knittinggenes.blogspot.com

When I took in the mail yesterday, I was overwhelmed. I had won Dawn's Guess My Premie Birthweight contest, and she was so generous celebrating her birthday with me. Let's just say there is LACE in my future. Isn't this green/pink fingering pretty? You will see more of her birthday gifts in days to come. Trying to photograph them all together didn't give them each their own beauty. Dawn is the same age as I. In addition to yarns, there were 2 beautiful patterns, a nougat treat, lovely stitchmarkers and some chocolates.

First thing first: This is Debby at LYS looking up a pattern for me. Her scarf is made from ONE yarn. She saved me at Stitches Midwest this year when I got to the class and realized the nearest muffin/bagel/toast/ was a practically a bus ride away. Enter Debby with her STARBUCKS scone; before I could finish the sentence "Where can I get something to" she had broken it in half and given me the bigger half. Now that's a wonderful woman. I learned to come prepared to Stitches, there isn't always brainfood available! I read a post about having one's needles taken away before getting on an airplane in Europe and began thinking. What could one knit with other than needles? Never one to reinvent the wheel, I searched and found an answer. There is something called a knitting board. If I was savvy, I could include the site and with one little click you could see it. I'm just not savvy...I am sorry. If you google knitting without needles you'll find it. T...

The yellow and green cable sock is from the book that is shaped like a sock. I have to think a bit when I am knitting this sock. The other is a simple sock with KnitPicks Morning Glory. I haven't joined the Magic Loop folks. According to that book, my socks will not be as graceful because I use double-points. Well, there's more to grace than technique. Socks are my comfort zone in the knitting world. Al had a nice experience with FuzzyMabel.com this week. She ordered some Cherry Tree hill supersport merino in serengeti. She's making a spring sweater to take to Arizona in March. She said the saleswoman was very helpful and remembered her from a previous call. I'll have to check them out.

Tickets for the Summer King Tut Exhibition being held at Chicago's Field Museum went on sale yesterday. I'm going! Apparently the oldest pieces of true knitting were found in Egypt. They were socks worked from toe to ankle. Knitted in 2-ply cotton, of course, finer than fingering weight. The gauges of the surviving pieces are 12-20sts per inch. Eyestrain must not have been an issue for these folks. Oh it will be so fun if any of them are displayed. I think I will knit a special pair of socks to wear with sandals when I go. Indigo was the color most used. Must go now. Need practice walking like an Egyptian. Co-incidentally found the young Al's artwork yesterday, in an art portfolio I kept from their young school days.

This is my dog's January bliss. This is mine: Marie found the blog and asked for my shawl pattern. Sure I'll share. I used: 2 skeins of NORO that I love a 29 inch circular needle to make gauge. I used 11's. Gauge: 10sts/4inches I modified a simple shawl pattern found at frugalknit12330.goeserv.com/homepage/shawl.htm Or search Frugal Knitting Haus Free Pattern I followed the directions with this variation: Every 5th row or so, I did a row of: K1 *YO, K2Tog* to the final K1. I had enough yarn to finish the shawl with the following measurements: 15inches at its tallest, and 67 inches wide. I hope if Marie decides to use her Noro, she'll send me photo: harpnut@gmail.com. I'd love to post it.

The Graduation events of the weekend made for very little knitting. I'll remember that knitting in class was a way of coping with high school for Al. No teacher ever asked her to stop. I thank them all for that. I needed some comfort knitting yesterday. With nothing mindless on the needles, I reached for my KnitPicks Morning Glory and my Pony Pearl size 1 double points and started another sock. Nothing Olympian; I think I am going to be a spectator and support all the great knitting athletes out there during their events. I'll be cheering for you all. Knitting in the village as they say. Eating....Italian.

The Daughter is making the Mother Daughter Bag. She's using this raspberry 50% soysilk/wool by karaOke. The Mother loves the pattern. The Mother sent the daughter Happy graduation Flowers today.....to her place of work. The Mother loves the Daughter. Have you ever gotten flowers at work?

Nona's Peaceful Palm initiative did motivate me. This is the third pair of fingerless gloves I've made this winter. It's a version of Hooray For Me Gloves by Marnie MacLean. These were made for my friend Helen. I was ever inspired by my friends, (nurses) at a baby shower last night. Two of the most precious sweaters I have ever seen were given as gifts to the new babygirl. Lynn, irisheyes Lynn, made one, and Diane made the other. I wish I had brought my camera. The 2 new mom's of December that I know and love, are saying the same thing: "It's so saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad when he/she cries." Ah, hormones and lack of sleep. Now that's sad! Wishing them some peace and 40 winks.

Schaefer yarn hand paint scarf. Scarf by Allison. Sunshine by chance. I am pattern searching in earnest. Only one WIP makes me uneasy. I need a social WIP that allows me to interact while knitting, and a must concentrate knit. The must concentrate is the current WIP: lace socks. Al and I went to Mosaic in Des Plaines yesterday as they have nice Sunday hours and a great store. I am stash knitting these days; this allowed me to go along with Al and check the pattern sale in the backroom. 1.00 a pattern currently. The patterns are older. Nothing wrong with that. A great pattern is ageless. But, The yarns are unavailable. Substitute, you say. Sometimes, I just cannot do that. The visual is too strong for me. Al can look at any pattern and she's already decided she loves it: with a different color yarn, different neckline and she's set. Ah youth, so flexible. So confident. So I am still looking for a slimming sweater pattern, that isn't too complex, with cur...

