Knit This Knit That & 2 Kitty Cats

70s Night at Wrigley Field...Oh what a night.

Went to the Cubs game last night at Wrigley Field…and it was SCAREY!! The tornado sirens went off and they told people to evacuate to the lower concourse.   Lightening….RAIN…like I haven’t seen in years.  Someone of course, had a video of went on....

I was able to get to the train…and then they evacuated the El platform…was able to jump on the train and get home.  Figured that I had it and if the big one was going to hit...well, I would be on the train.

Was very intense….and the Cubs were down 2-0. Oh, it was 70s night and I was in a skybox…best seat in the house…right over home plate.  There were some wild pitches into the stands...there was a bat that flew into the crowd...was a very strange night.  Not to mention people dressed in their 70s best.  Here is a link to an Elvis getting arrested at Wrigley...Elvis was in the building.....

What a night…and I didn’t have my knitting with me.

Don't try this at home....

  I just finished a dog sweater from Corrie's new book Doggie Knits.  Love the sweater...its a hoodie.  Now, those of you who know me...or read the blog know I don't have a dog.  I do have a friend who has a poodle that I call chubs.  She doesn't like it at all...he is puffy though...but that is another story.  

Paula is a very good friend...who has this puffy poodle....and we share our love of the Chicago Cubs.  Every February when it is dark and very cold we go up to Wrigley Field and try and get tickets for the season (you have to go get a bracelet and pray they call your number....then you get to go back and stand in line to get them...or try desperately to call/online).  I thought I would make the hoodie into a Chicago Cub dog sweater.  When the weather finally does get cold....maybe...just maybe...oh, I can't even think about it without getting a chill....the Cubs could be in the World's Series?  Then the puffy poodle will have the right sweater.

Ok, so I have Cubs on the mind lately...can you tell?  Going tomorrow to a game and then again next Friday.  It is the 20th anniversary of the first night game...ok, back to knitting...

Tonight when I finished the sweater, I tried it on Felix.  Opps...mistake.  He wasn't happy!  I tried to take pictures...I have to apologize that they aren't the greatest pictures...I was laughing to hard and it was hard holding the camera straight.

 

nataliedee.com

You know, there are times when having a pet is well....defines who you are to some extent.  Lately, at the train station, they have been giving out samples of cat food....the good stuff...wet food...the stuff my cats never get.  Yes, they are big....well....we won't talk about that.  People at work have been giving me the samples from the train station.  Much appreciated....but then I was thinking...do people at work think I am a 'cat person'?  What does that mean??  Oh my gosh!!  I am a stereotype!  Single...40s...2 cats...hell NO!

Some of this comes up from my week on Ravelry.  There were posts about a friend's book that recently came out.  So proud of her but when she posted on a dog forum about her book signing someone actually had the....well...guts...to suggest that the dog on the cover of the book was drugged.  The posts got heated and I was called a 'whining twit.'  There were two posters that went on and on about that the dog looked abused and they should know because they owned that breed...a small dog breed.  Was just crazy...they used all caps in the posts to get their point across (to mean screaming) ....that we didn't understand because we didn't have that type of dog.  Just freaky.  Made me think about stereotypes of people and also how crazies sometimes have a forum on the internet.  Now, in my mind I will think of those two ladies as the crazy dog ladies.  Just sad.

Ok, here is something that mad me laugh on the internets this week.....in English...and German.

Haven't really been knitting lately.  My train time has been cute a little bit.  Have to admit that I have been driving.  When working very late...driving is a good thing....really good thing.  So no train time cuts down on the knitting time....but driving cuts down on the time I have getting home.  Humm, decisions....drive and get home much ea.  My work project is almost done and I will be taking the train more.  :)   Will also be knitting more...and more...and more....for 5 days at Knitting Camp!  Can't wait to spend the 4th of July with Meg, Amy and Joyce!!

Did finish a pair of socks recently...I did!  A couple of weeks ago went to the Worldwide KIP day at Millenium Park here in Chicago.  There was this man who came up to us and made a bee line to me and the socks.  He loved the socks and asked if I would be willing to knit a pair for him.  After some chat...it didn't go his way.  He left and gave me the best compliment I've gotten...in a very long time.  "Those socks are better than the Bean" 

Lately I have gotten the quilting bug...also cuts down on the knitting.   One of the quilts I just finished is the Urban Amish.  Used Kaffe Fasset fabric I got at Quiltology.  I picked it up from them today (they did the quilting) and it is soooo pretty.  The shop actually asked if they could use it for about a month as a sample on the wall.  :)  Felix loved it as well....as I was putting it together had to roll him over to get to the pieces.

