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  Thanks to all of you who sent a strand and played along. The yellow Art yarn super merino sock yarn winner is  Lynn S. from Evanston.  :)  Lynn co- incidentally adopted two kittens that I had fostered last year.  Fixie and Bonk , now Mr. Whiskers and Teddy are very lucky to have their forever home with Lynn.  They must have brought her luck ! The Red Regia prize goes to Sarah in Phoenix ! Yarn is on the way ladies. :)  Third prize goodies go to Kim of HandEye Crafts!  As for the Yarn, I'm putting it all in my hanging suet feeder, without the suet.  The birds are building their nests and they will have colorful warm yarn for their chicks to grow on.  When it stops raining, I'll get a picture for you.  This is Sadie.   After all my blah blah about not wanting to walk with a partner, Sadie's mom called me. She needs me to walk her 3 times a week.  We started last week and I am so happy to be walking a dog again. Getting paid to workout

Rozzy's news is not all bad.  Her thyroid levels are out of whack and her kidneys are beginning to show disease.  When we get her thyroid back on track it could make her kidneys worse.  Yet, she's not had any accidents in a few days.   For now we keep her comfortable, work on her thyroid issues and monitor her kidney function.   (for the record she has had thyroid issues for about 2 years, the kidney disease is new)  Thank you all for your kind sage advice.   I was relieved she is not diabetic.  I would not have treated her at nearly 18 for diabetes. I won't prolong things when her kidneys worsen, but for now we can love her and keep taking her to the box a few times a day. 

  I love these daffodils.  At one time they were called Albert Einsteins.    Here is my wrap about 2/3 rds along.  May I say : I love this yarn!: CoBaSi is  so soft and has great stitch definition. It is marketed as a sock yarn. I will definitely be knitting up some socks with more of this wonder.  We are taking Rozzy in to the vet today  to see if she has some kidney disease going on… thanks for all your support and comments.  I'll be picking prize winners in 2 days. SpringStringFling is nearly over. 

Love is in the air…. I love this little washcloth. The birds are twitter pated (Bambi)  The squirrels are down right horny Love love love All you need is Love 

This is not meant to be a sad post.  I just want to know, honestly, how other pet lovers, fur baby moms and such handle this situation. Rozzy is having accidents.  Lots of them.  She is 17 and  a half.  She has arthritis and we are giving her a strong pain killer.  She doesn't cry anymore on the this treatment, but she's having accidents. I am not happy with cat urine.  All of our floors are wood, so she's not ruining carpeting etc but it bothers me. She is otherwise just an old sweet girl who purrs at us all day. I don't think I can end her life now, because it would feel like I was killing her… but this incontinence  thing is very disturbing to me.  Fireman has taken to carrying her to her litter box several times a day.  Sometimes she complies, sometimes she is just confused.  Oh she's confused quite a bit.  Could you? For incontinence?  

  A-  A quick read:  I've been reading a bit.  I Am Pusheen the Cat is spot on.  B- Burp... I'm halfway through GULP as well. Non-fiction interests me. This tour of the digestive system is not for the squeamish. I'm reading it on the I-pad.  A first for me!   C- Call the Midwife…. Al is knitting a baby blanket for a gift. She's bored…but it is so sweet and lovely.    D- Da trees in Virginia were at peak color. These beauties painted the walks of Suffolk and Norfolk over E-  Easter weekend.  F- For you Lurkers out there, we Found a music store with this in it.  I didn't' know y'all had a band. G- I learned that at some weddings there is a  Groom cake.  A delightful southern gal, friend of Al's, met us for dinner and this came up.   She is a doll.  While we were eating dinner , her husband was training pilots on F-18s.  H- To keep her cool, she tells herself  that Hubby is simply playing

We are home from a very Virginia Easter.  Here's the knitting wrap up for Y'all:  Bobby the Clown at the minor league Tides' game is our guest today.   He stuck my needles in his clown nose.  Suffice to say this is a first for Irisheyesknitters.  I cleaned them thoroughly with sani hand liquid in my purse.  The Tides game was a blast. They were playing the Durham Bulls and I love the movie Bull Durham.  I always pack two knit projects when traveling…. Just in case.  Glad I did, because I became enthralled with dishcloths again this trip.  I'm not sure why the bug for dishcloths bites so hard sometimes and is literally non existent for me at other time.  The round pattern is : Mielke's Fiber Arts Round Knit Dishcloth free pattern.  Here we are posing for the blog post.  The  second dishcloth was knit on the ride home. It is an Ehow pattern.   I googled it on my phone and loved the simple pattern.  Yarn was dollar ya

  I've got a little pile going of your  strands and notes- Such fun for me.  You have until the mail arrives on 4/30 to join in the fun.  Just send one strand of yarn about a foot long and you are in the raffle for 3 prizes. :)  Speaking of paper:  Al loved stuffed animals as a child. Here are two she snatched up for a photo at the Paper Source in Evanston last week.   That is a very cool store.  (More than just cards and stationery.) They have a whole wall of ink stamps, one cooler than the next. Do you have a Paper Source in your area?  Al's on a kickball team in Virgina. Their name: Kicking Ours to Save Yours ahhhh those ER folk are a breed apart

However you spend the day , I hope you are Blessed Easter means family, hope and ham !

