The Gate

Wow, the socks look good, but I guess the fence needs to be painted....again. Welcome to my yard. If the mosquitos get to be too much, c'mon up on the screened porch.

Why didn't someone tell me sooner that Debbie Blish baby cashmerino makes my stitches look wonderful? Working on hats for twin girls due in November. Following a simple Ann Norling pattern that I can enjoy following. Don't laugh, don't go looking for it. Just trust me, it is easy. Easy peesey.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I'll be posting the postcard winners on Labor Day when we pick them.

Knitting from the Top Down

Does this look a bit familiar? Barbara Walker is actually wearing her's while she knits it, for the cover of her Knitting from the Top Down Book. This is my tried and true sweater pattern. A gift for my sister. Im using Jaeger Extra Fine Merino. Did I tell you I'm using my Bryson Bryflex needles too? They are my very favorite circulars.

Hoping my dishrag team GOING THE DISHTANCE will pull ahead...........go team.

Garden party shawl.....

Al finished her Koigu garden party shawl. So whimsical, I love it. She warns that most of the colors are unavailable now. THere are so many new Koigu mixes that I don't think that should stop anyone.

It is my parents wedding anniversary. I don't remmeber how many years. Long enough that they move like a pair of fish on some days, turning in unison, darting about together. Other days they closely resemble Frank and Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond. Anyhow, I wish I'd thought ahead and made them dishrags: one of the flag of Ireland, on of the flag of Hungary. Maybe for Christmas!

I'm knitting from the top down, the same old tried and true Knitting pure and Simple pattern for a raglan. For my sister, Michelle who moved to MN this summer. Don't need anything new right now. Content to knit the known.

Do you have a tried and true pattern that you knit over and over? I'd love to know about it.

Last chance for postcard contest ....ends Labor Day

Email me for my snail mail.

Prizes: 2 gorgeous fall Koigu skeins.
One Skein socks that rock in Ruby
One MindYourKNitting bag and binder

Each of the above will be paired with :

either:
Gone with the Wind coffee mug or
Homer Simpson car prompt
Elvis PEZ with anniversary CD.

Keep em coming !!!!!

Dishrag in the dark and at the bakery in the light of day

So without further adieu I give you the dishrag tag images. Did I mention I have a big bite under my right eye from an insect? I now have 3 Bags Full under it. Or 3 full bags!

I really knit every moment of saturday morning. Al was in line at the bakery and I knit while the wedding cake was being frosted. It was chocolate inside with whipped creme ganache.

I loved the dishcloth given me. I also loved making the one for the team. I think they'll be lots of cutey dish rag gifts for my family at the holidays!

How I knit my dishrag in the dark.....

What ? No picture with the post.????

Sorry. Soon. RIght now I am just thankful we have some good old electricity. We lost our power Thursday with the storms and just got it back, now Sunday night.

This meant my dishrag team box arrived friday late.
This meant my knitting began at a local coffee shop with power.
I finsihed my Broken Rib dishrag at the same pace of the rest of my team!
I had it out in the mail by Saturday, before the post office closed at noon,with 6 minutes to spare! I'll show you pics soon.

The Mary Poppins quote has two winners! As soon as Elaine and Purling Pirate email me with their addresses: (email me at Harpnut@gmail.com)
I'll send them their prizes. They each win a wonderul pattern. I hope to hear from them soon.

So, as soon my keyboard on the desktop works, I m back in blogging picture business.

Last week to get your postcards in for some wonderful prizes.

My new Sock golden retrievers from ieLynn

Eye spy......
Irisheyes Lynn also gave me these golden retriever sock goodies. Huckie is trying to fool you , see him?

A couple of things:


I have not succumbed to the CUBS win streak at all. I pity the fools who are getting all caught up in it. Nope, still not a Cub fan anymore. If I have to pick a team in their division, its Milwaukee that I'll hope for.

Next:
Ive been tagged. Enough said. I think I'm ready. In honor of Husband cyclist I choose a Broken Rib Dish Rag pattern. Waiting for the box! I have to work 12 hours tomorrow......has anyone ever tried those super caffeine colas? I'd ingest it in the name of the team....

Finally, a little contest. My friend Jody reminded me on my quest for portion control and balance in life in general that: "More than enough is a feast." It is her favorite quote.

Quick be the first to tell me who originally said this. You win a little prizey!

Mailman Guest Blog

He was a good sport. This post honors the mailcarriers who are making Dishrag Tag possible.

Speaking of.....
the dishrag comes to me next. The pressure is on....I'll have to knit a dishrag and get it mailed to the next member of our team in a day to keep the team's pace. Barring any poison ivy, basement flooding that will need attention, unforseen wrist/finger/hand injury while making guacamole, sudden onset narcolepsy, west nile virus, or Chinese lead paint ingestion,

I'll be able to do it.......

Cabled Hooded Sweater finished

Al has finished her Debbie Bliss Cabled Hooded Sweater. She used Nature Wool yarn in this great shades of chocolate colorway. Al finally is comfortable hamming it up for the camera. Can you tell it is a zippered hoodie?