Happy Friday the 13th. Guess who is lucky? Karen from Connecticut is the lucky smart winner of my little contest. She correctly named that tune: Centerfield. Was she worried about the sheep I would send? Lucky her, look how cute they are. They are sheep buttons grazing on some grassy yarn. Karen, send me an email please, at Harpnut@gmail.com with your address so I can send them out to you. I am the lucky winner of Dawn's contest! I came close to her birthday weight. She was a premie. I was up front about the edge I had. I had a calculated guess. She's sending ME a birthday gift. I think I guessed 1842 grams. She musta been a beautiful baby! 13 blogs I like to read: nownormaknits2.typepad.com Sheepandnocity.blogspot.com deesie.typepad.com beavercreekfarm.typepad.com www.iowachicksknitting.com whisperingpine.blogspot.com iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com pumpkinknitter.blogspot.com MajorKnitter.typepad.com booshay.blogspot.com wordsandwool.blogspot.com wo...

Jen brainstormed the GROUP, bravely hung a sign at LYS and offered me just what I was looking for a few months ago: a no-pressure opportunity to knit with people twice monthly at a coffee/book shop in my area. Jen is a great knitter. She began knitting, a year ago. She's so enthusiastic and always makes me laugh. Just look at the mitten she fair-isled. It is her FIRST fair-isle anything. Impressive don't you think? I DO. read on to meet two more of our GROUP knitters.

This is Julie. She found our GROUP via her old roommate in NEW JERSEY. Apparently roommate found us somewhere on line and told Julie she should come to try us when she moved to Wilmette. THANK YOU OLD ROOMMATE. She's a welcome addition. We'll be welcoming her addition this spring. She's making booties for her own baby that she is currently carrying, and many many new babies she knows. She always uses lornas laces softest baby bootie yarn. These little booties, kind of float on your hand when you hold them. I'm going to have to find some of that yarn. My LYS doesn't carry it. (yet????????????)

This is Alyssa. She is a wonderful knitter and core to the knitting GROUP. She always supports Borders with her coffee purchase, unlike some of us who forget that it isn't a park. However, I usually visit my Borders once a week and purchase something for one of the 4 in my household. Anyhow back to Alyssa. She's a steady complex knitter and she KNOWS how to shop value on line with yarns. We've yet to kidnap her and take her to our LYS. Hmmmm I think an idea is brewing.

Recently a kind reader let me know that whenever she clicks on our URL she is directed to a Bible Study site. If she manually types in irisheyesknitters.blogspot.com, she gets the blog. I do not know why this is happening. Maybe I am supposed to start going to a Bible study group. I have never been to a Bible study group. I think I was invited to one once. I don't understand the workings of the internet as much as others. (understatement) I enjoy blogging, (obviously) and use Blogspot because it is free and easy enough for me to post successfully. I spent some time wondering how in the world this link happened. I was thinking of renaming the blog. The fear of losing my loyal readers (all 4 or 5 of you!) was discouraging. What if you weren't redirected? The blog name isn't really user friendly anyhow. No one can ever remember it. No one posts but me and my eyes are half Hungarian you know by now. I was pondering something clever and easy to remember. Something...

Beat the Drums Hold the Phone The Sun Came out Today! Anyone who answers with a guess is enrolled in the contest. I'll draw a winner by wednesday the 11th. The prize: a sheep. This is the double rolled storm hat with malabrigo scraps in the roll. It is nice and warm when the wind is off Lake Michigan. I'm squinting, it was so bright!

Martha at 3 Bags Full knitted her beautiful and fun Hoodie with Opaca Yarn. She told me the pattern is an Opaca pattern. I love the seams, zipper and hood. She looks great in it. I only know of Opacapaca, a wonderful Hawaiin fish. I think the colors of the jacket are very ocean like.

The Christmas yarn....I do love it. Noro World of Nature, Kochoran. Silk, Wool, Angora. I played with the yarn and different needles and ideas for a few days. Settled on free pattern from Frugal Knitting Haus. I've adapted it to include regularly placed rows of YO, K2TOG, across. The hope is that I will be very cozy and warm in it. The gas bill arrived right after the holiday. OUCH! We are turning down that dial! I picked up a tip on Daily Knitter. My eyes are bugging me again. Seems I cannot keep my fingers away from my eyes while knitting with this yarn. Inevitably I must unknowingly rub them and it leads to irritation. I look and feel like a little vole squinting at light sources and my eyes are sore. I found a tip that says to freeze your yarn for an hour before knitting with it to keep the fibers from shedding. Oh, the ribbing I took from the boys in this house. I think they were initally relieved that it was purposefully put there. I have this strange thing t...

Okay, here is my New Years Knitting Resolution: Knit patterns with Seams. Just knit them. I don't have to seam them. That's what finishers are for. Go ahead, call me a cheater. I am not going to be limited by my seam-a-phobia this year. The knitting world is just too small when I limit myself to In the Round, knitting. As long as there are wonderful finishers out there, I am going to live it up and knit in pieces. Knit in piece; I like the sound of that. The EAT sign was a Christmas gift. I love it. I've read some good knitting resolutions on others' blogs. I like the promises made to knitting from the stash. Let's Encourage One Another as Donna from Simple Life blog always says!