Monthly Archive for May, 2010

Peace To All Creatures

Published on May 20, 2010 in Uncategorized. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

The Peace to All Creatures ‘zine project is the brainchild of friends Pippi Howard & Jessi VanPelt. The duo design & edit the quarterly ‘zine, which is now in its third issue, from their respective homes in Colorado & Florida. Pippi & Jessi are on a mission to ‘Educate, Empower & Entertain’ & topics discussed within the ‘zine include  art, animals, vegan diet, health, social & green issues & more.

Writers & artists from around the globe contribute to the project by submitting their articles & artwork, & I was thrilled when Jessi (a fellow greyhound lover who I met through the Etsy Handmade4Hounds team) asked if I would consider submitting a blog post I wrote earlier this year to be published in the spring 2010 issue of the ‘zine. Of course, I said yes!

As a contributor, I was lucky enough to be posted a complimentary copy of the hand bound ‘zine. However I was too impatient to wait & purchased the digital download version too so I could start reading right away!

Featuring vivid cover art by Neva Davis,  issue 3 of the ‘zine is packed full of interesting articles on a diverse range of subjects from companion animals to civil rights to vegan diet & lifestyle. Although not vegan myself, I have recently become vegetarian & I so found the latter particularly thought provoking & inspirational. & of course it was lovely to see Max & Molly making an appearance in my ‘Why Greyhounds Make Great Pets’ article!

If you would like to read the ‘zine, hand bound laser-printed copies of issues 1, 2 & 3 can be purchased  at the following online locations:

♥ Uber Duper Creations

♥ The Ginger Card Company

♥ Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe

The ‘zine is also available to purchase as a digital download from Uber Duper Creations.

A large portion of the profits from sales go to two charities chosen by Pippi & Jessi:

♥ Pet Rescue by Judy, a non-profit organisation dedicated to rescuing cats & dogs in Florida

♥ For The Animals Sanctuary, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation & life-long care of victims of the food farming trade in New Jersey

If you would like to contribute to the ‘zine, you can submit an articles or artwork for inclusion in issue 4 by emailing thekarmakitchen@gmail.com. Please note that all submissions should be cruelty-free & vegan friendly ;-)

You can keep up to date with the ‘zine project by following the Peace to All Creatures blog.

Max's 2 Year Anniversary (26 Reasons Why I Love My Greyhound)

Published on May 8, 2010 in Uncategorized. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

It was this week, exactly 2 years ago, that we adopted our first greyhound, Max, from the Borders Retired Greyhound Trust. In honour of Max’s 2 year homeiversary I thought I would share just some of the many reasons why he means so much to me.

Max, I love you because…

♥ you’re always pleased to see me, even if sometimes you can’t quite drag yourself up to come & greet me

♥ your sigh is almost human

♥ you have the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on a dog

♥ you don’t care how many people stare at you when you hop along on 3 legs

♥ you love to share the sofa… at first, but ultimately your goal is to steal it all for yourself!

♥ you let me bury my face in your loooong neck when I’m feeling blue

♥ you embarrass me by sticking your nose in the pockets of everyone we meet on our walks, just on the off chance they might have some biscuits in there for you, then redeem yourself by politely sitting & offering them a paw, thus making them fawn over how cute you are rather than object to your lack of manners!

♥ you look like Gromit from Wallace & Gromit when you prick your ears up


♥ I don’t think you ever completely stop thinking about food & I could set my watch by your internal ‘it’s meal time’ clock

♥ you regularly fall asleep with your head dangling over the edge of things, your nose squashed against the floor & your tongue hanging out

♥ you groom yourself like a cat, & even extend the courtesy to others if you’re feeling generous

♥ you sit in the front of the car with me everyday with your special doggy seatbelt on & never criticise my driving

♥  you finish dental chews that are designed to last days in mere minutes


♥ you give the best greyhound ‘kissies’

♥ you sometimes forget you can’t swim & dive right in there anyway


♥ you make cute little puppy barking noises  & run in your sleep

♥ you roll around on your back & ‘catch flies’ when you want your tummy rubbed

♥ you welcomed our second greyhound, Molly, into our home, as well as the numerous other dogs that we have fostered / boarded


♥ you wake yourself up when you fart!

♥ you never tire of modelling my handmade creations

♥ you play for precisely 5 minutes each day, approximately 5 minutes before dinner time

♥ you look forward to going to the vets (even if it’s only because they have gravy bones!)

♥ you hate going for walks in the rain

♥ you somehow manage to charm your way into even the most un-doggy people’s hearts despite all your naughty habits

♥ you do the best Darth Vader impression

♥ I rescued you & you rescued me right back, in so many ways. You motivated me to get out of bed when I could see no other reason, you inspired me to change my career, & you brought a smile to my face when nothing else could.

Happy Homeiversary Max!

Knit Happens

Published on May 3, 2010 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Well, it’s been a while since I last offered my knitting up for scrutiny here but I’ve finally gotten round to finishing the dog kerchief I started knitting a couple of months ago…

To teach myself how to ‘increase’ I followed this simple pattern from Debbie Stroller’s book, Stitch ‘N’ Bitch.

I used a thinner yarn than the 5 ply weight suggested as I had some 3 ply yarn left over from a hat I knitted ages ago in a lovely grassy green colour, & so my kerchief was subsequently a little smaller & lighter but just perfect for a doggy bandanna!

Once I finished knitting, I embellished the kerchief with some super cute ladybird & daisy buttons I purchased from Etsy seller Betafly. Could my greyhound Molly look any more adorable wearing it?

The kerchief is now for sale in my Etsy shop (my first branch away from screen printing – how exciting!) & I am donating 50% of the proceeds to Etsy For Animals‘ (EFA) charity of the month.

EFA is a group of more than 500 independent artists, craftspeople, & vintage, art & craft suppliers that combine their efforts to provide charitable relief to animals. They form a team on Etsy, of which I am part, with many members donating a portion of their sales to animal charities.

Each month an animal charity is chosen from charities nominated by one or more EFA members to be the EFA Charity of the Month. This May, that charity is Guardian Angels For Soldier’s Pet, whose mission is to support military, veterans & their beloved pets to ensure the pets are reunited with their owners following a deployment in harm’s way to fight the global war on terrorism or unforeseen emergency hardship impacting their ability to retain their pet’s ownership rights.

A full list of EFA members is available here & you can see more items supporting the EFA charity of the month here.

Meanwhile, I’ll be attending my knitting group at the Sheep Heid tomorrow evening & hopefully casting on a new project. My Mum is keen that I attempt to knit socks, but I think that may be a little advanced for little old me ;-)