knittinggenes.blogspot.com

I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Tomorrow brings a Warm Hat Wednesday New Years Eve post with lotsa pictures. Today will be my out with the old post. Knittingnonni.blogspot.com's Mariella inspired me to make a NinePatch Nonni Blanket. I knitted up 2 panels on my Minnesota train trip and then put it away. Today I decided to make the two panels into pillows for the sofa. Voila! Washable. Perfect for napping, or knitting with back support! I have to give the funniest comments to my blog awards this year to Deb from WoundTooTight. blogspot.com for her hysterical response to Firemans Top Tips post. While reviewing the blog for the year I also noticed the post with the most comments for me, *66*, was the Contest post where I asked you to leave a comment for someone who doesn't get many comments. That was fun. My biggest flop was the Taos vest. UGH. I am embarassed I even showed it to you. The rest of that yarn is going to be a nice simple hat. It seems to me comments dropped since Fall. Some of my loy...

( (we all know it will have yarn in it soon...shhhhhhhhh) So the year is ending and I've had some blog thoughts as we turn the proverbial page together: I'm going to reach 1000 posts this year. Do you smell a contest? Oh I do! I'm predicting a Gansey sweater success. Santa brought me the Gansey book. Can you guess why I think I can make one? Those of you who read often and know of my woes, will figure it out! I'm pondering starting a monday morning knit group near my LYS. Im thinking : Knitting at Knine. We could meet at 9a.m......But I don't want to be responsible for the group. Hmmmmmm. I'm going to need a ton of support when Zach leaves for college in the fall/summer. The whole blog thing could become a blubbering idiot's diary. (WHO SAID THAT? WHo said it already is!) I'm predicting a complete tendonitis recovery with the possiblity of a steroid scandal .........PRESCRIBED of course. I am making it a point to take better pictures for t...

Al frogged her Hey Penney sweater. She had a beautiful back finished last spring, and decided once her head cleared from school this rotation, that she'd rather have the scarf. She is using Jaeger extra fine merino. So, make a note froggers, it frogged well. I"ve started a Log Cabin blanket. I'm in love. I can only meet it for brief interludes what with the arm thing, but I look forward to our stolen moments. It mesmerizes me. This is sick I know. You'll understand, I know. That is a leading reason why I blog, to know that I am not alone. Whats a reason why you blog. Any reason...any reason at all. Just list it. Even if it is sick. We understand.... I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

It isn't over until the last rum ball is gone....!!!! I love the week between Christmas and New Years. I'll be doing a bit of reviewing here at Irisheyes and giving out awards for those of you who comment regularly. I think the awards are cyber awards only. But we'll have a bit of fun. My perfect oldest sister brought me yarn from ireland for Christmas. Oh, I see a lace project in 2009. It is from Trim. Yesterday was spent with the Hungarian side. We have these family cookies that you need a saw to get through, but they are perfect once dunked in a cup of coffee. The stories my Uncle can tell. Anyone new to the house for Christmas is quickly amused by him. He doesn't drink, he is just a great story teller. The point of each story is to make you laugh. And we do! He was talking about how he thought he saw every movie made in the 1940s because there wasn't TV. His mom would drag him to the show with her. They would be giving away plates and cups and ut...

Wooly Wonka's own handspun wooly goodness. The snow was getting on my lens this Christmas Eve morning, so that explains the little blurs. They are real wooly wonders. The grey is 230 yards of Grey Iclandic. Single ply. The delicious browns is a skein that I dont know the name of. Trust me. It is incredibly beautiful. Since Bianca and Darcy and I did NOT win any of the alpaca yarn naming contest yarns,( altho, I think we deserved to!) I'm going to name this yarn. See what happens when I cannot knit? So I'm calling it : Chocolate Lab Who Rolled in the Snow. Just one more Warm Hat Wednesday post before winners announced on January 5th when all hats are due. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Fireman is home this morning from a busy shift. He tells me about his dispatches and I thought I'd compile some tips for my good blog friend readers. Many of you know these things, but I didn't know some of them. #1 Know where to shut the water off for your whole house. If your pipes break as the weather gets a bit warmer, you need to shut the entire water system to your house off. (He quizzed me about where our shutoff was. I was right!) Then you call a plumber. Firemen are not plumbers when they are Firemen. Only on their off days! #2 If your oven goes on fire, shut it off and keep the door closed. Then remove yourself from the house until the Fire Dept arrives. They will check the wall behind the stove for fire inside it. #3 If your smoke alarms are chirping and not alarming, you probably have a drained battery. The fireman will come and look at your battery. Then they will hand it to you and tell you to install a new one. Of course, if they are all going off...

