Disclaimer:
Please, no more public celebrity clefts of any kind with the exception of mon petit ami Viggo's chin

Jack Blacks
Cr**k
Sometime this weekend, ChicKnits will be setting up a Paypal account for donations for clothes so he can cover up his undies. Owww.

Superbowl National Anthem
ChicKnits has taken it upon herself to bring Madonna in to sing the National Anthem instead of Mariah at the Superbowl because at least Madonna will dress up like a p**p instead of
a wh***...

Ils sont simplement vulgaires!
Qu'est-ce qui se passe avec ceux publicit‚ 7UP stupide?

Ce qui . . .
(Pronounced: Suh-kee or suckee, which is French for
What the...)
Drew Carey is the #1 Male TV performer?!

KNAVE
D-Boy Dinner Rolls where mom says, "I'm ready anytime they (ie. family members)show up!" Then she makes one dinner roll in the oven for bad teenage daughter who's probably been cutting school and hanging out at the mall all afternoon...
PLEASE get a life...

FAVE
ABC Promos
Cool minimal gfx

Call me now!
Miss Cleo
wants YOU!

Shakira
makes it to CBGBs but can't move to NYNY because she has the soul of a gypsy!

Doug, just get a Volkswagon!

Was It Just Me?
Or was almost everyone at the Golden Globes just a little tipsy...

Where'o'where
is Ralph Fiennes these days?

Puff Daddy
@ the Golden Globes?

Cheeky Monkey
Russell Crowe & Diane Sawyer were like a couple of giggling school girls for almost 30 minutes on ABC's Primetime Thursday. WOW - I'll have what she's having...

And I thought NPR was PC:
"Garrison Keillor did this great Guy Noir skit where he was approached by an Irish American lady cop from New York who was investigating the supposed importation of slave step dancers from Ireland.

Guy couldn't help but notice the lady cop's beautiful Aran sweater. He said that he had studied about reading the patterns in the sweaters since they told a story. He read the cops sweater and found that it said, "Help, we are Irish step dancers who are locked in a basement and forced to knit these sweaters during the day and step dance at night! Please help, this is unguent!

The cop proceeded to say, "Unguent? Shouldn't that be urgent?" Guy said, "Yeah, I suppose she must have slipped a stitch."

(I found this account on the Knitlist from Janine)

About the PC thing - hey, knitters are people too...

Is it Wrong to be just slightly attracted to Dennis Leary?

How did Mr. B miss this?

OK, I watched... (Just the last 1/2). I couldn't tear my eyes away! Pop Musegack Delight! I thought the best was when Usher came out and moonwalked. Then you could really see MJ=R2D2?! 2nd place goes to Slash the Guitarist's fret work (who could also do with a remedial coif makeover.) Last place: Shaggy's dance moves put the B back in Burlesque... But for one small moment, Liz Taylor looked like she might give it up and wave her arms back and forth! Hhhmm, husband #8?

Just how much $$$ did they pay Britney to dirty dance with his Alieness Michael Jackson???
The commercials alone sent me reaching for the nearest AirSicknessBag...

Speaking of another MJ, how much $$$ will Juanita take to the bank? This gives "I'm retiring to spend more time=money with my family" a whole new spin!

Since my crystal ball is broken and my astrologer has the nerve to be in Key West until Sunday, I am going to try and forecast 2002 by the following: according to Yahoo Knitlist's Jessica*'s grandmother, what you do on the first day of the New Year is what you'll do all year.

Here goes (5*****'s is excellent, 0*'s, well you know...):

6am: Three houseguests leave after 4 day visit smiling and hugging. (5*'s - as far as I know, no one in my family is PO'd with me. YET.)

7:45am: Find parking space 2 blocks from work at a meter. (3*'s - meter parking is free on holidays in Chicago but with the wind chill, the temperature is 5 degrees above zero and by the time I get to the building my nose is ready to drop off my face.)

