knittinggenes.blogspot.com

  Al's cowl is lovely.  The picot edge design sets it off. She has another skein of yarn left so she's making a hat to match. The pattern from Quince was not well written, but AL winged it.  So fair warning on that :)   Next up for Al is this beauty of a shawl.   My Christmas gift sock yarn in Goldfish in the Water colors, (thank you) is busy.   I frogged the goldfish already.  I was trying a slip stitch pattern and it just wasn't floating… Called Knitpicks yesterday : Customer Service Extraordinary They have been having issues with the swift shipment and will send me a new part.  I was assured if I was not satisfied they will send me another swift.  I do not have to box the other up and bother with shipping either. :)  When your swift has no lift, it's time to switch.  Happy New Years Eve Thanks for another year of knit inspiration,  kinship and  daily comments....

I have an idea.  Let's do Old Year Resolutions; you only have to keep it for 2 days.  My old year resolution is to buy items for the animal shelter every day.  :)   Santa brought me this adorable beautiful black cat iPhone cover.  I think its the….. cat's meow.  Enjoying every second with Al home.  We watched about an hour of the Lone Ranger and decided it was a boy movie.  Going to see Secret Life of Walter Middy today with Fireman.   She and I have been knitting of course.  She made me watch Say yes to the Dress; watching it with her is hysterical.  I made her watch Tia on Pitbulls and Paroles.  Who says watching TV is an isolating activity?  Can  you make an OLD Year Resolution for 2013?

  Look at these adorable BLACK cat stitch markers… (ETSY says AL)  I love that one has yarn, one has a mouse,  one is sitting up…they are toooooo cute.  Thanks Al.    Fireman…er SANTA gave me a swift from Knit Picks.  Al was a the first to help me with it.  It is has a stripped wooden screw, but I think Fireman has a quick fix for it.  I don't like packing things up and sending them back; I will however, call customer service monday and discuss things with them.    When your girl is home you go to the Three Bags Full Yarn Studio that helped raise her with you.  Then you find her some new patterns and yarn and  it is all good.   Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha 411 Green Gray Pattern Quince and Co.  Britsol Cowl.   AND it's all very very good.  New knitting by you ?

  Pie discovered the Joys of the Holiday wrapping paper.  Give a cat a piece of paper and they are amused for a very long time.   It's in their genes...   Santa delivered sock yarn from Knitpicks that is begging to be cast on today …. We are blessed to have 3 great guitarists in our family. Zach, cousin Kevin, and Uncle Ken gave us the gift of Holiday music on Christmas eve.   Al is on her way home this very minute!  She worked the last 9 days in a row.. When you sign up for Nurse life  you work the holidays  and Santa is very very good to you. :)  Was Santa good to you?

I love the little fairy who holds onto the candlestick. Funny thing: fireman has always disliked it.   It was his mother's however and I think she's charming.  *Things I Love About Christmas Eve *Sunset.  The Eve for me, begins with the sunsetting early over the midwest.   *Guitars a playing…..Zach, his uncle and his cousin area all great guitar players.  They play carols together for the family at Christmas… *Grasshoppers (the drink) I don't drink them.  I grew up in a family with relative after relative who were alcoholics, so they should symbolize disfunction but they don't.  My mom loved to have a grasshopper in a festive glass on Christmas Eve.   Fireman's momma liked them too. *Lil smokies …… we aren't good at sophistication here,  but we love the lil smokies in bbq sauce and jelly or rolled in a blanket…. *Putting out the presents… under the tree  ...

  This is my favorite Quiche. It always comes out fantastic.  1 Deep dish Pie crust (premade) 1/4 cup diced sweet onion 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon 1/2 cup swiss cheese 1/2 cup monterey jack  1 T. flour 3 eggs 3/4 cup half and half 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1. Place bacon and onions in the pie shell 2. Toss flour with the cheeses and sprinkle over pie shell 3. Beat eggs , half and half and salt and pepper  and pour over the other ingredients in the pie shell.  Bake 40 minutes at 375.  It is great reheated.  This is called Holiday Sugar Cookie Brittle 1 stick butter, softened 3/4 c. granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 c. red & green m&m's 1. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. 2. Add flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly. (Dough will be powdery.) Stir in m&m's.  3. Cover large jelly roll pan with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkl...

  We will return to our regularly scheduled knitting, with great relief, today.  I don't like knitting under pressure, most of us don't.  I finished this scarf last night.  There is a little gold glimmering in this wool blend.  I hope my friend Jennifer loves it.  Pie and Beatles are already on Santa Watch… Are you almost ready???

These ladies inspire me to knit better. Kathy C. made this amazing top just by imagining how. The yarn is Knitpicks Galileo.   She knit a rectangle and folded it in half.  Then she seamed a bit and left the rest as armholes.  Kathy started this in the summer on my porch.      Karen always inspires my knitting. She knit this vest for her mother-in-law for Christmas. It is a classic, warm wonderful vest.  Carol, Meg and Joanie who are not pictured are wonderful knit pals as well. Merry Christmas Knit Pals.  It takes pretend friends and  in person knit friends to make  the knit world go round …. I'm so thankful for both!

Crazy cat ladies create Crazy Cat Christmas cookies.  Now, I'm finished with cookies for the Holidays.  Still working on the last gift knit for this year,  a simple scarf.   Here's a little story for you:  On Saturday I stopped at McDonalds' before going to work. Apparently my car went ahead of another in the pick up line and the woman in that car was furious. She was hitting her steering wheel and pointing her Grinchy finger at me.  So I decided to tell the cashier I'd pay for her lunch as well as mine.  That'll teach her.   Wishing you the patience of the Holidays and some quiet to recharge!

