Why I enjoy mindless knitting the most

(and Why I bleed Cubbie Blue)

If you've stuck around irisheyesknitters long enough, you know that Kathy B. (that's me) is a plain knitter. I throw in Lynn and Al's knitting for some pizzazz. ( Hey Lynn and AL, I need you to send me pizzazz. )

I've been thinking about why I get so much comfort from Knittitng and knitting and knitting stitches. I can be content without a purl at all. I can increase and decrease and use a pen to mark off rows in a pattern repeat. But,

I DONT WANT TO!

I think it has something to do with my work. Being a nurse means no downtime at work. I love being a nurse.

When I get in the door at home, I often don't really speak much. Sometimes I can't even pick up the needles. I need to sleep first. And when I sleep I dream....about work. When I am rousted from a good hard slumber, I am ready to knit.
Just knit.

I like plain things.
I like the PLAINS. I dont like mountains (sorry, I like YOURS but I dont want any)
Im happier in Nebraska than Colorado.
I like plian food the most. Fresh bread and butter.

I like baseball. I love hours of endless slow baseball. Pitch by pitch.
The radio is always on for the games, whether Im acitvely listening or not. It is great white noise.

and I bleed Cubbie blue. I doubt there will be a World Series in this our 100th year as Cubs.
It is opening day at Wrigley. The rain is falling now. Drizzle at the moment.
I even like watching them pull the tarp on and off our real grass field.

I really do.

Am I fascinating ? No. I don't even try to be. Yawn.
Is it nap time yet?

Teeny Wee TIny Sock.......FO!

An imageless post.....:(

I rarely post without an image. I love to see images on other people's blogs, so I love to put them on mine. Blogger isn't letting me include my images right now. So Imagine my WEE TINY SOCK that I finished without any panic or hysteria at all....

at all.....

(Some of you may recall that my sweet husband said Dish Rag Tag last summer, with the power outage going on etc, nearly took 10 years off my life)

I can't tell you who I send it to monday. It a SEcret! I'm thrilled with her blog, and it is new to me. Yahoo. Swaps do the darndest things!

are you wee tiny sock swapping? The best part about it was you only make ONE sock. No second sock syndrome......

Go Memphis

What a prize I've won!

Bernadette from Hookenonknitting.blogspot.com sent me these flowered spring fingerless. I think they are the cutest fingerless I've ever seen. What a prize. I was really thrilled when I opened her prize package. She also sent some great I LOVE 2 KNIT pins/buttons, some angel soap, and a new notepad and pen. Nothing thrills me more than a new notepad and pen. I haven't gotten the hang of a computer sticky note or a hand held devices that need tiny fingers to type on.

Bernadette writes a great blog that I frequent regularly. Go leave her a comment on MY new lavendar fingerless mitts.

Thanks for everyone's fixation comments. Maybe my wrists aren't fading afterall. I had no idea it hurts so many of us to knit with fixation. I'm continuing to rotate this week, to see if it helps. Rotation rotation rotation....
do you know kathy b loves tornado pictures? Funnel clouds mesmorize me. sorry.

humbly yours

Check out this weeks Ravelry newsletter....on charity knits
love
hucksmom

Wrist/arm fatigue

First of all, if anyone realizes I am not blogging after today, please make sure someone checks me for a malted milk egg overdose.

Okay, that said, I am going to try rotating my knitting projects today. Nonni blanket is a joy, but I cannot be solely devoted to her. The bunny brought me a little dishcloth yarn....and I had to cast right on yesterday. Then there is this blanket I am making as a gift.

Some of you may recall the failed log cabin blanket I made last summer with fixation. It ended up with a big bump in it because fixation stretches and my pickups at each edge were a problem. Well, I simply have to use this yarn anyhow. I am using the remaining fixation to work on this little blanket. Very little blanket. I've doubled the fixation in an effort to use the yarn up more quickly. However, it is very very hard on my hands and arms.

