More pics of the FO

I found a better close up picture. The other picture is of Eli. I can't tell you how many times I took the knitted vase away from the kids. It felt really neat to touch and handle. The 5-stitch i-cord bind off made for a strong edge after felting. But it took forever. I had to seek help with that bind off. Most patterns call for a 3-stitch i-cord bind off. I was having so much trouble with it because I could not "see" how an i-cord bind off would work. It finally clicked after visiting the Possum.

FO show and tell...

If you've been here before you know that I am participating in a really fun swap. A color swap, each month has a color. March had to be green. My swapee,Jana, has received her box o' green so I can finally show you the big project I had been working on. I have not fretted and worried over a project so much before. I wanted it to be perfect. It is a Plymouth Yarn patternP576 Felted Embellished Vases. The pattern includes 3 different sizes of the vase. I did not use the Galaway Chunky it called, wanted to use from the stash. I knitted with worsted weight Cascade 220. I doubled it so it would be closer to the chunky weight. In the before felting pic, the pretzel container is in the vase.

I learned a few new things along the way,how to do an i-cord bind off and how to embellish a felted project without it becoming obscured in the felting process. There are 9 months before Christmas. Wonder how many I could knit....hmm....

There's a party at the Keim house tonight!!

The planets must be aligned, and all must be right with the universe.
All three, count'em one, two, three kids are at a grandparents house for a sleep over.
Olivia and Eli went to the in-laws, and Alex went to my parents house. We are going out to a restaurant with table cloths. Watch non-cartoon tv, talk to each other without being interupted.Then we might just run through the house naked.

Something to think about.

After talking with my NH friend and reading a blog or two, I have been thinking all day about the entrepreneur. Whether it is someone that comes up with a great idea that benefits lots of people and makes them millions, or the mom with several kids she wants to be home with, and tries to turn her "hobby" into a business. The Internet has opened more doors for this than we can ever go through. Should they both be given the same consideration? Do corporate giants really see the small business as insignificant? I can't imagine the number of small mom and pop businesses that have made it big, become extremely successful. In my own little corner of the United States there are two perfect examples. Papa John's Pizza. It started with one guy named John and an oven. It is now one of the most popular pizza places in the state of Kentucky. Lets not forget the name of UofL's football stadium. Did you guess it? Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. What about Kentucky Fried Chicken? Do people think it has always been KFC, with a Taco Bell on one side? Col. Sanders had a small town diner that served great fried chicken.
You may wonder where this is all going. Big business does not know which of these home grown ideas is going to end up being real competition. They should tread lightly and watch who they s**t on. Crafty moms are a tight bunch. We talk. We spend money. We tell each other where to spend money. We do not take kindly to hearing about bullying or belittlement of the skill or knowledge they posses. So before you go to the big name place, check out what we have to offer each other. I can guarantee it was made with the creators heart and soul. And was not carded, spun, dyed, sewn, painted, knitted, crocheted, thrown, molded, stamped, cut, blown, packaged or shipped by young children for pennies a day.

Want to see what I didn't make?

I found an FO to show you, but it isn't one of mine. Ruth is one of the talented knitters that joins us most Tuesday nights. She is a middle school art teacher. You gotta love a teacher that tries to share her love of art with 6th, 7th and 8th graders that could care less. Not only does she knit, but she crochets and makes beaded jewelry. She also draws us interesting little diagrams of what things should look like. She is modeling the cover sweater from the winter 2006 edition of Interweave Knits. It is an amazing sweater.

Ok, I lied...

I said I would get back to some knitting stuff soon and yet still nothing. It's not that I have not been knitting, just working on a secret project for my March color swap partner. Can't post a picture before she sees it. It took a little bit more time than I anticipated, so it may be into April before she gets it. Eli told me the other day that I needed more yarn. I did not have enough. I was so happy, thought how cool is that, then I looked in the rear view mirror. I saw the mischievous grin and realized that he has fully grasped the concept of sarcasm, and was trying some out on me. I felt kinda silly then, because I said, "you're right, I do need more yarn, I love yarn". Then I got defensive and told them I did not have too much yarn and that I knew of lots of knitters that had way more yarn than me. I told them about Judy, she has a yarn room with closets and Kate who has a walk in closet full of yarn and a craft room with yarn and fabric. I hope to be like them someday

Near my neighborhood.....

