Bird Brains

Dear Mom,
Lots of finishing happening here. Over committing myself in the knitting department will do that. And of course those projects that have been limping along are somehow suddenly more appealing than the projects demanding my immediate attention.
Freshly checked off the list:

 Bird saw these Brain Hats on the internet a long while back and asked if I would make one for her and one for her Colonel.  I had plenty of time. Deadline: Halloween.

This is a more accurate color.

Nothing about these hats was difficult. Stitching the icord to the hat was daunting at first, but breaking it down into small bites made the process manageable. If they occupied my kitchen table for much longer I was going to have to give them names and start setting places for them at dinner. Bird, the hats are on their way to you! Send photos!

Also off the needles recently, a baby blanket for a neighbor's soon-to-be first grandchild.

This is Oat Couture's Prairie Blanket. This may be my new go-to baby blanket pattern. I used Encore Chunky for this one and was able to start and finish the blanket within a week. Oh. Yeah.

Hot off the needles last night and currently blocking is another Color Affection Shawl. I'll have to show you that one another day- it is not ready for the camera just yet. I'll try to post a photo tomorrow.

In the mean time, Olive's Cone of Shame is making all of us NUTS. The staples and stitches come out on Thursday morning at 10:30. The Cone is now embellished with DUCT TAPE. Little Miss Bludger just plows through anything and everything, cone be damned. The backs of our legs may never be the same.

Here we see Olive and Cone caught between the couch, trunk,  and My Hero's legs. Notice the pretty bow is now missing. Notice the lovely the duct tape. And the general beat up condition of the cone. Notice we are not helping her move. Moving means bumping into something else. Two. More. Days.

Love,
Kim

Bumper Joseph

1999-2012

Rest in peace, Mighty Dog. 

The Cone of Shame

Dear Mom,

IF a Girl is forced to wear the Cone of Shame....

....it might as well be accessorized, right?

It's been a long week.

Let's just say that I may be awarded with a personalized parking spot at the vet.

Love,

Kim

One Child Left Behind

Dear Mom,

After dropping the Young Man off at IU on Monday morning, My Hero and I took a spontaneous detour on the way home and treated ourselves to a wine tasting at Oliver Winery. It was the perfect, even though accidental, way to transition from leaving our oldest and coming home to a Half Empty nest.

One of the wines I tasted was their Black Cherry Honey Wine. DELISH. I brought home 2 bottles. One for me and ONE FOR YOU! I don't know what goes into making Honey wine, but you and Bonnie Jo certainly have the honey.....

Tuesday morning I woke up excited and motivated to clean the Young Man's room, knowing it would Stay That Way. I won't go into the detail of how full the trash bag was, how many empty PowerAde bottles I found, how many little scraps of paper and wrappers I picked up, or how full the vacuum canister was when I'd finished. Let's just leave it that I haven't seen that much carpet in his room for years and that I get a THRILL every time I walk past his room and look in to see that it is just as I left it. (and I KNOW! I get IT! I deserved to have a child with a sloppy room... I earned that. I admit it. Except in my case, my bedroom floor was littered with record albums and guitar music, not dirty tee shirts and socks..... Paid back in full.)

The thrill of clean and organized is spilling over into the rest of the house. It might be the promise of Autumn, with the crisp evenings and mornings we've enjoyed, or knowing that school is starting soon and I am gladly saying Goodbye to Summer and giving it a good hard kick in its backside on its way out.

We are enjoying the bounty of our harvested tomatoes from the garden. The corn and beans are done. Keeping up with the tomatoes is going to be a challenge. I took advantage of the abundance of fresh Roma tomatoes, and the basil growing in my herb garden, to make and freeze a batch of Roasted Tomato Soup. It occurs to me that I prepared this soup on a warm summer day, from tomatoes and basil grown in my garden under a hot summer sun, with the promise of enjoying it on a cold winter afternoon while thinking of warm summer days ahead. A sort of circle of life here on the cul-de-sac.

And another sort of circle of life...In May we faced the tragedy and heartbreak of losing Patsy (I am still not over that)  And today I brought a spayed Olive home. Bless her sweetness.

All is well.
Love,
Kim

Wordless Wednesday

Disappointment to Delight

Dear Mom,
I took that stubby woven scarf disaster and turned it into a lovely cowl!

I could almost pretend I planned it this way, it turned out so nice.

Using a length of the warp thread, I hand stitched the ends together into a flat felled seam. (Thank you Mrs. Roos and high school tailoring class!)  Actually, the first thing I did was add a twist to the scarf so that it would become a moebius ring when the ends were stitched together.

