hand eye crafts

A quiet day here.  Not because Erin made that much noise, just dealing with one of this house's heartbeats being gone. It turns out that the Jimmy Beans set talked about in the last post wasn't from them.  Well, it was from them, but it wasn't my subscription package.  It was from the truly beautiful and remarkable Camille, to be used as a Knitters' Hunk or Knitters' Chick prize.  (Honestly, if you've received some killer goodies from the contests, they've likely come from her.)  I'll set it aside until at least February, when we have KH and KC Classic.

Earlier tonight, I had to have my 19-year-old girl Erin put down. She'd been deteriorating for a bit  --- wasn't eating much or grooming.  She was not the chubby girl in the picture.  When she came down to eat tonight, she sort of collapsed, and I knew it was time.  I gave her a good massage with the grooming glove, which she always liked, then took her to the emergency vet.  They were very kind. She was always the odd cat out around here.  She preferred to be by herself, save for when our lovely Zen was alive.  Those two were sort of locked together.  Erin did not like to be picked up.  She was the chattiest cat I've ever had, often talking up a storm from other rooms, or from down the hall.  I never figured that out at all.  She wouldn't just hang out with us --- it was weird to see her come into the den for any length of time.  She was her own piece of work.  It was hard to say goodbye.

Tap has shown not even a tiny bit of residual ouchiness in his leg.  One of his favorite things to do is romp in our side yard, where the grass is thicker and there are bugs and birds to chase and shade to rest in.  I've begun using time there as a "reward" for him taking care of his bathroom business when I take him out.  And he CHARGES over to and around there. No limp, no hitch. . .  I should get a video of him tearing around.   I belong to  Jimmy Beans'  monthly subscription service, and looked what they sent this time: Ten mini-skeins of Koigu and a book with 13 patterns you could use them for.  I was flabbergasted. I've got tired fingers and a sore throat from writing and calling Senators' offices almost non-stop lately.  We don't need to get all political, I just hope that wherever you are, whatever you believe in, you fight for it.  I hope that you get involved. All that said, thank goodness we have kn...

Yesterday, Tap took a tumble, and came up yelping and favoring his back left leg.  To the veterinarian we went.  She couldn't find anything just palpating everything, and his limp had lessened, so she concluded that there wasn't a serious injury, but gave him some pain medicine just in case. So he's fine.  What went on more than the exam was the chorus of, "He's so cute!"s that rang from the staff, doctors, and other patients' parents.  He is, without a doubt.   Dr. Jones, who saw him, asked, "What kind of dog is he?"  I had been counting on her  telling me ! She said, "Some kind of terrier?"  The tech said, "Long-haired chihuahua?  Dachshund?"  I said, "He stands like a hound, with his tail up over his back.  And his coloring is a little like an Afghan." We couldn't decide.  If I can get more, and better, photos of him, maybe one of you will be able to help.

Working with circulars is a partial answer to the Tap-attacks-my-knitting dilemma.  He still goes after the ball of yarn, but that's half the problems I had before. Here's a photo of Justin Trudeau I longed to use in KH, but I was unable to find other nominees in a similar pose.    

This stumped everyone.  I wasn't quite sure about the "mousse" layer.  The cats couldn't figure out how to eat it.  Seriously.  If it was put on the plate like in the photo, they'd nibble at the top layer a bit, but really want to get to the chicken at the bottom.  The pumpkin was in their way.  If I inverted it onto their dishes, they wolfed the chicken down then walked away when they realized it was gone and they were faced with the confounded pumpkin again. Not a big hit.  It seems my cats aren't quite this high-falutin'. Chewy. com allows me to try two products (of my choosing) each month to try, in exchange for honest reviews of the products.  There is no exchange of money.

My opportunity to request products for trial from  Chewy.com  sort of overlapped with Tap's Arrival.  His arrival led to my discovery of his love for dragging his tummy along in the grass outside, which in turn led to lots of scratching on his (and, frankly, my) account. These tablets are very small, so easily hidden in food or treats.  They are supposed to begin working within 30 minutes of ingestion, and they can be used daily if necessary. There was no discernible decrease in Tap's scratching and chewing after the first dose, but the second one did make a noticeable difference.  So, hooray for Capstar! Except that within a couple of days, the itching and chewing were back.  And even though the pills are supposed to be safe to give daily, Tap is so little that giving him that many chemicals within a relatively short period of time didn't appeal to me.  There are still some tablets left, so I will be trying them again. Chewy.com...