8am: Get in 6 rows of knitting before getting first work assignment. (0*'s - had hoped to knit all day because IT's A HOLIDAY & NOBODY SHOULD BE AT WORK!!!)

9:40am: My first assignment is in Waukegan, IL. (2*'s - there is no traffic on the road but the event I'm going to starts at 10am and it's at least 45 minutes away.)

11am: Event is still going on and I happily shoot videotape of 35 members of the Waukegan Fire Dept jumping INTO Lake Michigan amid floating ice and big waves. WOOhoo Polar Bears!!! (5*'s - some of these guys are wearing THONGS. One beached Bear yells at man running out of water, "Nice chesnuts, dude." This is all on camera, but I predict this will end up on the cutting room floor.)

12noon - 3pm: Shoot some real estate shots and take a last hour lunch. (2*'s - Glad to leave a little early, but find myself waiting at the bus stop for 15 minutes before I remember I drove to work. Have to walk 5 blocks in freezing temps to car.)

4pm: Have leftover chicken, sweet potato pecan bread, and peanut butter fudge for dinner on a paper plate. (5*'s - family rule states that snacks = real meals during the holidays. Time is running out, so I also throw some carmel corn on the plate.)

5pm: Knit about 1/3 of the back of a 2001 UFO while LAYING DOWN on the couch. (5*'s - posture is important, but I was up REALLY late with the houseguests ringing in the New Year down at Navy Pier. Chicago rocks out with fireworks and music!!!)

9:30pm: Fall asleep on couch with knitting needles in hand while watching a rerun of "Everybody Loves Raymond" (eeeWWW!!!). (5*'s - usually too busy to have time enough to fall asleep on couch)

FORECAST: Any psychic ChicKnitters out there please comment here!!!

ChicKnits 2K2 ForReal Resolution #1

"NEVER be afraid to rip out a mistake or even a whole project!!!

If it feels hinky & it looks hinky, it is hinky and a few minutes of your time will send it back onto the runway."

Who dat! Who said that? Why ... I did ... just a little over a month ago. And by god, not only did "it" look hinky, "it" broke almost all my New Years resolutions in one fell swoop.

It is the start of a sweater, a sleeve in fact, that I just blithely knitted away on (started 2 days before Xmas) until all the increases where done before I measured it. Usually, I swatch and adjust the pattern, if necessary. But noOOoo... I substituted yarn, did not swatch and probably, if I continued, would not have had enough yarn to finish this! My sleeves usually measure 17" and this was around 13". OOPS...

So, last night, I ripped it back to the start of the main part after the edge rows (a whooping 12" !!!) and figured out what the heck I was supposed to be doing. It turned out that the increases needed to be made every 8 rows instead of every 6 rows. (This is a Big Mistake.) Yup, I proudly make 'em and I proudly FIX 'em.

I think if you can fix it, it won't end up under the bed or hidden behind your shoes in the closet where you'll find it months later and wonder what all the fuss was about.

I showed some folks at Stitch 'n Bitch how to fix a dropped stitch by dropping a stitch in the middle of a row of the Celtic Cable pullover. I dropped it about 10 rows. One woman actually screamed! Who says you can't have an exciting time knitting? Read about how to do it HERE... It's toward the end of the page. There's all sorts of links on this site for "how-to's" as well.

I really like this sweater pattern - Rowan Winter 2001 called "Erin" - big cables made over 10 stitches every 20 rows! Really fab in taupe cotton/lycra worsted weight yarn - total runway material...

ChicKnits 2K2 ForReal Resolution #2

"Finish what you start."

Before I can get back to the future, it's imperative I tie up all the loose ends, so to speak, from 2K1. My superstitions about finishing a project in the same year it's started hangs over my head like a band of ORCs with foul breath from LOTR! Get back ye fell beasts, I say...

