Monday, August 20, 2007

Knitting News, in brief


Seen in our back yard.

Edited to add: About 7 years ago my husband and older son built the bat box and painted the design on it. They followed plans they picked up at a state park. It sat empty for the first season or two it was up. Several years ago we saw the squirrel tails hanging out and realized that flying squirrels had moved in. For a while my husband had a little black and white video surveillance camera mounted in the tree and pointed at the box. We ran the cable in through a window to a tv and every night we watched Squirrel Cam. (It had infra-red, too, so we could watch at night.) We put up a suet feeder near the house so we could watch them feed. Our cat kills a lot of flying squirrels (very sad; we find the tails) but we seem to always have a resident family living in our bat box. It's a big surprise to everyone that they live around here and right in the city.

I am counting down the days until Sept 4. It cannot come soon enough.

I've done very little interesting knitting this summer. Or so it feels to me.

Here's the progress picture of the Fair Isle cardigan. I'm most of the way through the body. With a bit of dedicated knitting time, I'll be on the sleeves soon enough.

The colors are more muted than they appear in this picture. It's very grey here and I had to use the flash, even out on the porch.

I made a sock for Scott a couple weeks ago, but I need to start that pair again. Sock 1 was too small. He needs a really deep heel flap in addition to a ridiculously long foot. I hope the one I finished will fit Owen, so I can finish that pair and it'll fit someone. Better than having to start all over.

I'm ready for a month-long nap.

13 comments:

Lynn said...

A flying squirrel can fit in a bat house?! I knew flying squirrel tails were flat, but I didn't realize the rest of them could flatten enough to get in the usual skinny opening to a bat house. Cool!

That sweater is really nice. I have a hankering for some fair isle, once the baby knitting is over. Maybe come the new year - bah!

Helen said...

the fair isle is looking grand. I will be starting my own within a month or so...yay!

yes, very gray here. rain, rain, rain.

Bezzie said...

Aw man, I just have chubby boring tree squirrels in my yard!!

I had forgotten about the caridgan--wow!!! It's more impressive as it grows!

Molly Bee said...

The sweater is gorgeous and your bat box is too cute. How lucky to have a flying squirrel. They are so neat. You're lucky to have seen it in the daytime!

Marina said...

The cardigan is lovely!

Doesn't it always feel that way? But, you did do a lot of spinning!

Ruinwen Dagorielle said...

Your sweater is just lovely. I've never seen a flying squirrel in the wild before...very cool bat box too! :)

Sarah said...

Flying Squirrel!

Very cool.

Pretty Fair Isle, pretty.

I need to do more colorwork!

Carol said...

We have a resident squirrel that takes peanuts from my hand, but nothing like flying squirrels and certainly no fair isle going on! Woman, if those aren't exciting, you're one tough customer! That sweater is gorgeous! I don't habe the guts to knits socks for the old man, feet too big ;)

Carol said...

I forgot to ask yesterday, who made that awesome bat box? Is that specifically for the squirrels?

Emily said...

That is so great. I guess the squirrels would scare off any bats that tried to take it back from them even though its, well, a bat box. Animals are notoriously bad at understanding property rights.

dale-harriet said...

So that's where my flying squirels went! (I'm kidding - I didn't know they were here either!) I haven't knitted much lately ::hanging head:: but I do have two more toque commissions and I want to powerknit a baby cozy (read "tiny blanket")....to give to a baby we're meeting on Labor Day in Colorado! Hmmm....sticky out, isn't it? (sigh)

Batty said...

Oooh, bat box! I've always wanted one!

Kathy Kathy Kathy said...

Testimonial: This has worked for me: Bell the cat. I put bells on the cat's collar. It cut WAY down on the number of bird deaths. I think there've only been 2 in about 5 or 6 years. The trick was finding a bell that always rings no matter how he moves and that's not too loud.