Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Taste of Spring

I sit here looking out a window and listening to the birds sing. I'm sure that winter will have to make another appearance before spring is really here, but it's nice to feel, just for a while that it's over. The sun is shining after the rain of the morning and there's a really nice breeze blowing. I peaked at my garden this morning and the strawberries are starting to poke up as are the onions. I cut some broccoli for dinner and looked in on the tomato, cucumber,and bell pepper seeds that I started in the house last week. Looks like two of the four types of tomatoes are peeking up as are the cucumbers. The bell peppers are holding out for last, but I know they'll be up soon. I'm looking forward to fresh veggies from the garden. Lettuce and spinach should be starting to be picked in three or four weeks. Cabbage will be coming in around that time too.
Inside, the Eleanor socks are coming right along. I'm almost to the heel of the second one and would be further except that I had baby duty yesterday. My granddaughter (the youngest one) would steal the socks if she could. She had to try them on. When I pointed out that they didn't fit her she asked for pink socks. Of course, I don't have any pink sock yarn so I will be adding to my stash before I can make her some pink socks.
Later in the day I had my grandson. He didn't try on the socks because we were to busy playing tag, trains, baseball and football. He's three and sports are his thing. I didn't get any work done on my knitting yesterday because grandbabies trump knitting.
I started a scarf (pattern by the Yarn Harlot) this morning to use up some alpaca yarn that I got at Knitting Today at retreat last year. I dont' really need a scarf right now, but since winter is bound to make another appearance (probably before spring really is here) I thought that it would make nice almost mindless knitting for when Elmer and I are traveling. I can talk to him and knit and not do my usual freak out thing with the traffic. Knitting is calming for me.
I need to seam some hats that I've gotten made so that I can give them to the group from church that helps the homeless. Too many people on the verge of it these days and "but for the grace of God..." It's a little thing I can do to help. Doesn't take much time with the knitting machine and people need to be warm. I can help with that.
I need to start on Lauren's sweater and on my twinset. Her's is pink and mine is a really dark purple. I've swatched and used Knitware to make a pattern so it's ready to go when I finish the edging on the purple afghan. Next week for sure as Elmer will be in this weekend and we have a birthday party to attend.
Off to watch the birds at the feeder. I'd get a picture, but brown birds against brown grass don't show up so well.

Friday, February 6, 2009

When will Spring be here?

I have completed an afghan that I started sometime last year. I jsut called it the Purple Afghan. Creative, right? It was fun to try to remember what I'd done because I didn't make good notes. I suppose when I took it off the machine the first time I didn't expect to be away from it for so long. Where does that time go? All I had was a note pinned to it saying 400 rows. No tension settings, nothing; not even what I planned for the other panels to be. So I was flying by the seat of my pants this go round. I figured it out and now all I have to do is weave in some ends and decide whether I want to add a border to the ends. Leaning against that at this point. I think I'll wash it and see how it looks and make a final decision.



I also started a pair of socks for the February challenge of the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry. They are (should say it is) coming right along. The pattern is quick to memorize and so it makes a good project for watching tv.



I'm also looking at that yarn and thinking about how it will look in the Everlasting Blanket. The blanket is coming along slowly. I'm waiting for some yarn to show up from a swap and getting a bit impatient. I don't really think the yarn is late, I'm just ready to see it and add it to the blanket.



What do I do while I'm waiting for it?I've put in lettuce and spinach in the garden this week. I've cut some broccoli which will be in a salad this evening. I bought another compost bin and have it partially full of leaves that I raked yesterday. I picked the pine trees out of the garden. It's amazing to me how many have seeded themselves into my garden. Why do they want to grow there? Of course, I know it's because the soil is really easy to plant in in my raised bed garden and apparently the pine trees like it too. I have onions and garlic planted too along with the broccoli, strawberries, cabbage, lettuce and spinach. I just started seeds for tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers inside in preparation for spring planting. Spring will show up, won't it?


Since I'm participating in a Stashalong this year, I'm trying not to buy more yarn and to use some (hopefully a bunch) of what I already have. I have one free day a month. I used January's , but I'm really going to try to skip February. June will be fun because of IWannaKnit. I'm making a list of things I want to get when I go. I really want another gauge ruler. I hear that there is a green one for Silver Reed/Studio standard machines and it would work with my Artisan. That would make life easier in a lot of ways. I'll have to check on that while I'm there. I don't have any yarn that I just have to have (yet) so that's not an issue. If I can save enough money, I want to buy the Fair Isle carriage for my Lk150.

Oh well, that's all for the future. Right now I need to go swatch for a twinset for myself and for a sweater for one of my granddaughters.