My knitting muse cannot rise free before I do battle with these UFOs I found in my workroom:

1. Lavender Ribbon Sleeveles Top - 50% Done: A beautiful sleeveless blouse with a ruffled V-neck front from the cover of Rebecca Spring 2K1. Why did this project stall: it is the one and only time I splurge on Anny Blatt Yarn (a frothy ribbon edged in silver) and I end up with a bad batch. The factory skeining process has shredded it in random places, so it's been a B to knit, even on huge needles. Can't return it, so I'm gonna bite the bullet and finish it - maybe in the mornings when I'm reading the Chicago Tribune online with my coffee and won't be so annoyed.

2. Lilac Linen Sleeveles Top - 90% Done: No excuse for this except summer turned into fall and I pitched it into the closet. It is a boat-neck top made out of Rowan Linen Drape in the yummiest lilac color. I have red hair and love blue and lilac (aqua too!). (There is a theme developing here as well - seems like I am like the tourist who can't afford to eat dinner in a 4star restaurant but can eek out $$$ for lunch - I make sleeveless tops out of more expensive yarns!!! There's that champagne taste on a beer budget thang...) Even though it dawned on me this could be worn under other sweaters, I can't seem to pick it up (it's on #5 needles and is a PITA). SO: this is the KIP Bus Project until it's done...

3. Lilac Cotton-Wool Cardigan - 20% Done: Beautiful Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece basic I don't need until Spring. Get thee to the closet!!!! (Until March)

4. Brown Heather Coat/Jacket - 30% Done: I must be believing my own hype because I bought and brought this with me on a business trip in October thinking I would finish it while on the road (lot's of time up in yee olde room with the free cable movies??!!) This was my first business trip and I didn't understand then how much of the real wheel and deal spins at the hotel bar... Let this become the morning project after said Ruffled Top...

5. Charcoal Wrap-Around Coat/Jacket - 90% Done: Bartlett's Fisherman wool in a fab broken rib pattern. I have 30 ROWS TO GO then seaming and it is FINI!!!!!! This is the one you just want to jump into on the weekend and be cradled by a furry cozy wearable binkie!

The snow lies lightly on the ground. Your furnace is working away and there is some hot tea steeping in the kitchen, perfuming the house with an herbal spice that's nice. You have just stepped out of a warm bath softened by fragrant gifts from Santa and have wrapped yourself in a warm handknit sweater and woolie socks. Not only are you cozy, you are POWERFUL...

AND, you are unaware of the danger lurking just around the corner. That new Xmas gift yarn beckons and you pick up some needles and start zooming away on the perfect sweater. It is knitting up like butter and you're just sailing along listening to Kermit Ruffins and his Barbeque Swingers...

But wait, something is wrong! There must be something in your tea besides cinnamon because your knitting seems to be shrinking. It should be 7 inches and it looks like 4. You panic and pull out the ruler just to be sure.

AND WHAM!

You have just slipped on the proverbial Knitter's Banana Peel...

YOU DID NOT SWATCH !!!

You were blithely convinced, just this once, that the ball band on the yarn was correct and you could just skip this tedious, boring, mind-numbing step.

ChicKnits 2K2 ForReal Resolution #3
The time you'll save will more than equal
the time you'll rave if you don't.

This swatch was made using #6 needles (too loose by just a nose) and then #5 needles (just perfect - fabric is firmer, but has a nice drape).

Now I can ignore Resolution #1 and merrily go on my knitting way! (Sorry, I've been reading LOTR and am in an elvish frame of mind.)

It's time to put the crafty back in craft.

My main slick move is getting sick of a project, then hiding it because I can't stand to look at it. This is a common phenom and some accurately call it "marinating." I am a professional Marinator. (Is that a word?!) I can start 'em and hide 'em like nobody's business.

Then, one day, you remember that long ago UFO and suddenly, today is the day you are genuinely motivated to finish it and become The Terminator. I was energized this weekend by single digit temperatures to fish for the felted vest I started in the fall. This was banished to the marination chamber because it was too warm to even hold and work on back then. Now it is like a lap robe!

