Thursday, December 11, 2008

It's a Winter's Eve...

And I've been stitching while I listened to various podcasts. I love 'em! My favourites include:

  • Craftcast with Alison Lee (lively interviews with people involved with a variety of artistic media);

  • The KnitPicks Podcast with Kelly Petkun (enthusiastic about everything knitting, punctuated with great interviews);

  • Annie's Quilting Stash with Annie Smith, a bubbly host who travels to teach, who designs, and who loves to interview the famous and not-so-famous in the world of quilting;

  • Garrison Keillor's daily 5-minute podcast sponsored by Poetry magazine; and

  • Two CBC Radio podcasts involving literature and authors -- "The Next Chapter" with Shelagh Rogers, and "Writers and Company" with Eleanor Wachtel.

Tonight I've been stitching on a piece for my art quilting group, the Free Spirit Artisans. Our next monthly gathering is Tuesday evening, and our theme for this past month's project has been "A Favourite Book, Movie or Song". I was at a complete loss till the other night when, as I drifted off to sleep, it came to me...Photo in a later post!

I've finished my Christmas knitting, but have a wee bookmark to cross-stitch for a friend, and a pillow sham in applique to finish and quilt for my sister. The latter is Installment 2 of her Bedroom Decor Series (remember, I made a neck roll pillow last Christmas? and a quilt the year before that?) One more sham after this, and it will be complete!

In between, I found this marvellous pattern with which to comfort my dear old cat, Fred. He's going on 20, and is skin and bone from kidney problems. Nonetheless, he rules his little corner of the world -- and my heart. He has me well trained, for sure! Anyway, he's really been feeling any slight bit of chill or cold, so I made him this ribbed vest, courtesy of a pattern at ChristineLandry.com:

Here he is snoozing in the vest, on his favourite chair. He doesn't seem to mind wearing it. We'll see how it goes over the next 24 hours. It could be a bit longer, I think...but I am glad I didn't put in the sleeves; I don't think he'd have liked them.

On the website, there are photos of real cats wearing their sweaters or vests, and apparently "Crazy Aunt Purl" (of Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair fame) had a 'cat sweater sweepstakes' -- there's a link to the photos!

Enjoy! -- and remember: In the midst of the holiday rush, Take Time to Knit!

1 comment:

Bess said...

Aww. That is one cut snuggly kitty.