I'm gonna tell Mom!

Before we were interrupted....

2012-01-26T13:49:00.002-05:00

Dear Mom,
Now that Bumper is cleaned out, my house is cleaned up, and things are back to what passes for Normal around here, we can catch up on the nice things that have happened! There may be too much for one blog post. THAT's how much stuff I have.
Two weekends ago, MelissaWhoSpinsbutDoesNotKnit and I took a road trip to Asheville, NC. We left some winter weather, which stayed with us well past Lexington, but the traveling was safe and with both of us in good company, the time passed quickly. Downtown Asheville was loaded with the expected inspiration and we soaked it in. I was so busy soaking it in that I neglected to take many photos.
My head wrap did some sight seeing too. At one point, while trying on some clothes - and let me pause here to ask why is it that I thought driving 8 hours and crossing several state lines would mean that I could wear and look good in something that was little more than a tailored feed sack? cute feed sack, but not on me, darn it! - anyway, while juggling my coat, purse, feedsack and out-of-shape figure in the dressing room I noticed my head wrap had misplaced itself. Did I drop it somewhere or leave it in the truck? I wasn't terribly concerned about it, but did mention to Melissa that we might want to keep an eye out just in case. Melissa was pretty sure she saw it in the back seat, so we didn't think anymore about it and kept moving forward. More than 4 hours later, as we headed back to the truck ( only to move to another parking spot) Melissa Shouted "Kim!" and pointed to the sky. ???

Good thing she was looking up, because I was looking down and would have missed it.

My head wrap in a tree

Thankfully the branch hung over a parking lot AND the parking space underneath was empty, so we Melissa backed into the space, climbed into the back of her truck and rescued my head wrap.
I left it in the back seat for the remainder of the trip.
We did come home inspired by the things we saw in the many galleries and shops, at the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, and at the Winter Retreat held in a nearby mall and hosted by Friends and Fiberworks, a local yarn shop.

On the trip, my car knitting project was a gift for a soon-to-arrive nephew.

Yarn-100% cotton from Universal yarns- Cotton Supreme, if I remember correctly. The pattern, Sweet Pea, is one I've made before and I like that the opening for the head is like a "onesie" and easily accommodates those big baby noggins. Quick knit, wrapped up and in the mail. There before the baby is, I hope!

Now, onto More Good Stuff.

Weaving.

My best effort yet. I am Very proud of my selvage edges on these. There are still mistakes, but less. These have been gifted and well received!

On the heels of these pretty things came this:

Yes, that is Patsy's leg in the photo. She Who Must Know and Approve of ALL that happens here.

"What. Is. That?", you ask.
Well. It is exactly what I wanted it to be, which is good. I just didn't mean for it to look like a Walmart Special. Which it does. I cut old t-shirts into 1-inch strips and wove them into a mini (11X28") rug for the dog dishes. I learned I won't be using t-shirts for weaving. Not that they were difficult- they weren't- and it certainly was a fast project- I just don't like the look. But, as I said, the rug fulfills its intended purpose and thankfully the dog dishes cover up most of it! I also got to try out the fringe twister toy I purchased in Asheville. More learning.

More Good Stuff? Why yes! But I think I'll save the rest for another post.....

Love,
Kim

A little humor

2012-01-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,

I came home Monday from an adventure in Asheville (more on that in another post) to a very sick dog. Bumper's gastronomic adventures got the best of him and this time it took 4 enemas and lots of money to put him on the mend. He isn't 100% yet, but we are getting there. Needless to say, all the trash cans are on lock down.

Following a dog around the back yard with a plastic bag and a flashlight does not make good blog photo ops. Nor does mopping and cleaning carpets. So, I'll share this little gem I found on Pinterest this morning:

That's where things stand right now.

More later.

Love,

Kim

Willoughby

2012-01-12T11:56:00.001-05:00

Dear Mom,
I have a new favorite finished object.

Pardon the following picture overload.

Willoughby by Jared Flood.
Yarn from that first bag of wool, handspun by me, walnut dyed with friends.
Love,
Kim

Hello Sunshine!

2012-01-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,
It is so nice and warm out there that I've set Mrs. Yoder out on the back porch and hung the jeans out there to dry. Rugs are in the wash and they'll be on the clothesline as soon as the spin cycle is finished. After that I'll do a big batch of wool socks and let them soak up some sun too.
I even cracked open some windows to let in the fresh air.

The down side to all this is MUD and huge muddy dog prints coming in from the back door, but I'd rather have mud than snow.

I made time yesterday to get into the stash and organize a few projects that I would like to finish this year. Almost a year ago, I lost my head over Spillyjane and ordered 5 of her mitten patterns and the yarn to make them. I've made one mitten. Not one pair. One mitten.

I matched up the yarn to the patterns, put them in bags and intend to finish all the mittens this year. It may be that I can only manage one mitten each month because while they are adorable, inspired mitten designs, the knitting of them is a bit fiddly and requires full attention. These are not a mindless pair of socks. And one mitten a month will pretty much get me through 2012 with a little breathing room.

I also reacquainted myself with some treasures in my knitting stash and feel reeeeeaaaaalllly motivated to see the promise of those yarns and patterns realized. We'll see how long that focus lasts before I distract myself with something new.

Easy to feel hopeful on a bright sunny day.

Love,
Kim

Where things were and where they are...

2012-01-05T13:39:00.001-05:00

Dear Mom,

I am happy to report that December's socks, the last pair of my Pair-a-month goal for 2011 was finished before we toasted the New Year. Unfortunately, I have no picture of them. Almost as soon as the last loose end was woven in, the socks were impulsively gifted to an admirer who witnessed those last stitches. It didn't seem right to snatch them out from beneath her loving caresses. And they fit.

It didn't even occur to me, until too late, that I didn't snap a photo for the blog.

I am still considering a knitting goal for 2012, but haven't jumped into the stash to organize my thoughts and projects.

I did wade into the stash to pull out yarn for an easy pullover for ME, something I can pretty much knit mindlessly, and once there is something worth showing, I'll share.

I've started knitting Willoughby, using some handspun, walnut-dyed yarn. The lace pattern is not difficult, but does require my attention. It is coming along quickly, partly because I am excited to have it done, and partly because I am a tiny bit worried that I won't have enough yarn. And somehow I think if I knit fast enough I will finish the knitting before the yarn runs out. As if I can race against the end of the last skein and finish before the yarn does!

The long awaited (at least for the Young Lady and I) Project Runway: All Stars begins tonight. No doubt about it, our favorite is Mondo!

Enjoy the sun today- "they" say it will be 50 tomorrow!!

Love,

Kim

Finished in the Nick of Time

2011-12-28T14:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,

I had my doubts. Could I finish knitting the long vest I hoped to wear to church on Christmas Eve? I had selflessly put that knitting on hold to finish weaving dishtowels, baking scones, wrapping gifts, and all that other stuff on my Christmas to-do list. But what to wear should I not finish that vest? I had no back-up plan. Every free moment in those last few days before the 24th were spent knittingknittingknitting. Not all bad, and I'd be the only one disappointed if I didn't finish- no body would be going without a gift.
In the wee hours of Christmas Eve (1:30am, to be exact) I put the last blocking pin in, turned the ceiling fan in the guest room on HIGH, and went to bed hoping the thing would be dry before church services in the afternoon.
It was.

Barely.

I modified this pattern , adding length. I am pleased with the results.

The yarn I used is Misti Alpaca's Hand Paint Baby Suri Silk, which I am not finding on the Misti Alpaca web page, so it may be discontinued. Nice stuff, though, and it took 5 skeins for this project. I bought all that I could find when a local yarn shop closed a few years ago, and still have 4 skeins left. Enough for a simple turtleneck or pullover, maybe.
I started 2011 with the goal of knitting a pair of socks each month. Some month's socks were a little delayed, but I have so far managed to finish knitting 11 pairs of socks. The first sock of pair #12 is halfway done and I feel confident that I'll get this last pair finished before the ball drops on the 31st.

Will I knit another 12 pairs in 2012? Probably not. But I did like this goal and it did help me work my way through my sock yarn stash. I have other little projects and the yarn for them that I'd like to get done and right now I am thinking I may alternate those with socks each month. I need to organize the inventory and see what I come up with.

I am enjoying these last quiet days of 2011, resting, reading and knitting. I probably think this to myself at this time every year, but I really need to learn to slow down and savor the important moments. I am forever thinking about what comes next, what the next project or book will be, what tasks are waiting for me to manage them,and how to efficiently multi task them all.... and some of that has to be. Family and Home obligations are important, and I don't mind being the person that oversees laundry, meals, and schedules. And I don't want to waste time. What I am guilty of is pressuring myself into doing more and not fully enjoying the thing I am doing NOW because I am bothering myself with NEXT.
I believe that The Best is Yet to Come. I just need to slow down and wait for it to get here rather than rush for it.

Love,
Kim

Batty

2011-12-23T10:29:00.001-05:00

Dear Mom,

On Sunday afternoon, MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit and I gave Fig a test drive. We watched a few you tube tutorials on drum carding and then started playing.
With Fig clamped to the kitchen island and all of us surrounded by a variety of fibers and roving, we selected colors to blend.
We carded a combination of bright blue, walnut brown and natural to create the batt you see to the left of the picture,

and then a combination of grey-brown, chocolate brown and grape.

There is a definite learning curve, but we're getting things figured out. Cleaning the carder for the next batch of fibers seems to be the hardest part. We had a better time with the second batch and discovered that the longer fibers were easier to pull and clean off the carder.
I've gone on to card two more batts of plain vanilla. The grape combination has been spun but not plied, and with such a little batt there won't be much yarn created to do much with, but when it is plied and skeined I'll show you what I/we made.

Next step?
Dyeing.

Watch out.

And if you see me with stained hands and clothing, you'll know why.

Love,
Kim

Emergency Substitution

2011-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,

When you don't have the wooden pick you need for that part of the recipe that says "or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean",

a size 1 bamboo sock needle (clean) works just fine.

Love,
Kim

Introducing...

2011-12-16T14:11:00.002-05:00

Dear Mom,
Meet the newest member of my fiber family!
She is an Ashford Drum Carder and her name is Figment Imogene.

MelissaWhoSpinsbutDoesNotKnit and I hatched a plan awhile ago to be on the lookout for a used drum carder that we could purchase together and share. We had our hopes on acquiring one, only to have the negotiations fall through. We refused to be discouraged, but did wonder if really possessing a drum carder was all a figment of our very fertile imaginations. Through the wonder that is ravelry I found hermajestymargo, who really must be one of Santa's helpers, because here we are with a freshly delivered drum carder. And she is real. As Bonnie Jo would say, "She is a BEAUT!"

So "Figment" because she is no longer a figment of our imaginations, and "Imogene" as a spin on imagining because we imagine so many possibilities with her.

Fig will have an extended family of rug hooking and spinning fiber at Melissa's house, and the knitting, spinning and weaving goings on here.

Daphne Joy and Donna Reed already like her.
Love,
Kim

Ready or Not....here it comes.

2011-12-14T15:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,
The tree is up and decorated.
Pine needles litter the floor and Mr. Dyson has ingested his fill.
Gifts are not wrapped. Some gifts haven't even been purchased and others still wait for me to finish (or start) them.
It only occurred to me last night that I hadn't even given a thought to holiday baking.

And this one is giving me no help at all.

Love,
Kim

November's Socks

2011-12-11T16:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,
November's socks are finished in mid-December putting December's socks in serious jeopardy. At best I hope to start them after Christmas. I am feeling hopelessly behind on all my Christmas gift projects!
These are from Nightfall sock yarn- hand dyed and cleverly wound and packaged to produce a nearly identical pair of socks.

Hand made Christmas gifts make for poor blogging. But behind the screen there is a flurry of fiber-related activity going on here!
Love,
Kim

Coupon Code

2011-12-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,
It seems that a few people have had trouble with the coupon code for the Long Nights Cowl pattern. After a tiny bit of investigating and experimenting (and can I say it is a little weird to try buying your own pattern?) I've figured out that the coupon code "warm thoughts" must be entered like this:

warmthoughts

no spaces.

Hit 'apply code' and it should work!

Love,
Kim

A Christmas Gift

2011-12-05T08:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Mom,
With Christmas less than 3 weeks away, and knowing that there are plenty of knitters out there scrambling to get their Christmas gift knitting done, I've finished writing the pattern for the cowl from my last post and published it on ravelry.
The Long Nights Cowl is a quick, easy knit and can be finished in one evening if one is able to sit down without interruption.With the demands of the season, it is quite likely that two evenings will be required if baking cookies, keeping up with the laundry and letting the dogs out are competing with knitting time.

The pattern is available for purchase HERE. As a gift to all our blog readers, I am making the pattern available for free until Christmas. Simply enter warmthoughts in the coupon code at check out. Edited: don't put any spaces in the coupon code- sorry for the confusion!

Love,
Kim
p.s. Yes, that is a ReLinkWish fastening the cowl in place!

Discombobulated and trying to stay focused

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,
Lordy!
Step away from the blog for a couple of days and the next thing you know a couple of weeks have flown by.
I've been busy, distracted, fragmented, productive (in an unorganized way), panicked- in other words, the Holiday Season is Upon Us.
Most of the past two weeks in not blog worthy, or I've been too unfocused to blog about it, or I cannot show it here lest it spoil Christmas.
I will take a pretty safe bet that The Young Man doesn't read this blog and show you a hat I knit up for him in about 5 hours. He admired some hats similar in style at the Meijer and no way was I going to let my son wear a store-bought, cheap acrylic, knitted hat on his head. I've lined it in a soft fleece and it will be stuffed into a stocking or find itself under the tree on Christmas morning.

The pattern is loosely based on this one and used up some left over bits of Lopi (gray), Classic Elite wool bamboo (black) and Briggs and Little sport weight yarn (red). The Young Man wanted a crazy pompom on the top- hence the crazy pompom. I figure that is easily removed (or trimmed) if he has second thoughts.

At November's Spin In, Mary Alice shared some of her walnut "tea", and while we sat spinning, various fibers steeped, becoming rich shades of brown.
I took about 600 yards of some already hand spun yarn. I'd used a good portion of it last summer when I knit my To Eyre shawl.

This photo shows the walnut dyed wool laying on top of the To Eyre Shawl so you can see the color change.

I've long admired this scarf, have the pattern booklet on my shelf, and should have just enough walnut dyed yarn to make it. I will muster all my will power to put off starting it until AFTER all my Christmas projects are finished.
The only other thing I can show for my blog absence is the following.

