Experimental Obsessions

2011-06-17T04:39:00.000-05:00

Mosquitoes

2011-06-04T09:11:00.002-05:00

I am missing the days when my city could afford to spray for mosquitoes. Last night, after spraying, having a semi-functional bug zapper, and 2 citronella candles in the area I was working I still have tons of bites. I was quite glad I decided to shower before bed, cause when I undressed, there was one under my shirt.

Ugh.

Weather and Weeds

2011-05-23T16:15:00.003-05:00

The weather here in the Midwest has been far too wet, and like two years ago a great deal of the rain has come during the day. Two summers ago that meant blight and fungus, unseasonably milder temperatures, and extremely low tomato production. It could be worse - praying for the victims of the flooding and tornadoes - but still makes it so that the garden here is a mess. Especially when you factor in all the weeds that got to sprout and seed to their hearts' content with a summer mostly away.

There are huge tap root weeds in my veg. garden - and a large number of volunteer parsnips. (Still haven't cooked any of my own yet.) And I can't find my pitchfork - and the clayish soil is too wet to do anything about it.

A summer away...

2010-10-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no posts this summer. Will update with knitting soon.

Signs of Spring

2010-04-02T22:35:00.006-05:00

The crocuses are starting to fade - the record high in the 80s a bit too much for them.

The daffodils are starting in full force.
But the heat has some of the full size ones in bloom already (above), while the miniature ones are just getting going. (below).But the Phlox is still only greening up.

But one of my hellebores is giving a good show.
The funny thing is my oldest plant has the weakest show.

Snow Day

2010-02-09T10:38:00.001-06:00

Today we've already gotten a couple of inches, and are expected to get up to a foot more over the day.

Back to Knitting...

2009-12-16T06:55:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a bit. First frost was in September, along with week of damp cold - then an Indian Summer - that didn't quite qualify due to the previous frost. So no more gardening.

So back to indoor hobbies. Knitting for Christmas is going poorly - mostly because 1 mitten is AWOL. So I couldn't match it's mate to it (winged the pattern), and now am knitting a third. Using sock yarn - and am happy that there is still enough left for the third, but am quite unhappy with myself for the loss of the first. On the upside I've listened to quite a few audio books the past week or two as I tossed my room and cleaned and tossed it again. (Anyone else find that some mystery authors are better abridged? Reich I find is over-peppered with foreshadowing and duh moments in the complete text.) And my speed isn't helped by the fact I accidentally grated the skin of the back of the knuckle of my middle finger making dinner last night. Ouch.

Fall planting.

2009-09-05T17:07:00.003-05:00

Summer crisp didn't have a great germ. rate for me - so mostly have swiss chard in the garden for greens. Today I planted little cos, and black seeded simpson - rather heavily as they were older packets and I'm hoping there will be some germination. I also planted an old packet of Detroit red beets (really old packet) and 4 rows of peas 2 of sugar snap and 2 of sugar Ann. I wanted to get them in a week ago - but we had a week of rainy days.

The carrots I planted a few weeks back had 0 germ. So no carrots or parsnips at all this year - think I'm going to try another seed source next year.

The beans are still producing. I'm disappointed in my butternut squash with 3 plants only 2 squash, maybe I should try paintbrush pollination - though I don't know if there will be enough time for a new one to grow before frost. The yellow squash and zuke are puttering out a few every other week - which I don't mind as much at this point in the season as I did 2 months ago.

I have tons of green tomatoes. I was hoping for a little more heat this weekend to push them into the red, but no. Thank goodness I planted early girls - they are practically the only tomatoes I've had this year.

Leaves are falling from the trees (a bit early). And it seems that the weeds have slowed down too - or maybe the desired plants are big and raggedy enough to hide them more.

September already.

Fleurs of August.

2009-08-17T12:25:00.003-05:00

Wonderful bloom. Easy to see how some people can get obsessed with them.

I love zinnias. And the cleome is still going strong.

This one appeared out of nowhere a few years ago and has continued to seed itself all over the flowerbeds and lots in the grass. They are pretty though, especially as most of the other flowers are fading.

The obviously new lilly...

2009-08-11T18:00:00.005-05:00

This lilly is less than 6 inches tall. While the established ones bloomed in June, it was planted then (one of the bulbs from the half-off bin). It makes me laugh - as the established plants were 2 feet tall. :)

Weed or Flower?

2009-08-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

I emptied out many old seed packets this spring - so I don't know if this is a weed or a flower. Any ideas? If those are all seed heads - I need to pull it quick.

Update: After some searching I think it might be pigsweed. Which I have never seen in my garden before. I don't think I'm going to be buying the same mushroom compost ever again.

Bean Identity Quandry

2009-07-29T21:26:00.003-05:00

I know I planted limas. However, I did not label them. I've also planted bush green beans. I noticed today that I finally had some beans in the garden - but do not know if they are immature limas - or small green beans... The obvious solution is to just let them keep growing - but I so want to have beans of my own..

I don't think any of the parsnips I planted between the beans have germinated. I know they are supposed to have a long germ time - but I think they might not happen. As the carrots also didn't happen this year - it has me wondering about the middle of my garden.

Fleurs

2009-07-21T15:40:00.003-05:00

Too many choices...

2009-07-17T20:23:00.004-05:00

This is the NE side of the house - and I'm uncertain what I want to do here. It's fairly dry - as it is a foundation bed. There is snow-on-the-mountain aka bishop's weed, a lupine, a volunteer garden phlox, a volunteer __, a pink daylilly, and a green hosta.

I have a white bleeding heart, some columbine I grew from seed, and some liatris bulbs... but was struck with the idea of putting different hosta there...

On one hand this is close to the front door - more flowers would be nice - and my other columbine aren't thriving so it would be nice if they would here. I started tearing out the b.w. because the phlox has powdery mildew - and grabbed one of my remaining bags of mulch.

This is the side of the house that the gas and water line comes in on - so the beds can't really be extended from where they are. So moisture is always going to be an issue.

Hmm... Any opinions?

First Hummingbird Sighting.

2009-07-16T15:28:00.003-05:00

The other couple of photos I took only showed a blur. :)

Bloom Day

2009-07-15T12:56:00.007-05:00

I think I have a hybrid here. :) I think I may have planted the large yellow daylilly - but I have a feeling that the large orangey-red one may be a result of a tryst with with the orange ones by the mail box.

The white trumpet lillies are now blooming - as the orange orientals have faded. Lillies staggered across the summer really help keep something always in bloom... Plus it's nice to have fragrance.
It also helps to have long bloomers like coneflower... Only my purple ones are in bloom - the white are close - with the yellow and red still haven't shot up bloom stalks.

Musacdet? is blooming on taller stalks than in years past - wonder if it is the wet spring or just the age of the plant.

My oakleaf and Endless Summer Hydrangas are still blooming - as are the stella d'oro daylillies and the hollyhocks and crosmosia.And this purple species geranium is going a bit nuts... I think he likes the extra sunlight that the others I planted in the shade aren't getting. And the buds on the butterfly bush are developing.
The hosta are blooming, as are the balloon flowers (though they just started), the Russian sage, and lavender are still gorgeous.
And I'm quite happy to have plenty of tomato, pepper, and squash flowers - the beans are still a bit slow. :)

Seedling Guilt.

2009-07-11T23:18:00.002-05:00

I have too many tomato seedlings. I planted a row each for 4 different varieties in the Jiffy peat pellets. 6 * 4 = 24 Hey, usually about 1/2 die. This year not a one. Plus I bought a few, and planted those (Early Girls).

