KnitQuest

Taji’s Chock Full O’ Moxie

We just call her Moxie, but this last weekend a whole lot of other folks were introduced to her full name, Taji’s Chock Full O’ Moxie. Look out AKC, Moxie had her very first dog show and she liked it.

It’s downright astonishing how Katie can take my goofy, cuddly, muffin of a dog and turn her into an smooth, elegant, stunner. I honestly didn’t think she could do it. I should know better by now (Moxie is our third Taji dog), Katie is an unstoppable force. Everywhere she goes she leaves beautiful, and most importantly healthy and well mannered dogs in her wake.

I know some of you are thinking that dogs shows and breeders are evil and that we should have gotten a puppy from the shelter. I don’t disagree that getting a puppy from a shelter or rescue is a great thing. I do however strongly disagree about breeders and dog shows being bad.

Here’s the thing, Katie has been breeding dogs for something close to 20 years. She never breeds more dogs than she has qualified homes for and not a single dog has ever ended up in a shelter. If there’s a problem, any problem, for the life of the dog Katie takes them back. She keeps them and cares for them until she’s found another suitable family. It doesn’t happen a lot because Katie won’t place a dog with a family without a lot of research, but life is unpredictable and things don’t always work out, but Katie always takes care of her dogs. If there were only breeders like Katie we wouldn’t have any shelters.

(this is M’bali and Max, Moxie’s mostly litter mate)

What’s even better than that is how a good breeder works to improve the health and temperament of their breed. Kona was a stunning example of Katie’s success. Sixteen and half years old and never a chronic health problem. Accidents and vaccines are the only reason he every went to the vet. A long active life (he was still jumping up on the bed until the last few months) and a huge savings on vet bills.

The show thing can seem like a silly beauty contest for dogs and in some small ways it is, but the primary function is finding the best examples of a breed. Form and beauty is just the best way to judge the health and function of a dog in a short time. No system is perfect and I will admit to finding a bunch of grownups running around a wet field in suits and skirts a bit funny, but I admire their goals and the effort they put into it. Plus who am I to make fun of someone else’s odd hobby. I sat ringside and knit and no one made fun of me.

(the dog in the front is Moxie’s brother Dante, Moxie is second)

By the end of the weekend Moxie won her first winner’s bitch and now has 4 points and a major to her credit. It doesn’t matter to us if she’s a champion or not, but we are proud to be a small part of helping Katie work toward healthy, happy, and yes pretty basenjis. Congrats Katie and thanks for trusting us with such a wonderful and loving girl.

Plus it’s Tuesday and she’s still sleepy so how can we not like that.

Mack Truck Full of Fun

I’m not sure what happened to the last four days. All I can say is Sock Summit is like a Mack truck full of fun and after having a head on collision with it five days in a row I needed a little recovery time. Plus my husband, kids, dog and house (the dust bunny were attempting a coup) were desperate for a little attention and my butt was in need of a little personal time with the couch. I’m happy to say we’re all recovering nicely and I think I’ve finally got enough brain power to try and put some my Sock Summit experience into words.

Notice how I said “words”? I took my camera, made sure it was charged, and even brought an extra card for all the pictures I was going to take. Then, I took three. Which was really only two, since number two and three are pretty much the same. I took them all on set up day.

Here we have Tina giving me the, “Really, pictures? Kinda busy getting ready here.” look.

Second we have the Blue Moon booth before setup. So, how did I get these two very mediocre photos and nothing else?

Well, after unloading all the yarn we had to wait 10-15 minutes before we could get to the racks. Woo hoo! I’ll get a drink and grab a few shots (the photo kind, I wasn’t quite ready for the booze kind yet). I think that was just about the last 10-15 mins of downtime I had until Sunday night.

I could prattle on for pages about all the events, my classes, my crazy schedule and the wonderful people I saw, but that probably wouldn’t be the best use of time for me or for you. So I will point you to the lovely Clara Parks (nice to finally meet you in person!) and her Sock Summit post for a awesome summary of the event and then I give you …

My Top Ten Sock Summit Moments

1) Having my name called with all the truly amazing teachers at the opening dinner. Mind blowing and terrifying, but boy, did it make me feel cool.

2) Having one of my students come to the booth to tell me my class “changed her knitting life”. Awesome.

3) Meeting and hanging out with all the teachers at the teacher dinner. What’s better than being in a room full of super stars that share your love? Not much.

4) My kids having the chance to spend a whole week with my parents. They made a birdhouse with papa, pickles with nana, floated the river and went camping. I am so lucky to have the time to devote to something I love and know that my kids are not only well taken care of, but having the time of their lives.

5) Seeing people wearing my designs. The first Sock Summit was the first time I saw a knitter in the wild wearing one of my designs. This time I lost track of how many I saw. That, more than anything else, made me feel like maybe I was doing something right. It was like getting a big pat on the back. Makes all those days sitting home by myself wondering if anyone is going to like what I’m doing worth it.

6) Meeting all the students in my classes. Thanks to everyone who signed up. You were awesome!

7) Seeing knitters everywhere. Packed into the convention center, knitting on benches outside, and taking over every restaurant in the area. One muggle man behind me in line at Burgerville asked me, “Um.. What’s going on with all the yarn?”

8) Helping people pick out yarns and colors for patterns in the booth. Especially for Vancouver. I’m now stalking Ravelry to see how all combinations turn out.

9) Getting my teacher swag bag. Holy cow and thank you to all that donated! There was some really awesome stuff in there. I’m especially thrilled with my new Signature Needles and the Stitch Light.

10) Seeing old friends and making new ones. I loved knitting for 10 years before I knew a single other knitter, but it is so very much better is to have smart, funny, wonderful people to share it with.