We are back in Ottawa after a long season of work.

Here are my completed pomatomus socks. I really enjoyed this pattern, although I feel like I've been knitting them forever. I began them in May during our fly-in, then had to set them aside because my printer had printed off the pattern minus the last two rows of Chart B. They were worth it. I even knitted an extra section of Chart A, as I wanted the leg to be longer than in the original pattern. I used the Trekking yarn my secret pal sent me this winter.

Here is a close up...



I have started working on the Rebecca Wrap With Sleeves. At first, the way Fisherman's Rib was described in this pattern confounded me. I found variations on line which were no easier - one in particular calling for you to 'knit into the stitch below,' which is tricky when using black fuzzy mohair. I found this wonderfully helpful link which explains how Fisherman's rib is done in Germany. Lo and behold, it's actually quite simple. I also found an English help section in the Rebecca forums for the other questions I anticipate having.

I really just love the look of this... It's elegant and casual. I know this is not going to fit me the way it fits the model in this photo, but I'm imagining that it could... er, magically!

In other news, this project is serving as a much needed distraction for me.

On August 2nd, our beloved cat Runa died while John and I were still up north. We didn't find out until a few days ago. We are absolutely broken-hearted. She was our first 'baby' together, a big-footed curmudgeon who loved all forms of attention (good and bad!), had a taste for olives and hot wings, liked to hide balls of yarn under my bed, and was fond of monopolizing my computer desktop, especially when my space heater was aimed at it. While I was at school or in my studio, her world revolved around John. She liked to box and play 'shark attack' with him. She had an amazing memory for a cat - she would recognize the sound of my mother-in-law's voice even if she hadn't seen her for a year - and knew to search my mother-in-law's bags the moment she arrived for toy mice.

Runa

August 22nd, 2002-August 2nd, 2006.

This summer she and her sister Willa were in the care of a friend who sadly, failed to recognize the signs of a very sick cat. Runa had suffered from feline irritable bowel syndrome in the past, probably brought on by separation anxiety. We provided our sitter with ample veterinary contact information, her health records and contact information for John's parents (who would have covered any veterinary treatment and made any decisions while we were away). We did everything we thought we should to make sure she would be well taken care of. Without ascribing blame (it's simply too painful and so utterly futile), I'll admit there are a lot of whys right now. Runa died the night this friend finally brought her to emergency veterinary clinic. She was severely jaundiced and dehydrated; she had likely developed fatty liver disease from not eating.

We know that her condition was easily treatable and that she would still be here if medical attention been sought sooner. Deep down, we feel that she died because we left her and that is going to be difficult to come to terms with.

Runa and Willa