In Memory of Pudge (May 2001-September 30th 2016)

My beloved Pudge succumbed to kidney failure on September 30, 2016. He was 15 1/2 years old and lived a good life. He was my constant companion during a very dark time of my life when I was quite ill, bedridden and in  a wheel chair. Whenever I was sick, he never left my side. It was my first experience with a Burmese and I will forever be in love with them.

Pudge was rescued from someone who shouldn't have been breeding cats. My daughter went to get him because I was housebound at the time. The gentleman told her that he was a Siamese and he had to hunt for the kittens. He dragged Pudge out from under the living room couch and that is how he became mine.

A few weeks after I got him he was snuggling in my lap, shivering. I could tell he had a fever, so I rushed him to the vet. That was when I found out that he was actually a Burmese and not a Siamese. The vet said that Pudge had survived distemper as a baby but as a result he had a very bad intestinal infection. I almost lost him then, but Pudge was a fighter. He survived the distemper and the ensuing infection and came back strong and healthy.

I remember the winter Olympics in 2002. We had a floor model TV and Pudge sat in front of the TV and watched several of the sports. I couldn't believe it but I watched his head go back and forth as he watched different events, I even took pictures because I knew people wouldn't believe me :) They are packed away right now but once I find them I will post a few.

Pudge started out life name Fudge because of his colouring. But as the years went on, he put on a few pounds and affectionately became called Pudgie. He loved that name and would always answer or come when I called him.

It still breaks my heart that he is gone, although I know he will be waiting for me. I have a plaque with his name and paw print but can't bring myself to look at it. It is safely put away for the day when I will remember the happier times and not grieve so much that he is gone. I know that he is happier now but that doesn't stop the hurt.

 There will never be another cat like my beloved Pudge. He was definitely one of a kind and will forever be in my heart for that reason. Pudge, I love you and always will, Know that I think of you every day and look forward to seeing you in the hereafter.

I am now a published pattern writer!

I just have to crow a bit. I have a published pattern at http://www.knittersedge.com. It is a hand knit beginner's sock pattern that I have been refining since 2007 and I finally feel that it is good enough to present to the general public. At lot of tweaking and rewriting went into this pattern because I wanted to make sure it was suitable from beginners on. Learn how to take measurements and knit your sock to fit your foot! Please visit the site for more information and to support your local hand crafters.

Happy Holidays to All!!

As usual, it has been a long time since I last posted. It has been a very busy year for me. I met the man of my dreams and became engaged and am now going through what I hope will be an uneventful divorce. Our wedding is planned for 2016 but may be sooner if the divorces come through quickly.

Other than that I have been happily knitting and crocheting. I have just started back up machine knitting again and am thoroughly enjoying it. I hope to have pictures up soon.

Happy holidays to everyone and all the best in 2015!

Who would have thunk it?

As I have mentioned previously, I have chronic fatigue syndrome and live severely sleep deprived. I am on lots of medications and herbal supplements in my quest for a half decent night's sleep but I have yet to attain it. In any event, one of the symptoms of this condition is nausea a lot of the time. Mornings are no exception and I have a difficult time stomaching anything except yogurt after I get up.

Being on a fixed income, I can't afford store bought yogurt, so I invested in a yogurt maker and make my own. For whatever reason, I didn't follow the directions correctly when I first started making yogurt. It called for half a cup of powdered milk, which I left out, probably because I didn't have any at the time. I ended up with a semi solid form of yogurt, which I thought was the way home made was supposed to turn out, and for years I have left out the powdered milk. Until lately.

A few weeks ago I went on the quest for a perfect yogurt. I wasn't happy with the runny substitute that I had been consuming for quite a few years. So I pulled out the directions and lo and behold - I was missing powdered milk! Well, not believing that 5 tablespoons of this powder could bring about such a change, I did some research on the internet and then bought some powdered milk to try. Wow! What a difference! I now have wonderfully firm, delicious tasting yogurt that I would be proud to serve anyone.

The moral of the story? If at first you don't succeed, read the directions again :)

Wow! It has been a while!

