They May Have Gone Too Far This Time

I had it all figured out.

The dogs keep attacking that same skein of white recycled yarn.

So I was going to take away the object of their obsession.   No longer would it be pretty balls of pristine soft yarny goodness.  No, I was going to make it more than just yarn.  I spent the evening knitting it into the beginning of Sweet Pea's Weasley Sweater.

Look how pretty.  I'm loving this pattern.  I keep having Sweet Pea try it on to check the fit.  She asked if the sweater was for her.  I told her no, it was for me.  Mournfully she said "I want it to be my sweater."  If only she realized.

I had misgivings with my plan to turn the yarn into something more than yarn.  Would transforming it from yarn to a WIP (work in progress for you muggles) be enough to curb their desire for destruction?  Or would I find myself tomorrow, weeping over the remains of my fledgling sweater?

Only time would tell.

And it didn't take long to find an answer.

At lunch today I sent the dogs into their crates.   They like to take food from Sweet Pea.  They are not to be trusted when there are plates on the counters.  So into their crates for an afternoon nap they go.  Wednesday is early release from school, so they were still napping when the older children burst through the door full of stories, and homework, and report cards (two are doing great, one needs a little work, but they are all trying hard, so what more can a parent ask for?)

As Bird waited for me to check her math home work I heard a gasp followed by "Mom you've got to look in small dog's crate.  It is full of something."

*heart stops*  "Is it full of yarn?"

Reluctant to be the bearer of bad news I hear her take a breath for courage and then a small "I think so."

Of course it was yarn.

Small dog had stashed a skein of yarn in her crate earlier that morning, and she had been industrious with it during her nap.

And of course, with the white yarn being all gone she had moved on to a new skein of yarn.  An upgraded skein of yarn.  She had moved onto my precious handspun yarn.

Not handspun by me.  I'm currently ignoring my impulse to create my own yarn.  This was handspun and gifted to me by a dear friend mine.  And it is gorgeous.  This yarn gives me talent envy.  This yarn makes me want to spin and create something so pretty I can't find a way to improve on it by knitting it into something.

Just look at the way the colors twist around one another.

I'm sure there is a fancy term for that, but since I'm not a spinner I don't know the proper jargon.  But I love the twisty colors.

After two hours of careful untangling amid checking homework and starting dinner I was able to turn my tangled mess into this.

It is so lover-ly.

Take a moment to admire it.

Frankly I'm surprised small dog is still alive..  I must really love The Greatest to be sparing the life of his dog like this.

I have moved the two remaining hanks of white yarn, and the two lover-ly yarn cakes of handspun into the yarn protection program.  Unless the dogs learn to use a ladder I *don't think* they can reach where they are.  But I fear for the safety of the skeins still in my yarn cabinet.

I'm thinking of investing in shock collars.