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Blog pals, Meet The Churchmouse Stole in Rowan. This is not mine and I couldn't knit it.  It looks soft as a cloud.  Lynette, the owner of Threebagsfull in Northbrook knit this one. Rowan Kidsilk Haze is gorgeous, but let's face it - I'd have to wear a mask and eye goggles to keep those tiny fibers at bay.  The yarns are beautifully designed so you don't have to do much of any thinking once you've chosen your 6 skeins.  But you still have to breathe!  ****** Sometimes, very rarely, but sometimes,  Pie appreciates her brother Beatles.  She remains half his size and twice is attitude.  It's black cat time!  I'm getting my Halloween decorations out  tomorrow. ********* I did not have my camera ready today when Fireman and I saw  the funniest thing.  A squirrel running away from the Dunkin with a sprinkle donut in his choppers.   So you have to just snicker and imagine that , Okay?...

My niece, Quetzl  has her MACH in Agility. Her nickname is the Princess. Her highness visited with my sister and family this weekend.  This dog is on alert 24/7.  She is a magnificent example of the working breed.  I was exhausted watching her.  My sister has a Gordon Setter too, Dashielle. Darling Dash as I call him takes life as it comes..on his own terms, and he's stubborn.  Between the two they weigh 140 lbs.  They swam in Lake Michigan. At our house, Quetzl scared Rosalyn half to death. There was a barking commotion, my sister yelling,   "SOMEone grab her collar" . I grabbed Roz.   Everyone settled down.  Roz and Company remained in the locked basement safely until they left.  For all their training, they do lack a bit of HOUSE etiquette. But hey, they are my sister's kids and I love her.  My sister the veterinarian …. (the shoemakers kids and all that you know)...

  Friend Abby tried her hand at entrelac.  It wasn't her thing.  She was going to rip this out and I suggested she use it as a hot pad.  She could also fold it in half and make it a Book/Nook Cover. She could also seam three of the sides and make it an eyeglass case. Dont' you think?   This is my garter cowl.  I'm into the navy and loving it.  It will be 2/3rds navy and 1/3 wheat.  The i cord edging will be aqua.  Miss Pie is now pretty brown.  I think this is due to her sunbathing on the screened porch all summer long.  She's kind of a mink.   Busy weekend, fun plans. My veterinarian sister and her husband and the dogs will visit.  Sunday is a family party with Fireman's side for 3 great nieces and nephews.  Birthday fun.   Our weather is ideal: high 70s all week and no rain. More of the same next week.  We feel kind of entitled around here due to our miserable ...

  We Parked at the Big Foot State Park lot.  It was almost 1 pm.   There is a bait dispenser at Big Foot Beach.  Your only option was night crawlers.   The sky was picture perfect.  The temperature in the 70s.   Every house a mansion. For your viewing pleasure as you walk the trail.  It winds through the properties and you can peek at it all as long as you stay on the path.    It wound  through a golf course.  Lots of old trees and a lovely clubhouse. Private Club.    Wooden boats.  Money….do you see money?  I did.    The landscaping varied and some properties had incredible flowers still blooming perfectly.   Fireman adjusted his pace for me.  We drank water.  We walked 6 miles or more. My steps soared to over 10,000 then over 20,000.   The leaves are just starting to change a bit.   With all that money...

Knit Night at Threebags was really nice.  Head over to the blog if you want to see some knitters and their WIPs. : threebagsfullcorner.blogspot.com This woman was protecting her identity. She was knitting the Diamonds Cowl in Lorna's laces.  I love all things Lorna.   ******* This E.R. worker was also protecting his identity. The Witness protection program must be at an all time high… (I sent AL the folder for SCHOOL.) ****** My neighbor showed me her pumpkin growing in her yard.  She called it a  Volunteer Pumpkin. It seeded itself from last year.  Love a volunteer!  This has happened to us in the past with cherry tomatoes popping up in odd corners of the yard.  Thing is, When they pick their own spot, the thrive.  *****  I may be incognito myself later.  Fireman and I are trying to hike 8 miles along the Lake Geneva trail today.  There are no pottys along the way.  ...

In no particular order, Without fanfare, and with room for adjustment this is my very ordinary day plan: *Donate blood.  Round this time a few years ago I had surgery and needed to be transfused twice.  Gotta give back.   Gotta beat fireman in our race; he always finishes donating first.  *Knit ---oh Road To China Light yarn, I'm in love.  *Roast a 16 pound turkey in the oven.  No it isn't Thanksgiving, but it was on sale.  If I'm going to give blood, I have to have a good dinner right? Gravy counts as fluids; they always say drink plenty of fluids today.  *Doctor appointment- Feeling great.  Is there a direct correlation between this and not working since August 8th?   Yup, the units I  work on have slowed to a crawl and I'm only too happy about it.  Sort of retirement practice… adjustment?  What adjustment?  This is heavenly!  I feel a bit guilty about this.. and that's...

