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1. Let friends' take you out on their boat.  2. Eat sandwiches before you touch worm bait. 3. Leave your watch at home. 4. Admire that Big Large Mouth Bass before you (collectively)  release him. 5. Measure the bass, too.  (19 inches)  6. Tell that guy he's the best fisherman you know. 7. Frog that chunky yarn hat. 8. Sun yourself like a turtle on a log.  9. Count your blessings twice. 10.  Sleep sound and feel the rock of the boat in your mind.  Did I leave anything out? 

  So Threebagsfullcorner.blogspot.com has a new post up if you want to check it out . Please do.  Leaving comments really helps me, too.   Today's post about the Chicago Yarn Crawl and some goings on at the Studio.  It starts August 2nd.  Read all about it on that other blog! While I was there I snapped a few photos.  I love the blue in the shawl.  Thats a whole lotta Yarn overs though.   One smart lady on borrowed time was knitting a baby sweater.  The gift is due next week.  She took the pattern out of the Aran Knits page and knitted the whole thing in garter.   Now why didn't I think of that?  I'm going to knit one … People are so creative and smart.  I love me some garter.  Garter you love it or you hate it? How about you?

  The summer Art Fair in our town is always full of eye candy and treasures.  If I could have purchased anything yesterday, it would have been these amazing wooden bowls that I would use as cat dishes.  We feed dry food ….. Did I mention, the psychic said I was an artist in a past life? Surely not!  I am still, after 10 years, just learning to put colors together in my knitting that get along.  I finished another Trap scarf last night. The artist, Kathy B, choose cotton (Misti Alpaca cotton)  in a no miss combination of cream and color.  This is her longest Trap.  It is 50 inches long.      Another artist, painted this WaterTower which was designed by Boyington.  The yellowing  limestone is from Joliet,  Illinois.  If you visit Chicago, it is a lovely landmark in a lovely shopping area downtown.   This little lovely is a work of art, herself.  Clearly God kn...

  Local Pond and Backyard Gardens are showing off today and tomorrow.  The Tortoise above is GUMP. He's going to live forever.  Seriously they live to two hundred years old.  The nurses in me wants to know about his heart rate ,his heart muscle, his steps per day!  Slow and steady must win some race somewhere~    The running water in the ponds is such a peaceful sound.  Some of the places were a bit wacky, and all involved lots of gardening.    This pretty sunflower was growing right out of a compost pile.  Al this sunflowers for you!   To throw a bit of knitting in - This is the Kaffe Fassett Unwind Wrap.  It is glorious and it is expensive.  It uses 10 balls of Kidsilk Haze. At 15.00 per ball that's a pricey wrap.  I love the colors and will copy them in some other knit way soon I'm sure. This is the end of the fun for today. Hi ho Off to work I go-...

  I had such fun knitting the square and magically it became a bunny.  I'll certainly make more.  My bunny needs a tail……and some bunny to wuv him. There  is a new post up at Threebagsfullcorner.blogspot.com It highlights a pretty sweater that one of the girls at the shop knit up.  Also it lists a Ravelry pattern and a pattern from Marguerites blog . Stop by!

  It was a lonely day for a lifeguard at Lake Michigan.   Riptide warnings and 6-10 foot waves meant only two kite boarders were in the water.  These two knew what they were doing.  They just flew across the waves.    Many people who have never seen the Great Lakes, think, according to AL, that our Lake Michigan is just a pond. It is more like a little ocean.  It can kill you very quickly.    But it also harnesses a power and beauty that are unparalleled in the Midwest.   We got engaged at the Lake.  Huck loved to swim in Lake Michigan. I regret not taking him even more.  He loved the waves and came to a whistle when the noise was so loud our voices didn't carry.   I talked to Huck last night at the beach.  On the way home Fireman got a Starbucks milkshake thing with chocolate chips and I had a sip. Our beach walk got me to my walking step goal ye...

