Hi. I’m Hannah.
The Mother of Cats is living in CrazyLand these days. She is knitting like there is no tomorrow, and she found some more patterns that she absolutely, positively needs to knit this winter. She is full of ambition. She is making even more yarn kits for knitting projects. She is happy. SHE BOUGHT MORE YARN!!!! Like I said, CrazyLand!!!
It all happened with some new pictures and patterns that appeared on her Facebook feed and led her to Ravelry. Oh, my goodness. She found a sweater that she thinks would be perfect for her tubs of collected yarn. She has been sorting and sorting yarn, and dreaming the dreams, and look at what she has put together for a Hearthside Cardigan:
The Mother of Cats is pretty sure that these yarns can be combined to create that marled cardigan. Goodbye Sea Glass sweaters. The Mother of Cats (that fickle creature) has switched all of her affections and attachment to this new sweater. She is on fire to get started!!!!
Then the Mother of Cats found a picture of socks knitted with the Cat Doodle patterns. Oh, oh. More craziness in the yarn stash happened right away…
I thought that things were kind of settling down and we hadn’t dug around in the yarn for a few days when the Mother of Cats went to her favorite yarn shop to buy some cookies. Yeah. I thought that the story was a little fishy myself (hey… I think that it is almost time for my nightly TUNA snack. I’m hoping that the Mother of Cats puts a tuna onto the socks…), and sure enough, the Mother of Cats came home with more yarn for another sweater.
She said that the store had just restocked this color and that if she didn’t buy it RIGHT NOW she wouldn’t get the chance to get it later. She plans to make another Weekender Crew out of it.
So that has been the week. The Mother of Cats has snapped out of her inability to start a new project to this new (CrazyLand) version where she is lining up the projects up faster than they can be knitted. She is happy, knitting away on the sweater that is on her needles at the moment, and dreams of the new sweaters-in-waiting while she waits for the first snows to come.
Speaking of snows… Look at Mateo!! He is starting to grow out his winter coat and his ruff is looking like a ridiculous halo at the moment.
This year his new undercoat is coming in silver colored, which makes him look a little more elegant, but I have to say… he is still a silly boy!!
Guess that is all for now. This is Hannah, signing off.
>^..^<
Notes from the Mother of Cats:
- Here is the link for the sweater that I am kniting on like crazy right now, the Alchemist Pullover.
- I haven’t forgotten about the Colorica cardigan and the Renaissance sweaters. They are also dancing in the yarn stash trying to get my attention. My hands are doing pretty well with the size needles that I’m using right now, so I’m sticking with them for the moment, and the Weekender and Hearthside patterns use the same (size 7) needles.
- I’ve made some good effort with the books that I’m reading over the last two weeks. I finished The Wedding People, stalled on Buckeye, read Nightshade by Michael Connelly, and I’m now listening to The Black Wolf while knitting.
- The Wedding People is engaging, and a little hard to explain, but I do recommend it. In a nutshell: people are a little crazy around weddings, and there is perhaps too much focus on the wedding, and not enough on the marriage. At the heart of all relationships, people need to learn to identify and respect who they are, and to build authentic lives and goals based on that.
- Nightshade is a police procedural thriller, and it is set on Catalina Island off Southern California. I know that part of the world fairly well, and the setting of the book was like visiting an old friend. The story was okay… there is a mutilated buffalo… a dead body is found… the investigator is at odds with the system… some rules are circumvented… our hero solves the murder in spite of the system and animosity of coworkers… there isn’t a wedding in sight.
- The Black Wolf returns me to the world of Three Pines, somewhere in Quebec, Canada, and to Inspector Gamache. Another thriller of a sort, but gentle, introspective, and socially conscious with a huge cast of memorable characters. I’m enjoying the journey so far.
- Hey, I want to say that I really did buy those cookies!!!
Yarn, Books & Roses 
So you must be reading while you knit? Or knitting while you read? That’s a pretty wild list of new projects, but anything to keep you out of trouble, eh? I’m constantly donning or doffing sweaters or sweatshirts, so that cardigan sweater looks the most interesting. And the cat doodle socks are adorable but look insanely complex. But what do I know?
Mateo’s ruff is fascinating. I didn’t know a kitty’s ruff could grow in like that, in a different color. Love it!
(So, you see the pattern and feel compelled to buy the yarn, or you buy the yarn and then are compelled to find a use for it?)
I am reading while I knit, but I cheat and buy an audiobook that reads while I can glance at the text to fill in understanding gaps (which is kind of essential in SciFy as there are so many crazy, made-up names that can be pretty confusing without some text too.
I am struggling with temperature regulation, so cardigans and little cropped tops are very, very appealing right now along with arm warmers and socks. The cat socks will take some time, but those patterns are so, so cute!!! I can make the cats look just like tuxedo Hannah.
Mateo is a little Maine coon, and they can have some pretty interesting fur characteristics. He has an amazing undercoat that grows in every fall that will eventually be cover his underlying fur. When it is a different color, which happens with him, it is cool. His head, shoulders and legs will all stay black, but an immensely fluffy coat will cover him everywhere else. He used to be dull blackish-brown, but now it is evidently silver. I feel a little sad as it may be related to the extreme medical events of the summer, but he will look amazing if it is all silver. I’ll hunt for some comparison pictures to show the difference once his coat is all in.