The Falls of the Ohiois one of my favorite places. My family came here all the time. Bike rides, hikes and picnics. We even got a few pieces of driftwood and some river rock. Now taking driftwood and rocks will get you tossed in jail and a fine. When I came here as a child it was just grass, trees, rocks and the river. The Interpretive Center is a great place to learn about the history of the river and what type of aquatic life it sustains. Now and in the past. The river has been very high the past few weeks so you will have to wait for a picture of the fossil beds and really cool rock formations. The kids and I love to go walking and climbing over the rocks and looking for some fossils. It is also a good lesson on taking care of the environment and why rivers are so important. You have to be careful though, you never know what may go floating by on the Ohio River.

Look what you could get...

Isn't this just the coolest thing ever. I bought this fabric over a year ago. It was in the remnant bin for about 2.00. I finally admitted to myself that I am never going to make anything with it, so I should send it to someone that would. And boy did she ever. My wonderful friend Lora makes these cute little project bags. She has her own Etsy shop. Take a look quick because she has sold several in the past week. But don't worry, she is sewing away right now, no she might be asleep or taking care of the boys. All three of them. The lighting is a little bad, so if you weren't sure it is Super Girl print.

The March greens are here...

March, month two of the color swap, is green for spring. My box of green came earlier this week. I want to send a big THANK YOU to Juli. I now have my first ever knitted dishcloth. Now doing the dishes will be much more enjoyable. Ok, I have to start socks soon because I was gifted some great Wildfoote sock yarn. I even love the name of the colorway "Jungle". A Mary Higgins Clark novel I have not read yet, and a really cute March of Dimes bear that I keep having to tell the kids that it is mine, so keep your hands off. Many many teas and some cool bookmarks that I am taking as some suggested reading. If you want to guarantee some great mail at least once a month, go find yourself a swap to join. Until next time...

Cousins: two legged and four

Monday Eli and I spent some time with Noah, my 3 year old nephew. Hutch came along too. The four cousins had a great time playing together. Aspen is a pure white Siberian Husky, he's pretty big but is only a little over 2 years old. Back in the fall when I first brought Hutch to meet Aspen, he was a small puppy. This big looming white dog walked right up to him. Hutch proceeded to crawl between the couch and my legs and gave the best growl he could. You could not help but laugh because it was so funny. Now that Hutch is older and bigger, Aspen does not roll him over any more when they play. Aspen does have a dog sister, Cory. In her day Cory was like a jack rabbit, running, jumping, almost flying. It is a little sad to see a Jack Russell Terrier get old. Cory is 13 or 14. She's had a hard time of it too. Cory has a huge dose of the small dog complex. She thinks she is a big dog and will try to prove it too. A year or so ago she was telling a big black Lab and he got annoyed. Cory ended up with a lacerated liver and some other serious injuries. She recovered but did not learn anything. Will still try to tell other dogs off. Aspen and Hutch try to make her play, but she just growls and gives them dirty looks. Yes, dogs can do that. Cory is happiest sitting with you on the couch and watching everything go by. Old age gets the best of us, even a little dynamo.

I will have to try to get a picture of the clock at night. It glows red and you
can tell the time for miles away. I will have some knitting stuff in the next day or so. Until next time....

Neighborhood 2...

If you use Colgate toothpaste it was most likely made just a few miles away from my house. My dad retired this past fall after 30 years. Needless to say I grew up on Colgate products. I don't think I have ever even tried a different toothpaste. The plant has an interesting history. It opened as a State Prison in 1847. It was a women's prison for awhile and around 1890 they shipped the women elsewhere and it became a prison for men. In 1921 the prison was bought from the state of Indiana. The big clock is a very well known landmark. I think it is one of the largest clocks next to Big Ben in London. I thought the clock was just the neatest thing. My grandpa use to climb up to make repairs. I would beg him to take me up there. I just knew it had to have huge clock works like a wrist watch. I was really disappointed when he told me it was run by a motor the size of a shoebox. Since my dad worked there I got to go on tours. I watched them make and package toothpaste. Now the side by side toothpaste was pretty cool to see put in the tube. Most everything was automated, so there were lots of yellow lines painted on the floor, and do not touch signs every where. While looking at one of the machines, sirens and lights went off and the line shut down. My dad immediately looked for us to make sure it was not one of his kids that stuck their hand past the yellow lines. It wasn't us. The sensors will shut the lines down if something gets too close. Like a hand. Later on the tour dad took us to a different building and showed us the catwalk where the guards watched the prisoners.
Through the years some production was sent to other plants in the US and other countries. Toothpaste is the last production line to be run in the Clarksville plant.
Colgate Palmolive's Clarksville plant will shut it's doors later this year. Three generations of my family had been supported by Colgate.

Near my neighborhood.....

