Yarn thief

I live with a yarn thief. The thief is stealthy, small, and can fit into tight spaces (as all thieves are wont to be and do). However, this one has four feet and has recently figured out how to get into my closets.

For the past two years, I've known not to leave yarn unattended at any time when it's out in the open - Portia has tried to make off with yarn that I'm actively knitting with, no matter the size of the ball. Counters and tables also aren't safe. Though she knows those areas are off limits, the minute my back is turned or I go to bed, up she goes. Shortly after I moved to my new apartment I forgot about a small ball of yarn which I had used to tie up some boxes. I left the ball resting in the middle of a roll of tape on the back of my kitchen counter when, exhausted, I went to bed. The next morning I followed a trail of yarn through the living/dining room, around a chair and a footstool, and back and forth a couple more times. When I found Portia hiding behind the far side of the bed she looked extremely guilty.

Well, on Thursday, I thought I was in the clear when I wound up the remnants of a skein and stashed it in a box in my storage closet (which is just off of my living room area). I made a quick trip into my bedroom, the lone area of my apartment with consistently good reception, to call my mom and get some pie advice. When I came out, about to get said pie out of the oven, I could do nothing but laugh when I saw Portia proudly sitting in the middle of the dining area with the freshly retrieved ball of yarn (which was bigger than her head). She's starting to take pride in her work - nothing is safe.

Herringbone Scarf

Over the weekend, I was able to finish the first of four (so far) Christmas projects. Since this one has already been given, in time for what might be an interesting winter, I can post about it freely. It's following the Herringbone Scarf pattern. The pattern is fairly easy, once you get the hang of it and consistently remember to slip off stitches (I forgot a couple early on, as my fingers were getting used to the motion). I cast on 35 stitches, and ended up increasing by 2 to 37. Although it doesn't show up, the pattern is on a slight angle - the rows don't go straight across.

The yarn is Lion Brand Homespun, in the Waterfall colorway. While the yarn is soft, and I love the color variation, I found it literally a pain to work with. There's no give, and it has a tendency to split and is surprisingly squeaky on the needles (I have my grandma's Boye Needlemaster kit, and tend to use those or other metal needles). Thankfully, with size 13 needles, this was a fairly quick knit, and my mom was thrilled to get the scarf.

Now it's on to knit the last bit of project number two and find some good buttons to finish it off.

*Portia has figured out how to open the storage closet, so Frankenmouse's days are numbered.

The minor, but certainly not silent, partners

Introducing the feline members of this blog:

Nico, aka Captain Scaredy-Cat, and Portia, aka the Destroyer of Toys. Both cats are rescues, and while they aren't siblings, they were born within a week or two of each other and are both three years old. Most of the time they get along famously, and Portia mothers Nico quite well.

One of the dearly loved cat toys here is Frankenmouse - actually, Frankenmouse the Second.
Before surgery:

And after:Frankenmouse is currently down to one limb and eye (where he originally laid claim to two each of feet, forearms, ears, and eyes). He is currently in witness protection in the closet.

Purrlings?

So purrlings, where did that come from?

Well, I knit, and therefore purl. My cats do a lot of purring, and bestow many a purrling upon me. Add in a bit of nerdy humor, and you've got me in a very small nutshell. Of course there's a lot more to me, and hopefully this site, but we'll get to that. I can't promise frequent postings, but you'll be able to see and keep track of projects I'm working on, or get stories about what my crazy furballs are up to now, and find occasional links to geek humor.

"The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together." - William Shakespeare