This litter is orphaned.  Shelter volunteers are busy bottling them round the clock. Nadine who takes the dog pictures on the website, took some of these babies on Sunday.  Gotcha? 

dried cherries chicken pasta celery poppy seed dressing walnuts onions optional THIS yummy looking salad was offered at the MILL CITY MUSEUM Cafe in Minneapolis.   I wish I'd tried it.  Doesn't it look good?  I took the picture and wrote the ingredients down for you and for me.  I'll make it soon.    These clover needles broke today.  Awwwww. I've never had Clovers break before.  I have another pair in a half- size smaller so I'm not heartbroken.  I know I'm pretty much alone in my love of Wooden needles, but I will take them any day over Addis.   I'll give the broken off needle to Pie to swat around the floors. Just about anything is a cat toy...

  I personally think the best thank you is a photo with the baby wearing your hand knits.  This is my co worker Holly's newborn son with the hat I knit for him.  He'll grow into it.  The way this winter/spring is going he'll need it until July…. I don't wear much makeup.  Getting ready for the wedding last weekend, Dayna who was staying with us, offered to do my makeup. She was genius.  She told me about the above product, Final Seal. Apparently the Disney Princesses use it on their faces in the heat of the Florida Summers.   Disney Princesses do not perspire. Their faces do not melt in the heat.   That's my makeup tip of the day.  Any tips to share today?

  The Easter Bunny always comes to our house.  There will be one basket for all to share this Easter. The Bunny told me so - I think there's new cat toy in the basket as well.    After discussing TOMs with my fashion sense daughter and Channon, I went to Whole Foods and bought some. That's correct: Shoes at Whole Foods.  They aren't cheap either but it is liking buying two pair because they donate a pair to a person in need with each purchase. You get this neat TOMS bag, also,  that we all know is really a knitting bag, in disguise.    Zach took the portrait of Al getting ready for the wedding last week. I love his sense of light and definition. I want Ashleigh B's glasses.  I think I want her hair too.  As for knitting- *I Have to think back a few rows.  The good part is that I'm on sections right now and only have to pull out a few rows of one section.  Don't ask…I don't know how I fudged something this easy *I

Today's Tuesday Topic is : Knitting knitting and more knitting! (Really? This is a knit blog?) IrisheyesLynn (co -founder of this little blog back in 2004) , donated the above Regia socks skeins for the Spring String Fling Raffle. I love this colorful yarn.  My regia socks last forever. One of you will get two skeins of this cheery yarn as your prize.  The yarn is made in Italy.  Keep sending me those string strands !  You have until April 30th.  I will reveal a third prize later this week.  , It snowed on my way home from work last night. (and despite the snow I could see the moon, so I stayed up until 2:02 to see the Blood Moon eclipse.  It was cool!)  Did you see it?  The snowy  white stuff was sticking to trees and green grass. I don't mind this because I know it will be gone tomorrow.  My mind is turning to summer knitting …despite the snow. Do you have any favorite summer patterns to share? I'd love to check them out.

  I'm up to my armpits in armpits.. The wrap splits into three sections at this point. I'm using my yarn bowls to keep the strands in line.  In a few more inches I will rejoin the yarn to one strand and resume knitting across.   This is a very easy enjoyable pattern.    I found my mini chicks from last year inside one of the yarn bowls. Serendipity..  Family wedding - end of the night cousins shot. Needless to say, we had a ball.  (Keep those yarn strands coming!  Envelopes are arriving daily)  More on the prizes tomorrow. 

Dayna is visiting us and looking for a place to live in Chicago. She is an amazing artist.   She's a young girl with incredible talent. She is AL's Nathan's niece.  Got that?  I will give you the 4.1.1 on her artwork when she has her shop started up.   She offered to do my makeup for OUR nieces wedding. I don't wear much makeup, but I will love her helping me. My eyes, my best feature, acted up this week.  I have a huge vessel breakage in my left eye.  I look….in a word…frightening.  Should I wear a patch to the wedding? How fetching…. Al and Zach were together for Siblings Day Yesterday. Serendipity…… I love it.  I emailed two of my sisters yesterday. My youngest sis wrote me back with thanks and told me her youngest came home with head lice… she is not a happy momma!  Work pals have told me that around here they don't even keep kids out of school for lice anymore. ewwwwww.  Sorry for today's randomness.   OH: H

Al was excited about a new yarn she wanted me to wind for her.  It is the same, you heard that right, same yarn I'm using for my Wrap.  (Co sa bi)  Who knew?  She's using purple and she's knitting Rosarian, a new Knitty Spring pattern.   Family wedding tomorrow, so Al's in town and we couldn't be happier.       Uncle Tank is entered in our local Vet's Spring photo contest.  Grace Y knit that bunny for me one Spring.   Uncle Tank is happy Al is home too.  Signs of Spring and Easter and Passover are showing up in our neighborhood.  This bunny is going to get wet if we get April showers today.  Hoping you want to send a strand of yarn to me for the raffle.  I'll show you some of the prizes tomorrow. 