Sometimes I hunt for the yarn for a pattern that I love, but very often these days I already have the yarn, and I only have to go shopping in my yarn stash to find what I need. That cardigan is designed to use up lots of left over yarn from previous projects and is perfect for my stash!
Audio books. Of course. Dunno why I didn’t think of that. Maybe I would have if I ever listened to podcasts or anything else “audio.” I’ve always been visual.
Regarding the temperature regulation … best gift the kids ever gave me was a Nest thermostat. Full control with my phone. From the couch. Or anywhere else. A godsend.
I am a very visual learner, and I play the audiobook along with the text so that I can glance down to check the spelling on some of the phrases. I’m now thinking that I need to explore more podcasts as they are included in my Amazon music package.
Holy cat fur! Move over lowing cattle, Mateo looks ready for a part in a nativity play. He’s a beauty.
What lovely yarn and cute patterns. I’m happy you’re going crazy over knitting them.
If I were to listen to an audio book while doing anything else, like knitting, the finished product would probably have three sleeves and no neck opening. I’m impressed at your talent for multitasking.
I’m trying to envision Mateo in a nativity play. He’d try to eat something for sure, and what would happen when he saw a cow…
I actually need to multitask sometimes if I’m listening to something that I need to pay attention to; I made two sweaters while attending classes in my masters program. In this case the listening helps calm my mind down while I’m knitting and reduces anxiety/stress. It’s a weird coping mechanism, and one that I rely on in bad times. I’m actually thinking of how to incorporate this into a new blog post.
Gosh, Hannah – you must be quite concerned !
But don’t worry: you know what she’s like, and these bursts of knitting energy are always a good sign.
As for you, MoC, you’re on a roll, alright ! 🙂 I like the one that’s another Drea creation: she’s so original, isn’t she ?
I’m in the middle of rediscovering cooking, would you believe ? – just awaiting a handyman to assemble another set of shelves and I’ll reclaim the pantry rather than using it as my linen cupboard.
Also in the middle of doing a shitload of washing and drying. Later, darlin …
Cooking! I was just looking at little Instant Pots because I am at the point where cooking is just so exhausting that I put it off. Did I mention that I am losing weight? Also, it interferes with my knitting… Yay for you!!! Luckily we are coming into winter and it will be crockpot soup season in no time at all.
I’m still happily knitting along and the wrists are just now starting to complain a little. I may have to diversify a little and cut down my knitting time.
I wish you could come over here to do laundry with me!
Hannah: send TUNA!!!!
I wish I could appear magically in Colorado (bringing tuna, of course !) to give you a huge fat hug, do your washing, check the bottom edges of the catio while Mateo glowers at me— oh, I forgot to tell you, Marilyn ! – I’ve had a catio made for Boodie ! Not being anywhere near as clever, let alone as determined, as are you, I had it made by a dear Vietnamese bloke who has a business called Backyard Catio Builder (https://www.backyardcatio.com.au/, so you can see the kind of thing he does). It’s nothing like your wonderful creation, as it doesn’t allow for anything but letting Boodie get outside into the sun.
One day I’ll put potted plants there too …
YOu had a catio made!!! You will love the potted plants out there. I’ve been thinking about having mine redone next summer so that there can be a shaded covering on mine.
Now I’m thinking that I need to go do some laundry and maybe cook some yummy food.
A catio builder? I had no idea there was such a thing. I have a covered deck already. Why has it never dawned on me to create a catio? Duh!
Didja check out the catios Mr Nguyen makes, Colorado ? – when I eventually get to post about my wonderful little old flat, you will see mine ! 🙂
A catio would be pretty easy to construct if you already have a covered deck. I used a product called CatNets, but I may have something more substantial built this coming year as Mateo is such an escape artist.
The Hearthside cardigan and your collection of yarns seem perfect combination. That’s really going to be beautiful. I wish I had the patience to give brioche another go, one day I will. I love his little silver ruff, what a handsome boy he is and what a cutie Hannah is.
I really do like brioche, but I remember that it was a horrible learning curve. I am finally at the point where I can read the knitting and do repair work as needed.
Mateo now has little clumps of silver hair appearing all over (except his shoulders and legs) and he is a little hysterical in appearance. He is also eating like there is no tomorrow; there must be a lot more fur on the way.
Such beautiful yarn! Hannah, the Mother of Cats has excellent taste in colors. 😉 I can’t wait to see all the finished knits.
Glad to hear you’re feeling well enough to knit, Marilyn. ❤
Ahhh, right there with you on pink/purple and grey sweater!! The yarn looks gorgeous. Aww, but I still love the Sea Glass. Didn’t get it done this year but on the plan for next year. Gotta use up those bits of yarn. One year I got a 10g variegated mini skein advent so Sea Glass is my plan to use them.
I know, how can I fail with colors like that!! I still dream of Sea Glass (and I think that there will be plenty of yarn left over for one) but my hands are not happy with the colorwork knitting. You are so right about the mini skeins!!
You are on fire, and in a good way. Wow! As for the pair of felines under foot, they are handsome, cute, clever, curious, kitties. I *love* the white ruff. Purr, purr, purr
Mateo’s fur is coming in like crazy now and the ruff is a double one at the moment. I need to post some pictures that show the difference between summer and winter with this boy.