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Showing posts from June, 2009

Lisa's summery top

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Knit with a few great women the other day. Lisa is knitting a summery top. Her goal is to finish by the end of summer...that means before she goes back to teaching. The pattern was an original that someone wrote for her for a very very high price. She was a new knitter and got taken, I think by the shop owner. Said shop is no longer in business. Lisa is using 2 yarns knit together. Gedifra and Manos Cotto Stria. I love the look. I don't really like knitting with two yarns together. I find I knit too tightly as I try to wrangle the yarns to behave. Something I just know about me now that I have knit for a bit. Something Lisa knows about herself: she checks her gauge. She told us the funniest story about all the mittens she knit that didn't fit anyone in her family. Then she GOT gauge. Do you knit for guage before you buy the yarn in the shop? I should. I never do. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

The Ruffled Shawl

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That would be the shawl. There are no ruffles yet. That would be a chilled glass of Riesling. That would be a tissue with which I wiped my lips and brow. That would be my corner of the porch! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Pretend Friends Knit Together

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I found the perfect spot for us to knit together. See us? We are on Lake Geneva in WIsconsin. There really is some knitting going on amid al the laughter you can obviously see. We tooled around the lake for awhile too and we all adored the mansions. I'm really sorry that all I kept saying was: Nice but thats alot of yarn.... I say that about lots of things I see for sale. For instance we still have the same blender we got as a shower gift in 1982. While trying to make strawberry daiquiri's the other night, I considered getting a new one that would actually crush the ice. Priced them the next day, and thought: I could buy yarn with that money instead..... I am working on my second shawl and it is making me so happy to knit it. I have 8 inches knit........63 left to go....... and that doesn't bother me at all for some reason. WHat doesn't bother you at all for some reason???? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Tuesday's Guest Blogger

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You know when you find a great guest blogger you just have to ask them for a picture. The one on the left was hesitant. The one on the right was so sweet. Both said their wives were knitters! Actually: dare I say I found Santa hanging out on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin last week? Fireman and i were fishing with a Fireguy . A fireguy is someone who is under 30 and looks to Fireman for advice. THis is pretty much everyone on the Department as Fireman is one of the most senior there. It is a young man's job, for sure. Fireguys tell Fireman, to leave the bag, they'll carry it for him. Fireman doesn't like this...... So I didn't catch any fish. But I was on a boat and the warmth was around us and I knit on the way up and back! Oh joy. Anyhow I don't have any fishing tips, but I went fishing for knit tips to share so Here you go! I found Spud and Chloe patterns on the Purlsoho sight. So very cute. I found SweetGeorgia Yarns having a 40% off sale. I found

Fringe Finish

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What a few prayers won't do eh? This is nearly miraculous as far as my finishes go. I'm proud to give it to my Aunt now. Friends Lesley and Karen approved as I picked up some sale O2 def. oxygen yarn. Abby, I took the picture on your deck for a change! I have a tiny bit of this yarn leftover....and I have a wild and crazy thought...... I think Father's Day is going well for Fireman. He's off. There is a rib eye waiting for him, and he came home this morning to a freshly cut lawn. He gave fatherly advice to the kids: he gave Al tips on starting IV's successfully, and he's teaching Zach how to grill a perfect ribeye. Stay tuned for another guest blogger this week and other goodies! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Our Sweet Guest Blogger

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She's a sweetie and she works at the chocolate store. I think I could work at a chocolate store even if I had to wear a hair net. It is chocolate after all. i have to wear a hair cover when I go into a c-section room during the surgery. We are glamorous I tell ya, really . Have you ever worn a hair net? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Finally some porch knitting in the sunshine

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No decision made on the prayer shawl other than it won't be frogged. Pretend friends are truly encouraging. Thanks As for fringe or lace being added to the edge, I'm undecided. I'm trying to let my muddied waters settle until the answer turns clear:) I've started another prayer shawl for my mentor at work. More later on this, suffice to say it will take me a long long time to knit this one. Someone, named Karen, stumbled across some great sale yarn for me. I'm using a very soft Filatura DLC wool. The shawl is from Mac'n Me. AL gave me the pattern a few years ago as a Mother's Day gift. I think it will be perfect for my mentor. Are you waiting on making any decisions right now? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Is it a sin to frog a prayer shawl?

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Before I wove in a few ends, I was being pretty hard on myself about this prayer shawl. I knit it for my Aunt Kathleen. It is pretty small, but will cover shoulders nicely. I started to ponder frogging it. Something seemed wrong about frogging a prayer shawl. But, I wondered, where do the prayers go if I frog it? I asked Fireman, who responded philosophically : 'dont know.' Then I asked Zach and he said, philosophically: "to the frogs." How can anyone not like a prayer shawl knitted for them while you prayed for them, even if it came out small? I was afraid I'd run out of yarn so at one point I added some scrap yarns. I was pretty safe with my color choices: Greens are safe with purple and another deeper purple looked alright too. I asked St. Francis to model the shawl for the blog today. Have you frogged a prayer shawl? I'm still unclear about the rules........:) I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Friday fotos

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Zach can use the camera better than me! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Friday fotos

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Softball under the lights. I beg to differ with Berroco, Fall in NOT here. We just started summer..... I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Friday Fotos

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Kathy B PROUD TO BE mom of Zach B the graduate I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Friday Fotos

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H HUCK WITH A STICK.....and 5 tics....... I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

What's next? an ipod?

