These are the two scarves I finished at SMW. The top was bought at Wool and Co on Wednesday and is out of Dune, just a simple seed stitch scarf on big needles. The lower one was started before I went and purchased at Mary's Yarn Shop in Eureka IL 

All my purchases from Stitches Midwest and from Wool and Company on the Wednesday before it all began. Wool and Company has moved to Geneva IL downtown and they have a lovely store. So much fun to shop at. If you get there, go and shop, we loved it, but then I liked it when they were in St Charles too. But now they have so much more room. 

I am back. Boy am I glad it is a long weekend! I have tons of stuff to do, plus wanted to up date by blog since Stitches Midwest. This is a mug I found at the market and doesn't it just say it all? Life is good for me right now. I have an understanding family, great friends to travel with and they are always there for me when I ask them for anything. Life is good! So live it to it's full potential. And remember you can never have enough scarves no matter what anyone says! 

I'm Back! And have been for several days. But life has been so hectic this week. I did my first show as an Advisor for lia sophia and with that and putting away all of my Stitches Midwest stuff (and it is not all put away yet) it has been quite a week. And they actually wanted me to put in time at work and at the old part-time job at church.

I have some pics I have taken, but I don't even have time to show you those yet. Today in about an hour I am on my way to Indianapolis for a bus trip with the Peoria Area Stitches Guild. One of the stops will be Mass Ave Knit Shop. Believe it or not, there are a couple of things that I want to buy that I didn't find at Market or at Wool and Company in Geneva!

Hopefully tomorrow, I will have pics and more to report about Stitches Midwest. It was fabulous except I froze to death in most of the venues at Pheasant Run! It was un normally cold around here for the time of the year and I had all of those wonderful tank tops I just had to wear.

What to do What to do? Two days, well really only one and half days before Jan and I head to Stitches Midwest. I have so much I want to be knitting on. But, tonight is my starter party for lia sophia. Get through it, and tomorrow, return house to normal (yarn all over the place), get nails done, wash car, get money.....Pack and definitely figure out what to take to knit on. I want to take it all, but frankly, there is only much time for knitting up there. Will be doing alot of stash enhancement, stopping at Wool and Company in Geneva on our way up on Wednesday.

When I get home, I have to finish a couple of gifts and then pull out my knitting for me. I finished the last of my Summer tanks so I could take it to Stitches with me. When I get back, I will show you all what followed me home! Until next week...Knit on!

Where is this month getting to? I am going to turn around and it will be September! This is a full month. In little more than a week, my friends and I will be on our way to Stitches Midwest! It seemed like it would never get here and now it is within sight. It is going to be so much fun to see my friend Jan as she walks into the Market for her first time. I want to run in ahead of her and take her picture as she walks in. It is going to be so neat to see her reaction. Just like a kid on Christmas morning. If I get the chance, I will post her picture for all to see. She might not appreciate it, but it is like they always say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Before I go, though, I have a ton of stuff to do. My sons stripped the wallpaper off of our kitchen where it had been for at least 20 years! It is a start, but right now, I just need to get in back in order and then after Stitches Midwest is over and the first 5 weeks of being a lia sophia advisor is behind me then, I will be able to breathe for just a bit. Our one son will be back at college and his room will be mine to store all those bits of fiber that will be jumping in my car to come home with me. EEEK! I gotta stop thinkin, cause it is starting to consume me and there is so much to be done.

Tomorrow, we go to Mary's Yarn Shop in Eureka for a little knitting and yarn shopping. Not that I need any, but I am working on Two Old Bags Openwork Triangle Tote with Galway and Yellow that I showed a few weeks back. The novelty that I am carrying with the blue is not popping like I think it should, so I am going to see about getting something darker. I will keep you posted. And I need to pick up one of my sweaters that I am going to wear at Stitches and this will be the last chance before we go.

Well, tomorrow is D-Day! It is the last day of July and I swore to myself that I would start on Fall/Winter on the 1st of July. I guess I didn't just say that I would start on Fall/Winter, I said I would put the Summer knitting away didn't I? I guess that means I can't sneak knit on it then? Bt who would know? Well of course I would have to tell all about the finished project if it came to that wouldn't I?

Anyway, I am so excited about what is going on around me these days. I guess August 1 is like New Year's eve only in the Summer. It is a new month, it starts on Sunday (the day I always start my Weight Watchers week over and vow to be on points). On Monday evening, after more than 10 years of being our church treasurer, I get to train someone new to take over for me. It has been a long time in coming, the search started in April and they finally talked someone to take on the new job! I hope by the time I head out for Stitches Midwest in mid month, that he will be fully trained, and I only will have to go back for maybe the odd question or two at month end or year end.

