Pantheon Acres

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

2008-08-05T01:01:00.005-05:00

Today is my 1st Blogoversary and to celebrate, I've got a little annoucement:

I'M MOVING

OK, I'm not physically moving, but this blog is. The new address is...

http://knitting.pantheonacres.com/

Why not come over and check it out? Perhaps there will even be an annoucement over there.

Dish Rag Tag: The Sequel

2008-08-02T12:59:00.005-05:00

Signups are now open! I participated last year and had sooo much fun. What are you waiting for? Go check it out.

PS - This is not the annoucement, nor am I pregnant, nor is there a new dog in my future. Annoucement will be made on 8/5/08 -- my blogoversary.

PPS - I am closing down comments on the blog...are you even more curious?

Out of Touch

2008-07-24T22:42:00.003-05:00

I know I've been out of touch for awhile, but this time it'll be for a good reason.

I'm heading to Calgary for a Eurasier Conference.

I plan on having an annoucement - knitting related - soon after I return.

I'm Famous

2008-06-22T17:18:00.003-05:00

I promise that amongst all the other crap that is preventing me from blogging, I am knitting.

And I've got proof -- look I'm famous

Long Time No See

2008-06-10T19:32:00.004-05:00

Yeah, it has been awhile. I'm still working like crazy trying to get everything done so that I can settle back into my happy knitting, blogging, ravelry life.

As I'm attempting to setup my new website, I ran across a bit of a problem, so I'm using this post to test things out.

This link won't be here forever, just until I get things fixed, but if you're early enough, you might just get to see some pictures of my doggies. ;) If you click on the link and you can't see any pictures can you either leave a comment or send me an email at errs at yahoo dot com. I'd really appreciate the help.

Puppy Pictures

I hope to be back sometime before the end of the summer, with a whole new website and blog to share.

Time to Give Back

2008-04-10T21:49:00.004-05:00

When I started knitting, I never realized the community that would come with my new hobby. First there was some blogs I read, and then there was Ravelry, and within Ravelry, there's The Friends of P. (waves jazz hands at Friends of P)

I am so thankful for this wonderful community and the wonderful people in it. I feel blessed in my life right now, but some folks (or their pups) aren't as in as good a place. Since tax time is coming up and I'm sure you're all getting money back, why not throw a few bucks to some good causes?

First, there's Jess & Casey -- have you noticed that Ravelry's been a little slow lately? Yep -- they're running out "go fast" computer parts. I also didn't know that they were in debt from getting Ravelry up and running. Ravelry is free and is supported through advertisers, but that doesn't take care of the existing debts and equipment needs. So, the wonderful Ravelry user community put together an amazing fund-raising prize filled raffle. You can find all the details on Fricknit's blog. I'll wait while you check it out and chuck some dough at Jess & Casey.

And within a smaller Ravelry group -- the Friends of P -- a rescue pup belonging to KTMay, had a HORRIBLE reaction to all the vaccinations and ended up in the emergency vet. (Those of you with pets know how expensive this can be...) $2K (yup $2000.00) later, Vinnie is home safe. The rescue organization paid all of Vinnie's bills. But you know that's $2K less that they have to spend on other needy dogs. So, to help cover some of the expenses, KTMay donated one of her own Piddly bags. (If you've been trying to get one of these, you know how hard they are to get) and some of her own yarn for a raffle. Other Friends of P, donated some more goodies. You can get the full details on KTMay's blog. (Again, I'll wait while you go throw the puppies some money and come back...)

Aren't getting a refund? Okay -- how about donating some of your knitting?

Becka - the KnittingWounded - is hosting a Knit-Tit-Along. Knitting spare boobies for those who've lost theirs. You can get the details and an adorable button on her blog. Oh -- did I mention prizes? She's really good at prizes. (I won a contest on her blog and OMG she outdid herself!)

Meliabella, she of Keegan Lane yarns fame, has put together a group on Ravelry to knit socks for cancer patients. At Power Socks group, you can either donate your knitting or sign somebody up for some socks. She explains the idea behind the group on her blog.

Its time to give back to the community that gives us all so much -

And to show you how small the world is, I was reading Becka's blog about the Path of Hope and found that a fellow Friend of P, Sarah of Perfect Day yarns is dying a special yarn for charity.

