Random stuff

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

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

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

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

The Big Reveal

Dear Mom,
She is moved in! Still waiting awhile before anything decorates the walls, but the bright green certainly isn't boring.
As revealed previously, the tabbed curtains are hanging from individual hooks.

And they are held back with drawer  pulls.

The comforter, bedskirt, pillow sham and accent pillows were all purchased as a unit from Bed Bath & Beyond. Gotta love it, especially when a 13 year old is involved. And I have to say that my Young Lady has a good eye for color and knows what she wants. I learned to trust her instincts long ago, but still occasionally offer a little motherly advice.

This project reaffirmed that advice one often hears about decorating: If you like it and it speaks to you it will all work together. In this case a rug and chair that were purchased last summer for the nest she occasionally built for herself in the tree fort fit right into the new decorating scheme, giving her a spot to read a book.

Her art supplies are organized and put away. The lava lamp is lit.

And She Loves it!

Love,
Kim

A Little Show and Tell

Dear Mom,
So much going on, so much to share...
First let me say that Melissa, who is the proprietess of the Best Yarn Shop in My Whole World - I would say The Whole World, but I haven't seen all the yarn shops...yet- shared this recipe for shortbread on her blog last week.

It is the Best Shortbread. Ever. Easy. Quick.I even made mine with the healthy Smart Balance Buttery Sticks and the shortbread is still delicious.

I am finishing a third pair of Duffers, which will be gifted. This reminds me that the second pair I made were also gifted and now that the giftee has received her pair I can show those too.

pair #2

pair #3...I'm tempted to keep these!

That sweater I've been working on? Still knitting.

We should have the Young Lady all moved in to her new bedroom this evening. At least we should have the furniture in place. It will probably take a few days of living in it before we hang anything on the walls. And depending on when that happens and when I get good light will dictate when I can take pictures of After.

For now, I can give you a little peak. We My Hero hung the curtains last night.

We liked the idea of individual hooks rather than a rod for the tab curtains. I think it was the right decision.
Can't wait to show you the rest!
Love,
Kim



Bella Pants

Dear Mom,
Once upon a time ago, I was a seventh grader.  A trying-to-be-rebellious-but-not-quite-able-to-do-it-under-the-watchful-eye-of-Daddy teenager.  You decided it might be "good" for me to take some sewing lessons.  Every Saturday morning for I-don't-know-how-many-weeks, we woke up early and you drove me into Westfield to Mrs. Farnham and Farnham Fabrics.  She was old.  And her breath smelled like coffee.  And her fabric was "ugly".  ***teenage harumph***  I remember sewing a kelly green pair of pants, which I wore well into high school (with my navy blue and kelly green whale sweater!) and I remember sewing a golden pair of velour shorts.  I also remember totally loving Mrs. Farnham (and her sweet old husband who used to hang around the shop, puttering about and whistling under his breath!) and the smell of her coffee breath but there was NO WAY I was ever going to let you know that.  Mrs. Farnham was gentle and kind and probably used to many trying-to-be-rebellious-but-not-quite-able-to-do-it-under-the-watchful-eye-of-Daddy teenagers!  She did indeed teach me how to sew and she let me pick out ugly patterns and fabrics without a word, judgmental or otherwise!  She taught me that I should never be afraid to cut out a pattern or sew in zippers and to always! always! always! press open my seams!  It has been thirty-more years since I've seen Mrs. Farnham but every time I smell someone's coffee breath, I always think of her.
I don't sew very often but every time I sew something, I LOVE it!  Every time I sew something, I wonder, "Why don't I sew more often?!"  I really do love to sew!  I'm not super great at reading patterns but I have knit enough to know how things are put together and that I can cheat my way through the pattern!  So I found a darling pants pattern that I wanted to try for Pipsqueak.   The pattern is called "the Bella pants" by Pink Fig Patterns.  The pants are absolutely adorable but the pattern . . . well . . . . let's just say I did a LOT of cheating!!

I did a single ruffle with no pockets.

