A busy season

Sorry, I haven't posted in some time. Things are busy here as usual. Does it ever slow down enough to catch your breath anymore? I don't think so.

My fingers have been flying knitting Christmas goodies for friends and family. No pictures yet until they have been distributed. I want them to be a surprise for the recipients.

Here's a picture I took recently of Pookie (left) and Boo (right). Do you see how much larger Pookie is than Boo? Our vet sure noticed. When we took him in for his checkup, the scale showed he had gained 1-1/2 pounds over the past year. He's too heavy and at risk for developing kitty diabetes. Our vet told us to put him on a diet. The dry food he (and Boo) now eat is high protein, low carb, and contains little if any grain. Boo loved the new food. Pookie was very vocal about how much he disliked it. (We suspect he was addicted to the corn based dry food and also may have had an allergy to it.) He complained loudly that we were starving him. Don't worry, he wasn't. He gets some canned food each day. We also caught him eating the dry food when he thought no one was watching. LOL! He likes it now and has trimmed down a bit and is much more active. The vet should be pleased with him.

The Holiday Mystery Group is winding down for the 2010 season. Nineteen of my patterns were part of this year's fun. They were a variety of knit and crochet designs ranging from small to large. You'll some of these designs posted in the near future. I've already begun to work on designs for 2011. :)

On a sad note, I report that Threadbear in Lansing, Michigan closed near the end of September. It was my favorite yarn shop to visit. I heard about this sometime in October through postings on Ravelry. I was shocked! Evidently, Rob, the owner had had financial problems for the past couple of years. In 2008 or 2009, the shop had been seized for non payment of a loan. The loan was repaid and the shop reopened. This year he was months behind on rent when the landlord took him to court. The court seized the shop ten days after judgment and the contents were sold to pay the landlord. (Leaving TB employees with no jobs). ;( There's even more to this sad story. Any designers or companies who had models on loan in the shop or were otherwise owed money for teaching classes or for yarn or patterns did not get their merchandise back and/or will not be paid. The same goes for customers who had gift certificates, held vouchers from the recent customer yarn garage sale held at the shop, or those who had placed special orders that had been paid for in advance. Count me amongst those hurt by this shop closing. Not only did I have a $30 gift certificate, I also have an unpaid bill for patterns ordered shortly before the shop closed. :(

In early November a new yarn shop opened in Lansing called Sticks & Strings. The owners are Sabrina (a former Threadbear employee) and her friend Kathy. You'll find their yarn shop at 1107 N. Washington Avenue in Lansing. I highly encourage a trip to their delightful yarn shop. Tell them Simple Knits sent you. :)