Platochek

Between December 31 and January 22, I've been test knitting 4 different designs, from 4 different designers. This one is called Platochek, which means kerchief, designed by Diana Rozenshteyn.



This is an extremely simple design to knit, but the stitch pattern of the main body is charming.



The edge was supposed to be garter stitch, but I wanted something else, and just improvised, and hoped for the best.



The yarn might look like a solid color, but it's really not. It's Wandering Cat Yarns Alley Cat Falkland, in the colorway Cinnamon stick. I love it!



This little shawl practically flew off the needles. I used 3.25mm needles, and after blocking it was 25inches x 60 inches.

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So, what else is going on. The other day, it was raining all day, melting away left over snow, and making our back yard into an ice rink in the evening. After it had stopped raining, I watched the dogs slide around for a while, finally doing their business.

Later on, when they were inside, I had grabbed a flashlight, bag, and pick up tool to go and get the poop, thinking I was safe with my big snow boots on. Well, they are called snow boots for a reason. I did get two out of three, before I found myself in a pickle. I had been moving gingerly forward, slip sliding, but about one meter before my last goal I had nowhere to go. Suddenly I was on a slope, and not a single step was safe to make.

Now what?

First I chided myself for getting into this situation (very helpful). Then I weight my options. I could try to make a step and undoubtedly fall. I could get down on all fours, and try crawling up the slop to a safer ground. But, option # 3 was the easiest.
I took the flashlight and pointed it to the window I knew my son was behind. I didn't exactly flash S.O.S. but he quickly realized that I wanted something from him. University education paying off, YES!

I asked him to throw me a rope (very dramatic), but also giggling by then. Well, who has a rope handy when one needs one? He used to play hockey, so I guess he felt quite comfortable sliding up to me, and pulling me to safety, where I could slip slide on my own out of my predicament.
Jeez, I felt so foolish, and all that thanks to Happy, who chose a spot he never goes to, to do his business.
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And last night! It was after dark, we went outside to let the gang rumble. Shortly after though, I thought I smelled skunk. What? Never had skunk around at this time of year before. Well, Denny smelled him too, and ran up to a spot at the fence, hackles up. He came when I called though, thank goodness. We hurried them inside, not wanting to experience a re-run of being skunked. A little later we saw a big fat skunk out front. What a way to make an entrance, when one can be smelled so far in advance.
I hope he moves on quickly, at least a few houses down the road. We've seen him hanging around for a while now.

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And of course it's not a post without a picture (or two) of the pups. While I've been spinning:


They get quite bored, and sleepy. (It's not often that they use the sofa all together. It's mostly two on, one off.)



Oh and Denny was hilarious, but that's a story for another time....

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