So tonight I was in the garden planting the veggies that ran out of room for. And I still have more plants than room. But I was pushing on - trying to get as much in. I had citronella candles out - and was breaking sod. However, the candles did no good whatsoever. Except to make me think they might be doing some good. My arms look almost like I have chickenpox.

And I only got a couple plants planted. I did some weeding - but sod clearing is a bit more work. I'm not even doing it properly - which may bite me next year. I did find a near completely intact brick while digging, and broken glass. I dug out what might have been a coneflower plant from the grass - and moved it by the fence. There are a bunch of coneflower possibles next to the garage - that I think I might dig and move somewhere that I can wait to see what happens.

Unknown Creeper.

2009-07-08T23:18:00.001-05:00

This plant has been forming a mat in one of my perennial beds. It's fairly close to the ground, and I've no clue what it is? Any ideas?

The Danger of Sales..

2009-07-05T10:41:00.003-05:00

It's July. And while most of the summer bulbs have been half off since late May - now many nurseries are having their season end sales. And they are too tempting. I purchased some more annuals and I still have lots of plants to plant - and I'm still tempted...

The evil to do list...

2009-06-29T23:46:00.003-05:00

The first part of this week is supposed to be unseasonably cool, with evening rain. Which today was almost too much. With the heat and the rain before that there was so much to do that it was hard to even get started.

I got more of the veg garden weeded, then watered again since I planted seeds on Sat. and the soil seemed really dry. I still have a bunch of annuals that I got half-off at the PG season end prices to plant. The front flower beds were still so parched that I couldn't work them (even though I watered last night) so I watered them a little. We are getting some rain tonight - and hopefully tomorrow I can start to get them in shape. :) I need to get some more potting soil and put more holes in old plaster buckets - the peppers in pots are doing so much better that I think I'm going to pot more of the remainder.

I still have the half-off bulbs to plant... And I'm starting to make more lists.... I think tomorrow I just need to plop down by a flower bed and weed. Then worry about what next. :)

The Heat Breaks...

2009-06-26T22:51:00.002-05:00

An hour after I tried to mow the lawn (5 pm) the temp had dropped 10 deg. And soon was in the low 70s before dusk for the first time all week. Note to self - wait another hour next time before mowing.

I was thus able to plant and weed some this afternoon. I pulled out the pansies from the cauldron, and planted it with annual geraniums - though this year a couple of red ivy geraniums. Most of the plants I overwintered inside are still alive, but haven't reflowered yet. Note - need to tag them with bloom color this fall.

I tried to put together the boards I got to hold in the mounded soil around the potatoes - but I need longer screws. I did get more lettuce harvested, that's 5 colanders full so far this year. I have been able to get a few pea pods from the garden - but really only enough to grab a couple for each person. But at least that's some.

The swiss chard I planted where the spinach fizzled is coming up - I almost cultivated them under - it's been so long I had given up. Next week is supposed to be a lot cooler - so I'm hoping to get caught up then.

The enemy has been spotted...

2009-06-25T16:09:00.004-05:00

They have been expected. I knew it was too good to be true... The cold spring has delayed the arrival of the Japanese beetles.

It was in the 90s again today. I managed to get some gardening in by dunking my hair in the shower before going out, and by jumping in the pool (clothes and all) when I was getting too hot. I now have almost all of my purchased flowers planted. I got more tomatoes planted - and more of my hardened off seedlings. I still have a lot to do - as the weeds flourished in the last couple rainy weeks - and didn't seem to stop in the heat.

So back inside, I decided to take a couple pics of the lilies, and was met with the first Japanese beetles. I drown them. I don't want to hurt any of the bees or butterflies. But Japanese beetles are evil. So armed with my handy 'cup of death' (aka soap & water), I dispatched the first 2 today, the second of which was chewing through a rose bud.

I also got to see a butterfly going to town on the lilies.

And the hollyhocks are starting to bloom...

Smack my head moment.

2009-06-25T01:13:00.002-05:00

I went out into the evening heat (and mosquitoes), and tried to reduce the weeds in the veg garden. And as I was pulling the weeds from what was supposed to be the carrot row - a single remaining carrot 6 inches south has me thinking I hoed under the wrong row. Then, again I did let some old carrots go to seed last year. And somehow in my new compost bin there were two healthy tomato plants (that I dug out and planted).

I had no plants in the middle of my pea rows. But lots of ants. Ants that seemed to still be swarming up the weeds to bite...

So I'm thinking of planting my remaining pepper plants there.

I had rotten luck trying to plant my remaining yellow squash seedlings - all 3 stems snapped as I was just picking up the plants (they had gotten tangled on the cucumbers). The cucumbers survived planting.

The lemon balm and tarragon were getting out of control - so I gave both plants a severe haircut - and then discovered the oregano in between will need trimmed tomorrow too.. I think I'm going to look for a dessert recipe for the tarragon (I've tried pork and chicken and don't really like seafood). And try to see if Martha Stewart ever published her lemon balm -ade recipe. As it is I still threw most of the clippings on the compost.

I did try to assemble a "box" to hold in soil around my potatoes, but the rechargeable drill died while drilling the first hole. Hopefully it wasn't charged long enough - because new batteries cost more than a new drill.

The Heat is Here...

2009-06-23T13:12:00.003-05:00

In the way it always goes in Indiana - the temperature jumped 30 degrees, then moderated back to high 80s with high humidity. It feels like you are being smothered with a wet towel.

So I've put up the former row cover on bamboo stakes over the lettuce, as a shade cloth. And we're eating it every meal - cause I still don't know if it will bolt soon.
It didn't have enough time to form full heads - and it seems to be starting to grow up now...
The red lillies are fading and the white are starting to bloom...

Too Wet...

2009-06-20T13:42:00.002-05:00

Multiple thunderstorms this week. Luckily no trees down near us. :) But I have clay soil - so I'm hoping later today the wind and the sun makes it dry enough to plop in the last of my purchased plants.

It's wet though, too wet to weed (and boy are they thriving!).

Row Cover...

2009-06-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

Last year was the first I grew summer squash and zucchini - and the first that I got squash vine borer (maybe they just don't like butternut).

So this spring I transplanted my seedlings under row cover 3 ys, 3 z, and 3 watermelon. And waited until today - when I saw the middle plant had flowers.The wire I had used to support the cloth had actually worn some holes in it. When I removed the cover this is what I found.

One huge y. squash plant in the middle with only male flowers, one zucchini on the end with no buds yet, and one tiny watermelon plant - leaving 6 holes with very happy weeds. Luckily the weeds pulled out easily, and I have some more seedlings that have been waiting inside for me to figure out where the heck I could plant them.

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to need to stay vigilant for SVB. But on the plus side, these 3 plants are bigger than the others (butternut & pattypan) I planted uncovered, the extra heat might have helped if nothing else.

Rain Delay

2009-06-16T18:45:00.000-05:00

Bushes do grow...

2009-06-15T22:20:00.001-05:00

The blue hydrangea is big enough that most of the perennials planted closer to the porch are nearly completely obscured. That's about 4ft of shorter perennials...

And a lot of these guys are good to be split and/or moved out. This is on the NE side of the house - so light shade most of the day. The iris needs moved (and squeezed some more to try to kill more of the baby iris borers), the foamflower will be low - but I love seeing it there in spring, so maybe the hosta should move & be split (I only have one other that color). Lillies are staying, phlox needs thinned to reduce powdery mildew, snow on the mountain (bishop's weed) needs to be removed from the part of the bed by the porch, and the peony just needs the creeping charlie pulled out...