So, take a look at your world, if you got some cash or some knitting to spare, please consider one or all of these extremely worthy causes.

The Results

2008-04-10T21:35:00.002-05:00

Whooops! I just realized I didn't tell you guys how we did this weekend. Too find out you'll have to pop over to the dogs' blog:

www.pantheonacres.com/news

What? Your pet doesn't have a blog???? Sheesh. ;)

Oh, and don't bother clicking around looking for a sneak preview of the site. Its still under construction on the designer's server. So, you'll just find a bunch of crap. Oh, and if you a have any suggestions for a different wordpress theme, let me know... I like the one that's up there now, but I'm not in love with it.

etsy Friday and CRASH!!!! and Wish Us Luck

2008-04-04T20:46:00.003-05:00

Since y'all are so interested my sock yarn -- this etsy Friday is about Keegan Lane Yarns.

Keegan Lane Yarns is brain-child of Melissa and you can find her yarns on Ravelry.

She has a sock club -- with a gorgeous pattern & yarn combo for this month ... (sorry links on Ravelry). We're a too late for this round, but I know I'm going for it next round. :D

The yarns come in various weights. I got 2 skeins of her "lux worsted":

In Prairie Storm:

which turned into:

Foliage Hat (modeled by Lizzie)

I also have a skein of Black Magic Woman that I haven't decided on what to make:

This yarn knits up a treat - and that hat kept me comfy through the long cold Chicago winter.

Now that I've discovered socks, I got a skein of Toast Sock BIG Footies for my husband in Milky Way:

And for myself -- gorgeous En Pointe sock yarn in Northern Lights.

I had to get this color way when I saw these gorgeous socks. (Sorry another Ravelry link.)

And now for the CRASH!!! My computer had a complete meltdown last night. I managed to get most of my important files off of it and then had to reset to all the factory settings. So, I'm attempting to get everything back the way it was and not loose my speedy internet connection. (so far it hasn't been bad.)

And my humble request for good thoughts for us! Bruce and I are going back into the conformation ring this weekend for the first time in over a year and a half. He's filling out nicely (finally) and has come a long way. On Sunday, we're showing Lizzie as well. After we're done in the ring, Lizzie & Bruce are getting their CERF exams and Bruce is getting his Cardiac test. Both are important tests to for breeding.

So tomorrow at 10:45 am, and Sunday from 1pm to around 4 good thought would be greatly appreciated. :D

OMG -- Its working!!!

2008-04-01T22:49:00.003-05:00

I don't know what happened. I read a bunch of stuff, I twitched a bunch of stuff and managed to get 4 pictures uploaded in under 10 minutes. Woo hoo --

So, while its working, here's some sock stash. :D Too late for links, so I'll let you guess what all it is. :D

Not Gone But Probably Forgotten

2008-03-31T20:48:00.003-05:00

Wow! It has certainly been awhile since I've posted anything. I find myself constantly faced with the eternal question:

TO KNIT OR TO BLOG?

My life went from pretty laid back, to the point of being boring, to non-stop action. At work, I've got a new boss who expects 8 hours of work while at work. There's also a ton of work to do in the evenings for the breed clubs I'm participating in. There's also Bruce's rally class on Wednesday evenings. We're also working on one of the bathrooms in our house (new floor is in, so is the vanity and the countertop has been ordered). And don't forget about our business, Pantheon Acres.

I'm working with a wonderful designer on our new website. (Sorry -- it isn't ready yet. I promise you guys will be the first to know. ) Here's her personal and her professional sites. She does great work doesn't she? Did I mention she's in Finland? However, I still have to come up with with all the content. It is amazing how many different place I've managed to stash the digital photo files. So, I've been organizing files like a madwoman.

And then there's my beautiful new computer. Dual core processors; tons of memory; horrible internet connection. For some reason, my computer cannot stay connected to the internet. I've turned off the firewall, turned off everything else on the wireless network, uploading in the morning, the afternoon, the evening -- to no avail. It can take me an hour to upload a single picture to Flickr. If I've got more than one tab open on my browser, there a good chance that one will time out. I've tried changing browsers, no go... So while I have some time that I could spend blogging -- I'm just too frustrated... Especially, when my work computer connected to the same wireless network, has no issues.

But after getting an "Are you alive?" message from somebody who really has more important things to worry about, I decided to fight with whatever demon has barred my internet enjoyment. Its taken most of my evening, but I did it -- here's my post and pictures of what I've been knitting...

If you have any suggestions for fixing my internet connection, please email me at errs at yahoo dot com.

I'm going to sign off now so I don't loose this entire post. (If you're looking for me, I'm errs at Ravelry too.)

etsyFriday - Piddleloop Edition

2008-02-15T18:30:00.001-06:00

Miss Lizzie has taken an interest in my knitting and not in a good way. If I leave the house, she'll hunt around until she finds one of my projects and then gets the yarn out for some chewing. Strangely, she tends to succeed when the pouch contains yarn that is on the scratchier side and 100% wool. Strange, no? Also, do you notice, she only does this when I'm not home -- The Husband is home. He got my brown bag away from her once and then he turned away "for just a moment". This time, Lizzie & Morganna decided to battle over the pouch. Poor Piddleloop travel bag was no more.

Side note: I do want to point out that the seams didn't give. The zipper didn't give. The construction of these bags is rock solid. It was the actual fabric that ripped. I'm pretty impressed -- two 135 lb Mastiffs playing tug-a-war without a seam pop? Incredible. I wonder if Wendy & Jennifer would consider making toys for the dogs...

Now, you know I didn't blame Lizzie or Morganna for the bags demise. No, the blame fell squarely on the shoulders of The Husband. So, I send him Jennifer's email address and told him to make it right. Jennifer was lovely as always and promptly asked me which bags I wanted and set them aside for me. A few days later, these babies were alllll MINE!

I got my first Piddly. Perfectly sized for sock or mitten or mitt projects.

I also got a project pouch/travel set. (I honestly can never remember the difference. This one has a pocket and elastic to hold needles on the inside.)

Aren't those pigs the cutest? And as part of Jen & Wendy's wonderful style:

A little piggy stitch marker from Dragon Lady Designs.

And the matching 4x6 pouch -- even the lining matches:

And they are nothing if not enablers:

Jen also throws in a bunch of little goodies:

They even remembered the pups:

Want a Piddleloop or Piddly for yourself? Piddleloop on Etsy

There Has Been Knitting

2008-02-06T22:43:00.001-06:00

Now that I've got the computer and Flickr playing nicely together again, I can show you the knitting that I've been working on...

But first my new precious:

That is a 17" in screen. I absolutely love how big and bright and crisp everything is. I'm not thrilled with Visa, but I think there are some very good qualities to Office 2007. But enough geeking -- to the knitting:

As I've been swamped with work-related work and with non-work related work, I haven't had a lot of left over brain power to concentrate on this:

I call it my Raven Shawl -- the actual design Irtfaa's Faroese Lace Shawl is by Anne of Knitspot.

I've also been working on my Leaf-Lace Stole

And this:

Still haven't set it up -- scanner, fax, copier, printer all in 1. Now I can scan and send and print all that stuff I've been meaning to get done. If I just get it setup...

Help Animals - Win Cool Prizes

2008-02-05T21:46:00.001-06:00

Sarah Hope over at whatifknits just hit a Blogiversary. To celebrate she's having a Blogiversary Raffle, but not just any kind of raffle

For every $2 you donate, you get an entry into the raffle. And the prizes are AMAZING! So what are you waiting for - click the link!

Here I Am!

2008-01-31T20:58:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you've all been wondering where I've been. (OK, maybe not, but humor me.)

I got a new computer -- a laptop -- its awesome! However, it doesn't want to play nicely with Flickr (among other programs -- gotta love Vista).

I have been knitting -- a couple of projects. I've got pictures but can't share them.

I have some great pictures of the dogs playing in the snow -- but unless you can see into my hard-drive...

And I've got some great etsy stuff -- can you see it on my dining room table?

Okay -- I'm now heading off to try and make everybody play nicely together. I could've done it last weekend, but things are a little hectic around here - the girls came into season and I've been cleaning up the guest room for The Husband and Bruce.