Remember the ~~bungee cord~~ over-twisted purple/copper penny yarn I spun?
I've turned it into a springy, spongy warm cowl.

Yes, that is a ReLinkWish you see there.
This is a quick, relatively simple garter stitch, moebius cowl with a placket of sorts (thus the ReLinkWish)- I'll try to find the time to make another and write up the pattern. I did this one in an evening, and that was while figuring it out as I went, so the next should go faster. Good short notice gift, or an instant gratification knit (because sometimes that is just what you need).

Lots more happening behind the scenes. And even more that I'd like to accomplish. All shall be revealed in time.
Be warm. Snow is on the way. I'll try to remember that without cold weather, wool hand knits would not be so appealing.

Love,
Kim

Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl

2011-11-10T14:27:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,
One of the knitting goals I'd set for myself this week was to finish knitting this shawlette.

MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit purchased this lovely NightFall yarn at SAFF last month, and in exchange for a delicious home cooked Stir Fry dinner for my family of four, I've had the pleasure of knitting this shawl for her.

The Pattern is Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl. The only modifications I made (and the pattern includes instructions for this) was to increase the body of the shawl to make it a little bigger AND to use up as much of this yarn as possible. The yarn is hand dyed to create this gentle, magical change from light to dark within the skein.

Melissa also brought home some Nightfall sock yarn. Again the colorway works itself from a lighter shade to almost black and the sock yarns are packaged with two identical skeins making it easier to create an identical, rather than fraternal, pair of socks. Those socks are the next on my list of knitting goals for the week- they'll count as my November socks, and the first of that pair is already finished!

I've added SAFF to my bucket list. After seeing Melissa's show and tell and hearing about her trip, I wondered if I would have noticed this wonderful yarn. I would have been attracted to the color, but may not have taken the time to notice how special it is. I tend to get completely overwhelmed when I shop and can easily shut down to the point of not seeing anything. It's like I need extra time to become acclimated to the sensory overload and to quiet all the ideas in my head that squawk for attention like a nest of hungry birds. On a previous little fiber excursion, Melissa and I discovered that we each gravitate to very different colorways. We helped each other see more of what is really there. While Melissa was disciplined enough to "shop outside her comfort zone" while she was at SAFF, I am pretty sure I would need someone there to physically point out what I was missing.

Keep warm! It is definitely feeling like November out there today!

Love,
Kim

Shipshewana Part 2

2011-11-08T08:12:00.001-05:00

Dear Mom,
The rest of the Shipshe weekend had a bit of the expected- the cheese shop, the bakery, bulk foods and JoJo's pretzels, but the highlight for me was our stop in at Ruth's Weaving.
If we lived in Shipshewana, Ruth would be our friend. Our short visit with Ruth in her weaving shop touched our hearts and her gentle spirit left an unforgettable impression.
Ruth weaves rugs and her shop is filled with handmade baskets made by her daughter. But the LOOMS in that small shop! I don't have the words to describe the beauty of those looms.

In my conversation with her, Ruth told me that she is learning to spin and will work at becoming a better spinner this winter. I just wanted to plop down next to her right there and then and spend the rest of the weekend talking about spinning and weaving and nothing else. Part of me has just fallen in love with Ruth.

After reluctantly leaving Ruth's Weaving, we drove into the very crowded downtown Shipshewana. My favorite purchase of the trip is some softsoftsoft alpaca/bunny roving to spin. Once I got home I couldn't wait to give it a "whorl" and spun up a little bit....

Dreamy. Soft, easy to spin. Beautiful shades of smokey gray and black.

I've set some pretty lofty knitting goals for myself this week that I Must Accomplish before I will allow myself to sit down and spin any more of the heavenly fiber.

Love,
Kim

P.S. My etsy shop is stocked with ReLinkWishes and notecards!

Shipshewana Part 1

2011-11-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

Dear Mom,

Thanks to the miracle of antibiotics and lots of napping, I rallied and our weekend in Shipshewana went as planned.
Wedged into the back seat, and with Bonnie Jo behind the wheel, we departed on schedule Friday morning. A slight detour to Culver for a quick errand and some lunch had us arriving in Shipshewana mid afternoon.

We did a tiny bit of shopping before checking in to our B&B, and then made our first attempt at meeting up with the gentle, kind Amish lady who would be finishing a quilt for CarolWhoseHouseGotStruckbyLightning. This was my Main Mission. It took us a couple of tries (and would have taken only 1 attempt had I rung the doorbell that first time.) We eventually met with her on Saturday morning, so all ended well.

Our generous B&B hostess directed us towards Emma's Cafe for a light dinner Friday night.
It was the perfect place, with good food and atmosphere- a kind of general store/soda fountain, oil cloths on the table
kind of place. The old jukebox played a wide variety of oldies and soon Rockin' Robin had us swinging in our chairs. (4 obviously not Amish, non-local women DANCING might have been too much, so we kept our fancy moves confined to our seats, swaying from the waist up. Plus we didn't want to hurt ourselves.)

Bonnie Jo and I ordered tea, and after our first sips, realized that our tea was instant, not brewed.
A little doctoring was required and we decided to turn our teas into Arnold Palmers. Behind our table was a refrigerated case with a variety of juices and soft drinks. No lemonades.
But! There was a raspberry lemonade and we decided we could make do with that.
Not exactly an Arnold Palmer....

An Amish Palmer.

Love,
Kim

It's time to call "Uncle"

2011-11-02T13:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

When I am too tired to knit and Don't Care, I know it is time to seek medical intervention for the cold that is now a sinus infection. Hot tea + antibiotics + lots of rest = I'll be feeling better soon.

Love,
Kim

P.S. I did manage to knit about 1/2 a sock while waiting in the medcheck last night.

Done and Done

2011-10-30T17:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
September's socks.
Late, but done.
October's socks- done with time to spare!
Love,
Kim

I learn a new trick

2011-10-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
When I was Up North earlier this month, and while visiting the charming Melissa at Wool and Honey, I noticed an attractive, funky bracelet on Melissa's wrist. Our conversation was moving along at such a pace that I neglected to ask her about the bracelet.
When week 3 of The Twelve Knits of Christmas rolled around I was happy to see the bracelet kit as that week's offering. I ordered the kit and received it a few days later.
I was taking a Giant Step out of my comfort zone with this one. It is crocheted, not knit. But Melissa's directions were easy to follow and during last week's Project Runway episode I crocheted not 1, but 2 cuffs! (The kit has ample wire for more than one cuff, but just enough freshwater pearls for one cuff. I stocked up on a variety of beads from Michael's before beginning that first cuff. Foolish, maybe, but determined and optimistic.)
Here are the results:

Crocheting will never be my "thing". I decided to try knitting them. Much faster, the knitted ones.
Here are the two I've knitted:

I'd show these around a wrist, but it happens that photographing your own wrist is harder than it sounds.

I've not just been knitting wire bracelets. These have been a little interruption to my devotion to finishing 2 pairs of socks this month (September's AND October's). I've finished September's pair, and October's socks have the first sock finished and I turned the heel on the second sock last night. My plan is to finish that sock during tonight's Project Runway finale. I'll definitely show both pairs when that they are all finished.

I've also been putting the finishing touches on an idea that has been brewing in my brain for a while now.

ReLinkWishes....

ReLinkWishes are the answer to committing an expensive button to one sweater, or to being able to close a shawl or scarf with something other than a shawl pin. I've affixed a variety of beads, buttons, and found objects to cuff links backs, which can then be slipped through a knitted scarf or shawl or sweater and used as a closure or as an adornment.

My plan is to offer them for sale on Etsy. The problem there is that etsy is so big and things tend to get lost in the crowd.

Here is a sneak peak at what I've created so far-

Love,
Kim

Patsy learns a new trick

2011-10-20T20:28:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
As if it weren't enough that Patsy can open all the interior doors- (that's easy enough, after all, just stand up press the handle down and let her weight push the door open)- last weekend Patsy demonstrated a talent for PULLING open exterior doors and letting herself out.

I thought it was a fluke the first time it happened. I told myself that the door was probably not closed tightly and that is how she came to be with me in the back yard.

A short time later, it happened again. "Did you know Patsy can open the back door", My Hero asked.
"I was afraid of that", I replied with resigned breath.

The third time it happened I was home alone and sitting in a separate room when I heard the back door open. It has been rather damp and chilly. I KNOW that door was shut tightly.

So. Okay. I'll look upon this as a little less dog maintenance if she can let herself out. Even better if she lets Bumper out, too. The trouble is, she doesn't close the door behind her. Yet.

Last night I watched Patsy open the garage door. I recorded it.

To set the stage- My Hero, The Young Man and Uncle Eggie were all in the garage having some sort of manly conversation. I was seated at the kitchen table watching Patsy prancing around the door, head cocked and listening intently. Fun stuff might be going on out there and she wanted to be a part of it.......

You'll have to take my word for it that there was no assistance on the other side of that door.
As we would have said in grade school- "I swear on a holy stack of Bibles."

Love,
Kim

Introducing...

2011-10-17T22:10:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Meet Chloe Noel.

I've updated a personal favorite from The Young Lady's preschool years. Back in the days before Tights became the Enemy and she wore whatever I put on her cute little body. Back before she learned the phrase "it itches". I do not lie when I state that even a soft cotton itched that kid. I think she saw me approaching with a handknit and decided it itched before it even touched her.
Do I sound bitter? Or scarred?
Clearly, I am not Over It, because here I am, designing and knitting sweaters for imaginary little girls....

Anyway.

This is a pretty quick knit, and a speedy and/or dedicated knitter could easily turn one of these out in plenty of time for Christmas!
More details and the link for purchasing the pattern can be found over at the Warm Thoughts Blog, or on ravelry.

Love,
Kim

Bungee Cord

2011-10-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

I think I've discovered how to spin bungee cord.

It's pretty bungee cord, though.

I decided to spin some grape roving, ply it, and then cable ply that to the copper penny yarn that had me tied up in knots last week.

Seriously over twisted. I think I'll make a cowl and hope it doesn't strangle me.

Love,
Kim

This time last week....

2011-10-13T10:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
This time last week I was on my way to the paradise that is Northern Michigan, in the company of 3of my knitting friends, for a long weekend of bliss.
We were blessed with beautiful sunrises every morning.

Most of the weekend looked like this:

And if I wasn't knitting lake-side, I was knitting right here, on the porch.

We nestled in, enjoyed hearty soups and good wine, laughed hard and often, and knitted.

Finished projects were modeled on the rocks.

We left the cottage just once during our stay.

To go to our favorite yarn shop.

Wool and Honey is located in Cedar, Michigan and the owner, Melissa, is an absolute delight. I've often wished that Wool and Honey weren't 7 hours away, but Wool and Honey is now open 24//7 thanks to the internet.
Melissa does a clever thing at this time every year. It is practically a public service for knitters. I may be wrong, but I think this is her third year of "The Twelve Knits of Christmas". For each of the 12 weeks before Christmas, Melissa has a knitted gift idea - something that can easily be accomplished during that week - and she has the yarn and pattern kitted up and ready for purchase. Brilliant. Plus it's a gentle reminder that Christmas is coming sooner that we'd like to think. FYI- The first two weeks have already passed....12-2= 10 weeks 'til Christmas. I am sure there is a spot on the website to sign up to have the 12 Knits reminders emailed to you.

I arrived back home late Sunday afternoon, and it has taken me this long to find the time to sit down here and blog about the weekend. Re-entry wasn't as smooth as Departure and this has been a busy week.

Ill take a gamble here- I am pretty sure the Young Lady is not a blog follower- and show you the poncho I knit for her while I was Up North. This is getting hidden away for a Christmas gift.
The poncho is not an original idea. I've loosely based it on a poncho I'd seen a few years ago. It is a very simple knitted project- basically it is a long rectangle, folded in half with a short seam on one side, leaving an opening for the head to pop through. Before binding off I dropped a stitch in 3 evenly spaced locations. Tied on some fringe and tah-dah! A poncho fit for a teen.

As you can see, when I started to set up Elle for the poncho photo shoot, I had some "helpers" who were quite interested in the view out the front door.

I have another finished project to show you- one that I finished before I left- but I still need to take some decent pictures and write up the pattern. First I need to attend to some laundry, but I should be able to have something to show you early next week. And if I work real hard, maybe sooner!

Love,

Kim

Spinning my wheels and chasing my tail(s)

2011-10-04T11:03:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Well, September flew past. And so did my September socks.....
This is how much I've managed to knit

and I'm pretty sure this didn't get started until the last few hours of September. I'll do my darnedest to get both September's and October's socks done this month.

My absence here on the blog only means that I've been busy - with things that are too mundane to be considered blog worthy, or things that are top secret and cannot be shared here. Yet. Let's just leave it that I have had some serious bouts of creativity interspersed with the last tennis matches of the Young Man's high school career. And thanks to all the good rain we had last week, that last match took three days to complete!

Thanks to a tip from Bonnie Jo, MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit and I went to the Hoosier Llama and Alpaca Association show at the county fairgrounds on Saturday morning.

In addition to the llamas and alpacas, there were a few vendors and I managed to bring home some snow white alpaca roving to spin, some colorful Shetland wool roving to spin (which I've already done and am extremely disappointed in myself. Note to Self : No good ideas come after 10 pm and spinning at 2 am is never gonna be good.) In my defense, I never intended to be spinning until 2 am, but was so tangled up in "my good idea" that there was no way to stop. And when I say tangled up, I mean TANGLED UP. Knees and teeth, in addition to both hands and feet, were occupied with plying. It was like Lucy and Ethel Learn to Spin.

I also brought home some wonderful ceramic buttons. All reasonably priced and there was a very healthy selection of buttons from which to choose.

Can you blame me for trying to figure out how to get around the neighborhood covenants, re-fence my yard and build a shelter for a couple of these guys?

Love,
Kim

Golden Delicious

2011-09-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Crisp. Crunchy. Quiet and a little rusty. My favorite season officially arrives on Friday, but Autumn has been here for a couple of weeks.
We picked some Golden Delicious apples off the tree on Saturday. 100% organic- we don't do a thing to these trees. Peel away the spotted flesh and cut out the spots the bees have nibbled and what is left is perfect, sweet, crunchy, delicious apple. The Winesaps are not ready for picking yet, but there are plenty of those, too. PIES!!

