Bring on the FO's

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a lace shawl that I was knitting and posted an update pic.  

What I didn't mention was that I was knitting the shawl as a special gift for a fabulous lady who is one of the most inspirational people I've ever known.  She has struggled through the last few years; surviving cancer, dealing with infertility, working her butt off to grow her small business and of course dealing with the financial strain that we have all come to know and love in the mean time.  Despite all of this she maintains an upbeat attitude and a big generous heart, somehow finding the inner fortitude and resources to give so much to so many people, myself included.  So I decided that I would use some fibre that she gave to me to knit something really special for her.  I finished the shawl more than a week ago and sent it to her.  It finally arrived yesterday and I'm very pleased to say that she is very happy with her gift.  Here is a photo of the finished shawl.

I have also knitted a small neckerchief style shawlette for myself for winter.  It was made from a skein of my handspun and has turned out lovely and soft.  It will be a welcome neck warmer in the next few weeks.

Pattern: 198 yds. of heaven

I also finished the scarves that I'd started making for a friend.  They went in the post this morning and hopefully will keep her warm for a good long time.  Here is the third one, also a neckerchief style scarf.

That's all my FO's for this week.  I have other projects, both spun and knitted on the go but nothing else is finished so far.

RIP Moo

On Tuesday 5th of April I had to have my beloved cat put to sleep.  Moo was three years old and was the most devoted, loving pet I've ever had. 

Unfortunately he recently developed lumps in both sides of his abdomen that very quickly grew to the size of tennis balls.  He also had a tendency to be wobbly in his back end which recently became so pronounced that he was unable to take two steps without falling over.  Of course these things worried me so I took him to the vet and was informed that it was most likely that he had cancer in his spine and that the lumps were either cancer or a kidney issue caused by leukemia.  The vet said there was no way she'd be able to remove the lumps or the cancer and that it would be best to have him euthanised before he started experiencing terrible pain which in her opinion would be within days.  So, I made the decision to let him go before his illness would become so bad that it was all I remembered of him.  I cannot begin to tell you how saddened I am to lose my beloved Moo but am glad that I have fond memories of his ratbag antics.