Tabby's Place and Brown Bags

News Flash! News Flash!

Tabby's Place is in the news!!!! Tabby's Place is the cat sanctuary where my niece Jen works, and it's a wonderful facility. Click on their link to read more about them, or, better yet, watch tonight's news. Not the local-yokal news, but National news! CBS Evening News with Katie Couric to be more precise! Yup, Tabby's Place is scheduled to be on tonight's broadcast, which is from 6:30-7:00pm here on the east coast. That is, unless there are any major news developments, blah, blah, blah.

As if that isn't enough excitement, Tara gets her stitches out today. Woo Hoo! In honor of this big day (for both Tabby's Place and Tara) I decided to join Donna Lee's Brown Bag Sock Yarn Club. I think that's what she is calling it. I can't seem to link to the exact post on her blog, but go there and scroll down to the entry for January 12th.

In short, the idea is to use up sock yarn from your stash. Sad and lonely sock yarn that is just sitting there, waiting to be worked into a pair of socks, but you never seem to get to it because some other flashy yarn catches your eye. You take 12 different skeins of sock yarn (I had my sister do this part, because I wanted a little extra surprise each month) and put them into brown lunch bags.
Including a pattern is optional, so I didn't. I figured I would let the yarn "speak to me". Who am I kidding, I'll probably knit twelve pair of my standard old sock recipe. I'm not much of one for change. Anyway, each month you reach in and pull out a bag and knit up the yarn into a pair of socks. I know January is almost over, but better late than never, right? So, I enlisted the help of the fur babies, but Emma was the only one who could be bothered to play my little game.
She tip-toed through the bags, carefully inspected each offering, and ever-so-delicately chose the most appealing one, and carried it over to one of the dog beds...

...and ripped the stuffing out of it!

Viola! My Brown Bag Sock Yarn Club for the month of January!

Finished Object Report

Woo Hoo - finally some finished objects to share! First, a non-knitting project - here are some no-sew kitty beds made from soft and fluffy fleece for the cats at Tabby's Place. Stay warm, little kitties!

Next up is a sweater for my niece Lexi who turned one year old this month.The pattern is called "Lacy Sweater" from Zoe Mellor. It's a fun knit, after you get done the edging at the bottom. That edging seems like it just goes on forever and ever and ever and ever...

Even though this next picture is kind of dark, I think baby knits always look better when modeled by the much-loved baby!

Her mommy brought her down for a "girls day out" yesterday - just little Lexi, and Lexi's mommy, grammy, and two aunts. A good time was had by all!

Last but not least, no finished object report would be complete without a pair of socks....

...or two...

...or three.

That last pair are from the yarn that I dyed at our guild workshop last month.

What will I be working on next? Certainly not these:

That is one of the almost-complete Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang that I was trying to knit. No problem until I got to the cast-off. I am absolutely hopeless at trying to cast off from a stretch ribbing and have the finished product be even a teeny tiny bit flexible. I give up.

So, what will I be knitting?

Yup, more socks!

This 'n' That 'n' Linky Dinks

I mentioned a week or so ago that Nichole of Lapdog Creations is having a contest. Go on over there and check it out - it's for a cause that is near and dear to my heart - homeless animals! There are multiple ways to enter, one of which is to make snuggles and donate them to an animal shelter. I saw on Criquette's blog that she made some really cool no sew snuggles! She even posted a tutorial on how to make them, and she made it look so easy I had to give it a try. I bought some of this: And in a few hours turned it into this:
That is Emma surrounded by four soft and snuggly, well, snuggles. Tara wanted to have her picture taken, too.
To the untrained eye, it might look like she is bored with this, but not true. She is more than happy to sit and model the snuggles for as long as mommy needs her.

Hey, get back here! Nope, she said "Enough is enough...I'm outta here!" Oh, well. These snuggles are going to Tabby's Place where my niece Jen works. It's a cage-free cat sanctuary for around 100 cats. It's a wonderful place, and only about 20 minutes north of a great yarn store called the Wooly Lamb in Pennington, NJ. I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, just because I think this post need yet another link, here is a link to Donna Lee's "What You Think On Grows" blog. She is a great mom with two wonderful girls, and I've enjoyed her blog for a while now. Today she posted one of those blog quizzes, and for the fun of it I clicked on the link and filled it out, too. I usually don't bother posting the results, but I had to this time. The results said I's a "Duty Fulfiller" (not exactly glamorous) and I prefer productive hobbies, like knitting. Well, it actually said "knittings", but in such cases allowances must be made. It also said I'm an "ISTJ", but I have no idea what that is. I hope it's not something profane. I mean, my mom reads this blog...

You Are An ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. In love, you are loyal and honest. If you commit yourself to someone, then you're fully committed. For you, love is something that happens naturally. And you don't need romantic gestures to feel loved. At work, you remember details well and are happy to take on any responsibility. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer. How you see yourself: Decisive, stable, and dependable When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, conservative, and egotistical

What's" Your Personality Type?

Meet Sardi

My niece Jenny sent me this picture of one of the cats at Tabby's Place where she works. This is Sardi, snuggled up on a blanket that Criquette made for her.

Sardi says "Thanks, Criquette. The lovely green blankie really sets off the color of my eyes. Oooops, eye." No, she is not winking. She only has one eye. This poor kitty has had a rough time of it, but thankfully is now in a lovely cat sanctuary, cared for by wonderful people. Click here to read more of Sardi's story.

Happy Cats...

...and a happy niece. My niece Jenny came home for the weekend, so I gave her the cat treats and snuggly blanket that Criquette sent to me for the cats at Tabby's Place. Thanks Criquette! The kitties say "Meow, meow, meow - Thanks, Criquette!"