And the white edged hosta is hiding my white hellebore - I think moving the hellebore might be easier than being careful about the hellebore while moving the hosta.

Ever notice that it takes nearly as long to figure out how you want to renovate a bed - as to actually do it?

Cooking Adventures - Beef Burgundy AMK Cookbook (red)

2009-06-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

I think one of the requirements of having a veg garden is to like to cook with the contents. And I've gotten more adventurous as I've gotten older. (Though I still haven't found a recipe worth making again with my tarragon or lemon balm.) So tonight I tried making Beef Burgundy. Roasts were on sale this week, and I thought trying something new would be nice...

Even with fresh parsley and thyme from the garden, I was completely underwhelmed. Perhaps a roast cooked whole not chopped up, perhaps with red potatoes instead of noodles. No bay... The meat tasted good, but not remarkable.

And it also underscores the major weakness I find with America's Test Kitchen's magazine (Cook's Ill) and the good cookbook I used. No pic at all. I want a color pic to help me gauge if I messed up, or if it's just not that wow.

And now my parsley is quite small - and I don't think it helped the dish at all. (pouts)

Time Flies...

2009-06-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

The irises are mostly done (though there may be many days of foliage squeezing ahead - anyone have any new ideas on trying to get rid of borers?).
And the peonies are almost halfway done.

But the Yellow Rose has it's first bloom (and before the Japanese Beetles swarm!). Note that I still need to take another cart full of daylillies out of this bed.

And the first of the lillies started to bloom tonight. I can't believe I thought this guy was going to be orange (should have checked my old pics). He's a lovely red, isn't he? :)

In the upper right corner you might think I have 2 daisies planted too closely. Nope, 2 strikingly different colors on the same plant. I also made another 5 gallon plaster bucket a container for another eggplant, and got some more of the "extension" to the veg. garden covered with papers, then black landscape fabric. Today was the first sunny afternoon that showed me where the sun actually shines there. I was overly hopeful. I guess I'll just see what happens.

I'm hoping we actually get the thunderstorms that are in the forecast. This morning showed overnight was just enough to wet down the driveway. By the afternoon the only places that looked well watered were where I watered in plants and seeds. I really do need to set up a rain gauge.

ID please! Unexpected Visitor...

2009-06-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

I was happily gardening along (and pondering if the large number of ant colonies in my garden explain why my seeds had such poor germination, when I noticed this guy in my herb bed. By the time I got my camera he was already nosing his way under the garden fence into the daylillies...

I didn't scream. Though I am freaked out.

Um, so please tell me he's a garter snake...

The Dangers of Plastic Bags...

2009-06-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

Now is the time for sale bulbs. Which is actually great timing given the wet, cold spring. Earlier planting may have just rotted, great year for procrastinators like me, less guilt. The bad part is plastic bags. With company I've waited over a week to plant them, and unfortunately the purple glads got moldy because I left them in the store's plastic bag in my trunk. So I asked for a paper bag my next trip - 50% off - but they don't even have them!!!

Big box stores are quite odd anymore. Wally's world is charging more for plants than the local nurseries - but so many people assume they are still cheaper (like they were 3 years ago) and they are still selling half-dead, mislabeled annuals (as perennials), and lillies that have already bloomed and have been dead headed (for full price).

I was going to buy more weed block fabric - to hold down the newspaper over the grass.. but think it might be cheaper at the smaller store - so going there instead. It's hot and humid today (weird Indiana weather) but tomorrow it's supposed to be 15 deg cooler! So I think bulb planting is the less strenuous activity for today.

Picture Time

2009-06-07T15:53:00.001-05:00

Wacky weather...

2009-06-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

People have been saying that this spring is the coolest and wettest since the 1920s, but that further south in Indiana they have had it a bit wetter, so we're better off up here...

My peas had really poor germination. Especially since I was using relatively fresh seed. So I've planted a row of limas, and half a row of green beans where there should be peas. I got a packet of innocolant for the first time, and sprinkled the new seeds, just in case. I guess I should be happy, since I'm short on space, but I really like fresh peas so much more than beans... Guess I'll have to try for a fall crop.

I've gotten out the edger, and so far have about 2 sq feet de-sodded. And planted a tomato plant there. And topped it off with a bag of composted manure. (Grow baby, grow)I've got quite a bit more to go. But it's cool at least. I figure I'll stick the shallots I got in the Lowe's 1/2 price bin in the ground next to the onions, and then de-sod until it rains. Need to get more beans in.

Happy Sunday.

Container Gardening...

2009-06-05T22:51:00.000-05:00

I ran out of room in my garden. And the tiller still isn't working. I put down clear plastic, but that only phased part of the grass.

So today, I planted a tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket. Old jiffy peat pellets in the bottom, then soil from a plant that didn't last the winter indoors, then some egg shells and veg waste, then Miracle Grow. I need to get the drill out for the next bucket - which I think will be eggplant or peppers. I just remember the amount and taste of the container tomatoes I've grown in the past to be less...

Rainy day..

2009-06-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

June came in with early morning thunderstorms. Just as the garden was getting dry enough to weed, and get my beans planted. My peas had really poor germination rates so I got a packet of inoculate, which I've never used before. I'm also planting limas and some purple beans as well. But the rain comes and laughs at my plans...

Much like my car, which refused to start, after I had finished purchasing more mulch at the hardware store. Since the battery seems fine (and a jump didn't help), it needs to be towed to the repair shop. Perhaps one of my lottery tickets won. Wouldn't that be nice?

The Dangers of Reading Garden Books...

2009-05-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

I hit the library shelves, yet again, for my spring fix of gardening books. 635. 715. Some scattered biographies that I haven't yet found... So I found there were few technique books I haven't already read, so I went to the musing gardener books. This is quite dangerous as when the writer waxes on about a plant they love - I start to think maybe I should try that too.. Bitten in the New York Times, led to me planting beets for the first time - though I don' t have any seedlings so perhaps I'll have to try again.

And now a piece waxing on about lima beans of all things has me wondering about growing them. I have old seed, that I got a few years back, but the piece went on about vine limas being superior so I've been taking another look at the seed racks to see if anyone has those. But no limas have yet to be spotted.

Another cart full of daylillies put out by the back fence. Need more mulch, and newspaper, and soil. I have some tame yellow daylillies that I'd like to plop where some of the oranges were - but I think annuals would be more prudent. Easier to tell the difference between them and resurging daylillies. But I do have some yarrow, sedum, and sundrops I could plop in. Who knows - perhaps the sundrops could fight off any comers... :)

Daylillies...

2009-05-25T01:01:00.000-05:00

Another name for the original orange daylilly is ditchweed - simply because it is on so many roadsides, especially near old abandoned farms... It seems to flourish on abuse. Rather than choke itself out, the roots go deeper and wider.

And as such, it really can overtake a flowerbed if it is not the sole member of it.
Yes, that is a whole cart full of orange daylillies - and there are plenty more in this side bed that need dug out. (They are crowding out the better mannered residents).

The problem is there are likely to be many daylillies emerging from the old roots that didn't come up with the plants. I'm adding a thick layer of newspaper before I mulch - but I know the daylillies will out. Heck, they crowded out my red daylillies that used to be on the right side of the window.

But as you can see - there is a good 5 x 2 ft of daylillies. Plus this is a foundation bed - so it needs to be at a good grade when the plants are removed...

Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler - perhaps I'll get more done.

Sometimes the plant you want most is the one you can't have.

