My, how two weeks fly when you are under the gun to get something done!

A co-worker of mine is getting married in Greece in a couple of months, so quite naturally the office threw her an engagement party (last night), and quite naturally (two weeks ago) I got the brilliant idea to make something in a technique I had never used before. Quite unnaturally, I need to start rethinking some of these brilliant ideas.

The lifesaver (or potential iceberg) was Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet  from which the pattern came. This invaluable book has been like a hand on my shoulder in a storm. Oh sure, I’ve hit my head on a low-hanging branch from time to time, but the hand was still there guiding me back to the proper row and stitches (except for that one row that the hand had no idea what I was doing, gave up and went to the local Stitches-n-Shots bar, got totally wasted, tried to pickup someone else’s project, got slapped and finally stumbled back to mine only to find me in a fetal position crying, “Where did this extra row of a hundred stitches come from!”

But the agony quickly evaporated away once the gift was opened and there was a broad smile on the receiver’s face. With reactions like that, I swear we crafters are some of the luckiest people on earth.

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I promise that this blog will not turn into a brag-book about the new kitty Smalls. I guess I’m going through New Daddy Syndrome. The last thing I would want to hear is, “If this turns into cat blog I’m out of here” (five points if you get the reference).

With that said, since the day Smalls arrived at the house, witnessing one event over all others would make me feel that Tilly (alpha cat) totally accepted the new furry invader of her realm, and that would be to see Tilly and Smalls sleeping together. It’s a long shot, since Tilly is an anti-cuddler cat, but as the video shows, we are getting very, very close!

Ever since I got my iPhone it seems I spend less time talking on it and more time using it as a utility (yes, playing Distant Shore is a utility). But the amazing thing is how much I use it when I crochet.

I thought you might be interested in the five top applications I use during a crochet project (all of these can be downloaded at the iTunes application store).

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The last two weeks have been crazy between introducing a new kitten to the house, my getting sick, the kitty getting sick, finishing a new pattern, starting two more projects, weeeeee. But I know you are mostly interested about the kitten.

Her official name…drum roll…extended drum roll…wait for it…Smalls. A very good friend suggested this off-line and it fits perfectly. Smalls is a main character in the classic film The Sandlot. But I think the main reason it fits so well is we get to run around the house saying, “You’re killing me Smalls.” I want to thank everyone though for the great suggestions in the Poll. I think Smalls has about five middle names now.

Smalls has had a tough time of it these past few days. She’s already been to one emergency vet visit after she stopped responding to just about everything and cried in pain when you picked her up. Come to find out, she was running a fever of 104 and wasn’t in the best of shape. After a hydration treatment she started coming back around. Her blood work came back showing that she was slightly anemic, so now she’s on prescription vitamins. Ahh kids, can’t live without them, can’t afford them.

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