Kids vs Dog - Who Wins

2008-01-20T22:26:00.000-06:00

A friend send this to me and I couldn't stop laughing at the ending. I hope you enjoy it too.

etsy Friday -- Home Edition

2008-01-18T21:41:00.001-06:00

Only one etsy purchase to share this Friday, but its a pretty big one. When The Husband and I moved into our house, there was a lot more wall space than we had in our apartment, and while I had some art (we won't discuss what The Husband had that he considered "art") there wasn't enough. We're not rich folks, so most original art is way out of our price range. Then you add in the fact even if we find something in our price range, one of us usually doesn't like it. Imagine my delight when I sent The Husband a link to original art on etsy and he actually liked it!!!

Faster than you can say "something clever", I had that art bought and on its way to our happy home. Oh -- you want to see the art? Okay, here you go:

Crow in Madrone by Laura Sue from Earth Art - Contemporary Art for Real Homes

I love the colors she used in this piece. I also like the unique shape. The Husband thought the crow was cool. (I'm not going to argue -- he likes it and that's all that matters.) This is the first real piece of art that I've ever purchased. Look, its even signed by the artist with a certificate and everything!!!!

I can't say enough good things about the painting and the artist. She was in immediate contact with me and gave us the tracking number as soon as it was shipped. It was packed amazingly well and arrived in great condition.

There's just one small problem -- we plan on hanging it on along our stairs in the hallway and the hallway really needs another coat of paint. Maybe it'll motivate us

A Good Friday Night

2008-01-12T23:35:00.001-06:00

We had a great Friday night. Bruce & I competed in an APDT rally trial Friday night. We got qualifying scores in 3 out of 4 runs. He did really well -- not a peep out of him in his crate and he actually visited with some people. Here are his ribbons: (As I've stated before, he's secure enough in his masculinity to be proud of his pink ribbon.)

What are his ribbons posing on, you ask? (Shush -- its my blog and if I wanted to pretend that you noticed the knitted item under the ribbons, I will. So there.)

Why its the Autumn Mystery Shawl -- FINALLY off the needles. I bound off between runs last night. The last skein of yarn showed up on Wednesday, but I just didn't have the time or the patience to work on the shawl until Friday night. It isn't blocked yet, nor have I woven in the ends, but I just had to share!

I took these pictures, standing on the couch, with one foot on the edge of the coffee table (white splotch in the corner of the picture) for balance. It takes up the entire coffee table right now. It is going to be HUGE once its blocked.

Look at how dense the fabric is now... anybody want to block it for me? I've got pins and wires and a hatred of wet wool..

Dish Rag Tag Reverse Swap

2008-01-07T21:32:00.001-06:00

Many moons ago -- as in August 2007. I participated in Dish Rag Tag. My team decided to do a reverse swap and we all promised to get it done in the month of October. I think maybe only one or two teammates actually managed to get theirs out in time. (I know I didn't.) About a week ago, I did receive my package from Rena. The package was well worth the wait!

The contents of the box was covered with seasonal tissue paper -- it just drew out the suspense.

I removed the tissue paper to reveal this:

All the goodies in one bag...

Let's exam the items more closely, shall we? First up, the requisite dish rag... I'm so impressed that she managed to get all of my favorite colors into one dish rag -- there's purple, and green and blue!

And the same colors were in the lovely Merino 5 yarn by Crystal Palace:

And even included a suggested pattern for the yarn:

And what's a swap package without chocolate? I love that it's SOAP! It smells so good, I almost want to eat it.

And actual edible chocolate. (which was eaten soon after this picture was taken).

Thanks Rena, for the awesome package!!!

Mitts, Mittens, and Hats

2008-01-06T19:46:00.001-06:00

I realize that my posting in December and now January has been sporadic at best. I can only blame the bizarre need I have to constantly be knitting mitts, mittens and hat. It started innocently enough.

I had decided to give my nieces some scarves that were already knit up (blogged here and here). Since I had matching yarn left, I figured they should have mittens too (blogged here). How about hats? I made some of those too. (blogged here).

And my brother requested a hat for Christmas:

Drew's Hat
Pattern: Zissou Hat
Yarn: Brooks Farm Mas-Acero

It was so easy and fast to make. There was plenty of yarn left, I had to make another this time to fit The Husband's gigantic noggin (seriously 24"). I had him try on my brother's hat to tell me what adjustments needed to be made. made them:

For some reason this hat grew in length, so it is about an inch too long. (Which is the exact length he asked for so go figure.) I'm going to have find another pattern and make him a better hat. But there was still yarn left -- what to do? Make another hat: Anne at Knitspot unknowingly came to my rescue with her Hot Waffles Mitts & Hat pattern.