It turned out to be a real B to pick up the stitches around the armholes, bottom and fronts. The felt was so dense, I had to resort to using an Ice Pick to pierce the d*** thing so I could fish for a loop.

But, once I got in the swing of it, it went really fast. This funky thing just needs a zipper up the front and a mock turtle to be the next excellent FO!

I'll be back . . .

As January is speeding right along, I'm discovering some personal trends in my knitting style. This time of year is always ripe for reflection - maybe it's because here in chilly Chicago, one is indoors more often staring at the walls. Or the TV. Or, for those lucky enough, a roaring fire (with some sparkly salts thrown on for good measure).

While all the good people in Miami are out dancing on the beach in their thongs (or at least, that's what we see in their travel blurbs), we in Chicago are laying around in our snuggies (er, long underwear for you NorthWoods Hosers!) mentally mining the brain for any type of refreshment and amusement. (Otherwise known as climbing the walls, cabin-fever, bingeing, bar flying, etc.).

I am caught in the throes of these deep winter stages:
1. Creator
2. Procrastinator
3. Marinator
4. Terminator

All projects (and much of my personal life) follow these steps for some reason - and even while I'm terminating one project, I'm creating another! I think this is happening more than in the summer because when you are sensory deprived in one area your senses become stimulated in other areas more sharply. Inspiration surrounds us..

Right about now, Funk Soul Brotha T. Joiner would say, "We don't do shout outs, but if we did, a BIG SHOUT OUT to:

Dangerous Chunky for inspiring me with her fine new hat;

Teva Durham for her fab design work on her site Loop-d-Loop;

and NooKnits Designs another fresh New York design group;

all who inspired this new hat in progress (Creator):

Of course, the felted vest is now in the territory of the Procrastinator! I'm leaving it on the back of the couch staring me in the face so maybe by Saturday, I'll put the zipper in and who knows, maybe I'll get all funked up and knit the collar while being hypnotized by His Alienesse's 30th(?) Anniversary Special...

Just another version of the easy hat from Gale Coffey.

I've been using up all sort of odds and ends - this uses size 10.5 needles, so I double up worsted yarn in two colors making one bulky strand, or just two same color worsted strands. This one also had two strands of fuzzy, burgundy eyelash yarn mixed with one strand of burgundy variegated DK weight.

I've got enough left over to make a slotted scarf to "match".

The What the... File takes a field trip to the right hand column!

Reading the fabulous My Blue House, I find that the indomitable Mr. Blackwell says ChicKnits House Band Destiny's Child is a "trilogy of taste-free terror."

What the... If every fashion styling has a flipside, then the ChicKnits coin would gladly be:

Heads: Gucci

Tails: Destiny's Child



photos courtesy of AbsoluteNow.com

If my booty was as liscious as the 3 DCs, it would be all I could do to restrain myself from walking around all day with just my new hat, a purple studded halter/loincloth under my red down jacket with my black Harley boots. Very NorthWoods...

I hereby invite Mr. Blackwell to get real and come to Chicago to ride the #66 Bus with me and see how the PEOPLE dress!!!

I just finished sewing a hem in the notorious Felted Vest as the latest chapter of the Procastinator morphs into the Terminator. I am sitting in the bright afternoon light - the sky is fabulous. High rippled icy clouds break into the most cool blue open spaces - much more interesting than a clear azure summer day.

I was knotting the thread at the last and reached up to swipe my nose and couldn't believe how cold it was! My house is nice and warm (although I have a sweater on) so what's up with that? Now I can't stop feeling it! I guess I'll have to wrap a scarf around my head...

The Most Excellent Felting Adventure is drawing to a close - I just have to put the zipper in. I like to do that in the morning when I am really fresh, when I am the utmost coffee achiever. If my nose ever thaws out, I think I'm going to take a nap. Sundays are cool like that.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .

The Excellent Felting Adventure Reaches the Finish Line at long last. I ended up eating French Strawberry BonBons just to bribe myself to put in the zipper.

That's what is says on the tin: "LaVie de La Vosgienne Les Fraises Bonbons Fruits." Or eat me and sew like there is no tomorrow!!! Have more energy than even 5 cups of coffee (which I also had)! My sweet auntie gave me some $$$ for Xmas, so I have a new coffee maker. Another friend gave me the candy. I am truly blessed, dressed and confessed.

Read about the whole adventure HERE!

It snowed in Chicago today, so I took out the Ruby Hat for a test drive on the #66. I had to wait for about 10 minutes for the bus, after a block and a half walk to the stop, and I'm thrilled to record, NO COLD GOT THROUGH to my sweet little head...

However, I almost fell asleep on the Bus because this hat is too warm for ANY place that's heated (even a little). Sleeping is not allowed on the #66 for several reasons: one might miss their stop, snore or most importantly, lean over on their seat mate's shoulder and maybe become a mouth breather. (This has happened to me in both directions - I was the pillow or the sleeper.)

Anyways, I resisted sleep and remembered I was supposed to get my work ID picture taken today! This was going to be a problem because they called me in early so not only did I have Bed Head, I had Hat Head from the serious warmth of the Ruby Hat.

This is NOT a problem on the #66. We have the whole spectrum of hair represented, everything from what I'll politely refer to as Gutter Head worn by the crackhead/drunk/whatever on a 24/7 bender to the expensive "do" worn by the trader with the gfx/designer girlfriend who have Pre-paid Bed Head from the local loco salon downtown. (One of my friends gave me a bag full of this stuff made by TIGI but I had to toss it because it made me smell like a lime sucker and I do mean candy).

As you can imagine, on some days these two looks generally approximate each other, usually when the yuppie folk have wantonly doused themselves with a little extra because it's Friday and they're meeting friends for drinks after work. Of course, when I removed my hat and ran my hands lightly through my hair, no one blinked... I had the perfect combination of product and wear on my hair, thanks to the conditioning action of the Ruby Hat!

A gentleman got on the bus a couple of days ago and sat with a plop next to me. He was reeking of that special morning after combo of beer, wiskey and smoke clinging to his clothes and had the slightly shiny look of a man who's been pickled for days. I was overjoyed because usually my sinuses are seriously dysfunctional until about noon and this particular morning, I got a face full of fellow man. That always means I'm going to have a good day because my head is really clear.

This happy feeling was displaced in about 7 seconds when said fellow started a conversation with me. On the #66, it's OK to reek, read, or even retch, but one must NOT start talking with a seat mate between 7am-10am or 4pm-6pm. Everyone knows this. However, Mr. Smell leans over to me and asks, "Well, how do I look? I've been out all night and my wife's gonna kill me." I'm thinking, "Not if there's anything left after I'm through, sir" but instead I just narrow my eyes and give him the patented "Are you talking to me?" half turn of the head all commuters use and he says, "No, really do I look normal?" (I swear to God!) So, I say "Are you kidding, you look fine!" The scary part of this is she probably won't notice because I have the feeling this guy is a career drinker but the great part is he shrugs a little, re-arranges himself and SHUTs UP for the rest of the ride.

His hair was just about identical to the current rage haircut around here (probably was around NYNY a couple of YEARS ago): the half-inch long shag job with just the front section lubed and pushed straight up. Like Carson Daly used to wear. Wow, Mr. S wasn't even trying.

Anyways, after I got to work and got my first assignment, I never made it back into a building but spent the next eight hours outside or in the car without any cool breeze on my brow. That hat is a gem!

ChicKnits is One-Year Old Today!!!

Celebrate the day with a ChicKnits serving
of the #3-#5 Top Hats from the #66 Chicago Ave Bus!!!