Then, having not even trained someone, I am going to become a lia sophia jewelry advisor! lia sophia, if you haven't heard was formally known as Lady Remington. I will tell more when I know more, but I am doing my starter show in two weeks, here at the house. I hope to have at least one of my sons on his way back to college so I can get his stuff out of "his room" and my yarn back into "my room". "My room" is really Willie's bed room, but possession is 9/10.

Anyway, stay tuned for more developments. Tomorrow, we are back to Mary's Yarn Shop in Eureka to knit and then to Washington lunch! If you ever are down this way, you have got to stop in and see Mary and tell her Penny sent you. It is great to finally have a "local" yarn shop just a half an hour or so away..

This morning I went looking for some yarn and the pattern that I was just sure that I had bought. Along the way, I got into a cleaning mode, cause the wanted stuff was not being found. It entailed going through several plastic boxes and about 8 copy boxes. While sorting through it all, I decided it was time to let some of these old yarns and old WIPs go, so I packed them up and sat them out for the garbage. AND - I am not looking back! Sometimes, you just have to let them go. No one would want some of the yarn, and several of the WIPS were for me when I was about 50 pounds heavier. Some of the yarns were just a little dab leftover, why was I keeping them??

So in my cleaning fit, I found the pattern, it wasn't I thought it was. I found two yarns, they weren't enough to do what I wanted. And best of all, I now have acquired three circular needles for my collection, some stitch holders, and about 2 dozen marker rings. I know there is so much more down there, and I did find some that I definitely have to get back to.

But on Friday, made a list of "have - to - do", and it is an extensive list! It will probably be Christmas day before I can get to the new projects! And Stitches Midwest is less than a month away!! I need to be knitting!!!

I spent the weekend in Iowa visiting ladies I worked with 21 years ago. We came from IL, WI and two from Iowa. It was so good to see them all. Salle on the right I had seen about 6 or 7 years ago when she was back in Peoria. The other two Sally and Marcia I had not seen in more than 20 years. What fun we had! The trip took me about 4 1/2 hours to get home(driving 70 - 80) and about 7 hours to get there. The reason it took me so long to get there is I went the indirect route through Muscatine Iowa, about 2 hours out of my way. BUT--no travel plans cannot not include a yarn excursion. I stopped at Crazy Girl Yarn Shop in Muscatine! Muscatine is the cutest town, sitting on the Mississippi River and they have a yarn shop that over looks the river. How cool! Of course, I bought yarn, but you can't see it, because it is slated for a gift for one of the Radical Knitters and some day I am gonna tell them about my blog and I wouldn't want to give all of my surprises away. Anyway, have car will travel to see old friends and of course yarn shop! I heartily recommend the trip! 

And finally, for today. This is the group of yarns I bought at Mary's Yarn Shop in Eureka last Saturday. The blue and yellow on left and the eyelash in the front is going to be a purse from Two Old Bags. The variegated is going to be a tank yet to be decided....Chickami if I can find my pattern I bought, possibly one from Knitters Spring Issue or my own design if I have enough yarn. Do you see a color theme? Caribbean Blue..... 

This is what I covet. However, I only have 6000 miles on the Yarn Mobile and unless I win the lotto and finance it and the yarn shop, that is what it will remain, a covet. 

This is what I have - the PJKNITS yarn mobile. 

Aren't these the cutest? My friend Norma knit them for me as a surprise when she came down for lunch at work today. I can't believe how much I like them. They are so comfy and they go with the theme of colors I am doing these days.  

Every July, a group of us at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Peoria get to display our projects in the Lobby Case, pondering the question Is it Art or Craft? 

The top two scarves are mine from Trendsetter Aura. One skein and oh so cool. My booga bag and far right is a sweater I designed myself using a vneck t-shirt I liked. It is amazing what gauge can do for you. I credit Judy Chan at Mosaic Yarn Studio in Des Plaines for this knowledge one summer. My friend Julie and I traveled many weekends up there to soak up Judy's mentoring.  

Norma sewed the tote bag here and on the next picture. We have her dubbed her Norma Bradley (not her real name). Norma keeps me in great totes for my yarn and purses. Our friend, not a knitter, but a great needle artist did the framed piece.  