For the expert seamstress, this project will take maybe an hour; for someone like me, with sewing experience but struggles with reading patterns, a weekend.  I LOVED sewing these pants and have another pair all ready to go!  I also took great care in pressing open all of my seams!  Mrs. Farnham would be so proud!
Love,
Wendy

This post brought to you by the color Green

He who plants a seed,

Beneath the sod;

And waits to see -

Believes in God.

- Author Unknown

Dear Mom,
Last Tuesday I got a head start on my vegetable garden. I've never tried starting seeds indoors before, and I'm certain that by some standards mine is a laughably small set up, but space is at a premium and I needed that "to plant a seed is a hopeful deed" feeling. I planted some spinach, romaine lettuce and two varieties of tomatoes. The tomato seeds are another new trick for this old dog. I saved some seeds from the heirloom tomato plants I had in my garden last year- the beefsteak type "Mortgage Lifter" and my personal favorites, "Red Pear". I ate those delicious red pear tomatoes like candy. I hope my efforts at harvesting those seeds and growing the same delicious tomatoes from them are successful.
The tray I purchased to start the seeds is divided into individual little peat pots and has a plastic dome lid to create its own little greenhouse. I filled the pots with a seed starter soil mix, set the tray on a heating pad to warm the soil and placed it on a tv tray in front of a window. Every morning I mist the soil with water and look for signs of life.
Yesterday I found this-

Its a spinach sprout!
Today there were more spinach sprouts, a couple romaine sprouts and LOTS of Red Pear tomato sprouts. I'll probably have plants to share. Wouldn't that be wonderful?!

Progress continues on the room swap upstairs. Painting the walls meant that more Stuff got moved into our room. Which was all fine and I was keeping the "we've got beds to sleep in and clean clothes" attitude going to block out any distress that might creep up on me when I looked at all the clutter. You know, the means to an end and all that. Except yesterday I wanted NEEDED to shower and reaching my clean undergarments required some strategic moves.

I'll be glad when things get back to "normal" around here.

The walls are painted (yes, it is that green- we've been asking the Young Lady if she will be able to sleep) and the woodwork has been touched up. The carpet is being cleaned in stages as I clean a section, wait for it to dry and then move furniture out of the way to do the next portion. My goal is to have the carpet finished tomorrow and we can start moving things back IN.
And believe it or not, but even with all of that going on I've been able to make some really good progress on my sweater. I'd show you a picture, but right now it is so scrunched up on the needles that a picture would not make any sense or be at all appealing. Just so you know, the side and sleeve seams have been sewn together, the pocket linings finished and the cardigan/neck border is in progress. I am at that point in the project where I can see the finish line and I am filled with both excitement to see the end result and fear that it will really just remain a blob of knitting that no human being could ever possibly wear.

Love,
Kim



Carnies

Dear Mom,

Indiana Bee School IX was a success!  The bee school took place in a Presbyterian church large enough to hold over 800 “students” and a couple of hallways full of local and national vendors.  The VERY BEST part about it was meeting up with new friends and acquaintances from my local beekeeping club. Feeling confident again, I purchased a new pair of beekeeper gloves, a frame holder for the hive, and a couple of cute pewter bee pins (one for me and one for my sweet little 8-year old neighbor). 

 The morning classes I chose to attend were just about right for my level of understanding, and, following a satisfying chicken noodle lunch, I ordered two 3-pound packages of Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica) bees from a well-respected Indiana Apiary.   

Apis mellifera carnica - courtesy of Wikipedia

The afternoon classes, however, challenged my intellect and I began to doubt myself.  Afterwards, as I was mingling with other students and talking with the vendors, I told my friend Melissa that I was feeling overwhelmed and I should leave before I cancelled my order!

