Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A New One

Dear Mom,
Even Patsy never managed to do something like this......
Olive tangled herself in the cord and pulled the lamp off the table.

Good thing I took "Fix-it-Boutique" in Junior High.

Love,
Kim

Thursday, July 19, 2012

50

Dear Bonnie Jo,
In honor of your Big Day, here is a list of 50 very random memories of things that we've shared over your 50 years...

  1. corn blankets
  2. Minturn Lane
  3. Harmony Road
  4. Loretta
  5. Going to the circus with Grandma and Grandpa.
  6. That time the circus clown kissed Mom. On the lips!
  7. Bringing home the chameleon, Liz, from the circus.
  8. That time Liz escaped.
  9. Riding bikes.
  10. Roller Skates.
  11. Playing dolls.
  12. Penny Bright, Chatty Cathy and Tracy.
  13. That time The Twins flushed Tracy's doll dress down the toilet.
  14. Betty Coulsin
  15. Ann, Allison and Evelyn
  16. Cindy and Jinks; Herbie
  17. That time Herbie got too big for the tank and Mom and Grandma had to get him out and they both screamed.
  18. Cuddles and Ruddles
  19. Dwarf and Zeke
  20. Car rides to Dairy Queen
  21. Burger Chef ( but only when the power was out).
  22. Girl Scouts
  23. Your prize winning Reindeer Cake.
  24. Climbing Harry.
  25. The mouse nest under Harry.
  26. When Laurie fell out of Harry and broke her arm.
  27. Playing out in the fields and coming home when we heard the church bells chime 5:00.
  28. Discussing, in front of her, whether Mom was capable of driving on 465. ( She was younger than we are now!)
  29. Swimming at the Dodds.
  30. Riding in the Corvair on benches so we could see out the window.
  31. Cars without seat belts; hand cranks to roll down the windows.
  32. The Twins
  33. Rotary telephones
  34. 846-9194
  35. 251-6677
  36. When you learned how to whistle. I still can't.
  37. Making potholders.
  38. LP's, 8-tracks and cassettes
  39. transistor radios and walkmans.
  40. TV before remote control
  41. The 6Million $ Man and The Partridge Family
  42. Captain Kangaroo, Cowboy Bob, and Popeye & Janie
  43. The Moon Walk
  44. Schoolhouse Rock and AfterSchool Specials; H.R. Puffinstuff
  45. Being scared to tears by The Wizard of Oz
  46. College Wood
  47. Seeing The Million Dollar Duck at the drive in.
  48. Monopoly games that Daddy always won
  49. Amish Palmers, cranberry cordial and "Don't Tell Mom's"
  50. YEARS OF HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
Happy Birthday, Bonnie Joke. I am thankful I have You.
Love,
Kim

Monday, July 9, 2012

A Post about Wool

Dear Mom,
It may be 105 degrees out, but wool is still my preferred knitting and spinning fiber. Heck, we are so closed up inside lately that it might as well be winter. You know its been HOT when 85 makes you think about putting on a sweater.

I finished a couple of small shawls. I love them both.
The first is Color Affection, designed by Veera Välimäki. I used Fiber Optics' Siren Song yarns (Vitamin C, Ellie and Willow Batik) I purchased at the Greencastle Fiber Event this spring. The yarn was wonderful, the pattern was simple but not mind numbing- the perfect project for the past month's roller coaster of activity and emotions. 
I was overcome with addiction to this shawl and in a weak moment purchased enough Madelinetosh yarn to make two more. I've learned that grief makes me susceptible to comfort purchases. 
I also finished another Sunderland, this one in Jojoland Melody, I think. I can't find the ball band. I either tossed it, or Olive ate it. This one may be the prettiest one yet, and reminded me of how much I enjoyed the knitting of it.
So now I want to make more of these, too. 
Instead, I cast on for this and a pair of socks.
I am enjoying Tour de Fleece. Having the "excuse" to spin a little everyday could become a nice habit. My spinning stash rivals my knitting stash, which is alarming when considering the fact that I've been spinning only a few years in comparison to my decades of knitting. 
I just made myself sound really old. 
Anyway, daily spinning is using up some of that stash. Which adds to the knitting stash.
It's an endless cycle. 
My focus needs to include an effort at using that handspun for weaving. my mind begins to wander.....
I couldn't wait, and spun the sparkly batts I blended a couple of weekends ago. The sparkly part didn't sparkle as much as I thought it would, but they do show themselves in the sunlight. I wonder if they will show up more when knitted? I, not being a sparkly sort of person, have surprised myself with this whole sparkle business. When did I ever think I would want MORE SPARKLE? And yet, here I am, wondering where I can buy more of that sparkle to drum card into batts for spinning! Who am I again? Can I use the word SPARKLE one more time?


This yarn is so much prettier in real life.
And speaking of real life, I need to get back to it.
Love,
Kim

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Taking it from the Top

Dear Mom,
Sorry. I can't help myself.
One more video of Olive sliding down the stairs.



I am knitting, too. I promise.

Love,
Kim

p.s. Don't you just love the way her tail wags all the way down?

Monday, July 2, 2012

Basic Training

Dear Mom,

Olive Goes Down Stairs......
a video montage.
Olive has rejected the Roll Down method and adopted the Belly Slide as her preferred method of descent.
I love how she looks back at her legs like she is trying to figure out why they aren't cooperating.
Love,
Kim