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When something overwhelms me or looms large, my sister Deb always says, "You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time." Perhaps that is why I love the book, BIRD BY BIRD. Same concept. I am knitting AL'slace socks in the Broadripple pattern with this in mind. My socks are broken into the following parts: The cuff bite was unsure; I had to wait to see the pattern emerge and the colors jump into line. The purling involved made it chewier, I couldn't devour the cuff in a quick few bites. The part before the heel and between the cuff was tender and mostly mindless. One row of lace, one row of knit. The heels could have used some salt and pepper, but otherwise were identical somehow. I am finished with one gusset serving and beginning the second today. This is in no way my favorite part of the elephant. Must remember the lace pattern every other row in the top of the foot part, and do decreases on both sides as well. I get a little crazy with joy when I am purel...

Another easy crochet stash buster......just in time for this weekend's nice hot weather here in Chicago. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

I love the elastic/cotton mix of Fixation by Cascade. I used it for my first pair of socks a few years ago. I want to make a summer tank with Fixation, but it has to wait in the time line.... Currently I am focused on finsihing Al's Broadripple socks. I do like side by side knitting of the socks on double points. It really does alleviate second sock syndrome. I will most definitely make socks this way again. Nothing says summer like; Barbeque a fire in our fire pit (first one last night....sorry to all of you under drought/fire danger conditions, I'll toast a marshmallow for you!) petunias garage sales the big dipper porch napping lake michigan swims for Huck the local dairy bar a pedicure rolling down the windows lemon squares grilled pineapple and, of course, fixation. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

I'm calling Al's Koigu fingerless the Frango Mint Fingerless gloves. Marshall Field's in Chicago makes Frango Mints. There is another store that bought Marshall Field's out and we are a collectively sad Chicago now, awaiting the changes to come. The mints are brown and green like these two koigu colors blended. The next sweet thing: good'n plenty candies. Well, not quite, but if you go to www.KnitandPlenty.com you will see a nice array of Knitting nice to have's. There is a Knitting Needle Pocket inventory amongst other great things. Love my Knit and Plenty's. The next sweet thing: Lynn from our Knitting Group sent me the nicest comment the other day. Lynn it is a priveledge to know you look to this little blog for some sunshine. I couldn't be happier about your kind thoughts. This is post number 474 for the blog. I think a 500th post contest is in order!

I still love knitting more, but I was able to make up this purse for my 11 year old neice's birthday, in a day. It's off to Pennsylvania now to reach her in time for her birthday. She is an everything pink, hip and feminine kind of girl. I think it fits the bill... It was all scrap yarn from the stash, too. I'm so happy with the results. The crochet-a-flower class really refreshed my crochet basics. I used the leaf pattern we were taught for the base of the bag, as I wanted a flat base to the purse. Thanks Susie my teacher. Back to knitting today! Oh, Also I won a contest that BETH held. Her lovely and SMART dog Pearl, picked my name out of a group tickets on her lawn. Go and visit, to see her really picking me! She is at CraftyCanines knit blog. Some lovely Sockatta is coming my way. Thanks PEARL you smart girl.

This lovely baby blanket to be is the work of my neighbor Abby. She just learned how to crochet. I think the yarn she picked is the key here. She is simply making single crochet squares. Because she wants to, she is going to do some blocks in double crochet. She wanted a portable project; she can work on small squares in the car, on the train, the el, you name it. I love when the yarn does beautiful work for us. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Al comes home from Mississippi and Habitat work today! I have no idea what this knitting of hers is going to be. I just needed a post and took it from her bag. I do know that she frogged last years shapeless shell and is creating this from it... We missed her in Mississippi. She reports little knitting got done....I think she'll catch up while watching all the shows I taped for her: Season Finale: Amazing Race! Prison Break! and ER. Seinfeld was very very funny. I packed my needles. I packed my yarn. I packed the parking money. I packed the binoculars. I packed my trifocals.... I thought I packed the tickets..... I couldnt find them when we got there. I am delighted to tell you that we stayed calm, hoped for the best, and the Will Call window was able to find my online order and reprint our tickets for us. Yes there really are needles with lighted tips and they are coming available soon. Other bloggers have mentioned them. My LYS is ordering them. Karen G is going to work...