We've been snacking on the apples, but last night I made "Mimi's German Apple Cake" from this book. This is one of those books that inspires you to cook. And I don't say that because it is a dessert cookbook. The photos are beautiful and it is hard to feel bad about eating dessert when it is full of fresh fruit. This cake recipe only had 1/2 cup of sugar in it-you taste the apples and fresh lemon zest. A bit of Turbinado sugar sprinkled over the top before baking gives the cake a crunchy sweet crust. YUM. MEE.

Saturday night I finished Sunderland #3, this one with some yarn I hand spun. Special thrill. My design, my hand spun yarn. (I'd say the next step should be my design, my yarn, my sheep, but the neighborhood covenants won't allow the sheep part.)
This one was off the blocking wires yesterday, but the weather prohibited getting any good photos.

Elle may be cooperative, but she cannot hold an umbrella.

The roving used to spin this yarn is from River's Edge, colorway On Golden Pond, a gift from CarolWhoseHouseGotStruckbyLightning.
And speaking of gifts- scroll back up to that first photo of the apples and acorn. See that wonderful copper tray they are sitting on? That copper was once part of a roof that hung over our living room window. After years of struggling with a leak, the roof had to be removed. MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit took the copper off my hands. Besides spinning, Melissa hooks beautiful rugs and does some metal sculpting. She is a good cook too..... I don't know why I like her.....Anyway, she surprised me with the copper tray you see up there and I love every beautiful millimeter of it.

I've got to get back to some knits that are in progress but were abandoned while I cranked out the design and pattern for Sunderland. And not only have I not even started September's socks, I haven't even wound the skein of yarn into a ball. And if I start thinking about the laundry and housework that lurk behind me as a write this I may start to panic. Logging off now, and getting back to the real work.
Love,
Kim

Sunderland

2011-09-18T21:09:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

With the final test knit of my scarf off the needles and currently blocking, I've named my scarf design Sunderland, after all the classy creative Ladies with that name that I've been blessed know and love.

The pattern is available here and more details can be found here.

Love,
Kim

Queens, Vikings and Pirates! Oh My!

2011-09-15T15:52:00.002-04:00

Dear Mom,
We spent an entire 15 hours in 100 degree heat at the Ohio Renaissance Festival and we are begging for more and more and even more!!

Our entrance into the festival!! Our greeting sounded like this, "Good day to you! I've missed you so much!"

Adoring all of the fancy finery!

Music to entice us!

Vikings in all sizes!

A bit of romance!

Handcrafted pretties!

The amazing craftsmen!

Pirates!

Ships!

Mud wrestling!

Can we do it again?!?!

Love,

Wendy

A new low

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

I was just asked if I qualify for the senior discount.

"Does 50 qualify?", I asked.

"55", the cashier answered.

That didn't make me feel any better. And yet I smiled and acted like it didn't really bother me that she asked so I wouldn't HURT HER FEELINGS.

Everybody better be nice to me for the rest of the day.

Love,
Kim

Weaving as a Personality Profile

2011-09-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

The weaving class I took on Friday and Saturday taught me about more than just weaving. The project I was assigned was a scarf with lace panels. Great! I'd not done any lace and definitely had an interest. Once my wool colors were chosen, I wound my warp threads, dressed the shop loom (Donna Reed stayed home) tied up the treadles and studied the treadling sequence. I made a little cheat sheet for the treadling sequence and taped it to the beater on the loom so I could keep track. Thankfully, the treadling sequence turned out to be one that was easily memorized and I could read the progression of that sequence in my weaving making it possible for me to figure out where I was in that sequence in the event of a sudden day dream, lunch break, or just plain forgetfulness.

There is always a planned-for amount of warp on the loom that allows for "sampling". For me sampling is not so much about evaluation as it is about PRACTICE. I sat down and began "sampling"- watching my edges and studying the treadling sequence in an effort to make sense of it all. Linda, the shop owner and mostpatientweavingteacherever, gently suggested that I not beat the life out of my scarf, but rather to gently place the weft threads next to each other. In other words, loosen up. Until that point I didn't realize how desperately I was compacting those threads! Lining them up in nice, neat, tight, well-behaved rows. Hmmmm. Psych assessment, perhaps? Good heavens, I had to concentrate to relax!

A little more kinder, gentler sampling and I was ready to begin my scarf for real. That lighter touch gave me the lacy look the scarf was meant to have. Old habits are hard to break, or whatever, but I caught myself weaving a bit more heavy handed right after the lunch break and I had to remind myself, again, to lighten up. If I look close enough at my scarf, I can see where I picked up again after lunch.

The scarf is finished and hemmed. It is soft and feather light. And pretty if I do say so myself.

Love,

Kim

In the last four days...

2011-09-12T15:29:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
In the last 4 days I've taken a two day weaving class, met up for the monthly spin-in and taught a knitting class.
I also finished the fingering weight version of my new scarf design.

It blocked out so nicely and I was surprised to find it is almost as big as the worsted weight version. The pattern should be ready for purchase after one more test knit with some of my handspun.
Four days absence means lots of catching up to do here. I'll share the results of my weaving class tomorrow.
Love,
Kim

I love it when a plan comes together

2011-09-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Often a knitting idea is content to just float around in my head and wait patiently for its turn on the needles. But every once in a while an idea so urgently needs to be realized that everything else comes to a screeching halt until that idea is born. That is what happened this weekend.
I think that perhaps these explosions occur when the thought of something has been floating around while the 'how' of it works itself out. Once the figuring out has happened, watch out!
I'd been pondering a small wrap or scarf, with no right side or wrong side, and with an edge that adapts to the wearer's neck. A scarf that is slightly but not obnoxiously assymetrical for easier wrapping, and of course one that is knit in one piece.
I spent countless odd moments mentally knitting my idea before I grabbed a ball of scrap yarn and some needles and played around a little- enough to know I was on the right track and to work out a few kinks. I worked up a few charts and made notes. And more notes.
Faced with the promise of a long weekend, I searched my stash and on Friday evening I cast on.

I knit Friday night. I knit on Saturday between grocery shopping, feeding people and doing their laundry. I knit in the car on the way to Lowe's. (I was not driving.) Late Sunday afternoon, I bound off my last stitch and let it block overnight.

The body of the shawl is worked in garter stitch, on the bias, and the lace edge is knitted right along with the body of the shawl.

The top edge of the wrap is a straight edge, but because it is knit on the bias, it will fold and drape easily.

The lace edge comes to a rounded point in the back and is shaped like a check mark rather than a v. This give the wrap one long arm for wrapping.

I see countless options for this pattern. This one is knit in with about 360 yards of Tahki Donegal Tweed, a heavy worsted weight yarn. I've already cast on a second in a light fingering weight yarn (Ella Rae Lace merino) and have plans for a third in a dk weight. And handspun yarn? Oh. YEAH. Bigger shawl size? No problem.
The biggest challenge so far is coming up with a good name for this design. Once I've done that, and double/triple checked my charts and pattern notes, I'll publish.
Love,
Kim

Last night...

2011-08-30T09:49:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
.... I finished August's socks.

And later on came downstairs to find Patsy sleeping like this:

Squished into a chair. She doesn't look comfortable, but she didn't budge during the photo shoot, and I took several shots.
Let's take a brighter look, shall we?

Yes. Her muzzle is resting on her right back foot.

Never a dull moment.

Love,
Kim

Beautiful Morning

2011-08-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
It's a hotteaonthebackporch kinda morning.
Enjoy the day!
Love,
Kim

August Socks

2011-08-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
I am woefully far behind on August's Socks. Woe.Full.ee. I turned the heel on the first sock only this afternoon. What's today? The 25th? That gives me 6 days to knit 1 and 1/2 socks if I am gonna finish before the end of the month. I know I'll get plenty of good knitting time while watching Project Runway tonight and if I knit nothing else for the next 6 days, I can probably beat the deadline.
This is more Vesper sock yarn, but it seems I've lost or thrown away the ball band so I can't tell you the name of the colorway. Actually, I found a ball band in my sock knitting case, but it was for the colorway "Candy Corn" and I knit those socks way back in January. I also found the business card for my neighbor's orthopedic surgeon and she saw him early in 2010.....

Love,
Kim

Mittens

2011-08-22T14:02:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

I've been asked by the Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville to teach some knitting classes- my North Porch Hat and a mitten class, to be specific. Teaching knitting classes is something I've resisted for a while now. There is so much knitting in my brain that I am afraid that in my excitement I will try to regurgitate it all up at once and confuse/overwhelm/scare any and every one of my "students". I have been giving it some thought, though, and guiding knitters through some simple patterns, sharing my little hints and tips for turning out something worthy of their time and efforts is something I want to do. I've taught individuals how to knit, and certainly done a decent amount of problem solving and question answering in my past. I should have no problems (I hope) with a room full (I hope) of friendly (I hope) knitters.

Along the lines of keeping it simple, I needed a very basic pattern for the mitten class. A quick perusal of the patterns out there convinced me that I would be better off and more comfortable designing and teaching my own. And the Village Mittens pattern is born.

Village Mittens

I've got a girl's sweater design on my needles- an update of one of my favorites sweaters I knit for the Young Lady when she was just a little girl. Nothing much to show right now, but here is a little peek:

I am not getting an accurate color in this shot- the green is much more a dark evergreen and the red is very cranberry. I'll try to do better when the sweater is finished.

Love,

Kim

Here we go again

2011-08-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
There comes a day every summer when I Need Them To Go Back To School. Yesterday was that day.
Which is pretty good. Probably the longest stretch of summer break before the alarm on my internal Back-to-School clock went off. A testament to the busy-ness of our summer, I think.

I realized I'd crossed that threshold when I stopped vacuuming so I could say things like "wasting time" and "good books" and "make stuff" to the Young Lady. Being the smart sort of teenager she is, she quietly slipped out of the room and found a less obvious spot to communicate with whichever electronic device she happened to have in hand at the time.

Tuesday is the official First Day of School, but the High School tennis season is in full swing and the Young Lady has already picked up her schedule and loaded school supplies into her locker. I've written checks for yearbooks, school directories and in-line skate rental. If we are gonna do all that they might as well be there. I may not be ready for the early alarm clock, but I am definitely needing the routine. Plus, I am tired of cleaning around the extra bodies.
And, I know. I KNOW! I should be making them pitch in with the housework more than I do, but some battles aren't worth fighting.

This next bit has nothing to do with the first paragraphs, but it is definitely worth sharing....

Earlier this week we discovered that Patsy is a hot tub kinda gal. Why doesn't that surprise us?

Patsy didn't stay in long (hot), but the duck and the beach ball were too hard to resist.

She jumped in and out a couple of times. Maybe the best part was watching her race around the yard after she jumped out- like dogs do after they've had a bath. That, or watching her head pop up in different spots around the hot tub while she tried to figure out the best way in.

It isn't a full blown case, but that Startitis I felt coming on has arrived. Details coming soon.

Love,
Kim

And we even had cute shirts

2011-08-15T11:02:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Saturday night's tragedy at the Indiana State Fair understandably cancelled all fair activities on Sunday, which meant there was no Sheep to Shawl competition at the fairgrounds. Lives were changed forever and a little spinning and weaving contest is nothing in the shadow of that. Still, Team Ewephoria was disappointed not to be able to compete after so much went into preparing for the day. And even though we were the only adult team competing, we were anxious to complete the task of carding, spinning and weaving a shawl in 4 hours. We will be ready next year for sure, and hopefully more adult teams will join us.

On a happier note, my Dragon Wing Shawl is finished and thanks to your floorspace, is blocked and modeled here by cooperative Elle.

Little projects on my needles now, bigger projects swimming in my brain. I feel a bout of startitis coming on.
Love,
Kim

Dragon Wing Shawl

2011-08-11T11:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
I have a shawl on my knitting needles that is very nearly finished. I've loved knitting every stitch of this pattern and it may be the quickest, biggest shawl I've ever knit.

I purchased the pattern at Earth Guild 3 years ago, and the yarn (one sport weight 16 oz cone) was purchased last summer at Marr Haven Farm. It took almost a year for me to figure out that the two would be perfect for one another, but once the match was made, the shawl has practically knit itself.
The shawl is a full circle with an opening along the radius. Magic happens with lace knitting when it is blocked out and I can't wait to block this one. I may have to clear out a room to have enough floor space. (Or borrow some from you- hint hint.) I imagine the diameter of this shawl will be longer than my wingspan when it is blocked.

MelissaMySpinningFriend came over last night for an emergency Sheep to Shawl practice session. We worked out some kinks, honed our rookie skills and feel we're as ready as we ever will be. Nervous, excited, curious, a little scared, but ready for the new experience. I've realized that once I start spinning it is hard to stop. It's like getting into a good book that you can't put down. Seeing the bobbin fill up with pretty yarn inspires me to keep going. And then two full bobbins practically DEMAND to be plyed Right Now. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night.

And haven't the past few days been Perfect? Sunny. Mild temps. No humidity! Cool breeze. Blue BLUE sky. Just makes a person want to sit out on her back porch all day and pretend she is on vacation....between loads of laundry.

Love,
Kim

Patsy

2011-08-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
I've had a few people ask me about Patsy, and I've neglected giving the blog a progress report. And Progress it is.
I haven't been fair to Patsy in adopting a 'No News is Good News' attitude. Especially after having been so quick to report her antics, and even more especially after having worked so hard to get her where she is today- a Good Dog. Well. Mostly a good dog.
The joyful pup that bounded into our lives back in January 2010 is maturing. We are nearing that magic number in a dog's life- sometime this fall Patsy will be 2 years old. She can often be found sleeping in a cool spot inside, or sunning herself on the patio.

yes, that is my knitting bag she is laying on

She has a particular fondness for curling up in chairs that she shouldn't, but it's hard to kick her out when she is being so "good?".

The flower boxes we've strategically positioned around the fence are keeping her contained for the most part, although if she really NEEDS to get out she finds a way. In other words, our flower boxes did not stop her from chasing a raccoon at 4 in the morning a few weeks ago or from coming around to try to enter the house through the garage door when I locked the back door. Yes, Patsy can open EVERY door in this house. We even caught her trying to push down the knob and PULL the front door open.
Without a doubt, Patsy is the smartest dog I've ever known.

I hope never to meet one smarter.

All our efforts haven't trained all the impishness and Alpha dog out of her. She'll still block Bumper's entrance or exit through the dog door- just because.

a very good dog

Or pull on his collar to make him go where she thinks he needs to be.
Her super sonic ears hear everything and the guard dog in Patsy wants us to know it.

Our goal was not to erase the Patsy out of Patsy, but to manage it. We've eased her fears and found the loving dog we knew was in there.

