knittinggenes.blogspot.com

Just a few days left to the contest. Today's questions for those playing along are: #15 How do YOU do a SSK? #16 Do you pack a lunch for work? If so, what do you pack? #17 If the person at work in the breakroom is eating a tuna fish sandwich, how do you react? #18 I've injured my fingers making guacamole, (stitches required) and holding a recent big Bass by the lip. Have you injured an important knitting finger, and if so HOW! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Well, no one guessed what Fireman and I did yesterday correctly. No Matter. In fact, we were fishing again! Best day of the summer. 35 big fat blue gill. I also caught a hat that was floating in the water. It was a White Sox hat, however, so I gave it to our friend. By the answers you gave to the last question, you all do a lot of laundry first thing in the morning. Wow, you are a admirable bunch. I wait until there are piles of it eveywhere before i do any of it . Why ruin each and every day? Sock photos soon. I don't think I've ever loved a sock yarn colorway this much. Okay , let the answers begin! #11 Is there anyone you will not knit for again? #12 Do you order yarns from Webs, KnitPicks and the like? #13 Whats the oldest yarn in your stash and why haven't you started to knit with it? #14 Do you think of fudge as a summer or winter treat? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

All of the answers were "C". The sock yarn from Jennifer is too hard to resist. I'm not going to Stitches this year. Huck, my new little lamb, got a short short summer cut! Some sock knitting did get done today in the car. Fireman and I went out with friends for the day. The weather held. We had a fun time, and I hope my wrist won't hurt in the morning. #9) What did we do with friends today? #10) I'm going to start working a new shift. This will allow me to have a ROUTINE. I can have the same routine every morning whether I am working or not. Give me some suggestions for my morning routine. Do you have a nice routine? I'd love some ideas. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

In order: Thailand "Stay thirsty my friends," the DOS EQiUOS man. Knitted for 44 miniutes. Today's questions will be mutliple choice. I was always an essay question fan myself, but I thought we'd mix it up a bit for fun. 6) Having finished another gift cowl last night, I cast-on a new: a) cowl, because it's Christmas in July you know b) raglan top-down sweater, because there's nothing like knitting a sweater when its 90 degrees out c) pair of socks because the yarn from Major Knitter Jennifer is too much to resist. 7) This year I'll a) Go to Stitches and walk myself silly in the Market as usual b) Go to Stitches and take a class in finishing techniques c) Skip Stitches this year and find a new Yarn shop 8) Someone in our house got a short short haircut today. Was it: a) fireman , because vacation is almost over and you don't want to be told to get a haircut b) Me! I couldn't stand the heat and cut even more off c) Huck. Because who needs those...

Yesterdays answers were great. Here are MY answers to yesterday's questions: I did a knitted cast on for the first time. Not that exciting I know, but it is progress for me. Thank you YOUTUBE for the visual. The bird that I saw twice in my nearly Chicago backyard: a hummingbird. I hurried up and bought a feeder and I haven't seen it since. But, rest assured, I am on alert.... Zach insisted on knitting and designing his own i-pod cover. He mastered circular double points size one's for his first attempt. "I want to make the blog, mom," he chided. Well, he did. What one won't do when their girlfriend is half a world away for a month. :) Todays contest questions, and remember you get a point for every question you answer, right, wrong or funny: ( answers aren't in previous posts.) #3 What country is beautiful Cara returning from this week? #4 Who is the coolest man on T.V. right now? #5 How many minutes will I spend knitting tonight? Good luck an...

I'll ask questions on each post for the next week. The more questions you answer the more chances you get to win this Great Adirondack mohair/wool/ribbon yarn. It is a gift just waiting to be knitted for someone. Today's questions start the contest: #1 Besides Meeting Major Knitter this week, I tried a new knitting thing this week. What did I try for the first time? #2 I saw a certain bird in my yard twice yesterday. Can you guess what it was? See, these aren't hard. But you gotta play to win! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

The first image shows two amazing things. #1 Major Knitter Jennifers fairisle sweater, emphasis on steek (SHREIK) #2 The Sears Tower in Chicago. Jennifer and I met through blogland about 4 years ago. What a treat to meet here on her visit to Chicago. She came bearing way too many gifts from CT. How did she know I needed a new Keychain? I have a sock blocker key chain. You are jelous aren't you! I will show you the summery blue sock yarns she gave me as soon as I knit with them. Two great patterns, a needle checker and the soap from the hotel! I love fine soaps from Hotels! We took the Chicago River Architecture Tour by boat. Jennifer is an inspiration as she knits much harder patterns than I dare. She also knits fairisle on a river boat architecture tour. She is stretching herself by knitting this sweater with her friends in a weekly class. She is a fascinating person . She knows all about her bloghits and what topics her readers are interested in. It was my first ...

