In Which the Pirate Doesn’t Knit.

These furry four-legged beasties are the reason I haven’t been knitting lately…

Kipling is almost always on the go. He is high-energy and totally ready for a game of tag, chase, or full-on wrestling. He’s only a year and a half old, so some of his energy is from being young – but a lot of it is from being a Bengal, and he won’t really outgrow it. The down side to his being so tightly wound is that every noise startles him, so I’ve been trying to spend lots of time near him, convincing him that a sneeze isn’t a death sentence. The other day Pirate-Husband dropped the tv remote, and poor Kipling tried to take off running in three directions at once, leaving a floating cloud of short fur behind! When he’s in a calm mood, though, he is the sweetest cat. If you pet him just right, he rolls onto his back and paddles his paws in the air, asking for chin and chest rubs. He has velvety-soft fur and he purrs like a motor. Then he falls asleep upside-down with his tongue hanging out…

Floyd has been a lot less clingy since we brought Kipling home. Now that he has someone his own species to play with, he’s not trying to wear out his kitten-energy on Pirate-Husband and me. He is still lovey and likes to sit in our laps and watch tv, when he’s not otherwise engaged in playtime. It’s funny to watch him flop on his side to invite a pouncing, or to see him run over, tag Kipling on the head, and dash off at full speed. Floyd’s still super talkative and will wander around the house, prrrting into all the corners or singing to himself. And when it’s suppertime, the only way to stop his meowing is to feed him. He’s trained us well – but we’re also training him; he is learning to sit, lie down, and give high fives. Clever cat is clever (and doesn’t really like having his picture taken).

Unfortunately, the cats aren’t the best knitting companions. They both have a tendency to beg attention, to flop on my lap between me and my knitting, and to lick, bite, chew, bat at, and otherwise destroy the yarn. The hanging long-tail of my cast on is especially attractive to them. So I haven’t been knitting much, and while I enjoy the time with the cats I’m starting to miss it. Hopefully they’ll understand that I don’t hate them when I shut myself into my room for a bit and work on a baby sweater.

There are other things I’ve been doing that cut into my knitting time as well. I’ve started an exercise regimen and called it Operation: Badass, and I’m already starting to see some results of it! If you’re interested, I can write more about the cats, the exercise, the bread-baking, and some of the other things I do that aren’t fibre-related. Leave a comment and let me know!