Tag Archives: flowers

busy is as busy does

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The weeks have flown by. It’s already June! I can’t handle it. I am adrift in a sea of emails and knitting. One of these things I like, the other- not so much.

Since I have last written, I have finished my New Beginnings Shawl. It turned out marvelously. Even with having to cut it short, it is still huge. I may knit this pattern again, in the future… maybe a dark green tonal yarn, with extra length for the beaded edging… for another time. I have also finished a pair of socks, and cast on for my next project, the Falling Water Shawl.

I was able to make it to the Arboretum for a quick Lunch Walk last week. I was in between phases of the rose bloom, but I did get to see lots of gorgeous irises. The drought in Pennsylvania has been awful, and with the Quebec wildfire smoke, being outdoors was unbearable for several days this week.

Life continues on. I bought some delicious yarn on Friday- Sweet Pea and Sparrow Platinum Sock in Flowering Crabapple. I saw the announcement on Instagram and flew to the webshop. I have NO idea what I will make with it, but my goodness will it be beautiful. I want those colors up near my face- possibly a Miss Winkle or a TGV. Now that I have shared those ideas… I think a TGV will be the way to go. I loved knitting one in 2021, and I ended up giving it away. I need one for myself!

Somewhere along the way, I need to make something for Father’s Day. I have a skein of worsted-weight wool dyed in bright lime and lemon colors. It’s eye searing, which is something my Dad likes in hats… I want the colors to really stand out, but not be so plain- something along the lines of Bankhead. Mom measured Dad’s head to be 22 3/8″ around. I ought to be able to cast on and knit it up within a week. Hopefully. If I’m not derailed by casting on for a pair of socks.

I’m usually a monogamous knitter. I almost always have something going crochet-wise, and dishcloths don’t even count any more. I loved knitting socks so much that I actually dream of making them at night. It was awesome. I know why people knit only socks. I am tempted by everything. I have such a beautiful, wonderful stash and all needs to be knitted now!

Until next time ~

a knit of one’s own

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I have finished the bulk of the work for my New Beginnings shawl. I managed to win at yarn chicken- thank heavens- and now it is time to block. I haven’t blocked a lace project before, so this will be a new experience. I had to order blocking wires. I can’t wait to get going! I was originally planning on starting a Falling Water Shawl after New Beginnings, but I have decided I will knit some socks.

I last knit a pair of socks over a decade ago and I remember being very disappointed with the fit. That was long before I had ever figured out things like gauge. I’ve decided that I’ll make a pair of Fleegle’s Toe-Up Socks. I remember heavily disliking working socks from the top down. I feel that I may be able to get a better fit if I can work socks from the toe up and make them fit me as I please.

Thinking about that first pair of finished socks makes me sad, as I don’t have much to show for my 16 years of knitting. I made a big asymmetrical garter-stitch shawl in 2018 that gets a lot of wear. I knit a hat & finger-less glove set this past winter. Through my house floats some Sockhead hats. Not much else- just about everything was made by me and then given away. As much as I love to make things for other people, I’m ready to knit for my own household. I want to knit selfish things, I want to load my sock drawer and shawl drawer and maybe even figure out a cardigan or two. I want to sew us our own clothes, and make us a wedding quilt… oh, the selfish crafter dreams. I will get there.

spring surprises

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Lily-of-the-valley. Who would have thought? Late last fall, I ripped out a tree and cut out an azalea on the far side of my east side of the house, exposing a strip of Earth that had not seen consistent light in at least 5 years. During my lunch break on Tuesday, I wandered out to check the lay of the land and noticed a clump of lily-of-the-valley. At least 15 stalks of blooms- with more on the way. I know these flowers are poisonous, but they smelled like pure heaven.

The peonies are coming along. I made peony jelly last spring- while it was tasty, it did not hold up beyond 4 months in the pantry. This year I will be content to clip the blooms and bring them on the table. I have a pair of antique blue mason jars that I will use for on the table- and from all appearances, there will be a bumper crop this year.

My beloved roses are coming along, too. I have to spray, fertilize, and mulch- but The Poet’s Wife is at a more mature size. There’s more buds than I cared to count. The other rose doesn’t have as many buds- maybe five. That bush is much older and is still recovering from losing a branch to my nemesis, spongy moths.

The State has been spraying consistently in the evenings… and I hope it all works. Last summer, I was running around with a poker and electric tennis racket trying to kill off as many larvae as I could. I’m one of the many that are allergic to them- even the smallest one touching my bare skin sets off a rash and awful itchiness. It doesn’t help that I try to wear shorts and neon tees in the summer to keep it easy to spot ticks.

Country life, eh? For all of its drawbacks- one beautiful Pennsylvania blue sky is worth a hundred cloudy ones. I couldn’t ask for anything else. Getting to do yard work with my love and enjoy the sunshine on bare skin is the most marvelous of treats.