So I hear the way to keep on going, is to rotate projects. I'll let you know how it goes. I plan to work on all 3 today even if I only get an hour to knit. (ha....it's winter...I'll get more than an hour in, even though sweet husband is busy finishing painting the kitchen the lovely blue you see behind the blankie.

The horse has left the barn

Well, I'm no Pioneer Woman and it's a good thing. I don't even have a horse. This one is at our towns only remaining barn. As much as I'd like to say we aren't going to get all the snow they are predicting,
the horse has already left the barn. I've seen the almighty radar..
I've stocked up on things that should not get opened until a certain bunny comes in a few days, but should things get bad round these parts, there's enough sugar in the candy I've bought, to keep us hyperglycemic until we are found, fighting over the last cadbury egg.
Times like this there's a certain comfort in all that stash.......
Happy Spring.

More throw ideas...are you going to throw me?

Oh no. Not another throw post. Yup. sorry. I'm in love with them. In my frugal Hungarian way, I was able to have my library find this book for me. Cute ideas here! Good thing you don't just come here for the knitting.....?

What's this about dangerous microwave popcorn? I'd go back to jiffy pop, but the kitchen gets a bit stinky. Anyone have a great suggestion for already popped corn? I like blackpopcorn that pops white. Mmmmmm.

What's this about MORE toys that children cannot be near? Well, there is always a pot and a wooden spoon to entertain, or a BOOK, or homemade play dough. (Al loved to lick it when she was little....I tell her to stop all the time)

What's this about prescription drugs in the drinking water? Clearly there arent' enough in mine! NO more bottled water for me.

What's this about a virus your DOG can give you? I don't believe, I wont believe. There is nothing cleaner than a dog's mouth.....

What's this about burning soy candles? Well, I got some for Christmas and I do like them.

What's this about coffee, coke, chocolate, donuts, cookies, steaks, cheeseburgers, pie......

Knitting Nonni's blanket WIP

I am making progress on my Nonni Patch blanket. I am still enthralled with it. I am not colorgifted. I stole the colors from Nonni's own 9 patch blanket. Thank you thank you Nonni.

I was in Mosaic Yarns in DesPlaines the other day. They were so nice. Darlene was giving me ways to improve my color choices. NO colorwheel stuff, just real life examples. THe previous post images of the sweater and children's dress were from Mosaics shop. I had my camera with me, as usual. Darlene suggested I find photographs or take photographs of things I find colorful. She said Alice Starmore did this with nature and color.
I liked her second idea even better. Find a skein with a colorway that amazes you, then find individual yarns from within that colorway and knit yourself silly. I plan to try this for my next project. Whatever that is!

Oh, and I have a blank wall in the kitchen! Sweet husband took down the decade old ivy wallpaper yesterday. I am delighted to have a blank wall! More blank wall images to follow.

have you had a blank wall recently?

May there always be work for your hands to do

May there always be work for your hands to do

May your purse always carry a coin or two

May you spend it on yarn if you really need too

and May you knit many things you don't have to redo.

(Old St Patricks Church Book of Kells artwork above the doorway)

limerick #2

THERE ONCE WAS A KNIITTRESS VERKLEMPT

FOR NO MATTER THE TIME THAT SHE SPENT

CHARTS MADE HER CRAZY

SHE PREFERRED TO KNIT LAZY

SO SHE KNIT TO HER PLAIN HEARTS CONTENT

Limerick time

THERE ONCE WAS A WOMAN WHOSE HOUSE

RUNNETH OVE WITH YARNS, AND HER SPOUSE

WAS DROVE A BIT MAD

AND THE HOUSE LOOKED SO BAD

FOR HER ARSE BARELY MOVED FROM THE COUCH.

Smiling Irisheyes

My little leprechaun eggs are celebratng early. My father says his Hungarian sister crocheted this egg cover for him. I wonder if it was meant for turkey eggs or something. I might conisder making him a new egg warmer, but anything his sister makes, you know, surpasses any efforts of my own. I still might. I have my little Irish eggs to model for the perfect fit. My Irish mom would like them.

