Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My creation

Well, it's not until tomorrow. My dad turns 70 tomorrow, and he's got his handmade gift today. So I can show it off here.
Back in December I asked Maggie to please dye me some fiber. I wanted to spin and knit something for my dad, but was not sure what, so I got more fiber than usual. In the end I only made a scarf, with a lot of yarn left over.

Since Maggie named the dyed fiber "Silver Dollar", I used this name for my scarf as well. I wanted an almost solid fiber, and that's what I got. I did not get the yarn I wanted, because it's too thin! It's 3-ply, not navajo though.

fiber: Dyed in the Wool Handmade
yarn: my own handspun, 3-ply, 2 skeins; 1. ~ 465yds 2. 520yds (I used the second skein for the scarf, since I cast on for several attempts with the first one, and I wanted to give the poor yarn a break)
needles: 3.75mm
stitch pattern: Vogue Knitting Vol. 1 (my son decided on the stitch pattern, since the ones I liked where to "girly")
size: I don't know, can't remember. I took notes on a piece of paper and forgot to write it in my notebook.

What made my day is, that my dad liked the baloons I put into the package! I guess one is never to old for that. :o)

Biko:
She's doing well. She gets pain killers every 12 hours now, instead of every 8 hours. The prednisone makes her very hungry all the time, and thirsty. We had a big pee accident the night before last, so we took turns to get her out every three hours tonight. No accident! :o)
The wound is healing well, as far as I can tell. Because of her munchies, she's even pushed Sam out of her way, to get to the source of noise in the kitchen. It's kind of funny. She' NOT a food oriented dog usually, she could care less about treats, but now, she just wants to eat all the time. Anyway, when Sam gets to go outside, it's the only time she whines, but out of frustration. Tough luck, Baby! You've got to get well first!
It's pretty cold outside too, so she never hangs out for long, when she's outside to pee. We use a towel to help her down the stairs and up again.
edited later: My dad sent me this picture of him wearing the scarf. Of course there's no need for it now, since they are basking in spring like sunny weather! Behind him is my grandmother. Can you see her socks in progress? Well, I guess not, the picture is too small.

29 comments:

sgeddes said...

Silver Dollar, what a perfect name. I love it. Do you have enough left over for another scarf?

I'm glad to hear the biko is progressing.

carla said...

Great scarf!

cosymakes said...

now that is a fabulous gift. love the photo of him too :)

shannon said...

i love that he took a photo right away and sent it. it shows that he loves the scarf and adores his daughter.

glad to hear of no more accidents with biko. we're doing a bit better with josie, although i'm heading out of town for a few days and i'm sure kev will have horror stories...

Maggie said...

It's so beautiful! That really turned out, didn't it! Thanks so much Monika! Happy birthday to your dad. :)

elizabeth said...

Your parents are so cute! Too funny about the balloons!

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

Your Dad looks so proud and happy wearing his scarf! David has a good eye for patterns - I remember the flower he recommended on the heel of your socks (nice touch, I thought). Dogs are incredibly sensative to predezone - you will have to be careful about the accidents well after you stop the meds as it takes awhile to leave the system.

Bea said...

Your dad is SO cute in his scarf! I love that silver dollar colorway, it's beautiful! I'm glad Biko is getting better, sending animal happy love healing thoughts your way!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely gift for your father!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY father of Monika!!!

Nice picture of him with the scarf.

I am glad Biko is a little happier.

Margaret said...

Happy Birthday to your Dad! Once my Dad moves back up North from Florida, I might be able to knit him a scarf! Glad to hear Biko is doing so much better.

lexa said...

Happy birthday to your Dad! The scarf looks great.

Gotta love steriods and the munchies it brings! My Jewel would chew your arm off to get her treats, especially those Jerky Treats and Beggin' Strips. She totally loves those. I don't like feeding animals people food, and she's totally in-your-face when you're trying to eat. I say that's from when she was a stray. The people at the social services building where she hung out used to buy her hamburgers and stuff from the cafeteria.

hakucho said...

The silver dollar scarf you made for your Dad is splendid :) Beautiful color and beautifully handspun by you...such a special gift! Your Dad certainly had an excellent birthday :) Happy 70th to him and many many more :)

Angelika said...

Tell your dad I wish him a happy birthday too. This scarf is really totally made for him. All you had to add was your own sheep. I can tell he likes it and that makes it so much more better (like my son would say ;)).

Beverly said...

Happy Birthday to your dad. He'll enjoy your beautiful scarf when it cools off again.

Glad Biko is doing much better. Keeping the pain under control can only help the healing process.

Anonymous said...

Lovely scarf and Happy Birthday to your dad. My mum was 70 last year!!
Glad to hear Biko is feeling even better. I remember drugs made Tori very thirsty and hungry, but she was a Labrador!! She must be happy to be home with you all.

Anonymous said...

The scarf looks great. I really like the look of the silver dollar roving and yarn. Poor Biko. I was just taking prednisone so I know how Biko feels. My friend and her dog have also taken it with the same side effects. It's good to see her feeling better.

Knitty Gritty Thoughts said...

What a beautiful and thoughtful present, I just love the scarf!

Debi said...

Your Dad's stylin'! Happy Birthday Dad!!

herzlichkreativ said...

Wunderschön, der Schal für deinen Dad. Und wie er sich darüber freut, einfach herrlich.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to your Dad! You can see he loves his scarf.

Glad to hear that Biko is doing better. Our dog was on prednisone for a while and I gave him rawhide bones to ease his appetite - big mistake because he became incredibly gassy!

All the best to you all.

Kris

Viktoria said...

You scarf is lovely!

I'm glad to hear that biko is doing better...

Kris B said...

Awesome scarf and the name silver dollar fits the color well.

Happy Birthday to your Dad.

I'm very glad to hear Biko is recovering nicely.

Heidi said...

I LOVE the color!
There aren't many patterns that I especially like for men's scarves, but this one is great. Definitely going to save it =)

-Mica

Anonymous said...

I love seeing the pictures from start to finish, and your dad looks like he loves the scarf! The color is gorgeous :)

Me and my dogs are all wishing Biko a speedy recovery!

Donyale said...

Just thought I would let you know I nominated you for a "You make my day award".

Strickfimmel said...

Herzlichen Glückwunsch und alles Liebe und Gute, vor allem Gesundheit, zum Geburtstag an Monika's Dad!
Der Schalist sehr schön geworden und Farbe und Muster passen perfekt zusammen. Er steht Deinem Vater sehr gut und ich glaube man sieht auch, dass er sichtlich stolz darauf ist. Sehr schönes Foto. Ich freue mich, dass es Biko so langsam besser geht. Hoffentlich ist sie bald wieder die Alte.

Anonymous said...

Poor Biko! I once had a vet send me home with the wrong meds. sigh Anyway, I'm sending good vibes to you and hope that you have a completely stress-free weekend.

Your dad looks so handsome in his wonderful scarf!

Heike said...

Dein Paps freut sich richtig über den Schal - der steht ja richtig stolz da!
Ich finde den Schal aber auch supergut gelungen. Das Muster zusammen mit dem Garn - das ist ein richtiges Männermodell.
David kann ruhig öfter mal Muster aussuchen. Der Mann hat Ahnung!

Liebe Grüße von Heike

Violiknit said...

Happy Birthday to your Dad! He looks great in that scarf!