cadee no longer flops onto her back whenever someone wants to pet her, and sometimes she'll even take and eat a treat. For quite a while she would take a treat if it was offered, but would then drop it and not eat it. Now she'll even eat it. And she'll come over for petting, sitting or even standing up for it. Such a major change in her behavior.
On other notes I've continued to do some work on my linen things. I have now hemmed 4 of the nice big violet handkerchief linen towels. I use them all the time and they are fantastic for drying my hair. I've finished one of the medium weight purple linen kitchen towels as well. It is getting regular use as well. I've started to hem the second of these and am alternating work on it with work on handkerchiefs.
I have 5 of the 100% linen hankies yet to hem, 3 of the smallest size and 2 of the medium size. I also cut out some of the linen blend for hankies. Six per width, so 12 total. In the last couple of days during travel and meetings I have nearly finished hemming the first one. I decided to make up some of the blend before going back to the 100% linen. Interestingly the blend is whiter than the 100% linen. While it is white, it is slightly more of a cream color. Perhaps there are optical whiteners on the other, not sure. In any case the blend is a tiny bit softer and slightly more flexible. That probably will change since linen just gets nicer and nicer, softer and more sheen, as it is used. Regardless, the fabrics are quite nice, very easy to work with and make beautiful hankies.
I am also glad to report that the linen sheets and pillow cases are continuing to get daily use and are holding up very well. It is nice to see something that one has planned out then made get that much good use and appreciation.
Recently I've been tempted to make myself a nice knitted coat or vest. Something mid-thigh or even knee length for warmth when walking outside in the colder weather. I'm still considering designs and yarns, but am leaning towards something like Meg Swanson's long rendition of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Rib Warmer as is shown in this newsletter. I'm nearly certain I've got directions for it in either a Spun Out or one of the many books I've already got. Not sure if I'll go for unspun Icelandic, Sheepsdown, or something else. Who knows, I may decide to do both a vest and a coat. I know I'd use them both.
I do wonder what he went through before he was rescued. However, now he seems to take that in stride, along with feet touching him. That also used to freak him out. He was in fear for his life the first time I happened to raise my foot up at him to scratch his chest. It took a couple of weeks, but now he's happy to be petted with feet, or see a human do some strange gyrations that include feet of the ground.
Cadee is no longer the extremely shy dog we rescued years ago. She is still cautious, but she is also a very happy, cheerful dog. She's happy to go with you anywhere, always dances with joy when it's time for a walk or to do something. It was a turning point for her when she finally snapped at Chip when he was too intense and chasing her one day. So many times before that she had this look like she wanted to, but didn't think she was allowed to defend herself. When I saw her whirl and snap at the air in his direction, the doggy version of 'get out of my space!' I praised her and told her that she was wonderful, didn't have to put up with his stuff. From that day on she has increased in confidence. Now she'll even play with him sometimes, even though he tends to be much higher energy than she is comfortable being around.
Cadee no longer flops onto her back whenever someone wants to pet her, and sometimes she'll even take and eat a treat. For quite a while she would take a treat if it was offered, but would then drop it and not eat it. Now she'll even eat it. And she'll come over for petting, sitting or even standing up for it. Such a major change in her behavior.
On other notes I've continued to do some work on my linen things. I have now hemmed 4 of the nice big violet handkerchief linen towels. I use them all the time and they are fantastic for drying my hair. I've finished one of the medium weight purple linen kitchen towels as well. It is getting regular use as well. I've started to hem the second of these and am alternating work on it with work on handkerchiefs.
I have 5 of the 100% linen hankies yet to hem, 3 of the smallest size and 2 of the medium size. I also cut out some of the linen blend for hankies. Six per width, so 12 total. In the last couple of days during travel and meetings I have nearly finished hemming the first one. I decided to make up some of the blend before going back to the 100% linen. Interestingly the blend is whiter than the 100% linen. While it is white, it is slightly more of a cream color. Perhaps there are optical whiteners on the other, not sure. In any case the blend is a tiny bit softer and slightly more flexible. That probably will change since linen just gets nicer and nicer, softer and more sheen, as it is used. Regardless, the fabrics are quite nice, very easy to work with and make beautiful hankies.
I am also glad to report that the linen sheets and pillow cases are continuing to get daily use and are holding up very well. It is nice to see something that one has planned out then made get that much good use and appreciation.
Recently I've been tempted to make myself a nice knitted coat or vest. Something mid-thigh or even knee length for warmth when walking outside in the colder weather. I'm still considering designs and yarns, but am leaning towards something like Meg Swanson's long rendition of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Rib Warmer as is shown in this newsletter. I'm nearly certain I've got directions for it in either a Spun Out or one of the many books I've already got. Not sure if I'll go for unspun Icelandic, Sheepsdown, or something else. Who knows, I may decide to do both a vest and a coat. I know I'd use them both.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Linen and fountain pens
The new linen fabric that I ordered for light weight towels and my DH's medium weight sheets is in. I've cut out 6 towels, each 1/2 the width of the fabric which is wide enough to tie the short end around my neck sort of like a cape, for my hair to lay on to dry after washing it. They are a bit over 41 inches long, which will be long enough unless my hair grows nearly to my knees! These towels are made of a lovely violet handkerchief linen. Violet the color of the flowers, so dark blue-purple. I am hand hemming one, but haven't decided whether I'll hem all of them by hand or do some on machine. I'm not in a terrible hurry, so probably they'll end up as hand work. The first one is over half hemmed and I'll work on it more when I've got a chance.
The medium weight linen fabric for my DH's sheets is royal blue. I had made him some from light weight linen last year, but they were just the width of the fabric and he asked for one that is wider. I've finished one, by machine, and he's been using it since. I didn't try to do a french seam, I just overlapped the selvedges and stitched them down, one line of stitching at each edge, so that should be plenty strong. The cut ends I simply folded over about 1/4 inch and straight stitched. Simple and neat. The narrower sheets are going to my sons, who also sleep hot.
