Wolfi's world expands

Leash training is very important. This is Wolfi's

idea of going for a walk.

Ok, I'll try harder next time. Can I come out

now?

Oh yeah! That's the life! Wolfi has to experience

everything with his whole body.

Go back into my crate?

I don't think so!

Wolfi and Miezel play all the time together.

Miezel, who is 13, tries hard to teach the

feisty little guy some manners.

Every day is a joy to watch this puppy grow

and learn. Even though he is not exceptionally

interested in food, he seems to be growing much

too fast. Having more than doubled his weight,

his legs and body are getting longer and stronger.

And he is sporting a wild and unruly hairdo with

eyebrows that often hide his beautiful black eyes.

He loves to be with us, no doubt! He greets us with

wild enthusiasm even if we were gone for just a few

minutes. Now isn't there a lesson here for us

humans?

Wolfi has doubled his size, oh my!

Roxy the Critter Farm pup is totally annoyed by the little whipper snapper. She can't believe how he has grown since she last saw him. She had secretly wished that he'd go away, go back where he came from or simply vanish from the face of her earth. Poor Roxy!

When we brought Wolfi home July 17, he weighed 3 lbs. 9 oz. The vet gasped last week when she put him on the baby scale: 7 lbs. 8 oz! He has practically doubled himself since he moved in with us. Is this something we should be worried about? Mini Wolfi turning into GIANT Wolfi right before our eyes? I don't think so. He is not a ravenous eater and often ignores the food put in front of him. What he really fills up on is love. From the time he first tumbles out of his crate in the morning (after sleeping 10 or so hours!), he wants to be held, kissed, hugged, petted and played with. Or is it the other way around? From the moment Bill and I stumble out of bed, open the crate and Wolfi falls out, we are the ones who want to hold, kiss, hug, pet and play. And it doesn't feel silly at all. In fact, it's a marvelous way to start our day!

So what ever happened to that little blanket?

First, I had to harvest the best peas ever!

Then I had to teach my daughter how to knit.

While flying to Europe.

Then my sister needed a refresher course in sock knitting. (Notice MY finished socks serving as examples).

Forgot to mention how hard these socks were for me. My first pair ever!

But despite these distractions, the 'no pattern followed' blanket is complete.

Wanna know what happened to ' knitting travelog'?

Well, this is what happened.

Wolfi.

And he has absolutely no interest in knitting, travelogs, blogging or the like.

A production pause is indicated.

A brief one.

Schnauzi said we could get another puppy...

...and here he is!

Meet 'Wolfi', an 11-week old miniature schnauzer. He is a happy, bright, and very loving little creature.

He eats three puppy meals a day, 'goes' outside (or not), plays wildly and loves his carrier where he sleeps through the night.

But man, are those little teeth sharp! Every time we tell him, "No biting!", he thinks he is being praised. Perhaps I'll try his native language, "Nicht beissen!" Nope. That doesn't work either. Oh well.

I'm not very good at photographing him yet. He is an incredibly wiggly 11-week old.

What's happened to the 'knitting revolution'?

Looking back at my knitting post, I simply can not believe how much time has passed since I started my little knitting experiment I talked about. You simply won't believe where that cheap yarn has been in the meantime! Shortly after sunrise tomorrow morning I shall reveal some of the places where this pale green fiber has spent the last few weeks. "Pale Green", as it is called now, has had to share the knitting bag with some unexpected cohorts as everyone was swept away to a European adventure and a domestic one as well.

(Note the balancing knitting bag with its precious cargo!)

Revolution in my knitting world

As a child in Germany, I was taught in school to knit, crochet, embroider, hand-sew and, I'm sure,much more. However, I never laid eyes on any pattern, I never learned to decipher any, so I have been on a warpath with all of them. American patterns, German patterns, French, Spanish, Russian, it's a major international conspiracy! Although I have been able to figure out a simple project with a hands-on technique, as you can see above, (Knitting for Super Dummies), and a slightly more difficult one, (the beginning was entirely unnatural and counter intuitive), I decided yesterday I was not going to be confined by instructions of any kind. And I don't care which language tries to seduce me into a pattern I simply cannot wrap my yarn around. ( Pun intended.)

So I decided to revolutionize my limited knitting world by designing my own pattern for an afghan. Using an idea and very cheap yarn, I cast on 140 stitches.




I knitted the first row, then proceeded with 2k, 2p the first two rows. I then reversed the order to 2p, 2k for the next two rows. As my excitement grew and my heart beat faster, I closed my eyes and gave my hands free reign....

And, a little later, I found this in my lap :



But in my meditative knitting state I must have also created this:



Oh my gosh, it looks like a.....PATTERN! Well, I certainly won't be able to read it.