I decorated the cookies. My "wing" as my mom calls it, (my sore arm) won't allow for rolling out dough etc. But I'm not pouting. Couldn't walk Huck in the blizzard cold, couldn't knit on the perfect knitting day. I'm not pouting. Television is boring if you can't knit along. I eat more when I'm not knitting. I have new yarn looking at me like a puppy at a shelter......as in Pick me up, Pick me, pick me. But I'm not pouting. Because, every day I'm closer to knitting again! I read Ravelry about every hour yesterday. I can use the time to take better photography for the blog. Would you like to see the dirt in my house? If it gets up to a above zero degree today, I'll go outside and take some pictures. But I'm not Pouting. Because you better not pout....... I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Executive decision: I couldn't look at the beautiful hats in boxes in the house knowing the windchill in the next 24 hours in Chicago is expected to be well below zero. I've put them in the hands of the Convent and they will warm Someones very soon. Other hats that are sent will be brought right over the day the arrive at my house. The contest continues until January 5th. To those of you who have made these hats, I hope you feel as good as I do knowing you've helped. This is the selfish part of giving, but I think it is okay to feel good about it. I DO! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

I lost my new wool yarn away it did roll! Well that will teach me to be something or other. When Santa brought yarn to me early, I decided to try to post some of it for you to see. I think the green skein will be retrievable with a good long fishing net. I hope the storm subsides soon so it isn't frozen to the roof till the spring thaw..... Not knitting is torture. Fireman took me shopping for my choice yarn yesterday to cheer me up. For the kind and curious, I injured it at work. I'm in good hands and will begin therapy as soon as someone from the workmans comp place will approve my precript for therapy. I could get all cranky about that, but I'd better not pout. I can still take pictures and read patterns and my favorite : READ YOUR BLOGS . I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Wouldnt you know I forgot to show some of the hats! Am I a blockhead or what. Do you know sweet Grace, she rhymes with lace, THESE are a few of the hats she sent. Neat mitered sqaure hats. Aren't they lovely??????? Grace is also gracious! I thnk there may be a prize just for my blockheadedness! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

This post was brought to you by the letter A, for Al, who will be typing for me due to a arm injury! Diane, the lurker, knitted some outstanding thrummed mittens for her daughter, but my photos of them don't do them any justice. WIll try to for better shots another time. She figured out how to thrum from an Interweave Pattern from a few years ago. She's so smart, she did it perfectly. She calls them cartoon mittens. I call them amazing. . My helix hat might be a hit with a camo. kind of man or boy eh? I hope to finish it when my arm is better. Are you reading the blogs out there lately? I predict The Mason Dixon tree will fall! How about you? Enter their contest~ Turtle and Bianca and I are fiercely trying to win some Alpaca yarn from the contest going on over at WiKnits link. You name the colorway and win some. Here's hoping one of us will win some! This contest is nearly keeping me up at night. Camera issues resolved. Phew. Frugal me does not want to buy...

* Busstop.typepad.com 's angel is adorable * Camera broken....very very concerning...... * Frogged Cat's Paw lace scarf. Just because. I got to 11 paws and decided I was bored. *Al congratulated me on lace success, then told me if I used a smaller needle, the paws would be more outstanding. *Started a Helix hat for the charity drive. Oh this is fun knitting. Have you ever knit any helix patterns? *Bianca of Lansingerlan changed her blog look. I Love the new look. Better to see your knits with my dear! *People in Chicago are nice. Politicians in Chicago tend not to be. Come see us still......we are really nice..... *My worst knit of the year: The little vest I made and actually showed you all in January. Nice yarn, terrible knitting! *Car knitting time today :). Off to Fireman's cycling friend's party . and the Tenth thing I'm thinking on the blog today: My solar powered snowflakes have nothing to do with the blog, But, I have to recommend them. They...

