I thought I might start posting some works in progress on Wednesdays since the project list keeps growing while additions to the finished list are slowing down. Mostly because there are just SO MANY THINGS I want to make I keep starting new projects and forget to finish. I’m starting to wish I was one of those many-armed goddesses so I could be knitting and spinning all kinds of things at the same time.

Here are two major projects (ie not scarves) on the needles right now:

Clapotis in Noro Silk Garden #84

which has gotten much more fun since starting the dropped stitches but I keep putting down for long periods of time.

and the Devan toddler cardigan in Lang Bebe self-striping

which is pretty damned daunting to face with such tiny yarn and size three needles but it’s going to be so adorable on the niece.

And there are the usual quickie projects like scarves and washcloths. For some reason today I decided to start another Nouveau Poncho in La Boheme which will be very interesting.

Oh, and Winter got her new bed.

and her pink leather skully collar will be here shortly. Thanks for voting!

Winter got to eat smoked ham for breakfast on Saturday. It was just a package of deli lunch meat but I warmed it in the microwave for a few seconds so it would smell good. I had already set out Melon’s plate of smoked kipper but she clearly wanted some of Winter’s ham too. Pleased to see her wanting to eat something other than the extremely nasty tinned fish I put a few slivers on her fishy plate too.

Winter patiently sat and waited while Cody and I sang “Happy Birthday” to her (like the complete dorks that we are) then she gobbled the ham up as soon as I set the plate on the floor.

Now whenever Melon meows it sounds exactly like she’s saying “Haaaaam!”

WindyRidge’s Second Mrs deWinter (Winter)

Born: August 27, 2001
Sire: CH. Wyndrunhr Red Hot Chili (Red Dawg)
Dam: CH. Ridgeview’s Kaotic Tempest JC CGC TDI (Kaos)
Breeder: Windy Ridge (Kristine Weaver and Jeff Hayes)

go see many baby ridgeback pics

Go wish Zuzu a happy birthday via both her human parents as well!

this meme sort of goes with yesterday’s x scarf doesn’t it?

[ ] I’ve run away from home.
[X] I listen to political music.
[X] I collect (Sandman) comic books.
[X] I shut others out when I’m sad.
[ ] I open up to others easily.
[ ] I am keeping a secret from the world.
[ ] I watch the news.
[ ] I own over 5 rap CDs.
[X] I own an (adorable pink mini) I-Pod.
[X] I own something from Hot Topic (and Torrid).
[X] I love (three) Disney movies.
[X] I am a sucker for hair/eyes.
[ ] I don’t kill bugs.
[X] I curse regularly.
[X] I paid for that cell phone ringtone.
[ ] I have “x”s in my screen name.
[ ] I’ve slipped out a “lol” in a real conversation.
[ ] I love Spam.
[ ] I bake well.
[X] I would wear pajamas to school.
[ ] I own something from Abercrombie
[ ] I have a job.
[X] I love like Martha Stewart.
[X] I am in love with someone.
[ ] I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS.
[X] I am self conscious.
[X] I like to laugh.
[ ] I (don’t) smoke a pack a day (anymore).
[X] I loved Go Ask Alice.
[ ] I have cough drops when I’m not sick.
[ ] I can’t swallow pills.
[X] I have many scars.
[X] I’ve been out of this country.
[X] I believe in ghosts.
[X] I can’t sleep if there is a spider in the room.
[X] I am really ticklish.
[X] I see/have seen a therapist.
[X] I love chocolate french fries.
[ ] I bite my nails.
[X] I am (usually) comfortable with being me.
[X] I play computer games/video games when i’m bored.
[X] Gotten lost in your city.
[X] Saw a shooting star.
[X] Gone Went out in public in your pajamas bottoms last week.
[ ] I have kissed a stranger.
[X] Hugged a stranger.
[X] Been in a fight with the same sex.
[ ] Been arrested.
[X] Laughed and had milk/soda come out of your nose.
[X] Pushed all the buttons on an elevator.
[ ] Made out in an elevator.
[X] Swore at your parents.
[X] Kicked a guy where it hurts.
[ ] Been skydiving.
[ ] Been bungee jumping.
[X] Broken a bone.
[ ] Played spin the bottle.
[X] Gotten stitches.
[ ] Drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour.
[ ] Bitten someone.
[X] Been to Niagara Falls.
[X] Gotten the chicken pox.
[ ] Crashed into a friend’s car.
[X] Been to Japan.
[X] Ridden in a taxi.
[X] Shoplifted.
[X] Been fired (technically yes but after five minutes of telling the guy how he had no idea how his company worked he was begging me to stay).
[X] Had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back.
[X] Stole something from your job. (just my nameplate when I left)
[X] Gone on a blind date (in Japan).
[X] Lied to a friend.
[ ] Had a crush on a teacher/coach.
[ ] Celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans. (that’s the one time I will refuse to go there)
[X] Been to Europe.
[ ] Slept with a co-worker.
[X] Been married.
[ ] Gotten divorced.
[ ]Saw someone dying.
[X]Driven over 400 miles in one day.
[X] Been to Canada.
[X] Been on a plane.
[X] Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
[ ] Thrown up in a bar.
[X] Eaten Sushi.
[ ] Been snowboarding.
[ ] Been skiing.
[X] Been ice skating.
[X] Met someone in person from the internet (and married them).
[ ] Been to a motorcross show.
[X] Gone/Going to college.
[X] Done hard drugs
[X] Taken painkillers.
[X] Cheated on someone else
[X] Were so bored you took this survey.
[X] Have a tattoo

