Echo the eco-dog and his sort of recycled sweater

Our dog Echo is one of those "tough" breeds.  He's a very friendly pitbull but with his low fat, high muscle build the cold weather has him shivering like crazy. That's not so tough! 

Now I'm not one to dress up my dog for the sake of fashion, but as the days get shorter and the mercury dips, I will put him in a nice warm sweater for safety and comfort.

To create that custom fit around the back end I simply dropped

two stitches in each of the last 3 or 4 rows

I'm calling this a sort of recycled sweater because I used yarn that I'd purchased from a thrift store along with some scraps from my yarn basket.

He's so proud of his new look!  You can see I made a button closure

on the strap on this side and the other side is attached

This is a really simple easy crochet project.  It's made entirely with a single crochet stitch, but it still looks great and will help keep Echo nice and warm all winter long!

The fit is perfect  and it doesn't hinder his activity at all.

Echo goes with us whenever possible.  This sweater will help him to stay

warm and cozy when he's waiting in the car while we run our errands.

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Halloween is always more fun when shared with children.  My son, Daniel,  is 18 now and starting a life and family of his own.  Next year we'll be having a first halloween for my granddaughter!  Over the years, Daniel & I have had loads of fun dressing up, trick or treating and carving pumpkins.

I'm a crafty sort and so most years I tried to make Daniel's costumes.  My favorite year was 1993.  Daniel was like most young boys of that time, enamored of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That year he chose to dress up as Michaelangelo. 

Here's Daniel telling his Tia all about how

Michaelangelo would protect us when we went

out after dark.  That's me in the background

putting the finishing touches on the costume. 

In early October, we took a trip to the fabric store and found a fabulous pattern for his costume.  With the help of my sister, Heather, I completed the costume in time for the October 31 festivities.  What a great year.  We paraded cute little Daniel around to all of our local friends and family and then to the mall for some more trick or treats!

OMG!  So adorable!

Daniel's costume was a hit!  This was one of my earliest sewing projects and I was so proud of the outcome. He wore that costume all night and wanted to wear it for months after Halloween was over.  In fact, he kept the stuffed shell for years after that using it as a bed pillow.

My nephew Thomas and I showing off our jack-o-lanterns

Rockin halloween!

This year Thomas was Link and Sammi was the Grim Reaper!

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Heather!

Samantha helping get the candies ready for the kids

Aubrei after having her Halloween candy last year

Mark showing off his beautiful daughter

wonder woman

Here's to all of you with little ones! Though it can be stressful, please remember to cherish days like today, because they pass quickly and little ones are soon grown and having little ones of their own.  Have a safe and happy halloween!

BOO!

The scariest thing about this halloween is realizing how quickly the

kids have grown up!