Jan's eyecatching vest gets a comment wherever she wears it. This an adaptation from multiple yarns from Needleworks in Champaign IL and 25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Beginner Knitter. 

Over half way done. When asked today at work, if I had lots of goodies in progress, I said yes and they occupy my mind all the time. This is an addiction! But that is what happens when you have the pleasure of spending most of a holiday weekend knitting! In between, cleaning and eating, I knitted my way through the weekend. Now, that is living!. Amongst the cleaning, I came across yet another tub of yarn, crosstitch kits, one completed sweater for a young child awaiting to grow into it and a sweater in progress for an unamed child. At the time I started it I just wanted to knit it, and so it sits awaiting me. Maybe cleaning isn't such a good thing? 

The red, white and blue scarf died a slow death. The Dazzlelash did not take kindly to being cast on by itself. Or maybe it was PMS, but anyway, it will be saved for another time. So this morning I decided to cast on for another scarf. This one with a strand of Dazzlelash and a strand of Jewel FX. Casted on 24 sts on size 15 needles was way more than I wanted, so I tried just the Jewel FX by itself on 10 1/2 and then finally settled back on the original one strand of each on size 11 straight needles (not what I usually use) and 15 sts. I like it. So the red and white will be finding a mate at a later date. 

Happy 4th of July!!! 

Happy 4th of July! This is a good day to eat, knit and watch great old movies like Midway and From Here to Eternity. I love the 4th, but that means it is almost mid Summer and once again I am still knitting on my summer sweaters. I have got to get a handle on it. I want to be ahead of schedule for Fall. As soon as I get these couple done, oh okay, at least 3, then I am onto Fall/Winter!!

In honor of the day, I think I will knit on the red, white and blue scarf that I bought yarn for just yesterday. Hopefully, picture tommorrow on what it looks like.

The best part of the 4th?? Tomorrow, is an extra day off of work, I love it when that happens.

Wait, wait I wasn't finished, but obviously my computer was, I wanted to show you my all time favorite! This was given to be by Norma after her trip to Gulf Shores. This is me. This will be me, sitting on a beach (hopefully) knitting in my bikini not giving a rats patoot as to who sees me, just enjoying my knitting, the sun and the blue water! So now it is 6:00 almost and time for me to be getting ready for work and I am not done with all I wanted to do! I need to win the Lotto, and guess what I played the big one this week and didn't win and I am playing again on Friday, wish me luck Norma!! 

I have been up since 5:00 a.m. I fell asleep on the couch around 9:00 last night (way to early for me, trust me) So this morning I started with the first of all the things I was going to do last night. Check the blogs I normally read and try to figure out what to put on mine. So in the course of reading blogs, someone else posted pics of their reading collection (http://sharonstuff.typepad.com/knitknacks/) and the thought hit me. My knitting/yarn collection of figs and such. I actually had a couple when I started, but my good friend Norma really gets me the greatest ones. My equally good friend Jan and Kristy gave me the non-knitting related ones, one holding a dog (signifying friendship) and the other holding a book much like a teacher would. I always wanted to be a teacher and love bringing new info to knitters.  

This is my basket find from the NQA show in Peoria yesterday. If it gets dirty, all I have to do is take it outside, hose it down and reshape it. Now, the big decision is what yarn do I put in it. Do I put a project and yarn? Do I put leftovers in it? Why did I buy this basket? The colors and some day I am going to decorate with it.  

Today, I went with my knitting buddies to the NQA Quilt Show in Peoria. What a great show! Just looking at all the quilts while I was there made me want to go home and pull the fabric out, lube the sewing machine and sew one up. BUT--by the end of the show, the feeling was lost and I was ready to knit again.

While we were walking through the quilts, over to the side sat a lady, knitting on a dishcloth. When Norma gave her the thumbs up, she said she had spent the whole day before sitting at her station and she figured she could knit up at least a dish cloth today while she sat at her post. Norma wondered if I had my knitting with me? But of course, I said, it is very rare that in my bag that I don't have at least a sock to knit on, just in case. The other thing I always have with me is my Palm. Where would I be without it? Last week, I bought some cool software, eKnit-Kards for my Palm. I have loaded and still am working my way through it all, hopefully will get to start entering some things this weekend.

One of the neat things, besides the database you ean enter books, needles, magazines etc into is the info screens, such as Kitchener Stitch, decreases, increases, yarn yardage estimator and more. Now, I don't have to carry that reference book along with me every time I go out of town. I just will pop the Palm out and use it. I love technology!

