Happy Hatchday!

Dear Mom,

The girls are two years old today.

 "Happy Hatchday" to my feathered friends - Marge, Gloria and Golda!
Love, Bonnie Jo

Labels

Dear Mom,
Did you know you can do this? Because I didn't and now I do and I was so excited when I learned this I nearly had a headache from all the possibilities crowding into my brain.
There I was, quietly reading Lizzie's blog and admiring her quilt and the label she made. I left a comment admiring both and asked how she made her pretty label. Lizzie and I exchanged a couple of emails and Tah Dah! I made a little practice swatch, and even washed and dried it to make sure it was for real.
I am sharing it here, just because I think it is very exciting and I can't keep it contained. If you already know how to do this, skip to the end.
Now, in my defense, I already know about and have used those t-shirt transfers you can buy, print off your design or picture onto them, and then iron them on to ... t-shirts, or whatever. What I didn't know and what Lizzie very kindly shared with me, is that you can print RIGHT ONTO THE FABRIC!!!! Of course, here you are limited to a size and thickness that will fit through your printer, but still! This is how it is done. (Or how I did it anyway.)

Draw, sketch, print, write, whatever you want, onto a piece of paper. Hey....that makes me think of another possibility! I bet you could write on decorative paper....I'll have to try that next. Anyway. Draw your design, care instructions, etc. and set it aside. Then iron a piece of fabric onto freezer paper. I used cotton muslin for my experiment, but I think any fabric would work as long as it isn't too thick and not a stretchy knit. It should also probably be pre-washed. Put the fabric/freezer paper combo into your printer so that it will come out with the printing on the fabric side. In my printer, this means that I put the fabric side down when I load it into the tray. Put the paper with your drawing on it onto the scanner just like you would to make copies, and hit "copy". That's it! Well, except for peeling off the freezer paper afterwards. The fabric should feed through your printer and come out with your design on it. Lizzie suggests setting the ink by ironing the fabric, which I did and then, like I already said, I washed and dried the swatch just to make sure the ink would stay put.

Perfect for quilt labels like Lizzie's, but I can also imagine making care labels for my hand knits and sewing them onto a side seam or at the back of a collar. Then I thought how fun it would be to use this trick on a fabric pattern piece (here is where size would limit me) that has already been cut out for sewing and print a design onto it. And no way am I limited to black ink on a piece of muslin.....probably a good thing I didn't know about this during the bucket hat frenzy. If I get any more ideas and have time to test them out, I'll share them with you.

Love,
Kim

Better Late than Never

Dear Mom,
It was a little late getting finished, but Bonnie won't be able to wear her birthday sweater until it gets cold out anyway. I am very happy with how it turned out.
Here is Elle, modeling the sweater in my vegetable garden.

This is the Tea Leaves Cardigan, designed by Melissa LaBarre for Madelinetosh. I used Black Water Abbey Yarns, color Forest. This beautiful Irish wool was everything I was hoping it would be. I love a good hearty wool, and it got much softer after washing it. I suspect it will continue to soften with future washes. I made a few modifications to the pattern- placing four buttons in the yoke rather than two, and I added afterthought pockets because I thought the sweater would look nice with them and Bonnie told me she likes pockets when I asked.

I may have been as excited about the buttons as I was about the yarn. A long while ago I found these vintage Girl Scout Uniform buttons in an Etsy shop. I knew that one day they would be in a sweater for Bonnie and they've been waiting for the right sweater pattern and yarn to come together.

I placed them over a larger button to keep them secured in the buttonholes. The black buttons also serve to frame these special buttons with out attracting too much attention away from the sweater. I always find it a challenge to find buttons that compliment handknits. I want the buttons to be worthy of their place in the sweater, but not be the first thing you notice about it either. This could explain why I buy good buttons when I see them. (Plus, I just like buttons!)

Love,
Kim

p.s. Bonnie tried on the sweater and it fits perfectly.

This one is easy to figure out

Dear Mom,

With My Hero away for a few days on a family golf trip, and Bumper no longer able to jump up onto the bed, Patsy, smart enough to recognize a Good Thing when she sees it, has been keeping the other half of the bed warm these past few nights.

Last night I dreamt about a baby moose.

