knittinggenes.blogspot.com

  Fireman and I just returned from a few days in Door County.  We love Door County. Our plan was to stay at the "door" of Peninsula State Park and ride and hike for two days.  We did.  Fireman had a Gulden Draak.  He loved this beer.    We worked up an appetite and there is no better place to eat than Door County.  If you've never been well, its a sliver of land North of Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay.  It's charming little towns are well kept and offer the tourist lots of options.  We ate most of our meals at Julie's Motel and Cafe. The staff was friendly and genuine.  Our little server for the mornings was a girl from Turkey. She had so much pride in her country.  She says the news depicts it poorly, but she loves her country.  Chicken pot pie, with the best crust ever was my favorite treat. Door County is all about cherries and orchards, and about water and the Bay and the L...

 I do realize that in Arizona today it is over a hundred degrees again, and it is humid and raining in  Virginia , but the weather has shifted in the Midwest. I finished knitting my 6ply socks and I had to put them on asap. My toes are freezing under the covers. I'm not turning  on the heat. I refuse Below is a gorgeous brioche cowl that is a class at my lys. I love how the multi yarn works against the solid brown Are you sensing a change in your wardrobe?

After Saturday's kayaking debacle, I've amended my bucket list These things are no longer on my list: zip lining.  I will contentedly watch others Horseback riding, it is true.  I used to gallop with horses and it was a joy but no more. Going on a cruise. Life's too short for me to ever be nauseous again. I figure I was nauseous for nearly a year if yyou add up my three pregnancies. I never need to choose a path that may lead to nausea again. . Tent camping,been there many times done that Kayaking in lake Michigan. Nuf said Getting a puppy......hard to believe but I can't imagine training and trust ing another do ggy soul after the incredible Huck This list is not complete  by any means ...life's too short to knit that sweater if I have the tiniest doubt about loving it And you?

  Do you have Affy Tapples By you? Do you have your candy corn?  The summer took so long to start, and the CUBS are in the playoffs so it feels like an odd Fall. But  WE'll take it! Time to work on socks.  This is the Knitting Fever replacement yarn.  Nice warm socks coming...  I've already knit a hat with the skein and I've enough left to make a pair of shorty socks.  Thanks Katherine!! We watched the Blood Moon turn red.  Did you get a chance to see it?  Arooooooooo!  

Okay this is going to take awhile. Let's start by saying that You my friends will take my version of the story as fact. So I'm always saying to Zach "hey we have to make a memory". Because what we do mostly is eat dinner together. He s busy working ,teaching ,seeing his girlfriend (wink wink. More on that later)  and we need to make some memories too. So in the past we go to the paradise pup for burgers or we go to a bulls game or cub game.   Perhaps we should stick to cleaning the house together... So I decide we should go kayaking in Lake Michigan because this is the best time of year to do this. And I'm an outdoorsy mom,art least in my head..... So we get the kayaks in the truck after we check beach conditions on line and fireman comes along We need someone to watch from shore and to park the truck after we drop off Well we get there on this glorious day and it's a bit wavy. Just a bit. But I say let's forget it    Firema n and I have gotten in...

  Our Friends Sandy and Larry take us out on their boat.....often. Larry loves to fish. It is his therapy.   We caught lots of fish yesterday and the weather was picture perfect.  I am so tired after being on the water all day.  I sleep so well whenever we get home from Lake Delavan.  I'm pretty sure that I drive Larry crazy because I prefer to bobber fish.  He and Fireman jig and reel and WORK at their fish. I like to watch the bobber.  I nearly caught the biggest fish yesterday, but I lifted him out of the water too far without the net and whoosh he was gone.  I also had a huge bite that Larry thinks was a big Northern Pike in the later afternoon.  He took half the line with him.  Fireman LANDED the biggest fish of the day: a large mouth bass.  Sandy never fishes.  She has just as much fun sunning on the boat and chatting away. More progress made on the never ending baby blanket on t...

  It is really too bad that I am not a morning person because the sunrise is pretty glorious these days. I'm up for Shelter Operating room work this morning, and the Earth treated me to this pink and yellow and blue sunrise.  How do you morning people do it?  I finished a quick knit hat yesterday. This little washable wool hat is going to my oh so serious 4 year old great nephew Jaxon.    I'm between projects now and I have that twitchy feeling about what to knit next.  I need the knitting spirits to move me.  How do you decide on your next knit up?    

  Al's friend Heather is modeling her just knitted hat.  AL says it is Plymouth Yarn Gina. 80 Skeins Portland Market Pattern  www.80skeins.com is the designer's site. She is a small independent designer. Heather and Al work together as ER nurses at CHKD in Norfolk.    My never ending blanket is coming along....very very slowly.  It seems silly to show you tiny progress, but it is all I've got this morning!  I'm searching my stash of leftovers for more blues and yellows....I think I'm running out.   Finally today,  It is the first official day of Autumn here. We only know this by the early to bed sunsets in the evenings. Our weather has been spectacular for the last 2 weeks. Sunny 70s cheerful bright!  Welcome Autumn! Why is this an unusual Autumn?  Well a certain Major League Baseball team is in contention and that's not the norm here in Chicago!  Dear Autumn:  May you be a ...