Love,
Kim

A Whole Bunch of Random Stuff

2011-08-04T12:55:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
The stitches are out. Frankenthumb is still very tender, but looking less like Frankenthumb and more like Kim's thumb. I know my thumb will feel better eventually, but I am not sure I'll ever be able to look at the lid from a ravioli can without shuddering.

Before the detour to the ER, I finished some spinning which I want to show you.

Yes, there are weeds in that picture. That Pinch of Death needed to thoroughly pull a weed requires the use of the tenderest part of Frankenthumb. A Weed-free garden is another casualty of my injury.
This yarn is spun from "Screaming Wild Monkeys", colorway On Golden Pond, from River's Edge Fiber Arts.

I have to confess/admit/acknowledge that I have been all about the weaving lately. It's like Donna Reed is my new best friend and I have a wild crush on weaving. I am still knitting and I am getting pretty darn close to finishing a shawl...And I've done a little spinning, but mostly just to see if I could spin with my thumb all wrapped up. (I could, with a latex glove to keep the fibers from turning the adhesive wrap on my thumb into a giant fur ball.) I had to know- we had Sheep to Shawl practice last night.

FYI- The Sheep to Shawl competition at the Indiana State Fair will be held on Sunday, August 14 from 10-2.

Okay. So Back to the Weaving.

I couldn't stand to see Donna Reed resting naked, so I dressed her up in more kitchen towels.

I love weaving.

Yesterday, while trying to ignore the weeds, I cut some flowers from the yard.

Zinnias, Black-eyed Susans, Purple Coneflower, daisies, lythrum and yes, Queen Anne's lace from seeds I scattered into my perennial garden last year for exactly this reason-so I could have some to cut for flower arrangements. It may take over and make me question that decision, but for now I am loving it. And the bouquet is happily collected in my favorite vase- handmade by my Young Man in grade school. It leaks, which makes it priceless. (I have a cellophane bag tucked into the vase to hold the water in, and the rubberband holding the bag in place is disguised by the ribbon.) So. That was yesterday. Then this morning I see all the pretty vases and small flower arrangements on Susan Branch's blog and I was inspired to go out and cut another bunch. When she said she had mint in one of the arrangements a ! went off in my head. Heck. I have mint in one of my flower boxes! I grabbed a tiny old pitcher and Out I went, in my jammies, and came in with this:

which I put it next to my side of the bed- more Queen Anne's lace, a hydrangea, some russian sage, a sprig of mint and a peace lily.

But my favorite way to share cut zinnias is like this:

In a recycled glass jar inside a brown paper bag and tied up with a bit of leftover ribbon.

Love,
Kim

A Boring Post about Kitchen Towels

2011-07-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
I finished weaving the kitchen towels.
If I fold them just so, and you don't look too closely, you might be fooled into thinking they are perfect.

They are not.

They are riddled with errors, which seem to only show up on the underside of the weaving, so I didn't notice them until the towels came off the loom. Before I start my next project (more towels) I am going to have to figure out what I am doing wrong. I know enough to figure out that this is not a treadling error- the mistake is not carried all the way across that "row". I think that somehow I am going under threads I should be going over and I need to figure out how/what I am doing to make this happen so I can figure out how NOT to make it happen. Gotta fall down a few times when you are learning to walk.

However, they are just kitchen towels, they will be quite functional whether they are error free or not, and I've been weaving for less than a month and should cut myself some slack. I guess these are the weaving version of all those wonky, pitiful, one-skein scarves I knit when I was 11. I just hope I end up with fewer wonky dishtowels in my kitchen than the closet held scarves back in the early 70's!

Love,
Kim

The story of FrankenThumb

2011-07-28T17:41:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,
It was the Classic "Mother presents to the ER with hand wrapped in a kitchen towel'. One has to wonder what the statistics are on that.
In a cleaning frenzy Tuesday evening, I forgot about the lid from a can that was tucked into the stuff in my hand that I was throwing away. Noticing that the trash can was getting full, I used the stuff in my hand to compact the trash in the can.... and forced the lid well into the meat of my thumb. What I'd done registered before I felt anything more than pressure. And boy was I mad at myself.
Thankfully, I have a high pain threshold, and no nerves of tendons were damaged. My thumb would be feeling a whole lot better right now if I could stop whacking it into things.The stitches come out next Thursday.

In the meantime, I have discovered that I am able to dress up Donna Reed without hurting my thumb, and last night I was able to gingerly and cautiously knit, being careful to use the side of my thumb when I needed it. It is also about the size of Fred Flintstones thumb with all the gauze and tape I have protecting it, but where there's a WILL there's a WAY and you can't keep a determined knitter away from her needles.

Before FrankenThumb, I wove another scarf with leftover bits of sock yarn as my warp and yellow cotton as the weft that was leftover from the placemats and table runner I made in class. My selvage edges are improving, but this scarf isn't without its mistakes either. I've decided to stop playing around, and what you see on the loom up there is the beginnings of some dish towels. I'm following pattern instructions on this one. (In weaving, patterns are called "drafts".)

I'll let you know how the towels turn out. The cotton I am using is much finer, and I have over 400 warp threads to thread through the loom, so this is taking awhile. Exciting though!

Love,

Kim

This is not part of the plan....

2011-07-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST CONTAINS A GRAPHIC PICTURE THAT MAY BE UPSETTING TO DELICATE READERS.

Dear Mom,

Seven Stitches.

This is definitely gonna slow down the knitting, spinning and weaving I had planned.

Love,
Kim

Off the LOOM!

2011-07-21T10:16:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

It's not the first project off my loom, but the first project that is worthy of sharing on the blog. The placemats I made at home to reinforce what I learned in class aren't bad- we'll use them- but there are places where I made treadling mistakes and my edges...well, my edges can only improve.

Almost as soon as those placemats were finished I was planning the next project. A simple scarf. Very simple. One that would allow me to concentrate on improving those edges. I dug through my stash and found some sock yarn from a long ago sock-of-the-month club and some coordinating bits of leftover sock yarn. I did the math, warped Donna Reed and a-weaving I went.

My edges are better. Not perfect, but much improved. And let me just say this about weaving: It. is. FAST.

I started warping the loom on Saturday afternoon and finished the scarf on Sunday afternoon. And I didn't sit there weaving for 24 hours straight. I did other stuff, too.

Also, I figured out ANOTHER good thing about weaving: You have to finish the thing on your loom before you can start another. Unlike Knitting. And you don't have to look far or hard around here to find knitting projects that have been cast on at a whim.

Also, just the idea of putting all my leftover bits of yarn to use in weaving projects is maybe the best thing of all. Just thinking about it makes me want to stop writing this and go dig through my yarn and start a new weaving project.

It hasn't been all weaving around here. I've done a bit of spinning- no pictures to show- and July's socks are finished.

Here is a close up of the stitch detail I knit in to break up the stripe pattern.

Before it gets too much hotter I need to get out to the garden a pick beans and blackberries. For all I know, they may be cooked already!

Keep Cool.

Love,

Kim

Happy Birthday, Bonnie Jo!

2011-07-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Bonnie,

I hope...

    someone gives you a calico kitten
    you do whatever YOU want to do today and nothing you HAVE to do
    that you can take time to sip something cold and slushy on your back porch
    that your bees give you lots of honey
    that your chickens lay an extra egg or two today
    that we have many many more years to share.

Love,
Kim

The Birds and The Bees

2011-07-17T17:51:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,
As you know, upon Bonnie Jo's request I reported bright and early Saturday morning to your backyard, camera at the ready. Bonnie Jo would be inspecting the beehive she recently set up there and wanted me to document the event for the blog. It is hard to take pictures when you are dressed like this:

Things seemed rather serious when I arrived because there was crouching down and leaning in involved.

As I understand it (and Bonnie Jo may have to jump in and correct any errors), the main purpose of the Hive Inspection was to search for Queen Amelia. When a Princess Bee comes to live in her new castle, it seems the first thing she does is fly away to go visit some bachelor bees before she can come home and be Queen. Sometimes the Princess Bees never come home. Maybe because they can't find their way back, or maybe they just really like the bachelor bees. Considering that this Princess Bee was named after the famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart, there was some concern that she may have lost her way somewhere over the reservoir never to return.

Thankfully, unlike the other Amelia, this Amelia's flight had a happy ending.

Bonnie Jo was pleased and proud to find Queen Amelia in the hive and laying little bee eggs like all Good Queen Bees are supposed to do.

In her official capacity as family beekeeper, Bonnie Jo declared that Amelia "IS A BEAUT!"

Where's Amelia?

All those jigsaw puzzles we did with Daddy when we were little must have been practice for finding bees later on. And if I remember correctly, Bonnie Jo was a gifted jigsaw puzzle piece finder.

Anyway, now that I know where Amelia is in that photo, I can find her, too. Let me give you a close up.

Queen Amelia

Before leaving, we took a peak at your nest of Barn Swallows.

It looks like these guys are running out of room and will be making flights of their own soon.

Especially this guy.

And let me just add here that the way "the Birds and the Bees" was explained to me all those years ago included NOTHING about spending time alone with a bunch of bachelor bees.....

Love,

Kim

Simple Pleasures

2011-07-13T10:18:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Yesterday's harvest-

a beautiful cabbage, some blackberries and ~~green~~ purple beans.
We ate the green beans for dinner last night and we're having coleslaw tonight. I've been snacking on the berries and will eat them with peaches and yogurt for breakfast. And the even better thing is- there are lots more of all of those things growing and ripening!

Love,
Kim

My Green Beans Aren't Green

2011-07-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
They're purple.

I've never seen purple green beans before. I can't even tell you what "kind" of beans I planted. The package that contained the seeds was probably especially organic and biodegradable because it fell apart practically before I could get the seeds in the ground. All I can tell you is I purchased them at a local nursery and I was taken in by the charming art on the package and the fact that the seeds were supposed to be heirloom/organic/tailored for midwest gardens.
The plants and beans -despite the pretty purple color- are thriving and healthy.
My Concern, however, is that GREEN beans are one of the few vegetables I can count on the Young Lady (our picky eater) to eat. We never have leftover green beans. But Purple beans?

I gave serious thought to pulling up all the purple bean plants and starting over. Before doing so, I cooked a handful of purple beans as a taste test, in hopes that I could somehow convince the Young Lady that the purple beans were as good or better than green beans.... if you close your eyes.

All my worry was for nothing, as magic happened in the pot of simmering water.
The purple beans turned GREEN! And they were delicious.

I should go out there and harvest some this morning before it gets hotter. Steamy hot doesn't begin to describe how it is out there. In fact, that purple bean picture up there was not taken with some fancy movie star wrinkle-erasing lens filter on my camera. I had trouble taking pictures before the lens fogged over!

My corn is as high as an elephant's eye and I see little ears of corn growing. We'll be having fresh corn on the cob soon.

Love,
Kim

Introducing.....

2011-07-11T11:05:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,
I'd like you to meet Donna.

After spending two full days in weaving class and then coming home to repeat what I'd learned - or at least what I could remember!- on my loom, I knew her name had to be Donna. As in Reed. Because there is a part on the loom that the warp threads go through on the beater called a reed. And Donna is a good wholesome American name for my American made loom. And it makes me smile to know her name. We are already good friends.

In fact, I was beginning to be a little bit alarmed. I hadn't picked up knitting needles for almost a week and the last time that happened was because I'd had carpal tunnel surgery and had no choice. I've been spending all my knitting time either spinning or weaving. So last night I forced myself away from Donna and cast on for July's sock.

In weaving class we made a table runner to practice different types of weave- plain weave (good ole under/over), a twill and a basket weave. I am making coordinating placemats at home to practice and try out different patterns. This is the part that is addicting. I want to see how different things can look, and it is simply a matter of changing how I treadle my loom.

My head is also spinning with possibilities for scarves using sock yarn. And yes. I DO remember saying that I was "only going to weave placemats and dish towels". I have a way to go to get my edges neat, but that is one of the things I am hoping to accomplish on these placemats and I know I'll get there.

As you can imagine, being away weaving for that amount of time on the heels of vacation, and having left 2 dogs and 2 teens at home, things are pretty sketchy around here. My challenge for the next few days is to ignore the Call of the Fiber and tend to the house, shop for groceries, prepare healthy meals and try to get caught up on laundry.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about my garden.

Love,

Kim

Catching Up

2011-07-06T09:32:00.002-04:00

Dear Mom,

After a week's vacation where we've touched our toes in the Atlantic and our fingers on a moon rock, sipped Butterbeers in Hogsmeade and mojitos on the beach, sent boys off shark fishing and girls 800 feet into the air on a parasail only to return home to house guests and the annual Cul-de-sac 4th of July celebration, I am slowly catching up and happy to home.

Despite having been home since very late Saturday night- verging on the wee hours of Sunday morning- I didn't feel like I was truly able to relax and really Be Home until I brought Patsy home from the kennel yesterday. Now the family is all under one roof again and All is Well. (Bumper may feel differently. I think he enjoyed being Only Dog for two days.)

We planned our Florida vacation and the trip to Cocoa Beach in the hopes of seeing the last shuttle launch. As these things go, as soon as the condo was reserved and flight plans in the works the mission was delayed. And I heard this morning there is a good chance that rain will cause another delay and Atlantis may not launch on Friday. We may not be able to cross "Watch a Shuttle Launch" off our Bucket List, but we did tour Kennedy Space Center and got a peek at Atlantis on the launch pad.

Our trip was a very good one; the first family vacation we've taken where our kids brought friends with them, and despite being outnumbered by teens, all went very well and everyone had a buddy.
The buddy strategy allowed My Hero and I time to relax and read. And knit.
I finished June's socks.

And I knit this shawl with my very own handspun.

This is the result of that first bag of dirty wool I brought home. The Bag o'Wool that turned me into a spinner.

I've seen many of these To Eyre shawls on ravelry and Dianne made a beautiful one that you can see here. I wish mine were just a bit bigger. I prefer a shawl that I can really wrap up in, but this one will probably be just right for warming the back of my neck and shoulders while staying put and out of the way. The pattern instructions include directions for modifying length and width, and this was a soothing, quick project, so I may have to give it another go.

And before we left I finished this wrap.

I purchased this pattern and yarn on vacation last summer, so I guess it sort of fits to post it with stuff from this year's vacation. The pattern is Braided Glory, the yarn is Louisa Harding- a silk- I don't remember the name of the yarn and right now I am too lazy to get up and go looking for the ball band. The yarn was nice to work with but I think it may be too drape-y for this pattern. Also, I didn't do all the finishing on my wrap as the pattern suggests. I was ready to be Done With It and omitted some small edging details that didn't impress me. IF I ever make this again I will be making several modifications that, in my opinion, would neaten things up. However, with so many other things I want to make, I really don't see myself making another one of these.