Love,

Kim

Unexplained

Dear Mom,
My kids, thankfully, are at an age that allows me to leave them home alone without too much worry. It is nice, on the rare occasions that I do some hygiene subbing for the dental office, that I can go to work and be reasonably certain that things will be fine.
On one of my work days last week, I came home to find this.

A scorched tea cosy.

A pretty obviously scorched tea cosy. Kinda hard not to notice, yet a week later, no one has stepped forward to explain just how the tea cosy that was fine when I left for work at 7:30 am, was looking like this when I got home at 5:30pm. Surely it isn't fear of punishment that is keeping the tongue tied; I am thankful that this is all that happened and whatever it was didn't burn the house down. And when I think about it, I am thoroughly amazed that the "innocent" party hasn't thrown his/her sister/brother under the bus.

Love,

Kim

Where the time went

Dear Mom,
Wooo. I feel like I sort of lost a couple of weeks. They were a busy 2 weeks, though. Family vacay, a side trip to Amish country, 2 noisy days of dental hygiene for the pedodontist and 2 birthdays will do that to a girl.

I am now living under the same roof with two teens. And My Hero begins his 6th decade.

Enough said. We will quickly move on. No good will come from dwelling on either of those facts.

We spent a week in South Haven, MI for the family vacation this year. We were joined by My Hero's brother, Eggbert, and his family. The house we shared was cosy, but just right. The guys played golf or tennis every day, we spent hours on the beach, and ate way too much food. I knit only a fraction of what I packed, but I did spend some good hours spinning.

I didn't, but should have lost weight. To get to the beach we had to negotiate these steps. There were 150 of them. ONE HUNDRED FIFTY STEPS. Not a problem on the way DOWN to the beach. But getting back? Let's just say we didn't want to forget anything, and on day 2, we decided to leave our beach chairs piled up in the sea grass until we packed to come home.

We found sea glass, skipped stones, built sand castles and buried the Young Man (at his request, and after he dug the hole).

Things were very relaxed.

 Don't be alarmed!!! These are candy cigarettes.

I visited 2 yarn shops and a fiber farm, and came home with more knitting projects than I had packed. A lot more. I wish I could buy time.

At Needle in a Haystack, in South Haven, I purchased the yarn and pattern for this shawl. I visited Lizzie Ann's Wool co. in Holland and found too many things.(I'll blame it on all the great shop samples they had.) That's the thing about visiting yarn shops. There is so much yarn and so many ideas, that no one shop can have it all. Visiting new shops gives a knitter the chance to see new things. Or new to her anyway. For example, The Grabbit is not a new pattern, but I had never seen it. Lizzie Ann's had a shop sample and the Young Lady and I were drawn to it immediately. It is one of those "why didn't I think of it?" things. So, I bought the pattern and yarn for it. I also brought home the yarn and pattern for this A-line tunic and this Rowan pattern book. I stopped myself before I bought any yarn to make the sweaters I want in this one. Like this one:

 and this one:

I also like this model's hair style.

My Hero drove me out to Marr Haven fiber farm, near Allegan, MI. and I brought home a couple of cones of her gorgeous wool and a bat for spinning.

Because, really, how could I not? I wish you could reach into your monitor and feel how soft this wool is.

We also sailed on the Friends Good Will, a replica of an 1810 schooner that fought in the War of 1812, was captured by the British, recaptured by the Americans and later burned by the British. It is the sloop that Admiral Perry refers to in his famous quote, "We have met the enemy and they are ours; two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop."

We were treated to some beautiful sunsets, warm water and sunny days.

There is no place like home, and despite everything good about our trip, I was ready to get back home. I am still catching up and need to get in gear before the in-laws arrive on Tuesday (TOMORROW!!!- trying not to panic now) for a short visit, and it is time to start thinking back to school- they start way too early, on August 10th, and I never thought I would say this, but I am NOT ready for them to go back.

Love,

Kim

Happy Birthday, Bonnie Jo!

Dear Mom,

As we were growing up there were lots of times I wished I didn't have a sister, or any siblings for that matter, but now I have to admit that being without Bonnie Jo would mean having no one to share early childhood memories. 