2009-05-22T23:08:00.000-05:00

This year, for my veg garden there are a few musts - zucchini, yellow squash, peas, green beans, and 'Mortgage Lifter' tomatoes. There are a couple things I would still like: ground cherry, and Rosa Bianca eggplant. Unfortunately, the former doesn't seem to be available as a plant locally (and Seed Savers is out), and the latter was sold out at B's. I haven't had much luck with eggplant - last year they didn't even set fruit, and I've not made it in a way that makes me choose it yet. But I've been reading and I had the seeds from a couple years ago... But not a single seedling.

So. I bought another variety, via the hardware store. I'm going to try them in pots - maybe that will help - maybe not.

Euphoria for Spring vs. 'That's a lot of work'

2009-05-21T22:32:00.000-05:00

Today was in the 80s again. Indiana weather is rather consistently inconsistent. Cold, wet, and more wet then poof - heat wave. And well I'm in the boring parts of gardening - the maintenance of edging and weeding... The front entryway needs a third deck wash - it's a bit streaky and still the algae persists - the weird thing was when I scrubbed it only on the first pass did anything come off.

Some of my onions need replanted - and they need mulched. I haven't been able to find a source for straw - guess I should have gotten some last fall. And the veg bed still needs expanded - and the rototiller fixed.

When Deck Wash Doesn't

2009-05-20T11:33:00.000-05:00

So I sprayed the front porch with deck cleaner. When I scrubbed it off - there didn't seem to be any change. And the algae/moss didn't seem to be effected at all.

I sprayed it off a couple times, and scrubbed the boards some more... I'll let it dry - but I think another application is called for - after the front porch is in the shade...

Seeds

2009-05-19T23:16:00.000-05:00

I have a basket of seeds. Some are as old as 2002. They've not been refrigerated or frozen - and thus are quite likely to be worthless. At the time, every packet was a daydream. A little collection of possibilities. And so I find myself this year, knowing the odds of any plants arising from the seeds, but unwilling to not give them a chance, so planting as many as possible. So with the older seeds any germination is a cause for joy. But I've gotten new veg seed - since I used most of the older already, and I've saved seeds from my own plants - marigolds, amaryllis, iris, peony, and alliums. But this is the first year I've had any trouble starting marigolds.

I think perhaps the african marigolds I saved the seed from last year must have been mules - an entire flat and a damp papertowel in a plastic bag both got 0% germination. And the 2004 seed I tried seemed dessicated. (Did get one seedling from that though). So tonight I poured boiling water over the marigold 0% germ. flat and then replanted with various perennial seeds - I think the lupines have a good chance. I planted quite a few seeds in each peat pellet, (the chances of germination are rather low) and hopefully will get a couple seedlings.

I've still got 0% for ground cherries and cleome. I've ordered fresh ground cherry seed - I dithered about the cost of shipping from Seed Savers long enough that they ran out of plants. I'm not 100% certain that the berry after dessert in France was a ground cherry - but with no local sources - growing my own seems to be the only chance to find out. I'm contemplating buying a 6 pack of cleome - or another pack of seeds to scatter directly outdoors. Perhaps I should try the papertowel method with cleome, if I can find my remaining seed.

I tried the frig then bottom heat this time. Rather than just pop it in, cover, and put under the lights. I took a few more and put them in the frig for some more time - but still no sign now that they are under the lights. I've read that people get the best germination rates direct sowing or winter sowing - so perhaps just throwing out some seed... Unless they've dropped the price on the cleome at the nursery....

Garden 'til your arms fall off.

2009-05-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

I spent this afternoon edging my perennial flower beds. This means using the edger to pop up the grass about 2 inches out from where the bed is, try to free as much soil as possible from the sod - throw the sod in the cart, and continue until your arms are about to fall off.

The amount of time it takes to remove the soil from the edgings is well spent contemplating what the perennials are about to overtake their neighbors and who needs moved or divided. And the front center bed has a few challenges there. First - it is getting too wide to easily access the center to weed it. Second - it has irises, peonies, lillies, and a shrub in it. Third - most labels are gone from the bed - and I'm seeing a lot of little seedlings that may be a volunteer or a weed. Also my tree peony in this bed, is a lot bigger this year than last - so the perennials I placed halfway between it and the iris - are being overtaken by the tree peony. And there is also a cluster of non-orange daylillies quite close to the peony that will have to be moved. (I need to remember to label the daylillies this year when they bloom.)

The iris are starting to bloom.

But the Merit doesn't seem to have wiped out the borers - even though I applied it much earlier this year - I'm starting to see spotting on the leaves. And I'm wondering what it does to earthworms. So... I guess when my current bag is gone - perhaps I'm done with this method, though my irises have survived better with the Merit - I was hoping that they would be free of problems with an early application...

Funny Day...

2009-05-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

I watered the garden today - and now rain is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. After all the wetness this spring it's amazing how dry the soil has gotten. I think we didn't get as much rain on Sunday as I thought we did.

I found a 4 leaf clover today - a bit bug eaten - but the first one I have ever found.

:)

Another frost warning...

2009-05-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice and warm though. Today was beautiful - though a bit on the chilly side when you weren't in the sun. But my soil seems really dry - so I need to water tomorrow morning.

The old hoses that are already linked together - should really be replaced - as should the hose cart. Until I have a full time job though - not important enough to mess with - we have 3 other hoses not in bad shape, and the best bet would probably be to take off the outermost hose on the reel, and replace it with the green hose that is the same style as the old brown hose that is missing so much of it's outer reinforcing material that it kinks far too easily. But I'm unsure if the join of the two has been run over in the past - I only know that it is covered in a ton of tape.

Though perhaps other things will come up. We'll see tomorrow.

2009-05-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

Tree peony blooming for the first time (since I planted it 3 years ago).

I love my foam flower. So cute and fuzzy. :)

Sunday Night Patchy Frost Warning...

2009-05-09T06:58:00.000-05:00

I was in my porch - contemplating how nice it will be to bring out all the plants that overwintered inside. Outside, where the wind and beneficial insects control aphids and other issues that loom large in the closed ecosystem of the porch.

You see, the ladybug larva - have mostly molted into adults now. There are a few larva left - there were at least 2 hatchings - but the number of adult ladybugs is not as large. I think they have escaped out of the house - in the manner that their parents escaped into it for the winter. Though sitting out there for a few hours last night I saw more than I thought were left..

However, larva eat more aphids than adults - and they are confined to 6 legs - and can't fly towards the florescent lights. So the aphids are beginning to increase again..

All the area in my established garden is planted. And I've placed clear plastic on another section to solarize it. I still have plants to plant, seeds, asparagus, and seed potatoes.. So I need more room.

All the stuff in my garden has frost protection, if it's not frost hardy except for the marigolds. So the couple of heirloom tomato plants I bought when I was unsure if I could find a pack of mortgage lifter seed - Walmart switched to Ferry-Morse seed this year - and Kmart didn't have it in the heirloom selection - only Menard's had it locally. But now the aphids are a returning concern on the porch...

April Showers...

2009-05-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

This has been a very wet spring in my area - though not quite as bad as in others - my house didn't get destroyed by flood waters. However, this means that there have been few opportunities to plant so far this spring - for peas, spinach, potatoes, and lettuce. Also, after several years of "trying no till" aka not getting the old rototiller to work and planting anyway, I set to trying to make the aged beast run. See, it's a 1985 5 HP Briggs and Stratton motor on a Quality Farm and fleet rototiller, front tines. And the last time it worked was about 6 years ago. A week of work and a new magneto got it to the point of having a spark. And now its carburetor seems to be the next hurtle. But as there were torrential rains predicted for Wed., and a friend wanted to expand his garden, a rental was called for.

