On Rats, Knitting and Bears:

Okay, so I was knitting away on a new project this morning. Happily getting into my day. I had been unsure of what to expect with the felting I want to do. So I have decided to make a felted toy rat. I am knitting said rat in the same yarn I got for my mittens and hat to see how much it felts down so I know how big to make the others so they will fit well.

I’m sitting and knitting when Mountain Man, with bird seed in hand, asks, “What happened to the bird feeder?”

“Didn’t I tell you, a bear broke into it.” What is left of ‘It’ is hanging by a piece of wire, wood splintered and mangled.

We go off to buy a new bird feeder. After a morning of shopping no bird feeder was found. Apparently with the proliferation of wildlife making it’s way into the suburbs. All bird feeders are now a high commodity. Animals, mostly bears, break them open in yard after yard feasting. Leading suburbites to buy new ones, leaving none in the stores for us.

Not wanting to waste the time or gas we did the other shopping we had to do. This lead to an all day shopping affair.

In the bookstore while Mountain Man was looking at books with plans for bird feeders, he is looking for a more bear proof kind. Being in the crafting section I picked out ‘The Ultimate Basket Book’, by Lyn Siler (I’ve always wanted to learn how to make baskets and it was on sale.) and Vickie Howell’s ‘Knit aid.’ For my chemo broken brain.

I’ve said before about how I have been left with mild seizures from the chemo. After some of the seizures I can’t remember things I was just doing too well. And I’ll have trouble understanding a knitting pattern until I see the abbreviations definitions again. So this small book ‘Knit aid’ is just the take along ticket. It’s big on info, little in size by the way.

So I’ve been knitting away in the car and now have a photo of the knitting done so far. The tail is 15 inches long at this time and that is the butt end of the rat body with the hole in the middle to stuff it still on the needles. Two ears, one pinned down so you can see what it looks like and two hind legs I did the same with. The front legs and tail are tubes of four or less stitches. Note the tail getting thinner. Okay, you can't see it in the picture but it does.

If all goes well I’ll have the finished toy in time for tomorrows blog. I’m going to stitch it together except for the tail and felt it. Then stuff it and add the face. Oh. and I got a squeaker for it too. If I make a mess of it I’ll give it to the dogs. If not it’s mine, all mind. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!