knittinggenes.blogspot.com

Knit content: I am working on the cable socks. I have not stopped or changed projects. This image was sent to me by my sister. It is not my picture. Please do not use it for any commercial purpose. I am using it strictly to show its beauty and cleverness. And to make you smile. Here is an excerpt from the Book IN THE COUNTRY by Arthur Miller. I clipped this from a magazine nearly 30 years ago and found it the other day . Picture a basset hound sitting on the curve of a road. "This dog, Hugo, saved lives by napping, in good weather, on the white line of the road outside his house. Expecting to find him there, people slowed down coming around the curve. He died, remarkably of old age. A well known traveler, he showed up on peoples porches eight and ten miles away, would climb into the open door of any car, often undiscovered in the back seat only after hours of driving, but he always showed pleasure on being returned. Suffered from reversal of instincts-would watch a rabb...

You are not bored silly with my sock progress thanks to Karen the lurker. She is letting me show her toe up Cloverleaf socks. She doesn't have much left to finish them. I had to show the cat bag too. You may be bored silly with my feline fad lately, but they are really cute. Thanks Karen. My sock is coming along...... I have a cable question for all of you. When I knit the cable cross the stitches are tight when they get back on the needles. Aside from playing my Chanting Monks CD and breathing deeply, how can I loosen up? I am normally a loose knitter. Will I loosen up with time? Did you have this issue with tiny needles and cables? Today's dinner: Frozen california pizza kitchen bbq chicken pizza. Too cold to be motivated to go out and eat or carry out. I talk more in the comments!

and it is 12 degrees out, but you are happy for the sunshine, and you move the kitchen table so you can sit on the radiator while you eat, knit, and correspond, and the car window sticks so you have to get out at the drive through, and you have to warm your coffee cup from the cabinet before you use it, and you bring the lavendar heat pack to bed with you, just to warm your hands, and the slightest bit of wind will search through your coat for a place to chill, then then then it is the perfect time to keep knitting with wooly goodness. As delighted as I am to be knitting alpaca sox, the progress is measureable, but not picture worthy for the blog. I'll be showing you many non yarn/project images as we go along on my sock journey. Hope you don't mind. If you want to share your knit images with me, I'll be happy to put them on the blog. Shoot me an email with the image attatched. Harpnut@gmail.com Otherwise, I could show you the same sock over and over again, on size 1 nee...

I am happy about: *starting this sock over. Tried to cheat and use 3's for needles. I am happy because it really doesn't bother me at all to frog it. . It would have earlier in my knitting life. *just knitting socks. No anxiety about decisions. *Leftover night. No decisions about dinner. (if you'd like to know the menu it is: lasagna, amazing greek chicken, or a grilled hamburger. ) *having a great morning voluteering at the animal shelter. I get to help with what I believe in: preventing more hungry kittens and puppies in an overpopulated pet world. *checking the weather in a warm place I am going to next month *seeing Helo today when Al stopped by. He is a big 3 lbs now. *feeling my back get better. *sending off a swap package. I beat the system by 15 cents. The postman laughed and laughed when I was delighted that my flat rate box worked out to save me 15 cents. Next time Im sending someone something really heavy! *a fire in the fireplace. *turning 50 this...

*Everyone, and I mean everyone I meet says they are suffering from the weather blues. I am so glad to hear this. I certainly cannot stand the grey, drizzle much more. So it is not just me! And ....it is not just you! *I have to show Helo again. My best shot of him yet. Kittens are so easy ........and entertaining. They are however, difficult to shoot because they are so rarely still. *Thanks for all the ideas for my neighbor Abby's vest conundrum. You are all such smart women and man. ( I count Elaines' Tom in the equation. To my knowledge he is my sole reader and knitter with a y chromosome. ) and THANK YOU TOM. (well Zach counts too, but he hasn't knitted anything in over a year....) *Abby is rethinking the whole project. I'll let you know what she decided. So many brave steekers out there. Whaddayanuts? Actually I am so very impressed with steekers. *I've started a pair of Simply Ginny Socks by Anna Peck. When there is enough progress I'l...