It is gorgeous. Did that come across in the photos? I'll take more if that gorgeous isn't showin up!

Hungarian side's annual family picnic, in the rain, today!

About the color white

These flowers are abloom in my garden. I don't know what they are. My dad let me transplant them from his burm and I had a place for them. Too bad they weren't in bloom when my friends came to knit the other night......anyhow:

About white yarn.

I don't like it. Do you? Al has tried several times to make things with various shades of white and neither of us ends up liking them. They all get frogged. There is something about white yarn that seems to cheapen the look of the garment.

I don't recall seeing many photo shoots of garments knitted in white. Is this because we are so blessed with a plethora of colored yarns?

Maybe I just see a stain coming when I see all that white. What is your opinion on white yarn?
Maybe I'm really missing out! Am I?

Socks That Rock Postcard Prize

Irisheyes Lynn has added some prize yarn to the postcard contest. :) Thanks Lynn. If you know how to lighten this picture, you will see some beautiful RUBY slippers Sock yarn held by the man I always buy my gas from. (horrible grammar I know) His turban today happened to be just the same color. Serendipity.

He didn't even ask why. Just smiled for the picture. It is so not his fault that gas prices are high. He is always kind to me when I go there. Whattaguy.

Christmas in August.....

One year at Stitches irisheyesLynn bought enough Lorna's Laces Christmas Sock Yarn to make her two daughters and herself pairs of socks to wear Christmas morning. I was very impressed. This year at Stitches, Al and I saw the Lorna's Laces and I just couldn't justify it.

IrisheyesLynn gave me these two skeins for my birthday yesterday! Thank you thank you Lynn. I always wanted to have a pair of holiday handknit socks to wear to work from Thanksgiving to New years. Now I will have them!

Thinking of bundling up for Christmas is a comfort today. I know most of you are hot and sticky. Days like these I want to cut my hair supersuper short. My knit work friends came and sat on my horridly hot porch and knitted with me last night.

Joan and IrisheyesLynn are both 100% Irish. At one point I felt they were going to need IV fluids if the party went on any longer. I think there was some sort of cooling factor in my chocolate birthday cake. We all seemed a bit refreshed after a slice.

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore Autumn in Chicago? It goes faster than summer....

Postcard fun

Al is knitting a baby hat fairisle style. So cute. I think she is making up the pattern. The night photo was taken with a sunflower grown from birdseed. I think the flower is smiling down on the hat.

Postcard update. You have about 3 weeks left to send a postcard for the contest.

Some of those who have entered and entertained me with their postcards are:

Alyssa from wordsandwool.wordpress.com From her new state of Oregon. :)
Debbiebear from NH sent a stinker of a skunk card. So cute. Amongst others.
Anne from knitredsox.blogspot.com sent a neat museum card from London.
Abby my neighbor sent me a card from Waupaca. Thanks Abby!
Adrienne in the belly button of California sent a beauty.
Pre-delivery Ling of Musinganddoing.blogspot.com sent several London postcards!
Tracy of Hales Corners Wisconsin sent a great little Life is Good with Yarn card.
Kim from KnitswithasilentK sent a darling Sea otter card from Santa Barbara.
Gaylen sent a very cool Seattle postcard with streaks of lightening all over it. I love weather!
Marcia at the MacaroniMonologues sent a kitty in a beach chair post card from Long Beach CA.
Mary from Fort Worth sent a great Longhorn and cowboy postcard.
and
Hege from PineConeLodge sent this great postcard of a dog jumping into a Cranberry Bog. It is mindboggling.

I am having a great time getting the mail these days. I know Bianca's is on the way.

The rest of you still have time to enter. Keep hunting for those postcards. I know for some it has been difficult. You are going to love the sock yarn for the grand prize winner and all the goodies for other winners too. 3 weeks left.

Stitches finds!

This adorable project bag with polka dots has a beanie bottom for stability. I had to have one.
Janie is the Mind behind MindYourKnitting.com and llc. When I told Janie I was going to blog about the bag she insisted I take it, no charge! What a smart business lady eh?

This will be one of the postcard prizes for certain. Let's go overwhelm Janie with more orders. She has other colors with polka dots. The unique and cheery bag is only 20.00. Great gift for any knitter or crocheter. It just smiles at you!

Then she asked that I take her MindYourKnitting organzier book. I'll show it to you soon. It is another postcard contest prize. It is a great little black with pink polka dot organizer. Janie thank you! If you are at Stitches Midwest look for her darling booth. It is all polkadots.

Another great thing happened at Stitches. Toni from The FOLD in Marengo has a booth . She actually remembered me and AL. She remembered how I could not pick a STR yarn. I picked pink mohair from Blue Moon. I will never use this. She immediately said, "bring it back!" as if it was crazy not to.

Now I bought this yarn several months ago. I think this was a wonderful gesture. Thanks Toni.
We bought the Blue Moon book with the cute fairisle mitten pattern. So cute.

Another great thing happened. Al and I ran into Jan. Jan taught Al to knit. She taught me socks. Jan moved from our area to California a few years ago. It was soooo good to hug her.
We just love her.