Tap was neutered yesterday.  (And, yes, I checked with him and got his okay before sharing.)  Before I go further, let me remind you that he is 7 pounds, maybe 8" tall at the shoulder, and his slowest gait is a prance-y trot. Okay.  I drop him off yesterday morning, pick him up yesterday afternoon.  I got the usual "no running, jumping, playing" talk, along with the standard warning about keeping him from licking or chewing the incision site.  And see, neither of these is going to happen, because he is 4 months old and all  moving around.  I ask if they have a no-chew cone for him to wear, and am told, "His scrotum was so small, he probably won't get too itchy." On the way home --- on.  the.  way.  home.---  he is chewing and licking.  To Petsmart with us, then.  I buy the smallest collar they have (which comes with a lavender-infused calming disc, even.)  When we get home and put it on him, he jumps and ...

Stuff From During The Contests. Look at these earrings! There are some stunning photos of Lupita Nyong'o. Here's another of her, that I wouldn't have been able to use unless she and Sir Ben wound up as winners: (The "Jungle Book" photos of Kingsley and Elba were among my favorites this year.) I mentioned The Mother of All Two-People-Together Photo, which --- again --- I was unable to use.  But how perfect would this have been? When you start looking for them, there are actually a surprising number of two-in-one pictures.  Finding them is gold for me.   This was the first year in the history of Knitters' Hunk that Mark Harmon wasn't in the field.  I don't think anyone else can claim that, unless you've been nominating from the beginning, Twinnie? Black and white portraits are always my preference, but there weren't any to use this year. Two of this year's winning nominators are non-knitters, which puts ...

The 2018 Knitters' Hunk is Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex. Or, you know, Prince Harry. He was nominated by Kim (or, you know, Twinnie.)  She, therefore, will win the Grand Prize.   Lorette nominated Jeffrey Leon Bridges, and will win the Second Place Prize. The 2018 Knitters' Chick is Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was nominated by Lora and Shari, so they will each receive prizes. Now, since Michelle Obama went into the draw automatically, I stepped back to the Semifinals to figure out who would win the Second Place prize.  In the Semis, Carol Creighton Burnett had more votes than Emma Thompson, so her nominator will get rewarded.  Actually, her nominator s : Jorene and (again) Shari.  Congratulations to every single one of you, and immeasurable gratitude to all who nominated and voted.  This wouldn't go anywhere without you.

Tune in tomorrow for the naming of your 2018 Knitters' Hunk, 2018 Knitters' Chick, and those who win the Grand and Second Place Prizes. It's down to this: The 2018 Knitters' Chick Should Be The 2018 Knitters' Hunk Should Be

The crownings are nigh, my dears. Let's go. KC Semifinal #1 KH Semifinal #1 KC Semifinal #2 KH Semifinal #2 Finals tomorrow!!

Let's get to four, want to?  Thanks, by the way, for breaking those ties.  Using an extra day to break them means that our timeline for crowning has shifted a bit.  We'll get there when we get there.  (Very Mom of me, I know.  What else can I say, though?)  Also by the way, after this round, you won't be able to see the voting results in real time.  It's a good time for suspense, I find. Onward! KH Quarter #1 KC Quarter #1 KH Quarter #2 KC #2 Quarter KH Quarter #3 KC Quarter #3 KH Quarter #4 KC Quarter #4

There are two ties to break before we can get to the full Quarterfinals: KC #36.1 KH #39.1 As soon as there are winners here, the Quarters will be complete.  Left in the contests are Carol Burnett Tina Fey Ruth Bader Ginsburg Michelle Obama Maggie Smith Emma Thompson Emma Watson and Jon Bon Jovi Jeff Bridges Harry, Duke of Sussex Idris Elba Chris Hemsworth Alexander Skarsgard Justin Trudeau If you nominated any of those left, you're still in the running for prizes.  Good luck!

