Valentine's Surprise!

I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles (HA!) to find out what my Valentine's Day surprise was. Well, here you go:

Puppies!!!!

Yes, friends, the doctor and I are officially dog owners! And not just one dog, either, but TWO!!!! How fabulous is that? These dogs are soooooooooooooo sweet and good (most of the time) and we are really enjoying them. Needless to say, they are a bit of a distraction for getting other things done when at home. It's hard to do anything but play with the puppies! Unfortunately when we first brought them home I appeared to be violently allergic to them, as I got sick the very next day. Since then, we've moved their crate outside and purchased some AllerPet/D, which seems to be helping.

Now for a more formal introduction:

This one's "mine"

This is Jax, a 2 1/2 month old Chihuaua/Yorkie mix. I love his pink nose and green eyes! He is completely dedicated to me; he follows me wherever I go, and when I sit down, wants to curl up in my lap for snuggles! He also has the most adorable little yelp when I leave him all by himself. I never thought I'd like a "little, yippy dog" as I used to call them, but guess what? I'm sold.

This is "the doctor's"

This is Jewels, a 4 1/2 month old beagle. She has huge, brown, soulful eyes and the silkiest ears any dog has ever had. She also has really beautiful coloring of white, black and brown, including some zebra-like stripes on her haunches and a tiny white streak on her neck. So cute! She is really devoted to the doctor and has hardly any interest in me whatsoever, even if he is not around. She's having a lot of trouble getting potty-trained. (Jax, however, knows his stuff!)

Here's a shot to show how cute they are playing together:

Jax, look at the camera!

Okay, I think the doggies are tired now, so we'd better let them go to sleep:

Awwww!

Till next time,
Sarah

PS - We adopted these puppies from the Abandoned Pet Rescue on February 11th. I drove all the way to Fort Lauderdale because I'd seen a photo of Jax online and knew he was exactly what I wanted!

Random Blogthing Monday!

You Are a Frappuccino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

This is perfect for me because all I ever drink at Starbucks are Frappuccinos! : )

Blue Stuff!

Here's a sneak peek at my newest design:

It's already finished, waiting for a bit of frogging actually, but this is all you get to see as this is being submitted for publication!

And speaking of publication, props to Saun for making the cover of Knit Simple, due out in March, and for the fabulous sea-worthy tube top in Knit.1's current issue! (Also, a big pat on my own back for making another issue of MagKnits.....be sure to check out the May issue featuring a design by yours truly....also blue!)

Here's my selection of yarn for the Absorba bathmat from Masxon Dixon Knitting:

When will she knit something that's not blue?

It turned out loverly (more pics to come soon) and I have enough yarn left over to make some dishtowels! Now everything in my kitchen will match, how nice!

I've decided to use Knit Picks' Shine Worsted in the beautiful Sunflower colorway for my version of Sahara. For the trim, I'll use some Red Heard Tiki yarn that's in my stash, probably carried along with a ribbon yarn of some kind. I'm so excited to cast on; I can't wait until my yarn arrives! This will be the first time I've ordered yarn online specifically to knit a pattern for myself!

The Valentine's Surprise I mentioned last week is still awaiting a post; I've been holding off due to some minor complications, but never fear! All will be revealed in good time. (And trust me, this one's a doozy!)

Till next time,
Sarah

Sea World, Magic and Knitting

Trainers in Training!

Jonathan surprised me last weekend with a fabulous trip to Sea World in Orlando! We had a great time (Sea World is officially WAY fun), even though it was frigidly cold. Well, frigidly cold for Florida, at least. Our favorite attractions were looking at the jellyfish and their microscopic babies, and these:

A Leafy Sea Dragon!

One of the reasons I love going to zoo-like places is that inevitably I get to see an animal that not only have I never seen before, but also never even knew existed! These are particularly fascinating in person; they look like floating plants until they start to move their necks or curl their tails! God is so cool to have made so many unusual creatures for us to enjoy. . .even the ones that live in the depths of the ocean!

Also this past weekend, Jonathan treated us to front row seats at the Magic/Knicks game! Unfortunately the only player either one of us recognized was Grant Hill, who was seated on the sidelines due to injury. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, guess who forgot to put the camera in his cargo pocket before going into the stadium? So this is the only shot I have:

Smile, bald dude!

Even just a few rows away from the court, I couldn't get a good shot of the players from my cell phone camera. Oh, well!

For those of you who are not my family and are wondering why this blog has the title of "not a yarn snob" when I seemingly post and talk about only my family, never fear! Much knitting has occurred in the last few weeks. I do have a few FO's to share, as well as some new projects on the horizon, and hopefully these will be getting posted about in the next few days! One of my FO's is the Absorba bathmat from Mason-Dixon's book in a lovely blue colorway; I plan to knit up some matching dishtowels and maybe even (gasp!) a few dishcloths to boot! Also, Kailey's pinwheel sweater is finished, and I do have photos to share, but out of consideration for her mommy, I am waiting until I mail it to post about that. Hmmm, what else? Oh yes, I have decided to destash myself by joining Knit For Kids...I sorted out all my yarn into groups for this and discovered I should be able to make at least 15 sweaters! The first one is almost finished... Also, I've decided to treat myself to this in a lovely turquoise cashmere. (Three-quarter sleeves, of course! It is Florida, after all!)

Well, I suppose that's it for now! Keep your eyes peeled for a few *surprises* after V-Day!

Till next time,
Sarah

Energy Crisis?

Let's just harvest a big 'ol crop of wind!

taken november '06, west texas

Till next time,
Sarah