A few years back I got my old fountain pen back out. I have always liked fountain pens, and I love the different color inks available these days. My husband and one of my sons also have gotten into fountain pens, and they are all the 3 of us use, given a choice. One of my favorite pens is a Pelican M201 which I purchased from Richard Binder. Richard custom grinds nibs (the part of the pen that writes on the paper, delivering the ink) as well as sells stock pens. He is very well known for his work on nibs, making sure that every pen he sells writes to very specific requirements. Richard and his lovely wife Barbara run their business and are regular visitors at various pen shows. I see them at the Ohio Pen Show in Columbus, Ohio.
One of the nice features of the Binder's online store is that you can purchase a pen body and select for it a nib to your specifications. My first pen from him was the Pelican M201 with a Binderized Extra Fine (XF) steel nib. No one else I know likes this pen/nib, because the very fine line requires an extremely light touch. Any pressure on it at all and it will feel scratchy. However, with a light touch it simply glides on the paper, leaving an extremely fine line which dries very fast.
My second pen from him, which was purchased at the pen show, is a Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point with a custom ground 5 mm cursive italic nib. I love this nib and pen. The automatic thin/thicker lines make writing fun and interesting, with a very distinctive flair.
I keep both of these pens inked and in use all the time, unless they are being cleaned. However, some time ago I noticed that the Pelican nib didn't write quite like I expected. I decided that I need to get it to Richard to have him take a look at it and perhaps tune it up. In the mean time I haven't been using it, but I miss it very much. So I thought I'd take a look at his web site to find out what can be done. Learned that he isn't doing much in the way of custom pen work these days, although he does do some at shows. This particular nib was not very expensive, since it was my 'starter', and I decided it might be time to try another nib. Richard has a whole range of customized nibs for the Pelicans and for the Vanishing Points. I was tempted by another Vanishing Point, but decided that I'd stick with just getting a new nib for the Pelican. I selected a full flex XF/XXF duo-point nib. Duo-point means it has been specially ground so that held the regular way it will write one line width, in this case Extra Fine, and turned over, the other side of the nib writes XXF.
I inked it with Pilot iroshizuku asa-gao, a lovely morning glory purple/blue. When using the XXF the color exactly matches the color on the box. When I use the XF side it is darker, with color depth variation and looks more blue. Really fun and beautiful.
I've been enjoying this brand of ink in several colors lately. I first got a bottle of this brand of ink at the pen show in the color tsutsuji, the color of Azalea's, a really intense fuchsia/magenta dark pink. I love the color in the flowers, and this is equally beautiful. Very bright and not usually something I'd use at the office, but I've been using it in a journal for over a year and a half. The color was beautiful, the flow and feel of the ink on the paper very nice, so I decided to try some other colors. Like the asa-gao I'm not using in my Pelican. I've got the 5 mm cursive italic Vanishing Point inked with syo-ro, Pine Dew, a lovely dark green with hints of teal. I've got a Jinhao 111 inked with yama-budo, Crimson Glory Vine, a rich pinkish purple.
All of these inks feel very nice and smooth on the paper, the colors are rich with some variation, making it interesting to write with and enjoy. One of my sons loves reds, so he is trying out momiji, Autumn Leaves. It is the color some sugar maple leaves get in the fall, a beautiful pure red.
So many colors to enjoy. I'd love to have more pens inked at a time, with more colors, but I just don't need that many. I'll just take the colors in turn, whatever appeals to me when I reink my pen, or decide to ink a different pen for some reason.
The medium weight linen fabric for my DH's sheets is royal blue. I had made him some from light weight linen last year, but they were just the width of the fabric and he asked for one that is wider. I've finished one, by machine, and he's been using it since. I didn't try to do a french seam, I just overlapped the selvedges and stitched them down, one line of stitching at each edge, so that should be plenty strong. The cut ends I simply folded over about 1/4 inch and straight stitched. Simple and neat. The narrower sheets are going to my sons, who also sleep hot.
A few years back I got my old fountain pen back out. I have always liked fountain pens, and I love the different color inks available these days. My husband and one of my sons also have gotten into fountain pens, and they are all the 3 of us use, given a choice. One of my favorite pens is a Pelican M201 which I purchased from Richard Binder. Richard custom grinds nibs (the part of the pen that writes on the paper, delivering the ink) as well as sells stock pens. He is very well known for his work on nibs, making sure that every pen he sells writes to very specific requirements. Richard and his lovely wife Barbara run their business and are regular visitors at various pen shows. I see them at the Ohio Pen Show in Columbus, Ohio.
One of the nice features of the Binder's online store is that you can purchase a pen body and select for it a nib to your specifications. My first pen from him was the Pelican M201 with a Binderized Extra Fine (XF) steel nib. No one else I know likes this pen/nib, because the very fine line requires an extremely light touch. Any pressure on it at all and it will feel scratchy. However, with a light touch it simply glides on the paper, leaving an extremely fine line which dries very fast.
My second pen from him, which was purchased at the pen show, is a Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point with a custom ground 5 mm cursive italic nib. I love this nib and pen. The automatic thin/thicker lines make writing fun and interesting, with a very distinctive flair.
I keep both of these pens inked and in use all the time, unless they are being cleaned. However, some time ago I noticed that the Pelican nib didn't write quite like I expected. I decided that I need to get it to Richard to have him take a look at it and perhaps tune it up. In the mean time I haven't been using it, but I miss it very much. So I thought I'd take a look at his web site to find out what can be done. Learned that he isn't doing much in the way of custom pen work these days, although he does do some at shows. This particular nib was not very expensive, since it was my 'starter', and I decided it might be time to try another nib. Richard has a whole range of customized nibs for the Pelicans and for the Vanishing Points. I was tempted by another Vanishing Point, but decided that I'd stick with just getting a new nib for the Pelican. I selected a full flex XF/XXF duo-point nib. Duo-point means it has been specially ground so that held the regular way it will write one line width, in this case Extra Fine, and turned over, the other side of the nib writes XXF.
