Knitting Log for June 20

After being very lazy for a few weeks, I'm back in the knitting swing of things.

Yesterday when I picked up Matthew's Scarf, I noticed I was getting near the end of the first ball of yarn. Since I only have two balls, I ended up starting the ribbing a few pattern repeats before I was planning to do so.

The pattern tails are going to be about fourteen inches long, an inch shorter than the pattern directs. I've never worn a seaman's style scarf before, so I have no idea if that's going to be too short or not.

Since I don't have a very large neck, I'll probably have to keep this scarf for myself. And since I'm loving the feel of the alpaca and silk Knitpicks Elegance yarn, it will be a pleasure to wear it.


My knitting goals for the rest of the month of June are:

• Finish first pair Chutes and Ladders socks for CIC
  
• Finish Matthew's Scarf
  
• Finish second sleeve on Lavold Silky Tweed sweater

If I can get those three projects completed, I will have nothing on the needles to start the month of July. Oh how wonderful that will be, because I have no less than a dozen projects rattling around in my head making me crazy trying to decide what to knit next.

I want to start all of them, but I've learned that three things on the needles is my limit.

There's only one way to quiet my brain and impose order on my project starting urges. I get out paper and pencil, make a list, and plan out my knitting schedule for the next forever.

I never stick with the plan, but writing it out always makes me feel like things are under control.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Tomorrow, June 18, is Mom's birthday.

I've hacked her blog to post birthday greetings and let the world know it's her special day.

Click on over and leave her a comment. She'd love to hear from you.

Two

Your Expression Number is 2

A mediator and peacemaker, you get along well with others. You light up in group situations, but struggle when you're alone. Modest and understated, you accomplish more than you give yourself credit for. Cooperative, courteous, and considerate are words people use to describe you. You know how to handle anyone, no matter how much of a pain they might be. Tactful and friendly, nearly everyone who knows you admires you. Sometimes you are overly sensitive and easily hurt. When you get too sensitive, you can become shy and uncertain. At your worst, you can be apathetic and withdrawn.

What's Your Expression Number?

This little online calculator comes up with your expression number (whatever that's supposed to mean) from the name on your birth certificate.

My favorite number has always been 2, so I was enchanted to know that's the number calculated from my original name.

The personal characteristics that go with my expression number could be me, but mostly they remind me of a generic horoscope blurb.

I am pleased to be told that I "accomplish more than you give yourself credit for." I've been reading a lot lately and I like the idea that something is getting done that I don't know about.

Thinking, Lopi, and Next Trip to Idaho

Wow. Thanks for all the great comments and email on my last post.

I think it's important that everyone take some time once in a while to think about what they're doing, what they're not doing, and ask themselves if changes need to be made. I do have some changes that I need to make, but the changes are minor. The current tone of my newly retired life is going to continue as is for now.

My faith in the Lord provides the assurance that if He has something He wants me to do, He'll make it perfectly clear. Right now, He seems to be mostly pleased to have me doing what I'm doing. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to leave the workforce earlier than planned and start the transition into life after work.

Thank you Lord and thank you Pfizer.

New Lopi Stash
I've hardly been knitting at all this week, but the new yarn arrived anyway.

CIC has requested sweaters in addition to the vests we've been knitting, so this is my new Lopi stash dedicated to making five toddler sized sweaters for CIC.

The yarn was on sale so I stocked up even though the sweaters may not get knit until 2006.

My CIC knitting goal for 2005 is twelve pair of socks and six vests. The vests have been knit and sent. Now it's sock time.

The CIC_Knit List is having a sock challenge to produce 300 pair of wool toddler socks by August 31. My personal goal is six pair.

There's a simple little pattern over on my sidebar. Even one pair of warm little socks will make a big difference in some child's comfort, so please consider knitting up a pair. You don't need to be a member of the CIC_Knit List to participate. I'll be happy to report your sock count to the list when you mail them off to CIC

Idaho, Here We Come
One of the things I've been doing this week instead of knitting has been to book a trip to Idaho for Granddaughter Kimmy and me the first week of August.

Kimmy is going to be flying for the first time and I managed to get her a window seat on all four flights. She also will be visiting Idaho for the first time, seeing mountains for the first time, and, most important, meeting her new cousin Sydney Anne for the first time.

I've already met Sydney Anne, but I won't mind seeing her again.

For this trip I'm getting a rental car. Those who know me, know that I have no sense of direction and can get lost in my own back yard, so this will be a bit of a challenge. I will have maps, written out routes, and I will (can you sense the determination) learn my way around the Spokane, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene area.

Grandmas are more fun when they're mobile. That's my motivation to master this challenge.

What Do You Want To DO With Your Life?

This week I've been thinking about my future and my inability to get motivated about planning it.

Here I am, 60 years old, in reasonable health, looking to the future without much enthusiasm for anything.

In the past week I've had lunch with three different women about my age, plus or minus ten years. They all stopped working within the last year or a little longer. We all seem to be going through the same mental shutdown.

We're all intelligent, former professional women who have only recently learned the beauty of not being motivated, not excelling in anything, having time to do nothing, and wearing jeans/sweats and comfortable shoes.

None of us want to commit to any new obligations right now. It's enough that we plan lunch out with a friend who will understand if we need to change the date. That's just about as committed as we want to be.