I am making the Broadripple socks for Al. True to my Pony Point pearl size 1's, in aqua, I am feeling like one of the Von Trapp's working a Marionette with a lonely goat herd. Nothing like sixteen points and two balls of multicolored yarn to impress those sitting around me at Seinfeld's stand up show tonight at Rosemont. If I had my light-bulb tipped needles, I could work right through the show. I think I'll bring them along for the wait before it starts. all together now: lady o da lady o da lou!

Ask not for whom it grows for, it grows for you. Ask not what your crochet garden can do for you, ask what you can do for your crochet garden. Ask Susie at 3Bags Full in Northbrook who did her HOMEWORK before the class. (Me!) Ask me what I am going to do with my flowers? I won't tell! But I'll show you soon.

Maureen from Irisheyes charter group, always says "You are the boss of your knitting." Well, I'm not ready to be the boss yet. The gnome I was gifted on Mother's Day from my family is partially pictured in this post. I always wanted a gnome. I've seen gnome buttons in a not so nice Knitting shop here in town. So what does this have to do with being the boss? Nothing, he's just a cutie and I put him in the picture. Back to the boss thing. Well, I don't think I am good enough to be the boss yet. I found a pattern I loved in Filatura Di Crossa and then was persuaded by someone who I don't dress like, to use a different-than-they-say-so yarn for the pattern. It is a lovely yarn with a lovely name, Blue Heron in Mossy. Knitted up, I am still trying to convince myself that I like it. This is not a good sign. Do you see how the yarn is bumpy and looks like some worms are in it every so often? I am not liking this. If I was ready to be the Boss...

I had a great Mother's Day with my own Mom. She is such a gift in my life. She loved the yellow Koigu used for the little shawl. We had Barnaby's pizza and cheesecake. No cookin! I showed her my latest knit project, and she thinks it will look great. So, no more ambivalence about it, I'm knitting ahead with the Blue Heron Mossy. I miss my Al! She is volunteering at Habitat for Humanity this week. She gave me a great gift, besides being her mom, the Knitted Embellishments book. I may have to wait until she's back to brave any of it! Hope you all enjoyed the day, honoring our mothers here and gone before us. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Well, I am showing you the old stash photo. When I take a close look I see that I have knitted quite a bit from this stash since the photograph last fall. Also, to our credit, Al and I have frogged and reknitted some not successes to give the yarn the shape it deserves. The bottom line for me: NO MORE SOCK YARN for a long time. Maybe stitches midwest. I wish everyone would stop showing that gorgeous Trekking yarn. It makes this very hard. I hope to show you my mom tomorrow, wearing the shawl I made for her with the Koigu from Elizabeth Lemler. Al is away at Habitat for Humanity.....I am lucky to be her mom. I never dreamed I'd have a little girl who could sit still for so long ....and knit! I hope her knitting made the long drive a little less draining. Tomorrow Zach bears the brunt of Mother's Day alone! I won't be too much trouble.......just leave me to my knitting! Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Jen at my LYS (Three Bags Full in Northbrook )created this incredible piece of art which happens to be a purse. It was shown to us at crochet a flower class for inspiration. I had to put it on the blog. I love to be inspired by other knitters. I think it is one of the best reasons to jump around the knitting blogland. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

