Persistance pays off

Going back to this post I searched high & low for the Noro book. When I had exhausted all the standard online shops I starting calling smaller bricks & mortars shops & eventually struck gold:


Debbie Bliss Noro Collection #1

I remembered that a little shop in Buxton that I've visited a few times whilst on holiday sold Noro. They didn't have it in stock but would check with their other two shops & then I got a call back to say they had a copy & did I want it? So to David at Sew-In of Didsbury I'd like to say Thank You. I also showed my appreciation by adding another couple of books to the order:


Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK


Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Collection

Delivery was prompt & postage very reasonable so I'll definitely be calling again.

Obviously I've got loads of patterns queued in all 3 books & currently my Ravelry queue stands at over 400 patterns of which an increasing number are garments for myself to be made when I get to my target weight. On the same day that the above books arrived in the post I finally made use of a Christmas gift from my Step-Mum & treated myself to this:


Debbie Bliss Special Family Knits

So now I need to rehome some cook books to make more space for my knitting library!

Now for what a lot of you have been waiting for:


Oscar

Oscar would like to thank everyone who recognises just how fantastic he is & welcomes you into his fan club. Annie is starting to enjoy him more & more & today we found them like this:


Oscar & Annie snoozing on her bed

He also had a special job today:


Happy Easter!

but Ginny says


I'm the cutest & don't you forget it!

Snowy Easter

We haven't had heavy snow (well 3" counts as heavy in England believe me) in over two years since we took photos of Snow Dogs but we woke up to a quiet white blanket which was a lovely change.

6:30 a.m. & my alarm clock was whining. Oscar sleeps all night & is dry but come 6:30 a.m. he needs to pee NOW! and I have to rush downstairs & get him outside before he has an accident. DH joined us on our walk, and instead of an hour on the lead, the dogs galloped in the snow.

Oscar has never been off his lead before outside but I've been working hard on his recall he did very well with a small biscuit as a reward:





Normally Annie gets fed up as Oscar constantly nips at her legs & 'practices male dog behaviour' which really makes her cross so she got her own back & showed him who was top dog:





Oscar & Annie in the snow

Oscar nipping Annie

Practicing 'sits'

and a last one of Oscar looking cute:


Oscar aged 19 weeks in the snow

Dogs & more

Oscar has been with us for just over two weeks now & is doing VERY well.


Oscar

He loves our walks in the morning & I take them out for an hour before I go to work to get the 'bounce' out of them & then another half an hour at least when I get home mid afternoon. He's very happy on the lead now & loves to strut his stuff:


Oscar

He started at the Dog Training Club that I used to teach at many years ago (before DD was born) last Monday & found it very exciting. It's taught at an equestrian centre so an added advantage is that he'll get used to horses but at the moment he's keen on eating their droppings on the floor!


Oscar

Annie is getting used to him but often gets fed up with his needle sharp teeth & disciplines him for being a pain.


Oscar & Annie

He's still not that keen on the crate but bedtime is easy & we're still working on the crate during the day. He barks when I go out in the morning but I'm sure he crashes soon after as he's tired after his walk & has a full belly. The house is definitely quiet when I return until he hears the key in the lock!


Oscar

All this dog walking leads nicely onto something else I've been meaning to share for a while. For too many years now I've been overweight. Knitting wise this has meant that I tend to knit socks & other small 'accessories' as I wasn't happy with my size & don't want to waste yarn on a larger size that I don't intend to be for long.

However in September I plucked up the courage & joined a local Slimming World group. So far I have lost just over 2 1/2 stone which has led to a 7" loss on my waist & 4 3/4" from my bust. I'm feeling a lot better & am now having to buy new clothes as my old ones are falling off me but still have a long way to go to get to my target weight. Which is where being a knitter comes in. I've decided to treat myself to a special pattern when I get to my target & want to make Debbie Bliss's Scoop Neck Cardigan in Noro Silk Garden (Ravelry link) in the same colourway as my Lady Eleanor. Does anybody have a copy that they're happy to part with or know of a shop that still has it in stock? I've hit a brick wall so far but still have a long way to go weight wise so I've got a bit of time. I've also been having fun over the past few months matching up my stash to patterns for cardigans & jumpers & that is probably the biggest incentive of all!

Only a month ago

Before everything went wrong, & we discovered that our daughter had had an an accident accident whilst skiing with the school & we lost Blue, DH & I had a short break holiday to Brugges. It now seems like our trip happened years ago but DH took some lovely photos that I really have to share them with you:


Brugges


Brugges

We both loved the architecture & spent the two days walking around & taking it all in.


Brugges

We were very lucky with the weather & had beautiful sunshine & no wind.


Brugges


Woman cycling in Brugges
DH made this sepia toned to give it a 1940's look.

We found the most amazing cafe for lunch & we'll be making a beeline for it on our next visit:


Lotus cafe

We walked to the North East corner of the city along the canal path to see the windmills:


Windmill in Brugges

DH spotted this photo opportunity & I wish I'd got an email address from them to send them a copy:


young lovers

We enjoyed a boat trip on the canals & saw the city from a different angle:


Brugges

and for some knitting content:


Now frogged Waterfall Rib socks in Opal Rainforest Flamingo DK on the canal


Cyclists in Brugges

We sat down in a small park to kill half an hour before the coach left to go back to the ferry, DH spent the time trying to get the right shadows for the above photo whilst I enjoyed the swans (below).


Swans in Brugge

I managed to find 5 yarn shops but 2 were closed:


Yarn shop in Brugge

Yarn was purchased but has yet to be photographed so for now remains a secret.

And for now for something completely different:


Chocolate boobs!


We did buy some Belgium chocolates but not any of these!

Life is hard

when you're 4 months old & been having fun!

Introducing the 'real' Oscar!

Oscar (second from left hanging over the barrier) with his litter mates


Annie & Oscar meeting for the first time


Annie & Oscar


DD taking Oscar for his first walk on our way home

He's settled in well & gets on well with all the other animals apart from Pam who has put him in his place a couple of times. The kittens are a bit cautious of him but he's just curious & they've now worked out that he means more food in the house.

The only sore point at the moment is that he hates his crate but I'm working on that.....