My irisheyes are smiling because I feel so much better. I got some silicone friends. They feel wonderful. My irish eyes are very light and I've been photophobic for a few weeks now. Yesterday the eye doctor told me I had very little tear production in my eyes. He inserted some sterile silicone plugs into my tear ducts. These are supposed to act like a plug in a sink would. They keep the tears around. So let's hear it for silicone ladies! I love my pair.

Why are your Irish eyes smiling?

When all else fails.....felt

I knit this hat from the top down a few years back in lovely alpaca. It wasn't long enough. I added some purple trim. Still not a good look. A few days ago I felted it. I have a great little bowl now. it can take me awhile to admit a mistake....I never intended to knit a bowl.

I have to give Evergreen Knits a big thanks. She runs Wiknit.blogspot.com. Do you visit her contest site? She lists as many contests as bloggers want to tell her about. I think it must take a bunch of time. Thanks so much Evergreen.

I've been knitting the idot's dishcloth. THe colors are all springy and pastel. Maybe my Mom's basket will have a dishcloth inside. I make my parents little baskets. They made them for us for so long. She'sll say, "oh well now, why did you bother?" as she smiles and inspects her goodies. I'll say, "well, I didn't do it the bunny did."

The bunny will be visiting so early this year. Okay by me!

Time is on my mind

On the subject of time:

It's time for me to be a Cub fan again. My mid-life crises with the Red Sox is over. I bleed Cubby blue and always will. The pizza box shows "Wrigleyville" on it's cover. Wrigely it is, Wrigley it will stay. I think the friendly confines will stand the test of time.

It's time I share my time saver : time boxing. Someone suggested this stategy for finding more time to knit. For me, it is about defining my time during the day. I feel less scattered if I decide to work on xyz during one hour and abc during the next. I am easily distracted and this keeps me on task a bit more.

It's time to comment about comments. I like to read your blogs and leave comments. If you've noticed I only use lower case, it is just a time saver for me. I usually have Fiona the bleached calico, on my lap and leaning on my right arm while I type. Shifting just makes me slow. so i hope you don't think i am rude, i am just time saving.

Time to go to work. :)

below is Lynnette's new baby blanket

I was at my LYS 3 Bags Full in Northbrook visiting yesterday. Lynnette shared her new baby blanket knit with me for the blog. I just love it. It is very simply constructed and looks so lovely. She made it with Blue Sky's alpaca/merino worsted handdye. In Iris. It has a lovely weight, that I can only describe as the weight a new baby would like to feel secure. The softness of this yarn is wonderful too. It will make an incredible gift. Thanks Lynnette!

Lynnette

Wishin for spring

These are my forsythia LAST spring. Sharp contrast to the grey skies and grey snow around here now. I need some color out there.....

Answer anonymously if you want. My question : Is the economy influencing your yarn purchases?

I'll go first: anonymously: YES. I am working on using up stash. I am not buying from overeseas right now b/c of the value of the dollar. I am going to the library for my Knit Magazines and books right now. Truthfully, I don't mind at all right now.

Happy Birthday Chicago.

Mineshaft Throw photograped in snow

Sometimes when I finish a WIP I feel so happy. Mineshaft makes me feel that way. It really is a rectangle, I swear. Snow blocking is difficult at best. I'm hoping we can all put Mineshaft on a bookshelf when it is not in use. An unreachable to kitties bookshelf.

Onto the Nonni nine patch blanket. Grace's beautfiul berry colored acrylic is on my mind, however.

I have started to wear a wrist guard on my dominant knit hand, my right, at night. I was just beginning to feel some strain there. Have you used a guard? I thnk I must be fighting it whilst I sleep. There is a spot, right where you would stick me for a blood gas, that has a worn red circle now.

I think working on mostly one size needles as I finsih one thing at a time, is actually too much repetitive motion. See? I NEED to have more than one WIP for wrist health. Sneaky huh? Perhaps a massage would be beneficial as well.........