So what's the point of this post? I'm not sure. I thought if I wrote it down maybe some great insight would transpire. It didn't.

I think I'll go knit.

Sunny, Pappy, and Paws on the Pier

These are my two little dogs, Sunny on the left and Pappy on the right.

They are both about 14 pounds, have black eye patches, are very intelligent, and very very loved. Other than that, they're as different as can be.

• Sunny is a female. Pappy is a male.
  
• Sunny is mostly black. Pappy is mostly white.
  
• Sunny has curly hair. Pappy has straight hair.
  
• Sunny always looks ungroomed. Pappy always looks neat and tidy.
  
• Sunny is a second generation (at least) mixed breed. Pappy is a Papillon.
  
• Sunny has stocky legs and feet. Pappy has delicate legs and feet.
  
• Sunny has a tiny head and small teeth. Pappy has a much larger head and teeth.
  
• Sunny is persistent and stubborn. Pappy is eager to please.
  
• Sunny is playful. Pappy is serious.
  
• Sunny joined the family as a tiny puppy. Pappy joined the family as a rescued adult.
  
• Sunny has never known harm. Pappy has had terrible things happen to him.
  
• Sunny goes to "Advanced Hobby" class on Monday. Pappy goes to "Advanced Hobby" class on Thursday.
  
• Sunny loves obedience work. Pappy is ho-hum about obedience work.
  
• Sunny is ho-hum about agility. Pappy loves agility.
  
• Sunny does not like strange places and crowds of people. Pappy loves them.

The Advanced Hobby classes are joining together to put on an obedience, agility demonstration at Paws on the Pier, a Humane Society dog walk in South Haven. Pappy is my demo dog - see last bullet on list - so he will be going to Sunny's class as well as his own for the next two weeks to practice.

That means Sunny will be going to the Intermediate class on Tuesday night, which means I'm going to be in doggy school three nights a week.

For anyone who is not a dog person and has read this far, let me assure you that Sunny is going to know Pappy went to her class. I really do have to take her on Tuesday or she will go into a major doggy depression.

Dog people don't need this explained.

Saturday Snippets for June 11

Scarf Clarification
Sorry I wasn't clear about the scarf picture in the last post. Several readers - maybe more - thought the picture was the Branching Out scarf being knit in Elegance.

The scarf in the picture is being knit from the pattern Matthew's Scarf by Myrna Stahman.

Since this is my first seaman's scarf, I thought it would be interesting to follow a seaman's scarf pattern. So I went looking and found the beautiful Matthew's Scarf which appears to be perfect for Elegance.

I have three different KnitPicks yarns waiting to be turned into a scarf. For the Branching Out scarf, I'm going to use the sport weight Andean Treasure - unless I change my mind before I start knitting it.

Congratulations to Kimberly Louise
Granddaughter Kimmy just completed fourth grade. It's become an annual tradition for this grandma to celebrate the end of a successful school year with a day at Full Blast for Kimmy and the friend of her choice.

Yesterday was Full Blast day, so I gathered up a non-demanding book, sunscreen, towels, and drove to Battle Creek.

My role for the day was easy: chauffeur, sit under a large beach umbrella, read a book, and hand out money as needed. The kids had fun and I had fun watching them have fun.

We ended the day with dinner at the restaurant of Kimmy's choice, Burger King.

Nest Box Update
There are five bluebird eggs now. Approximate hatch date is in two weeks, June 25.

The young swallows are doing well. When I open the nest box, they all hunker down and play dead. All the pictures I've taken look like a nest containing a dark blob. That's why you're not seeing a swallow picture today.

The Weather
It is hot (90s) and humid (blah) here and has been for the past week. There's another thunderstorm blowing in across Lake Michigan from Chicago. I'm going to unplug my laptop, grab one of my freshly fetched library books, and sit in front of the fan and read.

Knitting Log for June 8

I'm going to use age as an excuse to limit my knitting on these sleeves to twenty or less rows a day.

When I rashly decided to make myself finish the sleeves before starting another project, I had forgotten that extended knitting on this cotton type yarn hurts my hands, shoulders, and sometimes neck. Those of you who are too young and/or limber to identify with this problem, be thankful and enjoy.

It's not like I need to finish this sweater quick so I can wear it. It's 90+ degrees outside. But I do need to finish it. So my revised promise to myself is that it will stay next to my kitchen knitting chair and I will pick it up and knit a few rows on it often until the sleeves are done.

You won't see another picture of this sweater until it's done and blocked. I've tried it on and the fit is perfect. I'm going to enjoy wearing it when it's finished and the weather is cooler.


One thing leads to another OR you can't do anything without doing something else first.

I want to knit Susan's Branching Out scarf in a seaman's style so the ends will be symmetrical.

A seaman's scarf is:

A short scarf consisting of a relatively narrow section of ribbing draped over the back of the neck and a more decorative section at either end that can be worn over the upper chest.

Since I've never knit a seaman's scarf, I went in search of a pattern and found Matthew's Scarf by Myrna Stahman, perfect for the barn red Elegance yarn just received from Knitpicks.