Filling out the Quarterfinals today. . .  Can you believe we're nearing the end?  Eleven years, and your enthusiasm hasn't waned --- thank you. Into the Quarters: Chris Hemsworth  Michelle Obama Jon Bon Jovi  Emma Watson Jeff Bridges  Ruth Bader Ginsburg Maggie Smith Who else, you ask?  It's all in your hands. KH #37 KC #36 KH #38 KC #37 KH #39 KC #38 KH #40

At the end of voting Wednesday, both Knitters' Hunk and Knitters' Chick will be done to the final eight contestants. Which means Quarterfinals Thursday, Semifinals Friday, Finals Saturday.  All this barring any do-overs for ties, of course.  You're getting us very close!   Yesterday, you moved Alan Cumming Lily Tomlin Harry, Duke of Sussex Alexander Skarsgard(and is into the Quarterfinals) Carol Burnett(and is into the Quarterfinals) Let's get those Quarters filled up, what do you say? Oh, and break the Judi Dench / Maggie Smith tie, too. KH #34 KC #33 KH #35 KC #34 KH #36 KC #35 KC #32.1

And that will have to do for today. I also apologize for not knowing right off the top of my head how many of you are still in the running for contest prizes.  I'd go check, but there's a snoring puppy atop my left leg and, trust me, you want him to sleep as long as possible. We should be to the Quarterfinals in a couple of days.  Keeping their hopes for getting there alive are Idris Elba Lupita Nyong'o Ben Kingsley Ruth Bader Ginsburg* Chris Evans Rashida Jones *You voted against a three-year-old, you know.  😊  That photo pairing was crazy. Today, you have KH #31 KC #30 KH #32 KC #31 KH #33 KC #32 Always, thanks for playing along.  See you tomorrow!

There are some nominees who haven't even shown up yet, and, man, are some of these choices tough!  It usually doesn't get this bad until much later. So,  how are YOU doing? Saturday's victors: Vanderbilt Mississippi State Oregon Kentucky Oh, victors here.  Right. Jeff Bridges Judi Dench Jon Bon Jovi Sela Ward James Marsden Tina Fey Kate McKinnon For your voting pleasure today: KH #28 KC #27 KH #29 KC #28 KH #30 KC #29

You've all got errands to run or books to read or rows to knit or football to watch, so let's get right to it, shall we? Except for one thing.  I like finding photos of two nominees together, and use them whenever I can.  I realized today that perhaps the Mother Of All Two-In-One Pictures is possible this year, but not until very deep in the contest.  Hopefully, a few more will become available even sooner. Yesterday, Carol Burnett Ken Watanabe Emma Watson Justin Trudeau Emma Thompson Jason Momoa moved along in the draw. Whom do you wish to send forward with them? KH #25 KC #24 KH #26 KC #25 KH #27 KC #26 KC #16.1

Most current winners: Michelle Obama Chris Hemsworth Catherine Cambridge Liam Neeson (That's one former KH defeating another KH) Lynda Carter Most current pairings: KH #22 KC #21 KH #23 KC #22 KH #24 KC #23

I finally have a day without (knock wood) crises.  Briton's car trouble ended with the purchase of a Prius.  And I am extremely jealous. Like, really, really  jealous. Tap chewed through my phone's charging cord last night, so I had to get a replacement. So, hopefully, phone worries are done.  The plan is to stay home tomorrow and do NOTHING. Except keep up with KH and KC.  The latest winners are: Henrik Lundqvist Maggie Smith Alexander Skarsgard Ralph Fiennes Angela Bassett Alan Cumming Tea Leoni and Kate McKinnon tied --- we'll have yet another tiebreaker later. Here are the fresh young faces for you to ponder today. KC #18 KH #20 KC #19 KH #21 KC #20 Let me end by saying there is a match-up on the way that it has been a true delight looking through pictures for.  This is a pretty good gig, I must say.

We've entered the second round!  If you haven't seen one --- or even more --- of your nominees yet, be strong of heart.  Lots of people got byes for the first round.   The newest winners: James Marsden Sela Ward Prince Harry Julia Roberts Next up: KH #17 KC #15 KH #18 KC #16 KH #19 KC #17 KH #6.1

I hope everyone had a nice weekend.  Mine was a wee bit frantic.  Aside from being out of pocket yesterday, the engine of Briton's car flat-out died at the end of last week, necessitating some shifting of money (an awful weekend to have to do that) and a trip to the Toyota dealer in town.  Not to mention all the ferrying of the one operating car between us.  Uuuugggghhhh. Then, my wondering out loud about getting myself a dog led to viewing the site of every rescue organization nearby.  Which led to --- oh, you have this figured out already.  Here he is: He was called "Gene Kelly" at the shelter.  Last night I finally landed on "Tap" as his name.  He's, let's say, "busy."  Run, run, run, run and then CRASH. But you aren't here for any of that, are you? You're here to find out that Jeremy Irons Emma Watson Jon Bon Jovi Zendaya Idris Elba Emma Thompson Jeff Bridges and Mayim Bialik  have moved on to the ...