1. Going to the quiet of my LYS last night and learning to crochet flowers was so peaceful. 2. I was able to see how others' yarns created different effects with the same pattern. 3. The phone didn't ring. 4. No one asked me where the remote (calculator, ipod, cell phone, book) went. 5. No one asked me to "come and see this quick" on TV, only to drop my work, and get to the room to hear "Oh, I guess you missed it." 6. I was able to complete two different flowers. Finish. Two things. One night. 7. Susie showed me what the pattern meant, not what it said. 8. I brushed up on my crochet skills and remembered my Nana who taught me to chrochet. 9. I didn't snack at all. :) 10. I have something to blog about!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe since I found the frog at the Garden Shop, I won't have to frog the socks for Al that I intend to make for her. I offered the frog the one completed lace sock in yellow that I nearly finished ages ago. He remained unmoved. Maybe he'll let me knit the next pair in this lovely color from Elizabeth my Spectrum swap pal, in peace. Al needs some very light green blue sky alpaca to finish the pretty Cookie sweater. Seems very few knit shops are open on Mondays. Does anyone have any ????? I love the Spring/Summer 2006 Filatura Di Crosa collection. My current knitting philosophy is: Life is hard; choose easy patterns. I am knitting for gauge tonight.......For the PONCHO. I feel I must defend my choice: It isn't a traditional poncho, its more like the easiest sweater you'll ever make. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Alas, the young girl worked diligently on her Lacy Cardigan in Brown Sheep Cotton. Each sleeve was gently seamed to the bodice. The kind of crazy but harmless mother, revisited her crocheting text, and added the 3 row edge to the border. She learned she loved the look of the crab stitch. Perhaps the mother loved the crab stitch because she became hooked, (pun intended) on the series WORLDS DEADLIEST CATCH. She was mesmerized by the fisherman who fish the Bering Sea for Alaskan King Crab, while she put her big Hungarian legs up on the recliner and crocheted. Nonetheless, the sweater was finished, washed and dried and the beautiful young girl wore the garment for the first time. Instead of happily ever after, however, the girl was indeed disappointed. The cardigan had lied to her and was, indeed, to big for her to wear. The kind of crazy mother insisted on photographing the sweater anyhow for her kind of crazy blog, and the disappointed young girl agreed because she knew Mothe...

Al is reknitting (knitting over? waste knitting? frogknitting? Leapfrog knitting? Help... is there already a term for taking frogged yarn from your previously knitted garment that went awry and doesn't live up to pattern expectations?) ...I digress ...again Through the magic of knitavision Al is knitting COOKIE sweater pattern over. Pattern over? What do you call this???? She's frogged my awful sleeveless shell from last summer and it is just perfect yarn for this child's sweater pattern. The lilacs are blooming here in Chicago. The spring is a real spring this year. Some years we go from snow directly into death by summer heat warnings, in about a week. This year, finally, we are having a wear your poncho, shrug, sweater that you knit and love spring. Purple and green are always lovely together to me. So what term am I blanking out on? Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Today's guest blog photo is thanks to the statue in Jackman Park. Never mind, please, that the bonnet is for a girl. The little boy statue playing with his train was as close as I could come to a model. Al used Blue Sky Alpaca's Cotton. She frogger her sleeveless tank from our project last summer. The yarn deserved to be knitted into this pretty bonnet. She frogged my awful sleeveless tank also and she's reknitting Cookie. The yarn is definitely doing the pattern more justice. I'm still working easily, mindlessly, blissfully on my Mother's Day shawl for my mom. I have to think of a perfect border. My mom is not a tassel person at all. Hmmmm, she's not a bead lady either. She would like something understated..... any ideas? By the way, the bi-colored corn Koigu is still reminding me of great summer corn. I hear the corn crop in Illinois is now 80% planted. Thank goodness for the rain. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your co...

Sunday's Trib was read today over a fine cup of coffee. New Mexico blend (I can only find it at Trader Joe's these days) I thought the tea cozies were pretty cute. They suggest you buy them. HA! What fun is that? I need to knit one; I'm not sure about the pom, however. I have some crochet finishing to begin tonight on Al's pretty fairytale sweater. So: The kind of crazy but harmless mother, put her tired Hungarian legs up in the recliner, turned on a Cub game, and worked happily under the soft light of the lamp with the hole burnt into the shade. The Mother was shortly joined in the recliner by the plump and purring Rozalyn kitty. Huck, the faithful velcro dog, circled once and settled down next to them, sighing a deep a peaceful breath. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.