Expanding a garden/breaking sod is hard work. Most advice will say some version of smother the grass, then start next spring. There is a reason for this - sod is a survivor. After 4 passes with the rototiller - grabbing out clods of grass and raking smooth in between - there were still places that didn't seem to have been touched. However, it was far too much work - with the only available tiller - a 6 HP front tine - to contemplate another pass.

My homegarden - compacted clay as it is - was a breeze in comparison - 2 passes 90 degrees from each other and my soil was airy and begging to be planted. Hopefully even happier since I've finally added some admendments to the soil - besides the mowed down plants and some leaves left to rot over the winter. I must say though, I can't understand if anyone actually adds 2 inches of peat moss or other admendments every year - how gardening could be frugal.

So I've started a real compost heap - rather than just a pile in the corner - I've got old pallets holding in a pile of leaves and kitchen veg scraps and weeds piling up. Perhaps this will break down in time to use it next year.

But adding to the soil was a must this year. Last year my crop of tomatoes was pathetic - of course we had way too much rain, too much heat, and there was more shade on the garden than in years past, plus a late start. But adding to the soil is something I can control - and tilling to see if I can grow properly shaped carrots was just about pride.

But the kicker is - my garden is fully planted - not really frost safe - but full. I have zukes, yellow squash and watermelon under row cover. 3 Early Girl tomatoes in Walls of water. 1 cuke in a Wall of water, and one basil. The herb corner has been mulched and added to with transplanted chives, 4 types of thyme, the afforementioned basil, and parsley - with a juice jug cloche over cilantro seeds. And I used cocoabean mulch - which looks pretty, and smells like cocoa.

I'm out of space. And there are no green or lima beans - or any heirloom tomato plants - or swiss chard. So there is a spot south of my garden between two tall fir trees - that is pretty much hidden - and seems awfully tempting to convert from weedy lawn.

So solarization with clear plastic - then perhaps a run of the tiller - if the carb can be cleaned to work? A challenging prospect - yet very tempting.... But not worth renting again - can't justify the cost there. Last year we had a frost May 25. If I stake out clear plastic, there's still about 2 weeks until that date. Perhaps... But the shade - and I've already got a full set of weeding...

On the other hand - there are a lot of weeds in that grass. :)

Rain, rain, go away...

2009-04-29T14:51:00.000-05:00

Soil too wet to play with - again. Though the beds that I got to this weekend look very happy in the rain. However, this also means I have several hosta splits that need planted, and I don't know where to plop them.

Cold and wet...

2009-04-21T00:26:00.001-05:00

I'm in Zone 5. This means about Mother's Day is a good day to start planting annuals. However, it seems the stores are beginning to put out their stocks now. Which is a great way for them to sell 2x as many plants - after the first set gets killed by frost and freezing temps...

It's been wet, and cold, and wet - so I've not gotten my peas planted yet - though got a good bit of the perennial weeds out of the garden. I need to till this year. I've tried no till - amazing the inspiration not having a working rototiller provides - and well, the soil has too much clay to humor my attempts. My asparagus are not visible. And I'm thinking of trying to see if I can get edible plums out of the neglected old trees. The lemon balm, tarragon, and oregano are going gangbusters - and the leeks look sad - they need to be replanted, deeper. I've got a couple strawberry plants, but the survivors of winter, are a bit haphazardly placed.

On the other hand, my old weed/compost pile is now just dirt. :) I've taken 2 old pallets and braced them together to start a more formal pile - starting with the leaves from the flower beds. We've got another pallet or two in the shed - so I'm hoping to add a third at least to contain the pile. There is a large volume of leaves on the beds - especially when it is fluffy from being raked and hand picked out of my perennial beds.

I've dosed the irises that have been cleared of debris with Bayer Merit grub stuff. I hate chemicals - but hate iris borers more. Though I've got lots of ladybug larva on my brugs. I herded the ladybugs in the house to the porch where my plants are - and they loved the aphids on the brugs - I stopped doing anything but crushing or spraying the aphids with water - and now there are so many ladybug larva - which do look a bit more fierce than the adult bugs -that I am reluctant to do anything to disturb them. Beneficial insects are a great thing for the garden - and I'm hoping that soon, I can get enough of them to stay in my irises that I wouldn't need to worry about iris borers again.

That's the downside of "garden hygiene" the old leaves and junk provides shelter for the good bugs as well as disease and bad bugs. Hopefully, making a real compost pile and removing the leaves in spring rather than fall - will help my good bug totals - like it seemed to last year.

:) I did plant 3 seed flats - but need to start a 4th with my tomatoes. :)

Slow Knitting...

2009-04-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I've not gotten any projects done lately.

Well, I ripped out the bottom of a slightly felted knit cap, and knit on a section to make it longer - but I decreased the needle size - I was thinking that would help the new non-felted section blend better, WRONG!

Also it makes it a bit tight. I've been thinking I should rip it back again, but frankly, the hat really isn't worth it. It was my first with two colors though, and that's why I tried felting it in the first place - thought that it might make the top work better.

Spring is coming here - with a cold, wet, reluctant air. I haven't gotten any peas planted yet - but I don't think the seeds would have sprouted. I also need to rototille the garden this year - for no-till to be successful the soil needs serious amendment - clay.

Time Flies...

2009-02-03T03:16:00.000-06:00

The month of January here had not a single day above 40 deg F, but ample snow. This means there is a lot of old snow that has barely melted at all. This means that not only is there lots of yellow snow from the neighborhood dogs (who have marked both sides of any shoveled gap, yuck), but lots of dirty snow. The snow near the roads with more traffic is covered with black soot, which means it is starting to melt a bit more. And the snow in the middle of the yard shows dirt from the air as well.

Knitting-wise, I've not made much progress, only halfway through the second mitt.

Progress While The Outside is Frigid

2009-01-16T23:43:00.000-06:00

2 days of neg temperatures have reaffirmed what I already knew - I hate freezing weather.

But I have a pseudo strummed mitten of my own now.

As a sign that life is weird, the white Paton's Classic Wool I used needed to be a size 3 needle on this mitt, where I used a 4 for the brown pair. I like my thumb much better, but I need to reinforce the base of it with some more white yarn.

Tomorrow the high is supposed to reach the balmy heights of 15 deg F. Glad we had a couple feet of snow, otherwise all my perennials would be dead. As it is, I think my blue hydrangea will have all the exposed branches dead come spring.

Cold Feet

2009-01-15T02:54:00.000-06:00

I cannot fall asleep when my feet are cold, and it takes them forever to warm up when they get cold. And the weird thing is my feet sweat even when cold, so adding socks or slippers doesn't really help all that much.

So since most of my socks are cotton, I felt motivated to finally break out the sock yarn I bought a year ago - only to find that I need smaller dpns, 2 will be too loose a knit.

It's the middle of the night, and freezing outside, with inches of snow already fallen and more yet to fall, but since I don't know if the lys has really reopened with the new owner or not (phone # doesn't work). And I don't think Joann's or Hobby Lobby keep in stock the size 1 or 0 bamboo dpns, I think I might skip the sock yarn, and just use wool yarn for a slipper pattern. Wool is supposed to wick away moisture, and, well, I have more Paton's Classic Wool and needles the right size to use with it. But maybe making thick socks would be a good idea - cause my feet freeze quickly when I'm snowblowing...

Good Cooking Article

2009-01-07T23:14:00.000-06:00

Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen

Great article. Though I don't agree with the deletion of lemon juice from the fridge. I don't use lemons often enough to stock them.

