Seasonal goings on

This irisheyed Hungarian is continuing the festivities downtown today. We were given tickets to see the Vienna Boys Choir this afternoon. Thanks Joany B! I'll be doing some charity knitting on the train down there. Making some squares for a group project in which we are making blankets for disabled children who live in a group home. This was not my idea, but I am happy to contribute some sqaures.

Fireman is really wanting that big screen TV from Santa, and his taking me to the Vienna Boys Choir show today is helping his cause tremendously. Mrs. Claus and I are thick as thieves.....


I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Happy Thanksgiving to YOU!

Here is my FO: my bamboo scarf in clapotis style. It is so soft and silky. Destined to be a Chirstmas gift.

Here's hoping your turkey is moist,
your yams delight
your stuffing is bacteria free
your green bean casserole is bubbly,
your cranberries are tart,
your gravy is smooth
your potatoes are hot
your cornbread is rockin
your skin is crispy
your coffee is strong
your whip cream is fluffy
your apple pie is my sister's!
and you knit with a full and happy little belly today!


I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Harvest Hat

This is one of the donated adorable hats from Nancy and friends. I have no baby, but I have a spaghetti squash. So here is still art with harvest hat. Off to the unit they go!

I am off for a dark drive into the big city. I don't like to drive in the big city. I dont' like to drive at night in the big city even more.....
I am being brave. Because I once had a baby boy and now I get to go bring him home for the holidays!

I wish I had my Huck with me. He loved a drive in the car!


Where don't you like to drive????
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Heroes

Now that I have your attention.....hee hee...this post isn't about firemen, but it is about heroes.

I have to thank a hero named NANCY H from Minnesota. Nancy I cannot find your correspondence if we had emailed in the past,

Nancy 's little grandson dropped of a wonderful box of adorable hats, and a rattle for the Neonatal babes. Hooray for SUN COUNTRY flight attendants and staff who sent this box of sunshine.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow. I just had to thank her immediately.
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

LIttle Lamb pin

I gave this fluffy lamb pin to my friend Leslie. I hope you can see it.

Two thumbs up for the lantern moon needles I am knitting the bamboo waterfall scarf on.

Two thumbs up for Bonnie's Bamboo in buttercream, by Farmhouse Yarns

Two thumbs up for fifty degree November days in Chicago

Two thumbs up for the people on the train with me who coughed into their elbows....

Will I talk to you in the comments?

Dog Thoughts

Photo courtesy of THE ART OF RESCUE.

SO Hucky has been gone nearly 3 months. Here's how I am doing.

Somedays very good. I talk to him and we get through the day.
Somedays surprise me with sudden heart breaking loss.

It is getting better. I know it does.

I washed Huck's bed today. I cannot move it away from our bed, but at least I washed it . Yes I was sad
to see his hair in the lint drawer.

I have been going to a shelter with a friend of mine, Linda, who volunteers there.

I like going there.

I haven't found a dog. But I love being around dogs. This is enough right now.

I want to bring a shelter dog a bone. I have to ask if I can. The dog is a dog I could never
adopt, but seems worthy of a home with someone and a great bone to gnaw on.

I am Reading SECOND START. A book about adopting a dog.

My sister the vet is visiting over Thanksgiving with my neice and nephew dogs. I cannot wait.

Fireman thinks we will wait until spring. I don't know......
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

The Purl Bee Garter Baby Blanket

When I can knit with wool again, I will finish the baby blanket. The yarn was originally for my Log Cabin blanket.
As you know, there will be no Log Cabin blanket. I think the switch to baby blanket works out just fine.

I am working on the delicious bamboo scarf. I decided to do a stockinette and in the end I'll pull some stitches down
all the way to make a drapey effect.
I realize as I knit this, that it is a goofy way to make a drapey/lacey look. Knitting something you plan to drop out in the end;
however, it prevents me from having YO's and getting lost in lace. In otherwords, it prevents frustration on my part. That is oh so good!

I am posting again later about the dog thoughts I am having. Fair warning, this is the knit post of the day!


I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

And it's mine all mine till the day I die!

I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

My Great Adirondack scarf is off the needles. So soft, so non wool! I gave the yarn specs in an earlier post. Not to be like
Sr. Marie or anything, but I only say it once. She used to say that. I know now she was lazy, like me!

