A little spinning

Dear Mom,
Sunday was open spin at Tabby Tree and I was able to get away for a couple of hours. I decided to spin up some of the wool I dyed in the workshop there last spring. I didn't get much done while I was there, but I am loving what I've done so far.

Last night I finished knitting the first sleeve of the Sweater that Kim Forgot and I'll get onto that second sleeve tonight! Looks like I just might have a new sweater by the weekend. If I weren't so excited about getting this sweater done I would sit and spin the rest of that roving.

And finally, one of those times I wish I had my camera...
Patsy as we all know, is the Alpha Gal. First one in, first one out, first one fed, etc. Part of Patsy's training regimen has her on her leash at all times for 4 months. We can have a "goodbye leash" party on March 9. The only times Patsy is separated from her leash is when she is crated. So inside, outside, all around the house, Patsy trots and leash follows. We have a small leash wardrobe for her now so that they can be cleaned. Aaannnnyyyway. Patsy always races to be first out the door and through the dog door, and Bumper just goes with the flow. He follows her out and being a gentleman, lets her be the first through the door on the way in. This morning when I heard the tell tale tapping that they were awaiting entry I briskly walked to the door, opened it and....nothing. They were both standing there, but nobody moved. Patsy did not enter, and good ole Bumper stood there. Waiting. "Come on" I chirped. Nothing. "Come!" I commanded. It is cold. It is snowing. We do not need to let cold air in and heat out. Still nothing. And then I see it. Bumper is standing on Patsy's leash. She cannot move unless he moves and he will not move until she does. This is, in more ways than I care to think, a pretty good summary of  my days. I grabbed the leash, tugged it free from under Bumper's paw and in they came.

Love,
Kim

Infected

Dear Mom,
The Yarn Harlot's  post last Friday gave me an infection. It's like she sneezed SpillyJane all over me. Before last Friday afternoon I had never heard of SpillyJane. But before the kids got off the bus I had downloaded 5 mitten patterns and ordered enough Knitpicks yarn and the size 0 double points to make them all. I couldn't resist. I think if you go take a look at her etsy shop or at her ravelry page you will see why. I have the patterns for Heather's Mitts (Shamrocks!), Carrots and Beets mittens, Cupcake mittens, Isidora mittens and the Polska mittens right here in front of me.
And I was hoping to knit only from my stash for awhile.
I'll still do that, though. It does feel good to use what is on hand rather than add to the load.
And speaking of knitting from the stash...
The poor Abandoned-for-Two-Years Sweater is so happy to have fresh air that she is being extremely cooperative and pleasant to knit. The Front and Back are finished, shoulders united and neckband complete.I just love this neck and couldn't wait to see it put together.

the actual color is more rust than orange

I found an excellent button in your button box yesterday and the first sleeve is about 1/2 way done. I imagine I should have this finished before the end of the week.
In the meantime, I've started writing up the pattern for Primrose and should have that ready soon. Sooner if I get off the blog and back to work.

Love,
Kim

A busy week and a really good soup recipe

Dear Mom,
It has been a busy, satisfying, productive week with the kiddos back in school. The house is pretty much back in order. I've managed to stay very organized, cook good meals, knit a bunch and take action on some ideas I've had brewing in this busy brain of mine.
I sold a record number (for me) of patterns to 2 local yarn shops, and let me just stop right here and say I love the ladies at the Village Yarn Shop.
I published two new patterns. They can be found here and on the Warm Thoughts blog.
After finishing my Daybreak scarf, I experienced a knitting.....fog... I guess that would describe it. I wasn't sure what to knit next. I have plenty of ideas, but couldn't get excited about any of them. I went back into the yarn/guest room (which had been recently purged and re-organized) and rediscovered a sweater that, when I looked back at my ravelry project page, I started in February 2009. I do not know why I set it aside. Possibly for a magazine deadline. I don't know if is scarier that I started it and let it languish for almost 2 years, or that I clearly remember buying the yarn and starting the sweater like it was 2 weeks ago. I would never have guessed that it had been in standby for so long. I hope I can finish it before its second birthday!