  This is Liz.  She is wearing the sweater she knit:  Coloratura on Ravelry.  She used Claudia's Handpaint.  This sweater is knit in strips.  I can knit strips.  It has no buttons.  I don't like knitting button holes or sewing buttons. But remember yesterday's post ….I swore off sweaters.  I think I better stick to that for at least a month.. Thanks to all of you who shared in my failures.   I'm not alone.   I felt much better and stopped licking my wounds… moving on….   This amazing sunset was Friday's unexpected treat.  Nevermind the sun is no longer working overtime round here. She's still beautiful coming up and going down.  Lest you think I can see the sunset easily from our congested little suburb, I have to tell you: This was taken from the prairie that is preserved just so we can have a sunset over the horizon spot.  I'm still romanticizing farm life….an...

  I went to Three Bags Full's Knit Night last night to take photos for the blog.  ( a new post is up with some great ideas at Threebagsfullcorner.blogspot.com)  This was the only thing I could find that I felt comfortable wearing there.  It is an old Ribbon scarf from years ago.  I had thought about wearing the vests I made in the last year.  They all had issues.   They were primarily cotton and they grew and grew… I felt like I'd wasted so much time and money on these vests.  Lessons learned.  While I can be happy that I knitted them and conquered reverse shaping, finally, I knit them in the wrong yarns.  Two of the three will literally become kitty property. They will be stuffed inside the baskets that the cats love to sleep in during the winter months.   My most successful knits are not sweaters and vests. I'm successful with scarves and hats and socks and stoles.  (Fingerless gloves too...

My dear friend and neighbor, Abby, knit this gorgeous Osaka Wrap over the last year.  The middle image shows its color best.  It is wine colored, not bright red.   Milt wanted a really nice gift for Abby on their summer anniversary last year.  He was tired of giving her jewelry… so I suggested cashmere yarn!  Abby knitted this beauty up on and off over the last year.  It is a Shibui pattern, in Schulane cashmere fino. It is so soft.  So elegant.  It is a two piece garment:  The schematics were a bit hard to understand. Once Martha at ThreeBagsFull did the finishing, we understood it.  Well done Abby!   She looks great in it, and I know it will be a meaningful garment for her to wear for many years.  If any husband needs an anniversary hint…send them over! I'll suggest amazing yarn as something to remember for many happy years to come. 

If you haven't seen this yarn on the ThreeBagsFullCorner blog I have to tell you the color shading is amazing.  Hold your horses, it itches.   This is Kuani and it's 100% wool and rather costly.  If you are a wool lover though, you cannot beat how beautifully this stuff knits up.  Not for me, but I'm short on knit progress today so I thought I'd….share….   Before I could get really excited about the hummingbirds  returning to our feeder, they ditched me again. Fireman bought a new feeder yesterday as the other one was several years old, plastic, and broke on a fall to the ground.  I've been feeding our 6 rose bushes fish emulsion.  They are all ready to burst in color again. Hold everything, that fish emulsion STINKS. (And It turns out hummingbirds don't go to roses because roses  don't provide nectar)  We did get a red breasted nuthatch to our water fountain yesterday and that was fun. ...

  My hooded scarf is coming along.   Life is better by the campfire, and we had one on Saturday night here.  Brrrrr, it was freezing.   I am not ready, not ready, not ready, not anywhere near ready for that Novemberish weather.     I did not bring the corn kernel candy into this house. Someone else did.  Have you read any of the Happiness Factor book?   I'm all or nothing.  Some people are moderators.  If I eat one of the kernels I'll eat them all.  I'm not ready to eat them all…. I'll wait until just a few are left. Came across this baby sweater pattern yesterday in the mail. I love it. I'm adding it to my someday plans.  I'm not ready to knit another baby sweater.  I'm also not ready to walk my 10,000 steps but out I go What are you not ready for?    

  Outside my window - I am not seeing hummingbirds that Fireman saw yesterday.   I am thinking - my Chicago Bears Knitted hat for Zach helped them win last night.   I am thankful - for so very much.  Rozzy is having a good stretch.  In the Kitchen - I'm just loving my Keurig.  Fresh cuppa each morning.  Thanks to all who encouraged me.   I am wearing, a green long sleeve sweater that people often ask if I've knitted. ha! I am creating - a hooded scarf with my Sheep and Wool Festival Green Mountain Spinnery Yarn.  Natural brown.  Minimally processed and surprisingly soft.  40% kid mohair 60% fine wool. It is supposed to be a cold winter… Pie loves this yarn and wants to lick it. I am going -  to look at the lot down the street where they, this very morning, knocked an old house down.  I'm pretty sure that critters were living quite happily in there. I am wondering - how I'll...

  It rained a cold rain yesterday. This meant lots of time for finishing.  Zach needed a new hat.  I knit one that fit him well.   I measured his head circumference: 22  and a quarter inches.  Lynette at the knit shop says you take 2 inches off that and do your gauge math.  Mine was 4 stitches per inch.  So I cast on 22inches -2inches, or 20inches  times 4 stitches per inch for 80 stitches  cast on. I used a smaller needle size for the ribbing then switched up a size for the body. I wanted it to slouch so the decreases at the top went like this: Knit 3 knit 2 together. Knit around. Knit 2 knit 2 together. Knit around. Knit 1 knit 2 together . Knit around . Knit 2 together around and pull through.  It fit perfectly.  I used some lovely cascade 220 that Ellen sent me. The hat is in Chicago Bears football colors.  Maybe it will bring them much needed luck!   Knitterbea...