On the yarn hunt front, the contents of my closets are mostly out of them, and still no yarn. Already checked under the bed, but no joy there either.

Missing and Frustration...

2009-01-05T22:15:00.000-06:00

I have had the cuff for the second stranded mitten done for over a week now, but cannot find the other 4 or 5 balls of Aran wool-ease that I have.

Plus, I hate how the inside of the first mitt feels. I think finer wool is usually used for a reason. There's no chance of felting bonding together the threads with 80% acrylic. So I did think of using wool in the second mitt - but then you lose the washable factor, and the decrease of old yarn factor...

I also redid the ribbing on the pink slouch beret hat - again. Still not happy. A size 3 needle seems to have been too tight to get the k2p2 ribbing to pull together, so am going to chase the bottom row with elastic thread.

Slow Progress

2008-12-23T20:36:00.000-06:00

Ok, so the rest of the aran yarn is in hiding.... And I made a mistake on the top row. This mitten definitely needs to be lined, as the stranded yarn doesn't feel good. Besides the mitt would be warmer in the end.

Stranded Mitten Progress

2008-12-19T22:22:00.000-06:00

I have got to say the best part about doing smaller projects is that you see the results of your experiments a lot more quickly. :)

A Small Holiday Drawback...

2008-12-19T10:03:00.000-06:00

Whenever there is a holiday, the contents of my craft stash get put back into the closet. This means of course, that whatever yarn I didn't think I wanted to use in the near future somehow triggers a subconscious alarm, "you must try..." So that counter to common sense when company is coming, I found myself digging in my closet trying to find the right yarn.

I'm trying another pair of mittens. Not strummed or pseudostrummed, but pseudo fair isle. I have 2 balls of sport weight woolease, one aquamarine the other pink, that are completely different from everything else in my stash. I don't know why I bought them, especially the pink. Especially since I only bought 1 ball of each, and I have no other sportweight. (Don't even know if it's even sold locally anymore.) So I thought 2nd Mitten attempt here we go!

Slight problem though with needing a size 2 needle for the cuff it takes a lot longer, and moving into the body with a size 3, I became concerned about the thinness re warmth. So, I want greater thickness but still to use the yarn, and another challege - so fair isle, with a regular weight woolease. I have now already ripped out the first attempt. While my pattern on the back of the hand was going ok, I made the poor choice of knitting with both the aqua and the aran on the palm side, meaning it was too thick for the gauge and pulling the fabric out of shape.

Now after googling for fair isle weaving, I think I know what the book was trying to tell me. I think I'm stranding right now, and apparently I knit English style. Which made the book's conteniental example confusing.

So digging in my closet for the rest of the woolease Aran (first search was futile). And am suddenly wondering if it might be in the bottom of the laundry basket of clothes I need to put away...

Completed Mittens

2008-12-18T18:42:00.001-06:00

Doneness. :)

Second Mitt Cont.

2008-12-16T00:27:00.000-06:00

Finished the body, and am now working on the thumb - first went the wrong way with knitting the thumb - so it'll have a ring of garter at the base, but think I'll likely drop stitches if I go back - so onward.

Am contemplating ripping out the ribbing on the hat that I started to go with the mitts, and knitting down from the stockinette. I did 1x1 and the gauge went way too big, really should have gone down a needle size (another lesson learned).

Second Mitt Progress

2008-12-14T01:07:00.000-06:00

At first the second mitt seemed to be flying.. But with accidentally losing my fifth needle in the pencil section of a desk drawer for a day (and spending too much time looking for it), and having to go back several rows more than a few times (for some reason I get going and forget to strum).

And finally, wasted time today pulling out the waste yarn on the thumb hole, and then threading it through the empty loops. I just wanted to be able to put my hand in the mitt properly and see how I'm doing. (And it's fun.) :)

The nearly complete buzz...

2008-12-11T01:24:00.000-06:00

I have to say the best part about working on smaller projects than 6' x 5' Afghans, has to be the frequent 'I'm nearly done!' buzzes. Most of my afghans took 2 years - mostly off, to be done. But I've gotten done more hats and scarves and mittens in the past couple months than I have ever done afghans.

It's also been challenging, after all garter stitch afghans you don't need to see to do right. I've gotten almost competent on dpns (which I didn't know existed 2 years ago). I've learned a lot more about patterns - though I have yet to follow one completely. And before the only patterns I've followed have been cross-stitch ones. (Which reminds me, I really should take out the long neglected Santa project.)

But here I am, 1:30 in the morning - working on finishing a hat - with a giddy smile that would make you think there is Apfelsnapps in my tea. :)

And now it's done.

Gotta Love Price Wars!

2008-12-10T18:33:00.000-06:00

Filled up my gas tank for $13!

Love it!

:)

Second Mitten

2008-12-10T13:47:00.000-06:00

Correcting some mistakes with the second mitten. I've K4, M1 instead of K3 M1, and so the hand is a bit smaller, and is knitting up a bit faster. I'm already to the thumb row, and am comtemplating using waste yarn for the stitches and removing it when I'm ready to knit the thumb.

I'm juggling too many projects now, but I'm making sure to knit a little on each daily, so that they are working towards the end. I think gauge might be a bigger factor on speed than I thought. The size 3 silverlume twisted rib hat takes more out of my hands than the size 6 silverlume ribbed hat...

Checked out Etsy, and there is some pretty cheap alpaca roving out there... Am comtemplating making a traditional pair of strummed mitts with that...

First Mitten Done

2008-12-07T16:02:00.001-06:00

Just finished knitting the thumb. Took out the first attempt, as it was way too big (going to shrink the number of stitches in the thumb hole next time), still oversized enough to comtemplate lining it with the wool. But that was after k1 k2tog for the first pink row. Think I would be happier with merlot color, but would have to order that..

Mitten Musing...

2008-12-06T00:51:00.000-06:00

I'm nearly done with the body of the first mitten. And I've learned a lot from it, I think.

Mistakes
1) Adding too many stitches after the cuff. I don't recall how many I added. (Need to recount) But with going to the size 4 needles, I could have added 5 less at least.

2) I should have plotted out my felting yarn inserts, especially near the top where I began doing decreases.

3) Not keeping count so I know what to redo for the second mitten. lol

I think I'll decease the number of stitches a bit, on the second mitt. Still contemplating how to handle the thumb.

--

BTW, watching the news while knitting today was quite depressing. I think the worst part is that on US tv, there was scant foreign news - like the fact the French have bailed out their major auto company. I hope the jobs report pushes through the loans. And I found it interesting that Senators/Representatives from states with foreign based car plants were the biggest naysayers.

Brown Tufted Mittens cont.

2008-12-05T13:29:00.000-06:00

I'm surprised at how fast this is developing. Though I admit it would be going much faster if I wasn't turning it inside out to check that it isn't a total mess.

Startitis or a new hat, and my first attempt at a mitten...

2008-12-03T01:26:00.000-06:00

I've started another hat, since I finished the Aran one. I am thinking of making another tam, but now am uncertain. See my 1x1 Rib is far too loose. I'd added a few extra stitches at the beginning and had hoped a section of ribbing would correct the issue, but it seems there will at least be elastic and perhaps felting in this hat's future.

I've also started with a mitten, in the same yarns. I've never knit one before, but the online patterns had too tight of a cuff, so I'm improving. I'm using Patons Merino Wool for the MC and using Bernet's Felting Wool for "thrums". I had each brand's Rosewood colorway, and used it in the cuff with the Patons, and am now using Brown for the mitten body, and am trying to decide if the thrums will be enough color challenge in the mitten itself, I've been thinking about making the back of the hand pink, and the palm brown but I think that might be easier knit separately rather than in the round....