Note added June 11: The scarf in the picture is Matthew's Scarf being knit in Elegance, not the Branching Out scarf. I'm using the Matthew's Scarf pattern to learn how to knit a seaman's scarf, and then I'm going to knit the Branching Out scarf using green Andean Treasure - unless I change my mind before then.
End of Note.

There's a provisional chain caston on the top which will eventually be the ribbing part of the scarf and the second end. I'm following the pattern exactly for a change, and hoping the finished scarf will signal the graduation of my seaman's scarf education.

The Elegance yarn is easy on my hands, soft with great stitch definition, and is still the number one contender for the Jean Frost Jacket I plan to knit when my hands heal from knitting the Lavold.

Aggressive Ferns

In order to have truth in blogging, I need to show some of the spots in the yard that are far from perfect.

When I took the camera out today, I had no problem finding a garden mess for my readers to tut-tut over.

This was formerly an orderly garden full of hostas and other shade loving plants before the cinnamon ferns took over. Evidently fern growing conditions are excellent here.

At first I thought it was pretty how the ferns filled in all the gaps and looked so cool and green. Then, at some point in time that I can't pinpoint, the ferns took over.

That Rose of Sharon bush behind the ferns looks half dead. Did the ferns kill it?

I think the hostas are still alive in there, hoping to be rescued soon. I also think it's going to be a lot of work to dig the ferns out and restore order to this plot. So, I've been ignoring it and working on the front side of the house.


The egg laying has begun!

On our first dog walk of the morning, Daddy bluebird was sitting on top of the nest box and Mom Bluebird was inside starting the second family.

Unlike the dive bombing swallows, the male took off and left the female to fend for herself. She peeked out the hole at us, then ducked down out of sight. We quickly walked off and didn't go back that way until much later in the day

Drooling Over KnitPicks Yarn

Oh the colors! Better than advertised! Brighter than in my photo!

Last weekend I ordered some sample quantities of yarn from Knitpicks, figuring I'd play around with the different possibilities before selecting a yarn to knit the Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets.

The plan is to have some fun knitting these into scarves, maybe even have another scarf contest.

As previously blogged, I am not going to cast on any of this luscious stuff until the sleeves are done on the Lavold sweater. Sigh. That isn't going to be an easy resolution to keep. The sleeves are at the endless, boring stage and I'm drooling over this yarn and some scarf patterns I've collected.

So I'm not allowed to knit my new skeins, but I am allowed to blog about them. Get ready. I'm going to sound like an ad.

In the bottom right is Elegance, a DK weight 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk blend in Barn Red. It's soft, it's beautiful, and it really is barn red - a deep rich red exactly the color of fresh barn paint. If I had to guess which yarn I'm going to select for the jacket, it would be this yarn in this color.

Up at the top of the picture is Merino Style, a DK weight 100% Merino Wool in Maple Leaf. I live where the red maples turn this color red in the fall. Knitpicks has pegged the color right on.

Merino Style is a little stiffer than Elegance. For that reason it may turn out to be the better choice for the jacket. It's also almost half the price of Elegance, but both yarns are so reasonable I'm not going to let that be a selection concern.

On the left is Andean Treasure, a sport weight 100% heathered baby alpaca. The color is Lagoon. My skeins are a little lighter in color than the picture in the Knitpicks catalog and a little darker than my photo looks on my monitor. Lagoon is a cool green with obvious heathery flakes of turquoise and yellow. I'm a sucker for rich, heathery yarns and this stuff is beautiful.

Knitpicks lists the Andean Treasure gauge at 6 stitches per inch and lists the Hanover Jacket as one of the recommended projects for this yarn. As lovely as this yarn is, I doubt it's suitable for a jacket intended to be knit with DK weight. Maybe I'll change my mind after knitting a swatch, but I don't think so.

On the right is one skein of Shine, a sport weight 60% pima cotton, 40% modal in Blush. Once again, the color is outstanding. It's a pastel salmon pink with a yellow base and very little blue tones.

I have no idea (yet) what I'm going to do with the Shine other than try knitting with it and see if it hurts my hands like other cotton yarns I've tried. It feels soft, so I'm hoping for a good cotton knitting experience.

If any of my readers have experience knitting with these yarns, I'd love to hear your advice in the comments.

Living in a Swamp

Frogs in the Pond
This Northern Leopard Frog sitting at the edge of the pond and was nice enough not to jump away until he had his picture taken.

We've been having very noisy evenings thanks to these fellows.

We have a spring fed pond in the East yard. A wonderful draw for all types of wildlife including at least one very large snapping turtle. You couldn't pay me to go wading in that pond.


Water Cress in the Creek
There's a creek that runs through the property separating the front two acres with the house from the back three acre field where we walk the dogs and have the nest boxes.

Other than the mowed walking paths, we leave the back three acres natural for the birds and wildlife. We also leave the creek natural.

The creek water is so clear it never shows in a picture. You can see the sandy creek bed and the beautiful water cress that blooms this time of year.


Second Bluebird Nest
A few weeks ago the bluebirds fledged five young from this nest box. Last weekend I removed the used and very crusted (we won't talk about what it was crusted with) nest box.

After removing the cruddy nest, I used the hose, a scraper, and a stiff toothbrush to clean out the box. Then I re-mounted it and waited.