  Gotcha.  …. I knit a surprise pair of socks for my Fireman. The last pair I knit for him shrank….so I got them. This yarn was from the recent yarn sale at 3 Bags Full. Knitting them side by side was practically painless.  The ribbed top is done in smaller needles, Fireman has little chicken sized ankles.  Socks fall down on him…all the time. So these are a custom fit for him.  Yarn: Mirasolperu numbered colorway. *********** When we were in Minnesota we stopped at a Pottery shop on  Front street. Mary Jo is the artist who creates pottery there.  My sister has an entire set of her plates for their casual everyday use.  They are beautiful.   Fireman and I chose some simple coffee mugs when we visited.  I have officially given up Coffee Creamer due to Channon's enlightening post.  Day #2… not too bad. I used some sugar but no creamer!!  Reminder:  Anyone who wants to send me a strand, and only a strand of yarn, is in the raffle for some great pr

  Spring String Fling Contest Some folks don't like to leave comments. They just don't' know what to say.  (Say anything at all, Nothing is silly to me)  Some fear they will sound silly.  We all know that's not my issue. I sometimes say too much.  But I think I understand the silent ones out there.  I see I have more followers than comments on any given day.  So I'd like to give you a tiny voice without the hassle.  We'll make it a game of sorts.  Announcing: The Spring Yarn Give Away- Lots of goodies in the prize mix.  Two Winners this time.  You don't' have to leave a comment.  In fact, the only way to get in the raffle for the yarn prizes is to mail me a strand of yarn. Any yarn,  as long as its about a foot long.  Put it in a simple envelope with your return address clearly written, and mail it to me by April 30th. I'll pick from the envelopes and reveal the winners May 1.  Then I'll tell you w

  St. Francis was sorely in need of a new coat of paint.  I'm always praying to this guy for a cat or dog I know that's in need, so he earned it.  The stonecrop are emerging.  I love their early bouquets. So the weather was nice as far as Chicago Spring goes, this weekend.   I was inclined to walk outside.  3 Friends texted me to walk with them.  I'm awful about this. I prefer to walk alone. I don't even like Fireman to come along with me.  I think it is because I don't really enjoy it so I want to go and get it over with on my own terms.  I also don't like waiting for people.  2 Friends are notoriously late and slow to show up to walk.  One is a workout instructor and she makes us walk so fast and is so bubbly I just cannot enjoy it.   I feel like a walk snob.  Give me a dog to walk anyway and I'm good to go.  As a matter of fact, I was in the cat room Saturday at the shelter and they came in and asked me to walk the sma

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  Miss Pie was estimated to be born in Early April according to her presentation at the Animal Hospital last summer.  I've been trying to decide on a date.   No wonder I couldn't come up with an April date that suited me.  She was probably born on 3.14  Pie day!  (the mathematical Pi is 3.14159)  Here to for, let me proclaim that Magpie's birthday will be celebrated on Pi day 3/14.  Today I made a Pie …..and told Zach he could not have any until it came out of the oven and he photographed Pie with her Birthday Pie.  Here's his image…... Happy Late Birthday Little Miss Pie.  You are an amazing sightless kitty, and we are the lucky ones to have YOU! (Happy Birthday to Mr. Whiskers and Teddy , this week! ) 

  There is some side by side sock knitting going on here at Irisheyes.  The Peruvian Mirasol is shade 700 if you like it.  Intended for: Shhhhh  it is a surprise.  The yarn was on Supersale at 3 Bags Full this week. The only way for me to really enjoy socks is to knit them side by side.  This eliminates second sock syndrome…as you well know.  In fact, I took this idea from one of you this week.  I cannot recall who, however.  So thanks, because I am enjoying the sock work.  I also started them because the yarn and needles for my Wrap are tiring to my right arm.   I need to trade off projects to keep my arm in good shape.   Have you ever noticed that some tennis players have one arm that is bigger and more pronounced than the other arm.  I have a feeling my arms will look like that someday from knitting. :)  Miss Magpie is turning one this month. We will have a celebration. She has learned to jump through a hoop and she actually begs me to play this tr

  Yesterday I met a police dog at the local bar.  This is an Amtrak dog.  I asked to pet her and was granted the wish. There was another dog too, a German Shepard named Wolfy that I was not permitted to pet.  I find working dogs amazing.    This is Kathy C's mindless knitting scarf.  I wish I had written down the name of the yarn. It is so soft and squishy and so acrylic. I was permitted to pet it.  I've got some Product thoughts for you today.  *I bought a pair of expensive WIGWAM socks this winter. I believe I bought them at Rei.  They washed well, wore well and cushioned my feet well this winter.  *There is  a new Pet Hair removal product for your furniture: ScottsBrite pet hair removal starter. It works.  It takes embedded pet hairs off your couch with ease. You don't have to rip tape off it like a sticky roll.  *Our Washer is fading.  It is a front loader.  I had our top load washer for close to 20 years.  This F.L. Is loud and r