Nine months ago I decided that I was ready to get my first dog as an independent adult. Perhaps "decided" isn't the best term. All of a sudden, I couldn't stop thinking about dogs. They were on my mind constantly and I knew I couldn't rest until I got my own. After searching online for about two weeks, I went to a Petsmart just to see the dogs. I wasn't sure that I would actually get one that day. I went with my boyfriend and he was the first one to spot Darcy, whose name used to be Carter. Darcy was adorable. He was the only dog who didn't bark and he was subtle about wanting attention: he just had his small paws on the gate and looked at us with these big, brown eyes. We took him for a walk around the store and about 30 minutes later, he was mine.

Having Darcy as my dog has changed my life. He has made it so much better. Thanks to Darcy, I now talk to my neighbors because he likes to greet them. We meet people at Petsmart and we go to parks, something I hadn't done in a long time. Just looking at him brings me happiness. I'm sure all dog owners say this, but he is the best and sweetest dog in the universe.

This morning Darcy had another adventure. We were going out for a walk when he spotted another dog. He wagged his tail and stood on his hind legs. The dog, another rescue named Nogi, lives down the street. Thanks to this meeting, I now know that there's an informal dog get-together at a nearby park. I think I'll try to wake up early enough to take Darcy tomorrow. Then he got a dog biscuit from Nogi's owner. He pranced all the way home with it, very proud. Below is a picture right before he ate it. It's just another reminder of how blessed I am to have such a wonderful dog!

I officially finished the school year last Friday, the 25th. So this is my fifth day of "freedom" and I'm feeling a bit bored, but busy at the same time. Things have been really quiet, which is a nice change, and I have a huge knitting goal to reach before June 7th: finish a shawl. I've been working on it constantly. I also want to try to finish a hat, which should be doable. I decided that I will be knitting Clarus from craftsy.com while I'm in Spain. It looks really easy, easier than the first shawl in the course. When I come back from Spain, I have 10 prayer shawls to knit and then it will be time to start knitting sweaters and vests for the fall.

Today, after running errands, I plan to go through my stash and take pictures of the yarn to post on ravelry.com. I think that will help me to stay organized in my projects: what I'm working on and what I need to finish before I buy more yarn. Unfortunately for me, I found Amna on knitpicks and I think I'm going to buy enough yarn for two projects, mainly because I couldn't choose just one color. I've never knit a yoke like it before and it looks really cool. Also, reviews say it's easy, so I think it will be a good learning piece for me.

To Do Before Spain:
-finish shawl
-finish hat
-organize stash

Happy knitting!

I am way overdue for posting pictures of my most recent projects!

 

I finally mailed my big binder off! I could have mailed it in last week, but I got pretty busy. I think it was a pretty good submission. I answered the questions thoroughly and wrote a good report. The only thing I can think of that I may get docked for are perhaps my 1x1 rib, and maybe my cast-off. Still I know that I've improved in my skills in this level and I've learned a lot about knitting.

Now I'm onto a shawl that I need to finish, work on another lace shawl, and I will learn how to knit socks!

Happy knitting!