Yesterday I could see the male and female entering the house with dry grass. Today the new, clean nest is ready for their second family of the season.

Short Row Sleeve Cap

Knitting time when I could concentrate was at a premium today, but I managed to finish up the short rows that make up the sleeve cap.

Barbara Walker recommends leaving the short row wraps to hug the armhole edge making "a neater looking join between sleeve and body than any kind of sewn seam could make." Since I've never gone wrong following the advice of Barbara Walker (Elizabeth Zimmerman called Barbara Walker a genius), I did exactly as she suggested and like the result.

The instructions work the sleeve on a 16 inch circular, but I don't have one in the right size so I'm using two longer circulars.

There is only one row knit on the underarm part of the sleeve, so I still can't be sure that the sleeve is going to fit well. But I can't tell that it isn't going to fit, either. That's a good sign. I'm hoping that even if the fit turns out a little loose, it will be acceptable.

I have a KnitPicks order on the way, and I'd love to have this sweater done by the time the new yarn gets here. I've promised myself there will be no casting on of any other project - not even a test swatch - until this sweater is complete.

Hope to have much more sleeve to show by tomorrow evening.

Sleeves and Birds

After sewing up the side seams, weaving in ends, and doing some research and calculations, I was able to start the short row sleeve cap on the Lavold sweater. It's looking great. I'm sure I'm going to like this method of setting in sleeves top down without a seam, but I'm not sure that the first try is going to be the final try.

Since the rest of the sweater wasn't knit with Walker's top down method, I had to guess a bit on the numbers. About one more inch and I think I'll be able to tell if the first try is going to be a good fit. At that point I'll take a picture to post, even if I'm going to rip it out and try again.

Meanwhile, here are two pictures of things going on in the yard.

Yesterday six tree swallow eggs hatched in one of the east nest boxes. They're tiny, naked, and well sheltered in their feather nest.

Fortunately it was a beautiful, warm day in West Michigan, so there was no problem opening the nest box and getting a picture. Well, actually there were a few little problems.

It was a challenge to hold the feathers out of the way to see the hatchlings without destroying the cosy structure loving made by mom and dad tree swallow. And mom and dad tree swallow were very irate about the home invasion. They circled and dive bombed until I left.


Yesterday I was walking out in the west side yard. It's heavily shaded with pine and oak trees and pretty much left to grow natural, except for groups of hostas I've planted for color.

It was a surprise to find this lovely Jack-in-the-Pulpit growing big and healthy under a pine tree. We've lived here fourteen years and this is the first time I've seen one on our property or anywhere nearby.

They make berries/seeds in the fall, so I suspect this plant arrived via bird poop. It looks happy here. I hope it spreads and multiples.

Thanks little bird, wherever you are.

Neckline Done, On to the Sleeves

All weekend long I procrastinated getting the Lavold sweater out of the bag to frog and reknit the neckline so it would fit over my head. I knew I was not doing it. I delighted in not doing it.

There were times when I thought about never knitting on the Lavold sweater again. I had bad feelings about the yarn, bad feelings about the sleeves, and especially bad feelings about the neck.

Finally, last night about nine, I hauled out the bag for the moment of truth - and the truth was good. I liked the sweater, I liked the yarn, and I started having ideas about how to do the sleeves. Best of all, it only took an hour to frog that neckline back to the pickup row and reknit it with less decreases and less rows. I like the way it looks now and it fits great.

What an attitude turnaround. I'm going to have to use the throw-it-in-the-bag-for-a-month technique again when I get tired of a project.

For the sleeves, I'm going to attempt set-in sleeves knit in the round from the top down. Sound impossible? The technique is spelled out in Knitting From the Top by Barbara G. Walker. I've wanted to try it for several years now and I'm excited to finally have the perfect project to give it a try.

In the introduction, Barbara says:

Most modern knitwear is designed to be made from the lower edge up to the neck or waist. There is a popular myth to the effect that working a garment in the other direction is much more difficult. This myth has been circulated not by knitters, but by instruction writers - for the good reason that it is more difficult to write directions for such a garment . . .

Makes sense to me. I'll let you know if it still makes sense after I attempt the top down sleeves.

Book Meme

Last week I got tagged by Odysseuse for the Book Meme. Today I finally provide the answers you've all been waiting for.

By the way, if you haven't checked out Odysseuse on the Move, it's a most interesting blog written by my mother. Be sure to read the reader comments. They're just as much fun as the posts.

l. Total number of books in your house.

I'm sure there are well over a thousand and I don't plan on counting them.

2. Last book bought.

Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood. A thriller, romance type book bought in the Minneapolis airport after realizing I was going to run out of reading material with over two hours of flying time left to fill.

It was good enough to pass the time, but not so engrossing it had to be finished immediately. Perfect for the occasion. It got me to Idaho and served as bedtime reading after I arrived.

3. Last book read.

A Country Year, Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell. When I got tagged with this meme and started thinking about my favorite books, I headed for the bookshelf to find this one for a re-read.

4. Five or six books you often reread or that mean a lot to you.

Bible - The last ten years I've made a point of studying the Bible. I think it's the key to understanding life. I don't think any church or denomination has the complete picture of what the Bible is saying.