I happen to know that Santa is aware of every package that arrives at my house. I think he uses Huck as a spy. Whenever the bell rings for a package delivery, Huck is especially barky. Even though his hips are sore these days he runs full tilt for the bell. Soemtimes if the package is soft, he takes if from me to carry it to the kitchen. Fear not his soft retriver mouth barely puts pressure on the package. I have a feeling he is feeding the Charity Hat knitters names to Santa somehow. Because the hats are all lovely, and works of art, and the recipient will feel the warmth this Chicago winter, I know Santa puts these knitters right on top of the NICE list. (even if they have been naughty!) I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Does anyone know a good etsy jeweler who would have high school/junior high type necklaces for sale? Under 20 a piece? I'd love to know if you have had good experience with someone. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

First Breakthrough: I am done with holiday gift knitting. I am not bragging. I am feeling guilty. Fireman freed me last week, when he said, "You know you don't have to knit all the gifts this year. Isn't that a lot of pressure?" I started knitting cowls in the summer and dish towels and a baby sweater. That led to a some gift hats and that knitted sock bookmark. It feels to me, like you have to keep going to the wee hours of Holy Night. Yet, Fireman is right. Or is he just tired of the yarn all over and now the decorations want to be put up as well?????? At any rate, I'm officially finished. So what did I cast on? Something for ME! Oh that feels so good! The Koigu was a gift from Major Knitter this summer. The colors are jeweled and holiday like to me in a light up the tree at night sense. And Grace, oh Grace, I'm knitting LACE! The Cat's Paw pattern ........it appeals to me on the Leo, that I am , level. It also appeals to me on the obv...

I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Inspiration: Katherine from ComfortKnits blog! Yarn: Leftover Zara. Found way to eliminate right arm pain. Chardonnay. 2 glasses over an evening. Who needs advil? Found way to keep my black coffee streak going when given a Starbucks gift card: Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate with Whip. Found answer to itchy wool: CONDITIONER REALLY REALLY WORKS. Found: a thousand new yarns that I can wear if I condition them! Found: picture of me when little at Christmas. Want to see it? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Another great skein to tempt you into knitting an adult sized or young adult sized hat by January 5th deadline. This gorgeous STR is MARBLES and Katherine the mad hatter over at Comfortknits blog is this weeks generous donor. A few hats have already arrived here, and I am trying to think of a way to showcase them . I am near tears with the lovelies that have been made. Warm Hat Wednesdays posts will continue for 4 more Wednesdays! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

This is a church near my house. I don't go here, but I love the landscape and the architecture. It has Swedenborgen roots. So in the spirit of the snow and the season, I have a non serious post for you. If you are looking to fan the fires of the Holiday spriit look no further! 2stix.blogspot.com has an old post on an entire Nativity Scene you can knit. Polarknit.com has a free pattern for cute elf slippers. www.reknit.com showcased a FunFir (pun) tree made from eyelash yarns. Perhaps the best use for eyelash yarn ever! youcanmakethis.com had a pattern for a CUTE Christmas tree crocheted handbag. danceswithwools.wordpress.com has some fun Tree knit dishcloths that are one the fancy side. (I learned how to tighten the nut on the windshield wiper this morning. Fireman keeps the wrench right in the glove compartment. Yahoo, I can fix something on a car!) I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Well, despite the fact that Grace told me she got her head mannequin at a beauty supply store for 3 dollars, I 'm holding off. Snow heads are free. Maybe I'll make another one and keep it in the freezer. This is a Christmas gift for Cara. Using all leftover blues, I knitted this up without a real pattern. I used Barbara Walkers top down hat basic pattern. I based it on a DreamHat or some such name, that I found on line. It was selling for over 200 dollars. I'm sure some of you have seen the designs. Mine lacks the long long tassells at the ear flap bottoms. Too funky for Cara. The pom needs some work and may be remade if I have time before Christmas. Thanks Darcy for the pom tutorial. Alas I was too cheap to buy the pom making gadget. Perhaps I should have! I broke the windshield wiper on the car this morning. Fireman must replace these things for me like rolls of toilet paper in this house. I'm wincing. I told Zach never to drive without a clear view, ...