I have some random thoughts and things to share that will never fit into any one blog, so I am going to share them all here, all at once.
Books. I have had the absolute pleasure of reading some really good books lately. The bad thing about a really good book is the let down when it is finished and then the scramble to find another book that is just as good. Well, I've been on a streak. These books have nothing in common with each other, other than the fact that I like them.
The first took me months to read. Not because it is 900+ pages, but because I read at night before I go to sleep and some nights I only read about a page before I fall asleep. It is the new book by Ken Follett, Fall of Giants. This is the first of a trilogy, so we have more good books to look forward to! I have never been dissappointed by a Ken Follett book. The trilogy will cover the 20th century, following the lives of several families from the UK, Russia, Germany and the USA. I'll say no more.
I finished this next book last night. It is the second Flavia De Luce mystery, written by Alan Bradley. Flavia is our 11 year old heroine and the books are set in the 1950's, English countryside. I am charmed by Flavia, her spirit and her love of chemistry!! These are not scary mysteries and they are not bloody or gruesome, so they wouldn't give you bad dreams or anything. Just good entertainment. The first is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and the next (and the one I finished last night) is The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag.

Why I feel compelled to share this next bit of info with you I am not sure, except that these are two things in life that give me a disproportionate amount of joy.

#1. Dog paws.

I love them.

#2. The sound of a dog sniffing something thoroughly. Like they can't get enough of whatever it is they smell.

Like a sniffly giggle.

After that, do I dare give you a recipe?
yep.

I made this soup last night, and it may very well be the best ham and bean soup I've ever tasted. It'll be even better today after all those flavors have blended.
It is not complicated or fancy. I am just not that kind of cook. But is is GOOD. Served with a spongey, fresh white bread to clean up the bowl and it is heaven. Especially on a snowy day like today.

The Best Ham and Bean Soup I've Ever Tasted
makes a bunch

1 1/2 cups dry mixed beans ( I used Hurst's 15 bean soup beans, but didn't use the seasoning packet)
5 cups water
1 meaty ham bone
1 cup chopped celery  
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
( confession- I did not measure the celery, carrots and onions. I used 3 carrots, 3/4 of an onion, and about a 4 inch section of a whole celery bunch and chopped them all up really fine)
2 cups water
1 t. salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes ( I used a pint of the tomatoes I canned from the garden and put them in the blender)

Combine the beans, 5 cups water and ham bone in a soup pot. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let them sit for 1 hour.
In another saucepan, combine the celery, onions, and carrots with 2 cups water and cook until soft.(About 20-25 minutes) Mash slightly. ( I gave them a quirk burst in the blender.)
Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours then on low for 2 hours.

Love,
Kim

The Last Finished Project of 2010

Dear Mom,
Cast on sometime before Christmas and cast off last night, this is Daybreak, designed by Stephen West.

I used Claudia's Handpainted fingering weight wool and needed a little more than one skein of each color to finish. I can't find the tag for the lighter colorway, but the darker one is called Caribbean blue. I think I may have thrown the other label away along with wrapping paper.This was a pleasant, soothing project, with just enough to going on to keep it interesting but not too much to require total concentration. Plus it was a small enough project to have the end in sight, which is a total motivator to keep me knitting as fast as I can. 

Family fun and games tonight, so as much as I would like to knit in the New Year, in all honesty I know it isn't gonna happen.

Happy, Healthy, Safe and Serene New Year!

Love,

Kim

Now That it's Over

Dear Mom,
With only wrapping paper shrapnel littering the house and the much anticipated Un-Decorating that remains of Christmas 2010, I can reveal some of the gift knitting I've been keeping secret now that the gifts have been opened.
I now realize that I neglected to photograph everything, like some texting gloves and the Marksmans mitts I knit for the hunter in the family. But I did take a picture of this hat, modeled reluctantly by the Young Lady.

This is the Inishmore Hat I made for a nephew. It used about 1 skein of Lamb's Pride worsted and I want to make another for My Hero. I have my eye on a skein of mossy green Donegal tweed in the stash.

I gave you one of these silly Kleenex cosies. I don't know why I am so charmed by this little dude, but it took a tiny amount of time and yarn and I want one for myself.

I am most proud of this sweater, though.

This is my latest design, Primrose. Elle is modeling Primrose with the skirt (Violette) and scarf I gave you last year.

Primrose is knit from the top down, in the round, with modified boat neck, and blousy full sleeves. She is a nice compliment to Violette's fitted silhouette. The sleeve cuffs and body are finished with a garter stitch border that mirror the neckline. I used Knitpicks Gloss yarn- it was a dream to work with.

My goal is to get the patterns for both Primrose and Violette polished up and available before the end of January.