I used to skiens of the luscious soft stuff. Now I want the color not to fade...ever.

I cast on 66 sts and worked Row 1 Knit
Row 2 KNit one,* Knit one, YF slip 2, YB K1*
I knit it on big fat turbo's.

It is in my Garter book and is called the ribbon stitch.
I actually prefer the side that looks like it is ribbed.

Im wearing it in the house. I'll wear it outside the house too!

Up next: bamboo knitting on rosewood straights.
Scarf.
Similar to a clapotis.
Stockinette, but knitting in back of the stitch before and after those that I will pull in the end.

I'm really enjoying all the Thanksgiving meme's going around.

Today I am thankful for having a phone that does NIGHT MODE and doesnt ring while I sleep in the day!

Ask Kathy B a Question Day

This is lovely Lisa who is showing us the Lotus Leaf Scarf that Karen made out of Touch Me. It is soft as velvet. Softer.
We all made sort of obscene noise when we felt it. That's how good it is. Karen used the pattern by Dovetail Desighs. She knit on size 7 needles to minimize worming. Smaller needles will keep the worming down she says. Then, she felted it. There is 5% wool hidden in there somewhere. It really made the worms invisible.

Corrections: Oh dear I am now have to post corrections to the posts! Karen's Christmas tree hat came from Ravelry. I thought she made it all up! She could have you know. She is knitbrilliant.

So for one day only, I'll answer any questions. Took this idea from Stitches of Violet's blog. Go ahead, ask!

I realize it is quite possible I have already told you more than you ever want to know!
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

I'm Baaaaaack! Camera working again!

Lovely Lisa sports Karen's Christmas Tree hat. Lisa is a sport! Karen is so clever. Karen made up her own pattern.

Lisa will be featured wearing Karen's Velvet Touch neck wrap, but around her head, where it also looks lovely....in the next post.

All is calm and all is bright, my blog world is up and working again.

Blah blah blah about what the issues were. I'm so happy I could knit lace. But I won't!

Have you felt this way when an appliance or toy began working for you again? Do tell
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Best idea from you all yet! No sheep for ME!

These were the sheep at the Crook and Whistle trial in September. This is my own sheep picture. Some of you brilliant pretend friends suggested I read Amy R. Singers NO SHEEP FOR YOU book.

Frugal me got it from my library today. I don't like any of the patterns in it. But it is worth its weight in advice for those of us who have to give up wool. There are charts about elasticity and shrinkage and care. I am learning so much about no sheep wools.

Exciting stuff, to me, truly! There are many suggestions of mighty fine yarns in the patterns. I know I am probably late to this party. I know the book has been out awhile.

But it is new to me. It is so nice to know that what I need is usually out there in the world. I just have to have good friends to point me towards it!

You are my navigators and my compass.

Off to knit the wrap/scarf that will never itch me.




I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Postal Worker Jen who Knits give us mail hints!

So Jennifer says :

*the rates at the post office try to be just a bit lower than UPS and The others. THey all have to stay in the same range so none of the major transport companies goes under. There are so many people and families and jobs involved, she says it would cause even more of an economic crises if any one of them went under.

*If you get the flat rate boxes you will almost always get a bargain if you send something even a little heavy. From our area
packagees going to NY are pricey.

*The flat rate boxes are new and sturdy. They are designed for carriers to be able to carry and not drop.

Jennifer loves the holidays at her job. Whatta ya nuts Jennifer? Well, no. She loves playing Santa and giving
people their packages. She says they got so excited, it is just wonderful.

*Jennifer is getting her knitting back together after many many years away from the needles.

*Jennifer dreads when fruit is sent from the lower states up. Lots of little travelers come with the boxes.
She is afraid of ants.

*I am always in there chatting with her as I send of yarn and the like. She is so sweet.

Unrelated:

I'm still having camera issues with the computer.

Let's just say it is a huckleberry over my persimmon to fix this issue.

If anyone of you would email me an image to put on the blog, I would be so grateful
You know, something Irisheyes appropriate. Make me laugh, make me smile, make me drool
at your yarn and knit ups,

Help me please. Then I'll pick some images and post them here . Because I just can't do pictureless posts....