Ok, so while we are chatting about quilting, here is a picture of a quilt I was comissioned to make for a partner at work.  She was re-doing her daughter's room and asked is I could make a quilt out of the fabrics they used.  It is amazing to my the transformation quilting takes on....from choosing the fabrics...sewing and then finally quilting.  All different stages and looks.  The quilting really made this quilt.

    If you look closely you can see a cat under the quilt and one on top.  They were obsessed with this one too.  Bert is very cute when I am at the sewing machine.  He sits on the table and watches everything...usually purring.

No Heaven

 

Just been at work a lot lately...sorry for not posting more. Just haven't been knitting (blasphemy, I know). This is the scene at work yesterday from high up in the Sears Tower. Kind of creepy! Remember when you were kids and you just assumed heaven was above the clouds...well...I work above the clouds...no heaven. Sniff.

$$ = Class

Went to fill my little car up with gas this morning and this is what I saw...never seen $$ on wheels before.  What was very funny is the driver and his passenger....oh, they had to be in their 80's.  Just made me laugh while I spent over $40 in gas.  Oh, click on the picture to get the full effect.

Back to knitting...I have been knitting...really, I  have.  Just feel that all my projects are in the middle or just beginning stages.  Almost embarrassing to post them.  The sock monkey is almost done.  The Knit 1 No. 12 skirt is coming along.  The market bag is near completion.  One sock done out of the regia.

Going for a much need vacation to Florida with my sister and her family.  Can't wait to play in the sand and just relax.  Going to bring the Knit 1 No. 12 skirt...that's it.  If I focus....it will be done!!

Sock Monkey Madness

I have been obsessed...for years...those of you who know me personally know this...with sock monkeys.  Found a pattern from Two Old Bags where you can knit your very own personal large sock monkey.  Almost done with mine.  Corrie is the one who found the pattern actually.  When I saw her's well, I had to have it too.

So, this past weekend I was chatting online with Yam (the friend who lives in Hong Kong) and we were chatting about a tape measure I bought her when I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago.  It has a crocheted cover and looks like a piece of candy.  We both thought how cute it would be to make different things with a tape measure.  Of course, I HAD to do a sock monkey.  Ya, this is what I did on Saturday night...figured out how to crochet a sock monkey cover.  LOL.   Here it is....

 

(click on the image to see it enlarged)

This is soooo Bert

Saw this on Youtube...this is soooo Bert...but with the bedroom door.  He knows how to open it too.  Anyway, I do love the video...and especially the garden gnome.  Have a few of those too.  LOL.

Long Time W/O a Cute Picture of the Pets

Today's post has nothing to do with knitting.

Been a long time since I've posted a cute picture of the pets.  This was taken last Sunday.  Looks almost like they were playing the clapping game...you know the one...when you were in grade school...at recess... "Ms. Lucy had a baby, she named him Tiny Tim, put him in a bathtub to see if he could swim, he drank up all the water, ate up all the soap...."

Oh, my favorite quote of the day was from my secretary when I offered her a mashmallow peep..."No thanks.  I don't eat anything with a face."

ISO - Sanity

My brother's sweater did come back to me and I took the sleeves apart and realized that the collar just didn't look right with the stripes either.  ::::sigh:::: *

Ordered more of the Debbie Bliss Rialto and re-knit....finally finished it on Sunday and decided to wash it.  You see, Felix has this habit of taking my knitting out of the bag and sleeping on it.  He did this a couple of times with this sweater.  Thought it would be nice not to have a ton of hair in it.  Put it in the sink and it was washed.  Oh my God!  The sweater is cursed...it really is.  What happened you ask?  The sweater totally lost its shape and was very drapey!!  I almost cried...well...there were some tears.  The next day...still the same.  More tears were shed.  Then I went onto Ravelry and posted.  Sanity.  Someone posted that it is a superwash and to wash it in the washing machine and dry it on low.  It worked!!

The sweater is now on its way to Santa Fe and I don't care if I ever see it again....I want to see my brother but not the sweater.

*  In Swedish, the word for "sigh" is "suck."  I remember reading Peanuts comics in Sweden....cracked me up when I saw the bubble over Snoopy's head reading Suck.  LOL.  So 'sigh'...'suck' ...whatever when it comes to the sweater.