A couple of other things caught my eye today as we walked the vendors. One was a great basket (picture tomorrow) for only $35. A couple of vendors also had some scarf yarn, but the biggest hoot today, was the vendor who was selling Hand Crocheted Scarves for $30, yes $30 and they were crocheted out of Lionbrand Homespun. Amazing! I had to make sure at least of my friends saw this too, cause I just could not believe my eyes. Just imagine if they had knitted one out of some really cool yarn?!

 

And here they are up close and personal. Notice how I positioned them so you can't tell that the toes are different? (Chuckles) 

The Tiger Sox from Opal that took me three years to complete. I first started them for my friend, Maria shown here modeling them, after she and her husband took me tubing on the Illinois River one Summer. Patient she has been! In spite of the fact that the toes are different, she is so appreciative. 

My Epihany Socks. I started these Tiger Opal Socks for my friend Maria, three years ago, after she and her husband started taking me tubing on the Illinois one summer. And here she is modeling them. Even though I could not for life or money get the toes to be the same. 

Yippee Skippee! I made it. I am now an official knitblogger. Now, I will break the news gently to my knitting friends. They will be able to keep up with what I am doing (as if they don't already).

And I had an epiphany on Sunday night. I have been trying how best to organize my knitting projects. And my latest idea is to work on one at a time. Knit it to completion and then work on the next one in line. I know, I know, I won't just be working on one, there will be several, because one needs a truly idiot type knitting project that can be thrown down at will. But, I will consentrate on one really hard at a time.

That in mind, I am currently working on the mate to the Opal Tiger sock for my tubing buddy, Maria. I started these sox about two years ago. When I started them, I told her it would be a while, and now, I just plain have to get the mate done before this year's boating season is done. Hopefully, by weekend it will be done and I can move onto the mate of my Mexico vacation sock.... more on that saga when I get to it.

The other color I love after Carribean Blue! 

I am having a real case of starting new things. I was going to call it startitest, but I am not sure that is a word. I have all these projects that I want to be working on while I am working on something else. Most of them are all tied to wanting to wear or take them to Stitches Midwest in August.

Then this wild hair, rears it's ugly head. The said hair is designing a couple of my own patterns that are swirling around in my head. I am so tired of looking for the perfect pattern for what I want, that I figure I am a smart and semi-knowledgeable knitter and I ought to be able to do this, thanks to Judy Chan from Mosaic Yarn Studio in Des Plaines, IL. Judy taught me and my original knitting buddy, Julie, how to knit almost anything to fit. I have used that class that took about a half of year of traveling to Chicago from Central IL, more than any class I have ever had.

But that is another day for this blog as will be a listing of all of those projects that are swirling around in my head. I need to retire, but that is not for about 20 years! More than that I need to win the lotto, but first, as my good friend, Norma would say, have I bought the ticket? I guess we all know the answer to that. Back to knitting--- and dreaming.

Why Blog?

Because it is alot like family. The blogs I read almost daily number around 20. Soon links will be found on the side of my blog. But I love reading about what others are doing in the knitting world. Matt and Rob, from Threadbear Fiber Arts keep are in the process of getting another retail space and home. Matt posted pics yesterday and it was wonderful to see. Just like being there. When they get it all together, I am going to take a pilgrimage over to Indiana and check it out. Without blogging, I never would have even known about them.

And then there is all of the inspiration I get from the pictures my bloggers are knitting on. They got me started on Charlottes Web Shawl. They send me in directions I never would have found otherwise. Some of my bloggers actually live in my same state and belong to the Windy City Knitting Guild I belong to.

But why do I post? It gives me something to diary to. And someday, I hope someone will say I was an inspiration for their knitting, but first I have to finish something and take a pic of it and then get here. Soon, real soon!

Lately, when there is a semi new and different yarn in my local yarn shop, I buy one skein and test it out and see how I like it and decide if it should turn into a scarf or should I go back and buy more for a sweater. That has served me well, up until the last couple of times. Has my mind and good sense left me?

Last week when yarn shopping with my friends Norma and Jan, I bought 6 balls of Berroco Suede. I had been waiting for it. Jan helped me pick out a color that looked good on me, not my first choice mind you. I bought enough for a tank top, went home casted on and did a swatch still not blown away. Then when I was looking through my catalogs, I ran across the Suede yarn in Patternworks and a simple little shawl pattern. So I decided to turn said 6 balls into a shawl for my son's girlfriend's college graduation! I thought it would be a good choice and so did my son.