I do love the finish.  The yarn is black but almost takes on the purple of my tank t underneath.  The Details: Como The Big Easy Book Debbie Bliss Tank Top  p. 48 Quite possibly the easiest garment I've ever knitted in terms of pattern and construction. The Front is the same as the Back.  I made the largest size using a chunky weight  of  yarn in my stash.  I got gauge and got on with it.  I used a cotton so it is so comfy.  The shoulder and neck shaping are clever and simple. I'll make another, but for today I'll just enjoy wearing this one.

  I love this picture of Al knitting on the fishing boat from Summers past.  Fireman is releasing a fish and Huck is watching. You don't see me or Zach, but we are there.  The black flies are there too, as are the loons and the eagles.  Big Kitten Lake in Boulder Junction Wisconsin holds great memories for us.  When my father sold his cabin, it was a grieving process for us. Then we were offered a cabin to rent in the same area for a week each summer.  Life went on!  This summer Al is one one coast and Zach is in the Yucatan Penninsula.   We will meet for a couple days, however, in August.  Zach is teaching English this summer on a small island in Mexico. His students lives depend on learning English in order to work in the tourist trade.   Zach is living with a host family.   My children do things I was never brave enough to do! The host family has a rabbit as a pet. I think I ...

  Only too thrilled to tell you I finished my Como tank top. This was the only selfie I took. I promise to get real pictures for you soon. For as much trouble as this was, it was no fault of the pattern. The pattern was easy and written perfectly. It was the black yarn and difficulty seeing my stitches. I had the yarn in my stash, it fit the gauge, and so it went.  I knit it up using 4 skeins of Hopi Tanguis Cotton. Less than 40 dollars. I will knit another in a light color and in a wool blend.  Just not right now!  I put the two sides together by crocheting the seams. This is the only way I feel comfortable finishing. It worked well.  Ahhhh, off the needles feeling today …feeling good.   Here we have coleus at the Botanic Gardens. We have lots of shade in our yard, so I am a coleus fan.  I plant it with fall in mind.  Coleus looks great with fall pumpkins. These big balls of coleus are hug...

These images were, actually, taken at sunset last night.   It felt, through my lens, like magical light was in the air.  A few mosquitoes were there, too.   I am not a morning person.  Not at all.  The alarm went off at 0500 and I didn't even hear it.  I awoke to fireman shaking me…. "What are we doing?"  I asked.  I had no idea the date, the time, the plan.   "We are taking Zach to the international terminal at Ohare", he said.  Oh yeah.  By 0630 we were having breakfast at Egg Harbor Cafe. We were there and there was one other couple.  Our server was chipper and the food was good.  By 0800 I was on my walk.  7,000 steps later and I here I am posting.  All I can think is, "Is it nap time yet?"   I will finish my Como shell today. I hope to finish by nap time.  Are you a morning person? I can see the lure of it.  It sure is quiet. It is...

We have a winner!! Number 8 in the comments per random number generator = Lyle! Lyle Is actually Cheryl but her family named her otherwise! Lyle/Cheryl learned of the blog through NANCY!  thanks Nancy!  Lyle/Cheryl I'll get it out by Monday. I have to work today... The yellowy yarn is yours.  If you didn't win, don't worry I will have another contest soon.    My new bag is all about the cats…. Papersource Sale….I sent one to Al too.  Fireman went camping early in the week.  While he was gone I texted him that we had two new puppies in the house named Just and Kidding….   I managed to make Rozzy a new bed this week.   I was buying fleece for the shelter cat cages and had some leftover.  It is a wild neon orange pink that goes with NOTHING  in my home.  Rozzy loves it though..   In my knit world, I"ve finished half of the Como top. Remind me not to knit with black again soon.  T...