The nice thing about adding that twist is that the scarf/cowl will hang flat when worn under a coat.

And the cowl had just enough length to allow me to wear it doubled around my neck, too.

I now have plans for those single skeins of hand spun, hand dyed yarns I've been producing!

Love,
Kim

A Successfully Finished Knitted Object!

Dear Mom,
Just so you know it isn't all clean ups and failed weaving projects around here....
I started and finished this shawl in about 10 days. It is the Stitch Sampler Shawl, and I succumbed to this one after seeing too many pretty ones at the Village Yarn Shop. I must have been in there at a weak or highly suggestible moment, because this is not something I would normally find myself knitting. Still, I enjoyed it; it was simple and quick; and I could knit most of it while reading a book I didn't want to put down! ( The book was Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, the 4th book in her Outlander series).

I used Mountain Colors Twizzle, a beautiful merino/silk blend, in three color ways- Cedar, Harmony Woods, and Red Tail Hawk, and I modified the pattern instructions to repeat rows 43- 70 to give the shawl a little more length and to use up as much of the yarn as I could.
I seem to be on a bit of a shawl kick right now. Two more on the needles- one requiring some attention, and the other is another Color Affection Shawl. With all that has been going on around here this summer and in these last days before we take the Young Man off to college, my knitting once again gives me solace and something I can still be the boss of.... ( and reading about James Fraser isn't hurting anything, either! noooo sirrrreeee.)
Love,
Kim

Donna Reed

Dear Mom,
Donna Reed hasn't had much attention lately. It pains me to admit that she has been sitting naked since January.
Last weekend I corrected that. My plan was to use some of the wool that I'd spun and dyed to weave a scarf. I dug into my stash and found a perfect lace weight yarn to use as the warp. I wound the warp and dressed Donna Reed on Saturday afternoon and started weaving. I was happy that I remembered all the steps in that process since it had been so long. It felt good to be back at the loom. ( Even if my back ached the next day. And the day after that.)

Sunday night I ran out of the handspun yarn.
And the " scarf " is only 4 1/2 feet long.

Clearly I have a lot to learn.

The little stub of a scarf is pretty, though. I want to figure out something to do with it. Maybe felt it and cut it into coasters? Any ideas for a 7 x 44 inch swatch of hand woven wool?

Love,
Kim

Dear Grandma

Dear Grandma,

I pooped next to mom's side of the bed and she gave me her angry look. Then Mom got sad eyes and said something about canine dementia and poor old dog.
But that was before she found the garbage in the kitchen.

Mom says she knows I did it because Olive was in her crate. I guess I should have thought of that.

Olive does these things sometimes and they still think she is CUTE, so what's the big deal? Plus mom has had a lot of practice cleaningitup and she is RealGood at it.

I am sick of Olive. She won't share her toys, gets PUPPY CHOW, and keeps pestering me. She can't even open the door to let me out like Patsy did. 

Love,
Bumper

p.s. I pooped in the guest room, too. Wait til mom finds that one!

Yum

Dear Mom,
A new recipe. A success! From the Gooseberry Patch Summer in the Country  cookbook. ( I am a total sucker for those Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.)
This one is called Summer's Best Berry Bars.  With fresh fruit and oatmeal it has to be good for you.

Summer's Best Berry Bars
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted (I used smart balance 50/50 blend)

Stir together dry ingredients.
Stir in melted butter until well blended. 
Reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping. 
Press remaining mixture into an ungreased 9x9 baking dish. 
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

While that is baking.....
Combine into a saucepan over medium heat:
2 cups blackberries, raspberries or blueberries (I used blueberries)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 8 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat.

Spread the berry filling on top of the baked oat mixture when it comes out of the oven.
Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture and lightly press into the berry filling.
Bake at 350 for another 20-25 minutes, until topping is set.
Cool in pan on a wire rack. 
Slice into bars.

Best eaten on a screened porch, listening to the birds sing, with a cup of hot cinnamon spice tea.

Love,
Kim

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Turn up the volume for this one.....

Wordless Wednesday

A New One

Dear Mom,
Even Patsy never managed to do something like this......

Olive tangled herself in the cord and pulled the lamp off the table.

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

Love,
Kim

50

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

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

Happy Birthday, Bonnie Joke. I am thankful I have You.
Love,
Kim

A Post about Wool

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

I finished a couple of small shawls. I love them both.
The first is Color Affection, designed by Veera Välimäki. I used Fiber Optics' Siren Song yarns (Vitamin C, Ellie and Willow Batik) I purchased at the Greencastle Fiber Event this spring. The yarn was wonderful, the pattern was simple but not mind numbing- the perfect project for the past month's roller coaster of activity and emotions. 

