Blooms & Fountains

Lots of things are blooming at our house. Lilacs...






apple trees...







my blueberries...









the lilies of the valley are just beginning to bloom and the ferns are up...











and the bleeding hearts are overhanging the fountain which I got up and running today. Durwood wants to know if we can raise it up so he can see it better from inside. M-m-m-m-maybe. We can look at it tomorrow after I mow. Right now I'm clean so I can go to Friday Night Knitting and not offend.




I rehung the Menopausal Goddess sculpture since it basically twirled around in the wind enough last winter to unscrew itself from the eaves. I'm hoping she behaves for the summer but I'm not holding my breath.








I frogged a sock and switched to a different pattern which I know I like. The variegated yarn overshadowed the stitch of the previous one.








I'm zooming along on Bandwagon Block #4,








and I resurrected the Lava Shawl. I caught sight of it on my Ravelry project page and had to dig it out and start working on it again. I think it'll go better now that I'm more experienced with reading patterns, etc.

Socks!

I finally finished the Toes Up Socks X2 at Friday Night Knitting so I could give Zoe her needle back. Dusty showed me a Miraculously Stretchy Bind-off that she found, I used it and it was easy and very stretchy. For a while there I felt like I was locked into the knitting equivalent of digging to China. I am happy to be finished.





The Bandwagon Block #4 is zooming along. I was thrilled with myself for picking up stitches in the car on the drive up to Door County today.





I did find some bamboo and silk yarn in Spin's 40% off baskets to make a lace scarf that was one of the Free Knitting Pattern-a-Days from week before last. I couldn't believe that I didn't have any silk yarn in my stash. Well, not any of the proper weight. Naturally I forgot the pattern so I didn't remember how much I needed... luckily I bought an extra skein and will have enough.






I really needed today's escape. Perfect weather, excellent friends, wine tasting, and chocolate ice cream before it started to rain. Plus Chicken Bengali, brown rice, and fresh asparagus for supper. Durwood, I'm keeping you.

Industry

Knitting makes time spent in boring or stressful situations go faster. I used it like that for a couple days this week.

First I finished the warshrag I keep in the pocket of my car door because I didn't grab any other knitting when I raced to meet Durwood. Good idea putting that little bag in the door, isn't it?



I worked on the Socks X2 and I'm up to the cuff ribbing. I didn't take their picture because I suspect I'll be finishing them either today or tomorrow and then they'll have their photo shoot. Rest assured that my fingers were busy knitting all the time for those two days of waiting and wondering.


And of course, I had to start the next one so I'm always ready. Constant vigilance! What if a boat sails through and the bridge goes up when I'm going to work? I need something to keep me from wasting time.





As predicted, as soon as I finished Bandwagon Block #3, I cast on Bandwagon Block #4. This one has royal purple, just a tiny bit, and then many shades of green. I think I'm really going to like this one in the mix.




Now it's time for me to go read the paper, have breakfast, and get ready for work. You have a good day, now, you hear?

Windy Day Doings

It was a crazy windy day today. Durwood and I spent a couple happy hours poring over maps and guidebooks figuring out our route to Yellowstone in the summer and finding things to see. We want to see museums and battlefields, take tours and a steam train ride. We're also already happily squabbling over what to take along and I've started loading music onto the iPod Touch so we can sing along while we drive.

While watching paper and cardboard boxes blow past the window and the hummingbirds cavort around the feeders, I finished the third Bandwagon Block. It's the odd one, the rest will be crosses. I have no illusions about casting on the next one tomorrow. I will.



I was trolling on the web last week for patterns to sew simple bags and found a list of 45 bags, one of which is a cotton replica of the "t-shirt" bags you get at the grocery and everywhere else. It has a pocket on the outside so you can turn the whole folded thing inside out and store it in the pocket. I was intrigued so I dug out some cool seashell fabric and made one. It's a bit thicker than I had anticipated but I like it. It was fun and simple to make.