The pattern was perfect & so easy!!! I wondered if the mitts were just as easy... but I don't wear mitts, I wear mittens. I had some cool Cascade 220 Quatro in a cool purple color. These are the only pictures that exist of those mittens. I wore them to Bruce's Rally Class and one of the ladies gave me a goodie bag for the dogs. I gave her the mittens.

The I realized I probably should make some for our trainer since she's been so go to us and our dogs over the years. But they had to wait... First, I needed to make a pair for our pet sitter. She comes a couple of days a week and since she doesn't walk the dogs, she gives them a nice play session in the backyard. Mittens didn't seem practical, but mitts -- those would work:

We were seeing good friends of ours for Christmas, and I had some knitted items from years ago to give them, but I also wanted some new stuff. The Hot Waffles Hat (above) I had found a gorgeous skein of Dream in Color Fatty at Fringe with colors I knew she'd love - but what to knit with one skein of chunky yarn? A hat of course!

Totally UnOriginal Hat
Pattern: Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Dream in Color Fatty

I hadn't forgotten the mittens for the dog trainer. She specified mittens and not mitts, so I tried to remember how I did it the first time:

Dog Trainer's Mittens
Pattern: Hot Waffles Mitts & Hat by Anne at Knitspot
Yarn: Cascade 220 Tweed
Modifications: When I got to the place in the pattern where Anne starts the ribbing for the top of the mitts, I continued for roughly 2 more pattern repeats. Then I made decreases based upon information in Anne Bud's Handy Book of Knitting Patterns. Basically, I looked for what she did when she had the same number of stitches on the needles as I did. I made the decreases in pattern as much as possible, however, all decreases were K2tog, regardless of the type stitches being combined. I did the exact same thing to make the thumb.

You'd think at this point I wouldn't want to knit a hat or mittens or mitts for awhile. You're right - sorta. I cast on for three projects, each three times. Each project has been frogged. Then I remembered I had a hat and mittens that I hadn't blocked yet. (blogged here). So, I dragged them out, gave them a wash and set them out to dry.

They are really big on me and even big on The Husband's hands (modeled graciously by him). Turns out that the hat was too big for me too. So the husband tried it on:

Even too big for him??? I'm thinking of maybe felting them a little to shrink them down. What do you guys think?

Undaunted, I continued on the hat kick. I saw some yarn from Keegan Lane (blogged here) and it was perfect for foliage!

Prairie Foliage Hat
Pattern: Foliage Hat from Knitty, Fall 2007
Yarn: Keegan Lane Lux Worsted
Model: Lizzie

You'd think I'd be finished and ready to move on for a shawl or dishcloth or something... Well sorta -- I did cast on for the Falling Leaves Shawl from Valley Yarns (aka Webs) but only after I had some issues getting another set of mittens started. Anne came up with another great pattern: Zig Zag Mitts, Hat and Scarf. I think going from 10.5 needles (for Foliage) down to US #2's was a bit of a stretch.

Winning the DUCK Prediction Contest

2008-01-05T12:13:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that I actually won a contest... Becka over at The Knitting Wounded had a contest for guessing the date she'd finish DUCK - Deep Under Cover Knitting. I came quite close to guessing the actual date -- I hadn't considered the possibility of her getting sick.

The prize came last week -- and it was a doozy!! Waaay more than I expected.

Its a pretty big box...I forgot to include a puppy for scale.

There was a really cute sheepie note care -- of which I did take a picture and now I can't find the picture -- and things were wrapped with an adorable ribbon:

Sheeps!!!!!!!!!!

What's this? It looks like a standard tupperware-type container..

until you turn it over:

See that hole, with a nice smooth grommet - it's a yarn container! How cool is that. I have some friends who are allergic to dogs and I always worry about how to keep the dog hair out of the yarn -- now I have my solution. :D

Then there was post-it notes in a cute little cover -- totally matches the hat kick I've been on

And there was more:

A kit for a whimsical knitted cuff:

An adorable sock blocker key chain -- I don't knit socks, but I've been wanted one of these because they are too cute.

Some lovely stitch markers from Dragonlady Designs.