I'll give you credit of course. any takers? email to harpnut@gmail.com PLah ease!


I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

This is a 5 minute post

This is the ever elusive Fiona kitty. She is over 15 now. She is skinny as a rail. It is very rare that Fiona lets us take her picture. So here you see Fireman forcing her to be photographed.

Fiona has been mothering me since Hucky passed. She is very attentive to me and wants to sleep with me now. It has taken her a lifetime to be braver. For years my father swore there was no cat Fiona in our home. He drove my children absolutely batty over this. They could never catch her to show her to my dad, and he kept up the joke (on them) for many years.

Im knitting. I am loving the little wrap I am making myself in the Great Ad. non wool blend.
I am still not knitting the Very Easy Baby Blanket that purl bee invented. I am almost done, but it is that
wool issue again.
I am ready to start something with the incredible buttercream soy that Katherine sent. What a trade!

I am having camera issues. UGH. Camera is fine but I am unable to download to the computer right now.

I have bigger fish to fry for the next few days. Enjoy your weekend .............what are you doing?
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

A favorite saying of Fireman's

(Babette's is hanging over the fireplace in 3 Bags Full Knitting Studio....a beauty I say!) NOW for the post:

Fireman, when given a choice that isn't really much of a choice, will often say:

"I'd rather stick a hot fork in my eye, but thanks anyhow"

Well, I'm here to tell you that the hot fork in the eye wasn't too bad. So you can say that now too, and if anyone calls you on it. you'll survive.

(this will come around to knit content......but you have to bear with me as usual....)

So you know by now that there have been no shortage of tears this summer/fall as I miss my Huck. Well, I cried out
one pair of tear ducts tubes and realized over this weekend, I had likely cried out the second pair as well.
You see this irisheyed knitter has very light blue eyes and they are very sensitive to light and dryness.
So, the eye doctor put these tiny weeny little tubes in my tear ducts to increase my tear production and make vision
comfortable in the daylight. Well, the eye doctor confirmed I had lost the second pair too.

So, the next step is for him to put and I quote "A hot wire into your eye and burn the duct closed."

It wasn't that bad really. C'mon try having a baby, as my dear mother says to my poor father every time he has
an ailment, including quadruple bypass surgery. But, my lower lids where the ducts were treated, are super sore.

SO what does this gorey story have to do with knitting?

Well, I could let you figure it out, but I don't think my readers really want a workout here. You are nice enough
to read this blog, I won't play games!

It has to do with knitting because of course I couldn't knit yesterday even with sunglasses on in the house.
So....

I listened to knitting talk on podcasts. This just means, that you find a radio program about knitting from a list
on your computer, and you click a button and listen to a taped show.

So I put in my artificial tear gel, leaned back on the sofa, and listened.

And you know what? I can only listen if the voice is interesting to me.

Now, I could never do a talkie blog, like Quiet Life's Donna Boucher, or a podcast
because I have the most nasal midwest CHICAGO accent you can imagine.
I couldn't listen to myself, let alone ask you to!

One of the things I loved about the movie the Informant, was the perfect Chicago
accents the actors worked.

I fell in love with Laura from JenLa's voice. If any of you know what I am talking about, good.
The rest of you, it is just an example. Stay with me here.

I fell in love with Peter Coyotes voice years and years ago.
He could read the dictionary to me and I'd listen.

Do you have a voice you love to listen to? Why?
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

All the baby blankets !

The light was good in my room yesterday so I just laid them all out. We had enough for a queen size blanket and more!

I hope you see your blanket in the images. They were all so soft. Two quilts were included! One quilt was made by a 14 year old girl. He first quilt and she sent it in!

These will be getting to our unit this week. Know that they will be used and appreciated.

Thanks!
I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

And the WInner is......

Nancy! from Wyoming Breezes! I'll be putting your prize yarn and Cakespy art in the mail tomorrow!

Thanks to each one who participated. Blanket totals: Thirty nine!

Each is adorable. Tomorrow. A picture of blankets....

I'm laughing too hard to write....now that is something!

Lesley my friend, I needed this!!!!!! So clever, so smarty pants. so YOU!


I'll talk to you in the comments. :)