I have weaving classes scheduled for the end of the week. The plan is to work on a loom in class and then come home and repeat the lesson on my loom at home to solidify what I've learned. I think we do placemats or table runners in class. So, whichever I do in class, I'll do the other at home. (I may appear calm, but my Insides are doing that happy dance kids do on Christmas Eve!)

Love,
Kim

I Don't Even Know Where To Begin . . .

2011-07-02T14:11:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,
As a reminder to everyone reading, I have 3 children. My oldest, The Teenager, is a 14 year old boy who thinks he could--and should be (!)--running the country. My middle child, The Diva, is 11 and likes to think of herself as the next American Idol (think: lots of singing to Disney music into a wooden sock darning-thing-turned -microphone! My saving grace is that there is no Justin Bieber in the house. Yet.) My youngest, The Pipsqueak, is a nature-loving 8 year old girl who would rather sleep in a tree house than in our house. They are all happy and healthy. And --- in a term coined by other parents who are trying to be nice about my "active" children --- all three of mine are "spirited".

For seven years now, the kids have been on a summer swim team. Every day during the summer, we all wake up at 7:15 to make an 8:00 swim practice. They swim until 10:30. For 6 years now, I have been asking, "Are you sure you really want to swim this year?!" They beg to swim. We have made friends with so many neat people; one of them being a family like ours. The parents are our age and they have 4 (!!!) children, the oldest being a few years older than The Teenager and all of their other kids are my kids' ages. Due to a very sad circumstance, I have been a part-time mom to these 4 children this summer. (My friend was in a very serious car accident and was in ICU for about a week. She broke a lot of bones, tore some internal organs . . . . she is FINE and she is home now but there will be about 8 weeks of rehabilitation and therapy. She is in a wheelchair, sleeps in a hospital bed in her family room . . . . ) I have been taking her children to my house several days each week so that they can make it to swim practice and swim meets without too much disruption and worry.

When I haven't had children, I have been working. Starbucks. And I had a very large photo shoot--the annual swim team photo shoot--team and 190 individual swimmer photos to edit and process.

Yes, I think I am crazy. The younger girls have washed the dog (several times. Poor Keeper!), painted rocks, baked cookies, made glitter globes, did face paint and dress-up, rode bikes, picked vegetables and planted flowers with me --- sometimes in just 1 day :-) The boys have played Risk for several days in a row, made bonfires and roasted marshmallows, mowed the grass (yes, even the boys that aren't mine!), and have played some occasional video games --- sometimes in just 1 day :-)

Anyway . . . . . . . all of that to say this: we finally had a day yesterday where I didn't have to work and I didn't have anyone else's children. We did nothing. At one point I asked The Teenager when he last showered. This was our conversation:
Me: "When was the last time you showered?"
Teenager: "I don't know, Mom. I swim every day."
Me: "That doesn't count. And that's gross. . . . . Really, when was the last time?"
Teenager: "Really. I don't know."
Me: "Go. Now."

And because that left me speechless, my little Pipsqueak decided to pipe up:
Pipsqueak: "Um. . . . . . should I tell you that I lost my toothbrush?"
Me: "Yes! When did you lose it? How have you been brushing your teeth?"
Pipsqueak: "With my finger!"
Me: "When. Did. You. Lose. Your. Toothbrush?"
Pipsqueak: "I don't know. More than a week ago." (Said in a tone that was meant to reassure me that since it has been more than a week and she has been using her finger to brush her teeth and she's just fine, I shouldn't fret over a lost toothbrush!)
Me: Opens linen closet, pulls out new toothbrush. Hands it to Pipsqueak. "Go. Now."

I looked at The Diva.
Diva: "Going. Now."

Ahhhhhhhh, happy carefree summer :-) I wouldn't want it any other way!!! :-)

Love,
Wendy

Knee high by the 4th of July

2011-06-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

My corn is definitely knee high- well before the 4th of July!

And the tomato plants I started from seed are healthy and filled with blossoms.

My cabbage is coming along nicely.

And we have romaine lettuce to eat, the bean plants look healthy.

Can't wait to start harvesting some home grown veggies!

Love,
Kim

Heddles and shafts and tie-ups, Oh my!

2011-06-27T13:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

I (hopefully) put my loom together.
There were lots of pieces.
800 of these things call heddles.

I have an 8 shaft loom. The heddles go in the shafts. So there are 100 heddles in each shaft.

Heddles are thin rather uncooperative metal bits. Even keeping them all lined up properly on their string didn't guarantee that they would stay that way- there were a few that twisted around each other, or one or two completely getting missed which meant backing off everybody else in line to straighten out the rogue heddle.

Then I attached all the tie-ups.
There are 90.
They will be used to coordinate which shafts are raised and lowered when I step on the treadles.

(Don't I just sound like I know what I am talking about?)
.......
(Really, I don't even have half a clue.)

When I was messing with all the tie-ups and they were dangling down and brushing against my arms, they reminded me of Bo Derek's hair in the movie 10. I might name the loom Bo. I'm still thinking about it.
Even though I've had my hands on all the parts, I still feel that we need more time together before I name it.

By the time I was done tying up the apron bars, dealing with the heddles and crawling on the floor looping those tie-ups through all those holes, my back ached, my shoulders were stiff and I was covered in dewy layer of perspiration. In my ignorance, I am choosing to believe that I won't have to do this again and that everything else involved in weaving will be easier. And not so sweaty.

I have classes the first week in July, so soon* (!?) I'll have something on the loom to share.

Love,
Kim

*I will not be defining 'soon'.

He still has spunk

2011-06-23T19:34:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
An interesting event occurred the other day. Our leaking ice maker was being repaired- replaced, actually- and Patsy was safely isolated in her crate while Tony removed the iceberg from the freezer and installed the new part.
Bumper, sensing safety and feeling younger than his 12 years, decided to live on the edge for a few moments. He grabbed Patsy's rawhide bone, did a parade lap around the family room in full view of the crated one, trotted through the kitchen and into the diningsewingweaving room.
Pardon the blurry photo here, I had to move fast to snap this shot.

See? I still have it in me!

Bumper was feeling pretty proud of himself and the Young Man and I did some serious gushing over him. He dropped the bone and went back to napping as soon as I finished taking his picture. We figured Bumper probably hasn't had his lips around a rawhide chew since the fateful day that Patsy came to live here.

Happily, he suffered no repercussions when Patsy was freed.

Love,
Kim

It's HERE!!

2011-06-20T19:04:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
My loom arrived this afternoon, one day earlier than the expected delivery date, but fortunately after I had made a place for it in the dining room. (To be accurate, it probably should be called something else, because more sewing, spinning and now hopefully, weaving, is done in there than actual dining.)

Getting the box off the truck, up the driveway and into the house required the help of the Young Man and a next door neighbor who thankfully drove up right when we needed her to come hold the front door open. The box was a tiny bit heavy, but it was the size that made things a bit topsy turvy as we negotiated the front steps.

Here it is with the box just opened. About now I am still excited, but beginning to wonder what I've done.

When I slid it out this far I started to get just a tiny bit scared.

But I persevered, carefully slid it into close proximity of its new home and started to read through the instruction booklet that came with it, checking off the parts list which was a bit of a joke when parts are listed that I don't even know what they are called or what they are for. Some of them I just went by the count- yep, 3 of those things, so those must be apron bars....and that thing is brass colored so it must be the brass reed hook, and so on. I am taking their word for it that there are 800 heddles.
After removing all the plastic wraps and reading through the booklet, I did manage to get the thing unfolded and attached a crank handle before getting overwhelmed and calling it quits before I break something. I'll take my classes and get the whole thing figured out. I almost feel like I'll be learning how to drive all over again.

Here is is all unfolded.
The loom won't be given a name until we get more intimately acquainted.
I am also reminding myself that there have been weavers for centuries and that I am up to the task.

Love,
Kim

Flowers

2011-06-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
The past days here have been perfect. Warm, not hot, days. Cool evenings. Gentle breezes. Plenty of sunshine and just enough rain.
My perennials are beautiful this year and my photos do not do them justice. Plus, my camera is malfunctioning and this may be the last good pictures I can get. This really bums me out. Seems an impending vacation always jinxes my cameras. I've got an email into Nikon's support center and I am hoping for a magic fix.
Anyway- here are some of my pretty flowers.
When shopping for marigolds on Mother's Day, I found an Orange coneflower and did not hesitate to put it in my wagon.

My garden is a haphazard mix of easy care perennials, and mostly I let things grow where they want to. I love perennials that will re-seed themselves and spread out- naturalizing themselves in the garden. I could never plan out their locations as ideally as they end up when they've planted themselves. Whenever I can, I take the seeds from favorites and scatter them in new spots, hoping for the best.

The blue delphiniums are blooming for the first time - I think I planted them 2 years ago, but they were trampled over last summer when we had new siding put on the house and never got a chance to bloom. The hot pink flowers are unknown to me, I admired them in my neighbor's yard and she gave me several seed pods. These have a fuzzy sage green leaf and have managed to grow in the best spots. Also mixed in there is some pink/purple yarrow which is really taking over, and way in the back there you can see Stella Day Lilies- another gift from another neighbor when she was dividing up hers.

I realized yesterday that if June's socks were going to get done I'd better get started on them. I've had this sock yarn in my stash for a very long time. Maybe 10 years! These will be man-sized socks.

Hopefully my camera issues will be resolved and I'll be able to post pictures of finished socks and knitting and vegetable gardens soon. Until then I'll either be forced to blog without adding photos or resort to old pictures to make it interesting.

Love,
Kim

and another and another...

2011-06-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom.
More t-shirts. Last summer it was bucket hats.
Now I'm decorating my t-shirts to coordinate with last summer's hats.
Don't worry. I'll run out of t-shirts or ideas soon.

I've also been motoring through a shawl. I keep waiting for the polish to wear off of my excitement over knitting this shawl, but it hasn't happened yet. The pattern is the Dragon Wing Shawl, which I picked up at Earth Guild 3 years ago when My Hero and I took a trip to Asheville for our 25th anniversary. The yarn is from Marr Haven, and I purchased it last summer on vacation. So it's like two vacations knitted together. I suppose I could take it on this year's vacation and really be wrapped up in happy memories when I wear this.

On the bobbin in that picture is 4 oz of yarn I've spun. It is River's Edge Fiber Arts "Wild Screaming Monkeys" in the On Golden Pond colorway. This stuff is a dream to spin. I treated myself to another 4 oz when we were at Hoosier Hills so I'll spin that, ply them together and have some decent yardage to knit. Don't know what, but I'll figure that out later.
Love,
Kim

Two more t-shirts and a baby gift

2011-06-07T12:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
I decorated two more t-shirts.

This one is a no sew project- I just used my button hole cutter to cut openings wide enough to thread the ribbon through. I marked the locations with straight pins first, making sure they were relatively evenly spaced and that I had the right number of openings so the ribbon would come out and meet together.

And this next one might be my favorite.

I cut 1-inch strips of fabric, sewed a loose basting line down the center to use for gathering up the fabric, and pinned the gathered strips in place, basically letting the fabric tell me where it wanted to go. This is one of those things I have to turn part of my brain off when I am doing it so I don't over think it. I then used a wide zig-zag stitch to stitch down the middle of the gathers around and around until the fabric was attached to the t-shirt. I purposely left the edges raw so they will be slightly frayed. I just might make more shirts like this one.

The only thing I am unsure of is whether I should carry the gathered fabric across the back of the neck. Right now all I've done is what you see here. Any opinions?

One of the nice women I spin with at Tabby Tree is expecting her first baby- a boy- at the end of the month. Since our monthly spin in last Sunday is the last time most of us will see her before her son is born, a baby shower was in order. I made one of my favorite Elizabeth Zimmermann patterns- the Tomten. I modified the design just a bit to add stitches on each side of the fronts to create a double breasted jacket, and used toggle buttons. This isn't the best photo, but I didn't get a better one before it was wrapped and given.

Despite the heat, wool is my fiber of choice. I have a beautimous lace shawl on my needles right now, and a smaller silk shawl/wrap thingy going too, but no pictures of either to show you. I'll do something about that and show some knitting in progress in the next day or two.

Love,

Kim

Supporting the Arts

2011-06-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Last Friday we set out for Franklin, Indiana- an easy hour's drive south- for the Hoosier Hills Fiberarts Festival, and I came home with more fiber to spin, some shawl pins, happy memories, and most importantly, Inspiration.

The fiber came from River's Edge and the shawl pins from Wool's End.

These shawl pins were priced such that it felt like stealing. I did my best to convince their creator to raise her prices. I've never seen anything like these and they were priced at a SINGLE DIGIT. Low single digit. I honestly would have expected these pins to cost 10 times as much and assured the gentle artist that she should at least put a 1 in front of that single digit.

I didn't take any photos of the lambs that stole my heart, but I took several of this sweet little baby, which I am most thankful was already sold- making it impossible for the Young Lady (or YOU) to bring her home.

Soft. Sweet. Picture perfect little angora bunny.

Those ears just make my heart melt.

Like I said, good thing it was already sold....

Love,
Kim

That first bag of wool

2011-06-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Remember that first bag of wool?

Well, a year and a half later it is now this:

Almost all spun- just a little bit of roving left to spin and approximately 1000 yards of yarn! WOW.
Not quite enough for a sweater. Definitely enough for a vest or a shawl.

Since receiving that first bag from my Brother-in-law, I've been given two more, have purchased countless pounds of roving from various sources, have another gifted bag of wool from MelissaWhoHooksRugs and some wool that I need to attend to that is destined for the Sheep To Shawl Contest at the State Fair. (Okay, yes. I am publicly acknowledging that I've been invited to be a Sheep to Shawl team member. Not sure what my team mates are thinking exactly, but I've been assured that I am up to the task. They most likely are desperate. More on Sheep to Shawl another day.)

Little did I know where that That First Bag of Wool would lead me.To be honest, when I took that "free" bag of wool I took it intending to send it off as dirty wool and have it come back to me as yarn. I was NOT going to become a spinner! Rather, it has been spinning classes, a spinning wheel, dye workshops, fiber fairs. A loom. And even better- learning something new, being creative, spending happy hours and making new friends. Free bag of wool? Priceless.

Love,
Kim

When Denial meets Reality

2011-05-31T10:41:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

I've been trying to ignore the persistent countdown to the last day of school as reported faithfully by the Young Lady, but I cannot do so any longer.

