Sunday, September 02, 2007

Slow but Steady

I was hoping to finish up the Frost Flowers and Leaves Shawl this long weekend, but I don't stand a chance. I've added one more edge, and now I'm almost half-way done. Now we can begin to see the size of the thing.

Rather than drive myself nuts by going steady with just one knit, I let my knitting fingers wander onto other projects. I cast on a plain sock, since we must always have at least one on the needles. And I cast on my second sleeve for the Halcyon Aran. One ball of yarn took me all the way to 18 inches on the first sleeve and that's enough for now. I'll adjust the length to the proportion of the body, once I've knit that. I'm still excited to start the main part of this project.

In other news, Dexter seems to have a cold. Since he's my first dog, I have no experience with this. But he's got a runny nose, he sneezes, and yesterday, after a particularly vigorous play session he had a cough. Man, dog coughs are nasty sounding! The cough went a way after he rested.

I looked things up on the net, and I'm pretty sure it's kennel cough. He was vaccinated against Bordetella shortly after we got him, so this illness is a little puzzling. He's still eating like a horse and wants to play, so I'm not going to take him to the vet yet. We're watching him though.

The rest of this weekend will be filled with housecleaning, and shopping as the kids prepare to go back to school. I think they're really ready to go! Summer got boring for them. Can you remember those days?

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:36 am

    The bordatella vaccine doesn't protect against all forms of kennel cough. If he spikes a fever, you might want to check with the vet.

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  2. Can't help you with Dexter. Mine seems to have allergies, she always rubs her nose and lips agains anything, even my pants. Your shawl is huge! My god, no wonder it took that long. Congrats on finishing it and hanging in there.

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  3. Anonymous12:58 pm

    Wow! That is going to be a huge shawl when it is blocked. (heck, it's really big unblocked, lol)

    I can't believe that summer is ending and school is about to start. Time flies!

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  4. Could he have allergies? Goof developed them just this year.

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  5. The colour of your shawl is stunning. It will be perfect for fall.
    Oh and I like your sunbeam sock too.

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  6. That's a big shawl! Pretty though.

    The kennel cough shot only lasts for 6 months to a year depending on the age of your dog. We've had to put Apollo in two different kennels (a year and a half between each visit) and each time we had to get him vaccinated.

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  7. As someone pointed out earlier, kennel cough comes in a couple of varieties, both bacterial and viral. The vaccination protects against one kind and keeps the dangerous combination of attackers from nabbing him at once.

    That said, dogs DO just get colds -- viruses. Most dog allergies are reflected in their coats or their ears -- hence the head-rubbing [grin]. I've got to watch the Dalmatian or he'd peel the skin from his face trying to releave the itching in his ears. Thankfully, he responds well to the combination of things the vet has recommended, so we can keep things down to a dull roar.

    That said, don't be surprised if Dexter is less enthusiastic about eating while his nose is stopped up. Just like a human, he needs plenty of water and some extra sleep. Also, as someone else said, watch for fever or for serious lethargy -- as in, he just lays there and ignores you when he sees you, instead of interacting when you walk in. Social critters that they are, dogs will at least acknowledge your presence by a couple of tail-thumps or a flick of the ears, even when they feel super-crummy. When they don't -- head for the vet!

    Poor pup.

    Well, the lace looks wonderful. Love the color and can't wait to see close ups! Sock knitting is always a sensible and soothing alternate to lace or cables, etc. Gotta love them socks. [grin]

    Take care!

    --Shelob

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  8. I can't add anything to everyone else's advice about kennel cough, but you have such gorgeous projects on the needles! It's a marvel. Hubby and I love the shawl - very beautiful.

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  9. Um, the runny nose could be allergies, it is that time of year. The cough, could very well be that he got something in his throat while romping around.I'm hoping this has all cleared up!!

    The shawl looks awesome!

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