Up the garden path . . .

I just want to grow stuff.

Ciao, nuova amica!

Meet my new little gypsy, Roma.


She's so photogenic, if a little wiggly.















If anyone out there knows Italian, please excuse my poor guess at it!

Just lovely

This morning, I woke to a lovely sight:

These daffodils were bought yesterday as a bunch of unpromising stalks. What a difference a day makes . . .

Another F.O.!

Look look! It's the Anastasia Sock from pepperknit.com, knit up in Knitpicks' Essential in Ash. They are beautiful, and are my first pair of socks to actually fit and function like socks should! I've worn them even, and more than once.


A few weekends ago, my Anastasias made it to the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa. Here's a clip from the website:

Did You Know?
Herbert Hoover's vice president Charles Curtis was of almost half American Indian ancestry? Curtis’ mother was one quarter Kaw, one quarter Pottawatomie and one quarter Osage.

I didn't.

Ahoy!

My sweater and I have washed up on shore after a long battle at sea...















Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but after a few false starts and a long separation, Snow White is ready to be revealed.




She is perfect. Well designed, yarn of my dreams, coming to fruit at the right time of year.









I can promise better shots of the whole sweater, once I finish weaving in the ends and blocking. (and recruit my photoman.)

An Old F.O.

As the days are shortening and the mornings at staying darker longer, I am finding that I am not as much of a naturally early riser as I have thought. Over the summer months, you could find me awake and cheery at five a.m. doing homework and housework. This was good. This meant that by the nighttime, I had free time, for knitting and getting enough sleep. Not so now.

So, here is an old F.O. since there are no new F.O.'s.


This is Annie Modesitt's "Backyard Leaves," from Scarf Style.


The yarn is Karabella Aurora 8, in color 575 (pale yellow.) It was bought in my first yarn shop spree during a visit to California to see my beautiful sister. In fact, it was my first visit to a yarn shop, ever. And, no kidding, the whole store was on sale, half off, making room for new inventory. One hell of a way to start splurging on beautiful yarn (and Lantern Moon needles. Swoon.)

I love this yarn. To me, it is perfect, except expensive.




At first, the pattern was a challenge (it was only my fourth project or so) and the concept of a lace chart was a real mind-bender. But, by the time I was a few repeats into it, it got to be the kind of breezy but interesting project that you know you'll be sad to bind off on. And, oh my, there are some gorgeous elements to this pattern, my favorite of which is the ingenius slip-stitch border along the sides. Wow.



I think I will revisit this pattern again. And, with the fall setting in, I can give up my sunshine mornings if my consolation will be finally getting to wear some beautiful wool like this.


Also, Annie Modesitt's blog can be found here and is really worth a visit, for several reasons. She is a goddess of knitting design, lives in the Midwest (Minnesota), chronicled her French knitting tour there (!!) and reading about her husband's blood cancer and what it inspired her to do is a beautiful thing to me. I do, I love Annie.

World's Best Turtle

This is Tommy. Handsome, ain't he?


He is also very brave. He's recently gone "cage-free", but we are still working out the kinks...

Like how to keep him from getting his claws caught in the carpet. He had a traumatic (at least for me) incident a few days ago that left him with three toenails on one foot instead of four (as pictured.)

Turtle and foot are now doing fine, after a little bath, and little tea tree oil and a LOT of food to fuel recovery, like cantelope, pear and scrambled egg. Poor little turtle guy.



I'm not sure, but I think he blames me...