Dog Days

Remember little Tank? He really was the most adorable little guy, although no cuter than my little Sasha was at that age...just heavier. He was a rolly-poly little guy who ate bamboo needles and jumped on the furniture. Remember how during our trip to Michigan, the house/dogsitter took him down for his snip snip? He is over it and has become a fabulous dog now. He is still silly but he has stopped being driven mad by hormones that caused him to want to nibble my ear ALL of the time. I know, gone are the huge boy knockers and in their place is a funny and lovable and much more calm Wiggle Butt. Anyone with a Lab will just nod knowingly...the bend in the middle all-over smile of the affable and eager to please Lab. Bless him. He and Sasha are my companions on the quiet days when I am Tinkless but of course this means that I have this to step over all of the time.

When Tink is here, he and Sasha go into the bedroom so that there is less to step over , which in this small workspace is a big deal. Remember, Sasha (half Rottweiler) makes Tank, at 100 pounds, look small. She does love him dearly and is so much happier since he came to be her little brother/plaything/packmate.

There you go, Vanessa...dog pictures. My buddy Vicki had a DIFFERENT kind of black thing in HER yard...

One the dyeing front, I am limping along with Sock!, happy to have the shipment on one hand (we have been stranded and rationing since May) but very unhappy with a full 40 percent of the skeins from this mill shipment having knots. No, I can't send you sock yarn with knots and so I wait for the next 100 pounds, hoping that this will be "good" and wait to send the crap back to my supplier. They say that you are not supposed to buy a car made on Monday or Thursday...well, we now know not to push a mill to put out a token amount of yarn just before vacation...they do not do good work. Period. My goal is to get you beautiful yarn for a fair price and the highest quality that I can muster, because this is what I want for myself. I have been in this fiber business in one capacity or another for 25 years and have gone to small spinner's flocks for the finest wools for my own handspun garments...now they are collectors items with my customers. Quality. My newest supplier understands this and believes as I do, having begun as a spinner herself, and so this is why I am so very happy with the cashmere fiber that I buy from her as well as the new yarns...The Baby alpaca/silk and the Merino/angora. They are awesome and make me happy every time I pet them or squeeze them. I can't wait for you guys to try them and love them yourselves.

Ok, time to brace myself...I have Tink AND Audrey coming today...a housefull. I think this will get me dyeing out there. :o)))

Comments

[Sheri in St. Louis]

Love the cute dog photos! I remember a professional photographer once saying in a class that black animals are often hard to photograph, but you did well with these!

[Lisak]

Thanks for the pics! I love the pictures on your blog. It always brightens my day. I'm on a bit of a yarn diet until I get the kids outfitted for school. In my heart, I want it ALL!

[AlisonH]

Having once gotten an email from the owner of a mill carefully explaining to me at length why it was perfectly reasonable for me to have a goodly bunch of knots in my expensive yarn, thank you thank you thank you Lisa for holding those guys to higher standards.

[Kerry]

Issabuddysqueezyfacekissyfuzzyhoneydoggies. mwahbubba.

[vanessa]

thank lisa! we call our yellow lab, madaket, "wiggle worm". she NEVER sits still :-)

[Vicki S]

Love the doggie pics, as you know I do! And I would like to add that bassets take up very little house room, while a large amount of heart room. Yet the heart is one of those areas where the more we give the more we seem to have. Very odd. Very lovely.

Glad you liked Ms. Bear. As fall approaches, they arrive earlier and earlier in the day, since they're very hungry and will soon be sleeping. LOVE the new alpaca/silk. Oh,just touching it is bliss. Plus I love the way it takes color.

Alison and Sheri - So glad you wrote and like Ms. Bear. We don't approach them, but stay inside and photograph through windows. A wiser course, don't you think?

Lisa - is it wrong to write in someone else's blog to other blog readers/writers? As you know, I'm new at this. Hummm.

Toodles!

[Lisa S]

Thanks, you guys. Alison, we'll see how far I get with my crusade against lowered standards. With two workers here yesterday we got everything wound and knots were found in about 45% of the skeins. Woe is me...

Kerry, Tank sends you kisses, as well as ear and elbow nibbles (especially when I have put some of your creamy lotion on my elbow...HEY! I was usin' that! Quiteatinit.

Vic, you can flap your lips on the blog any time you want. It has become somewhat of a kiosk these days and all for the better. :o)