Purple Buffalo Checks

 I have been so frustrated with the blog lately. I've been trying to post on here for weeks, but just couldn't find the time, or couldn't take the pictures, or what not. Had lots of ideas for posts too. Oh well. I didn't finish anything in January anyway. This is the first finished knitting project of 2023! Zoey has a new sweater!

Pattern: Buffalo Check Zoey Sweater by Me

Size: Custom Zoey

Yarn: Big Twist Value
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: Purple

Yarn: Red Heart Soft
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: Black

Needles: Circular size 5 and 8

Started: October 22, 2022
Finished: February 7, 2023

Comments: I love how this turned out. It fits Zoey perfectly! I took the Patons Basic Coat pattern (from the Patons book  Patons 939, A Dog's Life) and modified it to fit Zoey really well. I added 2 inches just below the neck ribbing to accommodate her extra long neck, and added 2 inches to the belly part to make it a little longer underneath. I also decreased the neck ribbing by 10 stitches so it's a little snugger. One more thing is I mitered the welt at the back corners rather than making them rounded.

I took the Buffalo Check chart from a hat pattern, Plaid Toque by Lisa Overby. It was a challenge to get the measurements correct. Zoey can't sit still for a tape measure. She wiggles all over!  

Zoey is super happy with the sweater.

One of my cats has not been feeling well. Merino has been not 'right'. He seems to be constipated, his fur is dull, he's not as energetic, and he was off his feed just a bit. Worst of all, he's been pooping in the living room, on the area rug, at night. I can't put up with that kind of behavior. 

I took him to our vet. The only thing they could find wrong was that he was a bit dehydrated. A couple months or so before, my daughter talked me into changing the cats food. I think that is probably the problem.

Merino has a really sensitive digestive system. We have to feed him a special Urinary Tract Health formula or his kidneys will act up. I was feeding him Purina One Urinary Tract Formula. I've been feeding it to my cats for 10 years and they've been very healthy. Turns out, daughter didn't want the cats eating it because it has corn in it. "Corn is not digestible by cats (or dogs)". So I let her change the food. She was feeding them Science Diet Urinary Tract Formula. It has no corn. Well, it's not doing my cats any good either.

I did some googling to find out about corn in pet food and found out the corn in cat and dog food is just the protein of the corn kernel. Not the rest of it. It's highly digestible, and very good for domestic fur kids. My vet said I was feeding them a very good quality food before we changed it (The Purina), so I've changed it back.

The other thing I've done is get a water fountain dish. Apparently, little water fountains encourage cats to drink more water. I bought one from Amazon, the ORSDA Cat Water Fountain Stainless Steel, Pet Water Fountain

It's stainless steel, holds 67 ounces/2 liters of water, and the pump is so quiet you don't even hear it. It took a bit before the cats started using it. They enjoyed sitting and watching it for the first couple days. Zoey, on the other hand, being a dog, just drank from it and left the room. Now they're completely ignoring the old water dish, and it's true. They do drink more water now.

Merino is showing signs of getting well. He's eating better, and using the litter box some. Went 3 whole nights without going in the living room, until yesterday morning, where I stepped in it in my bare feet because I didn't see it. Cold, slimy, smelly, and gushing between my toes. 😖😖 I washed my feet over and over in hot soapy water trying to get that feeling to go away.

In the meantime, I was in our local Bi-Mart store a week ago Friday and ran across a little appliance called the Bissell Pet Stain Eraser. It's a little hand held portable cordless carpet cleaner for cleaning up pet messes. SOLD!

 The fact that it's purple had nothing to do with my purchase, either. After buying it, I found out I have an old model (explains the big discount price). The current one is blue. I've used it twice and 

I LOVE IT!

It works absolutely awesomely! Perfect for my low pile wool area rug in the living room. It's easy to fill with the special cleaner. It sprays the liquid cleaner on the stain. Let it sit a couple minutes, then you suck it up with all the dirt. It even has a little brush to work the more stubborn stains. It even sucked up the mess I ground in when I stepped on it. No sign there was a mess there. Easy to empty the dirty water tank too. It has a rechargeable battery. It'll hold a charge for about 15 minutes. I am so glad I wandered into Bi-Mart that day.

Well, that's the news for now.

Live long and prosper. \\//