Askew

I had a brainstorm last Friday night when I was knitting on the Bandwagon Block #3 so I followed my instincts and made the fourth mitered square part of the cross with flipped colors. I considered doing one of each color that way but think I'm only doing one of the twelve--and it's this one. I'll be doing the background in the creamy wool as dictated in the pattern. I like it.




I've been plugging away at the latest ballband warshrag that lives in the pocket of my car door while waiting for my chiro appointments. I like the randomness of it.






We've got 2 pairs of orioles visiting our feeders! They chase the house finches away from the jelly and jump around in the apple tree, the males chasing the females, of course. It is spring, after all. They're so bright and orange, we love watching them.


Durwood saw the first hummingbird at the nectar yesterday and I saw one today at lunch.









While making my lunch I glanced out to see if any orioles were here and saw a blue bird at the feeder in back. I hurried to look it up and discovered that it's an Indigo Bunting. I hope it comes back.







I'd like to spend the rest of the month sitting knitting and watching for birds. It would be very relaxing. I'd probably be bored to tears after a day or two but I'd like to try. Maybe.

Here's a picture of the feast David made me for Mother's Day. Mmm, it was delicious! In the iron skillet is a frittata like dish of eggs, cheese, bacon, and hash browns we call Texas Breakfast, then toasted Italian sesame bread, and a fruit cup of strawberries and mango. He can come over and fix me breakfast any day!




Durwood went to Woodman's while I was at the chiro to get small, cheaper oranges for the orioles and happened to be there when they were putting out some "reduced for quick sale" fruit. He bought a few apricots in a bag for 79 cents. Just a few. They're still pretty hard so we've got them in a big bowl to ripen a few days. Mm, once they're ripe they'll be pretty darned tasty on the pound cake he made the other day.

For Who?

Forsythia! It's blooming and it's so pretty. When I glance out the bedroom window I can see just a bit of its branches against the brilliant green of the neighbor's backyard and it looks like it's plugged it. So bright and cheerful. Maybe I'll cut a few branches for the table just to remind me that it really is spring.



I finished the second Bandwagon Block last night--and immediately cast on the next one. I'm not even pretending that I'm putting it aside anymore. *sigh* I'm such a yarn slut.

In Which I'm Crafty

Remember that I bought those "tubes" of fabric the other day? I know you do. Well, I found this tutorial, ironed my tubes, cut some strips, and got to work. The making was not without flaw, I quilted the lining with the front and batting so I had to cut and install another lining piece (good thing it's an old sheet cut up) and then "someone" decided to put in a pocket and it ended up opening the wrong way. I solved that problem by turning up the other end and sliding the manual into the upside down pocket to act as a flap. Durwood says it still needs a piece of Velcro which it will get tomorrow or tonight, but I'm pleased.

I went to Mom's to help her fill out one of those endless forms for rent assistance. Honestly, they want to know everything and none of the questions are in plain English. The two of us together finally decided that we'd done an okay job and will copy everything we can lay our hands on that looks official and let them sort it out.

Once I got home I went out into the garden with the pitchfork (mwa-ha-ha-ha, I love using the pitchfork) and dug out the I-don't-know-what that had roots to China. It looked like skinny rhubarb but flat and the root was as thick as a broomstick. It broke off about a foot underground so I'm afraid it'll come back but at least it's gone for now. But I got a happy surprise when I looked around. It's the first asparagus spear of the year! (It's the purplish thumb-sized spear on the left, the others are last year's ends.) Thanks, Dad, for digging up roadside asparagus and planting it in the garden. It's still going strong.

I worked on the 2nd Bandwagon Blanket block and nearly finished it last night but didn't take its picture. I'll show you next time. I did finish the latest preemie hat, and this time I used actual baby-ish colors. It's rather cute, isn't it? I do love this pattern. Maybe one day I'll have a handy baby to wear one.