I have a weekend visitor

I have got Buster for the weekend. He was an unexpected, but welcome, visitor. My son and his wife had made other arrangements for both of the dogs but they fell through at the last moment so they have taken Skye with them and I have got Buster. I don't mind having him but he is too much for me permanently at the moment.Plus he is shedding like mad so I look like a yeti every time he comes near me despite my brushing him through night and morn. He is in doggy sniff heaven as since he was last here I have looked after Zippy the Staffordshire Bull terrier and Bear the Siberian Husky and they have left their scents everywhere.

I had a calendar given to me for Christmas which has a knitting saying on it for every day. Yesterday's saying was particularly apt considering Buster's shedding has halted my crochet somewhat. It says
"Knitting folklore says that if you knit a strand of your hair into your work, you will forever bound to the person who receives that work. In my life , this means that a lot of people are forever bound to my cat."
As my hair sheds all the time and I am always unwinding it from my crochet there must be quite a few people out there forever bound to me and an awful lot of people forever bound to Buster!

As you can see I have finished off the crochet sweater that I was working on when the filming for the BBC was going on. I crocheted it all freehand just using a well fitting sweater as a template. It took 10 balls of Patons Fairytale Velvet which although has a recommended needle size of 4mm I found to be quite thick for a double knit and it worked up quite closely on a 5mm hook. I worked up from the bust line to the shoulders in two separate pieces and then worked the body and the sleeves downwards so there was very little to sew up. I made the sweater empire line in an attempt to draw the eye away from my expanding waistline. The pattern stitch is a well loved 5 treble fan alternating with a double crochet. I like this stitch as it is pretty but also a close stitch for a sweater and can be worn without the need of a camisole.

I have put Deb's shawl to one side while Buster is here as the wool is lovely but will act like a magnet for his shedding hair. I have started a cotton shawl for Bev as cotton does not attract dog hair. I am using the Sweet Pea pattern from The Happy Hooker Stitch and Bitch and I just hope that it doesn't look too stringy when it is finished.

Caroline from the Knitting Noras called today as I had stupidly left my coat in her boot when she gave me a lift to the Knit Out a few weeks ago. I showed her the cotton shawl and we decided that it might look better as it grows and then gets blocked out when it is finished. It will be quite openwork and lacy but that might be a good thing with cotton as a shawl would weigh heavy if it was worked closely.

No crochet done so far today but I am hoping to get a bit done tonight.