Do you puff?

Hexipuff, that is.  

As usual, I'm a little behind when it comes to the latest knitting trends.  In this case, The Beekeeper's Quilt, by Tiny Owl Knits.  Lots and lots of knitters are addicted to making these teeny little hexipuffs out of bits of leftover (or not, but I'll get to that...) sock yarn.

When the pattern first came out, I didn't even really consider it.  Don't get me wrong...it's a beautiful FO, but it isn't exactly a "do it in a weekend" type of knit.  You need close to 400 of these little buggers to make a decent throw.  I just couldn't see taking on a project like that.  I know me and how I get all, "ooh, look! shiny!", with a new pattern and completely forget about what I've already got on the needles.

Then I saw the charts.  There are oodles and oodles of charts for decorating hexipuffs.  (I'll admit...it was the Dr. Who charts that really tilted the scales.)  There's no stranded colorwork involved, as it can all be done with duplicate stitch.  It was like the Heavens opened up and I heard the proverbial choir singing.  Suddenly, I could see the whole next year stretching out in front of me, filled with hexipuffs.

Beach hexipuffs.

Birthday hexipuffs.

Anniversary hexipuffs.

New school year hexipuffs.

Hobby hexipuffs.

Halloween hexipuffs.

Christmas hexipuffs.

At the end of the year (or not, since I can keep adding on to it), I could have a scrapbook-style quilt of puffy memories.

T thought I was nuts until he started playing with a few of the ones I'd already made and decided that they were awful fun to toss around and throw at the kids.  He decided I should make millions of hexipuffs just for him to play with.  /snort/  He also wants an army of Minions, but that's not likely to happen either.


There are even tons of indie dyers that sell bundles of mini-skeins.  It's crazy addictive!!!  You start thinking to yourself, "Oh, well...it's not like I'm buying a whole hank of yarn," and before you know it you've signed up for a mini-skein club and your ship is sunk.

Don't ask me how I know.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my addiction.



Lots of puffy love,
~Bubblesknits

Get out of this one, you little sneak! (aka A Review)

Micro should have been named Houdini because of how often he manages to wiggle out of his diaper.  I always feel kinda sorry for the cats when he pulls an escape, because it means he's going to go find something they like and "mark" it.  Unfortunately, the things they like are usually things I like.  For example, my couch pillows.  You can probably see how the cats aren't the only ones frustrated by the surprise golden showers.

Well, I think I've found our savior:

THE PEEKEEPER!!!

I found an advertisement for this little gem in a dog magazine and thought, "Why not. We've tried everything else."  At $36.99, it was a little on the expensive side of things I've tried in the past, but I knew that if it worked it would be worth every penny.  Basically, its a soft flannel contraption that fits on your dog like a harness.  You place a feminine pad (or in our case, a baby diaper) inside the harness to catch the pee, secure the velcro tabs, and your dog is good to go.

Basic shipping was free and FAST.  I ordered on the 18th and got the shipping notice on the 19th.  You just can't beat that.  It got here this past Monday and was super easy to figure out.  At first, Micro didn't seem to care for the part coming up between his hind legs and he spent about 20 minutes hopping around or trying to "scoot" it off.  However, after that, he got used to it and has been fine ever since.

Best of all?  My couch pillows have been fine ever since!!!  He's tried all of his usual diaper removal tricks and that sucker hasn't budged.  :D  We did have one tiny issue when I didn't have the straps adjusted right and the back portion got a little too close to his...um...bottom.  There's a reason it's called the "Peekeeper" and not the "Pookeeper".  Ahem.

The most flattering picture I could get of the "back" half.

Right now they only offer X-Small, Small, & Medium (the site gives you instructions on how to correctly measure for size), but it does say that you can be notified when they add larger sizes.  That tells me that those are probably on the way.

Truly, I can't say enough about these.  Micro's happier because he's being let out in the house more and we're happier because he's not marking everything that the cats touch.  Maybe they should nickname it the "Peacekeeper", because it's definitely given us some peace of mind.  :)

Hugs & Dog Hair,
~Bubblesknits

Loss

Grandmother's knitting needles that she gave me a few years back.


April 1922 ~ April 2012

A Major Award...

(Sorry...couldn't help the movie reference. lol)

Thanks to Chan (Chan Knits), I received The Liebster Blog Award today.  :D  Here's the description she gave, courtesy of Terrie (Starspry):

Liebster is a German word meaning favorite, dearest or beloved. The Liebster Blog Award is awarded by bloggers to other bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers, to help spread the word about their blogs and to help them gain wider recognition. 

So, here's the rules for the Liebster blog award:

1.  Link back to the person who awarded it to you.  In this case, the awesome Chan of Chan Knits.

2.  Post the award to your blog...

...check.

3.  Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.  (I had to guess on a few of these because a lot of people don't have a follower count.)

1. Cindy of The Real McFamily (A very funny, inspiring, blogger who just happens to know my deepest, darkest, secrets.)
2. Rachel of The Times We Are Living In (Has, in my opinion, the coolest job in the world and takes amazing pictures.)
3. Elizabeth of Trailing Yarn (A very talented local crafter and photographer.)
4. Gypsyknits (An amazing friend and fellow knitter.  However, my heart truly belongs to Mr. B...her big doofus of a dog. ;)  )
5. Robin of The Knittin' Coop  (She spins, she knits, she runs, and she has the cutest dog *ever*.)

4.  Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know that they've been offered this award.

5.  List 5 random facts that people don't know about you.

1. I love Micro's scent.  Not the smell of sweaty, outdoor, dog (that smell earns him a bath)....just his normal, everyday scent.  
2. I'm a night owl, so it's completely normal for me to be awake at one in the morning.  I've been this way just about all my life.  It's like my internal clock is off by about 4 hours.
3. I have very long toes.  If I ever lost my pinky finger in an accident, they could probably just sew on one of my toes and I'd be good to go.  lol
4. Argh!  This is getting hard!  Uh.....some of you might not know this one:  I used to be a member of the 501st Legion, a Star Wars costuming group.  
5. I love the show, "Swamp People".  (Troy is my favorite.)

/waves bye with her toes/,

~Bubblesknits

If looks could kill...

...Micro would be toast.

Happy Dogs on Thursday!