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This one seam teddy bear is from Blah, Blah, Blahhg in Toronto's blog. The site is http://ax174.blogspot.com/2006/02/my-own-pattern-11-one-seam-teddy-bear.html. I don't like seams, so this little teddy was right in my comfort zone. There is one seam between the legs and that is IT!. I used Blue Sky Alpaca's cotton for the teddy and his built in turtleneck. I hope to make many more. This little guy is on his way to a co-worker's soon to be born baby boy. The pattern is easy to follow and I am so grateful to the fellow blogger for her free pattern; it is practically seamless. Just trust her directions and go. I decided to stuff him with polyfiber fill. I bought some inexpensive socks and cut them and stuffed them in the shapes I needed as I went along. This way the fiber filling will not pull out of the teddy. I am very enamored with him..... Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Well, I'll get to Birdsong's great line in a minute. First, this is my finished Ribbed tank made with the Cotton classic. It is a little too roomy but it should shrink just a tad if I put it in the dryer and watch it like a knitter does when she is trying to shrink something just a tad. Also, to Stephanie who might make Al's pretty little top for a baby gift, Al says to knit it in the round. It would be so much easier. I want to tell you how thrilled I was to hear I won some yarn from Claudia's blog for donating to her MS ride. I won one of the last gifts donated to the pot. She called the post Prize Patrol. I am going to be getting the wonderful wools from Alice of Wonderknits. Of course, I will show you them when they arrive. So back to Birdsong. I love her knitting blog. She posted yesterday about the men who hang with us fiber women, and what a special breed they are. I couldn't agree with her more. My husband knows how much joy it brings me to kni...

perhaps our knitting will have survived. Perhaps someone will find it and bring it to the antiques cybershow for appraisal. Well, the 3 things that they always say are the Antique Trinity will have to be there: Rarity. provenance, and beauty. I can hear them looking at a collection of Al's knitting and mine. They will see my Broadripple socks and comment on its popularity in the early 2000's. Not worth much, but a lovely piece of handiwork. Then they'll move along to my evil purse from last summer. Another simple piece worked with a beautiful colorway of recycled silk, worth a bit more than the socks.......Finally they will come to AL's knitting. The tone will change. The appraiser will say how excited they were when they saw the person bring it in to the cybershow. They will marvel at the lacework and the intricacy of Al's sweaters. Ah, rare indeed the cabled baby sweater with the rocking horse buttons. Perhaps those buttons are worth more than the sweat...

This is my ribbed tank pattern (copy for my own purpose) AFTER I have finished the knitting. I scribble notes all over while I do increases and decreases. I know there are row counters and clickers and clampitybongles, but I always resort to a pen on the pattern. (I have heard of stickynotes....but they fall off in the night while I leave my projects unattended....) I thought I was finished, but Al has informed me that she will not be my enabler....I have to do the two seams myself. I did do the 3 needle bind off at the shoulders twice. That's progress. Whatcha wanna bet I can bribe her to do it for me.....just like when she was a tricky little child! Here's hoping she won't read the blog before the bribe.... The daylilies are just a peak at my garden, for you! Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Wow Mo! I am so delighted with our Blue Color Swap organized by Lynne at Iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com. I did not know that Elann made a fixation like yarn. I so love this blue Color Mo. Thank you. The glass buttons are so neat. The post cards from Oregon fascinated my husband who is an extreme sports wanna be fan. (Okay, he's a cyclist who does do some pretty darn tough cycling) He told us all about Mt. Hood's death record. I have a hard time with extreme sports. I think that I try not to be judgemental, but when my lifetime has been spent taking care of little premies who haven't asked to be on the cusp of death's door, I have to admit some anger at those who challenge death by choice. I do try, however, to let it go. Everyone does what they do for a reason. The Seas candy. We-hehell. I am a Fannie May born and raised Girl, and I think I've met my match. Oh so good. I hear we have a Seas now, in Chicago. I'm going to order some ...

Bosom Bosom Bosom. Everytime we sang that song in church or school, as a child, I had to explode in giggles. My Irish grandma used the word Bosom. I think she giggled when she said it too! No laughing matter, however, that our sweet guest blogger is the mammogram nurse who agreed that RibbedTank should not fear the machine. As for me, it was quick and painless and talking about the blog helped with the akwardness! Fun fact: the part of a dress or blouse that covers the breast is known as the bosom of the garment. How appropriate for RibbedTank to join me at the mammogram. May she cover them and protect them as well. If only she were pink! Do you use the word bosom? Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Hear Ye Hear Ye All fearful of Crochet: My neighbor Abby learned to crochet about a month ago. She learned one stitch. Look what she did with just knowledge of one stitch. Yes, she is artistic and a knitter for years. Boy oh babyboy its a beauty so far! Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

The first one said, "Hey, do you want us to hold your sweater for a picture?" The second one said, "My mother knits ALLLLLLL the time!" The third one said, "Where's the Beer Man?, this game is killing me". Yup, I filled a seat at Wrigley and am proud to say I knitted the fitted tank. Because the Cubs are tanking this seems ever so appropriate. Pat K. you were the first to guess I was feeling hypocritical for even going to the game......let's see what I can find for a good prize! Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