Knitting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti. She writes just like she's looking over your shoulder and teaching you how to knit. There's plenty of wisdom thrown in to go along with the technical.

For example:

Admire your work often.

In other words, frequently look at what you've knit so when you need to rip back, you're not ripping back very much. Great advice for yours truly. I try to heed it.

Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawence Newcomb. A keyed reference book to the plants.

I carry this book on all my hikes and field trips. Luanne and I have spend hours using it to identify our finds.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis's writing gives proof that it's possible to be intelligent and be a Christian.

There are some days, especially after some of the newsworthy statements that come out of the mouths of the so called Christian leadership, when I really need reassurance about that.

Html for the World Wide Web by Elizabeth Castro. Great to read cover to cover if you want to know it all. Also a fine reference book if you only want to know what you need to know to do what you want to do.

This book is always by my side while I'm on my laptop. It's extra special to me because it was a birthday gift from a good friend.

A Country Year, Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell. Essays on living with nature.

This woman is my heroine. Whenever I read this book, I get transported back to my real values about our relationship with nature, the ones I feel in my heart are right.

Other books by Sue Hubbell are also excellent.

Granddaughter Sydney Anne's Daddy (my son John, also know as Tah) has volunteered to be tagged with this meme. Thanks John. I'm looking forward to reading your answers. Meanwhile, I think I'll go check out the cute Sydney pictures on your blog Tah Tales.

Saturday Snippets

This former pansy bed is now hosting a mix of coleus and dusty miller. I hope there's enough sun to make them happy here. If not, I'll know better next time.

Young Toad was not very happy yesterday when I disturbed his bed while pulling out the pansies. But, when I was done, the soil was nice and loose, and just the way he likes it. He jumped back in and buried himself in the dirt.

Young Toad was very unhappy again today when I started digging holes in his bed and almost put a trowel through him. He jumped up on the cement and I feel very fortunate that I don't understand toad language. I'm sure what he had to say wasn't nice.

By the time his half of the bed was planted, he was ready to jump back in, but I made him pose for this picture first.

The tree swallows are very protective of their nest. When I walk anywhere near, they circle round and round dive bombing my head.

The first few years I monitored swallow nests, this bothered me so much I would quickly leave. Now I know they never intend to actually make contact. I'm able to ignore them and do whatever needs to be done in the space they consider part of their territory.

The six little eggs are still in the nest. Mom and Dad are both alive and vigilant. Approximate hatch day is next Wednesday.

Here's my beautiful Granddaughter, Sydney Anne.

Dad was trying to get her to smile for the camera. She almost did it.

Even if it's not a big smile, it's incredibly cute. I love this picture.

Knitting Log for May 27

Heather's Birthday Socks
She asked for RED and she got RED! I aim to please with birthday socks.

The socks were knit with Opal UNI-Solid using Joy Slayton's pattern, Hearts 'N Hugs.

I've had this pattern for years and was waiting for the right inspiration and the right yarn. The red Opal just begged to be something with hearts in it, so I pulled out the pattern and started knitting. The only change I made was to rib the back of the socks instead of leaving them plain. I want to be sure the socks are snug to Heather's legs so the lacy hearts will show.

Here's a better look at the stitch pattern.

Frogged Une's Scarf
Une's Scarf in Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud is frogged. I had 15 rows done and many hours invested. It was a sad but necessary death to a project that just wasn't working.

Even though Knitpicks recommends Une's Scarf as a project for Alpaca Cloud, I have to wonder if they have seen the results of such a mating. Alpaca Cloud is very very fine, about 30% thinner than the yarn called for in the pattern. Knitting Alpaca Cloud on a size 6 needle gives a very airy fabric, nothing like the picture of Une's scarf in Scarf Style. I didn't like it.

I started the scarf when I was sick and lacking judgment, or I never would have made it through fifteen rows without realizing the results were not as expected.

My opinion - the opinion of an inexperience fine lace knitter - Alpaca Cloud is too fine to knit on size 6 needles. I would love to be educated by dissenting opinions. Maybe it was just this pattern. Maybe it was just me not knowing how awful lace can look before it is blocked.

Back to the Lavold Sweater
I have no more excuses to procrastinate finishing up the neck and sleeves on the Lavold Silky Tweed sweater. Tomorrow it comes out of the bag and the too small neck gets frogged. Before this three day weekend is over I hope to have it well on it's way to the finished list.

Poppies and Pansies in Chicago

Nature is so beautiful that humankind can't resist the urge to improve it, rearrange it, and/or make art out of it. In horticulture, the result is a garden. Bring on the bulldozers, the backhoes, the topsoil, the compost, the greenhouses, and thousands of hours of work, and see what can be done.

The results are fleeting as plants bloom and fade in a short time span. The effect is ever changing, but, when done right, a total treat for the eyes.

Yesterday Luanne and I took a bus tour (3.5 hours one way) to a place that does it right, the Chicago Botanic Garden. Here are gardens like you'll never see at my house. What a pleasure to admire the work of the 200 employees and 1000 volunteers.

My favorite display was the hillside of annual poppies. I've drooled over a similar display in a garden catalog. How cool to see it done in real life.

