Furry Fun!

We enjoyed a long weekend of furry fun here in DillyDallydom!

Fur is the primary reason for our daily walks ... big dogs require a lot of exercise ... and it is great for human family members too!  Even when the weather is uncooperative ... we take a walk.

Brother and GF DillyDally were out of town for a long weekend, so Nissa and Ari got to have puppy pack sleepovers!  They are so happy together ... cute ... busy ... and yep, they fill the house with fur!

In my last post, I ended it by pulling out this WIP ... yep, Foo-Whee (toddler speak for furry) mittens.  The official term for mitts with this technique is "thrummed" mittens.  You can read the back story here.

When I knit ... Little Miss Flicka changes her occupation from Snoopervisor to Master of Stealth or Theft.  I can't decide which title works best)!

While moving in ... she pretends to be interested in something else!  "Don't worry, I am focusing on everything but your favorite knitting tool."

"I think I'll relax for a second, while claiming ownership of your favorite knitting tool."

"Your favorite knitting tool is mine!" (Insert sinister kitty laugh) "I dare you to try and take it from me!"  She always knows exactly what tool I need ... I swear cats have a sixth sense!  Her weakness?  She will give up all coveted items for a treat!  And of course, that just encourages her crime career! 

Even amongst all the furry shenanigans ... I finished the knitting and began working in the ends!  Every time I turn thrummed mittens inside-out they make me giggle!  They look as silly as my furbabies behave!

Speaking of silly furbabies ... playing is not limited to the outdoors!  During our marriage we have had seven dogs in our family, Nissa is the only one to make up the game, we refer to as, "Blanket".  It is a game that confuses other dogs, but Nissa has been giving Ari lessons each time she visits, and now Ari is as adept at it as her instructor.

Every long session of "Blanket" ends with puppy kisses ...

... and a nap.  These two are just as sweet as they are silly!

While pups napped, the mitts took a bubble bath!

A quick spin in the washer and they were ready to be blocked.  This style of mitten takes a bit longer to dry with all that wooly-furry goodness inside!

The furry fun continued all weekend!  Rain, slush, and ice do not dampen the fun these two create!  A good lesson for their human family members!

When we get back to the house ... it is all about towel rubs and puppy kisses ... all while trying to back their way into my lap!  Tired pups make for happy pups!

Speaking of wet fur getting dry ... by Sunday afternoon my furry mitts were dry!  If you've never tried on a pair of thrummed mitts ... you are missing out!  They feel like clouds from heaven on your hands! 

With all this fur flying in my house ... a dillydally brainstorm windstorm kicked up ... yep, it was a frenzy of graph paper and swatching!

According to the calendar,  tomorrow is the first day of spring ... here in my remote corner of the planet, that makes us chuckle.  We will continue our freeze and thaw cycle well into April ... sometimes even into May!  We need furry mittens to keep our hands warm and furry pets to keep our sense of humor!

Do what you love!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally 

March Madness!

It is March ... and there is madness here in DillyDallydom ... but not of the basketball variety.

We watch some sports, but Nissa is the current crazy sports fan in the family ... she loves to watch her canine friends run the Iditarod!  Mr. and I enjoy following the race as well ... but mostly we enjoy Nissa's enthusiasm!  Everytime the dogs are on ... she runs over to the television ... sometimes jumping up on the cabinet ... barking to cheer them on!  It is the cutest!

While digging in my stash to knit my new mitts last week ... I came across a few WIPs (works in progress.  Ok ... I admit ... more than a few!  On Saturday, snow was falling from the sky ...

... a perfect day to add thumbs to this pair of mittens!

These are made with worsted weight yarn so progress was made relatively quickly!

Sunday morning they received a bubble bath ...

... and were even baptized by fresh falling snow!

Here they are ... dry and ready for wear.

Finishes always feel so good ... now what to do with them?

One of my former girl scouts is in charge of a local silent auction ... it is for a good cause!  Makes my heart so happy to see my scouts continue serving their community as adults!  Makes this donation twice the fun for me!

My March Mitten madness had set in ... I pulled out the next WIP Sunday afternoon ... another pair of mittens!  Whenever I knit, Flicka is nearby!

She never bothers my knitting but loves to pull my tools out of the bag and tries to run off with them!  Those stitch markers are just too tempting to resist!  Because I had to keep one eye on Flicka, I neglected to take a pic of the next pair of mittens.  Yep, she is a distraction ... and I love it!  One mitt was knit but needed a thumb and the other was half knit.  My fervor to finish another pair of mittens was a wonderful way to spend a snowy Sunday.

On Monday we woke to a beautiful day!  I finished the second pair of mittens in the morning!

Nissa and I enjoyed a long sun-filled walk ... perfect outdoor conditions are never wasted!

I designed and started these mitts back in 2008 ... yep, ten years ago!  My favorite quilt designs have star motifs and that was my thought while charting this mitten.  When finishing them, I decided to call them "Quilter's Mitts"!

I never tire of how hand knit items respond to blocking!

Yep ... I guess that is all part of the madness!

These will be gifted!

A nonknitter QBee had a birthday ... time for a lunch date!  These mitts waited 10 years just so they could eventually belong to her ... makes my heart so very happy!  These cards crack me up ... we both remember women sewing this and men wearing it!  Yikes!  Scary fashions in the 70's!!! 

Today slush fell from the sky and turned everything into a mess ... albeit a beautiful mess!

The March Mitten Madness continues ... this pair are next on the agenda!

Do what you love!  Go mad over it!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Warm Hands!

Recently, we have been enjoying some beautiful winter weather here in my remote corner of the planet.  Of course, today while writing this ... hail is falling from the sky!  But before this storm moved in ... Mother Nature had been cooperating!

Nissa and I enjoy our daily afternoon walks.  I dress for whatever the weather dictates and Nissa puts her fur coat to good use!

These mittens ... they have served me well ... I knit them in 2000!  Yep ... 18 years of loyal and faithful service!  I will darn the right thumb ... give them a good wash ... and then they will enjoy a semi-retired life at the cabin.

These will become my new daily wear mitts!  Like their predecessors, they are knit to meet the demands of our wet, cold, and long Alaskan winters!

We knew today's storm would be arriving ... so Wednesday we took the mitts on their maiden foray outdoors.  They are made from the same wool, Lamb's Pride by the Brown Sheep Company.  This yarn is my favorite for worsted weight mittens ... it is durable, toasty warm, and the color selection is extensive!

There was ice underneath an inch of new snow ... I wore cleats on my boots and used my trekking poles.  In Norway they have a saying that goes something like ... there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear!  There is real truth in that ... with the right equipment the outdoors are enjoyable any time of the year. 

Being outdoors is especially fun with a furry companion!  It is so hard to get a pic of Nissa!  Like all dogs ... she is rarely still!  Getting her to pose is impossible, so I felt particularly lucky to catch this smile.

When it became apparent that I definitely needed a new pair of mittens before this winter ended, I went and looked in my yarn stash!  There I found remnants of the periwinkle I used on the original mitts!  I pulled out a skein of black and started knitting!  So you see ... they are related ... knit with a bit of the same yarn!  Love it when the stars align like that!

Here's to the next 18 years of warm hands and outdoor adventures!

Do what you love!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally