Merry Christmas!

The S-Kids wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, but not knowing which style music everyone prefers they decided to keep on dancing to cover more musical tastes. So here, for my ~ uh, I mean your ~ amusement, I present the S-Kids!

{Well, the Elf videos have been retired for the year, so you will no longer be able to see the dancing dogs. Sorry about that!}

Merry Christmas from my home to yours!

Knitting and Dogs ~

A few of my favorite things

Wow! The time has flown by!  So many times I had plans to write a blog post but life got in the way.  It's bitter cold here and the roads are very icy in my town, so I set tonight aside to finally have a chance to blog.

I had great fun knitting some scarves for my Mother and DS {Dear Sister} this summer. The pattern is by Prism: FP1 Openwork Angora Scarf designed by Laura Bryant. Both were knit with size 11 needles using one skein for each scarf.

Mom's scarf is Prism Kid Slique {Color Sierra, Dye Lot #H0806} 66% Rayon, 26% Kid Mohair and 8% Nylon, 88 yards per skein.  

DS's scarf is Prism Indulgence {Color Highlands, Dye Lot #H0814} 68% Silk, 15% Wool and 12% Kid Mohair, 92 yards per skein.

Hopefully they will receive many years of enjoyment from their scarves.

In getting ready to relocate to another state, DS {Dear Son} had to find a new home for his female German Shepherd, Gabi. The apartment complex where he will be living has a 25 lb. weight limit. Gabi's new family lives near us so DH {Dear Hubby} went to the City and picked up Gabi. She spent the night with us and had a wonderful reunion with her brother. DH wanted to grab some pictures of the four playing, but every time he opened the back door to take a picture the play stopped. His solution was to shoot the pictures thru the back door {glass and screen}. I am so glad he grabbed the photographs even though the glass and screen combination make the photos grainy.  I could not resist calling this one: "Thru a Screen Door." Turn on your speakers so you can enjoy Mannheim Steamroller playing "You've Got a Friend in Me." {I thought the title of the music was appropriate!}

Have you seen these driving around your area?

We are beginning to see them in our area.  Over the last two weeks I have seen at least five out and about.

These pictures were taken at a local dealership and are not counted as any of the five I have seen around town.  

The car only seats two people.  I believe it is sometimes called a Smart ForTwo.

 

I have been rear-ended three times {none my fault}, twice by pickups and once by a semi. If you have ever been in the back seat of a car that is rear-ended by a semi and you get covered in glass as it shatters, you want a lot of space between you and the back bumper. So for me, this would not be a car I would choose. However, I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the car.  

I will be curious to know if you have seen any in your area.  Send me a comment if you have and let me know where you live.

If you live in another country and have a similarly sized car, leave a comment with a description of your "small" car.

I hope you have had fun viewing these pictures.  If I hear from other countries with interesting fuel-economy cars, I will locate some photographs for a future post.

This car actually looks even smaller in "real life" next to all the full size vehicles out on the road. 

I promise fiber content very soon!

Enjoying the Day

An Afternoon in the lives of Sasha, Samson & Sweetie

The dogs are definitely enjoying the cooler mornings and warm afternoons. Here's a compilation of pictures DH {Dear Hubby} took recently. I thought the family might enjoy watching them. Be sure and turn on your sound so you can enjoy the Mannheim Steamroller songs in the video.

Belated Birthday & Anniversary Wishes from August

{I did say they were belated!}

We have two anniversaries and two birthdays to celebrate in August, so I decided a Zebra Cake would be fun. This is to be enjoyed virtually... but if anyone reading this lives in Broward or Dade Counties in Florida, you can purchase a real cake from www.ilyscakes.com. They deliver to several towns in the area.  Isn't this a spectacular cake? Wow!  I wish I could buy one. Visit her website {click on her website url above} and check out some of her other wonderful creations!

Here are the two happy anniversary couples enjoying a rare visit together. Mom and Dad are on the left and my Aunt and Uncle are on the right. They wish the miles were not so far apart between their homes. I think it is neat that Mom and her DS {Dear Sister} share the same month for their wedding anniversaries because my DS and I share the same month for ours! 

A few days after celebrating their wedding anniversary, Mom had a birthday.  This is a picture of Mom with Avery, who enjoys life with my DS and her family. {Out of courtesy and respect for privacy, you will find that I only post the names of our beloved pets and not our human family members.} Grand-dogs are grand indeed!

A few days after my Aunt and Uncle celebrated their anniversary, my DB {Dear Brother} celebrated his birthday. This is a picture of him with Dad at the family August celebration. As you can see, my family shares birthday months in addition to anniversaries {DB and Mom share August. Dad, DS & I also share a month}.

Best wishes to our celebrated August family members!

Special thanks to my DS for the wonderful pictures!  She keeps me up to date on family events when I am not able to be there.

P.S.  Once again I was holding off thinking I would start a website and have a blog as an offshoot of the website. I have started a website, but am waiting to unveil it at a future time.  I finally came to my senses and decided if I did a blog as an offshoot, I will just put the teasers or first part of these blog posts on that site and have a link over to this blog... that way I will keep posting and not lose valuable time thinking about where to blog. In other words, I like my little blog home right here. LOL!   

Kudzu ~ Southern all the way!

For anyone who has lived in the South at some time or other, Kudzu is an ordinary plant you see almost everywhere you go. It is quite prolific. In case you are not familiar with Kudzu, here is the definition:

If something does not move in the South, there is a very large possibility Kudzu will overtake it. When Kudzu covers plants and trees, it chokes them to death by blocking their sunlight. It is not uncommon to see miles and miles of Kudzu. On my trip back home, I wanted to capture some of the "flavor" of Kudzu on the vine. DB {Dear Brother} had remembered me commenting on my trip last summer that I would love to get pictures of some Kudzu for my blog. A week or so before my trip this summer, DB and DSIL {Dear Sister-in-Law} scouted out some places for me.

I am not exaggerating when I say if something does not move, with all probability it will be taken over by Kudzu. Proof positive:

Look closely at the grey in the picture above. Yes ~ that is the roof of an abandoned house that is almost totally covered in Kudzu! It is not uncommon to see abandoned vehicles covered also.

Wonder what the homeowner is thinking with the Kudzu getting so close to their home?

If you think I have lost my mind, perhaps you should know that Kudzu can literally grow a foot a day during the summer and there is actually one herbicide that increased the growth instead of killing it! Right click on the word Kudzu below and choose 'Open in a New Window' so you will not be directed away from this blog post. The University of Tennessee produced this video with some interesting information: Kudzu

With such an abundance of Kudzu, perhaps the man in this next video has hit upon something {Once again right click and choose 'Open in New Window'}: Channel 9 Newstory

I will close with one last little bit of Kudzu info you might find of interest:


Just remember ~ if you decide to make a salad with Kudzu, you better eat it fast...

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

Samson {the one on the right} is staying with us for a little while.  Sasha has a lot of winter coat she is still shedding.  In honor of Samson's visit, I made a movie of him this week.  Can you guess what his favorite pastime is?  Please forgive the poor quality on the video. My camera is giving me fits.  When I am able to get better quality video, I will change to the newer video.  In part of the video you will see Sweetie partaking in two of her favorite pastimes: running and herding (she is part Border Collie).  At times when Samson does not see where the ball goes, Sweetie will run toward it and bark for him to head that way. Hopefully I can catch some video of that soon. In the meantime I wanted to post this for family. {Be sure and have your sound on.}

Memories Monday

I originally placed this under Music Monday but have now decided to periodically have a Memories Monday for those times when I find something that elicits a memory.   A friend had a link to this video on her blog and when I saw it, I knew I had to share it with you. Enjoy this duck and dog who are obviously inseparable:



This reminds me of some pets I had when I was younger. I had a poodle who grew up with my pet Easter duck. They were the best of buddies and would play together every chance they had. I wish I had pictures to show. Here is a video that reminds me of the two of them:



Fifi and Gomer would take turns chasing each other and sometimes they would roll over and over together like they were wrestling. People who came by to visit would often comment about seeing the two of them play. One time when Granddad was visiting, he was walking his dog in our backyard and while they were standing there, he saw the funniest thing.

Gomer quietly waddled over to Fifi who had his nose buried in the grass investigating something. Fifi was so intent on what he was looking at, he did not hear Gomer coming. Granddad said it was very obvious Gomer had this planned and was trying to be very quiet because a lot of times when Gomer and Fifi played Gomer would be quacking while he waddled. This time Gomer was in stealth mode. Fifi had the typical short poodle tail and when his nose was to the ground, his short tail was straight up in the air. Gomer got right behind him and just as he got to Fifi's tail he put his beak right over Fifi's tail and let out the loudest quack Granddad had ever heard. Fifi shot up into the air because it was a total surprise. Granddad said he laughed so hard at their antics. That would have been so funny to see!

Hope I have brought a smile to your face as you finish out your Monday.

"That's Something" Sunday

Those who know me well know animals are also a part of my life's tapestry.  I recently learned about a lion named Christian and the wonderful reunion he had.  I thought you might like to see it also.

In researching this story online, I learned the reunion took place in 1974. The gentleman who walks up at the end is George Adamson. The two men who raised Christian had contacted George because he had devoted his life to working with lions and they felt Christian would have better success if George assisted. Perhaps you will remember this wildlife conservationist if I mention the movie "Born Free" which tells the story of George and his wife Joy raising 3 lion cubs.   

John and Ace had made sporadic trips to Kenya to learn how Christian was doing in his relocation but mainly had to be content learning about it from a long distance. Christian and his parents were born in captivity, so this was no easy feat to introduce a captive born lion into the wild. When John and Ace decided to make one last trip to Kora in hopes of seeing Christian and saying goodbye, Adamson wrote them to say it would probably be a wasted mission as no one had see Christian for at least 9 months. John and Ace insisted they were going to come there anyway just on the off chance they could locate him.

Even George was surprised when Christian and his pride showed up right outside of camp the night before the British born lion's two former "roommates" arrived. Isn't it amazing how a lion who had not been seen in months shows up at the exact spot where John and Ace were going to be the very next day.  Now "That's Something!"