Yes, I need to come clean. I did knit this pair of socks while taking steroids. This is the only time I have knitted on steroids. I know...you thought I just bulked up from isometrics in the chair. Now there will be an asterisk beside my name. *Kathy B. Why did I do it? Pressure really. Some of you have Godgiven talent. Sock of the month club people, I am in awe of you. And there was no pain while knitting this pair of socks. No knit pain, that is. Oh I found myself a little bit edgy.....I broke a few things along the way. Mostly things that dropped to the floor as I hobbled unable to pick them up myself. So, due to some unexplained back pain, I was precribed a steroid pack. I found myself moody: missing Huck more. After all he'd pick up anything for me and in a cheerful and happy to help way. Fireman isn't nearly as eager to do so. He simply won't eat off the floor like Huck did. Even if it is a Frango Mint. So there . My admission. Forever, *Kathy B....

Neighbor friend Abby has a problem with her vest. She is making the shown pattern in the shown colorway. It is called Colorchanges. It does change colors beautifully. This is a perfect with Blue jeans colorway if you ask me. Here's her problem. ; If she knits two fronts they won't match. It will look, well Silly as Mayor Daley says, just silly. My only thought was to make it a pullover and knit the top in one piece. Would she have to add some ease then to the sides? She thinks not. I think so. help help. You are all such smarty pants knitters! She has to know by tomorrow when she leaves for vakay......... im posting my usual post for the day later..... any and all commets are welcome and appreciated! I talk more in the comments!

Nothing like some kitten therapy for me! We played with some leftover kiwi sock yarn today. I get to visit Helo again on Thursday. Yes, you will be subjected to more Helo kitty images along the way. I can only churn out socks so fast you know! I finished the Kiwi sock today. I was worried about running out of the yarn at the same time Fireman was worrying about running out of paint. I did the hard part, I picked the colors. He did the easy part: taping, priming, painting, trim work, windows. I tell him it all works out even. I did the pregnancies and nursing, he does everything else forever. I still think he comes out ahead...... what do you think? I talk more in the comments!

This colorway reminds me of kiwi. I'm still on task....one of the socks is past the gusset, the other is at the pickup stitches after turning the heel phase. Making both on two sets of double points keeps me motivated. I'm a contented knitter today. This is what I heard today: hand painted yarn is less likely to pool than handdyed yarn. Has this been your experience? The knitpicks podcast host also said that putting a small cable in your socks will keep it from pooling. Hmmmm, Has THIS been your experience? If you would humor me and tell me the last sock yarn you knit with, I'd be very happy! I want to branch out a bit. If you tell me anything at all it will humor me! I talk more in the comments!

? ? Al adopted this part Siamese kitten from Heartland Shelter last night. He may be part Siamese but he is whole darling! Any tips for Al? She named him Helo. Helo will be a regular on the blog now! I talk more in the comments!

When you give my friend Karen the Wee TIny Sock pattern, a few days later she shows you this. She cut the top of the Folger's lid to make her sock shapers. She's clever that way. So I'm on a sock streak..... There is nothing that brings my confidence back like socks. They are also lightweight and portable. No arm pain. I knitting a simple pair with corn fibre that I traded for awhile back. I am keeping up my promise, and I can blog because I am still on task. Fireman has been painting the famiy room walls. Yesterday he said, "I hate leftover paint. I have old paint in the basement that we will never use again. " I used this moment to try to relate. "I hate leftover yarn too. I have tons of it. I like a project to end with next to no yarn left." That is another great thing about socks. You usually don't end up with much yarn leftover. Tomorrow: Al adopted a kitty from our shelter today. Wait until you see him. I talk more in the co...

Radar and Rozzy have perfected napping. Generations and generations of felines have gotten them to where they are today. Radar, being deaf, is an especially sound sleeper. I just finished reading COMPLICATIONS by a surgeon in America. One of the gems that I learned from the book, is simply that you have to do something over and over and over until you do it really well. Sometimes you should go to a surgeon who does one proceedure and only one. Sometimes they are the best beause they perfect what they do. Studies show it. I am hoping this applies to my knitting as well. I am thinking life will be less complicated if I stick to one type of knitting for awhile. No needles decisions to make, no wasted yarn purchases, endless opportunities. ............I'll reveal it soon. unless you want to guess... I talk more in the comments!