I was overcome with addiction to this shawl and in a weak moment purchased enough Madelinetosh yarn to make two more. I've learned that grief makes me susceptible to comfort purchases. 
I also finished another Sunderland, this one in Jojoland Melody, I think. I can't find the ball band. I either tossed it, or Olive ate it. This one may be the prettiest one yet, and reminded me of how much I enjoyed the knitting of it.

So now I want to make more of these, too. 
Instead, I cast on for this and a pair of socks.
I am enjoying Tour de Fleece. Having the "excuse" to spin a little everyday could become a nice habit. My spinning stash rivals my knitting stash, which is alarming when considering the fact that I've been spinning only a few years in comparison to my decades of knitting. 
I just made myself sound really old. 
Anyway, daily spinning is using up some of that stash. Which adds to the knitting stash.
It's an endless cycle. 
My focus needs to include an effort at using that handspun for weaving. my mind begins to wander.....
I couldn't wait, and spun the sparkly batts I blended a couple of weekends ago. The sparkly part didn't sparkle as much as I thought it would, but they do show themselves in the sunlight. I wonder if they will show up more when knitted? I, not being a sparkly sort of person, have surprised myself with this whole sparkle business. When did I ever think I would want MORE SPARKLE? And yet, here I am, wondering where I can buy more of that sparkle to drum card into batts for spinning! Who am I again? Can I use the word SPARKLE one more time?

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

Taking it from the Top

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

I am knitting, too. I promise.

Love,
Kim

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

Basic Training

Dear Mom,

Olive Goes Down Stairs......
a video montage.

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

Dye Day

Dear Mom,
Last weekend MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit and I spent Saturday in my garage dyeing wool and blending fibers.

We used thrift store crockpots and Greener Shades Dyes. We ended up with some beautiful results and colorful hands.

Melissa had some vintage wool to over-dye. In our excitement to get started, we neglected to take any before pictures.

While the crockpots were simmering, I blended some of my plain vanilla wool with two shades of the wool from my copper dye experiments. I added a little translucent nylon fiber for a subtle sparkle.

The photo does not do justice to the blended batts.  I cannot wait  to see how these spin up! (And let me digress here to say that the Tour de Fleece begins tomorrow. Much like the knitting Olympics, Tour de Fleece challenges spinners to complete a self imposed spinning goal on each day of the Tour de France. I haven't participated in a Tour de Fleece, but may, in a small way, join in the fun by taking a daily spin, even if it is for 10 minutes- nothing heroic or pressured- just pleasurable spinning. I learned my lesson from my first knitting Olympics. Making an adult sized, cable pullover in 16 days was challenging and exciting, but I don't think it is a coincidence that I had carpal tunnel surgery about a year later. Not making THAT mistake again! )

After blending all of the copper fibers, I took some of that same plain vanilla, blended it with some wool I had dyed a fuchsia color, mohair locks and a bit of nylon that were all in that same fuchsia family.
Melissa and I did a good thing, teaming up to purchase Fig, our drum carder. And our strengths in color sense, color understanding and dye math compliment each other. It was a good, productive, fun, educational day for both of us!

Love,
Kim

Wordless Wednesday

TrAction!

Dear Mom,

Bumper has gone above and beyond the Call of Duty for a Senior Dog by patiently dealing with a second youngster. His wobbly Senior legs and arthritic joints were in need of some help if he were to have any chance in keeping a young Spot of Trouble in line.

Aunt Cheri to the rescue. After witnessing his struggles and his undignified Bambi mishaps, Aunt Cheri sent me this link. I never knew something like this existed.
Bumper is now sporting a pair of Ultra Paw TrAction Boots, for Senior Dogs struggling to live with hardwood floors. He is a new Mighty Dog. He sounds like an old man shuffling around in his slippers, and the kids are a bit embarrassed for him, but it is all worth it to see how much easier it is for him to move around and get up.

And his first steps in those new boots?
Just watch.

He can figure anything out if food is involved.

Love,

Kim

Wordless Wednesday

Smitten

Dear Mom,

Olive is the best thing I have done for myself and my family in a long time....
This house needed some Happy.

And Olive is just what we needed.

All is well.

Love,
Kim

Around My Backyard

Dear Mom,

( The End )

Love,

Bonnie Jo

Introducing

Dear Mom,
Olive Patsy Wagner.
Olive for peace. For mending our heartache.
Love,
Kim