Each of these poppy plants was started in a greenhouse and then manually transplanted to the hill in early spring. They're at the end of their blooming season now. In fact, our guide told us that spring floral displays normally would be replaced by summer displays by the last week in May, but the weather has been cool this year so they're been able to leave the spring displays an extra week or so.

When these poppies are removed, they will be composted. The end. All the poppy work goes in the compost pile and a summer blooming hillside is planted from greenhouse seedlings.

Same thing with the planters. These are spring planters and will be completely replaced with summer planters.

Last fall I bought pansies and planted a little patch in the back yard. They were some hybrid variety with huge flowers, and I was very impressed with them when I planted them. They wintered over and bloomed this spring, but the blooms are so large the stems don't support them well. My pansies are flopping every which way, some face down in the dirt, and don't look anywhere near as pretty as the smaller upright pansies in the Chicago Botanic Garden planter in the picture.

Live and learn.

I'll be taking a trip to the greenhouse today to pick up several flats of annuals for summer. I need something to replace the pansies, and a flat of impatiens for a spot of color in the shade.

Memorial Day weekend (this coming weekend) is the traditional time for planting summer annuals in Michigan. It's our annual declaration that we do not expect another frost until next October. Are you listening, Mother Nature?

Ear Infection Education

Oh, the things I've learned.

According to the Physician's Assistant who checked out my ear last Saturday, I have a high tolerance for pain. Not sure I agree with that. Just because I don't cry and scream doesn't mean I don't feel it.

The infected ear is getting better. It no longer hurts, but I still can't hear out of it. I've learned that it's very difficult to pinpoint sounds when only one ear is functional.

This was the first time I've been to the doctor for an infection in almost a decade. Occasionally my throat hurts, I ignore it, it turns into a cold and goes away. I've learned that ears don't act the same as a throat. If my ear ever starts to hurt again, I'm getting to the doctor as fast as possible.

I've learned that Odysseuse has tagged me with a book meme. I usually don't do chain type memes, but she's my mother. How can I say no?

When I answer the meme, I'll need to tag another blog. Is there a volunteer? You can check out the questions here.

Start of Ene's Scarf

I'm sick. I have an ear, nose, throat, infection and a nasty cough. This is the first ear infection I've ever had in my sixty year life. I don't ever want another one.

It hurts, I can't hear, and can barely think, and the beautiful month of May is a rotten time to be sick. I did go to the doctor on Saturday, so hopefully the drugs are working and things will be back to normal soon. In the meantime, I decided being sick was the perfect excuse to knit on something new instead of the two projects I should be finishing.

This is Ene's Scarf, designed by Nancy Bush and published in Scarf Style. It's a charted pattern and easy to follow from the charts.

The pattern calls for a size 6 32" or longer circular needle. All I had was a 24" and it's working fine.

The yarn is Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud, a lace weight 100% baby alpaca, in color Horizon. So far the yarn gets an A+. It's soft, it's pretty, it knits smoothly. I wound 100g/880 yards of it into balls and never found a knot.

If I wasn't sick there wouldn't be time in May to sit for hours and hours doing tedious stitch counting on a lace scarf knit with very fine yarn. Unfortunately, with the stress of the pain and the coughing my brain isn't working as well as it might, so I've also been doing tedious tinking back. But I do think the cast on and the first five rows are correctly done now. With the pattern established, it's getting easier to see mistakes soon after I make them.

This is the first time I've knit with lace weight yarn and the first time I've knit a triangular shaped garment starting at the longest end. Ene's cast on is even longer than the longest side - the cast on is all the stitches on the border of the two sides of the V. 375 stitches.

I think I like knitting the endless, long rows while the project is still fresh and interesting. By the time I'm bored with it, the rows will be getting shorter and shorter until suddenly the scarf is done.

Blogging the Bogging

A beautiful sunny day in May, the perfect time to go admire the orchids in the bog. Luanne and I met at the Westnedge Street entrance.

Bishop's Bog is the largest (145 acres) relic bog in southern Michigan. Since it's in the City of Portage, the Portage Parks Department has provided a 1.75 mile walkway through the bog. I'm glad I don't pay taxes in Portage, but kindly thank those who do.

The walkway is great. It's made of hollow plastic and is somehow suspended on top of the water. When we walked on it, water shoot up through the holes in the plastic in spurts sometimes as high as our heads. We tried to reduce the squirt effect by not walking together. I'm sure it helped a little.

There was slippery mud on part of the walkway. We went slow and careful so as not to end up on our butts - or even worse, on our butts in the water.

Eventually the water with depth turns into very spongy soil, mostly covered with moss. I don't think it was walkable. We didn't try.

About a half mile into the bog is the Pink Lady Slipper Orchid patch, what we came to see. And we weren't disappointed. We spotted dozens of the beauties, and some were close enough to the walkway so we could see every detail.

We also spotted a few Pitcher Plants, but they were not in bloom. The Pitcher Plants have leaves shaped like a pitcher and they hold water. Insects crawl into the pitcher leaves, get caught by the tiny hairs inside, fall into the water and the plant digests them.

Many of the orchids were still in bud stage, not fully bloomed. I thought the pre-bloom was just as pretty as the full bloom.

There is more information, a beautiful orchid picture, and detailed instructions on how to find Bishop's Bog here.