  What fun I had today meeting Judy again, and her daughter.  Judy, you know, of Stitch Along With me, is a fantastic knitter. Fireman and I met Judy and Dick 2 years ago when they came to town.  Today we caught up and as we parted, Dear Pretend Friend Judy hugged me and said  "It's two to nothing now and you have to come to Washington!"  We will Judy !!! Judy showed me her WIPs. Her shawl in maroon, gray and pink is going to be stunning. We talked about the troubles we have with dropped garter stitches. Judy is very much more accomplished a knitter than I .  She is knitting a sweater with the name PACIFIC that will be so lovely .  I saw her UNDINE socks.  Really cute.  Finally she showed me her Hermione's Sock. I love that pattern. Exclamation points times three! She told me how it is a four row repeat, and I'm going to try it on my very next hat.  Judy picks her stitches.  I tend to throw.  She ...

  Hmmm, wonder what Zach's doing at yesterday's family party.  Oh, he's googling baby stuff... NOT. I plopped my niece's new little one in his arms.  Miss Emma Rose to be specific is darling in his arms.  Suffice to say she did not spew any baby goop on him.  Then I promptly stole her for myself, which was the ploy all along. I knit another hat this weekend.  Cascade 220 sale wool from my LYS . Simple pattern from Knit'N Style. Encore worsted pattern. I changed the cast on count to 80 down from 88.  Glad I did. I'm still working on the never ending baby blanket.  I need to cast on for an alternate knit though. The blanket is getting heavy.  Hmm, fingerless next?  Not sure.   How was your weekend? 

  I like the magazine Love of Knitting.  This cinched cowl is really sharp.  Love the colorway of the yarn.   Someone donated their sweet pea plants to others at the animal shelter this week. I took one.  It should like the cooler weather.  Ignore the numerals, they aren't right . We are on number 3, but I'm not savvy enough to fix this.  Speaking of likes, Fireman likes Google. He goes a bit bonkers when I use BING.  I agree google is a much better search engine but Bing will do in a pinch and I think it is our MSN homepage default.  At Walgreen's today someone saw me buying marshmallows. We chattted.  She told me her mom makes her rice krispie treats with sweetened condensed milk, not marshmallows. What? I GOOGLED it and it is true. Who knew? YOU?  Miss Pie has a way of getting through the upstairs hall door some mornings and jumping on our bed. She is SOOOO happy when she succeeds and I'd let her stay but she rubs and...

  I need to bring a gift to an 11 year old girl, my great niece. A friend told me that Babycakes is a great gift. Like an Easy Bake Oven for big girls who aren't quite big enough to manage the oven.  Have you seen this?   This big girl is notorious for breaking glasses. And glass bowls.  So I found these "wine" cups that ought to last around here. I'll let you know!   Another friend gave me a great tip: Skinnytaste.com.  They have great recipes.  I made their lettuce wraps this week.   Lots of veggie choppin but great flavor .   When Al was home I gave her my mom's apron.  My mom was 19 when her mother in law crocheted this for her.  Olga was my Hungarian grandma, my dad's mom.  The Hungarians are looking kind of mean right now aren't they? I hope MY relatives there are helpers to the refugees. Everyone in the Central Plains and Midwest are experiencing storms. Last nigh...

  I knit up two Really Simple Shawlettes Pattern:  Aitch Creatives.   It is a free Ravelry pattern.  I used less than two skeins of Schaeffer Superwash Lola. Then I copied something I saw a bit ago, and put the two shawls together.   The finish is fun. You don't have to tie anything and it sits perfectly on your shoulders.  I crocheted the One seam that links the two shawls. You cannot see it from the right side.  I'm super happy with this knit. I will knit another someday.  I think it took me 11 years to find a shawl I really love.  Oh and the Cubs won again last night.  Somebody pinch me!  

  One sweet comment suggested I show more garden pictures today. Well, here are my neighbors lovely stonecrop and pink skirts.   My cosmos by the climbing hydrangea are going gangbusters....   Susan's are all over the nieghborhood, so cheerful so social. This frog was in our friend's garden yesterday. Maybe if I get a frog I wont have to frog anymore! Our skunk is making his nightly appearances. Not one to disturb the delicate suburban ecosystem ...I kind of like him.  Pie is the first to alert us to his roaming .....she runs across the porch in complete silence and we know why every night around dusk or thereafter.  Do you have Critters that visit regularly?  Hoping to finish the second half of my shawl today.   

  Half of my shawl is finished.   There has been lots of time to knit in the car the past week or so.  This is the Schaefer sale yarn I purchased for  12 dollars for this particular knit up.  I'm really happy with this yarn. It has bounce and it has nice little pooling effects.   One of Fireman's Cycling pals moved to the 'country' ten years ago.  We have been to their home in winter only for Holiday parties, but we knew they had an amazing garden.  We drove up to their place today, and their garden did not disappoint.   Everywhere you looked there was a peaceful scene to enjoy.  They have small fish in the pond and hiding places for the fish to escape if birds dare to dine there.  Diane, married to Wayne, loves bats.  She is a master gardener.  She had lots of good ideas for my own little garden. Little Knits made good on my complaint about their sock yarn. They put me in touch with Knitt...