I inked it with Pilot iroshizuku asa-gao, a lovely morning glory purple/blue. When using the XXF the color exactly matches the color on the box. When I use the XF side it is darker, with color depth variation and looks more blue. Really fun and beautiful.
I've been enjoying this brand of ink in several colors lately. I first got a bottle of this brand of ink at the pen show in the color tsutsuji, the color of Azalea's, a really intense fuchsia/magenta dark pink. I love the color in the flowers, and this is equally beautiful. Very bright and not usually something I'd use at the office, but I've been using it in a journal for over a year and a half. The color was beautiful, the flow and feel of the ink on the paper very nice, so I decided to try some other colors. Like the asa-gao I'm not using in my Pelican. I've got the 5 mm cursive italic Vanishing Point inked with syo-ro, Pine Dew, a lovely dark green with hints of teal. I've got a Jinhao 111 inked with yama-budo, Crimson Glory Vine, a rich pinkish purple.
All of these inks feel very nice and smooth on the paper, the colors are rich with some variation, making it interesting to write with and enjoy. One of my sons loves reds, so he is trying out momiji, Autumn Leaves. It is the color some sugar maple leaves get in the fall, a beautiful pure red.
So many colors to enjoy. I'd love to have more pens inked at a time, with more colors, but I just don't need that many. I'll just take the colors in turn, whatever appeals to me when I reink my pen, or decide to ink a different pen for some reason.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Sidetracked by pillowcases
I continued to make progress on the embroidered caftan until this week. With the heat we are getting so early this spring I decided that it is a higher priority to make my husband a linen pillowcase to go with his linen sheet. One of my sons has taken over the table I use for my sewing machine, so I decided that I'd just hand stitch the pillow case since that would also allow me to work on it during the drive to and from work. I cut it out at home a couple evenings ago, using an old pillowcase as my 'pattern'. All the rest of the work has been done in the car.
First I evened up the edge of the fabric that had been cut unevenly in the originally purchased fabric. The cutters at the fabric store don't seem to care so much about such things. I prefer to have square edges, so I pulled any threads that didn't go entirely across the end. Then I finger pressed about 1/2 inch to turn under the make the doubled open edge facing, enclosing the cut edge. Folded that over so there was a nice, maybe 4 inches, doubled area, pinned it in place and started stitching.
I did a running lock stitch across the folded side, not enough to be top stitched, but very close to the fold. Once that facing had been finished I pinned the raw edges wrong sides together, so I can make a sort of thickish French seam enclosing the cut edges. I didn't bother to cut off the selvedge, so I am making the stitching line about 1/2 inch from the edge, so as not to stitch in the selvedge. After the edges are stitched together I'll finger press the seam, fold it inside out, repin and stitch the final seam. Another day or so should finish it.
It would be much faster if I was doing this on the machine, or when not in a moving car, but that's OK. I'm making great progress and finishing something that I wouldn't even have really started if not for the decision to make it by hand.
First I evened up the edge of the fabric that had been cut unevenly in the originally purchased fabric. The cutters at the fabric store don't seem to care so much about such things. I prefer to have square edges, so I pulled any threads that didn't go entirely across the end. Then I finger pressed about 1/2 inch to turn under the make the doubled open edge facing, enclosing the cut edge. Folded that over so there was a nice, maybe 4 inches, doubled area, pinned it in place and started stitching.
I did a running lock stitch across the folded side, not enough to be top stitched, but very close to the fold. Once that facing had been finished I pinned the raw edges wrong sides together, so I can make a sort of thickish French seam enclosing the cut edges. I didn't bother to cut off the selvedge, so I am making the stitching line about 1/2 inch from the edge, so as not to stitch in the selvedge. After the edges are stitched together I'll finger press the seam, fold it inside out, repin and stitch the final seam. Another day or so should finish it.
It would be much faster if I was doing this on the machine, or when not in a moving car, but that's OK. I'm making great progress and finishing something that I wouldn't even have really started if not for the decision to make it by hand.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Linen adventures continue
I have continued to work on linen handkerchiefs off and on over the winter. The embroidered linen caftan spent most of the winter waiting for me to get back to it. With the short daylight hours I wasn't able to work on it riding to and from the office, which has been the times I was working on it. Yesterday I put it back into the car and worked on it during the ride to and from the office, and again this morning. I'm part way along the last short edge. Feels good to get back at it.
I've been using the black linen caftan as my after shower breakfast outfit quite often, particularly after showering to wash my hair. I use another linen cloth made of a beautiful deep blue to let my hair drip into it. This blue linen is handkerchief weight, or possibly slightly heavier. It is very thin and light, packs easily and dries very fast. In fact, when I use it after washing my hair it is usually only at the most damp where my ends hit, often it is dry. The really nice thing is that my hair seems to dry a lot faster when I'm using the linen cloth. It may be the combination of the cloth with the linen caftan, but even just the cloth really helps.
The smooth texture of the linen is also good for my hair, as it does not abrade the scales of the hair causing them to roughen up. I need to make some more of these cloths.
The linen sheet I made for my DH has had a lot of use. He likes it, and thinks it helps, but he would like one that is wider. I need to get some more fabric to make him a wider sheet, and also pillowcases. I sleep on a silk pillow case since that is very smooth for my hair, and I get cold easily. He is usually hot, so linen is much better for him. My sons are also interested in getting linen sheets, so I'll have to make several.
I've been using the black linen caftan as my after shower breakfast outfit quite often, particularly after showering to wash my hair. I use another linen cloth made of a beautiful deep blue to let my hair drip into it. This blue linen is handkerchief weight, or possibly slightly heavier. It is very thin and light, packs easily and dries very fast. In fact, when I use it after washing my hair it is usually only at the most damp where my ends hit, often it is dry. The really nice thing is that my hair seems to dry a lot faster when I'm using the linen cloth. It may be the combination of the cloth with the linen caftan, but even just the cloth really helps.
