New Project: Seamus! ... and a Completed Project: Irish Flag Blanket

He arrived safe and sound (though mildly dirty and a bit discombobulated) on Friday afternoon. Sean and I had a wonderful time with him all day yesterday as he learned about his new home. He did a great job - with a few accidents here and there - but a lot of times he did his business on the wee-wee pads like a good boy. He is an affectionate little guy with a lot of spunk. Want to see him in action? I've set up a YouTube channel, The Crocheting Commuter, to show the videos. The channel has my blog name and my blog is about knitting and crocheting but the videos are about Seamus. Oh well. It works.

Here's his first video (you can check out the channel for more):



I thought I'd also share this Washington Post article which talks about getting a new dog and how it can affect the family. It's true - because I got up at 7:30 this morning (instead of sleeping in like so many Saturdays before) and I don't feel like I missed out on the sleep. I got to enjoy the morning sunshine with Seamus and play with him afterward. Now I'm enjoying his company as he sleeps by my feet and I'm typing away on the computer. All before 10 am - and I'm loving it. What did I ever do without this little guy?

I'm also happy to report that he loves his little Irish flag blanket, made to celebrate his Irish ancestry (from the human side, not the Yorkie or Maltese sides). Here are a couple of photos of him with it - one awake and one passed out.





I've got all the details on Ravelry, except the finished size. I haven't had a chance to pull it away from him to measure it.

So far, the craft room has been off limits to him so he doesn't attack the yarn. I'm hoping in the next few days to let him check it out. Keep your fingers crossed that he's a lover of yarn and not a destroyer of yarn. :)

Completed Project: Dog Dish Placemat

Seamus will be here on FRIDAY!!! Yay!!!

In anticipation of his arrival, I got crafty. Here's a new dog dish placemat for Seamus.





Ravelry details can be found here. I didn't use a pattern - I just saw the project and improvised it. If you look really close, you can see where the nubs aren't even. But hey - is the dog really going to notice?

I'm also working on a small blanket for Seamus. It is going to be a mini version of the Irish flag. I'll have plenty of time to work on it during my travels for work this week. I'm off to the mid-west, Indianapolis and Iowa City to be exact. While I definitely won't have time to check out anything in Iowa City, I will hopefully have time for a store in Indianapolis.

And - I'll be home just in time for Seamus' arrival. I. Cannot. Wait!!!!

A Cute Distraction

My knitting and crocheting has taken a backseat this past week and I'm guessing the distraction will increase even more in the next week or so.

Sean and I are getting a puppy!!! YAY!!!!

Here are some photos from the breeder. He's a Maltese-Yorshire Terrier mix, aka a Morkie. We're naming him Seamus (pronounced shay-mus).

WARNING!!! The following photos may be too cute for some readers.









He's about 5 or 6 weeks old in these photos and we have to wait until he's 9 weeks old to have him shipped on a plane. I cannot wait! We're keeping our fingers crossed we'll get him Memorial Day weekend. And while the majority of posts on the blog will still be about crocheting and knitting, there is going to be plenty of cute puppy posts, too!

MS&W 2009

The weekend of Sheep and Shenanigans was wonderful! It was so much fun hanging with all my girls and getting to ooh and aah over little baby, Edward. The festival itself was a blast. The rain couldn't keep our spirits down. The music also helped.



There were the usual cute critters, especially the alpacas.





We checked out all the booths and tents and even the Ravelry meet up. The one spot where the Mistress spent a bunch of money was at Brooks Farm.




So how much yarn did I buy?




Absolutely NONE.




??????



Yep. I didn't buy any yarn whatsoever. I sure did look at a lot of different yarns and even toyed with the idea of buying some roving and a drop spindle to learn to spin, I just didn't want to buy any of it. Maybe it's because I've been buying such wonderful yarn throughout the year as I travel for work and check out all the local yarn shops. Plus, the yarn I brought with me, the recently purchased Blue Heron Yarn, was practically yelling at me to use it. So, while resting on a blanket with KMP and baby Edward, I started the scarf.



The photo shows a week's progress and I hope to have it done soon.

Are you disappointed that I didn't buy any yarn? I thought I would be, as we drove away from the festival but I stand by my decision. I've got to make a dent in my overflowing stash of yarn that includes yarn purchased at MS&W 2006. Maybe I'll make enough of a dent that I'll have to buy tons at MS&W 2010.