There is this wonderful little ice cream house in the next town, Widows Walk. It looks like it has been there for a long time but it was built just a few years ago. The towns are close, so my house is probably 4 miles away. We love to go there in the summer and enjoy the view. They have a little rock and statute garden to walk through. The 2nd floor is for adult enjoyment only. A nice place to sit and relax, eat your ice cream and look out at the river. I guess they think kids will spoil the view. We like to eat at the picnic table in the garden.

Tuesday night with..

Loretta! She joined us for our weekly knitting night. Why does she rate a post about her, you ask. Not only is she a really neat lady that picked up knitting after a long hiatus, she is LORA's MOM!! Lora had been trying to get her to come join us. I told Lora if your mom comes to knit with us, I will buy her coffee. The weather was really nice that evening so Loretta and I both enjoyed the mocha shake.It was almost like having Lora there, especially since she had just come back from a visit in cold snowy New Hampshire. Lora and her mother had been on a washcloth binge and knitted quite a few when they were together. Loretta brought a friend that is just beginning to knit. I hope they both come back next time. Jill did not have a project with her, but we'll have her knitting in no time.

I should be able to pull an FO outa my....

The children of knitters have a tendency to think that you can sit down with yarn and needles and poof a sweater appears or maybe a purse. If you are Alex you want 10-12 wristbands for your friends and you have a list of all their favorite colors. And you want them right now. I told him if I was going to make stuff it was going to be the way I wanted. So for now he has bracelets for two of the girls.
I could not get a good pic of the on the right. The button has a very cool moon face on it. So now off to knit sweat band wrist things. I may just do a few this
week I do have other things OTN. More about that later.
Until next time.

A lesson part 2

Alex acted kinda strange this morning. Movin slow, messing around kept saying he needed the day off, did not want to go to school. I asked him if he was worried about having a problem with the boy in his class. He got real defensive and said if he bothers me I will beat the crap outa him. I reminded him that that is not the way to handle a problem and that he was not to say anything like that at school.
So I called his teacher before school started and explained what happened and to please be on the look out for any problems. She thanked me for calling and would pay close attention and said that boy was not someone she would want Alex to play with. That just cinched it for me. So hopefully the drama will fade away.
Until next time...

A lesson on how to treat dogs...

Some adults should never be allowed to be around children. I cannot believe the stuff I was hearing out of a 3rd graders mouth today. This boy is in Alex's class and he kinda walked home with us. Me, Alex, Olivia and Hutch. Hutch is still a little unruly on the leash, so this boy tells me that his uncle says if you want your dog to obey you, punch them in the jaw. That' how his uncle trains his pit bulls, and he starts them out young, punches puppies in the head. He thought that was ok and had done it to his dog. I said that was pretty horrible and we would never do anything like that to Hutch. And if I saw someone doing that I would have tell them to stop hurting the dog. I told him we saw lots of abused dogs at the shelters when we were looking for Hutch. Punching a dog was abuse. He kept talking like that all the way to our house and then wanted my kids to come outside and play. I said they had homework to do and closed the door. Alex said the boy is bad in class and gets in trouble all the time. He does not like him at all. Unfortunately the other two just saw an older kid that wants to play with them. So they got a upset when I said that boy is not to play here ever. He came back later and Alex told him that I said he could not play here. What does this kid do, asks to talk to me. I told him that I did not want him around my kids because of the things he talked about, it was wrong to mistreat animals. Even after I told him he was not welcome to play here, he kept talking to me just small talk. I could tell that know adult ever talks to him. I felt bad for him, not having the proper adult attention. We are an animal loving family, especially dogs and I will not listen to someone talk that way.
I explained to my kids that if I saw a dog being treated that way I would call the police and that they would arrest whomever was abusing the dog. My friend Katie fosters puppies, dogs from shelters in her area, and it is due to people like the uncle and maybe some day like the 9yo boy.
So all of you pet owners, give them a little extra attention or a few more scratches behind the ear, for all of those mistreated pets out there.
Until next time...

February browns and tans have arrived!

My color swap partner, Keri sent me some great things for brown and tan February. I know it is March, but there was a snafu with the zip code. One little number out of order and it spent almost two weeks hang'in out in the post office. But it is here and well worth the wait. This is the cool thing about doing a swap, Keri sent some yarn that I have never seen or heard of. Jojoland Quartette, a Merino/cashmere blend. I wonder if she knew I was going to frog the mitts last night and would be wanting a new project. Maybe, just maybe I am supposed to knit socks now. The heart shaped candle "fresh coffee" will wake us up every morning. The beautiful elephant candle is to look at, I wouldn't dare think of burning it. Can't forget the elephant incense burners. Thank you Keri!
Swaps are great fun, go find one to join.
Until next time...