I'm gift knitting even though I said I wouldn't.   I have one scarf left to knit and then I'm ready.  Why do we do this to ourselves?  But, oh we do this to ourselves. Pie was spayed on Thursday.  She is so good and leaves her stitches alone. I did find her eating ashes in the fireplace the day after. I've read cats do that when the have an upset tummy.  (Beatles is wearing the Santa hat ) I gave the slippers to my great niece yesterday, and they fit like magic!   I had my first Christmas cookies of the season at the party yesterday.   Should I go through the trouble of Cut out cookies?

  I finished the Sally's Slippers for my great niece for Christmas.  She asked for white and grey.  I added the little rosettes.  This is a fun fun patten knitters.  You make a series of 8 squares and put them together in a  unusual manner and voila, they  are adorable slippers.  The pattern can be found on Midnattsol's blog or  prayershawlministries.blogspot.com, then click on Sally's Slippers on the side bar.  Felting again, is my friend.  I've stuffed them to dry to shape.  (Below, per Nancy's request, is a favorite ornament on our tree!) Are you Finishing anything today?

  These adorables are at the counter of 3 bags Full.  The slippers below were on another site recently.  They count as adorable too.  I'm not making these, mind you, just sharing their cuteness.  Wow, what a response to gingerbread cake , ladies! It came from a box….. and I had to add an egg and water. It was easy and delicious.   My hair color is perfect, the cut is  not too different.  I did knit whilst my hair was transformed. Today: Work on the felted Sally slippers…. and enjoy the newly fallen snow before work.  Do you Pandora??? I love their holiday music selections...

Goings on here at Irisheyes:  *Geometry meet knitting : Sally's Slippers (I'll give details when the pair is completed)  *I BELIEVE in the magic of felting.  But first, Another series of squares to make  the pair of slippers.  *My best secret to share this holiday season:  Von Maur will wrap and ship my hand picked gifts for free. I got to shop for my sister in Minnesota at the store and they do the rest.  Just bring your picks to the register.    At no charge. ;)  *With an artificial Christmas tree, you don't get that lovely smell. To the rescue: Yankee Candle: red apple wreath or Christmas eve scent….. *Last night's treat: gingerbread cake.  It tastes like Christmas…. warm from the oven no frosting needed… *Today: a much needed haircut and highlights…. I'm holding my breath…. I haven't had anything done to my hair since JULY. I'm going to a new salon…. I picked it because...

  Sometimes you just need fringe. What's a baby poncho without fringe?    Sometimes you just need frosting. What is a cupcake without frosting?  Sometimes you just need a dusting of snow to go with your holiday music….

  The back with a cable and seed   The Front  (all Seedstitch)   It's a little big, but I'm leaving it- I loved the yarn:  Remix It is not splitty.  I love the blue/green color. I took notes.  How funny that I knit my own vest without a pattern.  Thanks Karen for the guidance.  Thanks Tamara for the V neck understanding.  Why do I feel so relieved it is over?  Total cost under 50.00 .  When I make another, it won't be with one big cable down the back.  It probably won't be seed stitch either…. (unless it is for Katherine!) I will use this yarn again. I'm going to go collapse now in front of a roaring fire and the playing of Christmas carols …..

  This is how pumpkin dump cake looks when baked.  This is how Pie figures out a box.  * I am NOT finished with my vest.  It is taking me a long time to finish. Longer than I hoped.  I Must be patient.  I MUST be patient.  I have learned this over the last 12 years of knitting. I am close but no cigar.  It will only lead to tears if I rush it.  I'd love to hand it over to someone else at this point, but that's just not going to happen.  I could never, ever be a finisher!  I could be a starter… but then that's most of us huh?  *Thanks for all your Holiday music suggestions Bare Naked Ladies vesrion of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is my new pop favorite thanks to you. My new Pandora favorite is BRING A TORCH from the Wonderous Gift.  The piano version is so beautiful.  Breathe,  Breathe, breathe and  this too shall get off the needles ...

Pie is practicing for her audition as a reindeer…. she did not want to sit by the pillow for a picture.    The Santa pillow came from our local craft fair.  10 dollars.   Adorable, I say.  Now comes the time I must focus on the vest shaping and v neck. I plan to put on some instrumental Holiday music and  pay attention. Maybe I'll play your favorite Christmas song, do you have one?  (I love the song STILL STILL STILL)

They look like Christmas trees don't they? I was successful with my cookie gun this year.  I filled the gun with pre made Pillsbury  sugar cookie dough and it worked.  I cut the mess in half at least!  This leaves more time for knitting….. I have wrapped the cookies in packing tape and  they are in the freezer.  Can I leave them alone until the 24th? I'm going to make cranberry cookies also.  I cheat with them too.  I use a cranberry muffin mix and add  a stick of butter and an egg for the dough. I don't have any knit progress to show.  I worked last night.  My goodness Newborns sure cry a lot.  When I wasn't busy admitting I was  picking up babies and getting them to shush and hush.  Silent Night?  Jesus must have been a very good baby….

  The oldest trick in the knit book: hold your knitting up to a treasured fit.  This is the back of the vest laid atop my alpaca vest for sizing.   I am finished with the back and nearing the armholes on the front. I'm so easily bored with a project this big.  I'm ready to be done but I won't let myself cast on anything else. For the front there is no cable, just seed stitch all the way baby!  When oh when will I be as content as the cats  to just sit and be and enjoy the warmth of a radiator? Then again, they can't knit…...