My Pal

Am I not cute??

This is my guy Tobah. As the boys were moving on to college and independence I had the sudden desire to find something or someone who might need me. Enter Tobah. He's a Shiba Inu and just the best guy after all my two footed males to enter my life. He keeps me company, makes me go out for walks at least once a day, usually twice(my husband gets the other walks), makes me laugh and, well, he needs me. We had a dog when the kids were little but that did not go so well. At that time too many people needed me and it just wasn't a good fit. Unfortunately illness struck and our dog died. I said never again but I didn't realize how much I would need a dog later on down the road. I first saw a Shiba when my vet2b son was at Tufts Vet school for a camp. I didn't know what kind of dog I had seen and neither did my son but the picture stayed in my mind. I saw a few others as time went by and found out what breed it was. I had learned that they were like big cats, a bit shy, didn't always like other dogs. As I decided that we needed a dog I started looking at breeders. My son suggested http://www.petfinders.com and low and behold we found our guy. He lived with a family who loved him but due to changing circumstances they could no longer keep him. After phone calls and home checks Tobah came to us by way of NY. His real name is Octobah (October with a NY accent!) but we call him Tobah. He's been a great dog and I can't imagine our life without him. Now that the boys are pretty much on their own he has taken over one of their rooms for his. When anyone comes home and sleeps in the bed he is a bit perturbed, wondering who is taking his spot. He has quite the personality. We did have to teach him to be a Red Sox fan after living in NY but with two championships under our belts he is now a true blue Sox fan! He does shed enormously in the spring, I'm thinking we could build another dog with all the fur. Maybe I could have it spun and knit it.....

Pattern: Football from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson

Yarn: Karabella 8 (Blue) and Sirdar 4 ply for trim (Taupe)

Needle: size 7 KnitPicks: Magic Loop

Modifications: I didn't add the "sprout" on the top

This was a quick and satisfying little knitting project. I think it will be well received once the little guy is born. I'm looking forward to making some of the other cute hats from this book.

In other knitting news, the yarn for the new Christmas stockings is dry and wound and I'm almost done the first one. I hope all the excess dye was rinsed out. I'm a little afraid to block it but block it I must. Stayed tuned for the results. My scarf is moving along and the blanket is taking a back seat as it won't be needed for a bit. Not sure what other Christmas gifts I'll be making, there are always some at the last minute.

Tomorrow it's a yarn crawl with a knitting buddy. Should be lots of fun. Report to follow!