I feel like my after Christmas knitting list (which is mostly selfish knitting) is almost as long as my Christmas knit list. I still need to make some fingerless mitts for myself and finish projects already started. In the Village Yarn shop, I was inspired to use leftover fingering weight yarns to make this scarf. I did some desperately needed stash purging and re-organization last week and made some scarf  kits for myself. I finished this narrow scarf in the wee hours of this morning.

It is about 3 inches wide and 60 inches long. Just right for wearing like this:

And you know what the REALLY good thing about this pattern and its use of leftovers? Chances are pretty good that there is a sweater made out of one of those yarns and the scarf is guaranteed to go with something.  See what I mean?

After re-organizing my yarn stash and finding yarn I forgot I had, I faced the cold hard truth of my yarn gluttony. I have more than enough to knit myself well into next year and vow to clear much of it ( notice I am being realistic here and not saying ALL of it) off my shelves before bringing any new yarn home. I failed on last years Sock-a-Week resolution, so there is still plenty of sock yarn waiting for me, too. Maybe a more realistic goal this year would be a pair of socks each month. Maybe I should pick a sock yarn and put it in a brown paper bag, assign a month to each bag and surprise myself. Yeah. I think that is exactly what I am going to do. So maybe this year it will be a scarf and a pair of socks each month along with the big projects I would like to work on too. Sounds like a plan.

Love,

Kim

Chicken Sweaters and Fingerless Mitts

Dear Mom,
Aren't Bonnie Jo's chickens smart! Not only have they figured out how to log onto the blog, but they also know that Aunt Kim will stop just about everything to knit for a niece. Even if that niece is a chicken.
The Chicken Sweater Pattern I used is this one. After seeing how lovely Gloria, Marge and Golda look in their jumpers, I imagine that there will be more hens asking for sweaters this Christmas.
The sweaters required less than 50g of yarn and these fit Bonnie Jo's robust ladies just right. I don't know how her girls fit into the scheme of Hen Sizing- are they Average? Plus size? All I can say with certainty is that they are not petite, so if knitting for a petite chicken niece, a knitter might want to scale the pattern down a smidge.
Knitting the sweaters was the easy part. The Chicken Photography was not. (But it was fun!) Chickens do not hold still. I took over 200 photos and Bonnie Jo had to do some deep knee bends.



multi-tasking one handed deep knee bending photographer/chicken whisperer



 I am beginning to think that putting a camera in Bonnie Jo's hands turns her into Super Stretchy Limber Woman!
Our patience, gymnastics, low batteries and rapidly filling memory cards were rewarded with some excellent (or should I say eggcellent?) shots.


Chicken sweaters aren't the only thing I've been knitting. I feel like I am late to the appeal of the fingerless mitts, but having made one pair for the Young Lady, I can't seem to stop. I can knit a mitt a night. They don't require much yarn, and they've been good stash busters.
I've made some with self-striping  and variegated yarns and they look good on their own, but the few pairs I've done out of solid colors needed some embellishments. I pulled out my Colorful Stitchery book and some sock yarn leftovers and had some fun.

I made this pair for Bonnie Jo: (she already opened them so I can show them off )



And I finished the first of this pair last night:

I knew the mitts were a hit when the Young Lady approved my making a pair as a birthday gift for her friend. She chose a bright variegated yarn from the stash for that pair. I also want a pair or three for myself. They are cozy for hugging a warm mug of tea, or for right now when my hands are cold as I sit at the computer keyboard. I don't have a pattern for these- it is in my head- but I probably should write down what I've done somewhere. Right now I am just enjoying the satisfaction of finishing projects.

It amy be cold and snowy, but life is good. I've got hot tea in front of me and two sleeping dogs on the floor beside me.

Keep Warm!
Love,
Kim

Favrit Ant

Deer Ant Kim,


U r a good nitter!  and fast!  thank u for nu sno soots.

Look!  We r playing in sno togethr!

U r favrit ant.  We feel speshul.  We wil giv u egggs.

Luv,

Golda, Marge and Gloria

p.s. We lik cow buttens.  pleez eet mor beef.

Deer Ant Kim

Deer Ant Kim,

Kan u maak us a swetter sno soot? 

Gloria wont shar. 

Mom sed if we ask nislee u will nitt a sno soot for us.

p.s.  we lik chikin buttens too.

Luv,

Golda and Marge

An Animal Lover's Must See

Dear Mom,
I know I've already posted today, but I was just sent this and had to share it.