The smooth texture of the linen is also good for my hair, as it does not abrade the scales of the hair causing them to roughen up. I need to make some more of these cloths.
The linen sheet I made for my DH has had a lot of use. He likes it, and thinks it helps, but he would like one that is wider. I need to get some more fabric to make him a wider sheet, and also pillowcases. I sleep on a silk pillow case since that is very smooth for my hair, and I get cold easily. He is usually hot, so linen is much better for him. My sons are also interested in getting linen sheets, so I'll have to make several.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Progress is slow but continuing
I continue to make progress on my embroidered linen caftan. I'm probably getting close to half way done with the outside hem. Not sure whether I'll hand or machine stitch the side seams. That probably depends on whether I'm at home when it's time to start them!
Pockets may be something to add to the caftans, either on the front in the 'usual' sorts of place, or I'm considering putting some in the area outside the side seams. Simple patch pockets would go on the black linen quite well. On the embroidered linen it may be a bit more of a challenge to not disturb the embroidery.
I happened to stop back at Hancock Fabrics last week and picked up the last yard of the embroidered linen. It is so lovely and I think it will make a really nice bag, especially lined with the black linen with an interior pocket or so. I may even consider adding a zipper to close it up completely instead of the simple open top on the black one. I'm still doing imagination design trying to figure out what I want to do. When I figure it out I expect it will whip up pretty fast, with the possible exception of the zipper, since I've not put zippers into anything in a while. I know I've got some zipper tape around someplace.
Pockets may be something to add to the caftans, either on the front in the 'usual' sorts of place, or I'm considering putting some in the area outside the side seams. Simple patch pockets would go on the black linen quite well. On the embroidered linen it may be a bit more of a challenge to not disturb the embroidery.
I happened to stop back at Hancock Fabrics last week and picked up the last yard of the embroidered linen. It is so lovely and I think it will make a really nice bag, especially lined with the black linen with an interior pocket or so. I may even consider adding a zipper to close it up completely instead of the simple open top on the black one. I'm still doing imagination design trying to figure out what I want to do. When I figure it out I expect it will whip up pretty fast, with the possible exception of the zipper, since I've not put zippers into anything in a while. I know I've got some zipper tape around someplace.
Friday, September 16, 2011
More Caftans and other fun things to do with linen
I finished the black linen caftan the day after my last post. I was too impatient to wait till the next week to stitch the side seams by hand on my rides to work, so I just whipped it up on my machine. Wore it that evening, and quite often since. It is very comfortable
Both other linen fabrics, the black with turquoise embroidery and the lovely blue, were washed and dried several times. I have started on the embroidered one. This time I used the full width of the fabric and I made the overall length longer, ankle length. I'll have to pick the bottom up when I use the stairs, which I don't have to do with the shorter black one. Because the length is longer I found that the outside edges ("sleeves") dragged the ground, so I cut the bottom hemline at a much greater curve on each side. I'll see how I like this longer length after it is made, knowing that I may need to shorten it.
Like the plain black, I am hand stitching the hem while I ride to and from work. First I did the neckline. I cut this a bit differently than the plain black, a bit more of a curve in the front with a shorter slit. As with the black I used a narrow, 1/8 inch hem. I wanted this to be done first because the loose threads of the neckline were subject to rubbing around as I moved the fabric to hem the outside edge. Taking the fabric out of the bag I'm keeping it in in order to hem it, and moving/folding it back to put it back away could result in too much fraying.
It took me a day and a half or so of riding to/from work to finish the neckline. Once the neckline was hemmed I started hemming the outside edge several inches above the bottom curve on one side, moving across the bottom using the same 1/4 inch hem that I used on the black. I found that I needed to pick the embroidery out if it was right next to the hem, otherwise the fabric and embroidery together were too thick to turn and stitch down for the hem. Because the embroidery motifs are large and spaced apart I only needed to do this a couple of times. I have finished one bottom edge and am currently moving along quite well up the next side.
Last weekend I decided that the extra fabric that I hadn't needed to make the black caftan would make a nice, simple carry bag. This didn't take very long at all, stitching it up on the machine. It probably took me longer to decide what size to make it and then cut it out than it did to stitch it up. Finished size is 15 1/4 inches tall by 15 inches wide. The folded top hem is 3/4 inch. The 2 straps are 1 inch wide, made from 1 1/2 inch strips turned into tubes. Each strap is 32 1/2 inches over all length, including the attachment, making the finished strap length 31 inches. This is long enough I can hang it over my shoulder and still easily get things into and out of it.
I'm thinking that I'll make another, similar bag, out of a similar size of the embroidered linen. My idea for this one is to line it with the plain black and put a small side pocket or so inside it. I may make this one with a zipper or other closure, too. It will be more substantial with the lining and look a lot fancier with the pretty embroidery.
Earlier this week I decided to stop back by Hancock Fabrics again. I decided that I would make my husband a linen sheet. He gets hot easily, and linen is so nice at keeping one cool and dry. I've thought about this several times, but he always said no. This time I decided I wouldn't ask, I'd just do it. So I did! I came home with several yards of a very light weight linen in a pretty dark sort of rose red. I don't even have a good word for the color. It's not brick, but it's not rose, either. He likes red, and it is dark enough not to stain easily, and it is a color I'm happy with so with the limited options I took it.
Usually I prewash all fabric before making anything from it, but this time I didn't see any reason to bother. I got 5 yards, which is enough to make 2 sheets large enough for his use. Pulled threads to make sure the fabric was true to the grain on the ends and also for the cutting line, then stitched a simple 1/4 inch hem. Washed and dried after the hemming. I didn't stitch the selvedges, just left them. If they start to fray at all I'll trim and stitch them as well, but this allowed me to get him something done very quickly.