This is my friend Joan's current knitting. Joan has been knitting for many years. I love this raspberry color she chose. It is a wool but it feels soft and the stitch definition is wonderful. Joan's knitting is even isn't it? She was working on the shaping for the armholes on the BACk. She was having some trouble understanding the pattern instructions at one point. So I read it out loud to her and as soon as I did she got it. See? I can help others knit! If you need me to read the directions just let me know. I did this a few weeks back for Karen who was helping a woman with her pattern pains; by reading it aloud, she instantly heard it differently and knew what to do. I'm going to offer my services to you all. Just call me and I'll read you the directions you have been reading. Or ask your peeps to do it for you. I am knitting something that i won't tell you about. I will not let myself post if I switch to something else before it is done. That i...

I fell in love with the headband my friend Karen made last week. I wanted to copy her. I realize now that as much as I would love a headband, I am all about the babushka. Stay tuned. I will birng the babushka back......it is my fashion calling..... I talk more in the comments!

(Don't you love when someone cares enough to find a place to hang a found mitten or glove? I came across this scene the other day . Warmed my heart knowing lots of people do this for others.) (Have you seen one lately? ) About the squares. I am knitting noro 4 inch squares right now. I want to seam and knit them into the " page 81 baby booties pattern. " I need to work on my seams. This will certainly force me to do so. I like knitting squares. Simple. Garter. I discovered I really cannot know it is a square until I measaure it. Everytime I think it is square, it measures not so. So, I can't trust my eyes! I will share my favorite Squares recipe: This is a recipe from Nestle. Raspberry Chocolate Chip Squares crust: 1 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup stick butter or stick margarine Topping 2/3 C. flour 1/2 C chopped pecans 1/3 cup brown sugar 6 Tblspn softened butter 1/2 cup raspberry jam 2 Cups toll house morsels For the crust: Combine flour and su...

Mayor Daley is forever saying, "It's just silly, silly, it's just silly" I think my hat is silly. I loved knitting it. The pattern is clever. But on me, it is just silly. When my friend Les put it on, it looked perfect on her. She has a naturally bigger skull. On my head, it looks like this. Silly just silly. I used hacho yarn . Doubled the yarn for the rib, then switched to single strand , for the rest of the silly hat. Perhaps the Mayor would like it. I talk more in the comments!

I was watching my knitting closely today as I finished the Square Circle Hat by Phoe M. White. When you make the square top you divide the 88 stitches on to four double-points. Then you 3 needle bind off the two opposing needles. Knit for a few inches on one of the remaining double points, and then do another 3 needle bind off to finish. As I was really looking at my knitting, I was able to see that my knitting stitches from the circular needle onto one of the straights in the image, were very tight. The other needle has the same number of stitches, but you knit them straight for an inch or more to make the "flap" stretch from one needle to another. Are you lost? The point is that I realized how loosely the stitiches I knit on the straight needle were as opposed to the ones I took off the circular. No wonder my arm begins to feel uncomfortable when I knit on circulars. So back to straights only for me. I knew I didn't have issues when I knit on straights, but ...

I watched his show last night. After about a half an hour I realized I hadn't even looked at my knitting once. He's so darling. Note to self: don't watch Anderson when knitting..... I talk more in the comments!

My New Year's Knit Resolution is to look at my knitting while I am knitting. This is a novel idea to me. How can it be? I have been knitting and blogging for nearly 6 years now. Is this an attainable goal? Those Resolution experts suggest your goal be attainable. Sometimes those Resolution experts suggest enlisting friends to help you form a new habit. So, I'm enlisting you dear friends, the real and the Pretend. Remind me from time to time okay? New habits take 21 days to become routine we are told. So here goes. I will be working on watching what I knit while I am knitting it. Counting down to Jan 22nd. I'm thinking podcasts while knitting, no television. I am thinking less eye contact with my knitfriends. Real friends please use that Cesaer Milan zzzzzzzzit sound when I look at you while knitting. Then there is supposed to be a reward. I do think that making fewer mistakes will be all the reward I need.