Tomorrow is the last day.

Thankfully tomorrow is a full day of school, but I am completely indecisive about how to spend my last two relatively alone with my piece of quiet days. Do I whirl through the house ridding it of all dust and dog hair and debris, leaving it all clean at once for one last time..... or do I use the time to fill my creative well with as much knitting and spinning as I can????
I know the answer. I won't be able to relax with knitting in my lap knowing there is housework to be done. So cleaning it will be.

I've got a small knitting project nearly completed and I'll show it to you when it is off my needles. I've also got a couple of projects going that are not photo worthy yet. And I've done a decent amount of spinning over the past week which I've neglected to photograph, so I'll save that for another post.

What I CAN show you is the t-shirt makeovers I've done. My changing figure and current fashions don't seem to be complementing each other. When I try stuff on, this is what I see looking back at me in the dressing room mirror:

Yep. That. Except without the fur.

Sooo. In self-pitying desperation, I went to Target and bought a bunch of Men's v-neck t-shirts. (For me, the sleeves on women's tees are too short. Even when I was thin my upper arms were not attractive.) And so far this is what I've done.

I won't be gracing the pages of any fashion magazines with these looks, but at least I don't feel like Harvey Korman when I look in the mirror.

Love,
Kim

May's Socks

2011-05-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Started late but finished early, these socks are ready to be washed and put in the gift drawer! I started out with these using a rather complicated stitch pattern, couldn't read the stitches in the variegated colors, lost my place in the pattern and realized that really, when it comes to socks, I just want to knit on auto pilot. Hand knit socks feel good on your feet no matter how plain or fancy. So, simple socks it is again. And again.
Love,
Kim

Weekend Wrap Up

2011-05-23T11:28:00.002-04:00

Dear Mom,

It was a busy weekend of good weather and a visit from My Hero's dad. Thanks to their hard work, I had another dozen flower boxes to plant and Patsy has a dozen less escape options. If everything I've planted thrives, the fence will be a show stopper and a Patsy stopper.

I was able to get my garden planted on Friday afternoon. Once upon a time I had the thought of planting rows of beans and corn in succession so I wouldn't be harvesting all at once, but it would seem that thought left my brain once I got out there and started planting. This year I've planted more of fewer things. Except tomatoes. I am hoping less of those will give me enough tomatoes to eat and can without an over abundance. Part of me wants to rush out there and plant a couple more tomato plants for just in case, but that is why I end up with a tomato jungle every year. So this year I'll try being reasonable about them and see what happens. I still have Many Many plants from the seeds I started in March. I've given them to everyone I can think of and still have some left. I'll hang onto them for back ups a little while longer and then... I don't know. I hate the thought of trashing them. In fact I know I just won't be bale to do that. So maybe I will end up with another tomato jungle after all.

When I was planting I realized that I didn't have any new, or enough, row markers. Necessity being the mother of invention, I came up with these, which I think are way cuter than anything I would have purchased ( and could have been way WAY cuter had I taken the time for decorative writing):

This is a small clay saucer stuck half in the ground. I used a sharpie to write Corn. If I'd taken my time and had planned ahead for this, I would have used paint pens to write nicely and added a drawing of corn. I've done the same at the ends of my rows of beans, too. (Except of course, those say Beans.) In the Herb Garden I took the pots that partner these saucers, turned them upside down, and wrote the names of the herbs on the outside of the pots and sat them in the ground next to the plants.

Now comes the waiting part. I go out there two or three times a day and just look at the dirt. Like I am going to see a sprout after 3 hours or something. But I don't want to miss the magic.

And speaking of seeds sprouting...
A finished This is THAT Sweater has been posted on ravelry! The knitter blogs about the sweater, which she made for her Mom (!!), here. It is very satisfying and exciting to see one of my knitting designs "out there"- and especially when the knitter is so happy with the results.

My socks for the month of May are right on schedule despite their getting a late start. With the Dancing with the Stars finale and the Glee finale tonight and tomorrow night, I should have them done with no trouble.

Generic sock pattern, Claudia's Hand Painted yarn- color Toast

This is a beautiful day and I hope to enjoy a bit of it on the back porch. With only 7 more school days left, I need to fill the well with some quiet time.

Love,
Kim

News to share

2011-05-19T10:21:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

For a long while now I have been denying my Inner Weaver. I kept trying to keep her quiet, telling her that I have enough other things to do, that knitting and spinning (and gardening and housekeeping and family keeping and dog keeping) really should be enough.

Inner Weaver just got a little louder. She was especially worse after Sunday Spin Ins at Tabby Tree Weaver. I had to drive home with the windows down just to blow the weaving fumes off of me and clear my head.

Inner Weaver wasn't fooled.

Before Inner Weaver got b-itchy, I publicly acknowledged her existence. I said that someday I would have a loom. I thought that would settle Inner Weaver down a bit, but it actually just made her more assertive. She knew she was winning.

And now this.

This is a Schacht Baby Wolf loom. It should be arriving on my doorstep in the next 4-6 weeks. The only other weaving I've ever done is this rug in a one day class. Unless potholders count and then I've done LOTS of weaving in my day.
I am scared and excited. There is so much to learn and that may be the best part about it all.

Love,
Kim

What to do?

2011-05-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
What to do in the middle of May, when the outside temperature is 46 degrees (the weatherman actually used the words wind chill this morning) and it is rainy, too?
Brew some hot cinnamon spice tea.
Start a fire.
Heat up some Herb Bean Soup for lunch.
Listen to an audio book.
And spin.

After the daily housework is done, of course.
And it is.
And I am.
Love,
Kim

Working my Aster off.

2011-05-11T16:02:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
This string of mostly dry, very warm days has been ideal for getting yard work and garden projects done. I have very little to show for it though. I continue trying to repair the lawn's drought damaged areas and where it was once bald, it is now sprouting up wispy little baby grass. And LOTS of chickweed. I'll deal with that once the grass seed is firmly established. I've been digging it up where I can do so with out disturbing the new grass too much. I do not exaggerate when I say that this past week I've spent more time pulling weeds than I have knitting.
I've also tilled up my vegetable garden the old fashioned way. With a hoe. If the soil had been difficult to turn over I would never have done it, but once I got going I convinced myself that by manually tilling up the earth I was saving the gas the would run the tiller, emitting no noise pollution or engine exhaust, and getting some really good exercise. I'm also hoping that all my hands on attention will be rewarded with the best vegetables ever. But I do have to admit that while it wasn't all easy, I really do like digging in the dirt and planting things. One of the best feelings, for me, has to be crumbling a chunk of soil into fine bits with my hands. And I like the smell of dirt.It's almost as good as the smell of rain. But then I also like the smell of a wet dog, so there could be something not quite right about me.
After tilling I added some compost and peat, mixed up my fertilizer recipe and worked that all in. I'll give the dirt a few days to settle, turn over the soil again and then plant- probably sometime next week, depending on the weather. I would like it to rain again before I plant. Why do I have the feeling that now that I've planted stuff that needs water the faucet has been turned off and we won't have anymore rain?
My Hero and I have been sidetracked from out indoor spring cleaning with outdoor projects. A big one has been the fence and our efforts at making it Patsy-proof.

I am not kidding when I say we should have named her FloJo after Florence Griffith Joyner. Patsy can run fast and the fence is just a high hurdle for her.
Last summer we replaced the planks on the gates, making them higher. She just found new spots to hop. We tried placing obstacles on the ground along the fence in her new preferred locations. She found new ones. A good portion of the interior of the fence perimeter is landscaped and not jump-able. But there is still a good portion that is wide open. The motion collar is a deterrent and really did cut down on Patsy's jumping habit. Unfortunately, everytime Patsy is in the backyard someone (usually me) has to be watching her ready to press the button that will vibrate her collar everytime she gets near the fence. With the warm weather we like to keep the door open onto the screened porch which has the doggie door, which means that the dogs can come in and go out whenever. We like that. We don't like that Patsy can't be trusted to stay. in. the. fence.
Our next attempt at Patsy containment was based on the theory that Patsy was using the horizontal 2 X4's to get a lift up and over the fence. We decided to put new planks on the inside of the fence, creating a shadow box type fence. We hoped that not only would she not be able to use that horizontal beam, but the dogs would not be able to see through the fence as easily and perhaps Patsy would not be tempted to leave.

Ok. Not.

But it worked for a few days. I don't know how she manages to get over the fence, but she does. That dog is just too smart. And I hate being outsmarted by a dog.

So now it is Plan.... D? And here is what we're doing. ( I know. Some people are reading this and wondering why we just didn't get a taller fence. Because I like to be able so see out, that's why. To look out into my backyard and see a 6 or 8 foot wooden wall would make me feel closed in.) We My Hero is taking all the pieces of cedar fence planks that we cut to make fence height and using them to make flower boxes that we are placing ON TOP of the fence. We have come up with a simple design that has a rudder or whatever you want to call it that comes off the bottom of the box and slides down in between the fence boards. The flower boxes could tilt if they are nudged, but the rudder keeps them from falling off the fence or tilting over far enough to spill their contents.
He has made about a doxen flower boxes so far and we are placing them wherever we see even the slightest possibility of an escape. And they look really nice, too.

When the first few boxes were completed and ready to be placed, My Hero asked where Patsy's favorite jumping spot is along the back.
Ummm, I think......HERE.

Yep. Definitely.

Here.

So far, the plan is working. We'll keep building and planting flower boxes until we run out of wood or places to put them. I don't want to think about what happens if this doesn't work. Because I don't think this

is going to blend in with the landscaping.

Love,

Kim

New Babies in the Family

2011-05-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
We have anticipated their arrival for weeks. Treading lighting. Coming and going carefully. Always mindful.
They are finally here! Oh! Soooooo worth the wait!

Love,
Wendy

Socks, Spinning and Something Really Pretty

2011-05-03T12:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

April's socks were finished in April, but just barely. These will go into the drawer for future gift giving. The yarn for May's socks is still languishing on the dining room table waiting for a ride on the ball winder.

I spent a good bit of time over the past couple of weeks spinning this. It may just look like more pretty yarn, but I see this skein of yarn as evidence of improving spinning skills. The roving for this yarn was purchased by CarolWhoseHouseGotStruckbyLightning at the Greencastle Fiber Event and I agreed to spin it for her.

And this next beauty came off the needles last night and off the blocking wires this morning. It was started in July 2009 and set aside for a reason I can't remember, but it certainly wasn't because this thing was hard. It was a pretty quick knit once I buckled down and actually worked on the thing.

This is the Panda Silk Dk Fan Shawl by Gail Tanquary- a free pattern. I used Blue Sky Alpaca's Alpaca Silk yarn- 5 skeins, I think. I couldn't be happier with the way this turned out. Beautiful yarn, elegant shawl. Really perfect for spring. And one less project waiting to be completed. If only I could be certain that they would all turn out this nicely.

Love,

Kim

Tranquil

2011-04-28T19:20:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

Love,
Wendy

Gentle Chickens

2011-04-26T11:10:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

Before I acquired my backyard chickens, I did some research to find a docile breed with a calm and patient personality. I chose the Orpington.

From the moment the chicks arrived, they were treated with gentleness. We softly sang to them and said, "Chick, chick, chick" whenever we approached the brood box. We spent time with them, walking slowly, talking quietly, and offering treats. They were never chased or grabbed. We picked them up, pet them, and released them carefully back onto the soft ground. The chickens soon learned to recognize our voices and come running when called, always to be rewarded with a handful of corn!

We taught the curious neighbor children how to get acquainted with them. Of course, there were times when they tried to chase them...but they quickly learned that slow movements, and clumps of grass and fresh worms fed by hand got better results!

The girls are begging for treats from Little J

The hens have a good life and the children have a rewarding experience. I have the joy of raising a healthy flock of backyard chickens and making some great memories with these adorable children!

Miss A and Gloria

Love, Bonnie Jo

Easter Eggs

2011-04-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
We tie dyed our Easter Eggs again this year, and before they are all gobbled up I took a picture to show you how 6 neckties from the Goodwill and a couple of rejects from My Hero's closet,a little vinegar and simmering water decorated our eggs. I love the way these eggs turn out and may never color eggs with food dye again. Plus it is exciting to unwrap them and see how the patterns and colors transferred to the eggs. In the photo above, I placed each egg on top of a scrap of silk from the necktie that produced the egg design.
This one is my favorite-

But this one is pretty good, too-

I linked to the how-to for this last Easter, but I'll review here.

You need silk neckties, an old t-shirt you can cut up (or two depending on how many eggs you are gonna dye), uncooked eggs, a little vinegar, some rubber bands and a big pot of water.

Neckties must be 100% silk. The brighter and wilder the print, the better (in my opinion.) Goodwill neckties at $1.99 each are perfect for this project.

Cut open the neckties, discarding everything but the silk part of the tie. Cut the tie into pieces that are big enough to wrap around an egg. You can get several eggs out of one necktie. Wrap eggs in the silk with the right side (bright patterned side) of the silk against the egg. Cut a square out of the old t-shirt that is big enough to go around the silk-wrapped egg and wrap the egg in it. Secure the t-shirt closed with a rubber band.

Once you've covered all the eggs you want to tie dye, place them carefully into a big pot of water. The water just needs to cover the eggs, but the pot needs to be big enough to let the eggs move around a little. Add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar to the water. We dyed 24 eggs and I used about 1/4 cup vinegar. Slowly bring the water to a boil and let the eggs simmer for 25 minutes. Once cooked, lay the eggs out on a flat surface to cool. When they are cooled off, you can open up the wrappings and find your pretty eggs!

Hope you had a Happy (if rainy) Easter. One of the first dentists I worked for, who was a big time golfer, always said "If it rains on Easter Sunday, it will rain on the next seven Sundays". We'll see if it is true this year.

Love,

Kim

Daddy

2011-04-23T01:00:00.002-04:00

Dear Mom,
You gave us the best Dad.

Head of the House. Our Benevolent Dictator.
Businessman. Boss.

Life of the Party.

Farmer.

Santa Claus.

Mover.

~~Pumpkin Pie~~ ~~Whipped Cream~~. The best Whipped Cream with Pumpkin Pie builder.

Coach. Teacher. Sage.

Grandpa.

Fixer of Anything. Builder. Artisan.

Dog Lover. Dog Rescuer.

Gentleman.

Easter Egg Finder.

Engineer.

My first Hero.

