Obviously this isn’t knitting-related, but I had to share anyway.  My good friend Erica and her husband Alan “ferret-sat” for me the other day, and Erica (who’s a talented photographer) took some great pictures of the boys while they stayed with her.  Here’s a couple of my favorites:

Bink with a stuffed chicken.

The little old man, Shenanigans, chills on the sofa.

The new issue of Knitty was posted last week, and strait away I fell in love with the Cherie Amour sweater.

I’ve never knit a sweater before, but I thought that sweater looked like a good first one to try because it’s knit on slightly larger-sized needles, with a chunkier-weight yarn. (i.e. It shouldn’t take quite as long to knit up.)

The yarn I got came from Handpaintedyarn.com. It’s 100% merino wool and very lovely. The colorway is called “Hortalizas”. I know it’s kind of an unusual color combination (definitely a love-it or hate-it thing). I wanted something very “earthy”-toned, though, so I think it’s perfect!

I’m working on some other projects at the moment (I have some gifts I want to finish) so this will probably be put on hold for a little while. I also need to pick up the circular needles I need for it (my collection of circulars isn’t very extensive). Maybe I’ll get to starting it in a few weeks!

Oh! And an update on Ravelry: I’m now number 3581 in line. They’ve been inviting (it appears) anywhere from 250-500 people a day, so hopefully it won’t be too much longer!

And one final thing: meet my new crafting buddy!

I was at Petsmart and saw they had some lovely crowntail bettas. I rummaged to the back of the shelf and saw this little guy. Isn’t he beautiful? He has SO much personality too.

I haven’t named him quite yet. I think he needs a very crafty name, because his aquarium is right next to my sewing machine. I was thinking perhaps “Stitches” or “Scraps” or something. I decided on “Scraps” — he’s so colorful, it makes me think of quilt scraps!

I don’t know why this is, but knitting and cats go together. Probably 90% (or more) of avid knitters that you meet share their home with one or more pets of the feline variety.

I sometimes feel like an outcast from the knitting community because… well… I’m allergic to cats. (I know, I know… it’s quite a tragedy!)

I love animals. I’m a not a “dog person” or a “cat person” — I’m just an animal person, all around. I’d love to have a cat. But unfortunately, my sniffley nose and watery eyes don’t cooperate with that. (Though I’m convinced I’ll eventually “outgrow” this allergy. I keep telling myself that.)

HOWEVER… I have the most cat-like dog you’ve ever met. Our dog, Gracie, is a pug/beagle (”puggle”) mix that my fiancé and I adopted from a rescue organization. She’s our baby and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.

My friend Erica (who has two cats) has commented on how cat-like she is. And yes, as the photo shows, her cat-like tendencies include curling up on my lap while I knit.

Unfortunately, she also enjoys chewing up my bamboo knitting needles if I leave them within her reach. (Something I’m sure a cat wouldn’t do.)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a cute picture of my knitting buddy with you. (You can click the photo to see a larger version.) Not every knitter has a kitty-companion.