Jill is Al's best friend. You know how a friend of your daughter or son can sometimes feel like your own, NOT IN A CREEPY WAY, over the years? Well, I just love Jill. She reads the blog and is a lurker. That isn't why I love her though, altho I am a fan of anyone who reads this little blog. This is her understated and lovely blanket. I think it is wonderful. Can you guess what yarn she is using? I'll bet you can't! Next topic: I'm Meeting Major Knitter Jennifer from CT today. I'm not nervous. I just am pondering how I can manage to meet Jennifer to knit and yet Irisheyes Lynn and I can't manage to get together! (being on vakay helps) Next topic: My knitting was insulted by my sister, yesterday. She doesn't read the blog. She didn't MEAN it, but she told me the decreases on the blue baby sweater were so noticeable she wouldn't give it as a gift. Well, didn't that just make my knit heart break.... Jill disagreed. (did I tell ...

Don't let the peaceful scene fool you. There was Brett Favre ruckus at the lodge every morning. We were deep in Packer country. I'm really so happy that I don't have to learn to add links, based on your answers to the last post. Phew! I've got my contest prize ready, I just have to finalize the contest rules. Hopefully I'll announce the contest by the end of the week. As for swaps, here is what I'm getting ready for my pal. I don't think she reads this blog, so I will tell you a few items I have ready to send out very soon. It is a Beach theme swap started at Iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb blog. (Lynne's) I'm sending salt water taffy, some great yarn, a tangerine soap with a loofah inside the soap, and some fish buttons. I need a fun Beach book for her to read. Any ideas? My swapper is not afraid of funky and fun, so I'd love to find her a swimcap that is really cute. Has anyone seen them lately? I'm still on vacation, alth...

I knew Mike would be no problem to ask to guestblog. We have been making college visits part of the summer. I didn't get that sinking, stomachy feeling when we visited Marquette. Too bad it isn't my decision. The green spiral rib is finished now and waiting to be a Christmas gift. I have a few questions I've been mulling over while on vakay. Here goes: Do you like when posts tell you to go to other sites? Does it bother you that I dont do links, I just give you the addy? Do you look forward to the images here? Do you think a contest can revolve around a charity knit? Is it ever okay to re-gift yarn? Do you like to see swap packages if you are not a swapper? Finally, and answer any or all of the above, if you wish: Do you like the animal posts? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

So, you are looking at the top down raglan upside down at this point. If you've never knitted like this, I'll try to explain. The part at the bottom is really the top. It will be folded in half and become the hood. The part at the top, is the shoulder area at its formative phase. You work on the body now, going back and forth on circulars in stockinette. So you knit a row, turn it around and purl a row. The reason you are on circular needles and not straights, is that there are too many stitches to fit on straights. So you knit on long circulars as if they were straights. The sleeves are just marked off right now. You take a piece of yarn and remove the sleeve stitches putting them on the yarn as a holder. Later, you pick them back up and knit on double points in the round. Really in the round, the regular way. Most of you who read Irisheyes are more proficient knitters than I; you've already done this. If you are a scarf or baby blanket knitter, this type of swe...

I'll talk to you in the comments. :) I guess I am spoiled. I can usually post and image with text very quickly at home. Here in the Nothwoods, things move very slowly. I wanted to show you the other baby sweater in bue that I am knitting. It is the same pattern, as the last, just differnt washable acrylic yarn. I'm afraid it will look like an ordinary storebought sweater. I will find a way to embellish it. Perhaps some ribbong for the ties instead of crocheting some ties. Hmmmm, maybe a crocheted something or other over the stockinette. Sweaters that look machine knit do not appeal to me. I knit because I want that unique look that says, handknit. If I look through patterns and think, "I can buy that at Kohls, Penneys, Gap or Carson's" I don't want that pattern. It has to pass the mass produced test. What do you look for in your knitting?

