The Dog Ate my Swift and Other Stories.

One day, the whole family went out. "Shall we put Dexter in his kennel?" I asked Jim. "Naw. He'll be fine." And so he was, but while we were gone, he found it necessary to eviscerate a box of tissues and chew on my swift. I'm sure he thought it was quite a lovely stick.


Since then, I've been a little lost. In thinking of what I'd like to knit next, I'd contemplate whether the yarn came in hanks or balls. It's not much fun to be constrained in your projects like that. But today, my Daddy delivered replacement parts.


He and his neighbour got together and made these peices for me using one of the chewed pieces as a template. Yippee! The wood has to be varnished first, and I still have to figure how to work around the join bit, but at least now I have parts to work with. I hope to have the swift repaired soon and do I solemnly promise to store it some where dog-proof from now on. Also, I sent Dad home with a pair of socks and a hat so the neighbour could choose one as a thank you present.

I've been finishing things around here. The Paton's vintage socks are done and I've finally taken I nice picture of them.

That's one more pair for the Christmas gift pile and I'm quite happy with them. I like the way the diamond finishes on the arch of the foot and I'd like to try using that same idea on another pair some time.

This weekend I decided I deserved a break from the Christmas knitting. What I really needed was a hat to keep the November wind from my ears. My last hat doesn't quite cut it. So I cobbled something together using a design from Charlene Schurch's Hats On, and a chart from Small Sweaters.

I love having a hat unlike anyone else's. It's a snug fit and two layers of Mission Falls wool should protect my tender ears. They're particularly susceptible because I'm coming down with a cold. Yet the dog must still be walked. It wouldn't do to have him chewing on the furniture. I don't think Dad and his neighbour could whip up a new chair leg as easily.