It's been one year today since we had to put Salt to sleep.
I'm still not over it. I still miss him fiercely. I read a news column in the paper a couple of years ago about "lifetime dogs" – those dogs that you remember forever. The ones that hold a special place in your heart, no matter what dog you've had before or after. Salt was a lifetime cat, and there is a Salty-shaped hole in my heart to this day.
The camera has returned, so here are the latest pictures.
This is, of all things, the toilet at my client's new place of business. For some reason, this struck me as hilarious.
The toilet seat cover had a trout on it too.
Have you ever seen a sitcom episode where the hapless character is locked out of his(her) hotel room sans clothing? That was me this morning. Not quite so embarrassing, but incredibly stupid, and (after the fact) pretty laughable. A week or so ago the doorknob on our kitchen/garage door finally gave up and broke (picture DH and DD opening door only to find the detached doorknob in hand and insert laugh track here). The old door lock would not allow you to open it unless was unlocked which apparently is no longer being made because of the safety factor. DH replaced it with a fancy brass number that doesn't require the door to be unlocked to exit. See where this is going? Rachel and I have both locked ourselves out repeatedly, but we have a key stashed nearby so it hasn't been too much of a problem. Rachel left at the crack of dawn for her first college campus visit(!!) and DH also left for work early this morning, but forgot something inside the house so he used the stashed key to let himself back in. Annnndddd left the key in his pocket. When I got out of the shower this morning I remembered that it was St. Patrick's Day, so clad in nothing more than a towel I headed out to the garage/laundry to fetch my freshly washed green sweater. The door locked behind me.
Many curse words ensued.
Good news: I had enough clothes available to almost dress myself properly (we shall not discuss the missing bits). Bad news: our neighbor with the spare key was gone. Possible good news: with a broom handle and a good deal of stretching I can reach through the cat-door and just barely knock the keys hanging on a hook in the kitchen to the floor. Praying that one of the keys hanging up is a door key I flail away and knock several random sets of keys off the wall, then drag them to the cat flap. Almost dressed and with uncombed wet hair, I gleefully head to the front door... and none of them is a door key. Good news: someone forgot to lock the front door (DH or DD, doesn't matter – the front door is unlocked!).
DH got a very pointed email this morning…
Last week I had to go to Boise on somewhat short notice. I was going up upload a photo or two but evidently Rachel borrowed my camera this morning for her visit to the CalPoly campus today, so those will have to wait for a day or two, along with photos of the smidge of knitting I managed to do. Like so many knitters, I pack enough yarn for two weeks worth of knitting yet only manage a few hours of knitting. I was able to gift some really pretty Malabrigo and Manos to my cousin Lori who was kind enough to put me up in Boise, and feed me spectacularly to boot. Such a deal – a couple pounds of the heavenly Major Dickason's coffee from Peet's and a mini-round of to-die-for Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese and Lori provides lodging! If we were ever to move from the SF Bay Area, these two things would be on my top ten list of most-missed items.
The whole batch is going back into a sealed plastic bag and then isolated in its own plastic bin. I'll check back in a week or so, and if my paranoia continues I may have another baking session. Ms. R is going to a Speakeasy Study night – not what it sounds like, but a get-together for her AP History class to study for an exam, and all the kids are supposed to dress in 20's style clothing. I'd seen a really cute cloche pattern and Ray picked out some pink Cascade 220 and some pretty brown yarn (Nashua Julia, I think) for the trim. This was a fast knit, perhaps because I used a worsted weight when the original pattern called for DK, but I upped the needle size and knit it an inch shorter, and the thing fairly flew off my needles in spite of several late evenings working. I cast on Monday and was done Wednesday, then felted it on Thursday. She loves it. Still has to find a costume however...I saw evil. And then I smashed it with a paper towel, so I cannot be certain, but since it was the second appearance of said evil I'm afraid (horrified, actually) that it was a clothes moth. Gack. I'd seen one the day before, just above a bag that contained some newly purchased yarn, but didn't really register it. Then another the following day. I got that sick feeling in my stomach, so the entire bag went into the freezer. I had no immediate plans for the yarn so I figured it could chill out for a while and kill any beasties, real or imagined. Later that day or the next I was cruising on Ravelry and noticed a posting labeled "HELP – Moths Attack!" and as (bad) luck would have it, Barbara had most definitely had an encounter with the little winged demons. The advice from fellow Ravelers was to use heat, so this is what I baked tonight: 
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I'm continuing to plod slowly along on a lace stole destined to be a shop sample as well as my Central Park Hoodie. The stole is nearly done but I'll need to write up the pattern (and I dread that part). The CPH is boring me to tears though.
I also have some socks started on the sample skein of Malabrigo sock yarn, but have had a change of heart about the pattern I'm currently using. 
Fortunately the cast on for the pattern I have in mind is nearly identical so I'm not losing any ground there since I've really worked less than an inch on the pair (I'm doing 2 socks/2 circs). For the first time though I don't like the Knit Picks needles, at least on this yarn – I seem to snag the stitch on the very sharp point of the left needle as I drop a newly completed stitch. I've never had this problem before, and it is frustrating me to the point I don't want to work on the socks though I love the feel of the Malabrigo.
Berroco's NaturLin, which my shop co-worker Paula swatched yesterday. The swatch feels beyond wonderful, with an amazing drape and silky hand. The yarn is hidden away but I can still hear it screaming at me. I'm determined to finish the stole and the CPH however and have vowed to plug my ears until they're done.
I have to fly to Boise next week to visit a client and like any good obsessed knitter, I am already mentally packing about a half dozen project for the two and a half day trip. And none of them are the stole or the CPH! I'm totally hopeless.