Both other linen fabrics, the black with turquoise embroidery and the lovely blue, were washed and dried several times. I have started on the embroidered one. This time I used the full width of the fabric and I made the overall length longer, ankle length. I'll have to pick the bottom up when I use the stairs, which I don't have to do with the shorter black one. Because the length is longer I found that the outside edges ("sleeves") dragged the ground, so I cut the bottom hemline at a much greater curve on each side. I'll see how I like this longer length after it is made, knowing that I may need to shorten it.
Like the plain black, I am hand stitching the hem while I ride to and from work. First I did the neckline. I cut this a bit differently than the plain black, a bit more of a curve in the front with a shorter slit. As with the black I used a narrow, 1/8 inch hem. I wanted this to be done first because the loose threads of the neckline were subject to rubbing around as I moved the fabric to hem the outside edge. Taking the fabric out of the bag I'm keeping it in in order to hem it, and moving/folding it back to put it back away could result in too much fraying.
It took me a day and a half or so of riding to/from work to finish the neckline. Once the neckline was hemmed I started hemming the outside edge several inches above the bottom curve on one side, moving across the bottom using the same 1/4 inch hem that I used on the black. I found that I needed to pick the embroidery out if it was right next to the hem, otherwise the fabric and embroidery together were too thick to turn and stitch down for the hem. Because the embroidery motifs are large and spaced apart I only needed to do this a couple of times. I have finished one bottom edge and am currently moving along quite well up the next side.
Last weekend I decided that the extra fabric that I hadn't needed to make the black caftan would make a nice, simple carry bag. This didn't take very long at all, stitching it up on the machine. It probably took me longer to decide what size to make it and then cut it out than it did to stitch it up. Finished size is 15 1/4 inches tall by 15 inches wide. The folded top hem is 3/4 inch. The 2 straps are 1 inch wide, made from 1 1/2 inch strips turned into tubes. Each strap is 32 1/2 inches over all length, including the attachment, making the finished strap length 31 inches. This is long enough I can hang it over my shoulder and still easily get things into and out of it.
I'm thinking that I'll make another, similar bag, out of a similar size of the embroidered linen. My idea for this one is to line it with the plain black and put a small side pocket or so inside it. I may make this one with a zipper or other closure, too. It will be more substantial with the lining and look a lot fancier with the pretty embroidery.
Earlier this week I decided to stop back by Hancock Fabrics again. I decided that I would make my husband a linen sheet. He gets hot easily, and linen is so nice at keeping one cool and dry. I've thought about this several times, but he always said no. This time I decided I wouldn't ask, I'd just do it. So I did! I came home with several yards of a very light weight linen in a pretty dark sort of rose red. I don't even have a good word for the color. It's not brick, but it's not rose, either. He likes red, and it is dark enough not to stain easily, and it is a color I'm happy with so with the limited options I took it.
Usually I prewash all fabric before making anything from it, but this time I didn't see any reason to bother. I got 5 yards, which is enough to make 2 sheets large enough for his use. Pulled threads to make sure the fabric was true to the grain on the ends and also for the cutting line, then stitched a simple 1/4 inch hem. Washed and dried after the hemming. I didn't stitch the selvedges, just left them. If they start to fray at all I'll trim and stitch them as well, but this allowed me to get him something done very quickly.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Black linen caftan almost done
Yesterday I finished the hemming on my new, heavy weight black linen caftan. It didn't take me as long elapsed time as I expected, in part due to several hours spent waiting at the BMV drivers testing station with my son last Friday. Basically I stitched the outside hem down all the way around, then yesterday I did the neckline. Most of the stitching was done riding in the car, as expected, which is a bit slow due to being bumped around a bit. I used a sharp needle, which I usually don't with linen, and I won't again. I managed to stitch my fingertip into the thread a couple times. Probably wouldn't happen if I didn't have a nice callus on the tip of my finger, but still! I like the way it came out. The hemming is basically invisible on the right side, and the stitching nearly so on the wrong side.
I decided to wash it before finishing the side seams, so it is in the dryer waiting for me to get home tonight. I've not decided yet whether to hand stitch the side seams, or if I should just do it on the machine. It will take just a couple minutes by machine, so I'll likely do that.
Since I like the way this is turning out so much I stopped by Hancock Fabric yesterday afternoon to see if they have linen fabric. The JoAnn I got this linen at only had a couple bolts, no fun colors and very little option in the way of weight, thus the plain black. Lo and behold, Hancock's had a nice selection of 100% linen as well as some blends, in different weights and colors. I didn't see any handkerchief weight in white, so I'll have to continue to get that online, but I found a very nice black with turquoise embroidered flowers & leaves as well as a beautiful bright medium blue. I got yardage of each enough to make a caftan with some left over, even with shrinkage. I serged the cut edges of both this morning before work, and the embroidered black is in the washer waiting to be dried. I'll wash and dry each piece of fabric a couple of times of course, so it does any shrinking before I make it up.
I need to get pictures, too, of course!
The finished width is 44 inches, length is 46 1/2 (shoulder to hem). The bottom outside corners are rounded. The side seams will start 8 3/4 inches from the shoulder seam, 6 inches from the outside edge, and stop 9 1/2 inch from the bottom edge.
I decided to wash it before finishing the side seams, so it is in the dryer waiting for me to get home tonight. I've not decided yet whether to hand stitch the side seams, or if I should just do it on the machine. It will take just a couple minutes by machine, so I'll likely do that.
