Quick Hats and More Tonio

Yikes! I realized on Friday that I hadn't made anything for charity in May, one of the few Mission Possible 2008 goals I've been making. So I cast on for the Seaman's Cap from Brenda Zuk at NeedleBeetle, using some new James G Brett Marble I picked up last week at Stitches from the Heart in Santa Monica and finished it. I still had 'hat knitting' urges, so I grabbed some Plymouth Encore Colorspun DK from old stash and whipped up a basic 72st roll-brim hat. I admit that I stayed up way too late Friday night working on the Seaman's Cap, but I am a total sucker for long-run stripes, and the Marble is a really nice acrylic, not squeaky on the needles at all. The marled effect is great with the multiple plies. The Colorspun isn't bad, either, with its 25% wool content. Edith makes such a nice model for hats (Edith Head, get it? I crack myself up.)

A week or so ago I fell madly for a colorway from another indie dyer, The Woolen Rabbit. I saw Kim's Oh, Canada scarf (an Anne Hanson design) made from this yarn in her projects at Ravelry and had to have some of my own. This is Opulence, a 50/50 merino/silk, in the shade she calls Moroccan Spice, 300yds, which will be a nice scarf. This is the color of cayenne and paprika, rich as can be. Yum!! Small world - Kim is a fan of Cavalier King Charles spaniels and knows Jean, one of my Elannite friends, also a fan.


We also have new-baby cuteness. Mom Anna sent a photo of Tonio on the so-cheerful baby quilt I sent, quilted by one of my talented seniors. Tonio is clearly ready for a BIG hug!

And while I was carrying the camera around, Midnight was in an adorable pose, so I just had to snap a picture. She's lost a bit of ground in our fight against her kidney and thyroid problems, and while her appetite is better with a change in her canned food, she's not yet put back the one-pound weight loss from a couple of months ago. She's down to under 7 pounds, which is a really tiny, skinny girl, even though her long fur hides it a bit. The change in food may not be better for her ailments, but she had nearly stopped eating the canned prescription foods. It's all trade-offs now, I guess. I think she's feeling better, too, since she's doing more grooming.