dogs, books, knitting, gaming

Well this weekend didn't go exactly as I had hoped for. I did stain my new desktop and have two coats of finish on it. I still need to steel wool, wipe it down and then apply another coat of finish according to Brandon.

I was able to get a coat of finish on the spindles though. I think another coat will be needed before they are ready for their hooks.

I've finished up Shaun the Sheep. I want to do another one of him changing the angle of his head, making his various bits either in the round or as i-cord. Seaming up small bits sucks.

I also finished up a cat for Bailey. It's the same pattern I used for the one for Jenna. Except I like this tail better and I decided to add a face. I think the face works for this one.

I tried doing a scalloped choker necklace that was in my queue. Poorly written instructions. I strongly disliked the I place my beads this way, but nothing written down about 'exact' placement. I also think that either I got off on my row count or there is an error in the pattern. The black cotton even done under a bright light may not have been the best bet either. I found a cool dragonfly drop charm that would look cool with the black, but I'm not sure I'll be happy with using a silver jump ring, or if it would just be easier to pre-string it like beads. It was a quick knit and didn't use a lot of yarn. I have the first one drying so I can see what other types of mods I may want to do.

Since I was blocking the choker, I got the other cotton headbands and bracelet that need to be refreshed with blocking and have them drying on the ironing board.

I've gotten some leisure reading done lately and that's really nice. Plus its whittling the stack by my bedside down to a manageable level too. I have not done any dog book reading and that's bad. Well that's not strictly true. I've gotten a few books from the library to try out to see if I want them on the list, thankfully, I'm not spending money on these books too! I do though have several Dogwise books that I really, really, really need to do reviews on. Must get those done this week!

Norbert, the 1K+ dog, had his ear unwrapped today. That was a painful experience for the both of us. The glue stuck really well on one point of his ear on the bandage so he has a little raw spot. I guess we didn't ask as many questions as we should have either. He has buttons on both sides of his ears. For some reason, Will and I both thought it was just on the inside of the ear flap, not also on the outside. Poor Boo Bear is now Button Boy wearer of the Cone of Doom, +4 Annoyance.

Norbert goes back in on Monday and they'll remove his buttons. That should be loads of fun. I'll need to remember to give him a pain pill a few hours before we go in to help out with the process. Then we'll be back in a week after that for a follow-up check on the progress of his bacterial infection to find out if its gone or not.

Nessa is definitely allergic to flax seed. I tried California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato as well as Dick Van Patten's Fish and Sweet Potato and she's got tons of her skin pocks on her chest and back legs. Poor baby.

I had hoped to start the Cleopatra Stole this weekend with the Habu Bamboo. But found that my scan of the chart sucks to the point of not being able to read it. So I'm re-checking it out from the library, but will have to wait for it since I'm #5 on the wait list.

The boys were able to have two D&D games this weekend so the whole group was happy. Brandon loved it because I suggested hamburgers on the BBQ and made my homemade potato salad for him. I enjoy listening to some of the tangents the group manages to go off on during the course of the game and throwing in my thoughts here and there.