Bad Dogs, Good Hats

According to the late Barbara Woodhouse, there are no difficult dogs, only inexperienced owners. Well, Louie is my fifth Yorkie in 32 years and, experience aside, I'm still being surprised by my dogs.

Point in fact: Louie, who is nearly 4 years old, is a digger and a chewer, which has me completely baffled. I don't think of these as Yorkie traits. He began life as Louie Louie Poo Pooie, then became Louie Louie Chew Chewie. I ask you ... is this the face of evil?

Well, let's take a closer look ... anybody else see HORNS?

One fine Sunday morning when Louie was a little puppy, so cute and innocent, Hubby and I were sitting in the family room sucking down our caffeine and reading the paper. We heard a noise like a gunshot in the kitchen just a few feet away. We jumped up and found Louie with a piece of molding from the kitchen island in his mouth. He had actually chewed on it and snapped it off. I did the bad Mom thing, took it and swatted him with it, then shoved him out the doggie door until I could calm down.

Also, during these puppy chewing days, he ate the entire edge off the family room carpet while we were at work -- another good reason why we now have only ceramic tile throughout the house. Chew that, you little sh*t!

But he will be 4 years old on January 19th. Is that still considered puppy brain age? I buy him the best chews ever -- Mini Dingos with meat in the middle. I know he loves them because he goes into conniptions every time I give him one. Happy, happy! He has toys and rawhide bones all over the place. So why, oh why, did this happen?

Closer ...

I left a package of bamboo double pointed knitting needles on the end table and when I returned, the package was on the floor with needles scattered around. The points are all chewed and one of them has even split. Fortunately, there was no actual knitting on the needles at the time or we'd be planning a doggie funeral. As it is, he was cussed up one side and down the other. I probably should have closed the windows first because we live near a school and I suppose those kids got an earful that day!

Bad dog, bad dog, bad dog!

Skyler

When we had our second Yorkie, Skyler, he puppy brain chewed a leather belt that Hubby left laying on the bedroom floor. I reminded him that anything on the floor is fair game and he should have picked it up. Now he's trying to throw this back at me but, people, I left this package of knitting needles on the table, not the floor. Hello! Not the same at all!!!

I am on a hat knitting kick. I found the cutest pattern in "Yarnplay" by Lisa Shobhana Mason. It's called the "Tami" and also has a matching scarf. I made a few of these hats with minor changes like adding an extended, overlapping button band ...

Here's one for a girlfriend in Denver. I made a knitted flower (pattern from "Interweave Knits 2010 Holiday Gifts" magazine) and put it on a pin backer so she can remove it for washing or even pin the flower to something else ...

And then I had an idea for a new pattern and designed a blue hat for myself with a band of fun fur just above the doubled brim ...

The double thickness of the brim is much warmer around the ears and YD thought this was so cute, she ordered one in a gray alpaca blend. Here is the Granddaughter modeling it ...

I've sanded down the chew marks on my needles, but it's not working so well as there are rough spots that catch the yarn. Thanks to Louie Louie Screw Screwy, looks like I'll be heading to the store for some new size 8s.