ChicKnits 4uCap

Materials:
About 150 yds of Bulky Weight or 150 yds/each of 2 colors of Worsted Weight or 300 yds of one color of Worsted Weight

Or go wild and mix and match any worsted weight yarn to make stripes! Each row takes approximately 3yds of yarn. I've combined DK weight (3 strands), mohair, ribbon, eyelash, one strand of cream & one strand of another color to get a "ragg" effect, wool with acrylic, wool with cotton, acrylic with cotton - you get the idea. Use up all your leftovers!

(Worsted Weight Yarn will be used double throughout.)

1 pair 16" #10.5 needles (or size needle to get gauge below)

1 set #10.5 Double point needles

Large darning needle to weave in ends

Finished Measurements:
Width: 20" (Medium)
Height: 8"

Gauge:
3.5 sts/ 4.5 rows

Skill Level:
Advanced Beginner who knows how to decrease and use circular needles.

---

CO 70 stitches using circular needles.

Join being careful not to twist your cast on and knit 2 rows

Purl 1 row.

K 21 rows (about 5").

*K12, K2tog, repeat from *.

K 1 row.

*K11, K2tog, repeat from*.

K 1 row.

*K10, K2tog, repeat from*.

K 1 row.

*K9, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K8, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K7, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K6, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K5, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K4, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K3, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K2, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K1, K2tog, repeat from*.

*K2tog, repeat from*.

Cut yarn with about a 6" tail. Thread needle and thread through remaining stitches. Weave in ends.

 

©2002 Bonne Marie Burns
ChicKnits™
For Non-Commercial Use Only

The Good News:

Since I work outside a lot of the winter, I am almost always in a DULL Parka of some kind. Being a fashionista, this wears me down and I've tried to compensate over the winter by wearing something underneath the piles of outerwear that would brighten and maximize my stylings. Most of the time, this was Fancy Pants, if you know what I mean, but lately, that is not doing the trick! I can't wear most of my sweater creations, (although the hoodies are getting a workout this winter), because they would get ruined in about 10 minutes of hard labor.

So I've become a hat junkie...

Once I figured out how easy and fast they are, there is no stopping me now. This is the BEST way I can let out all those repressed fashion urges without ruining my wardrobe. Let there be HATS!!!!

The Bad News:

Oh, my people, what have we done!? Not only are the Mighty Chicago Bears OUT of the playoffs with a billion inuries, I have totally blown a very desirable project this weekend! The grey sweater/jacket is out of the picture until further notice. If you notice in the picture, it measures 34" Long (Cool! Fashionable Knee Length). However, it also measures 25" ACROSS!!! This jacket was supposed to be 23" but it wraps around and seems like it just grew wider when I wasn't looking. It is so big I am like a hobbit inside of it. After I pinned the sides and sewed the shoulders, I tried it on with a belt and almost fainted...

I looked like a 200lb sack of Yukon Golds! Really, really, really not Chic at all. Really NOT RUNWAY! Really, really ignorant as well. Even though I swatched, I just didn't understand how to envision the FIT. The DRAPE. The PROFILE...

To the frog pond shall thee go. (This is antique knitTalk for ripping (ribbit ripit rip it) out a project!!!)

Looks like I'll try it again with some shaping - I think I can rescue the sleeves (Whew!) and collar and just redo the fronts and back. All freakn 34" of it. The fabric made with this pattern and yarn is not drapey enough for doing anything but barreling out. Thank God it was on #9 needles and I knit it on the bus because it's so easy...

The Other Bad News: My website server is driving me crazy. The site has been down and downright unavailable. What the...

As I was sitting in the corner licking my wounds over the jacket debacle, I decided to go scrounge in the UFO pile and see if there was something there that could cheer me up!

Knitting is my vice, my crutch, my Xanax, my martini, and because its so easy, you can indulge an idea in small portions. In fact, many knitters refer to this phenom as "Startitis". This is where you have to start something just for the thrill of it, striking while the iron is hot, so to speak.