Since I like the way this is turning out so much I stopped by Hancock Fabric yesterday afternoon to see if they have linen fabric. The JoAnn I got this linen at only had a couple bolts, no fun colors and very little option in the way of weight, thus the plain black. Lo and behold, Hancock's had a nice selection of 100% linen as well as some blends, in different weights and colors. I didn't see any handkerchief weight in white, so I'll have to continue to get that online, but I found a very nice black with turquoise embroidered flowers & leaves as well as a beautiful bright medium blue. I got yardage of each enough to make a caftan with some left over, even with shrinkage. I serged the cut edges of both this morning before work, and the embroidered black is in the washer waiting to be dried. I'll wash and dry each piece of fabric a couple of times of course, so it does any shrinking before I make it up.
I need to get pictures, too, of course!
The finished width is 44 inches, length is 46 1/2 (shoulder to hem). The bottom outside corners are rounded. The side seams will start 8 3/4 inches from the shoulder seam, 6 inches from the outside edge, and stop 9 1/2 inch from the bottom edge.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Caftans - Simple comfort
A couple of years ago on a trip I purchased a couple of caftans, loose, flowing, simple and practical garments. One was of rayon, which I love, and the other of, I think, polyester. The rayon is black with huge, colorful vines and flowers on it, very striking. The other is green and black spiky leaf patterns, beautiful to look at, but I won't get a polyester one again, no matter how beautiful. I don't like the way the fabric feels and it gets static. The rayon is lovely and flowing, light in weight, breathes well and very comfortable. Normally I don't buy these types of fabrics, but the simple, comfortable garments and bright colors swayed me.
I've been thinking for a while that I'd like another caftan or so, but in other fabrics. I understand that simple garments of this sort have been around for a very long time, so I did a little reading about them and decided that I'd try one out of linen, in a much heavier fabric. I purchased 4 yards of a heavy weight, black, linen, serged the cut edges and washed and dried it several times so the fabric would do any shrinking before I made it up. When I was ready I took out the serged stitching along one cut edge, pulled loose threads to get a true to grain edge and trimmed off any sticking out warp threads. Using the measurements taken from the rayon caftan I cut out a rectangle of fabric to make my new caftan.
I took time to think overnight how I wanted to do the neckline, and ended up deciding to do a simple scoop of about an inch in the back, about 3 inches deep in the front, with a slit descending from the center front scoop another 4 inches or so. This will give me enough room to slip it over my head, but not a wide open neck. With the fabric folded so the outside corners were together I cut them into a semi-circle, giving a nice rounded corner at the outside bottom edges.
I am making a 1/4 inch folded over hem around the outside, and will do a narrower hem around the neckline. So far I am doing this all by hand, as I can do the stitching while riding in the car. Yes, I could do it pretty quickly by machine, but only if I'm at the house with it! So it will take me much longer, but I don't really care. I enjoy hand sewing and it is possible to do a very nice, nearly invisible hem by hand.
I've been thinking for a while that I'd like another caftan or so, but in other fabrics. I understand that simple garments of this sort have been around for a very long time, so I did a little reading about them and decided that I'd try one out of linen, in a much heavier fabric. I purchased 4 yards of a heavy weight, black, linen, serged the cut edges and washed and dried it several times so the fabric would do any shrinking before I made it up. When I was ready I took out the serged stitching along one cut edge, pulled loose threads to get a true to grain edge and trimmed off any sticking out warp threads. Using the measurements taken from the rayon caftan I cut out a rectangle of fabric to make my new caftan.
I took time to think overnight how I wanted to do the neckline, and ended up deciding to do a simple scoop of about an inch in the back, about 3 inches deep in the front, with a slit descending from the center front scoop another 4 inches or so. This will give me enough room to slip it over my head, but not a wide open neck. With the fabric folded so the outside corners were together I cut them into a semi-circle, giving a nice rounded corner at the outside bottom edges.
I am making a 1/4 inch folded over hem around the outside, and will do a narrower hem around the neckline. So far I am doing this all by hand, as I can do the stitching while riding in the car. Yes, I could do it pretty quickly by machine, but only if I'm at the house with it! So it will take me much longer, but I don't really care. I enjoy hand sewing and it is possible to do a very nice, nearly invisible hem by hand.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Linen Handkerchiefs
Every so often one must buy new handkerchiefs. For those of us who use them daily, they do wear out, get holes, get stained. This summer I need new hankies. Some of my favorites are some small, women's sized linen hankies that I got from Vermont Country Store years ago. They weren't cheap, but they are nice, the fabric feels good, and the hemstitch is simple but pretty.
When I started looking for more I didn't find linen ones at Vermont Country Store, so I did an internet search. I was rather shocked to find that it was nearly impossible to find plain, woman's sized linen hankies, and even the mens hankies were selling for anywhere from $7.75 on up for one, $25.00 on up for 2, mostly up. I'm too frugal for that (read cheap). So I did some searches for handkerchief linen fabric. Now this was better! I found fabric for $16.24 per yard. Shipping was a bit steep by my view, but I ended up ordering 2 yards of fabric for $42.48 with shipping. Washed and dried twice to remove any sizing it was 55.5 inch wide not including the selvedge. I don't like the selvedge on this fabric, so I'm removing it.
I used pulled threads to square one end of the fabric, measured and snipped then pulled more threads, giving me a straight grain for my hankies. I cut along the pulled threads.
The first batch was 5 across, so each hankie was about 11 inches square. The next batch I decided to make smaller, to more easily fit in my pants pockets as well as giving me more hankies for the same amount of fabric. This time I made 6 across, so they are around 9 inches square. Plenty big enough for my purposes.
I carpool to work, and I often do some sort of handwork while riding, as well as other times as I have a chance. It has been nice to do this simple hand work on a daily basis.
I've been doing a small rolled hem. I started off doing a squared corner, but after the first or second one I switched to rounding them off. It is easier to continue the rolled hem around them, and I like the way it looks. I've already got 6 new hankies and as the days go on I'll finish more. I consider this money very well spent. I get nice new hankies and I get weeks worth of pleasure hemming them, giving me something useful to use as my 'fidget' while riding in the car, in meetings, or out walking.