Dance of Joy

2008-12-01T17:04:00.000-06:00

Finished the Lion Wool-Ease Aran hat I started to go with the double ribbed thin scarf I'm still working on with it. The hat has a double rib on the beginning, and then stockinette, then I decided to double rib again at the top. :)

Size Matters

2008-12-01T12:01:00.000-06:00

Size & shape of the needles really does matter.

For example, on the oversized charcoal scarf I'm using huge size 15 bamboo needles. And my hands are killing me by row 4. So I've been doing 4 rows at a time, so I get one pattern iteration each time.

With my hats, the size 4 16" circular Boye needle is okay. I think the needle is plastic, which is a bit odd, as the cable seems heavier than the points. But with working in such a small round seems to make my hands work differently, and I can only do a few rounds before my hands hurt in a different way. I got the Silverlume size 3, 16" and the needle is much longer and more comfortable, but the bends in the cable at the end of each needle bend so much I'm afraid they are going to break. It's much better than with the previous needles.

I also have a ribbed scarf on size 6 straight needles. But the ones I were using were so long it was excessive, and none of the local stores sell short size 6 needles - so I got a set of clover dpns and put point protectors on the ends, and it works wonderfully.

Santa Hats

2008-11-25T10:19:00.000-06:00

So, last week at Jo-ann's Fabrics they had Lion Brand chenille and Patons Cha-Cha on sale - and the Cha-Cha was only 1 dollar a ball.

So seeing this I thought it'd be perfect for a Santa's hat. Especially since one of the needles I got from Sit and Knit's going out of business sale was a 10 1/2 Clover 12" circular needle. The thing that is holding me back is the gauge. Not sure if my needle size is big enough or what my per inch will be. And you can't really reknit chenille. Heck, it warns you on the label!

Pondering....

From scarves to hats...

2008-11-20T01:22:00.000-06:00

I finished the red wool scarf. Well, except for weaving in the beginning and tail ends... I hate weaving in ends. Which is probably why the afghan I "completed" 3 years ago and that has been on my bed long before that (best place to store a blanket WIP), still has ends to work in. Plus it got gored by the metal frame for my bed, so there's a patch job.

So, having completed the red scarf - as I only had 4 balls of Lion Wool in that lot, from when the local Walmart clearanced out its craft area. Lion Wool has less yardage per skein, and I've been burned by wool-ease balls so often, so I didn't get this until it was about $1.50 per ball. I have 3 more balls in a different lot number (thought I only had 1) so I immediately latched onto the idea of making a matching hat. (Once I confirmed that the Patons red beret I knit and felted (as I knit it far too big) was the wrong color.) However, in small circular needles, I only had a set of size 9 or 10, and with size 8 on the scarf, the gauge was too loose for a hat, so I'm thinking 7 or 6.

This meant, I got distracted and made a nice black hat with the size 4's in the meantime.

Roll brim, ribbed row then an increase, with a circular decrease on the top, trying to flatten it out.

With that done, still distracted, I pulled out some old Wool-ease that I last used on my brother's afghan (that my Mom has in addition to her own 62 is a good house temp with blankets), and have been trying another roll brim, with an diagonal rib.

The problem here is that I started with 160 cast on, as I know that it would be thinner than the Paton's. I went with my double ended 3's, but I stink at multiple needles (I keep making accidental yo's at the new needle) so I went to the circular 4 16" needle, but could see even more light with the rib, so have gone to a 3, and now to the only 2's I have double-ended.

And still there doesn't seem to be the density I want for a hat.

Fall Frost, and Knitting Resumes.

2008-10-26T02:38:00.000-05:00

I had a kick for a while this summer with knitting washcloths. I didn't realize how quickly Sugar & Cream loses its color - I mean I've read that it fades quickly- but some of the ones I knit in the spring look like antiques. Another factor is that I think I'd move up another size with the needles for the next time I feel like knitting cotton - from the dryer they shrink so much they look too small, but wet they grow an inch or so.

With the cool weather I've resumed my large double-stranded Red Heart yarn afghan. It's huge and heavy - and I think probably more than half done - but the weight makes it impossible to knit more than 2 rows at a time max, and lately my hands are cramping less than halfway through 1 row.

I've started 2 new scarves and finished both of my old scarf projects. The aqua toned one curls quite a bit being mostly in stockinette, and I've been debating whether I should felt it. I really have no idea how it would felt - if the width would shrink more than the length or vice versa. But I'm learning towards felting it with the curling.

The near permanent dirt under my fingernails

2008-06-12T01:03:00.000-05:00

I haven't been doing much knitting, as when the AC goes on, I feel wasteful knitting under a blanket. I have been gardening, though the rain and recent temperature spikes haven't cooperated. My irises were gorgeous this year, with a couple of colors I didn't remember showing up well. Grass though has been a hard to get out weed in my flowerbeds, only really sprouting in my perennials, and they are loving my creeping phlox. I did make an attempt to kill all the grass in the phlox on my corner bed, but only succeeded in killing the phlox. :(

Spring Clean Up

2008-05-10T03:31:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure how most cities and towns do this, but in my town there are 2 big trash days a year - Spring and Fall Clean Up. That week all sorts of big items are put on the curb, garages are emptied of the junk, and the recyclers drive by slowly. It's funny, there is a rather long list of things that are banned like a/c, dehumidifiers, and the like - but you can put them out anyway as anything metal tends to be grabbed up within hours of being on the curb.

I thought perhaps there would be less people this year - as the cost of gas is so high that it might rival the amount they get for scrap - but all through the night the sounds of slow passing trucks continued, though the day crowd had already grabbed up the metal from our shed clean out pile. (That's the creepy part, the after dark scroungers.)

Of course, after it is picked over, there is still the question if the garbage men will actually take it all, and a bit of a cheer when they do. Because sofa cushions that may have seen the 60s, and belong to nothing, really don't need to be in a shed.

Life's List

2008-04-21T18:52:00.000-05:00

Saw this at http://yeaiknit.com/blog/ and thought I'd add my two bits. You are supposed to bold what you have done.

Life’s To Do List

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger (and dated for a while)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (this is what you are supposed to do at a family wedding!)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (Isn't this required at college.)
42. Had amazing friend
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero (Underroos!)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (does sitting in the flight deck count?)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (this one among others seems too specific, I've had loved ones in hospice, I've cared for loved ones...)
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

Washcloths

2008-04-07T23:49:00.000-05:00

Since the last post I have knit 3 dishcloths. Peaches and Cream green mix & one of the remainder of a green with white. I have to say it is quite remarkable how much softer the white is - at least of the few balls I had. I got Sugar & Cream at another store, as Peaches was out in the green var., and found little difference except for pricing and Sugar being Canadian made. The white Peaches was ever so much softer than all the rest, though. In the wash there was pilling and some color bleeding, but the white stayed softer.

One odd thing, I discovered I was rubbing the back tip of my index finger a bit raw - as I kept pulling my finger under as I did the purling for the checkerboard pattern I used. And switching from the cotton back to the felting wool was a different sensation as the yarn felt more wispy and fragile - which was born out by it snagging on my desk, so I need to rejoin to resume knitting - and while that was a new and fun experience for the first couple times - it's lost its charm. Plus, I must say the satisfaction on getting a washcloth done in an evening or two, really makes up for my finger tip aching. :)

Incompleteness Reigns.

