Margaret Rose Stringer's Blog, page 30

M-J’s post reminded me …

The BikerChick may not see this until she gets back from her totally undeserved holiday; but it was her post today that recalled to mind the following list of instructions:

How To Give A CAT A Pill

Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. R...

The news is all bad

Nev wasn’t happy with last week’s attempt at a chest X-ray and had another done before performing the biopsy.

She was right: a large dark mass is there on a lung.

No point doing the biopsy: so he won’t have a much more sore paw – for a while, anyway.

The diagnosis is in and the prognosis is obvious.

As always, it’s just a matter of time: it was the same with Chic. And I must couple the two together: each one I have loved with all my heart and then some, regardless of one’s being my husband an...

Last year’s non-winner

Brioche knitting – in my terms that’s 2-colour brioche knitting – about which I wrote in one of my Pages cannot be over-hyped. It’s simply glorious, and that’s that.

Its range is from, say, this:

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to this:

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and that’s just from one designer !

So, because I give every appearance of having finally come to terms with how to carry out this wonderful craft – not counting all the mistakes, but I also know how to repair them ! – I shall boldly go where no man has gone before display what I made last...

But is it just ‘busy work’ ?

Nope.

Here are the three pictures again. I should omit the definite article, because they’re not the same ones.

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Main side.

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Contrast side.

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Main side covexed to allow contrast side to be seen.

So, why ?

Because I suddenly realized what I’d done: started out using a 3.25 circular because that’s the standard when knitting with fingering weight wool. I considered the image of Samantha holding her shawl, and thought to myself – yes, more than a little late ! – “3.25 those stitches ain’t. I had b...

Keeping busy

Lotta images to come.

First is the pattern I’m using, designed by a young woman who is 1,000 times more creative than am I:

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Its name is Electric Love, and the creator is Samantha Guerin.

Samantha used two very similar yarns for the brioche part – see the light (main) side and the dark (contrast) side ? – and the lighter of the two colours for the middle section.

I’m using the Silver Wattle (light green) as the main and the Silver Tussock (green, white and pale blue) for the contrast. Also I...

And in complete contrast …

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Here’s a wonderful story about animals that lifts the heart.

It also provides some truly wonderful photography of the West Australian south coast.

Do read it: it will make you happy.

It’s about Lui again

He had an appointment with Nev the vet this-morning, at which I was to show her the videos of his progress (or lack thereof).

The problem has been found: there is not yet a diagnosis.

Under the middle toe of his right foot there is (now ! – but never before) a fairly big, hard-ish swelling. He will no longer let Nev manipulate his right foot; and in fact he hissed at her when she did. So she stopped, and went looking; and there it was.

It’s likely to be a tumour. Has he been coughing lately ?...

White Gum Wool

Oh, check out this glorious stuff !

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I came across this site by following something or other. As you do.

And the totally sustainable wool thereon is SO beautiful that I have bought three large balls of fingering (as seen above) with which to make a lovely shawl as an entry for Geelong’s new competition – the one that used to be the Scarf Festival but is now much bigger and moneyed up ! I was fairly disappointed last year when my entry didn’t rate a mention: I’ll see if I still have a photo (b...

It’s about Lui

He was seen, coupla months back, to have developed a very common side effect – so to speak – of feline diabetes: neuropathy in a hind leg (never in a fore-leg, only one at the back). It was his right, and he walked on it like a bear does – flat from the toes to the back of the heel:

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whereas a cat normally walks on its toes:

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See the diff. ? – and how strange it would be to see a cat walking with an entirely flat back foot ?

Anyway, it was awful; because that right back leg also trembled, and...

Sighh … I’m at it again :\

I finished the Vintage Walrus – that is, as much as I’m going to do. I shall add a photo, later – because I need to have breakfasted, showered and dressed so that I can take it outside and put it on the lawn.

I’ve lost interest in it.

Two reasons: (1) because I was dreadfully disappointed in the yarn. Scheepjes Colour Crafter seemed glorious to me when I was making the lapghan for J – those two (ONLY !) shades of grey. But the coloured shades are far less nice to work with: the darker (or per...