I can't believe that is has been over a year since my last post! Well I guess I can, considering what a year it has been, but onwards and upwards. It was a very difficult and chaotic year, but in May my transfer finally came through to move to another town and away from my stalking ex husband. As anyone with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia can attest to, the move took everything out of me and I am just starting to get on my feet again.  This will hopefully be the last move for a long time to come.

So here I am in Belleville again, enjoying having city transit, a big library, a YMCA and sports centre, my doctor and so much more. The last time I was in Belleville I was bedridden and in a wheelchair so, although I remember a bit about the town, I have been learning the town all over again. I finally got a library card and have been listening to audio books while I machine knit in the evenings and I hope to take swimming lessons in the fall. Yes, I am definitely happy to be back here.

But as with all things, with the good comes the bad. I have finally been tackling the mess that used to be my yarn collection or STASH we crafters fondly refer to it as. I have had it boxed up since I left my abusive son in 2006, knowing that going through it was going to dredge up painful memories and a lot of hurt. I have finally been going through that chore in my unpacking and it has been hard. Sweater lots of yarn have been diminished to a few balls here and there or yarn has been rendered unusable and has to be thrown out. I literally am left with bits and pieces and have been going through trying to find some way to use up these odds and ends so I can clear out the space and move on. Much of my knitting has been for Mittens for Akkol, a charity that I have been involved with since its inception. We make warm items that are taken over to Kazhastan twice a year, socks in the late fall and sweater sets for the graduates of the orphanages in the spring. This is my pet project that I love knitting for and this year, owing to the wrath of my son, they will become the recipients of many pairs of mittens made out of lonely balls of Lopi yarn. Although I am reaching the limits of my mitten making attention span, it has been nice to see these single balls of yarn be turned into something that is both wanted and usable. And my son thought he had the best of me! NOT!

I am being stalked!

I thought kicking my ex out of the house would solve things, but no. In fact, things have become worse. He has been stalking me, keeping up on my every move, spying through my balcony window and watching me at night. He has threatened to get a gun and just start shooting everyone in the building. We have had the police involved but for some reason they don't want to press charges, and I can't get a peace bond because the justice of the peace thinks he should be charged! In the meantime, I live in my apartment with sheets over the windows, hiding from him.



The good news is twofold. I am moving into a subsidized apartment in the middle of August, which will give me some financial security. Also the building is a secure building, with buzzers to get in and cameras in the hallways. I will breathe a huge sigh of relief once I have moved, because even if he tries something, he will be videotaped and I will have proof for the police. Here he can walk right up to my apartment door and no one in the building will call the police because the landlord has told everyone that having the police here is grounds for an eviction. I have since learned that this is illegal, but it still has everyone scared. I am counting down the days to the move. I still plan on moving to Belleville, but for now I will still be living in Napanee. It isn't the best solution, but I really need to be in subsidized housing as I can't afford market rents on my own.


I have managed to pack quite easily. I started early and have been working on it about 2 - 3 hours a night. My fibromyalgia and kicked up but it has been manageable and I haven't crashed, so that is good. I don't have that much left to pack, so I am doing well in that department. I will leave most of the stuff packed after the move and just wait for my transfer to Belleville. I will be so happy to live in a city where I don't have to constantly be looking around to see if the ex is following me!

Never say "Forever"

I never thought I would say this, but a short 4 months into the marriage I have to say that it is over. I just sit here shaking my head, amazed at how one person can change with the utterance of a few words at a wedding ceremony. And change he did and not for the better either. Controlling, domineering and downright miserable. He betrayed my trust in him and he is out the door. After having lived through a 10 year abusive first marriage, I am definitely in no mind to go through an emotionally abusive second marriage. Life is far too short for that.

So I am on my own again and enjoying my freedom. I have been machine knitting with a vengeance, enjoying my newfound freedom from a repressed creativity. It is amazing how one person can be so oppressive of another. I feel like I have been let loose from prison, enjoying all aspects of life anew and it is wonderful.The only thing lacking right now is my piece of mind, because he has been coming by and harassing me. I do have papers filed for a move out of town and am hoping that that will come into being really soon. Then I will be able to rest easy and really start my life over again.

Here is a top I just finished on the knitting machine.

This sweater was made for a charity that I knit for - Mittens for Akkol.