2008-03-27T02:18:00.000-05:00

No real progress - many rows, but nothing especially notable. Except for an issue with the green scarf - it had 2 decreases in the repeated pattern, and I only did 1, meaning an additional 40 stitches in the last 10 or so rows. Rather than rip back - as I did for another lace pattern oops, I think I'm going to do the same lace pattern again - but correctly this time, and play off the extra in the middle as intentional. It puckered the fabric a bit, and was done about every 4 stitches, so the additional wasn't that obvious except I was suddenly taking much longer to get done with a row.

Some colors of Paton's Merino Wool Yarn was on sale for half off at Meijer's, which I hadn't noticed them carrying before. It makes me wonder if they are permanently reducing their stock - as it seems like a lot of yarn is half off, and the bare spots on the shelves aren't being refilled.

Red Pepper Suet

2008-03-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

It's advertised to repel squirrels but still attract, and not hurt, birds. However, the squirrel was quite happy hanging down and eating it this afternoon, although it seemed to avoid the last red pepper suet cake.

Been cross-stitching again, starting with the one I'd left in my hoop all this time, a Noah's Ark.
The rusty orange is a bit annoying, and the linen is quite rough, with a great deal of variation in the thread size, which makes counting over empty space a rougher task than usual. But in the interest of getting something DONE. I'm working on it. It is definitely a project that makes you appreciate the definition that backstitch gives, though I'm not one to wait until the whole project is stitched anyhow.

The Strasbourg yarn is now mostly a scarf, that is a bit wide, and maybe a bit short, but the garter has a lot of give. The question is: do I want to make a hat? And what yarn would go best, with the less than full ball of Bouton d'Or that I have left? Of course I still need to weave in the ends, making me enjoy being able to join the Caron yarn more (but making me feel an idiot for paying so much for so little yardage.It looks even shorter in this pic.

False Spring

2008-03-16T15:08:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been relatively balmy - but today the cold wind is back and the bright sun lies and makes you think it won't be still winter.

Leisure Arts got me a nice photocopy, to replace my holey chart. :) Now to figure out what the heck I was doing back then.

The new colorful scarf is going well, I've been experimenting with lace patterns, when I get bored of stockinette. Plus, the Caron's felting wool is soft and smooshy - a nice contrast to the french scarf yarn which is firm and scratchy.

But French scarf might get done soon, probably only needs 30 more rows.

I've been contemplating what to do for my first sweater. Thought there was a cardigan in the new Interweave Knits, but apparently, the one I was set on doing isn't pictured there - so I'm trying to figure out where I saw it. I was thinking of doing this cardigan that was full length on the trunk but only buttoned on the top with 3 buttons, with princess sleeves (puffy and short).

The blahs of Winter

2008-03-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

Last night I decided that it was too dreary outside for a gray/dark gray scarf and made my ribbed scarf yarn again.

Besides the hat was too small for my head, so why make a matching scarf for a too small hat?

Worked on the lace shawl yesterday and messed up the garter ridge. The whitish marks and arrows here point to my oops.

Don't want to rip back, so am going to attempt to do it with a crochet hook, but am more nervous because it is on the edge.

Went through my cross-stitch projects, and have found I'm missing at least 3 books to 2 of my WIPs. Though Rocking Horse is a longer term issue.It's an old pattern from Leisure Arts, and at the time I was in fourth grade. I have a the chart still, but I had covered it with clear contact paper, and the middle of the pattern is gone from folding...

I know you used to be able to get parts of patterns back from them, so maybe I'll e-mail them and get my oldest WIP finally done. :)

More Log Cabin

2008-03-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

Why is it that the newest WIP is so temping? I have pieces that are semi-close to done, but for some reason they don't have the same appeal. Perhaps it is because the log-cabin is different from the others - more of an experiment. The needles are midsized (8), unlike my French yarn scarf (5), or my huge afghan (15, double stranded Red Heart), but though it takes more rows for my hands to cramp up, it's the experimenting that is keeping it interesting.

I experimented in circling the rectangle - though only went halfway around so I could see if the yarn over and increase coming back would work. It looked ok. But I think it needs more color. I like the look of keeping the stitches live; it feels more knit, binding off and picking up the stitches gives a greater stiffness. Plus the back is looking cleaner and cleaner as I go on, mostly from getting better at picking up the stitches - but it does lend to a feeling of progress.

Also I'm using mostly stash yarn - left over from other afghans - which is hiding evidence that a bag of yarn apparently went missing when I bought some of it, or that I overbought in response to running out and not being able to go out to fetch more immediately. (If you've never had to stay home, then I don't think this will register.)

On another note, I went to Goodwill. I had the thought the other night about virgin wool, and googled recycling yarn. A variety of interesting blogs popped up where people had gone to a thift shop, found a promising sweater and then ripped it apart for the yarn. Which seemed like an interesting idea, and added to the suggestions in other places that it might be a decent place to find needles and yarn... I went. And have come to the conclusion that the people who found silk blends, and other nice non-polymer knits were in bigger and wealthier areas. Only found one silk/cotton some nylon blend - no wool - and that had a huge multcolored motif on the lower front corner - not enough yarn, or good enough to attempt to dissect it.

And they were right about one thing - it breaks your heart to see the granny square blankets in near pristine condition. Perhaps I can think that maybe someone spent all those hours and intentionally donated some of them - I hope so. And perhaps it is a good thing, that family members donated the old 70s yarn colors afghans that were there too, at least they weren't tossed.

Log Cabin Knitting

2008-03-06T23:09:00.000-06:00

So, inspired by a blog or five, I have begun a log cabin afghan. I must say the initial rush of having a place mat sized semi-finished piece wore off fairly quickly, as the aggravation of picking up the stitches grew. So I decided to leave the pieces live on circulars and see if I could just pick up the garter rows... - and after knitting around with the extra chiming of the holding needles and the uncut and unwoven ends - finally got to the first live side. It looks pretty good. I'm getting a purled looking ridge - but I had that until I realized I was picking up the stitches in the r to l and the reverse would have given me the nice garter consistency.

On another note, it meant I needed to get more end caps and spare cables for my Boye needles. I was very unhappy to find that the newer packages bore the Made In China label. Augh. I bought the pieces of the set I had as it was made in America - even though it cost a little more. Now, I think I'll switch brands. The knitmates (or interchangables or Wrights) do have issues, the cable untwists a bit, I have had one cable snap near the end, and the needles do lose their points and near the screw sort of spread out - like a sharp washer - this can be eliminated easily with sandpaper. But despite the issues I was happy enough, but not if it is made in China. Wonder if anyone has tested the new Chinese made needles for lead paint....

On the same log cabin knitting revelations theme, has anyone else noticed that the new Red Heart Yarn now says Made in America of imported fibers? Is this why it's scratchier than before - cost cutting and quality crimping? I had tried using some Bernat I had in Rose, with the stash Red Heart yarn, and the section is out of gauge and fluffed up from the rest. So I purchased some Rose Red Heart - and it is noticeably courser than my older Red Heart... But the color and gauge work much better with the other Red Heart Yarns - though I'm wishing I hadn't used the black sparkle now...

Knitting

2008-03-06T03:09:00.000-06:00

I'm working on my first "lace" shawl.

Beginning Blogging

2008-03-05T02:43:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my brand new blog.

As a long-time crafter, gardener, and more recently genealogy buff, I find I tend to obsess on one craft or hobby for a period of time. Switching to another obsession after a tiring immersion in one to the near exclusion of all others, perhaps is due to some of my hobbies' seasonal nature. Knitting in the summer only good with air conditioning.

My current obsession/hobby is knitting. Spurred on by recent completions, and discovering the wide range of knitting bloggers - who have inspired me to expand my range.