I love the voices they've given these animals. Very clever.
Love,
Kim

Flurries

Dear Mom,
One of the best things about being done with Christmas Knitting (or at least the have to's) is that when your friend GinaWhoCanParallelPark gives you a skein of to-die-for Tilli Tomas yarn you can stop everything and knit with it.
The yarn is called Flurries, which considering today's weather and last night's snowfall is totally appropriate.

After a very brief ravelry search- and can I interrupt myself here to say that after sheep and local yarn stores, ravelry may be the next best thing to happen to knitters?- I found this pattern. Perfect.

I cast on and finished the scarf in an evening, blocked it before I went to bed and woke up to this lovely scarf.
                                        
This yarn is embellished with glass beads. Just the sort of sparkle you see when the sun comes out after the snow storm.

I modified the pattern slightly to taper the ends to points. I preferred that to a blunt beginning and end. Other than that change, the pattern was easy to follow with both charted and written directions. Starting and finishing such a beautiful project in an evening is very satisfying.and I can't wait to wear my new scarf. I may just have to wear it today while I vacuum!
Love,
Kim

Snow Day

Dear Mom,

I've taken advantage of this snow day with the kids home to use my baker's helper (aka The Young Lady) and do some scone baking. We popped out 70 scones this morning. Yes. sev-en-teeee. Thank goodness for my convection oven. We made every variety we could think of and had the ingredients for: blueberry lemon, cranberry orange, butterscotch, chocolate chop, chocolate cherry, and cinnamon raisin. We made a small last batch with a butterscotch and chocolate chip combo that will stay here at home.

About half of the baskets have been delivered. When I had the brainstorm to do this today, I thought it would be the perfect day to catch everyone at home. Not so. For me days like this are the perfect excuse NOT to leave, but I obviously have neighbors with important things to do, 4-wheel drive vehicles and/or more courage than I have.

We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend. So far, except for one appealing ornament, Patsy has left the tree alone. I had visions of her dragging the tree OUT the dog door much like she has dragged sticks IN. The ornament in question has been relocated to a higher branch.

 Our string of lights is plugged into an extension cord that has an on/off switch. Instead of bending over to plug the cord in I can just tap the switch with my foot. Patsy witnessed me tapping the lights on to water the tree early Sunday morning. After emptying my watering can, I tapped the lights off. Patsy looked at the red button and used her big paw to tap the lights back on. I am considering teaching Miss Smarty Paws two new commands: Lights On! and Lights Off !

I somehow managed to get ahead and actually finish the important Christmas knitting. Now I'll have time to do some of those fun smaller Christmas knitting projects that I've been thinking about, but didn't dare hope to have the time for.

Like these- I really like this one.And this cute thing. And maybe some of these, and definitely some more fingerless mitts.
Love,
Kim

Grandpa's socks

Dear Mom,
A good friend just pointed out that I have a pattern published in the January 2011 issue of Creative Knitting magazine and haven't mentioned it. I guess it feels a bit anti-climactic to mention a sock pattern after having a design land on the cover.
Anyway, my Manly sock pattern "Grandpa's Socks" is right there on page 66. Instructions include a smaller lady like size, too.

photo courtesy DRG publications

Love,
Kim

Scones

Dear Mom,
Every year I agonize over what sort of baked goods to give my neighbors for Christmas. I can knit under pressure but cooking and baking under pressure doesn't work for me. Plus I am surrounded by good cooks. I cannot compete with their delicious cookies, candies and that mouth-watering spiced pumpkin nut bread that Michelle brings over every year. (There might be a cul-de-sac riot if Michelle did not make that bread.)
Finding the right recipe that is tasty/easy/holiday-ish but not a duplicate of what my neighbors are already baking has been my annual challenge. I even pressure myself further by feeling that I should have a "signature holiday treat" for my neighbors.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this recipe for "Super Simple Scones" in the Harvest Kitchen Gooseberry Patch Cookbook. I have grown to love these cookbooks. They are full of recipe winners and completely support your theory that any cookbook that tells the name of the person contributing the recipe is bound to be filled with only the best recipes. Nobody wants their name associated with a bad recipe.
The Young Lady and I have given this recipe several test drives. We've made several variations and can think of more to try. We haven't had a bad scone yet.
This year my neighbors will be receiving a cloth-lined basket filled with a variety of scones. And if all goes as well as I hope it will, this may become our annual gift.

Super Simple Scones
makes 8

1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix ( We used Bisquick)
3/4 c. whipping cream

Optional ingredients: orange zest, lemon zest, dried fruit, chocolate chips, cinnamon, etc.