Tomorrow, then. The list of postcard senders so far!

Graceland and Stash

This fun Elvis Pez collectible , with CD, is another prize part for the postcard contest. I think I'm all shook up. Tomorrow, lots about postcards. Oh this is fun for me!

Here is my new stash keeper. It folds up tight so no kitties can play with the yarn. Intended for CD's. Pottery Barn. I feel like I have my own little knit shop. I have to say over 50% of what you see is leftover yarn from socks and projects. Stash is not leftovers is it?

I am really feeling smug about my Stashology choice for Stitches class this weekend. I cannot wait to destash.....

Of postcards, and yarn gifts and information

This is a catch-up blog day. Whereby I rattle off a few unrelated but knitterly things in my life.

1. I'm in a organizational mood. (hence the numerics)

2. I think of myself as organized. ( I'm fooling myself. But I make small efforts to prove it )

3. I want to start with Beverly's (insert superlatives here) prize yarn. Go visit her blog:http://www.wbnm.typepad.com/pomogo/

4. The sky blue skein is her best handspun to date. She GAVE it away.....

5. Why blog about knitting? The generosity in comments and prizes on knit blogs is abundant.

6. The sock yarn she sent is completely earthy and Allison and I may fight over it.

7. I am excited, in turn to pick my yarn winner for Postcard contest. You still have time.

8. The postcard shown is mine....neighbor and model Mary gave me a booklet of Grand Canyon postcards.

9. Many of you have noted how difficult it is to find postcards today. Let's hope it is not a thing of the past. I love a postcard.

10. Places I have found them: little shops in the Northwoods, Borders, Museums, Restaurants.

11. Deadline: Labor Day in the US of A.

12. Kathy's Kreations in PA, https:www.kathys-kreations.com had the Bryson needles I love.

13. Service at Kathy's over the phone, was great. Quick delivery time. Couple of free patterns from Kathy as well. I'll order more from her.

14. For those of you looking for the One Seam Teddy Bear pattern: try googling Blah, blah, blahhing:My Own Pattern II: One Seam Teddy Bear. It should come right up.

15. Stitches Midwest is this weekend. I promise, an usual view of the event.

16. I have a new place to put my yarn. It isn't an apothacary table. Not even close. Stay tuned.

17. Al's nursing classes won't allow for normal work hours soon. She won't be working at 3 Bags Full soon.

18. Al has had a great experience with everyone at 3Bags Full.

19. They'll still see me often and Al sometimes too!

20. Al will always have those women knit into her heart.

She's eyeing me for Weakest Link.....

I have only one knit on the needles right now. I have to focus. I am part of Dishrag Tag. I've never been too good on teams. However, team playing experience, was not a prerequisite to be part of YarnMiracle's Dishrag Tag summer fun. (betcha she's gonna change the rules next time!)

When the Dishrag Team box arrives at my house, I have to stop everything and knit a nice dishrag ....fast. Then I send it to the next team member. The first team to get their box across the country wins.

I have been looking at pretty dishrag patterns without regard to TIME. All those patterns are out the window now. What was I thinking?

I was chatting with a gentleman on vacation, who is a mailman on the night shift. I asked him if he knew about the knitters sending socks around the country by mail and now dishrag tag. He laughed fairly politely but with a hint of these people are nuts, and said he had no idea.

He told me about live chicks being sent in the mail and bees. Now, we once had ducklings for Easter gifts as kids. It was our lesson in why farm animals didn't belong in a house. All I remember is the stench of those ducklings droppings on the newspaper that I had to change twice a day. I don't know how the postmen handle the smell. Or, do chicks in the mail refrain from pooping? Someone has already thought this through I am CERTAIN.

Anyhow, the dishrags are already flying around the country as of August first.

I hope the box doesn't arrive the day before I work a 12 hour shift....I do have priorities. I have to go to work. So Weakest Link lady, go find someone else. I am not going to be the weakest link. GoodBYE!

Just the Sox Ma'am, just the Sox

Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe Sox. Started on vacation, finished under the influence of cold and sinus medication.

The trained eye knows the Hungarian isn't wearing those socks just now. Look at those legs!

I consider myself a pretty plain knitter. These are roll top (roll down that is) cuffs in straight knit all the way around and around. I should give myself more credit, perhaps. Not everyone can knit a pair of socks on cold medication.......

2 cute post cards arrived today from deb. More on the postcards later......

Al, making the blog look good

Thank goodness for AL's knitting. She keeps the blog posting interesting with true knitting content. As you know, I stray from the main topic from time to time.

This is a baby gift for another cousin's baby due in December. It is a nice little cardigan from Interweave Winter 2004, that was knit in a strawish color in the Mag. Al says it is hard for her to tell what row she is on after the armpits.

I love straight color when the pattern is interesting. A very understated grey, but I think it works and will show the baby's face off beautifully.

I think I gave you all Bianca's blogsite incorrectly. Here is the correct link:http://lansingerland.blogspot.com/

Go on over and enjoy her incredible knits.