Minturn Lane and Ann, Mark and Evelyn and dressing up their cat, Ping Pong. Making perfume in Evelyn's bathroom. Loretta. Allison. And the Coulson's ( is that how you spell it?) next door. Cuddles and Ruddles. Making potholders. Riding in the Corvair on benches so we could see out the window and not get car sick. The goldfish- Herbie, Cindy and Jinks, and Salt and Pepper and the time Mom and Grandma had to get Herbie out of the tank cause he was wayyyy too big. Going to the circus and the time the clown kissed Mom. Riding in Grandma's yellow mustang convertible, Mary Sunshine, and walking on stilts at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Roller skating and skate keys. Having one tv- black and white- and watching Captain Kangaroo, and then a few years later, Not being Allowed to watch Dark Shadows after school. Getting a color tv and watching the moon walk. Exercising with Mom and Jack Lalanne. Dwarf when she was a puppy. Saddle shoes and watching the Indianapolis 500 parade at night and scuffing up the desk tops at Daddy's office where we sat to watch. Learning to snap our fingers. Bonnie learning to whistle, and me not. Ever. Picking dandelions for fish funerals. Running home for lunch from Evelyn's house to discover Bonnie had taken a bite out of the stick of butter. Harcourt Elementary. Going to doctor appointments with Mom and waiting for the twins to be born. Playing in our beds when we should have been sleeping and falling asleep while listening to albums Daddy played- Finian's Rainbow and Simon and Garfunkel come to mind. Playing in the "boat" next door, and right now I cannot remember their names, but the mom had long black hair and lots of boys- looking back now as a parent, that boat was genius- a crowd of kids all climbed in and and the grass was water and we dared not get out of the boat... and there we stayed for how long? til dinner?.... there were days I would wish for that boat when my kids were little. Playing dolls. The Twins flushing Tracy's dress. Moving to a new house and having to change schools and ride a new bus. Watching The Wizard of Oz and getting scared, and crying every time we watched Lassie -even choking up when we heard the theme song. Those were the days when Charlie Brown specials really were special.

It occurs to me that I have no memory of life before Bonnie Jo, and that having a sister so close in age makes those hazy memories of our Wonder Years more focused and real.  And I never would have believed it all those years ago, when I wished desperately to be an only child, but I am happy to be able to wish Bonnie Jo and Very Happy Birthday today.

Love, Kim

Vacation Plans

Dear Mom,
If there is room to pack 2 sets of these

and a bunch of these

then there should be no problem with this

and this

and this

and this

or especially this

.

Love,
Kim

Cover Girl

Dear Mom,
I interrupt my regularly scheduled  vacuuming to let you know that the September issue of Creative Knitting Magazine has arrived on my doorstep and yes, let me shout it our far and wide....THAT IS MY SWEATER DESIGN ON THE COVER!!!!!

For real.
Pinch me.
Lord, help me not to share the news with complete strangers in the grocery store, or camp out in the magazine section at Barnes and Noble. Amen.

Love,
Kim

The last thing I should be doing

Dear Mom,

Why is it that the very last thing you should be doing is exactly the thing you do???


Last 2 bucket hats. But I am not promising anything at this point. Moving Judy Jetson, my vintage "Slant-o-matic" Singer sewing machine, upstairs did not deter me.
This first hat is for a brother-in-law, who, after seeing the hats I made for his wife and daughter, dropped several not too subtle hints.

 And this next is for the Young Lady. She found some bandannas on our most recent visit to Hancock Fabric and asked for another hat.

I applied fusible interfacing to both bandannas to give the fabric a little more body. This hat has earned a spot on my favorite list. Who knew that two cheap bandannas and a bit of interfacing could turn into something this cute. And leave it to the Young Lady to see it.

Okay, now back to what I should be doing.

I hope.

Love,

Kim

Scratching the Itch

Dear Mom,

I have more bucket hats to show you.

this one may be my favorite

this is my least favorite- I used black burlap

This last batch has scratched the bucket hat itch. For now. I still want to make some wool hats with flannel lining for autumn, but for now I am letting my sewing machine rest.

Love,
Kim

It's gonna be loud

Dear Mom-

The Cul-de-sac Fourth of July Celebration Preparation started a couple of weeks ago.

