New Project: Seamus! ... and a Completed Project: Irish Flag Blanket

He arrived safe and sound (though mildly dirty and a bit discombobulated) on Friday afternoon. Sean and I had a wonderful time with him all day yesterday as he learned about his new home. He did a great job - with a few accidents here and there - but a lot of times he did his business on the wee-wee pads like a good boy. He is an affectionate little guy with a lot of spunk. Want to see him in action? I've set up a YouTube channel, The Crocheting Commuter, to show the videos. The channel has my blog name and my blog is about knitting and crocheting but the videos are about Seamus. Oh well. It works.

Here's his first video (you can check out the channel for more):



I thought I'd also share this Washington Post article which talks about getting a new dog and how it can affect the family. It's true - because I got up at 7:30 this morning (instead of sleeping in like so many Saturdays before) and I don't feel like I missed out on the sleep. I got to enjoy the morning sunshine with Seamus and play with him afterward. Now I'm enjoying his company as he sleeps by my feet and I'm typing away on the computer. All before 10 am - and I'm loving it. What did I ever do without this little guy?

I'm also happy to report that he loves his little Irish flag blanket, made to celebrate his Irish ancestry (from the human side, not the Yorkie or Maltese sides). Here are a couple of photos of him with it - one awake and one passed out.





I've got all the details on Ravelry, except the finished size. I haven't had a chance to pull it away from him to measure it.

So far, the craft room has been off limits to him so he doesn't attack the yarn. I'm hoping in the next few days to let him check it out. Keep your fingers crossed that he's a lover of yarn and not a destroyer of yarn. :)

Completed Project: Dog Dish Placemat

Seamus will be here on FRIDAY!!! Yay!!!

In anticipation of his arrival, I got crafty. Here's a new dog dish placemat for Seamus.





Ravelry details can be found here. I didn't use a pattern - I just saw the project and improvised it. If you look really close, you can see where the nubs aren't even. But hey - is the dog really going to notice?

I'm also working on a small blanket for Seamus. It is going to be a mini version of the Irish flag. I'll have plenty of time to work on it during my travels for work this week. I'm off to the mid-west, Indianapolis and Iowa City to be exact. While I definitely won't have time to check out anything in Iowa City, I will hopefully have time for a store in Indianapolis.

And - I'll be home just in time for Seamus' arrival. I. Cannot. Wait!!!!

A Cute Distraction

My knitting and crocheting has taken a backseat this past week and I'm guessing the distraction will increase even more in the next week or so.

Sean and I are getting a puppy!!! YAY!!!!

Here are some photos from the breeder. He's a Maltese-Yorshire Terrier mix, aka a Morkie. We're naming him Seamus (pronounced shay-mus).

WARNING!!! The following photos may be too cute for some readers.









He's about 5 or 6 weeks old in these photos and we have to wait until he's 9 weeks old to have him shipped on a plane. I cannot wait! We're keeping our fingers crossed we'll get him Memorial Day weekend. And while the majority of posts on the blog will still be about crocheting and knitting, there is going to be plenty of cute puppy posts, too!

MS&W 2009

The weekend of Sheep and Shenanigans was wonderful! It was so much fun hanging with all my girls and getting to ooh and aah over little baby, Edward. The festival itself was a blast. The rain couldn't keep our spirits down. The music also helped.



There were the usual cute critters, especially the alpacas.





We checked out all the booths and tents and even the Ravelry meet up. The one spot where the Mistress spent a bunch of money was at Brooks Farm.




So how much yarn did I buy?




Absolutely NONE.




??????



Yep. I didn't buy any yarn whatsoever. I sure did look at a lot of different yarns and even toyed with the idea of buying some roving and a drop spindle to learn to spin, I just didn't want to buy any of it. Maybe it's because I've been buying such wonderful yarn throughout the year as I travel for work and check out all the local yarn shops. Plus, the yarn I brought with me, the recently purchased Blue Heron Yarn, was practically yelling at me to use it. So, while resting on a blanket with KMP and baby Edward, I started the scarf.



The photo shows a week's progress and I hope to have it done soon.

Are you disappointed that I didn't buy any yarn? I thought I would be, as we drove away from the festival but I stand by my decision. I've got to make a dent in my overflowing stash of yarn that includes yarn purchased at MS&W 2006. Maybe I'll make enough of a dent that I'll have to buy tons at MS&W 2010.

Three Days and Counting

I cannot express in words the excitement, the joy, the antici....





...pation of MS&W!!! This Saturday be a day filled with fibery goodness at the Howard County Fairgrounds!

But most importantly, in just three days, all my girls and baby Edward will be here. I cannot wait!!! But there is plenty to do before their arrival. I'm sorta ahead of the game with the bulk of the grocery shopping done but there's plenty else to do before Thursday night when the contingency from NYC arrives. Hence, it's 11:00 pm and I'm just finally getting some blogging done. (I had to make a cake for work, but that's a subject for a later post.)

In preparation of the big weekend, I recently tried out the swift for the first time to make sure it worked...



...and it did!



That's the Blue Heron yarn I bought in St. Michaels. Wanna close-up?



While I have every intention of posting more before the big weekend, I don't think my schedule will allow it. There's just too much to do between now and Thursday night. If only I could take an extra day off from work, but alas, that is not looking like it's in the cards.

If you happen to go to MS&W, be sure to check out the Ravelry meet up at the Rabbit pavilion and if you happen to see this Crocheting Commuter, do stop me and say hello. Safe travels and happy yarn shopping!

LYS in St. Michaels Maryland

The first weekend of April, Sean's Mom came to visit. We had a wonderful weekend spending Saturday in Downtown DC to see the cherry blossoms and then Sunday in St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore. I feel in love with the place as soon as we drove down the main street of town. It has all the things I liked about the Hamptons without the stuff I hated about the Hamptons. So cute with boutique stores and high end stuff I can't afford to buy (but do enjoy browsing). Right by the water with wonderful restaurants and fresh seafood. We got to really enjoy the water with a long boat ride on the Miles River with Patriot Cruises. A must see and do if you're in the area.

And you know what else was in St. Michaels???

You know it - a yarn shop! Yay!!!

Frivolous Fibers located at 112 N Talbot Street in St. Michaels. The store didn't stand out at first with the main sign on the side of the building.





The yarn store is actually in the back of the store. Here's a photo from the front...



Though it was a small space, there was a large wall of needles and hooks and a great selection of yarns.



I loved this painter's palette of yarn colors.



One of the best parts of the store was the huge selection of Blue Heron Yarns which are hand-painted in nearby Easton, Maryland. I had seen Blue Heron before when out on the West Coast - but I refused to buy it since it was from Maryland. Now I was in Maryland with a huge selection of the beautiful yarn. How could I resist?

I couldn't. :)

I did restrain myself and buy just one skein of yarn.



It's bulky rayon chenille in Sandstone. I had to get it after I saw the felted scarf they had on display. I got the pattern with my purchase.



I must also mention that the ladies at the store were super friendly. I'm very much looking forward to our next trip to St. Michaels so I can check out the store again.

Hoppy Easter!

Here are photos of cupcakes I made for today:





Hope everyone has a fun and festive Easter!