And sock yarn -- Knit Picks Sock Memories in Gladiolus. Now, I don't knit socks, but I did say that I received some "incentive" yarn. I think these will be my first pair of socks. (The yarn is telling me it has to be socks. I will listen to the yarn.)

And last, but certainly not least, this gorgeous skein of golden yarn. There's no tag so it is now my Mystery Gold Yarn. I should at least figure out the WPI because it wants to be a scarf, something worn close to the skin. It is so soft -- I think it feels and looks like silk -- Becka said that it smelled like silk to her. (I know people say that there's a smell to silk, but honestly, I can't smell it.)

Thanks Becka! These items are amazing and have even inspired me to try socks!!!

etsy Friday

2008-01-04T20:52:00.001-06:00

It's FRIDAY!!! Time for etsy Friday...

These purchases were made before Christmas -- sorry for the delay.

First up, from Knitterella, lovely knitting gift tags. These came just in time to attach to few last minute gifts. There's enough room to add care instruction as well as the names. You can get yours here. Or if your thing is crochet, you can get crochet gift tags, too.

Special holiday feasts deserve special desserts. (Okay so it was just me and the Husband, but still we ate good.) I got the Custom YOU PICK 4 - ANY Cupcake Flavors from Fat Daddy Bake Shop. (Looks like the they're out of the 4 packs, here's the link for the 6 pack.) Here's a picture of two of the flavors (Banana Butterscotch Bad Boys and Captain Carrot Cake.)

They were super yummy! Here's what they looked like after dinner:

More recent purchases include a post card from halfempty -- it is too cute, but as it is part of a gift for a friend....no pictures. Sorry.

I do have yarn pr0n though:

From Keegan Lane Yarns:

Nicely wrapped, with a cute note, and yummy, yummy chocolates. (and there was a stitch marker attached to both skeins, but once again, I was too wrapped up to notice right away. I'm using one now, so no pics.)

Lux Worsted in Black Magic Woman and Prairie Storm

Bruce was also very interested in the yarn...

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T20:25:00.001-06:00

I forgot where I heard this, but it has stuck with me for years:

Whatever you do New Years Day is what you will be doing all year.

I try to make sure that I don't do anything crazy and try to avoid as much stress as possible on New Years Day. This year was no different.

I started with a lazy morning in bed, hanging out with the husband and the dogs and watching some TV. Then after a quick shower, enjoyed a snowy romp with the dogs (sorry no pictures). Then I settled down to work on my first goal of the new year.

I try not to have resolutions, because I inevitably don't keep them and always feel annoyed and guilty at the end of the year. I've come up with a few personal goals:

Show Bruce in conformation. This is HUGE for me because Bruce is rather shy and had some bad experience going out in public; I didn't think that we'd ever end up back in the show ring. We spent the last 18 months working on building our confidence and working through his issues. And there's been some great successes. Bruce now has is Rally Novice title from AKC and his Rally Level 1 title from APDT. We're going to continue competing in Rally and get a couple of conformation shows for practice. The big thing is showing him at the National Mastiff Specialty in May of this year.

Move forward on moving plans. It is pretty obvious from the title of this blog that there should be some sort of acreage in our lives, but there isn't. We live in suburbia outside of Chicago. Our plan was to be in the house for 2-3 years, updating it and then selling it and moving west onto a couple of acres. Somewhere along the line a lot of our projects stalled. I had hoped to breed Lizzie this spring, but I don't want to do that while we live here. Nor do I want to move while she's pregnant or if there are puppies on the ground. So, The Husband and I need to come up with some sort of plan to try and get us out of here in time for the spring of 2009, or even better fall of 2008.

I think that's plenty, don't you? Because I also have knitting fiber goals:

Finish my Autumn Mystery Shawl (Ravelry)

Learn the basics of crochet - several patterns that I'd like to do require a provisional cast-on -- using a crochet chain.

Knit a pair of socks - see if I can figure out why they are so addictive. (And I received some incentive yarn...)

Use my drop-spindle kit - I picked up a beginners kit at a fiber fair and some roving at Stitches and I still haven't used it.

Finish needle felted penguin - I got a kit at a fiber fair and started working on it, but right now he's only a body. I should just finish it.

Finish felted ball for puppies - I got a kit off of etsy (blogged here) and haven't actually used it yet. I think felted toys might actually survive the dogs, and this will be the test subject.