Carniolan Bee on Sedum - courtesy of Wikipedia

Now, let me tell you about these bees!  Carniolan honey bees (“Carnies”) developed in the northern part of south-eastern Europe in the area of the Carniolan Alps, including parts of Australia and Slovenia.  The mountainous terrain and unpredictable environment prepared the bees to survive cold winters and to react quickly to changing weather and seasons.  Sounds a little bit like Indiana, doesn’t it?!  The Carnies are a darker color bee, and the Carniolan queen is black and a bit smaller than an Italian queen.    Carniolans, like Italians, are very gentle bees.

Carnies on comb - courtesy of Wikipedia

Of course, my queens will need proper Slovenian names. I can't wait to introduce you to Ursala and Marta, along with their 20,000 workers!  Ursala means “She-bear” and Marta’s name means “Lady” or “Mistress of the house”.  That sounds about right.

Now...I’d better get busy ordering another hive… and cleaning out the old one for the new tenants. The Bee Carnival is coming to town soon!

Love, Bonnie Jo

The True Gift is Friendship

Dear Mom,
As you know, I am blessed with the friendships of some outstanding women. Knitting may be what brought us to each other, but not what has bonded us as friends. Only time and kindred spirit can forge those bonds. We try to get together on a weekly basis, but with busy schedules our gatherings are informal. We don't add to the stress of our lives by demanding a weekly commitment through emotional blackmail. Locations vary according to need. As in someone needs to pick up a kid after school so lets meet close to home, or someone "needs" to visit the yarn shop, or the soup at this coffee shop sounds good today.....and on special occasions, or just because one of us feels like it, we'll meet at our homes, fix delicious lunches, try out new recipes.
During the Christmas season we have one of those special meet at someone's home days and we exchange our gifts to each other. This year there was a bit of a twist. When it came time to open our gifts from ConnieWhoNeverHeardOfBobbySherman, an emotional disclaimer burst forth. "My gifts for you are not ready!", she cried. "I've tried REALLY hard to get them all done and I didn't and I want you all to open them at the same time and you will understand why when you see them so I can't even give the ones that are finished until they are all ready. I am sorry!I really really tried!".... or something like that.
We laughed. We reassured. We understood. It was Christmas and if you can't get a bunch of knitters to empathize with the pressure of trying to get a gift finished, then you aren't gonna get anyone to understand.

Well, last week the gifts were finished and given. And let me tell you they were worth the wait. Each of us was given a unique and personalized counted cross stitch. (We made her sign and date the backs of our frames.)
I didn't have my camera with me, so GinaWhoCanParallelPark gets credit for the following photos.

Mine is obviously this one:

I love her yarn ball hat her orange striped pants and the sweater with one crazy long sleeve.
Each picture has details that relate to the recipient-

Photos do not do justice to the detailed stitches. And there really is no way to capture, in words, the joy attached to these gifts. Right now mine is propped near my knitting spot waiting for the dust and all that rearranging upstairs to settle before I decide on a permanent home.

And you know what? It was really FUN getting a Christmas gift in February!

Love,
Kim

17

Dear Mom,

March 1, 1995

 His First Birthday.

Happy 17th Birthday to My Young Man.

Love,

Kim

A River Runs Through It

Dear Mom,

My backyard has a small creek running through it and Bonnie Jo now lives on lakefront property. It would seem that Mother Nature is trying to make up for last year's drought. Let's just hope she makes her corrections and then gives us a beautiful spring and summer filled with sunny days, moderate temps and average rainfall. Is that asking for too much?

Spring cleaning here continues but has escalated to a Whole New Level.

The Plan:
Take the house one room at a time and make it "show- worthy". No, we are not moving and have no plans to do so. However our 20+ years here are starting to show and it is time to tend to the details.
My Hero and I will have Strategy Planning breakfast dates on Saturday mornings to map out that weekend's action, make our lists and then go buy the necessary supplies (if any) that are required to complete our mission.

Last weekend it was the family room. This weekend.......what was formerly known as the Guest/Yarn/Sewing room and before that a toy room and before that an office will soon become the Young Lady's bedroom.

This room swap is going to be a multi- weekend process.
I neglected to take a Before picture, so let's make do with a During, shall we?

