weekending...

In spite of what the calendar says, for 'us' this was Labor Day weekend.  (yes, that was the royal 'us'.  PapaGeek labored all weekend in the garden---while I only donated a few guilt-induced hours.)  

 

The results were rather dramatic.  The garden beds went from looking like Sleeping Beauty's overgrown slumber chamber, to .... well, take a look....

The vitex got trimmed back so you could actually find the little hole in the ground we affectionately call 'the pond'; it got cleaned out, amazingly the pump still works, but-- needless to say, the water plants and the goldfish were no more. (We'll do the fish-thing next week when the grands are here.  Dick, the indoor-goldfish, has refused to relocate.  Smart fish.)

 

Not a weed in sight.  PapaGeek is an EXCELLENT weeder.  

My weeding plan this summer was---pull a few as you walk by them every time you go to or from the car or mailbox.  This was not working for several reasons, but the biggest was---this side of the house we rarely walk to.  Big mistake in not putting a gate on this side of the fence to the backyard.  One lone echinacea plant is all the color over here now; the baptista was really pretty in the spring, but was the only color then.  This bed has SERIOUS planting problems.  I obviously  need to walk here more often.

 

EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!  Maybe not.

 

If we DID replace a panel and put in a gate, this is what it would open into.  The thought of moving all those plants just gave me a headache.  

This is one of the tiny sections I 'weeded'. I would give myself a D-.  Obviously, I have a redo in my future.   (It looks pretty good from the front, though.)

My 'weeding' time also consisted of a run to a local nursery. A few new pillows for the porch and finally some plants for this planter.  (Yes, they are just plopped in the planter.  I'll plant them some other day.)

I carefully weeded around the zucchini plant growing in the middle of the flower garden (as well as staking a few volunteer tomato plants that magically appeared among the flowers.  The tomatoes I actually PLANTED aren't doing so well.  I'm holding out a lot of hope for the volunteers this year.)

 

And then, there was...

:: dinner with the 'holiday' group

:: a Texas barbeque party at some friends' (they are amazing gardeners; I'm reinspired to get out and dig more in the dirt.)

:: and(of course!) a little knitting...

 New cast on:  Wool Leaves by Jared Flood using Biggo (KnitPicks washable merino in super bulky)  The yarn is ultra soft---perfect for baby knitting, but so bulky I feel as if I'm knitting with that snake. (note: snake and yarn are the same color.  YUCK.)  It's a labor of love.  I love the pattern, I love the softness of the yarn, but I HATE the #11 needles and am really laboring with them.  (It called for #13---I just couldn't do it.)

 

 New bound off:  Light and Up

Zauerball turned out to be a lovely yarn; it knit up much softer than I thought it would, giving the shawl a nice drape.  The #8 was tolerable compared to the 11s.

But, my heart was with the tiered shawl.

 The first tier is almost completed.  I'm not sure I'm going to love the finished shawl.  Or the colors.  But, who cares? Fingering weight WOOL yarn knit with a small needle, outside on the porch on a fairly humid-free-for-us weekend---it just doesn't get any better than this. 

Life is good.

Comments

[Chrystel]

It looks great!

[Tracey]

I had another snake too so I know exactly how you felt.
I think your yard looks so pretty. Ours was looking a little crunchy since it's July, but today there is rain!!!
I really want to see that baby blanket when you are finished. Do you think it would look okay in fingering weight with smaller needles and turn it into a scarf?
Enjoy a great Sunday.

[steph@woolythyme]

absolutely.  this leaf pattern is very adaptable...easy to memorize....i think it would make a great scarf.

[Dianna]

I love the therapy my flower gardens give me. Yours look AMAZING! A lot of planning went into them. Your completed shawl is beautiful. I like the colors a lot. Hope you enjoy the remainder of the weekend!

[kathy b]

\Im going to check into BIGGO~! fireman is a great weeder too. its genetic

[rusty duck]

Snake? SNAKE? Real snake??
The garden does look good though.

[ladycordelia]

WOW. Girl, come on over and help me with my landscaping.
xoxoxo

[steph@woolythyme]

actually, it was a really dead snake.  phew.  i knew i welcomed the neighborhood cat for a reason.

