a Card Idea

Recently one of the nuns celebrated her 50th year as a monastic. I had hoped to make her a special card for the occasion, Onida, on the other hand, had other plans. She thought she would offer some help in the creative process resulting in the loss of approximately 12 rows. I keep telling her she can’t knit with her teeth. This put me a bit off schedule, but I am determined to finish the project …..belated, but offered, still, with love.

To achieve the look and size and fit the space I needed I had to modify the pattern, by knitting only the middle panel only. Lace weight yarn was too thick so I chose cobweb weight cashmere from Colourmart. Trying to find knitting needles small enough was a little more difficult. I had a size #00 pair that still did not lend well to the look I wanted so I ended up using some short blocking pins. I just glued some wood beads on one end of each to prevent the work from slipping off. Working with this small size of pins and weight yarn presented obvious visual concerns, which were resolved with good lighting and high magnified reading glasses.

Once finished I will attach this piecework to the front of a handmade card, either by tacking each corner with string, or finding an adhesive that can be easily removed from the fabric so that the knitted piece can be separated from the card itself and either displayed as a small wall or window hanging, placed on a dresser or small table as a doily, or even used as a marker of sorts. I will use a cardstock in a colour that will allow the piece to display nicely, or use a coloured mat on white cardstock. If this turns out as I hope I will knit, smaller, less ambitious lace swatches and create novelty cards to be sold at the monastery to help with their building fund.

Dixie Dingo

Currently our home is busting with a flurry of joyful activity by way of our new addition to the family/pack. Onida, a Native American name which translates to "the one searched for", is a Carolina Dog or "Dixie Dingo". Still considered as “pariah” this breed is currently being established and just recognized as a “rare breed” by UKC. Onida’s mother was a capture from the Savannah River area, her father is only a generation or so removed from the wild and we can recognize some characteristics and/or personality traits that reflect their pariah existence.

These dogs have a very interesting history. They were originally kept by Native Americans, their skeletons have be found in local burial grounds, so since my dh is Native American and we live in South Carolina, when it came time to consider bringing another dog into the family these factors were given thoughtful attention. We wanted a dog that could tolerate the local environment, especially since dh spends so much of his time on the rivers and swamp in this area, the Carolina dog seemed like a natural choice.

It has been 16 years since we have had a puppy in the house and while I am still a little anxious about doing everything right to provide a happy and safe environment, watching a lot of Cesar, the 'dog whisperer" and Victoria, from “It’s me or the dog”, even before bringing Onida home has been very helpful.

The few weeks Onida has been with us she has proven to be a very fast learner. She only had to be reminded twice that outside was the place to go potty and has mastered all the basic commands (come, sit, stay, lie down, roll). Training is a pleasant experience for both parties….I wish I could take all the credit but a good part of it is due to her desire to please. She took, right away, to the other members of the family, though we are currently working on taking care not to get too enthusiastic when playing with the cat or rabbit. She thinks Crispin, the rabbit, is an ambulating chew toy, she doesn’t try to hurt him; it’s just that those ears are so tempting. She had also taken a real interest in fibre crafts and has tried to help me with several of my knitting projects which has really put me behind and why I have not had time to post here. While I appreciated her interest We have decided that her talents lie elsewhere, like retrieving balls, and sticks, digging up roots, hiding in the bullis vines, maneuvering tall grasses, herding the chickens, etc. and of course, those she has proven especially talented at, looking cute, bringing a smile to everyone's face and helping us all start our days with joy, reminding us of God's many blessings, which can be found in a furry face.