That is why I have a pile of sleeves, fronts, backs, etc, that are just one of a kind parts really started to be a bigger project but once the FLASH is gone, it's gone and it ends up in the pile. But the beauty is that you pick it up later if it was a good idea after that marination period and go for it. (Of course, some stuff will lie there forever.)

So I found this very bright fuschia variegated front&back out of stockinette stich. This was tossed because it was too bright and the yarn was too warm to hold. Perfect for January in Chicago NOW.

It is Rebecca Nr.19 Pattern 18 a really fab ruffled edged pullover. Now I remember another reason it was tossed - indecipherable instructions! I had to go online to research the ruffled (!) rib that is on the bottom of this sweater and came up with this:

Circular Prime Rib Hat

God Bless Megan Mills of New Zealand and all of the kind people online who share their Know How with all of us flukies!!! I would've tossed my pieces back in the pile and just slid away to some french fries or something without this site!

I don't fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is pounding, saying, "Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?"

--- General George S. Patton

I was thanking my lucky stars this afternoon because I was on the #66 a little earlier than usual. It was clear and 53 degrees here today - just luscious - I was just dreaming away, looking out the window.

Around Ogden, a bunch of high school students got on the bus cussin' and fussin'. They came right back to where I was sitting and started tusslin'. (One young lady yelled at one young man she was going to kick his mutha f***** a**, but in a happy way, like she was in his class.)

Another fellow told her to stop the cussin' and then she really started fussin'! She told him she was OUT OF SCHOOL and would DO whatever she f'n wanted to do. He replied, "Well, that's probably true but we don't want to listen to YOU..."

All of a sudden there rose such a clatter, all passengers turned to see what was the matter! She was barkin' like a dog, croaking like a frog! So I grabbed my needles tight thinking I'd lose the fight if I had to hear one more weird sound so near.

Just the touch of spun fleece in two rows gave me peace. I was off in my own land of calm almost home.

Knitting Rules!!!

and are very BIG for Spring 2002! according to fave Paper Magazine.

Even if you just learned yesterday, there's someone out there who would love to know too! In fact, you are probably a more patient, passionate teacher than many who've been knitting for years. Plus, if you're like most new knitters, you are imbibed with the "magic" of the first stitch ever made.

This summer, my S'nB group ran a learn to knit workshop at LadyFest, a big music festival featuring the arts and crafts of women. We thought we were rained out by huge thunderstorm - we were going to do our thing outside in a local park. So we left handmade signs taped to the fence of the park giving an address of another park that had a fieldhouse we could use. By all nature's rights, the signs should've just washed away...

We were so bummed but when we got to the other location we actually had to turn people away, there were so many women who showed up! Check out these pics. It's hard to describe the happiness and power of most in the group once they'd completed their first row on their own.

My next group challenge is one of my friend's daughter's Girl Scout Troop. I hope they have a badge for this - wouldn't that be too cool to put on a sweater sleeve or scarf of my own!

Ooh La la! No one is wearing shoes here in Chicago!!! The magic of 60 degree weather in January makes us think we are down in Jamaica walking on a six mile long beach of white sand sipping endless pina coladas!

People were doing the stroll, riding their Harley's, dragging some tables and chairs out to the sidewalk and calling it a cafe.

Cabin Fever is transformed in just a few hours to Spring Fever with a bang***. It's like everybody just got a massage and a triple latte. Oh, I forgot, it's really just called OXYGEN. That stuff you get to breathe when you GO OUTSIDE.

ChicKnits is not immune to this phenom and quickly was inspired to kill two birds with one stone: finish a lingering UFO and wear it to Lunch Outdoors tomorrow.

New FO

Lilac Ribbon Tank

Made from Anny Blatt Bijou
a perfectly scrumptious ribbon that's cotton
with a slim edge of silver. Very light and FROTHY...
And it appears
I'm officially on a ruffle binge!