That's it! Can you believe it!?

Place biscuit mix in a bowl and slowly stir in cream. Turn mixture our onto a floured surface and  knead in optional ingredients. Roll and shape into an 8- inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet ( I always use a silpat) at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

So far, my favorite combination of optional ingredients is the zest of 1 lemon and 6 oz dried blueberries.  The chocolate chip scones were gobbled up quickly and I was afraid there might be a fight over the butterscotch chip scones. We've also made cinnamon raisin scones, cranberry scones and a cranberry/orange zest combination.
The recipe is easily doubled. In fact, I think we've doubled it every time and divided the dough so we could make several combinations with one batch.

Love,
Kim

Another Cowl Catcher and a New Escape Route

Dear Mom,

During our Family Movie Marathon last night I was able to finish another Cowl Catcher. Successfully checking another gift off the list. Same yarn as yesterday's cowl, different color. Perfect buttons- purchased with the yarn at Mass Ave Knit Shop. (Wendy- Susan says Hi! and to stop by next time you are in town!)

This morning we discovered that Patsy, being the smart, clever girl we know she is, has made herself a new escape route.

The fence has been repaired. Despite this, I have to say that Patsy is doing very well on her new regime and we couldn't be more pleased. Every day is a bit better. And while I wish she would just stay put in the backyard, I don't blame her for wanting to occasionally go visit her backyard friends, Buddy and Simon.

Love,
Kim

One a Day

Dear Mom,
I was able to finish the Young Lady's North Porch hat in one day, but I do admit to nodding off over my knitting needles more than once on Wednesday night. Times like that I miss my Dr. Pepper habit.
Anyway, I got it done, the girl is happy and her head was warm. Now she wants fingerless mitts to match, but I told her she would have to wait til after Christmas for those.
Thursday required me to transport the Young Man downtown where he caught the Megabus with 9 of his fellow students and a teacher. They are attending a DECA conference in Chicago. My biggest concern was that I would not find a parking spot, but I thought it was my lucky day when we found an empty spot directly across the street from the bus stop AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, it was one that did not require me to parallel park. Because honestly, I would have continued to circle the block until the bus left if parallel parking was my only option. (I ignored the Young Man's suggestion that I just "drop him off". As if I would abandon my child with his duffel bag and backpack on a downtown sidewalk! We hadn't seen another student or the teacher at that point,either.) I know teenage boys think themselves all invincible and tough, but honestly.
Anyway, we parked. I paid the meter and we waited for the group to collect and the bus to arrive. My quarter and the 6 minutes that were still on the meter from the previous patron meant that I had 26 minutes. After giving the Young Man a quick pat on the back (no embarrassing hugs or kisses good-bye) I jaywalked my way back across the street, saw the meter had expired and hopped in my car.
And then I saw the parking ticket.  I promise you it could not have been more than a minute or two. Where was the ticket writer lurking? Are they still called meter maids? I doubt it. That sounds too polite. And sexist. And way nicer than anything I wanted to name them. Not such a lucky day after all.
My first ticket. (I am not counting my 2 warnings.) I was rattled, mad and wished I had put another quarter in the meter.
 My plan, since I would be so far out of my usual 6 mile radius, was to be brave and go to Mass Ave Yarn shop because I would practically be in the neighborhood. So despite being distracted by the ticket and my poor mapquest directions, I navigated my way to the yarn shop. I think some kind of wool homing instinct took over and guided me.
 I found some yarn for a couple of last minute gift knits (why and I doing this to myself??) and some more fingerless mitts for the Young Lady. And headed for home. Throw in an afterschool orthodontist appt and it was a long day. I've said it before and I am saying it again. Thank Goodness for Doggie Daycare. I had the foresight to drop Patsy off in the morning, knowing I would be gone most of the day and she would have to spend too much time crated. At the end of the day I was able to pick up a tired dog and have a peaceful evening. God Bless the Bed & Biscuit. They may be my new best friends.
I was able to put my quiet evening to productive use and knitted this Cowl Catcher for a friend.