That is about all that seems easy right now. I am glad to have my knitting when life gets a little lop-sided. Crazy. Cattywampus. Askew. There has been some fine porch knitting going on the past few days. I am simply working between my Drawstring Poncho and the Blue Sky Alpaca pattern for the Fitted Tank. Both straight stst for the most part. Not for the easily bored. I'm embarassed to tell you where I'll be knitting today. Any guesses.? Really embarassed. I'm such a hypocrite. I think I'll offer a prize if anyone guesses where I am knitting today....after all my complaining.... hint: We sing the BLUES in Chicago........ Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Today was filled with incredible blues for me. Since my swapper Mo, should be getting her blues soon, I found some great blues to share with you too... King Tut exhibit was amazing to me. The blues they used in the items that were found in Tut's tomb were so brilliant. Al pointed out some tiny ancient blue beads that were strung on a necklace 3000 years ago. The blues used for the coffins was brilliant as you can see in the image. The other blue? Well it is the incredible 70 degree blue sky in Chicago today as the backround to my current knitting blue. I am enchanted by plain old cotton classic blue, which I won from Major Jen last year. It knits in a easy, lovely way, and swims across the needles without any effort. Where have you been my treasure? "Buried" under stash! What a find. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Locals will know where I knitted immediately by the fish cups: BOB CHINN's crabhouse on Milwaukee. I have wanted a Mai Tai since about March and finally got one tonight. I did knit in public at our booth and I felt compelled to tell my waitress, Lynette (!) that it was worldwide knit in public day. She said she saw a group knitting at her Borders and the man in the group was the fastest knitter she saw. Someone did stop by our booth as I knitted and told me her sister is a knitter and she also rides a motorcylce. Her plates say "I knit". I told her that was great! Does anyone know her sister by the plates? My camera batteries were recharging at the time, so you'll just have to believe me! I had the Onaga from hawaii and it was a pure indulgence. I am working on my drawstring ponch. I ditched the moss colorway and am using Rayon Boucle colorway Australia. No worms. :) Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Reader beware. This post is a contest entry. If you go to hipknits site, or kerriesplace.co.uk/hipknits/ she invites us to list 30 things about ourselves for some great yarn prizes. Happy Birthday Kerrie I hope I win. I will try to make this painless for my dear friends who care to read irisheyesknitters. So I: 1)think the King Tut socks were just another pipe dream of mine. We go Tuesday. 2)cannot attain perfection knitting, I save my perfectionism for work. 3)choose yarn colors for myself that will hide dog/cat hair from my garments. 4)wish I would set a date for work knitting friends to sit on my backporch and knit at night with me before the summer is over (yes I know it's just begun !) 5)feel I have the right to knit anywhere and yes I have knitted in church but not during the Mass 6)learned to bring mindless easy knitting to our knitting GROUP after 6 good months of making mistakes there while chattering. 7 really want yarn made out of my dog's hair....some of you wil...

Justin at our local Dairy Bar is today's guest on the blog. He rolled his eyes but co-operated when I asked him to hold up Al's latest finished sweater. I did have to tell him not to stretch it! This child's sweater was knitmorphed from my disastrous shapeless summer tank of last summer. It was frogged and then knitted into this great little child's sweater. I'm planning another frogging and reknit from last summer as well. As for the local Dairy Bar.....it is a dangerously close 2 block walk from my home to the counter....from April to Early October I am a frequent visitor. The owners have exchanged Christmas cards with us for year....I am almost always there for a Coke or a Slushie. Everyyear I say I am going to get some gooey sundae or shake or something, and I just never do. Maybe this year! How close are you to temptation? Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

My lap cat Rosalyn, quietly situated herself inside my knitting loop after dinner last night. She was purring like a machine and let me know that I needed to pay some attention to her. I am a sucker for clever quiet communicators. None of the number six times 3 superstition on this blog. I will say I was superstitious enough to not say NO HITTER GOING during the Cub game last night. Zambrano gave Cub fans something to be excited about for 8 innings... We've had to look to the broadcasters to tell us about people getting engaged in the bleachers for entertainment most of this painful season...... One more day of school around this house. Lynn, from knit Group, happy end of the schoolyear to you. June 10 is Knit in Public day this year. Hmmmmmm any plans anyone out there? Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

I made these for Al's graduation. (yes she graduated 6 months ago...but who's counting?) Pattern Broadripple Socks by Rob Matyska Knitty featured Summer 03 Yarn: Regia cotton/wool/poly blend Is there a mistake or two. You betcha! Does she love them? You betcha! I am so happy they are finished. Back to the mindless knitting I love.... Thanks Elizabeth for the yellow/green Regia from our color swap. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Knitter: Al Pattern: Minnowknits Cotton Roll #184 QK Yarn: Lang's BAY , cotton /poly blend Al isn't happy with the turnout. What's not to like? It is adorable. She isn't happy with the collar and some other minutiae. The colors are so soft and the yarn was sale yarn....is there more? My new button is what is new on the blog! Many thanks to Karen G. for her fun creative and hard work. If you'd like a button for your blog, Karen is very reasonable and I'll pass her information along to you. SHE thought of the chosen design,I fell in love with it, and we fine-tuned it together. Here is a snippet of our method for choosing which Stitches' classes we signed up for: Me: We HAVE to sign up for Stitches today, Al AL: I already circled some classes that sound cool. Me: You will want to take harder classes than me. (okay I can speak with incorrect grammar in my own house, and I do!) AL: Mom, our class last year was an intermediate level. Me: It was? No wond...

Anything? Anything at all? hee hee hee Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.