Meet Jasper

I mentioned to Andy a few months ago that I was starting to browse PetFinder to see if there were any Pugs available for adoption that would be a good match for Iggy (and for us too, of course).  We had been talking about getting a second Pug once Iggy had turned 2, but something kept nagging me that we should start looking sooner.  Perhaps it was the constant grabbing of my flip flop while still on my foot as I talked on the phone, or the wild cat like sounds that Iggy omitted the moment he didn't have our full attention.  Or maybe it was divine intervention, it's really hard to say but one day about a month ago I saw a 2 year old male pug named Jasper that looked like a good match.  He was young, healthy and had been an owner surrender to a kill shelter of all places.  Luckily the Southside SPCA, a local rescue group, had picked him up and he was in foster care.  The information on their site said that Jasper would be at PetSmart in Richmond that weekend and could be adopted there.  Richmond is a little over 2 hours from where we live and I was still in the process of deciding if we really should get a second dog and what the effects of another dog in the house would be for us and for Iggy.  So I waited.  The next week Jasper was still on Petfinder and I knew that it was meant to be.  I filled out an adoption application online and heard back from Lea Anna within a few hours.  She said that we had been bumped up to the top of the list for Jasper after she spoke with vet and because we were familiar with taking care of Pugs because they have special needs due to their limited breathing abilities and not being able to tolerate too much heat or cold.  I think Lea Anna and I  talked for about an hour and she mentioned several times that Jasper wasn't a calm quiet Pug and that he was kind of hyper.  In the back of my mind I was thinking, oh boy what are we getting into?  Even though Iggy has passed every obedience class known as well as obtaining his AKC Canine Good Citizen certification, he still tends to be known as the "Pugnato" in our house.  There are times when he is literally running circles in our living room and running across the back of the sofa as some sort of doggy proof of his gymnastic ability.  

Lea Anna and I set a time to meet early in the morning at PetSmart in Richmond so that we could all meet Jasper and see how he and Iggy got along.  I don't think I slept more than a couple of hours the night before.  I was so excited to meet Jasper!  Iggy had never been in the car for more than an hour and by the time we arrived he was acting like child that had been cooped up on the car on a family road trip.  We walked up to the front of the store and met Lea Anna and Brenda who was Jaspers foster mom.  Brenda spent about an hour with us patiently answering all our questions and giving us suggestions on training and health care.  She was a huge wealth of information and had obviously done a wonderful job fostering Jasper.  Jasper and Iggy seemed to hit it off really well and we fell in love with him instantly!  Jasper sat in Andy's lap while I signed all the forms to make the adoption official.  I think I must have asked a million questions and probably some of them twice, everyone at the Southside SPCA was so nice and very helpful.  

After everything was signed and official, Lea Anna took this picture of us.  Notice the crazed look on Iggy's face and how calm Jasper looks ;)

 

In my mind I pictured both boys riding on the back seat on the way home.  We purchased a few toys for them and I thought they would be satisfied with that.  Two and a half hours later with a drive through stop at Wendy's and we rode the whole way home just like this:   

Jasper has been the epitome of the perfect Pug since day one.  He is kind and sweet to us and to Iggy.  We couldn't have asked for a better dog (and yes, that is a cute little snaggle tooth in the picture below).  As far as being hyper, I think Iggy has cornered the market on that!

The Southside SPCA runs on donations to help care for the animals in their charge.  It is a volunteer organization and they have a spay and neuter program as well as offering educational services.  If you would like to make a donation to help the Soutside SPCA care for the animals in their charge please click this link: Donate For every donation of $25 that you make between August 26 and September 30, you can have your choice of any one of my knitting patterns that are located in my Ravelry Pattern Shop (club patterns and patterns that are currently released under yarn company brands/names are excluded).  Just send me an email with your receipt number and your choice of pattern and I will add it to your Ravelry pattern library.

Six More Weeks of Winter KAL

Well the groundhog from hell has spoken and we will be having six more weeks of winter.  As you know, I love winter and next to fall it's my favorite time of the year.  This years lack of snow in our area pared with biting cold temperatures has been rather disappointing.  My friends in New England have gotten more than their fair share of snow and I would gladly take some of it off of their hands! 

To get us through the next six weeks, I started a Six More Weeks of Winter KAL in my Ravelry Group.  It's a casual KAL and you can even knit one of my patterns that you may already have.  If you want to purchase a pattern for the KAL use coupon code: Phil for 20%, good until the end of the day.  I'm giving away three patterns for prizes, all you need to do is post a picture of your FO from the KAL in the group to be entered.  I'm going to be joining in the KAL to help me with my goal of using 10 skeins before MDSW. 

