Just a Bad Foster Mother (to a dog)? Not Eloquent Post on A Stitch in Time Sweater

Last night I was all set to write a post on being an iPhone knitter. It was to be a sweet little post about how wonderful it felt to sit on my bed, knitting a sweater, logging the rows on my StitchMinder app, checking email, reading different blogs while listening to my radiator clank and wet snow drip, dripping on the windowsill outside. Really romantic.

But now I just feel mad...at the dog (above) that I'm taking care of temporarily. Yes, I'm a foster mother to a beagle. I don't know if I should name her? She's just a canine...out of control. Ok, I requested cute little dog who doesn't bark (got that), low maintenance (not so sure about that part)...but did I know she would jump on me constantly (I hate that!)? Did I know that she basically has to go to bathroom moments after she eats? Did I even know she also leaks mere seconds after drinking water? No, no, and NO! This dog has had....four accidents in the last 48 hours. Four! I'm ready to...hurl. Yes, I'm ready to hurl. First accident was inside the crate No. 1. Accident number two, nameless pupster did number two on the kitchen tile. Number three? Combo of No. 1 and 2 in THE CRATE. Yeah, I had to wash her this morning. Yuck. Then nanoseconds after I cleaned her and inadvertently ignored the "I gotta, gotta go. Take me on a walk!" dance, she did no. 2 in the office.

For the moment, nameless puppy (she's two years old, still a toddler in her canine world) is in the crate and has been there all day. I'm not dying to let her out...only to let her jump on me. This is a roundabout way to say, maybe this dog isn't for me? Never mind I haven't had her chew anything significant in the last two days. Never mind she hasn't barfed as dogs sometimes do....I'm just ready to hit "Return to Sender." I can only cope with so many mishaps in a 24-hour cycle.
does that make me a bad foster mother?

Monday Afternoon, Pre-Hamlet but Post-Lunch*

How far away and for how long can you go with a dog in the house? The reason I ask is that I'm going to be a foster mother. Of a canine (his name is Hamlet). This is major news in a household that hasn't been home to a bonafide mammal besides myself for more than 2 years. Make that about 28 months. It's just been just me, the dust-mites, my wood floor, the furniture, sewing supplies, a few foods in the refrigerator, and a whole lot of fabric and patterns. Now, I'm only going to be taking care of this dog for two weeks. Or at least that's the plan. I might be taking a short-term job in a place that would be make it difficult for me to attend a dog's need for walks (which I used to would actually spell out when I was living in my mother's house otherwise her dog would just get so excited he would practically hyperventilate on the spot). In any event, I'm going to be a mommy (I feel teary-eyed already) at least until June 14, which means this place needs to be "child-proofed" in a matter of hours. Oh, and the dog is supposed to arrive this evening sometime about the same time I have my last French class. I can just see it already I'll need be worrying about my new child while I'm taking a test en Français. Then, of course, I'll need to rush home just to make sure that my camel-back couch cushions haven't been pulled to pieces, or the foot of a nearby table hasn't been turned into a fire hydrant (that actually reminds me of this cartoon I drew.) Other than putting my piles of magazines and shoes (don't dogs like to destroy shoes?) onto my couch and armchair, I'm not sure what else I need to do. I'll do what I did when I had my trouble-maker cat Freaky. I'll close off the doors to the bedroom and office so that Hamlet cannot go into other room. I'm half tempted to get a gate that I can prompt between the kitchen entryway and the living room/dining and put my new child in the kitchen with his sleeping bed while I'm away. The one thing that complicates my new lifestyle (and isn't having a dog a lifestyle?) is the fact that I don't have a car. It's not like I can take Hamlet with me everywhere. I'm not living in France yet. Since he's not small enough to fit into my handbag so I can sneak him onto a bus (like I've seen other Chicagoans do), he's either going to have to stay at home when I go out (do I hear howls of protest already?) or we're taking really long walks, too long for my bebunioned foot's taste. I wouldn't mind having one of those bikes with a trailer. I could put Hamlet in the back and we could ride away on our adventures for two. We may to walk to this store and see what kind of options are available. That way I don't have spend money on this vehicle, and worry about keeping it fur-free for other prospective motorists. So where are we and Hamlet going to walk to? I"m going to focus on where we can go because the list of where dogs are prohibited is just too long and depressing. I do see the pair of us going here for the Stitch N Bitch every warm summery Wednesday night. We'll sit outside where we're wanted. I'll feed him bits of hamburger while he watches me knit fascinated (actually just waiting for another bite). We might even spend some time at Common Cup, another place in the 'hood where we could probably hang together at an outside table, him drinking water; me, iced coffee. To sweeten the deal, I can get a 10 percent off any purchases because I'm a member of this organization. We could walk to Bark Place, there's definitely a water bowl there, but I don't see myself buying too many toys. I firmly believe children have too many toys these days. Why should I have a different philosophy with a dog? Not too many treats either. I'm trying to cut back on snacks so my dog will have to do the same. Our stomachs can growl together. I'm at loss about other venues where Hamlet will welcome. I just did a search on Google and came up with this blogger, who I might be able to ask for advice. Otherwise, my foster child and I might be spending a lot of time at home...and I actually might be do a little more sewing than I have been lately, which brings me to another question. Are dogs less likely to pounce on tissue-paper patterns than felines? Freaky loved to help me lay out my pattern...with her claws. Hamlet, I think, is much more likely to snooze by the sewing machine pedal and chew on any empty Gutterman thread spools that bounce onto the floor.
* The shrug you see above was recreated with a flame-stitch remnant from Vogue. At 1/2 yard, it could only be one thing - a shrug. But I've gotten many compliments on it. I simply folded it in half length-wise, sewed up both sides, left an opening wide enough for my shoulders to slip in. What do you think?