Very Last Backyard Leaves Contest Post

Look what I got in the mail from Birdsong! Isn't this the cutest knitting card ever?

That is real wool, real needles, real knitting. Inside is a special, handwritten note (she has beautiful handwriting) thanking me again for the scarf.

Birdsong was the winner of the Backyard Leaves Scarf I knit and gave away to a randomly selected commenter. If you click on the Birdsong link, you'll see a picture of her wearing the scarf after she received it last Saturday. (You'll also see cute and interesting burro pictures.)

She has been more appreciative and gracious than I ever expected from the winner. In fact, this was the first contest I ever tried and I didn't know what to expect from anyone.

In general, there were few surprises. The contest went smoothly.

All of the comments were either friendly, flattering, helpful, or amusing. I enjoyed hearing from my readers and tried to answer as many comments as possible. Also, I had fun visiting the blogs of the commenters who left a link.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was surprised that only about 5% of visitors to Stitches of Violet left a comment to enter the contest. I would have guessed at least 30% would do so. There were several interesting thoughts on why there were so few comments compared to number of readers.

I'm thinking maybe knitters are too nice to want to get something for nothing. No? Maybe knitters don't want something that's already knit. Is yarn a better contest prize?

Will I have another contest?

Yes. It was fun. Any suggestions?

Bird Update for May 18

Glory and I went to the fish hatchery today to check on the swans and were delighted to see the swan families out swimming and hunting for food with their newly hatched cygnets.

Actually, I was the only one delighted. Glory didn't seem to care at all. She was busy wishing I'd let her off leash to go swim in the pond.

I didn't.


Last Thursday I took this picture of the five baby bluebirds in the nest box. They were twelve days old, just on the cusp of being too mature for it to be safe to have the box opened. I haven't opened it since.

After thirteen days the young birds are busy exercising their newly feathered wings. They think they are able to fly away, and might do so if I opened the box.

Their parents know they're not ready yet. When they are eighteen days old, their parents will show them how to get out of the nest box and into the big, dangerous world. That's due to happen tomorrow.


On the other side of the field there is a tree swallow nest with six eggs due to hatch approximately May 31.

The tree swallows are very into white feathers. Last year a nesting pair feathered the nest box to the top. This year's couple is more conservative with their feather usage.

The feathers work well to keep in the heat and hid the eggs from predators.


There are six eggs in the nest, one still hidden by the feathers.

Linking to Some Good Stuff on May 15

Thursday morning I sent the Backyard Leaves scarf to contest winner Birdsong in California. She received it on Saturday.

Then, bless her heart, she put it on and took a picture to post on her blog. Check it out. She's an interesting lady with an intersting blog. And the scarf looks great on her.

Colette is a knitter, spinner, and Master Gardener on Washington's Kitsap Penninsula. All things that interest me, but she hooked me on her blog, Sereknitty, with some great pictures of an egg hatching.

It's worth a click and a few minutes of your time to check out her Hey Chickie! post from May 7.

For any who would like to see sixteen new pictures of one month old Granddaughter Sydney taken while I was in Idaho, they're here.

KnitPicks Samples Knit Up

I was fortunate enough to be one of the customers who received the latest Knitpicks Catalog with knitable yarn samples inside. In anticipation of knitting a Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets, I grabbed a #4 Addi Turbo and knit them up in the pseudo rib stitch of the pattern.

I was able to get a good idea what the four yarns are like, but it's difficult to take that tiny swatch and imagine how it would be in a jacket.

The jacket pattern calls for a DK weight at 6 stitches per inch.

The resulting swatches are too small to get an accurate gauge. The approximate gauges listed below are after washing and simple lay-it-on-a-towel blocking.

Merino Style (upper left) in Iris. A 4 ply DK weight yarn, 100% Merino Wool. My approximate gauge 5.5 stitches per inch.

Very nice non-fuzzy yarn with a matte finish and good stitch definition. It's not a soft as the other three and even feels a bit like a cotton blend with elasticity.

I think I'd like knitting with it, but would need to tighten up the gauge to 6 stitches per inch for the jacket.

Andean Silk (upper right) in Lettuce. A 4 ply worsted weight yarn, 55% superfine alpaca, 23% silk, 22% merino wool. My approximate gauge 5.5 stitches per inch.

The sample was in navy blue, so I knit the swatch with a piece of left over yarn from the Backyard Leaves scarf. I already know this is a pleasant yarn to knit. It has a soft halo and a shiny finish. Very rich looking.

Wool of the Andes (lower left) in Evergreen. A 4 ply worsted weight yarn, 100% Peruvian wool. My approximate gauge 5.25 stitches per inch.

Nice, soft, basic wool. Good stitch definition.

Would be a good choice for the jacket except for the gauge. I'll be using it for CIC socks once I get my current CIC sock yarn stash used up.

Andean Treasure (lower right) in Old Rose. A sport weight yarn, 100% baby alpaca. My approximate gauge 6.25 stitches per inch.

moderately fuzzy and heathery. Very soft.

When I first knit the sample I thought the size 4 needle was too large, but the yarn bloomed after washing and the stitches are not too loose at all.

Perfect Little Hands

I love baby noises, baby smells, baby smiles, soft baby skin, and baby wiggles. Most of all, I love baby hands.