Clearing out the yarn, knitting books, furniture, yarn, craft supplies, and purging the closet of all that stuff you hang on to but no longer need, took most of Saturday. We took a huge amount of that stuff we were hanging on to to the Good will. The ceiling has been painted. A wall color has been chosen to coordinate with the new comforters. Next weekend's tasks are pretty much defined. (But I still think My Hero should take me out to breakfast.) The entire upstairs is a crazy mishmash of bits overflow in every room. Everybody has a bed to sleep in and clean clothes, so I'll try not to let the chaos get to me. It will all be worth it in the end.

I did get in some knitting time last week and over the weekend, and last night I completed the gift for a Baby Boy that My Hero asked me to knit. I elected to skip over the baby part of that request and knit a toddler sized sweater- something that will hopefully be grown into and out of and get worn lots more than a baby sweater would have.

This is my Sibling Rivalry....Oh Brother! design. Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted yarn in Envy Heather (forest green) and Basalt Heather (grey). I had fun following my own pattern directions on this one.

Like last week, today is a day for catching up on all the laundry and house stuff that was neglected over the weekend. It is another damp, chilly, gray Monday, and it is hard to get motivated, but it isn't like I'd rather be outside playing in the new creek.

Love,
Kim

Vacancy

Dear Mom,

My bee hive didn't make it through the winter.  The colony is dead.

I don't know why. 

The bees had plenty of honey and a candy board to eat, so I know they did not die from starvation.

Maybe they were weak, or sick...or too cold and damp.  I feel like I should have done more to winterize the hive.  I'm disappointed.

I am attending Indiana Bee School IX tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to being surrounded by hundreds of other new and experienced beekeepers.  There will be four school sessions with several topics to choose from...like bee health, pesticides, raising queens, gardening for bees, and even apitherapy.  I know I'll come home with renewed confidence and an eagerness to try again!

Love, Bonnie Jo

The Weekend

Dear Mom,
A picture is worth a thousand words and this next one pretty much sums up the weekend here.

The family room has been officially Spring Cleaned. The last bit required a family effort. The toy box, games and movies have all been purged of out-grown and unwanteds. The Goodwill received a healthy donation this weekend.
Unfortunately, giving all that attention to one room (and that room is looking mighty good, I must say) means that the rest of the house is looking rather seedy and I am way behind on laundry. Today is for catching up.

All work and no knitting makes Kim cranky, and without breaks My Hero and I would probably be crippled right now, so we did do more than clean, take trips to the hardware and lighting stores, spackle, paint and stain. I knit my way past the halfway point of my sweater thanks to Season 3 of The Closer. (I just love that show and enjoy every character in it! Thank you MaryLee for introducing me to Deputy Brenda Lee Johnson.)

This sweater is looking like a blob right now, but I am hopeful that it will come together the way it does in my head. It could be that elusive perfect sweater. Or a horrible waste of time and good yarn. We shall know soon. Maybe. I still have that second Polska mitten to start and last week My Hero asked if I could knit a baby gift for a March baby. Just putting all that in writing made me nervous. Gonna go brew another pot of tea and get a move on.
Love,
Kim

Growing Old Gracefully . . . ?

Dear Mom,
Ha ha ha!!  I can't stop giggling!  Those pictures are super fun!  Wow!  I had a different hairstyle in every photo and I wore a LOT of bright lipstick and a LOT of bling-bling!  It looks like I even went through a Boy George phase!
I wonder if I will be giggling in another 20 years?! . . . .

I had a very fun birthday!! My most favorite friends came over to celebrate.  We ate a fabulous dinner together, drank some Naked wine (I thought that since I couldn't wear my "birthday suit", it might still be fun to drink Naked with friends-ha!) and we ate the cake I baked, which I found here.

There were lots of candles which David had to light with a blow torch!!  More giggling!  Ha!

I can't wait to spend my next 44 years with way more giggling, baking, enjoying friends and living with much love and joy!
Love,
Wendy