Ribbit ribbit ribbit

went the green mitts. I am just not happy at all with the way they were turning out. The stripes weren't meshing with the 1x1 ribbing. I don't think that yarn wanted to be mitts anyway. I want the first thing I make for myself to really speak to me. And these mitts were not talking. So now I am back on the look out for that one thing that is supposed to be mine. John hates to see me rip out something I have spent my time working on. Maybe this means that I need to try socks, or go back to the lace scarf I have been thinking about. No, I think it means that I need to finish the IHS. At this rate he won't even need it until the fall. So know I have to come up with something to take with me to knitting tomorrow night. Oh well,
this is not the first thing I have frogged and I know it will not be the last.
Until next time...

I promised you a rose gard, no wait it was a picture

Ok here it is. Looked much more stylish the other day when I came home from the salon. But I have a flat iron and I am not afraid to use it. Actually I am, I'll need my 16 yo cousin Devon to come over and show me how to use it. This hair cut takes a lot less shampoo, I'll tell John that I got my hair cut for the good of the family. I won't have to use so many hair products. Stop laughing Lora, it sounds good. It is just hair and it will grow back. You can't walk out of a salon two sizes smaller, but you can walk out with a new hairstyle. Enough about my hair.

I have some knitting to show you. My very first time working with alpaca was wonderful. It is just so soft. I want to knit everything with it. I made John a black, grey and tan color block scarf with garter ridge ends instead of fringe.
I feel like starting something new but I have to control myself. I have two things OTN and three purses that are waiting to be lined and zippers put in . One of them has been languishing for over a year. When the knitting is done I want to be done. If I ever make a sweater it will have to be in the round.
I have some neat things for later.
Until next time...

and a few more

I bought some Blue Acorn rug yarn from the Corydon Fiber Festival back in the fall.
I was playing with it knitting and felting different shapes. I am going to put a zipper in the long one and the yellow and orange one is a perfect fit for my new digital camera. I just need to put a snap or something and maybe some type of handle or strap. The little coin purse is my favorite. I will knit that one again and tweak it a little. The rug yarn felts wonderful but is murder on the hands. I have some things for tomorrow so...
Until next time.

Now back to the knitting

I have been knitting lately but not a whole lot. The Irish Hiking Scarf has been OTN for quite some time. It is for my dad, but by the time it's finished he won't need it. The yarn is a wonderful Merino Silk blend from Cascade Yarns. The blue is called cloudy evening. It is my first attempt at cables. It is lots of fun to knit but a little slow going. Alex says the pattern looks like some cheat codes for the PS2. K4, P2, C6F, P2, K2, P2, C6f, P2, K2, P2 C6F,P2 K4.

An opportunity to share my love of books and reading

As I was wondering through the knitting area of blogland,I found this one by Heather She is helping her daughter learn compassion, charity and what, just one person can accomplish when they put their mind to it. I say bravo! And she is giving away yarn to boot. Go check it out.

We did a little learning about helping others this past Christmas. I got a forwarded email about the homeless shelter in Lou. needing food donations for their meal they provide on Christmas. The kids and I made about 4 dozen Christmas M&M (the red & green ones) cookies. We delivered them to the homeless shelter on the morning of Christmas Eve. We talked a lot about the people that would be eating the cookies and why they had no other place to eat and have cookies. We sat in our parking spot and watched more and more people deliver food. We wondered who they were and what food they were bringing.
It was another step for them, on the way to learning about being compassionate, helping others and being thankful for what you have. One of my goals as their mother, is for them to grow up to become the best people they can.

Smile and say cheese - don't forget to fix your hair

I got myself a new camera! Now I have to learn how to use it. So it may be a few days before any new pictures show up. The first picture will be of me. I got a haircut yesterday and I know that Lora would like to see it. It did not go over as well as I would have liked. John really prefers women, especially me, to have long hair. He also doesn't want Olivia to get her haircut. She hates to have her hair brushed so it needs to be kept shorter.
The moral of this story is... it's just hair it will grow back and it is an easy way to make a small or big change in your appearance.
Until next time...

Some Christmas in March

Our house is very festive at Christmas time. John works very hard getting it all set up. He says that he does it for the kids but I know he does it for me too. We have decorated the house for the past several years. Adding just a touch here and there each year. I shop after Christmas for something new for next time. This picture is from Christmas 2006. It was one of the houses featured in December's Courier Journal. So now he knows that not only do we love the lights, so does everyone else.
Until next time...