When I started looking for more I didn't find linen ones at Vermont Country Store, so I did an internet search. I was rather shocked to find that it was nearly impossible to find plain, woman's sized linen hankies, and even the mens hankies were selling for anywhere from $7.75 on up for one, $25.00 on up for 2, mostly up. I'm too frugal for that (read cheap). So I did some searches for handkerchief linen fabric. Now this was better! I found fabric for $16.24 per yard. Shipping was a bit steep by my view, but I ended up ordering 2 yards of fabric for $42.48 with shipping. Washed and dried twice to remove any sizing it was 55.5 inch wide not including the selvedge. I don't like the selvedge on this fabric, so I'm removing it.
I used pulled threads to square one end of the fabric, measured and snipped then pulled more threads, giving me a straight grain for my hankies. I cut along the pulled threads.
The first batch was 5 across, so each hankie was about 11 inches square. The next batch I decided to make smaller, to more easily fit in my pants pockets as well as giving me more hankies for the same amount of fabric. This time I made 6 across, so they are around 9 inches square. Plenty big enough for my purposes.
I carpool to work, and I often do some sort of handwork while riding, as well as other times as I have a chance. It has been nice to do this simple hand work on a daily basis.
I've been doing a small rolled hem. I started off doing a squared corner, but after the first or second one I switched to rounding them off. It is easier to continue the rolled hem around them, and I like the way it looks. I've already got 6 new hankies and as the days go on I'll finish more. I consider this money very well spent. I get nice new hankies and I get weeks worth of pleasure hemming them, giving me something useful to use as my 'fidget' while riding in the car, in meetings, or out walking.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Domestication is an interesting thing
I find it quite interesting that domestication, mainly breeding for tameness and bonding with humans, results in coloration and other physical changes. Floppy ears, head shape, tail shapes. The color changes are striking, and so familiar from other domesticated animals of all sorts.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Experiments with oils
For the last year or so I have been doing a number of experiments using various oils, mostly on my hair, but also my skin. This journey was initiated by a fortunate accident. I happened to have what I found out was a migraine when one of my sisters was able to observe. I had no idea why I was so sick, just knew that I sometimes got like that, aches in my upper back and neck that moved into a nasty headache. Later light sensitivity and then eventually throwing up. This sister had been diagnosed with migraines some time before and asked if I had. I was completely confused, since that never occurred to me. She said that the progression was pretty classic and gave me some suggestions on how to manage it. What a revelation! It wasn't something that "just happened" sometimes, it was a progression that I could recognize and sometimes manage.
For years I had not worn my long hair up on my head very often for fear that it was a trigger for causing my 'neck aches'. Well, it might affect a migraine, but wouldn't cause it, so I started to research more ways to wear my hair. What fun!
In my search I found the Long Hair Community where I found instructions and links to many ways to wear hair as well as lots of information on having healthier hair. Over the past year and a half or so I have been slowly trying techniques and recipes gleaned from this site. I have been doing this slowly because it can take several weeks to really know the results of a particular experiment. Over time I have stopped using hair products that contain silicone compounds and have instead used various natural oils, either alone or in blends.
Everyone is different, so something that works for one person may or may not work for someone else. The only way to know is to try it and see, and especially to try it over time to see whether the results are consistent. For example, early on I tried a technique called Conditioner Only (CO) washing. This is using conditioners as cleansers as well as conditioner, usually by using 2 different conditioners, a lighter one for cleaning, rinse well, then use another application of the same or other conditioner as usual. When I first tried this I did not get good results. However, months later, after changing to non-silicone products it worked well and is now part of my normal weekly routine.
I have had good luck with coconut oil, Shea butter and others. There are a couple of blends I particularly like that I get on Etsy, Beldaran's Hair Oil and Panacea by Night Blooming. Beldaran's shop is currently not stocked. Night Blooming has several formulations of Panacea as well as Hair Anointing Oil which is also quite nice.
In addition to using oils as leave ins, deep and overnight treatments I have been quietly participating in experimenting with oil shampoos. The huge thread is here. I have not contributed to the thread because it is so big, but the results others were getting intrigued me, so I have been trying formulations of my own.
Along the way I realized that the store bought lotions I was using on my hands and skin kept getting into my hair. I decided that if I put something on my hands it better be something I was willing to have in my hair. So I started to use Shea butter, coconut oil and various other oil blends on my hands and skin. This has worked quite well overall.
My skin, like my hair, tends to be very dry. As is common in winter my hands have gotten extremely dry. Applying oils has only helped to some degree. Using Panacea very carefully has been quite successful, and has the added advantage of smelling lovely.
The same trip that my sister recognized I have migraines we happened to be out shopping and tried a Dead Sea Salt scrub, which has been in the back of my mind since then. Today I finally decided to do some research to learn more about such scrubs. As a result of that research I made a small batch of coconut oil and sugar scrub, since sugar was said to be gentler than salt. I plan to try this when washing my hands for a while to see if this helps make my hands softer and smoother.
For years I had not worn my long hair up on my head very often for fear that it was a trigger for causing my 'neck aches'. Well, it might affect a migraine, but wouldn't cause it, so I started to research more ways to wear my hair. What fun!
In my search I found the Long Hair Community where I found instructions and links to many ways to wear hair as well as lots of information on having healthier hair. Over the past year and a half or so I have been slowly trying techniques and recipes gleaned from this site. I have been doing this slowly because it can take several weeks to really know the results of a particular experiment. Over time I have stopped using hair products that contain silicone compounds and have instead used various natural oils, either alone or in blends.
Everyone is different, so something that works for one person may or may not work for someone else. The only way to know is to try it and see, and especially to try it over time to see whether the results are consistent. For example, early on I tried a technique called Conditioner Only (CO) washing. This is using conditioners as cleansers as well as conditioner, usually by using 2 different conditioners, a lighter one for cleaning, rinse well, then use another application of the same or other conditioner as usual. When I first tried this I did not get good results. However, months later, after changing to non-silicone products it worked well and is now part of my normal weekly routine.
