Patch 7 ~ 12 - Kittens!

Project:
Good news! This weekend proved to be very productive. I was able to finish the last six patches that I needed in Goldfish.

Since I'm actually on break this week, I'm able to devote more time to this project. I hope to be knocking out about half of the White Angel patches in no time! I've already started :)

Anyways, my mom asked a great question when she visited on Sunday: "Why are you knitting with circular needles?" I'm sure some of you have been wondering the same thing, since I'm only casting on thirteen stitches per square. When I initially went into Michael's, I had no idea what kind of baby blanket I would be making. From the little research I managed while standing in the yarn section, I gathered that I would need to cast on about one hundred thirty stitches.

After having the circular knitting needles for almost three weeks, I have come to the conclusion that they have a lot of advantages. First, if you're clumsy (like I am), you usually drop your needles and often lose sight of them. With circular needles, if you drop your needle it's easy to find. Second, if you travel with your knitting (which I sometimes do), it's much easier to keep your work safe by simply pushing the stitches down the needles until they're resting on the connector. And third, if you decide to knit a bigger project later on, there's no need to buy new needles!

In other words, I find them very liberating. I think I'll just buy circular knitting needles from now on - when my budget allows, of course.

Reflection:
It seems that some of the neighborhood cats have taken a liking to us. This is probably because I recently purchased a cat dish bowl and some cat food but that's after we met Boots. One evening as my husband was about to walk out the door on his way to work, he looked down and caught sight of Boots on our porch. His soft 'Well hello,' made me curious and when I saw the cat and heard his pitiful meow, I fetched some tuna and a plate. After some coaxing, he started to eat and afterwards I was able to pet him. He's all black with a little white on his front paws (gloves) and a little more on his back paws (boots).

Saturday, my love went outside to work on his car some and we caught sight of Boots again. Then Boots caught sight of me and I went back inside to retrieve the bowl and some food. He met me with an anxious meow. While curling up cross-legged on the cool, hard ground is probably not the wises thing to do while pregnant, it did allow me to pet Boots again. Unbeknownst to us, we had an itty bitty audience. After observing the elder cat not only getting attention but also getting food, the three kittens that we had spotted off and on since August start to make their cautious way over to investigate.

Oliver

The most adventurous one - mostly black with white markings - approached but he and Boots didn't get along. Despite all the hissing coming from Boots, the little guy went straight for the food bowl and ate for several minutes before turning his attention toward me. Boots didn't like this so he took off, which enabled me to give the kitten my undivided attention. I named him Oliver because he has obviously had human contact before and he quite enjoys being the center of attention. He's always begging for more food and to be petted more. He'll climb into your lap or brace himself against your leg just to look you in the eyes. He's my favorite.

Huckleberry

Then there's Huckleberry, so named because of his mischievousness. While I was petting Oliver, Huckleberry just lay in the grass behind him, ready to pounce. He's very willing to play by himself - attacking trees and bits of debris when he's not stalking some unseen foe. He seems to be the most human shy of the three since he wouldn't even come near the food bowl unless he thought I was utterly distracted or far enough way. His markings are very similar to Boots but he has a little white on his face and a tiny black mustache.

Skittles

And finally, there's Skittles or Skittish Skittles. My love named her since I named the others but we're only guessing at the gender. She seems content to sit with her tail curled around her in a very ladylike manner, sitting where you can easily see her but she isn't within easy reach. The more she gets used to you, the closer she'll get but she appears to have not desire for human contact. Just don't let her demure demeanor fool you - she's the very devil to Huckleberry, stalking the stalker and instigating little squabbles.She has long hair and is mostly white with black markings.

The kittens visited again briefly on Sunday but we didn't see them today. I hope seeing them becomes a regular thing - cats and kittens are adorable and they make me ridiculously happy. We're already talking about getting a few more bowls for water and food so they all aren't crowded all around one bowl like they were a few times on Saturday. Fingers crossed I'll see them tomorrow.