Love,
Kim

Moving right along

2011-04-22T12:23:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

It sure doesn't feel like spring out there, but our indoor spring cleaning efforts are moving along at a pretty good clip. With the hall and stairway painted and carpet cleaned, I can now declare the upstairs to be Officially Finished. The fresh paint continued down the stairway and into the foyer and includes the half bath, so now all that remains inside are the living and dining rooms and. the. kitchen. (I need a font there to indicate a shudder.) Here's a peak at the foyer and bath with fresh paint.

We've painted over the taupe-colored, sponge-painted walls with a light wheat color. It's definitely a change, but I am pleased. Much brighter and quieter, if that makes sense.

The past few days I've been spinning more than knitting. I received the jumbo bobbin and flyer I ordered for my spinning wheel and I can't wait to try it out when I ply. I am in the process of loading up a couple of bobbins so I can do just that.

I do think my spinning has improved since taking that workshop last month. I am much more consistent. I'll see how it is after plying, but I think I am producing a yarn that is a bit finer too.

I've been knitting a little bit on the shawl I've rescued from yarn closet purgatory. This shawl is worked modularly- sections are picked up and built from previous sections. My goal is to work two sections each day, which should have this shawl finished within two weeks.
This is what I have so far, and it will be even prettier after it has been blocked!

Happy Easter!

Love,

Kim

book list

2011-04-21T12:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
One of the bazillion topics we covered on our trip to and from Greencastle last Friday was books, and I think we may have stumbled upon the standard for a book's recommendation ....Would you read it again?

Over dinner and a glass of wine, we ventured into book territory. Finding a really great book is a treasure. There are books you read and enjoy, but then there are books that you hate to see end, or have to keep once you've finished them and some of those you just have to treat yourself to reading again. At least once. With all the books there are out there waiting to be read, to want to take the time to re-read a book is a true testimony to that book's worth.

I quickly grabbed my notebook and pen out of my purse and made some notes. I thought I'd share some of the titles here.

I'll put an asterisk next to the books that I've read more than once. The others are now in my book queue and were either read and loved by more than one of the group or read more than once by one of us. Does that make sense?

*The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher
Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Shogun, by James Clavell
*A Week in Winter, by Marcia Willet
*The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffner and Annie Barrows
The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
*Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
*Fall of Giants, by Ken Follett (read once, listening again)
*The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
*Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
The General's Daughter, Plum Island and The Gold Coast, by Nelson DeMille

So, there's a list. Now I'll put the question out there... What books have you read more than once?

Love,
Kim

One of the Best

2011-04-19T15:17:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

If I were to keep track of such things, Friday, April 15 would go on the list as One of My Best Days. Ever.

I, along with some of the usual suspects went to our first Fiber Event in Greencastle, IN. We felt like kids at Christmas, such was our excitement and anticipation of the day.If we had planned out each and every detail, we couldn't have made the day more perfect.

We left mid morning, in plenty of time to arrive in Greencastle when the event opened at 1:00 with a stop for lunch, and using every bit of restraint not to kick up dirt and burn rubber on the way out of the cul-de sac. Not that anyone was around to notice. But still. The idea of it was great fun and gives you a little insight to the jubilant moods in the car.

In a flash we'd arrived in Greencastle- and really is there any faster way to travel than in a carload of girlfriends?- and found a delicious, delightful tea room for our lunch right on the courthouse square and on the way to the Putnam County Fairgrounds were the event was held.
I don't know if the town had decorated the trees for the event or if Greencastle had been "yarn bombed" but several of the trees on the square were decorated with knitting.

The event itself was overwhelming in the best way. I experienced a head rush followed by a headache and at one point I thought maybe I should just sit down with my head between my knees. I even felt weepy. Not from exhaustion but from the frustration of having so much I'd like to do, so much fiber I'd like to spin, so much beautiful yarn I'd love to knit with and never ever have enough time to do it all. Considering all the temptations surrounding me, I was very prudent in my purchasing, and except for an angora goat and an angora rabbit, I left nothing behind that haunts me. Leaving the goats and rabbits behind really wasn't all that hard because:

#1. I didn't drive.

#2. They poop.

Here is what I did bring home:

Just kidding. I left these cuties behind, too.

This roving is from a local farm. I mean LOCAL. As in not far from home! Funny to drive all that way and stumble across a fiber farm that is nearly in my own backyard. This fiber is a Border Leicester/ Cormo cross, is a soft, beautiful sheep's gray and should be wonderful to spin- from Westfield Woolies.

This beautiful yarn will be this scarf.

Kauni EQ

In hindsight, I wish I'd taken a photo of the Fiber Optics booth. Kimber Baldwin's saturated colors were stunning. I lingered there and enjoyed chatting with Kimber. Kimber blogs about the day and you can see photos of her booth being set up. It was hard to narrow all those color choices down, but having the expert dyer close at hand helped me to make a decision. I bought these two skeins of Footnotes-

Footnotes- Straight No Chaser (gold) and Cabernet Nights

-and I plan on using them for this scarf.

As if all that isn't enough- and let's just pretend that there aren't already more than several pounds of roving already stashed away- I couldn't resist adding these to my spinning stash.

This is "Shimmy" from River's Edge Fiber Arts, colorway River Stone. The fiber is 65% Merino, 15% Tencel, 10% Banana (yes, BANANA!!) and 10% Milk. I love the feel and colors of this but also can't wait to be able to say I spun some banana!!

This lovely roving is also from River's Edge Fiber Arts and is called Screaming Wild Monkeys. The colorway is called Bachelor Button, which is a perfect description of the colors. It is 70% Superwash Merino, 15 % Seacell, and 15% Banana. We spoke with the mastermind behind the fiber. She is equal parts mad scientist and artist and I say that with respect and awe. Hers is a brain that does not rest. She Has It Figured Out and if she hasn't figured it out yet, she will.

I also ordered a jumbo flyer and bobbin for my spinning wheel from the Woolery so I can ply my yarns together into one skein rather that breaking it into two small skeins.

It took the entire afternoon to peruse the booths and then go back to select booths to make our purchases. Even having done that, it was hard to leave, and there were a couple of false starts back to the car as one or another of us decided that she couldn't leave without something, or without one last look at something else.
We stopped on the way back home at the Swizzle Stick, the bar companion to the tea room we lunched in. Another good meal, a glass of wine, good conversation and home by 9. Like I said. One of my Best Days ever.

Love,
Kim

And The Winner Is . . . .

2011-04-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
The winner of the Starbucks coffee (and goodies!) giveaway is:
***drum roll ***

BIRDIE!!!!!! :-) Yipee!!!!!

Birdie, please send me an email at bills3girls@hotmail.com so that I can get some of your information!!

Spring break this week--we are going to my favorite creek slogging park. Pictures tomorrow!

Love,
Wendy

More shawl pictures

2011-04-14T14:49:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,

Turns out taking a picture of the prettiest shawl I ever made is harder than I thought it would be.

My clothesline plan turned out lots of pictures like this:

I don't even want to tell you how many attempts I made trying to get a picture of this thing hanging on the clothesline on a breezy day before I gave up. Sometimes I wonder about myself.

I ended up taking a picture of the shawl modeled by the Reliable Elle.

I am taller than Elle, so the shawl won't nearly touch the ground when I wear it.

I've spent most of the last two beautiful days outside working in the yard, trying to help the lawn recover from last summer's drought- spraying the chickweed and dandelions that are trying to take over and planting grass seed. We lost two small spruce trees and a little white pine seedling that the Young Lady brought home from school 4 years ago. I found a spot for the pussy willow I've been wanting and started cleaning up the perennial beds. I don't know if it is due to the weather or the drought or both, but it seems that things are late in sprouting up this spring.

We're continuing to move forward with our spring cleaning plan. The upstairs is nearly finished! We worked on the Young Man's room over spring break and the kids bathroom is finished, too. We've started the prep work on the upstairs hallway and stairway, but are taking advantage of the good weather to get some outdoor projects done- namely, a major fence overhaul that we hope (please, God?) will keep Patsy from jumping out. This weekend's forecast has colder temps and rain coming in, so we'll be back at it with paint brushes and rollers in hand.

All that yard work hasn't left much time for knitting. I did pull out another shawl that had just been started before getting pushed aside. My notes indicate that I started knitting it in July 09. I am determined to get this one finished, too. Not enough progress on it to show a picture, but when there is something worth sharing here, I will.

Love,

Kim

Catch a Falling Star is Born

2011-04-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
It took about 5 1/2 years from start to finish, but I think it may be the prettiest thing I've ever knitted.
It is the Catch a Falling Star shawl from the book Knits from the North Country.

In the summer of 2005, we took a family trip to Niagara Falls. We visited the lovely Canadian side of the falls and while we were there we hunted down a local yarn shop. The Knitting Habit was appropriately well stocked in Canadian wools. It was there that I found the book and purchased enough Briggs and Little Sport yarn to make the shawl. I tried to put off starting the shawl, telling myself to finish other projects first, but the beautiful pattern and that wonderful wool wouldn't be put off and I clearly remember starting the shawl when school started that fall. As a sort of celebratory treat. I would imagine that 80% of the knitting was completed in the first few months. However. Each row of the shawl adds stitches. The instructions are written out rather than charted and reading the pattern required my complete concentration. No TV. No conversation. No stopping until the row was complete. And the longer the rows, the more time I needed to find to do that level of concentrating. Eventually, the shawl was put away and occasionally brought out for another try. I don't know how long this last stretch in time-out lasted, but I do know for certain that it hasn't been worked on since Patsy came on the scene.

Anyway, after finishing your mohair sweater I was a bit lost there for a bit. Having recently relocated all my yarn stash when we traded the Young Lady's and guest rooms, this shawl was fresh in my mind and I decided to give it another go.

I had a moment of near panic when I discovered that the sticky note I'd been using to mark my place in the pattern had lost that which made it a STICKY note and I needed to decipher my knitting and figure out where I'd left off. I took a deep breath and luckily found my way pretty quickly. In fact I had just over 40 rows left!

As I tend to do, I mapped out some daily goals, figuring that if I stuck to them I could have the shawl off my needles in a week. I did better than that and bound off my last stitch last night! The shawl is currently blocking on the only floorspace that was big enough to both accommodate its size and keep it

protected from a dog who may decide that wet wool is a great thing to nap on. I've not been able to get a good photo of the entire shawl, but once it is dry my plan is to pin it to the clothesline and hopefully get a picture that does this beauty justice.

Here, though, is a picture that shows off the lace work. I have the shawl blocking on a white king size sheet. I've used my blocking wires that aren't really blocking wires (they are stainless steel tig wires from the welding supply) and pinned them through the sheet right into the carpeting.

I've decided on my next sweater project- another vacation yarn purchase.Instead of making the sweater I originally planned for this yarn, I am going to adapt this sweater. If you've clicked on that link you may have noticed that the sweater pattern is not in English. Fortunately, the graphs speak a universal knitting language. I'll be reworking all the math anyway- the sweater is written for Lopi yarn, a heavy weight yarn, and the yarn I'll be using is pretty fine (less bulk,you know). And if worse comes to worse, Merrily Mary Lee sent me this knitting translation website. I am also inspired to finish another shawl I started a couple of summers ago. That one has way more that 40 rows to go, but its another pretty one.

Love,

Kim

P.S. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to leave a comment here if you'd like to try to win some Starbuck's coffee from Wendy!

Starbucks Coffee And A Giveaway!

2011-04-09T13:27:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,
It has been over a year since I became one of these.
While I am still incredibly spoiled, it has been much harder than I thought making the transition to a real working Mom. I stay home during the days so I am always available for my children if they are sick, have orthodontist appointments, snow days, spring breaks and summer vacations. But I am gone several evenings each week and I miss cooking big meals, attending to homework, tucking and kissing "babies" into bed.
I have earned a promotion to shift manager, I have great insurance for the family, I have a 401(k) plan that I can call my own, I can make a fabulous doppio espresso wherever I may be, and I have so many invaluable friendships that I would have missed out on otherwise. I have also learned that, even at the age of 44, I can still learn a new "trade" (yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks!); I can draw from inner strength that I didn't even know I had and I can still make each day new, fun and full of love and laughter!

(Photo montage courtesy of iPhone---not the greatest quality but I do have lots of fun!)

In honor of Starbucks, coffee lovers and personal growth---a giveaway!! I don't think we've ever had a giveaway on our blog and I'd like to start!! (Bonnie Jo's win inspired me!!!) :-)

Leave a coffee comment and I will randomly choose someone next Sunday afternoon (April 17th) to receive 1 pound of Starbucks Anniversary Blend coffee and probably some other Starbucks goodies and surprises!!

Good Luck!

Love,

Wendy

All Done.

2011-04-05T13:03:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

All done! Your mohair sweater is off my needles, washed and dry. Elle is wearing it until the next time I see you.This sweater is as light as a feather and softsoftsoft.

I hope it fits and is what you wanted it to be. I certainly enjoyed making it for you.

I rarely find myself confronted with the dilemma of what to knit next, but this is exactly where I am. Usually I am knitting away full speed ahead and planning the next project. Nothing really excites me right now. Last night I cast on April's Socks during Dancing with the Stars and knit through that sad Butler Basketball game.

This is Vesper Sock yarn- called Great Googlie Moogle. I put a purl row in there and now I don't know why I thought that would be a fun idea. I may rip back.

I'll go hang out with my yarn. That should shake off this funk. If nothing else, I know I can find a shawl that needs to be finished.....and a scarf.....and another shawl.....and a sweater......
Love,
Kim

I Won!

2011-04-01T16:21:00.003-04:00

Dear Mom,

I won a blog contest! Terry Golson was spring cleaning, and she generously decided to have a give-away contest to re-home some items she hasn't used in a while. The prize was this charming hand-stenciled cotton runner.

Terry is an animal lover and an author of many cookbooks and an adorable children's book, Tillie Lays an Egg. I found Terry's Hen Blog one day while viewing the live-streaming webcam of her flock of hens. Terry loves to speak about her backyard poultry keeping, and she has even appeared on The Martha Stewart Show!

I have been a follower of Terry's blog for a long time, soaking up her advice and enjoying her pictures, recipes and animal stories. You can imagine how excited I was to win her blog contest!

The package was sealed with a hen sticker!

Ooooo, lots of other goodies, too....I feel like a kid on Christmas morning! The package included a note card featuring Agnes and Edwina Hen.

Look at these clever one-of-a-kind magnets made from pages out of vintage books!

And here is the eagerly anticipated table runner!

Time for a photo shoot!

Okay, so I saved some of Meg's eggs and a few her beautiful feathers...and I keep them in a teacup.

This runner will be a great Easter decoration. Thanks, Terry!