Sorry Mass. Avenue Knits, my son used the bag for another purpose yesterday on the boat. The black flies in the Northwoods became vicious yesterday and Zach decided to cover his feet with the bag. Fireman also used a piece of old fixation green to make a marker of some sort on the fishing line. Ingenuity, huh? I couldn't find my tape measure on the drive up the other day. I had a vague recollection of an article a man wrote for one of the Knit magazines a awhile back. Something about knowing the size of a dollar bill for just such emergencies. As memory served me it was 4 1/2 inches across. Well, memory didn't really serve me. When I finally found a tape measure I checked the dollar and it was 6 inches across. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Meet my WIP: Knitting Pure and Simple's Easy Baby Cardigan, (free pattern...yes!) . Yarn : 400 yards of Berroco Jasper, 100% fine merino wool . Color number: 3831. I'm no speedy quick knitter, but I did get this far in one week. No I didn't knit allnighters or increase my knit speed exponentially. I had time off and a 6 hour car ride on my side. Interrupted only by a Culver's vanilla malt and a deer that I will never forget missing our car by a nanosecond. All of the things you've heard or said yourself apply including happened so fast as well juxatoposed with the feeling that time stood still in the moment those doey eyes looked right at us. The most miraculous thing of all: I didnt even drop a stitch when it happened. Show of hands please: have you ever come this close? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

and you are very very brave you cut your hair off! Al went from shoulder length to short short in an hour. Kind of like frogging, only much happier. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

I'll talk to you in the comments. :) Knitwitchblog.blogspot.com is having a contest. I want her yarn in butterscotch. WOW. THis is some prize. Go ahead and check it out. This is what I do to get in the contest!!!!!! I post about it. It is called something when I do this to you. I almost never do this. I won't ask you to either when I run my next contest, but she gets more readers and she is running a wonderful prize contest. !

they were looking out for trouble in our little town, during the very dangerous parade. I certainly hope they will fly to my aide if I get into any knitting trouble soon. I don't anticiapate any troubles, but it is good to know they are so close. You would probably get to my aide faster however. I'm not currently having any knitting issues. Or anticipating any. The trouble I get into is usually pretty predictable. A MAJOR KNITTER, Jen, from MajorKnitter's blog is coming to my town soon. We are going to meet in real time. I hope we don't get into any trouble.....seems like we could if we tried! She's a Superknitter. And she's a Major Charity Knitter. A real superhero in our land! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

If only she were knitting! The lady on stilts at our parade on the Fourth was so cute. I want to be the lady on stilts some day! My new project is knit with a red and blue yarn. I finally found a colorway that looks like bandanna and blue jeans. I'm not showing to you just yet. Still too early. In other news, I'm on Vakay! While some take little blog post breaks, I'd be lost without this little piece of my day. I'm working on a contest too. I promise it will be a bit wacky......No not another postcard contest, altho I loved that one. I'm knitting to the Cub game again, tonight, on the porch. More red and blue. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

1) Bought a skein of yarn thinking the colorway ws so lovely, until you knit it up? (Photo) 2) Doubled sock yarn and knit with it? (you see where I am going don't you?) 3) felt unsettled until you find your next knit project? 4) left a pool party on a 90degree evening, because you had to start knitting? 5) been the only one in the Yarn Shop on a Sunday, getting all the expert's attention? 6) felt like Elvis rented the store out just for you? :) :) :) I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Had a wild goose chase in Milwaukee the other day. Took a tip from a college tour guide and stopped at a new yarn shop called Loop. The shop looked great, alas, it was CLosed. Great great coffee shop with outdoor patio right next door however. Stopped at Montoya Fiber in Evanston yesterday on a whim while in the area....it was CLOSED. How to make this a positive? Well, I did see a really cute Cubs hat in the window at Montoya. It was all pink, with a crocheted attatched "C" on it in white. Do al the sports teams have pink hats/shirts/etc for girls fans now? Cubs do. When I drove home from work July 1st, JULY FIRST, the parade chair savers were already lined up all the way down Central Street in Evanston. Does your town go through this? Sometimes, at our parade, different marching groups throw candy out to the crowd . The kids love this. Huck loves when the Dog Groomer shops gives out big cookie bones. He'll be wearing his American Flag bandanna today and ...