snagged from cheekyprof

Damn that ebay. Damn its eyes for selling such cool yarn. Like this gorgeous handspun merino plied with beaded string that I bought and made a quickie scarf with this week.

It’s sort of a miniature version of the crossover scarf from knitty gritty. And sort of influenced by a summer scarf in this summer’s Vogue Knits.

It’s hard to see the beads. There aren’t a whole lot, just a sprinkling of them.

This yarn is so soft and the variations from being handspun really add a nice varied texture. As do the little sparkly beads. But this is just the beginning of the handspun yarn thing.

I’ve crossed my “crazy line” where knitting is concerned. I tend to get obsessive about things: my dog, hedgehogs, knitting, germs, asparagus, to name just a few. But I try to keep myself in check by creating a “crazy line,” or some sort of action or behavior I think is going too far.

In the case of my dog it’s the BARF diet. Yeah, barf. It’s an acronym for Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, depending on who you’re talking to. I have Winter’s food shipped in from Wisconsin and add all kinds of supplements to it. She usually gets yogurt and a greenie about once a day and lately she’s been getting a little less food and a little more canned unsalted green beans for some diet filler lately. I’ve looked into the barf diet and decided that grinding chicken necks and eggs and raw bones up and serving them to my dog were beyond my crazy line. You don’t even want to know what all I do to guarantee the hedgehog has a high protein low fat diet. I’ll throw a few mealworms into food and serve Melon her nastyass tinned smoked kipper snack but I will brook no raw chicken necks and backs in my kitchen.

I had a knitting crazy line. Had. But I just wasn’t strong enough to stay away from it. There’ve been just too many beautiful handspun yarns to buy on ebay and I was finally tempted. I blame winning this auction and receiving such beautiful and brightly colored yarn. And Jeannie for letting me borrow her drop spindle and showing me spinning basics. And helping me pick out such beautiful purple mohair to spin.

It sure isn’t perfect but it’s pretty damned cool.

Now I’m working with this beautiful orange and cream merino top. Don’t ask me what my thing for purples and oranges is about these days because I honestly have no idea.

Oh and want to know my new knitting “crazy line”? Spinning my pets’ fur.

Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John
La La La La La - Blendells
Back in Flesh - Wall of Voodoo
Come and Get Your Love - Redbone
Trouble - Cat Stevens
Boyz In The Hood - Dynamite Hack
Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
Message of Love - The Pretenders
Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
Likufanele - Zero 7
When I was Young - Eric Burdon
Fresh Feeling - Eels

Winter’s fourth birthday is on Saturday and we were planning on getting her a new collar. I can’t decide which one to get though.

Should I get the pink leather with silver skulls that I meant to get her for Xmas?