This pretty skein of Cascade Luna is up for grabs.  You could make a darling child's hat with the win.   ( http://www.cascadeyarns.com/patternsFree/W375_LunaPaintsAlyssaSet.pdf) You could just hold it in your hands and feel its soft sweetness for a bit.   You could knit a lovely lace wrap ----- I had to put it near the white corn for good measure.  The corn is AMAIZE and it was truly sweet and amazing.  This skein is truly sweet too.. When I went shopping for a prize yarn today, I was focused on yellow.   It had to have yellow in it….and so it does.   SO - just leave me your name in the comments by Friday.  That's it.  No test, no quiz, no fuss.  Good luck -

Thanks for well wishes and helping us get her safely (to her foster)  home within just a few hours!!

If you see this pup on a lease please try to catch her for us. She got away from her foster and hour ago. She was near landwehr and Sanders by the golf course. in Northbrook at 7 pm or so. thank you all!! Heartland animal shelter is her owner currently… She will come to other dogs.

I'm giving you a collage today. Thank you free Picmonkey site.  I want those pilazzo pants. (and the top she has on as well) This is Channon's doing.  Perhaps in my 54th year I'll dress myself a bit better.  It's time…. Fireman took the image of me at the Chicago Botanic Gardens last week.  I'm hiding my whole body.  Time to whine: the pedometer works only if I do the walking.  There are very few fruits I like. Watermelon is one of them.  I am going on the watermelon snack a roo diet that I just made up.  All snacks equal watermelon today.  The inches and inches of black knitting is the start of my new Como Tank top.   Oh Trap I miss you, but I want this tank too. So there you have it.  Three little pictures …..and a whine.  YOu can whine to me in the comments….I'm all ears…. and I don't' mind a bit today. 

It's italic font day.  I just said so.   It's also barely 70 degrees outside and this post-menopausal knitter is mighty happy to have a light sweatshirt on.     I'm still reeling from my reading with Beverley the psychic.  No one seems as impressed as I am, but I gotta tell you…IT FELT RIGHT.   Since I was told that can't have another golden without making Huck upset, I'm completely at peace about it.   Her Pie"ness" takes all treats from me directly from my fingers.( like a dog , I know)   Somehow I snapped this image with one hand on the camera…. Summer posts lend themselves to many more pictures than winter posts.  I'm a flash nerd and indoor light just complicates my shots.  In the summer I can click away and have great pictures to share with you while I am in total comfort outside. .These flowers and the bird house are not mine at all, but the neighbors.     I was in JoAnn fabric today buy...

  I've cast on for this tank top.  It is a Debbie Bliss pattern in her COMO book.  The book of patterns was originally 18 dollars and I got it on sale for 3 . Score. The front and back of the top are exactly the same. You know how I love an easy pattern.  Score.  As I began to knit I wondered,  Is  Row 1:k2p3k2 across row 2: Knit across Equal to: Row 1: P2K3P2 across row 2 : Purl across? Just wondering…….   Perfect weather today and the next few coming. We had a little downpour to start, and now its cool and wonderful outside.  70s predicted. Low 70s.  Score- Had to show you my current Trap.  I sent one to Karen in Alaska as a thanks for the jelly, salt and honey.  I've decided to stop the increases here and just knit straight.  This one's for me.  Score! Happy Monday.  Have you scored lately?

This very large hearted man attended our Shelter's fundraising walk today in the rain.    2. His 4 year old and 8 year old Irish Wolfhounds were gathering lots of attention from the small loyal crowd of rain walkers.  Just look at his grip and his leads….too much dog for me.  3. Almost everyone got very wet.  Almost everyone was in good spirits anyhow.  4. I went to the psychic when I was there.  She was spot on.  She talked to me about Huck and many other things.  I learned Huck does not want me to get another golden retriever!  He wants to be my only golden boy.  He is with a trainer learning new skills.  (HUCK loved school and training.  He knew so many tricks.  He was a therapy dog and a agility titled dog.  He had obedience ribbons too) THe Psychic new none of this about Hucks life on earth, we had never met.  Huck's okay with me gettin...