Stop joining KALs and Mystery projects that I can't keep up with. Seriously, I'm still not finished with the first mystery project (see #1 above) I joined, have not knit a stitch for Mystic Waters, and then Spring Fling started today. I may join to get the patterns, but I am not holding myself to any obligation to keep up with the KAL.

Keep up with the Year Long Gift-Along and A Loose Knit Group -- I've got so many ideas for gifts and things I want to knit but I get a little overwhelmed. This way, I keep things manageable and don't make things that won't get used.

Seems doable doesn't it? What are your plans for 2008?

The Husband and I finishing up the day watching a Dirty Jobs marathon and cuddling puppies. I did work on finishing the Autumn Mystery Shawl and the results don't bode well for the rest of 2008. I went to sleep last night with about 8 rows left to knit and then bind off. I ran out of yarn today with 3/4 of row left to knit and then bind off. My mind raced through all the possible options and finally decided to just order more yarn. I really like the color way and I'm sure I'll be able to find something else to make with the rest of the skein. But what does it mean for the rest of 2008? I don't want to think too much about it. So, instead I'm going to go back to cuddling and play on our favorite Christmas gift -- a PlayStation 3. I hear Ratchet & Clank calling our names.

I hope you spent your New Years Day with people (and animals) you love, doing something to love. We here wish you good health, much happiness and uninteresting times* for 2008.

* Wikipedia on "May you live in interesting times."

Happy Holidays

2007-12-24T18:27:00.001-06:00

Christmas preparations are complete here at Pantheon Acres.

The puppies had various reactions to the festivities:

Bruce wondered if any of the presents were his.

Tyler says "Bah Humbug!"

Lizzie just treats it as any ole day.

Morganna hung back, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Whatever you celebrate, we wish you all the very best.

The puppies have their own message:

PEACE ON EARTH AND GOODWILL TOWARDS ALL

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

etsy Friday -- Puppy Edition

2007-12-21T08:40:00.001-06:00

Only one etsy item this Friday, from Kelly's Delights -- treats for the puppies. Bacon Cheese Mini Dog Treats and Chicken Mini Dog Treats. She bakes them to order and sends them out priority mail. I think the dogs knew that the box was for them before we opened it. There was an extra little knitted ball included.

Bruce was very interested in the treats...

Tyler shows his interest (but will not give up his comfy bed:

Lizzie wanted second taste:

Morganna wouldn't take her eyes off of her daddy hoping for an extra:

But the girls really loved their new ball.

You might think that they lost interest:

But, Lizzie just lost possession:

All Out of Ideas

2007-12-19T09:31:00.001-06:00

As I've already stated, I'm not the creative type. So, we're setting up a business, and I'm still excited about that. However, The Husband and I think that we need a logo for our web site and stuff. We already know that the text will all be in Copperplate Light (for font & type junkies). I purchased the font for our wedding invitations and we both really like it so that was easy.

So, I searched for inspiration. I went to WikiMedia Commons to look for free images. Nothing for Mastiffs or Eurasiers. But there's a bunch of stuff for Pantheon. Seriously, I never knew that there were so many buildings called the Pantheon, aside from the one in Rome. From Wiki:

Modern buildings named "Pantheon":

Panthéon, Paris, the funerary Hall of Fame of the French nation.

Pantheon, London, an 18th century place of entertainment.

Pantheon, Rousse, a Bulgarian national monument.

Pantheon, Moscow, a project in the 1950s to construct a monumental memorial tomb in Moscow, Soviet Union.

Panteón Nacional, a Venezuelan national monument.

Pantheon, Vincennes, a theatre built in 1921. Where Red Skelton got his start in show business.

Hmm... not sure if any of these really spoke to me. But hey, Paris is cool, so I checked that one out. Wiki told me:

The Panthéon (Latin Pantheon^[1], from Greek Pantheon, meaning "All the Gods") is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris, France. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many changes now combines liturgical functions with its role as a famous burial place.

I'm not really sure that I want us to be associated with any burial place. Though some of the pictures are cool:

How about the original in Rome?

Neat pictures, but seriously, not so much dog-like.

I did a really creative search on Google: "creating a logo". That brought up LogoMaker, I get a free trial of the image. What do you guys think?

Anybody got any better ideas? That one's okay, but it doesn't really work for me.