Mike, Toque and Blanket

Mike, the cat, turns 15 years old today, that is 76 years in human years.  Paul sang happy birthday to him twice this morning something that I think caught Mike off guard, or was it just me?  We thought we might give him a gift of two opened cans of tuna.  No, Mike doesn't like the meat, but he loves the water the tuna is packed in. It would be a very special treat for him.  And maybe we'll give him a lick or two of a stout beer.  So I do think we're celebrating this event properly.

We got Mike as a socialized kitten in 1999 and he immediately bonded to me and to this day I am his best buddy.  Now that he's 15/76 I do notice a slowing down.  We're at a point where he calls out for me if he can't see me; perhaps his eyes aren't a good as they used to be or is it his sense of smell?  That hour of "wilding", about 9 pm daily, when he tears up and down the stairs in the house at full cat speed has dwindled to a few minutes per week.  He also seems to be bottoming out when he jumps from high spots so now he looks for a secondary/lower place to jump from (a couple of extra pounds might be the culprit there).  And he sleeps a lot.  (Geez, these characteristics sound familiar.  Am I talking about Mike or myself?)

I caught him sleeping very soundly in his bed in his typical fetal-like position all tucked together for warmth and was able to take a picture without waking him.  He was so deeply asleep he was actually snoring.  Happy Birthday to you Mike; you've been and are a very good fellow/cat.

Mike, the cat, doing what he does best these days, sleeping

Additionally, I thought I'd share the knitting that did take place on our Hawaii trip and what is planned as the next project. As I stated I had another Classic Elite Yarns pattern called DIY Fair Isle Hat in me and this one I decided to make in rather subdued colours.   I like the earthy tones of brown and maroon yarns.  This toque was started before the trip began, and then just as we left I realized I had somewhere within the pattern mixed up the main and contrast colours (not good for the overall design).  This meant frogging back to the ribbing, but since I did this frogging in the condo the mess was much easier to handle than on an airplane.

Below is the final product.  I find this colour combination is soothing and the yarn, Silky Wool in dark oak and Black Sheep Goods in Spring Flowers was a delight to knit.  Perhaps I like the brown so much because it matches my sort of funny-coloured (often referred to as dishwater) brown hair.  And of course the maroon, violet, purple variegated yarn contains all my favorite colours.  Unequivocally I'm pleased with the end results. BTW the leftover brown will be the perfect colour for M's monkey finger puppet too!  Here it is all blocked with ends woven in and ready for a new home:

My Hawaiian knit toque

Moving on, I have another baby blanket in the works.  M will have a cousin arriving sometime in May so I've started this simple blanket.  I am ready for something rather brainless right now, perhaps I'm still a bit in the holiday mode.  I am using a blanket pattern, modified slightly from 60 Quick Baby Blankets by Cascade Yarns.

The start of my next baby blanket

Vacation mode is wearing off, however, because I am back into a work and knitting routine full time.   It was nice to get away and be taken out of that routine, but for now, it seems comforting and not so much like a rut.  Can you tell the glow of that sunny place hasn't yet fully been lost?  Unfortunately I'm pretty sure it will drift away, despite my trying hard to hang on to that glow.

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