This, of course, is Granddaughter Sydney holding my finger while I was in Idaho last week. So soft, so tiny, so completely precious.

Yes, I had a wonderful visit. I loved her before I ever met her and I love her more now.

I can't say that we know each other, because she is barely a month old. By the time I see her again in August, she will need to learn my face all over again.

She won't remember when she was four weeks old and I held her, loved her, walked her, rocked her, sang to her, and she held my finger.

But I'll never forget.

Backyard Leaves Scarf Winner Is . . . .

. . . . Birdsong!

She left this comment on the 4th scarf post:

Marguerite, this is turning out so well! I want to add this one to my list to make, although I probably will put it in the crafts cooperative for sale instead of being as generous as you. Thanks for your kind heart.

Check out her blog A View From Sierra County where you can read about:

Small town life and politics, lots of knitting, and travels with and without my five burros.

The May 11 post features some very pretty lace knitting and the May 10 entry has burro pictures you shouldn't miss.

Birdsong was chosen in a totally random and anonymous way by DH Bob who didn't see names or comment content when he was picking the winner.

Just had to make that perfectly clear since the comment is so sweet and she even spelled my name right.

Congratulations Birdsong. Hope the scarf brings you some pleasure, even if the pleasure comes from selling it at the coop.

It's all yours to do with as you please.

Happy Mother's Day Anne, Heather, and Mom

All three of these wonderful mothers belong at the top of the list. So how to arrange the pictures? Let's go with newest mother first. I'm sure the more experienced mothers will understand.

Next dilemma, what to write? Each one has touched my heart in so many ways it's impossible to express my love and admiration for them without writing a book.

If I don't limit myself, I'll be writing for weeks, so I'll only pick one main theme for each woman. Please know that each of these mothers approaches perfection.

Love
Anne is one of the nicest, kindest, warm and loving women I have ever met. I'm so blessed that she's married to my son and is the mother of my new granddaughter, Sydney Anne.


Character
Heather Louise is a woman who has worked hard for years and is finally earning some of the respect and compensation she deserves in the working world. I am blessed to have her for a daughter. She is also the mother to my first granddaughter, Kimberly Louise.


Zest for Life
Marguerite Louise knows how to avoid old age. She may be old enough to be my mother (she IS my mother), but her heart is young. She is full of energy and enthusiasm for life. Just in the past month she has started learning some html and lauched her own blog, Odysseuse on the Move, an interesting blog written by an interesting lady.

Language Quiz

This is a fun little quiz to take.

My results are very accurate. I've never lived south of Chicago. I'm an upper midwestern American, and, evidently, I talk like one.

If you give it a try, let me know if it pegs you, too.

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Joanne's Basketweave Ribbing Socks

Last week I received an email from Joanne saying:

I am Joanne and I have just finished knitting your lovely sock pattern. I used Sock That Rock yarn which I dearly love to work with. Next will be Opal that I won in the drawing. I thought you might be interested in a picture of the socks I knit from your pattern. Thanks so much for sharing a lovely idea!

Yes I was interested! I love seeing socks that people have knit from my patterns. (Links on the sidebar.)

When I wrote back to Joanne asking for permission to post her gorgeous sock picture, I also asked about the yarn. She replied:

I would be honored if you posted my sock on your site. I have admired your work and I am fairly new at this sock making business so I would be very
proud to be included. Your pattern was a joy to make and the Socks That Rock yarn is outstanding.

She may be new to sock knitting but looking at all those even, tidy stitches I bet she's not a new knitter. Beautiful knitting, Joanne.

A little more from Joanne about the Socks That Rock Yarn:

It is very tightly spun and has a nice elasticity to it. This is my second pair of socks using this yarn.

The website shows all the wonderful colors....you will drool when you see them!

The yarn is available from The Fold in Marengo, Illinois. The colorway in the picture is Watermelon Tourmaline, a semi precious stone/rock. Love it.

Sad Dogs and Red Socks

Oh no! Mom's got that big black box with wheels thing out of the closet and she's putting her stuff in it!

We know what that means. She's going to go into that big building with the big noisy things that fly and she won't come back out for a long long time.

We are people dogs and we like our whole family to be together. Dad will take good care of us, but we're going to miss Mom.

My flight leaves at 7:23 in the morning. A decent hour if we weren't supposed to be at the airport two hours before that time.

The Kalamazoo Airport is small so I can fudge a little on the two hours, but it's still a half hour drive and we're all going to be up before the sun.

That's right, all of us. Bob believes it is important the dogs see me go into the airport so they know what happened to me.

My opinion is that the dogs would rather stay home and sleep at that hour. But he's the one who has to answer them when they start looking for me, so he's going to get his way.

I'm taking Heather's birthday socks to work on while I'm in Idaho.

The red Opal UNI-Solid just begged to be hearts, so it will be. This pattern is Joy Slayton's Hearts 'N Hugs.


Weather Whine
Mom and Dad bluebird are delivering food to the nest box, but it's too cold, windy, and wet to open it and get a picture of the hatchlings. In fact, it snowed several times today. Not serious snow, but obvious white stuff coming down.

Looking on the bright side, the weather saved me from going out to do yard work today and getting sore for the trip. Every snow cloud has a silver lining.