And he has plenty of fuse.

Boys.

Love,

Kim

Rags to Rugs

Dear Mom,
It was rags to rugs around here over the weekend.

On Saturday, two friends and I took a "Rug in a Day" class up at Tabby Tree Weaver. To prepare for the class we cut 5-6 yards of fabric into 1 1/2 inch strips to be woven into a rag rug. I didn't want to love weaving. Looms are expensive and take up space. I just wanted to like weaving and have a good rug to show for it. I wasn't too far into weaving the rug when I caught myself rearranging the house to accommodate a loom. I reigned myself in. A big part of weaving- warping the loom- was already done for us when we arrived for class and just thinking about setting up all those warp threads is pretty daunting. Before I fall headlong into turning myself into a weaver, I'll need to take a class that teaches every step of the process and I'll see if I still like it. I'll do That, and start saving my money.

As you can see, our rugs were all very different from each other. That is mine in the middle. TheNeverDullAlwaysCreativeBecky's is above mine and CarolWhoseHouseGotStruckbyLightning's is below.

Here are some close ups of the rugs-

After about 6 hours of weaving we all were really tired- not that any part of it was physically that difficult- I think it was a combination of learning and being inspired that left us drained. We all wondered if we would "feel it" tomorrow. Becky decided to forget about the Bow flex- working the loom was a good upper body workout! The only reminders of my day of weaving were a tender spot on my right hand where my middle finger meets my palm and another on my right cheek where I had it planted on the bench. (Surprising, considering the padding I have there.)

My rug is now home and after "trying it on" in different locations, I think this is where it is going to live-

in front of the kitchen sink. It is long enough to cover the width of the sink and dishwasher. It has also been claimed as a good resting spot by Patsy.

Then, on Sunday, as if one rug in a weekend wasn't enough, I decided to get on with it already and finish something in an attempt to clear off the project queue on my dining room table. The one taking up the most space and also the one most likely to be completed in an afternoon was the Rag Doily Rug I posted about awhile ago. Shorty after posting about it, I purchased some sheets at the Goodwill and tore them into strips. They were wound into balls and waiting for further action.

It felt better scratching this one off the list than it did in the actual knitting of the fabric strips. Fabric strips do not slide through each other and across the needles like yarn does, so this project was work. Not hard knitting, and the pattern is easy to follow- it was just the fabric that made it tough. I like the rug though, and wondered while I was knitting what it would be like to knit it in mop cotton, or that shiny rope stuff from the hardware store, or even lots and lots of strands of cotton yarn held together. And maybe the fabric strips would be easier to knit if they were cut and not torn and thinner.....(As if I need more rugs or more knitting projects. But sometimes these ideas wiggle around in my head and won't leave until they get some play time.)

After all that rug production, the house needs me to do some catching up. To be honest, I am surprised there isn't a pile of dog hair somewhere in those rug pictures. The vacuum cleaner is my friend.

Love,

Kim

Something finished and a serious case of startitis

Dear Mom,

This cardigan was started sometime last summer and set aside for a  forgotten reason. Maybe because I knew even a year ago that it wasn't gonna fit me. The good news is that it will fit you if you want it.

The lesson here is- even if the knitter wrote the pattern, she STILL has to get gauge. Or find a body to fit the sweater. Good thing you are tiny.

I made a few modifications- I used 6 different yarns rather than the 10 called for, made 3/4 sleeves and I knitted a mitered and hemmed border around the hem, button bands and neckline with loops for the buttonholes.

Having finished that, I went into a ball winding frenzy, with plans to start several projects, all with different levels of difficulty and concentrations required. Yes, there is a method to this madness.

I started this, using one of the hand dyed yarns from the workshop I took last month.

And last night I began this cardigan using a soft mercerized cotton- Ultra Pima by Cascade in a happy orange sherbet color that reminds me of Pushups we got from the ice cream man when we were kids.

It seems I am in an orange/coral/fiery red phase.

Have no fear. I have plans for this today:

This is Black Water Abbey yarn, color Forest, and I am extremely anxious to knit with it. NO matter how hot it is outisde. I need a wool fix.

And I should probably start a new pair of socks even though my sock a week resolution is pretty much trashed.

Love,

Kim