I have had good luck with coconut oil, Shea butter and others. There are a couple of blends I particularly like that I get on Etsy, Beldaran's Hair Oil and Panacea by Night Blooming. Beldaran's shop is currently not stocked. Night Blooming has several formulations of Panacea as well as Hair Anointing Oil which is also quite nice.
In addition to using oils as leave ins, deep and overnight treatments I have been quietly participating in experimenting with oil shampoos. The huge thread is here. I have not contributed to the thread because it is so big, but the results others were getting intrigued me, so I have been trying formulations of my own.
Along the way I realized that the store bought lotions I was using on my hands and skin kept getting into my hair. I decided that if I put something on my hands it better be something I was willing to have in my hair. So I started to use Shea butter, coconut oil and various other oil blends on my hands and skin. This has worked quite well overall.
My skin, like my hair, tends to be very dry. As is common in winter my hands have gotten extremely dry. Applying oils has only helped to some degree. Using Panacea very carefully has been quite successful, and has the added advantage of smelling lovely.
The same trip that my sister recognized I have migraines we happened to be out shopping and tried a Dead Sea Salt scrub, which has been in the back of my mind since then. Today I finally decided to do some research to learn more about such scrubs. As a result of that research I made a small batch of coconut oil and sugar scrub, since sugar was said to be gentler than salt. I plan to try this when washing my hands for a while to see if this helps make my hands softer and smoother.
Cat Dancer and Bubbles
Hawkeye Cat continues to do very well. He loves one toy in particular, called Cat Dancer. This is a great, simple toy that is fun for him and fun for me.
Hawkeye is an indoors only cat, which is my preference. I've had indoor/outdoor cats, and ended up with fleas in the house. Not fun, and not something I want to deal with again. Hawkeye loves to look out, and always tells me when there is someone out side, especially the outside cats from the barn next door which I feed outside. However, he doesn't have any interest in being outside himself. The experience of being outside alone in the cold for a couple of weeks and nearly starving to death has made him cautious and appreciative of being inside.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Charlie - New Dog
Wednesday, 31 March 2010 we came home with 3 dogs. We left home for our usual evening walk with our to dogs, BJ and Cadee, but came back with a new addition to our pack, Charlie. In the photo BJ is on the left, Charlie in middle and Cadee on the right.
This interesting turn of events I consider one of the ways the Universe provides for us, call it whatever you like. I've been about half thinking about getting another dog at some point. My sweet BJ is starting to get a little older now. He knows so much, and is such an awesome dog. My half-formed thoughts were that he would be able to help teach a new dog the ropes in our household. Cadee can, too, to a degree, but she is pretty submissive and somewhat afraid of other dogs, so is more likely to run away than give a puppy a correction.
In any case, I was walking with my husband, and our 2 dogs. Going past the house of one of our neighbors comes little Bella, a chihuahua, leading her pack of larger dogs. When Bella isn't out their other dogs don't even come out to the road, but she gets very excited and brings the pack out every time she is loose. I'm afraid to go past with her on the road, because I'm afraid she won't go back to her house, but instead will get hit by a car, or get one of the rest of her pack hit. So I always bring her and her pack, along with my dogs, back to their house before continuing on.
There was a new dog with them this time, a tiger striped young dog that I learned was named Charlie. He had been rescued in December when another neighbor brought him thinking it was his home. He had apparently been abused, was very shy and afraid, particularly of men, and the person who had found him couldn't keep him. So my neighbor kept him, hoping to find him a good home.
He offered him to us, because he knows we are dog people and would give him a good home. We decided to take him with us on our walk to see how he did, and to think about it. Our neighbor warned us that he hadn't been on a leash that he knew of. We clipped him up and off we went. He was unsure at first, but with our 2 just moving along happily, he caught on in a minute and did well. We liked him, but didn't want to make any decision until we had a chance to talk to our son who lives at home, since Cadee is his dog, and he takes care of them both much of the time, feeding and taking them out. They both sleep with him, too.
During our chatting and walking, it had gotten dark. We had just asked if we could take him back for our son to meet him and think about it when guess who comes walking up in the dark? Yup, there he was, coming to meet us walking. We all chatted a few minutes, letting Charlie meet our son and vice versa. In the end we decided to give him a try, agreeing that if there was any issue that we would bring him back. We didn't expect any issues, the dogs were getting along fine already.
Charlie is very sweet. Our neighbor estimates he is about 8 months old. He has a band of white around his neck into a white front, 4 white toes/feet, and the rest is brown with black marbling. Black nose and skin on his face making his face dark, with lovely dark eyes. His ears tulip, rather like a whippet. In fact, his body shape has aspects of whippet, also, with slightly arching loins, slender legs and tail. He can trot, if he goes fast enough, but he mostly seems to be pacing, which I don't recall seeing in dogs much before.
He gets along well with our other dogs, and while Hawkeye Cat isn't impressed, he hasn't been all that interested in the cat, either. He does fine with the friendly outside cat I feed, letting the cat rub up against him just fine.
Charlie is going through quite a lot of changes, as I'm sure our household is different from where he was before. Even though we had been told that he was afraid of men, we have seen very little of it. At first meeting he tucked his tail tight around my husband and son, but very quickly relaxed. Meeting another neighbor the day after we got him he tucked for a minute, but relaxed and was enjoying being petted right away. When our other son came home from university he barked at him once then did fine.
He has been learning that he has to walk next to or behind us, and not to go too far away from our side. Since I have been the one inside to do the umbilical cording (keep a leash attached to him inside, to make sure he doesn't get too many chance to do the wrong things), the others have been doing most of the walking. It is important for him to learn that he has to do the same thing with everyone.
We are very glad to have this new member of our Pack!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)