A picture of health

I've made two visits to the vet in the last couple of weeks. It was supposed to be one trip for our annual checkup and shots, but Xena decided she was not interested in a trip to the vet with the kittens, so she went a week later. I'm happy to report that all three girls are very healthy - the vet even said that Xena, who is 12, had bloodwork of a much younger cat. She's a very svelte 7 pounds.



Ashford went first in during the kitten's visit to the vet. She weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds.



I knew we were in for a scolding when Purl came out of the carrier and the vet made the comment, "oh, she's much bigger than Ashford!" Which in her defense, she is a much bigger cat - look at this giant paw.



Purl weighed in at a hefty 10.2 pounds. The doctor advised us that she needed to stay active to keep her from getting pudgy. It's a good thing she loves playing fetch!

The day the kittens went to the vet, I decided that the Xterra needed to be retired.



I loved this car so it was a tough decision. But the cost of making the repairs it needed almost equaled what it was worth. So, I went car shopping, which I absolutely hate doing, and came home with a 2008 Subaru Tribeca.



I'm very happy with my purchase. It is quite posh compared to the Xterra...leather seats with seat warmers, a connection for my iPod and a control panel that could launch the space shuttle. And the best part - a remote starter! My dream come true during the winter time. It will be so nice to leave my office and get into a warm car.



With all of the vet-going and car-buying excitement, I have managed to get some knitting and spinning done.

This...


(superwash Merino from Pigeonroof Studios)

became this...



I finished a pair of socks. Happy birthday, Mom!



These are Swirls Socks from The Loopy Ewe Sock Club. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill. I'll be making a pair of these for myself. I love this pattern!

This is the first of 26 squares for my Barn Raising Quilt from the book Knitalong. I'll be making a square each time I complete a pair of socks. My expected finish date is sometime in early 2049.



I've also been working on a sweater for me. This is the Mr. Greenjeans sweater.



I'm throwing a bit of caution to the wind because my gauge is a bit tighter than what I should be getting...wait for the collective gasp from the knitters who read this blog. For the non-knitters, a conscientious knitter measures the number of stitches the get per inch as they knit to make sure the final knitted product turns out the size you want it to. It's really important when you make a sweater. I have chosen to ignore that my gauge is tighter than it should be because the size I chose to make was going to be a little bit bigger than I needed, so I hope it will turn out to be the perfect size. I'll keep you posted on the progress. I should be finishing this sweater at about the same time as the Barn Raising Quilt.



Purl would like to dispel any rumors that might be started because of this blog that she is overweight. While she weighs more than 2 pounds more than each of her sisters, she would like to point out that she is indeed, just a bigger cat. She would like to redirect your attention to the photo of her giant paw above as proof of her weighing just the right amount. She plans to continue her current exercise regime of obsessively chasing her ball or cardboard strip to maintain her toned figure.