Three Cats and a Box

 I was cleaning up the mess I have on the dining room table so I pitched a stray Amazon box on the deck. Soon after, I saw Hoover taking advantage of it in a rather bizarre way so I snapped a photo.

 Not that long after, I noticed the box had another visitor. That's Louise taking a nap.

An hour or so later I glanced out and......Thelma was peeking out at me. I can't tell you how much money I have spent on fancy kitty beds only to learn-boxes are best.

Winter Preview

 I hated the September card kit of the month so I opted out and then went on a spending spree to make it up to myself.

 The problem was that the fall themed kits I wanted would not be released for another few weeks.

 I pre-ordered a few of them and then made myself happy buying last year's Christmas kits instead.

 You can't have enough snow people, right?

 I also got some zig zag and banner dies.

 That's what the zig zag does. I bought it to go with the absolutely adorable Halloween kit I should be getting in a week or so.

Ta dah.....not terribly original but I can see The Mister having fun with these once I convince him that making our own Christmas cards again this year is a good thing.

Time Out

 Daddio's rings are all appliqued down thanks to the tip I got from Cindy at Delighted Hands. That  invisible Sulky thread is just what I needed. I am at a standstill though because I am waiting for an order of batiks to finish up a few more fancy borders to add some additional size to it. I had only bought Daddio a few packs of charm squares for this project thinking he would never finish it. He sure fooled me.

 While I was working on finishing Daddio's quilt I realized I had made a boo boo on mine. See those dark diamonds that connect the rings? I never made them for mine.

Parts of them occur when you join the rings but the rest have to be made and added later. I am also out of material so I'm waiting for that order to finish mine too.

For now it's all draped around the house. I just hope the cats don't notice. It could get ugly.

A FO, an Uh Oh and an OMG

 Here's the FO. The Miss Bab's socks are done. That's her 2017 MDSW colorway Inner Harbor View.

 Whenever I stand in line with that itty bitty skein of expensive sock yarn I always think it won't be enough for a decent pair of socks. It always is. I even have 1.4 ounces left over.

Now for the Uh Oh...My Halloween socks are too small. They won't go over my heel thanks to all the fancy stranding. I thought they were looking a little snug when I put them up against the finished ones.

 So...they will become Halloween mitts instead. I've gone too far to give up now. This could work.

 As for the OMG...look at my bed. My sock drawer exploded.

 I've got over 60 pairs of socks....

 ....including another drawer of thick handspun croc socks for when it really gets cold.

I spent the afternoon organizing them all and looking for moth damage. I am happy to say I saw none so they all went back in. There may just be room for another pair or two-thank goodness. I can't stop making socks.

Sunday Stitching

 I can't wait for football to start again. I've never watched a game in my life but it keeps The Mister occupied all day while I find a quiet corner to stitch. These days it's hard to find any time to myself for one reason or another. Having said that, I am working on adding a cloud to the nautical sampler and it's slow going. White is my least favorite color to work with.

 I've got that impossible tree finished and I am starting a much easier one on the tree music sampler.

 This one is painful. I had to blow up the pattern and use highlighters to figure out where I am. I finished the sewing machine-except for filling in the white (see comment above). Now I am working on the blankety blank blanket.

 The wedding sampler has a brown flower now and a bit more foliage. There will be a field of sheep in the center if I ever get there.

 Speaking of sheep, Mr. Merino is done on the sheep breed sampler. I think Mr. Lincoln is next.

 This is as far as I got on the Sheep Virtues sampler this week. No sheep in sight yet.

I do have a little sheep that is popping up on the meadow sampler. This project was a big yawn until it showed up. Sheep make everything better.

Like the Wind

Before I start rambling on about knitting whatnots let me first send some positive thoughts to friends in Texas. I've knit for babies that live in Texas and I've got more than my fingers crossed in hopes that they weather this storm. This is a familiar area to The Mister and I. We took Daddio on a road trip down interstate 10 from New Orleans to San Antonio the year after mom died so the old guy could see the Alamo. It was quite the adventure.

 When I haven't been watching The Weather Channel, I've been knitting like crazy on this sock so I can have a fresh start for the fall KAL. It's the last of a pair and I have had them on the needles since the first of May. It went along for a long ride yesterday. Nothing is better than car knitting for getting something done.

 We had lots of errands to run. It all began at the gas station and then the 7-11 for The Mister's obligatory coffee. I had just passed the heel decreases. Once I'm past that part it's game on.

 Next stop Michael's. I sat in the car and knitted with the pups while The Mister picked out a new model to work on.

 By the time we were at AC Moore' s I was halfway up the foot. The Mister picked up another model here. He's a model making machine.

 We stopped at McD's for an egg mcmuffin for the dog's breakfast and then took a walk around a nearby pond.

 It was a beautiful day for sitting and knitting and the old doggie agreed. She loves her pooch pouch and I agree. Best purchase ever.

By the time we made our last stops-at the bank and then Walmart for cat food, I was at the toe. It was time to start decreasing but I was done in. I'll save that for another day. Tomorrow.

Fall Preview

 It's too early to be breaking out the pumpkin spice coffee but it's not too soon to be deciding on the yarn I am going to be using for Dee and Vera's Fall KAL that starts September first.

 I've got a lot to choose from but I think I am going with Maple Leaves.

 I thought I may like an interesting pattern to go with the Felici stripe so I went digging through my huge pattern stash.

 I didn't find anything I liked but I did find this. Years ago, this was going to be Halloween socks that I wanted to adapt from the popular pirate hat. I had even wound the yarn but never got around to casting on.

My knitting as of late has been dismal but I did enjoy getting these started.

I found an old gift bag to cart them around in so I won't forget about them. We are having a nice cool down at the moment so I'm thinking ahead. It won't be long now.

I've even got a Halloween towel in the making. I'm ready for fall. Are you?

Playing Chicken

 Since my knitting is not going my way I was feeling a bit at loose ends until I remembered I had Miss Chicken tucked away. Wool is wool.

 She's getting her tail feathers on. Not without drama though. Those swirls are a bit tricky. I've pulled them out and redid them several times but it's mercifully easy to do.

Ever wonder what the back looked like?  Cool, huh?

Weekend Update

 Before all the eclipse hoopla we had Daughter and her hubby over to celebrate her birthday on Sunday.

Instead of a present, her dad gave her a day of golf.

Here is a picture of something she did good but I forgot what it was. I know nothing about golf.

 I was at home making lunch for everybody while they were off chasing little balls around. Daughter asked for Bay crabs and shrimp from the little seafood stand down the street.

There was potato and macaroni salad along with corn on the cob. I tried my hand at making a Maryland speciality, Smith Island Cake. I only managed four of the traditional eight layers but it was still good.

 Daughter loved her kitty poufs.

She brought the present she had given herself for her birthday during her New York trip. She has a handbag stash like I have a yarn stash. It takes all kinds.

This is the cake her hubby had gotten for her birthday dinner with her skating co-workers earlier in the month. Apparently this is a big deal on the internet and Daughter had her heart set on one even though finding someone who made them in the DC area wasn't easy-or cheap. Any guy who goes to this kind of trouble for a birthday that doesn't even end in a zero is a keeper!