Sophie Bag ~
My First Felted Bag

I am finally having the opportunity to post about a fun FO {Finished Object} that did not cost very much money to make.  I used Cascade 220 in colorway 8891. Here is a picture of my pre-felted Sophie Bag: 

The twisted i-cord handles knit up fast and I had my two i-cords before I knew it. At the onset I wondered if I would have enough yarn to make the twisted handles; however, I had it on good authority not to worry as either style of handle was doable with one skein.    
This picture will give you an idea of how much yarn I had left:


I only needed 80% of my skein, so this bag costs less than $7.00 to make.  Here is a photo of the felted Sophie:

As you can see, the color stayed vibrant after felting. This will probably be used as a project bag. More felted bags in a variety of styles have been added to my future want-to-knit list.

Happy Independence Day, 

America!!

Music Monday

Some of you may have picked up on this, but most of you will not know that music is an important part of my life's tapestry.  {For the really astute, you have already noticed I added "music" in the heading.}  My parents encouraged me to broaden my musical interests for which I am eternally grateful.  I have diverse musical tastes thanks to their motivation.  I enjoy almost every type of music, but hope I will not offend you though when I say I do not appreciate most country music.  I do admit there are a few country songs that I have liked, but over all this is not a style of music you will find me listening to on any given day.  It takes an incredibly special country artist to get my attention.

As you have noticed, from time to time some of my posts have contained music.  I have decided to set aside at least one Monday a month to post some music that caught my attention.  For my first Music Monday, I have chosen to share with you some music brought to you by modern technology.  I have mentioned before that I am proud of my international friends {made possibly by the internet}.  Two guitarists from different parts of their country "met" online and decided to collaborate on a song.   The intro will give you more information about Keiju and Sakata. They have spent some time on this guitar duet.  Not sure which one sent the other a recording to study, but the results are great. 

Euphoniously yours,

KZ

That's Something Sunday

For this month's "That's Something" Sunday, I thought you would get a kick out of this very talented walrus.  I am sure you all have seen videos of seals, sea lions and walruses that were supposed to be able to dance.  I think this "guy" can show everyone how it is really done.  So sit back, relax and enjoy this quick dance by a walrus with rhythm!

Carpe knitting,

KZ

Pay It Forward ~ Knitting Style

I am really late posting about Pay It Forward~ Knitter's Style.  I am not sure when the knitters version started, but in researching it, I have located links to various blogs who posted about "Pay It Forward" in 2008 and 2007. Perhaps this started long before 2007.  I have also seen different versions of it ~ some include crochet in addition to knitting and some are designed to be paid forward in a shorter time frame.  

Have you seen the movie with Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey?

Many people have embraced the "Pay It Forward" concept after being inspired by the movie.

Here is a movie trailer for those who are movie buffs:

Somewhere along the way knitters {and crocheters} came up with their own version.  I signed up under vis2vas. {If you click on her Ravelry name, you will be directed to her current blog url and if you click where I have typed "blog" below you will be directed to where she posted about Pay it Forward.} Here is how she describes it on her blog:  

"Jeg vil sende en håndlaget gave til de 3 første personene som legger igjen en kommentar med ønske om å delta i PIF utvekslingen. Jeg vet ikke hva gaven vil bli enda og du får den kanskje ikke i morgen eller uken etter.. men du vil motta den innen 364 dager, det lover jeg! Det eneste du trenger å gjøre i retur, er å "Gi det videre" ved å love det samme på din blogg".

Vil du være med?

Don't you love how global the internet has allowed us to become?!  I could not resist the international flavor because I am proud I have friends from many countries!

For those of us who do not speak Norwegian, here is her English translation {Thanks! I needed that!!}:

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week.. but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog." 

Do you want to play along?

As you have surmised, I have promised to Pay it Forward, so to the first three bloggers who agree to "pay it forward" in exchange, I will send something I will knit for you within the next 365 days. Please do not be expecting a sweater or shawl! I already am "booked up" for a long while on a number of shawls and blankets.  I will post pictures after I have sent each PIF and know it was received (definitely do not want to spoil the surprise by telling the world first and the recipient last!).

I would like to allow people the opportunity to follow up on where my "Pay It Forward" is going by having a PIF link over to the left hand side of my blog.  People will be able to click on your blog name and go to your blog after you have let me know your intentions.  In addition to receiving my knitted gift for you, you might have an added bonus of picking up some new readers for your blog. I know I always enjoy finding a new-to-me knitting blog to read.   

With that in mind if you are would like to join the fun, be one of the first 3 people to comment on this post letting me know you want to play.

Additionally please send your private information to me via email at:

with the following information:1) Color(s) you like2) Color(s) you do not like3) Your mailing address ~ international knitters are welcome to play4) Your blog url 
The first three people to comment here and then email me will receive a confirmation from me letting you know the "fun has begun"!
If you would like your own free email icon {spammer software is unable to harvest your email address from an image}, please click here to have the fine folks at Nexodyne generate one for you.
Carpe knitting,KZ