Or the stripey woven mayan collar from flax?

I finally set up Zola’s playground on the back porch work table so I could get a good video of her tubing. She did a lot of standing around and sniffing because there are always interesting smelling things outside and I’d painted the work table with a few coats of clear glossy deck stain last week.

But I managed to get some fun videos of Ms. Rockstar Zola and her amazing empty toilet paper tubes. The videos are big files - definitely not for dialup and barely tolerable for broadband. I cut them down as much as I could but really didn’t want to diminish the cuteness. They’re worth the wait though I promise.

Near Tubing (20.7 megs)

Tubey Tubey! (10.6 megs)

Isn’t she the weirdest cutest thing ever?

Not enough cuteness for you? Take a look at this.

Apparently when one takes up knitting one suddenly becomes suseptible to an almost viral appreciation of woven baskets.

To wit, I think this design is incredibly cool.

before

after!

I am a basket(cough*case*cough) dork.

We took Zola to the Saturday knitting group today. Between the fun company and their great knitting creations, Felix the adorable baby, and Ms. Pokypants there were many distractions from actual knitting (like knitting groups are supposed to be just about the knitting! ha!) but I did get a few rows done on the Clapotis.

Le clap and I are old friends now but I’m to the part where I drop a stitch every few rows (on purpose!) so I finally feel like I’m making progress. For those who’ve had trouble getting theirs going I highly recommend joining the yahoo group and printing out the excel spreadsheets from the files section. Makes an enormous difference having every line written with the number of stitches counted out like that.

Anyway, I was concerned that the Napoli coffee people might not like having a little poky hedgehog in their coffeeshop so I brought her in the zip-up ferret backpack in case I had to hide her. They didn’t even seem to notice the hedgehog. Although she wasn’t as noticable (or as cute if I may say so) as the sweet redheaded five month old human baby. So a good time was had by all and much attention was paid to both cuties.

I was reminded at the group that the LYS was having their annual sale (although to be completely honest I get almost that good a discount every day with my dropped stitch knitters membership card) and I’ve been wanting to get a ball winder.

For the most part I don’t mind winding by hand but with the dyeing I’ve been doing not to mention the spinning I’ve been learning (oh, yes THAT I haven’t mentioned that have I?) if I decided to sell it on Etsy or something I think it would look neater if I used a winder. And since we were already in that part of town we went to Village Wools to pick up a ball winder.

I didn’t really think I was going to buy yarn (we’re reaching yarn overload here at chez hedgehog) but I didn’t want to leave the hedgehog in the car while we went in. I mean, I’ll be in a yarn store I could end up being there all day. So I decided to wear the backpack into the store and just not mention that there was a live animal in it. I’ve done this a few times with the much more subtle Pins n Needles Shoulder Bag that looks just like a black purse with a hedgehog button. I should take pics of that bag sometime.

So we were walking into the store, with me wearing my backpack and I saw one of the Dropped Stitch Knitter Ladies coming my way from across the street. We spoke briefly then she complimented me on my backpack. I thanked her and whispered that my hedgehog was in it. Well she had to see it because when the hell else do you run into someone carrying a hedgehog right?

So I went into the store and opened the bag so she could see Zola. Then she called someone else over. Then two employees came up. Suddenly, no kidding, we were surrounded by a dozen people ogling my hedgehog LOL. It felt like I had a tiny grumpy rockstar in my hands. Naturally they all adored her because she’s adorable and I’m just so proud of how well she behaves with lots of different hands petting and holding her. That early socialization really does make a difference.

And, get this, one of the women said, “Hey, do you have a website called The Little Hedgehog? I read your site it’s cute!” Naturally my first thought was “Gee, I hope I haven’t written anything that offends her.” but Cody visibly swelled with pride that his wife is a notorious knitblogger with such a popular prickly pet. (Couldn’t help the alliteration.)

Oh, I bought the ball winder. And two skeins of Manos del Uruguay (heehee it’s Erin’s fault) in a purplish bluish orangish color I’ve been eyeballing every time I’ve been in the shop. I think I’m going to make My So-Called Scarf with it.

Let the Saturday ballwinding and hedgehog (and husband) napping commence!