BUT---today, while knitting on it at lunch at work and still not bowled over by the feel of it, Jo, another knitter and fellow co-worker who has not retired and left me dry at lunch, echoed my thoughts that the garter stitch ridges ruin the feel of what we think the suede should feel like. So, I am about to rip it out and begin again AND--I am going to try to stop being such an impulse buyer and go back to one skein of the new and fabulous before I commit myself to something I am just not happy with! That is the moral of my story at least for now.

The Yarn Diet is off, the Yarn Diet is on. Much like the real diet that I am on. But, if someone else purchases yarn for you does it mean that the diet was off? Okay, so I reimbursed said person for the yarn. So I made it officially on diet until today, when my good friends Norma and Jan went with me to Needleworks in Champaign and Mary's in Eureka.

What a great day! I took a vacation day and the first stop was Needleworks. I haven't been there since they expanded way back last year. What fun! I got yarn for two birthday presents, two baby gifts, Lavold's newest books that we had been looking for, some great cotton yarn for a top to match some jewelry I bought last night from Lady Remington and Deb Bigger, yarn for Univ of IL color socks, cotton Opal for socks, a great new shawl from Hypen Boy Designs (aka Matthew Hesson-McInnis) to be knitted from Cherry Tree Hills Yarn that I had a home, and a new Tee pattern from Designs from Dove Cottage. Wheww--

Then at Mary's in Eureka, Berroco Suede for a tank, a ball of Tahki, Dahlia to make another drop stitch scarf.

And as I walked out I said, I am done buying spring/summer yarn, and I am done til Stitches Midwest. But that is a lie, since I know in July when I go over to Iowa I will have to stop at a yarn shop.

Mean while, the Charlotte sits there patiently waiting for me to start up on it again. I will post pics as I complete this wonderful lot of yarns I have just brought into my home.. The yarn diet is back on as is my food diet!! Stay tuned.

This is my version of Charlotte's Web Shawl. Doesn't it remind you of Mexico Vacations?? 

A few weeks ago, I went kind of looney and created lists for myself. My knitting was getting just way out of hand and I have got to get a handle on it before I go to Stitches Midwest in August.
First I made a quick list of all the projects that I want to do that I have yarn for and that was within my sight. The list came to a quick count of 34!!! Is that over the edge or what. I need to be on a Yarn Diet!
So I made myself another list of which I titled it "Get a Handle on Yarn/WIP". This list has stipulations. There seven projects on this list: 1-Car Knitting(yes I knit at stop lights and sometimes into the green)2-Xmas/Birthday Knitting, 3 and 4 are my Knit Nite projects and at work knitting projects, 5- is an idiot project by my chair at home 6- is a more complicated pattern by the chair,(just in case it is quiet) and the 7th project is a little project that I keep downstairs with me for watching the news in the a.m. while getting ready for work.
The stipulations attached to myself is two things. The first being that I cannot start a new project until one is finished and I do mean FINISHED! The second stipulation is I cannot buy any new yarn until I use some up. Originally it was I could not buy yarn from a vendor until what I bought from them has been knit up, but pleeeease let's not go way off the deep end on this. I already have a list for Stitches Midwest! I have got to at least knit up one of the garments from two years ago SMW, don't I??

The Mobile 

Happy New Year!

Okay, it is a new year and I have already made a list of dos and don'ts for me. After spending a couple of hours looking an elusive pattern that I know is somewhere with a WIP and seeing all of the yarn I have, I absolutely do not need to buy any more yarn until the next millenium comes around. BUT--as my good friend Norma says "need has nothing to do with it". Seriously, I have enough sock yarn to out fit a small village.

So as I knit today away, I have got to work on some of that sock yarn. Last week, I made a list of those WIPs in my near vicinity, counting 22 want to bes. Two of which are Christmas presents 03 not 04!! That does not include the Christmas 04 that I want to start now so I am not knitting after the holiday has come and gone.

So, keep me honest, check and see how I am doing as the year progresses! Okay, along with all that I really want to learn how to use Frontpage, add pics to this blog and a couple of other computer things so I don't seem so stupid. And of course this is the year I will make it to my goal weight, I will run the Race for the Cure in May and I will run the Steamboat Classic in June!

Big list huh? But that is what a New Year is all about! And last but not least, enjoy life, because mine is good and I have such a great family and equally great friends!

Knit On!