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Al finished this sock today in our heatwave. Isn't it lovely? She used a washable wool called Gem. The pattern was in the Sock of the Month collection from the Mustard capitol of the USA. Those are my beloved pony point pearls in pink size 3's. Well, since it feels like the sky is on fire, here's a shot from vacation for you. Stay cool. I still say this beats March in Chicago! This is post number 497. .....don't forget to enter my 500th post contest. Times running out. I predict the 500th by weeks end. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

That is what the lucky reader will get after my 500th post. Simply send me a comment with the words five and hundred or 5 and 100 in any ole'way your heart desires and you will be entered. I started accepting entries yesterday. Glad to see Sarah (handknitter), Alyssa, (Wordsnwool) and Karen G. have all gotten in on the contest. C'mon lurkers. C'mon all my regular buddies too! I love all the support you give me. If you don't have a blog, that is fine too! Just leave me your name and email me your email address if you are uncomfortable leaving it in a comment. I am a sucker for Mohair blends....they add a beauty that is unmatched, I think. My mother has the a/c on so high that my father has asked me to knit him a night cap. His bald head is freezing! I hope to finish it tonight. I put the wool by the fountain for the photo today to cool myself off just looking at it. Summer, summer, beats March around here anyday! Please leave me your email or blog so I can tha...

Al is almost finished with the back of her Breezy Cables sweater. She worked on it Up North and it seemed a perfect thing for the pier picture. No cables for me. My mind is seeking calm so the garter stitch based Swing Jacket is perfect for me right now. I like how garter gives a strong not stretchy look to this garment. I am working on a simple contest for my 500th post. The prizes will reflect 500 of course, in some manner. Leave me a comment that includes the words five and hundred in some way, and you are in. Prizes will be shown in tomorrows post. Any comment between now and the 500th post (this is post 495) with those words in it, is an entry! C'mon lurkers....I hope you are out there! Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Now the bunnies are leaving the nest. Is this one the cutest or what? I am happy they survived. I am toying with the idea of angora bunnies. I need about a year to learn about them first. I read thewoolenrabbit blog and it doesn't sound all that easy to keep them. I think they all survived while we were away last week and they were undisturbed. I lost a green stitch marker to Big Kitten Lake last week. It was your generic aqua marker, so I left it for the Muskie's to eat. While in St. Germain Al and I visited the yarnshop I blogged about earlier. I bought very soft Misty Alpaca and a Oat Couture pattern for a sleeveless vest with pockets. I plan to have 3 bags put the zipper in when it is time. I also plan to add a hood. The night temps Up North were in the 50's so I had fall on my mind. Now that I am back in 90's and humidity, I am thinking fall seems far far away. One of the women I met at the St. Germain store makes 3 socks for her granddaughter: "I k...

Pat, who mans the concessions at Snowshoe Softball in Lake Tomahawk, WI, finally gave in and let me take his picture with my sock. His mother made him. Thank Goodness for mothers. Snowshoe softball is played right from the heart. No wimpy men with finger blisters whining. No DL. No coaches with excuses and paychecks bigger than our net worth. They have FUN on the field. They trip and fall and slide and collide with snowshoes on to raise money for the local Fire Dept. equipment. My Chicago Cub attitude is one of pure disgust. The sock is made from prize yarn. It will be a practically cuffless pair. The colors are lovely, but it is not truly a sock yarn, so it has some issues. I may end up felting them and giving them to a child as a bootie.....ahhh the options we knitters have. We are so lucky!

Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment. I'm with Linda at this awesome knit heaven in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I have taken my knitting fishing with me and to Snowshoe softball. More later. Visit the store here :www.suttersgoldnfleece.com or see Liz at Stitches Midwest and ask her about her husband's beautiful yarn swifts. Oh are they nice.

This wonderful wool is from Alice at wonderland-dyeworks.com. I won "HARVEST" from Claudia's blog. Claudia Raised a boatload of money for MS by this contest. Now it is going to be in the heatstroke 100s here in Chicago this week, so Harvest will wait...but not for long. I am currently knitting some anklet socks from the other wool I won from Alice. It is a gorgeous handdye as well, in purples and greens. Definitely the skinniest yarn I've yet to knit up, say 8sts per inch. Because I am so balanced, AHEM, I am going to cast on with some Noro that is 3 1/2 sts/inch for the Swing Coat by CabinFever. Al found the pattern for me. She's seen a knitter who frequents Three Bags Full make 2 of them. She is sure I'm going to love it. I'm sure she's right! I was debating the Eistein Coat, but fear it will give me bigger butt... This coat is tapered at the waist. Stay cool and remember: I hate March so this is just fine with me. Not a cold bone in my ...

I give you plated Beret in Lana Grossa Mega boots Stretch over Lambs Ears. Enjoy! Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Here are the newest flower wreckers in the neighborhood. Despite my having a very large dog that is encouraged to chase momma bunny outta my yard, she decided to dig yet another hole and....there you have it. These 3 were somewhere entirely different in the yard, without any covering at all, so my hero is putting them with the others in the nest. I wanted ANGORA bunnies... when life gives you lemons...you dont' get angora. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

I was digging around one of the many yarn bags yesterday, looking for a stitchmarker. I was doing the blind sweep, eyes peeled to the Elephant documentary I was watching when , OUCH!, I was stung by something while my hand was in the knitting bag. Beware the knitting bug.....truth be told, the bag had been on the screened porch a few weeks....has this happened to you? Perhaps the bug will give me a titre and protect me from alpaca allergies now....stay tuned Al is making Lucinda Guy's Dream Cardigan in 7 different skeins of Koigu. I am in awe. I love the pattern. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

Guest bloggers today are from the Hyde Park-University of Chicago-Devil in the White City kind of tour we took yesterday. Jeanne is from Michigan City and she is a predominantly charity knitter. She has so much yarn donated to her charity knitters' group, she doesn't know what to do with it. She's started on holiday hats....have you? Nicole, was sweet enough to hold the beret for a photo. She is not a knitter, BUT, her friend Allison knits and is a blogger as well! She couldn't remember her site, so Allison if you read this, don't be a lurker. We'd love to visit your blog. Nicole was manning the register at the Oriental Museum on the U of C's campus. More TUT in my life! The Orient used to be considered the Middle East, so the Museum has King Tut information and mummies too. Also artifacts from Iraq and Turkey. One other tour tidbit: The World's Fair Colombian Expostion in the late 1800's took place, of course, in this area. The fields t...

It was really hard for me to get a shot of this lace beauty that Al made from Summer Interweave. The colors of the yarn just weren't true. I finally flung it on the fence and voila! True color. She used a soysilk she originally began as a lace shawl. I loved the bit of the shawl that was frogged...... This shell is white in Interweave and it has embroidered flowers up the front. You know which one don't you? Her bag is with her at work, so I am posting a bit vaguely. I really love the i-cord neckline. I will look for another pattern with this pretty finish. Al said it was a bit of a pain, but I say its worth it. Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.

My friend Diane told me this story. She visits a knit shop in MN called 3 Little Kittens. While she was there last weekend, they told a story of a newly married couple. The wife sent the husband to pick up some yarn she had ordered. He was astounded when the owner told him the price for 6 skeins was 56 dollars or so. "56 dollars? Really? My new wife has a whole shed of this stuff.... Maybe I better get it insured!" Do you insure your stash??????????????? Happy Indepence Day! I'll be knitting during the fireworks...will you? Please leave me your email or blog so I can thank you for your comment.