Now for an update on another happy kitty. Do you remember the stray cat Joey that has been hanging around? Well, I am 100% against having "outside" cats. I have always thought that if you're going to have a cat, it should be inside.

That said, I think I have an "outside" cat. That's what happens when you start feeding strays, I guess. He is now dependant on us, but my sister is terribly allergic to cat hair, and Emma and Tara think a cat is nothing but a a big squirrel (and they HATE squirrels) so Joey cannot come inside the house. What to do...what to do? Last winter Joey would show up a couple of times a week, so we lined an old dog house with hay & blankets for the times he would stay in the area overnight.

This year, Joey knows which side of the bread is buttered, so to speak, and I don't think he has stepped foot off the property in months. Why would he? Three meals a day. Count 'em - THREE. He's a pig! Where is he sleeping? In a castle! Well, it's really the garage, but he thinks it's a castle. He has his own cushy bed with a heating element, and a heat lamp over his bed to take the chill off. Dad even put in an outlet dedicated to Joey's use. It is just the right height for his bed's and heat lamp's electric cords. Here is Joey in all his glory:

By the way, he thinks he should be called "Joseph" now. He says it better fits his elevated station in life. Inside the house, it is a chilly 60 degrees in one zone, and 56 degrees in another. I'm huddled next to the pellet stove, which is the only place in the house where my fingers are warm enough to knit, but if you go out in the garage and put your hand on Joey's Joseph's tummy, he is as warm as a piece of toast. A piece of buttered toast. With jelly.

What are the symptoms of withdrawal?

I'm here at home waiting for 10:30 am to roll around so I can go and get blood drawn and then come back and have a freakin' cup of coffee. When you have to fast before an appointment to get blood drawn, there is no way that "fasting" should include "no coffee." That's just cruel and unusual punishment. If I'm a little crabby in this post, that's the reason why. I'm on caffeine withdrawal. Anyway, it's been so long since I sat down to read blogs, or write a substantive post, that I'm ashamed of myself. "Life" has somehow gotten in the way.

You know that old question "If a tree falls in the woods with no one around to hear it, does it still make a sound?" Well, if I cast on, knit, finish, and give away a project without taking a picture for the blog, does it still count as a completed project? I cast on & finished a pair of fingerless glove things for my niece, and gave them to her without taking a picture for the blog. Oh, well. I say they still count. My blog, my rules!

I've been furiously knitting these socks, for the same niece:

I had hoped to get them done my tomorrow, as she is coming home for Thanksgiving, but there's just no way. She is loving her job at the cat sanctuary, but more on that later.

I cast on for another alphabet blanket for a very dear friend. Actually, it's for her daughter, who is expecting a baby. For some reason, I was positive it was a boy, so I bought a lovely turquoise blue and got right to work on the blanket.

I guess I dreamed the "it's a boy" part in my head. They actually don't know the gender of the baby yet, so the blanket is on hold for now. Luckily, my friend Pat needed to fill out an order to Knitpicks to qualify for free shipping, so being the *martyr* that I am, I just had to help her out, and I bought more yarn in case the baby is really a girl. The colors are a little vibrant in this photo.

Speaking of Pat, she is no longer "blogless Pat", she is now (drumroll, please...) Patty Ann, Quilter & Knitter! Go check out her blog, and keep watching for her beautiful creations.

Back to my niece Jenny. She started working at Tabby's Place a few weeks ago, and it is really a perfect fit for her. She said that one of her favorite cats is featured on their website right now - his name is Ringo. Go click on his picture - he looks like such a sweetie pie! If you are considering getting a cat, they always have a wide selection available for adoption. All ages, colors, and even some special needs cats, if you are up for a challenge!

If dogs are more your thing, go on over to Nichole's blog. She is an awesome doggy mom, and generally has a foster dog staying with them. Right now, it is the lovely Sophie. Nichole is having a contest that I first posted about here. The rules are on this page. Hurry - the deadline is November 30th!

Ok, off to get a cup of coffee now. Crap, it's still an hour and a half until I can have coffee. Crap, crap, crap.

Everywhere You Look.....Cats!

This past weekend, I helped move some stuff to my niece's new apartment. It's a unique situation, in that there are cats everywhere. Truly....everywhere. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, because she will be working for a cat sanctuary. It's really cool, but a little weird to see so many cats in one place. It's called Tabby's Place, and it's a non-profit organization that takes in cats who have nowhere else to go. If they can find a loving homes, great. Here is the list of cats, by the way. If not, the cats are welcome to stay at Tabby's Place (receiving the best of care) for as long as they live. How great is that?

Here's Jen outside the building.

This is the self-appointed guard cat, I suppose. I didn't get her name, but she was in this comfy bed by the door and stayed there the whole time we were walking around. You'll notice her lack of ears - she has cancer, and has had a couple of surgeries recently. This is the view into the lobby from the front door. There are several rooms that hold bunches of cats. One for weight control feedings, one for sick cats, etc. The only cage I saw was the one in the center of the lobby. It is for a paralyzed cat that uses one of those wheely-cart thingies to get around. When not in the cart, he can go back to his cage and be safe from other cats pestering him.This is a close-up of one of the cat rooms.
In addition to the cats in the rooms, there are also cats wandering around freely. Here is one enjoying a nap on a chair in the lobby. Note the hand-made blankets he is snuggled up with!

Here is another cat, who has appointed himself as guard of the fax machine. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!

As an extra bonus, look what we found about 10 minutes from Jen's new apartment:
Yes, a yarn store! How lucky is that? We just had to stop in. Did you see the "sale" sign in the window? Who could resist? Just a little bit of stash enhancement. None of it was on sale, but that's OK.

Do you remember this post from just last week? You would think I could exercise the tiniest bit of self control, but noooo. I have already cast on for a pair of fingerless gloves.....

and a pair of socks.
I'm hopeless.