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The new camera and I are beginning to like each other. Did I tell you I hid it from my son the first night, because I didn't want him changing it until I understood it. It was the only way I could sleep. Immature? quite. Slept soundly: yup! Photo: current shawl in Dream in color, new yarn bag : lovely gift to me from family in Thailand. Plants: lambs ear. So I have the new camera. AND I succumbed to getting a cell phone. I can text. So what's next? an Ipod? probably not! next is more shawl/wrap yarn. Thanks for the great suggestions on can't go wrong yarns. Next is defying the cold summer start: I have a a Slanket.....and I DO wear it. It allows for Porch knitting. You will NOT hear me complain about a hot humid summer. I live for them . How are you starting summer when the weather isn't? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

A friend with an eye for Yarn

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A dear old friend Carol, recently introduced me to her friend Karen. Turns out Karen is a great knitter. She has yarn memory that never forgets. Any of us can be knitting with any yarn and she knows what it is immediately. Well, Karen is knitting a shawl, among other things. She showed me her gorgeous simple shawl: She is making the Easy Triangle Shawl from a Lion Brand Pattern. Her shawl starts in the middle. The yarn is Tibet that she found on clearance, and she's using addi turbos in 9. The yarn is incredibly soft. Do you see the tiny flecks of gold in it? This little bit of gold sets this shawl apart. I cannot wait to show it to you when it is an FO. Looking at her ball of yarn I would never ever have guessed it would knit up so elegantly. The yarn is most likely not available anymore, but when I want to knit with something like it, I know I can ask Karen for a good subsitute. Do you know a yarn that looks unimpressive and knits up like a dream?

and the winner is:

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CHRIS for Iriseyes. All the suggestions had their merit! It was difficult to choose. I was soooooo close to picking Turtle's name : old bruise. She knows my strange sense of humor. But Chris, you ARE the winner and you can send me your snail mail via my emial : Harpnut@gmail.com , please. I was looking Dream in Color Classy for a new shawl I am knitting. I pulled a bunch out of the bin and asked someone her opinion. Her question was: are you knitting for a sophisticated woman? I said, yes in a casual way. SHe said, go with a dark color then. I choose a deep purple. Is that what sophisticates wear? Dark colors? Can you be sophisticaed and wear those colors I photographed today in the yarn bin of Cotton Classic? How can one ignore all the glory in the brights? I'm shawl knitting again, because my arm is doing so well with simple garter. I am sticking to Dream in Color because it is so soft, and the memory in the yarn is just enough give for my arm. It sounds lik

We interrupt this contest.......

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Now, before anybody gets too upset with me, let me explain. There are exceptions to almost every rule. Without the long story, let me just say that an exception was made yesterday that made my son very happy. it was the right thing to do. So, I'm making an exception and pulling the original contest yarn. Because it is the right thing to do. One of you pretend friends is getting the yarn because I am a softy and cannot say no to a friend in need. A pretend friend in need, is a pretend friend indeed. Therefore, you need to rename the new yarn which is already named. Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock color 48: Purple Irish. If you'd like these lovely skiens, please give it a better name. There is a little ? brownish tone to some of the yarn. I hope you can see it. So, please reenter with a name for this new giveaway yarn. I have to say the runners up for the last colorway that I was leaning towards were: Curious George and the one that sounds like Clapotis but is a tart in realit

Let's all celebrate: Sock yarn giveaway

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I saved enough to buy the camera. I think I am in love with it. So is Zach. Nikon D40, has enough bells and whistles for me. My legs are still screaming from working the extra hours, but it was worth it. Let's all celebrate. Here's a little sock yarn contest: Name the yarn, I believe it is Koigu, with a cute name for the colorway or something. I'll pick a winner by the name that strikes my fancy: no random raffle this time. Go ahead. Name that sock yarn. Two nice skiens. I'm not sock knitting again anytime soon. I want to give it away. I'll pick a winner on June 7th. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

FO: First Prayer Shawl

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I'll talk to you in the comments. :) Leftover sock yarns in 3 colorways. Angel Hair Yarns ( Tennessee ) Pattern Butterfly Shawl Knitted on sqaure circulars....gotta love that I cast on 180 stitches instead of 360 stitches. The fun is: you knit the Longest part first. Crocheted a border and worked the ends in simultaneously. The best part is: No pain. My prayer shawl was prayers of thanksgiving! Next up: another shawlette. of course. Bigger yarn. More leftovers. I have to tell you : The Cake Pie was a bust. I brought into work all pretty. Then I put it out and sliced it..... not cooked enough to eat in the middle! I think I'll stick to chips and dip. It is all good. Pretty much anything you bring to work gets eaten. (except raw cake....hahahahaha)