I made it back in one piece

from the dentist appointment. The pre-visit medicine I took made it somewhat bearable. Those of you that know me understand what that means.
I have great difficulty going to the dentist. It can be hard for some to understand what feelings the dentist and teeth in general bring on. As a child I would break out in hives on my face neck and chest. This went on until my late teens. Now I can feel my heart begin to race, have problems catching my breath and hands will shake. The beginnings of a full blown panic/anxiety attack. The sight of one of my children wiggling a loose tooth is enough to make me physically sick. I even have trouble looking at them when their teeth are missing. Teeth are supposed to stay in your mouth.
I now how ridiculous all of this may sound and I have had people try to talk to me about it but to no avail. There were a few childhood incidents that happened and they most likely started me on this path. But I will save that for another day.
According to their records my last visit was in 2002.
Until next time...

Click click click click...

is the sound that my digital camera began making tonight. It gives me a zoom error message. This has happened before but John has always been able to fix it. He took it all apart. Boards and wires all hanging out. It was put back together and came on but it still click click click. The lens is stuck and cannot zoom in or out. It was tossed in the garbage just a few minutes ago, with the declaration "the camera is *!@#!#" Are they made to only last a few years? In June we will have had the camera for 3 years. I guess I will be going shopping sometime this week.
Until next time...

Where do you knit?

I knit at a little coffee shop in Louisville. Very interesting crowd. Sunergos is located near UofL, so a lot of college students come in. Other groups meet on different nights. Our favorite coffeetender, Eric, was moved to days. It took us a long time to "train" him to make our drinks just the way we like them. He was even showing an interest in knitting too. He did not want to learn to knit but was genuinely impressed with some of our stuff. He even brought in some hand knitted items he had been gifted. It may take us awhile to get the new guy broke in.
Until next time...

Fort Keim had a little bit of snow...

I walked out the back door this morning and saw the biggest snowflakes coming down. They were beautiful. I will have to admit that I caught a few on my tongue. Nobody saw, just the dog and it looked like he was trying to do the same. We don't get much snow around here. The snow we had yesterday was just enough to cover the grass, it taunted us, making us believe that we might be able to go outside and play. By later in the day it was all gone. Fort Keim was built two kids ago, by John and his father Ernie. I know it does not look like a fort, but that is what Alex started calling it. The fort has gotten much nicer over the years. John ran an extension cord from the garage so the fort has power. A fan keeps them cool in the summer, a radio entertains them and they read by the light bulb. In the spring and summer the kids will camp out. The fort is furnished with a few school desks a trunk with books and toys and a chalk board. When the kids are out there playing, the dog will lay on the rug on the front porch. Almost like he is holding down the fort.
Until next time...

Daddy got a new toy....

Have you ever wanted something your whole life? And was never able to get it. Maybe you were too young, not enough money or your mom and dad said no. Well when John turned 40 a couple years ago he realized a life long dream. He became a
Biker! The bike on the right was his birthday present to himself. I called it his starter bike. A couple years have gone by and he likes the bike but it is not quite big enough or fast enough. He got left behind on a poker run with his work buddies. Many of them have Harley's. So last year he started looking for a bigger, better, badder bike.
He found one he loved, but is was not in the right price range. He and a buddy went to see it. John worked on it, they went and got a new battery. He got it running and the owner still would not negotiate. So he pretty much got it running so some other guy can come buy it. Fast forward a year later (which is now) and the bike was still for sale. John and his buddy went to see the bike again and the owner was finally ready to talk. The new bike came home with him on Thursday. You can see by the big smile how happy he is. You know, men are just little boys. They can be easily amused and distracted. I hope this bike keeps his attention for more than two years.
Until next time...

Isn't my blog pretty...

Who wants to read a tired old blog. Or a boring looking one. I was wanting to spruce it up a bit. My friend Lora pointed me to Blumh Studios. Heather did a wonderful job designing the banner for my blog. Check her out!
Until next time...

In my neighborhood #2...

This little bakery is on the main drag of downtown Jeffersonville. A block or so from the corner barber and the court house. It has always been a bakery. It hasn't always been Jeff's Bakery. For awhile it was Bakers Bakery and before that it was Krall's Bakery. I remember going with my grandparents to get the yeast dinner rolls when it was Krall's. We always had those for the big holidays. From what I have found out it has been a bakery for at least the past 50 years. Jeff's Bakery has the very best Long Johns. Not the ones filled with stuff. Many people like that type but we like the plain or unfilled kind.
Until next time...

Inside the Possum...

I promised you a look at the goodies inside Grinny Possum, so here it is.
There is so much color everywhere you look that it can be hard to know where
to look first. Ann spins also so my kids always want to come with me because they might get the chance to watch her spin. I on the other hand, like to look at yarn all by myself. Towards the back of the shop is the table where you can sit, talk, knit and take a class or two. Oh, there is always some chocolate to be had somewhere on the table.