Love, Bonnie Jo

Marching on....

2011-03-29T11:19:00.002-04:00

Dear Mom,
It took two weekends, but the master bedroom, bath and closet can be checked off the spring cleaning list. At times, some of that closet cleaning and under the furniture cleaning felt like an archaeological dig. We found a tv remote that had been lost so long ago I'd forgotten we ever had it. I was ruthless and except for my wedding dress and a few sentimental things, I got rid of anything that hadn't been worn or that fit poorly or that looked unflattering - or at least the most unflattering stuff; one could argue that the men's oxford shirts I wear aren't exactly flattering. In other words, there is very little left hanging on my side of the closet. There are plenty of sweaters though!!
The bathroom got a fresh coat of paint, and even a simple thing like a new shower caddy made a big improvement.
I made a new shade for the window. I really lucked out on this one and found a fabric remnant that had the colors I was looking for and just the right amount of yardage. For less that $30 we have a new window treatment.

We'll continue our trek through the upstairs. I have to say that the results feel GOOD. Less really is More. Less dirt, less stuff, less clutter, less confusion. More control, satisfaction, space. This could become an addiction.

I thought I'd show you the progress I've made on your sweater. Back in January you told me you would like a cream mohair sweater similar in style to Primrose. Finding the right yarn took a little time and then POOF! I got an email alert from WEBS and lo and behold, there was the Ironstone Mohair I'd been looking for on sale. Stuff like that almost never happens.
Anyway, I swatched last week, did some MATH, and on Saturday evening I popped in Season One of Glee and started knitting.

Last night I got past the yoke shaping and things will move really quickly now. This may be finished sometime next week!!

I wish I could take a photo that would let you feel how soft this is. Knitting with mohair is not the easiest thing to do, but it isn't a chore either. Especially when the results feel so scrumptious. I caught myself considering ordering more colors of this yarn and making blankets. Actually, I was thinking of this blanket. As if I need more yarn. OR another project.

Love,
Kim

This is That Sweater

2011-03-24T19:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

The pattern is written, edited and up for sale! It can be found on Ravelry and on Warm Thoughts.
Now, back to my regularly scheduled housework.

Love,
Kim

March socks

2011-03-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
They were started late, but March's socks are finished. Yes, Yes, they do look a little different, don't they?!
They are a perfect example of why one needs to check DYE LOTS on the yarn label. I remember purchasing this yarn on vacation- on our way to Myrtle Beach, years ago, in a lovely yarn shop in Hendersonville, NC. My Hero coordinates our pit stops with yarn shop visits if at all possible, and I remember this was one of those. And that despite all reassurances that I could "take all the time" I needed, I KNEW there two children and a husband anxious to get back on the road and get to the beach. Obviously I skipped the "check the dye lot" part of my yarn purchase.
I'll keep this odd pair for myself. My feet and I won't mind the slight difference in color, and the socks will still be just as warm.
Love,
Kim

Simmering Potpourri

2011-03-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Potpourri is one of those words that doesn't look right no matter how I try to spell it. One R? Po-por-eee. Two RR's? Pot-Poor-rEEE. You cannot pronounce it the way it is spelled or spell it the way it is pronounced. Spell check came in handy on this one.

When I was at the Spin Workshop a couple of weekends ago, a fellow classmate asked if she might borrow my niddy noddy overnight and return it in class the next morning. Of course she could!
When Melissa returned the niddy noddy she gave me some of her home made simmering potpourri as a thank you. I thought, WOW! What a nice and totally unexpected completely unnecessary thing to do!..... I think I want to be her friend.
The potpourri is wonderful. I asked Melissa for the "recipe". She gave me several. The ingredients are all things you probably have in your kitchen and spice cabinet. I have her permission to share the recipes with you.

The combination Melissa gave to me was this:
orange peel (literally- the peel off of an orange.)
broken up cinnamon sticks
a few whole cloves

Put it all in a saucepan with enough water to cover and simmer away. Just be sure to check and refill the water- it evaporates quickly. Use it for as long as you like, until it looks yucky. And then make some more.

Melissa also suggests the following options-

Grapefruit peel with bay leaves

Lime peels with broken cardamom seeds

Lemongrass that has been smashed well and cut up for a citronella scent.

Cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.

When I saw Melissa at Open Spin the weekend before the workshop, I knew she was somehow familiar to me, but I couldn't place her. When she started talking about her rugs (she is a Hooker!), the light bulb flickered on and I remembered. WAaaay back when I took the rug weaving class Melissa walked in with a few of her hooked rugs. They were impressive, inspiring, unforgettable. Works of art. I hope to see more of her rugs someday.

And this has nothing to do with simmering potpourri, but look at what I found at the Tractor Supply when I went to buy more Orvus wool wash:

Cute CUTE little baby chicks.

And even CUTER baby ducks.

Think of the neighbors, Kim.

And the dogs.

And the POOP.

Pictures will have to do. But ohhhh.

Love,
Kim

That Sweater

2011-03-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
You know that sweater?

The one you can wear as a jacket in the spring? Or toss on over a turtleneck on chilly winter days?
The sweater that covers your bottom and wraps around you just enough that you can wear it as a robe on days you feel like hanging out in your jammies?

And it looks nice belted around you, but nice open, too.

The one with a collar that fold over but will just as easily stand up to warm the back of your neck when you feel a draft?

And it has pockets for a hankie and a cell phone....

...... or dog treats and an ipod.

And the sleeves fit easy enough to slip your arms in and out, but not so loose that they hang into that pot of soup you're stirring on the stove?

You know that sweater?

Well, THIS is THAT Sweater.

Pattern coming soon!

Love,

Kim

Random stuff

2011-03-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
Today the sun is shining and before I leave to go to the dog park (with my knitting- thanks, Carol!) I have a photo of the guest room, taken in good light, to give you a better idea of the colors.

We are so enchanted with this room that both My Hero and I confessed to walking in, looking around and then closing the door behind us when we leave so the room will stay this nice!

Speaking of the dog park, I need to give an updated Patsy report. In this case it has been no news is good news. March 9th marked the 4 month-iversary of our meeting with the behavior specialist. It was the day that Patsy could be free of her house rope forever- or more realistically, for most of the time except when we decide she needs a little reminder or we need to be certain of control. We have also graduated from weekly phone calls to the behaviorist, to weekly email reports, to semi- weekly emails to our current status of "Call if you need me, and I'd love to hear about Patsy occasionally" reports. In other words, we've sort of graduated! The last thing we added to our arsenal of tricks, and the thing that seemed to tip the scale in our favor was a Motion Collar. This thing is fantastic and I wish I'd had one a year ago. I think we would have thwarted most, if not all, of Patsy's behavior issues if we'd known about it and how to use it. Not to say that the way things progressed hasn't been good. The motion collar delivers an irritating buzz- not a shock. I would compare it to that feeling you have when you hit your funny bone. We control the buzz with a handheld remote, and we can control the level of intensity that Patsy receives. Barking on walks and in the car has been significantly reduced, as has her bad habit of jumping the fence. Eventually, with consistent use of the motion collar, these behaviors should be eliminated, just like dogs with invisible fences often stay put even when not wearing their collars. Patsy is not a perfect dog, but she is a much mellower, well-behaved girl than she was 5 months ago. Things will only get better with time (and age).

I couldn't sit on my new spinning knowledge for long, and Tuesday evening I spent some time literally picking through my bag full of dirty fleece, separating the locks, getting rid of unmentionable bits and pieces of straw and burrs. It took some time to fill a mesh laundry bag with about 6 oz of wool, which I then washed. It dried overnight and last night I flick carded a small portion and spun it.
This photo shows a lock of dirty fleece, a cleaned lock in the middle, and a lock that has been carded beneath them both.

Here is a closer look at the three of them together-

And here is what I spun last night-

I should have weighed the washed wool to see how much the 6 oz of dirty fleece yielded, and I didn't weigh how much I actually carded and spun. I should also keep track of my time, just out of curiosity. My best guess is that it took 4 hours to make the yarn on the bobbin. And I loved every moment of it.

Love,
kim

Guest Room

2011-03-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

What was once a cute little girls bedroom with flowers, bees, dragonflies and butterflies painted on the wall (and even a curly red-headed fairy) has been transformed into a serene guest room.
Almost everything is moved in. I still have some yarn storage issues and fear that a giant yarn purge is in my future.
I did a little book purging to make room on the shelves for my knitting library. I found myself over thinking the placement of the books on the shelves....should Elizabeth Zimmermann, Meg Swansen, and Barbara Walker share shelf space with Sally Melville and Nicky Epstein?.... in the end it was book height and shelf space that dictated placement and not the author's sentimental status. Good information is good information and ~~all~~ ~~mostof~~ the books on my shelves have earned their places there.
Another dilemma is the magazines. I do have space for them right now, and they are organized and contained in those plastic holders you can get, but I am wondering if they are occupying space for no purpose. There are some magazines -like my old Vogue Knitting- that I will probably hang onto forever, but I am giving serious consideration to weeding out some of my Knitters and Interweave Knits magazines. Do I go through them issue by issue and only keep the ones that have patterns or articles that interest me? I don't want to do something I'll regret. But honestly, with only a few exceptions, I couldn't tell you what was in any of those magazines. And at this point I am running out of space to put the next great book that might come along. And what if I decide to subscribe to Spin Off magazine? And the yarn.....I have to be tough and realistic about all of this.

It is a rainy day, but I'll share a couple of pictures to give you an idea of how the room looks.

This room is so clean and orderly right now that I am looking for excuses to walk in!
I'll take better pictures on the next bright sunny day, but this is the best I can do for now.

Love,
Kim

A Spinning Workshop

2011-03-14T11:38:00.001-04:00

Dear Mom,
When the trip we had planned for the weekend had to be postponed, I did some quick thinking and with a lot of luck, I was able to secure a place for myself in a Spinning Workshop held both Saturday and Sunday at Tabby Tree Weaver.
Before I could attend the workshop I needed to empty some bobbins, and finished plying this:

This is one of the rovings I hand-dyed at the dye workshop I took almost a year ago, plied with some merino roving I had in the spinning stash.

The workshop was held in the Arcadia Town Hall so there was plenty of room.

Our instructor was Patsy Z. She is an extremely patient spinning expert, and a Very Nice lady. I am fascinated by people who take their hobbies to an art form and become authorities on the subject. Patsy Z is able to break down her wealth of knowledge, in a casual, friendly way, into pieces small enough for beginners to understand. I learned a whole bunch more about my wheel. I have a better understanding of how to make Daphne Joy work for me and how to adjust and tweak her to get the yarn I want.
Before the class I was pretty much a one trick pony. I had my default drafting style and pretty much made one kind of yarn. I was happy enough with that. It was/is pretty yarn I could knit with, but I couldn't tell you how it was spun and I wouldn't have been able to make it any differently.

This morning I am hoping to just remember a fraction of what I learned. When I left class yesterday, I was making yarn that was finer than any I had ever been able to spin. I now know that I've been spinning my yarn worsted. I learned how to woolen spin, and knowing the type of knitting I like to do and yarn I prefer to knit with, I know that this new (to me) style, which results in a softer, loftier yarn with less stitch definition, is something that I probably won't do too much of, but is good to know if ever I do want to spin a soft fluffy yarn. I learned that how I had been holding the roving in my back hand was creating some of the bumps I had in my yarn. I learned how to spin "over the fold" ( at least I think that is what it is called) and I really liked that technique. It stops the bad habit I had with my right hand of gripping the roving too hard in an attempt at control. This is the stuff lumps are made of! I realized that even though I find spinning to be relaxing, I am mentally in a rush to see the yarn. I need to slow down and savor the process. It is worth it.

We spent a portion of class on Sunday morning learning how to prepare a dirty fleece for spinning. Having dealt with a couple of bags of very dirty fleece, I had a little bit of experience, but learned so much more that I want to tackle this third bag I have entirely on my own rather than send it out for processing. I won't feel so guilty discarding some of the shorter pieces of wool, called second cuts ( those result in little nups or even pills in the yarn), and the really dirty pieces will get discarded, too. Before, I was trying to salvage almost everything and trying to clean some really nasty bits.

We then moved on to different ways to card and comb the wool once it has been washed. This may have been the point that I realized that if I didn't apply any kind of deadline on myself, I could wash, comb and spin the fleece I have at a leisurely pace, enjoy the process and have some yarn that, excepting the important sheep care and shearing processes, I would have made without any sort of outside intervention.

During the workshop we were given several different rovings and some unprepared but clean fleece to compare and spin. Having that variety of samples over the course of two days made it possible for me to understand the differences in the fleeces and the way they were prepared. It helped me to know what I want to look for when buying a roving and when/if I ever purchase a fleece.

GoodGracious. Until I started writing all this it didn't occur to me how much territory we covered!

I have little samples of some of those different wools on my bobbins.

That blue yarn was specially dyed for Tabby Tree by Rita Pettys of Yarnhollow. It is called "Home Team Blue" in honor of the Colts, and is a Tabby Tree exclusive. Rita taught the dye workshop I attended last spring. The blue is also plied using the "Miss America" technique. Used for small amounts of yarn on the bobbin, it involves wrapping the spun yarn around one hand in such a way that allows you to ply it back onto itself.The Miss America name is derived from the gentle wave of the hand that has the yarn wrapped around it.

Last night I gave Daphne Joy a rest, and finally cast on for March's socks. I didn't get too far before all that learning caught up to me. I waved the white flag and went to bed. While I was attending the classes, My Hero painted the guest room, and I've touched up the stain on the woodwork and cleaned the carpet. I'll hang the shades and start moving the furniture that I am able to lift by myself back in today and we should have another room checked off the spring cleaning list!

I must exercise every bit of restraint I have and tend to my chores. What I really want to do is play with wool and fleeces and put into practice the things I learned!

Love,
Kim

My seedlings and sweater

2011-03-11T10:10:00.001-05:00

Dear Mom,
It looks like I'll have plenty of tomato plants to share.

I'm gonna have to thin these out.That makes me a little nervous. I'm afraid I'll kill them all when I do that.

The knitting on my needles is no longer a scrunched up blue blob and is now a sweater. It is just what I hoped it would be. In fact I like it so much that I am wearing it with all the loose ends hanging. I still need to knit a belt for it, but then it will be done and may not leave my body until it is too hot outside to wear it.

Before I put it on my body, I did manage a very brief photo session, just to show you a bit of the sweater. When all the finishing is done I'll give you a detailed look at the whole marvelous thing. If I can take it off long enough to take the photos.

Love,
Kim