Polls and other stuff*

The "editor" goofed on the (How has the economy affected your sewing habits poll ). The "mistake" should be obvious if you follow the link. Actually, I might give the topic another shot now that I think about it.

I've got a new knitting-related poll in the left sidebar. Please vote if you're so inclined, which brings me to the results of the "How Likely Are You To Join a French Knitting Club?" poll. It turned out two readers voted yes; two, no and three never. I've seen at least two women knitting (one was making a sock, the other looked she was embroidering a knitted hat) while they were waiting for class at Alliance Française, so they and other Francophiles could be members of my club if I ever decided to start one. I think we might need to show a movie at the same time, and have at least brie cheese and some French bread. There's already a meet-up.com group that goes to local French films, but the group I envision would meet at the abovementioned building, where we could at least control the lights so we could see our needles. I'm not about to try those lighted needles while I'm in the theater, but I could do with some low lights (at least enough to see some basic stockinette stitches, I can't be multi-tasking attempting to make lace). Which brings me to another knitting-related question, for those of you on Ravelry, how many of you would put your ID on a business card? I've found I write mine (thelazymilliner) on ripped pieces of paper, napkins and other ephermera when I meet fellow Ravelry members. I'm thinking that I might actually put my ID on future business cards to save some hassles. Would you do the same or have you already?

Phantomminuet doesn't mess with knitting needles as far as I know, but she did tag me. So here are six things you didn't know about me:

1. I have ten brothers and sisters (two sisters, seven brothers) and twelve nieces and nephews. Maybe I said that in a previous post. I dunno. Now you know definitely. This crop of youngsters makes for some noisy family get-togethers, which I'm glad are thrilled are held at my mother's. Let her deal with the broken picture frames.
2. I shouldn't speak too soon. I might have to deal with my less than fair share of broken items, now that I will be the foster mother of a cute little dog named Hamlet from Blessed Bonds (see above picture) beginning Monday for at least 14 days. I grew up with dogs (beginning with Beulah, a basset hound, to Chico, a furry mutt, and then Toby, I forget what breed he was).
3. I don't wear any rings. Zilch. Not even a Claddagh ring, which I keep thinking about doing since perhaps it bring some new love options my way. But I do like having hands barren in a way. A ring might feel confining.
4. I like making lentil soup from scratch. Two weeks from now I'm going to get the chance to can vegetable broth with two sisters I met recently at this event.
5. I have an air conditioner in my apartment, but I never use it. Instead, I just on any one of three ceiling fans, and crack open the windows when it gets really hot.
6. I've never downloaded anything from iTunes even though I have the ability to do so.

For those of you who like to dye fiber (I would think this would include fabric, although the following information is addressed to Chicago knitters), here's a free event. I'm thinking of going, but I'm not dying any yarn.

Worna Haywood and Judy Chan are hosting a dye day on Saturday, June 7th. No previous experience necessary.

If you are interested please RSVP to Judy or Worna and say what time you plan to arrive so they know how many people to expect.

When: Saturday, June 7, 2008, anytime between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Judy's workshop at 8217 N Elmore St, Niles, IL 60714
(2 blocks north of Oakton, west of Milwaukee just past "O" streets)

We will supply:
Dyes, burners to heat water, stock pots, steamer,
yarn swift, niddy noddy, microwave, etc.

Supplies you will need to bring:
Animal-based fibers or yarn to dye
Gallon of white vinegar (such as Heinz)
Bottles of water with sport caps (squirt bottles)
Plastic bucket
Plastic wrap
Plastic baggies to take home wet fibers/yarn
Gloves: plastic, vinyl or disposable
Apron or wear old clothes and shoes
Foam paint brush (about 2" wide)

Finally, this weekend I plan to tackle a little knitting (I've abandoned the tank top for now, and plan to make this instead). Sunday I just might do some sewing at Vogue Fabrics, but there's some work I also need to address as well. I've found that I've done very little sewing lately. I think it's because I spend so much time in my apartment so I'm eager to spend as much social time outside of it as possible. At least at Vogue Fabrics, I'll have a sewing machine, no computer distractions, plus I can talk to shoppers if I start feel a little lonely.

Ok, I'm going to tag the following: Svetlana at My Knitting Island, Peacock Chic, and lower your pressure foot. I'm off to email these folks....
* The skirt you see above is another version of the New Look skirt pattern I posted yesterday.