I used one skein of Plymouth Yarn's Baby Alpaca Grande and I found the buttons at the yarn shop. I started another- same yarn, different color, more really good buttons, and if all goes well, I should be able to finish that one tonight. There has been so much behind the scenes knitting going on that I can't show you in case the recipients are reading the blog. I must remember to take pictures before they are wrapped up and delivered.
Back at it. Unfortunately Patsy's training does not include vacuuming, laundry and gift wrapping.
Love,
Kim

Until today

Dear Mom,

Until today it hasn't felt like we should be counting down to Christmas, or that Thanksgiving was just last week. Sure, we've enjoyed some nice fires in the fireplace and I've been knitting like Christmas is coming. I've even tuned the car radio to the Christmas music station. But Yesterday I had the thought that we might just skip over the winter weather this year. Then we woke up this morning to snow flurries and bitterly cold temps. Wind chills in the teens. So nevermind. It feels like winter and Santa Claus out there.

Today I will interrupt my Christmas knitting schedule to take this handspun

which is a much more vibrant green than I was able to capture in the picture, and turn it into a North Porch hat for the Young Lady. Because somehow, in a house full of wool and handknits, she couldn't find a hat this morning. Trust me. There are hats. Just not the right hat for the mood this morning, I guess. Don't worry, Mom, her winter coat has a hood so she was warm enough at the bus stop.

I may have been in more of a knitting frenzy than I thought, because last night the Young Lady pointed out to me that the fingerless mitts I knitted for the girl who cuts her hair were not the same length. In my best ever-so-patient Mom voice, I told her that they were exactly the same, but they probably looked different because of the yarn stripes.

Then she laid them side by side.

?

Clearly I am in deep denial about more than the winter weather.

Love,

Kim

Things to look at when you should be doing other things.

Dear Mom,
You know how it is. You start reading a blog and then you click on a link to another blog, which ends up taking you to another. And before you know it you can't remember how you got there or even how to find your way back.
I know None of Us has time for this right now, with pies to be baked and turkeys waiting for the stuffing, but maybe a little daydreaming, inspiration sparking blog reading is just what our overworked-stretched-too-thin selves need right about now.
So here are few fun, crafty, creative, inspiring blogs I've stumbled across in the last day or so: (set a timer. don't burn the bread. don't say I didn't warn you!)

One Pearl Button

Say Yes to Hoboken

Take a nostalgic trip HERE

I found Lines of Beauty,a blog about embracing our ages, through Getting Stitched on the Farm.

Love,
Kim

In my Rear View Mirror

Dear Mom,

One of the things the trainer suggested to help Patsy act like a lady while riding in the car (instead of the attack dog wanna-be she is every time we pass a walker, jogger, bicyclist or motorcycle- which is to say just about all the time) was to put Patsy on her dog bed in the hatch of my car. Until now she rode in the back seat, tethered to a clip attached in the hatch that gave her a little range but would not allow her to jump into my lap or out of the car while it was moving.
This morning we tried out the new arrangement on our way to doggie daycare. Obviously, she is still tethered, but the hope is that as she masters her 'on your rug- down- stay' command, it will transfer to the car as well. Also, perhaps, the presence of the dog bed along with the command will make her feel secure enough not to be in Code Red High Alert Defense Mode while we travel. We hope.
It was pretty early and cold out and there weren't any walkers, bikers, joggers, or motorcycles on the road. The fact that our first run with the new arrangement transpired without incident may be a fluke. But still, it set a good precedent.

For obvious reasons this photo of my view in the rear view mirror is not all that good ( I did have to watch the road.), but can you see the chin resting on the back seat and the resigned expression in her eyes? Sharp contrast to the sassy "don't leave me back here" barking that I expected!

I'll be picking Patsy up soon and we will try it all again. Until then, I've had a most productive day- dining room carpet cleaned, a little spinning, Bumper furminated and 2 1/2 hours of uninterrupted knitting while I waited on an oil change, a new tire and new front brakes for my car. I was almost disappointed when they told me the car was ready.

Love,
Kim

It's Here!

Dear Mom,

The Winter 2011 issue of Kiki Magazine arrived in our mailbox this afternoon, and I put this sign on the frontdoor to great the Young Lady when she gets off the bus.I am trying to wait for her to get home before I devour the magazine, but after taking a quick peak on the inside I am thankful that the editors sent us an extra copy. There is a lot of stuff in there that I am interested in reading.

Here is a link to stores that carry the magazine.

Love,
Kim

Progress

Dear Mom,

I hoped it would happen, but NEVER thought it would happen so soon.

Last night I was able to spin this while Patsy lay not more than 3 feet away. She didn't even glance at the roving laying on the floor nearby.

It's just..... WOW.

Love,
Kim