Two pairs of socks knit from stash using two skeins of yarn.  I'm not counting the contrasting color on the Hearts in Owlantis since it was leftover from another project.

I didn't bother to check my gauge since Wentletrap is one of my designs (Do you think you are the only one who plays Russian Roulet with gauge????) and I wound up using more yarn than I planned and actually ran out on the toe of the second sock.  I put an SOS up in the Socks That Rock Group on Ravelry and Turtlegirl was kind enough to come to my rescue.  This was what was on the package when it came:

I finished up the toe and blocked them yesterday.  They are nice and dry this morning and I'm going to wear them today. Woot, woot! The yarn is Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Fire on the Mountain colorway.

I tend to get a little stir crazy when we wind up staying inside so much.  I rearrange furniture, clean out closets and generally drive Andy crazy.  We keep Iggy's crate in the living room during the day so that when we leave he can see Kiwi and not feel like he is all alone.  He is still way to young to leave unattended at this point.  The crate wasn't really an eyesore, but it really wasn't adding anything to the living room either.  I took some quick measurements and realized that it would fit perfectly under a repurposed sewing table that we had by the front door to keep our keys and other clutter on.  It looks much better and best of all didn't cost a thing.  We had been looking at coffee table crates on Amazon, and they are crazy expensive!  The table is a little taller than the crate, which I like because it will give Iggy plenty of fresh air.

The Song of My People

Our puppy came home two days early and we are so happy to have him home!  I am completely wiped out from lack of sleep.  He (still no name) has been singing the song of his people at night and I haven't gotten much, if any, sleep for the past two nights.

In celebration of our puppy's homecoming I have created a coupon for all of the patterns in my Ravelry shop for $1.00 off.  It's good through midnight on Saturday July 26.  

Use coupon code: puppy

Any hints or tips on getting him to sleep through the night?  Post one and I will do a drawing for your choice of one of my patterns.  I will do the drawing on Friday August 1.

I will be back in full force next week with a knitting blog post! 

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

I had such a fantastic time at the trunk show at Mosaic Yarn Shop last weekend!  The best part of the day was getting to meet so many very talented knitters.  I am extremely embarrassed to say that once the shop opened I totally forgot to take any pictures.  I think I talked non stop the entire time I was there and taking pictures slipped my mind.  Suzanne aka NeedleHappy  brought one of her finished Yorktown Socks (in a coordinating bag to boot) to show me and I didn't even get a picture of that.  She does have this picture on her Ravelry project page, but I would have liked to have taken one of her and her sock.  The yarn is

Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk and has a lovely hand.  I've never tried it, but may need to after feeling it in person.

I did manage to take a couple of pictures before the opening.

 

The center shawl is Juliet in Rivers Edge Fiber Arts new Seasons self striping yarn.  Juliet was released on Monday and there is a coupon code for $1.00 off if you purchase Juliet through Ravelry: Summer2014  It expires at midnight on Saturday July 19.  Juliet is also available on Craftsy and will be added to my Etsy shop early next week.   In case you want to order yourself a skein of soft as a kitten Seasons yarn, Carol is offering free shipping through July 20.  If you would prefer a hard copy of Juliet, Carol will have them on hand at the shows that she has a booth at.

I got to spend some time with Natasha from Unplanned Peacock who is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.  She has a great selection of yarns and some really fantastic colors.  I'm currently working on a new design in her Peacock sock that will be released in early fall.  Want a teaser?   Here is the swatch, the colors are Moon and Sun.

It's countdown to puppy time!  We get to bring the little cutie home next Friday and we still don't have a name.  Andy has threatened to call him "He who must not be named" if I don't figure out what to call him before we bring him home.  I have told him no-way are we naming our puppy Voldemort! This face is way too cute for that!  Margi has suggest Thor which I like, so maybe he will be Thor.  I could knit him a little Viking hat.

Happy Independence Day!

It's a holiday so I am not doing a full post and will save that for Monday.  I hope you all have a wonderful Independence Day!

I would like to add one little thing....

We met him today and he will be coming home with us on July 25!  He is a black Pug and comes from two very sweet parents.  I think you all know that I have a hard time coming up with names for patterns so you can imagine that naming this little guy is going to be even harder.  Hopefully we will have a good one picked out by the time he comes home.  We are thinking of Gru, but haven't fully decided yet.