[donaknits]

I think I'd be more frightened by a dead snake than a live one :s
yuck yuck. Fortunately, your blanket is much more beautiful and soft! :)
Beautiful garden by the way :)

[Erin @ Wild Whispers]

Dead or alive!? YUK! No snakes for me! LOL! The garden looks awesome!

[Laura]

Daughter #1 asked for a Gap-tastic cowl. Unbelievably, I had the needles in my collection. 9mm are huge and very awkward to knit with. On the plus side, I'll be done really soon! I tried a lace pattern with big wool once, and it was disastrous. Must be why I had those needles in the cupboard in the first place!

[Tracy]

Your garden is so beautiful, Steph! Except for the snake... Well, it is beautiful in its own way, still... SNAKE!!... LOL! ;o) I love the undulating borders filled with pretty things going. My flower beds are a bit shabby this year, apart from the lavender which is doing great. We've lost some plants in recent years due to winter weather, and it's been hard filling gaps and keeping them filled! Your take on the Wool Leaves is lovely--great choice with the bulky yarn, which gives is a different look! Light & Up is wonderful too! Happy Days!!

[Katrine]

You had a full weekend!! Your gardens are lovely - and my take is that if Papa Geek likes to do that sort of thing - let him do it!!
I can't believe you are already finished with the Light and Up shawl - seems like you just cast it on the other day. Fast knitter, I'd say. Enjoy your week - you deserve it after all the managing of that weeding!!

[Donna]

Oh that snake! Ick! The gardens look so nice. Some beautiful knitting you have. I just love the shawls. The Zauerball does turn out softer than you think it will, which is perfect.

[Jennifer Miller]

Wow, that's a very long snake! Yuck. You had a seriously busy weekend, but your garden looks great.

[Michelle]

Oh, goodness, I'd be embarrassed to show any pictures of our landscaping. We haven't paid any attention to it since we moved, and the previous owners let it run wild prior to then. Your gardens look lovely!

[karen]

you have the prettiest yard EVER. I love the landscaping and I love how my eye follows the curves. The green shawl is so pretty and that pattern was perfect for the colors! My knitting was minimal with the busy weekend, but now I need to catch up to you :)

[Tien]

Your garden is so envy inducing! I love how easily it flows together. My hubby's idea of helping out in the garden is to eat all the strawberries and tomatoes as soon as they ripen. But next year I have plans for him after seeing the wonderful job PapaGeek is doing with yours. Just won't show him that dead snake...he has a deathly fear of snakes and would probably use it as an excuse for not helping out with the gardening ;) Love all the new knitting on the needles. What a great idea to use Biggo for Wool Leaves. Hopefully it will knit up fast on the size 11's.

[Iris]

you are a very fast knitter! The Zauberball wrap looks absolutely amazing, tiered scarf seems to be coming on nicely, and the Biggo yarn looks really cozy. I do know what you mean about the huge needles and bulky yarn, though. I'm knitting something on 5.5 mms at the moment and after knitting on 4.5 mm followed by sock knitting even that feels quite awkward.

Also, I love the look of your garden!!

[steph@woolythyme]

that's going to be easy....we have the boys all week and this afternoon i'm so tired i can hardly type, let alone pick up a knitting needle!  (Hoping to recover with dinner!!!!)

[ellen]

The garden looks fantastic. Idyllic, really.

I went through a phase ( a long time ago) where I was okay with snakes, when I worked at an Afterschool care program and they had 2 pet ones. The Albino girl one would bite me occasionally and I would switch with a co-worker to clean the boy's tank.

But now ... the phase is over, I physically got the willies in my chair seeing the picture of the snake. ha!

Your knitting as always looks fabulous. I too found the zauberball knit up nicer than I thought it would and I'm so glad since they do such fun fun colorways.

I laugh at your disdain for the large needles, but if the knitting flew off my tiny needles with the tiny yarn like yours does, perhaps I wouldn't be so shocked at your preference for the smaller needles etc.

[Wanda]

Yes those large needles is why I haven't tackled that blanket yet! The harden is lovely... That snake... Not so much. How big was he ?

[steph@woolythyme]

not terribly 'fat'.  but over 3 feel long!

[Adele]

So I'm not the only one who doesn't like big needles and bulky yarn.

I love your yard; wish mine looked a tenth that good.