It's A Girl!

And her name is Mitzi!

The newest addition to our family is a lovely 8-month-old dachshund mix -- mixed with what, we don't know. She is a sweet-natured little girl, a bit on the timid side, but really, really loving. We got her from a family where the 3-year-old had severe alergies to the dog. I fear that she hadn't gotten very much affection from her first family, because she seems a bit afraid when people pet her. When people pet her, she cowers and urinates a little to show she is submissive. I hope very much that we can show her enough love that she can get past her early months.

Here a Bitch! There a Bitch! Everywhere a Stitch-n-Bitch!

I haven't written anything since Sukkot -- mostly because I'm a bit intimidated by the whole blog thing. Every time I think about writing, I question whether what I have to say is worth being written down. It occurs to me, however, that if I only write "worthy" material, I'll never post. ANd I don't think this blog should be accompanied by guilt. Consequently, I will write and post when I damn well feel like it -- and I don't expect it to contain anything profound or noteworthy.

I was reading the Chicago Tribune last week and happened on to an article about how popular knitting is. It mentioned two things of interest to me: a new knit shop in the South Loop named Loopy Yarns and a reference to Stitch-n-Bitch Chicago, which connects people to knitting groups in their area.

I only had a few minutes on Saturday to stop in at Loopy Yarns, but I was there long enough to make theses observations:

When they say "One of our goals is to be the friendliest and most helpful yarn store you've ever been in" -- they really, really mean it. I think every female knitter I know has a story about yarn shops which offer begrudging service or rudeness to their customers. I find that it is even worse for me. But Loopy was a different experience altogether.

The store is beautiful. Really, really beautiful. They have a nice assortment of fibers. Everything has a clearly marked price. There are several comfortable places to sit and knit -- and Shirl, who assisted me with my purchase -- was quick to invite me in to knit with them.

They obviously want to make the shop convenient for the customer! (Now there's a concept!) Their hours probably vary a bit too much -- they might prove to be confusing -- but here they are:

Monday 11:30 am to 6:00 pm
Tuesday 11:30 am to 8:00 pm
Closed Wednesday
Thursday 11:30 am to 7:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am to 9:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Staying open 'til 8:00 one night and 9:00 another really makes it accessible to working people.

Last night I attended the Hyde Park Stitch-n-Bitch, which was a lot of fun. We met in the cafe of a bookstore and knit and talked and laughed for three hours. I was the only guy there -- no surprise -- and the women were welcoming, funny, and gracious. I enjoyed it very much. My only complaint was with the coffee -- not very good at all.

I'm currently working on a garnet colored cabled scarf for my sister-in-law. It is very pretty, and a welcome break from the tedious knitting in the round for the three Gryffindor scarves I made. Note to self: I still need to block and fringe the scarves if we want to wear them to "Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire" on Friday.