Brickless and I had a lot of togetherness last night, interspersed with a chapter here and a chapter there of Patchwork Planet while I watched one of the true miracles of nature....
I discovered this late yesterday afternoon...
A bud on my night blooming cereus...one of the ugliest plants I have ever owned. It's HUGE, gangly, and totally out of control. The leaves sprout sparsely on long, skinny 'stems'; some of those stems reach to the ceiling of my porch. But every once in a while, a bud appears, and for about 12 hours---magic happens.
about 8 pm...
about 10 pm...
midnight....
3 am (hubby woke me up!)....
6 am this morning....
The show is over.
These magnificent flowers bloom one night only.
From the size of my sprawling plant, I might get lucky and discover another bud this summer. If I do.....count on another knitting marathon, while another miracle unfolds.
joining Ginny for yarnalong.
Such beautiful knitting, but an even more beautiful flower. Great photos!
Posted by: Tracey | 07/22/2015 at 07:44 AM
flowers like this remind me that there is still glorious beauty and mystery in our world; wonderful! happy knitting!
Posted by: Elizabeth | 07/22/2015 at 08:42 AM
How sad that such a pretty flower only blooms at night when 99 % of people are sleeping!
Posted by: Jennifer Miller | 07/22/2015 at 08:50 AM
There was a movie with Mr. Wilson having a night bloomer. Funny movie. Call me when it blooms again, anytime of night, I want to see it!
Posted by: Ann Denton | 07/22/2015 at 09:48 AM
Beautiful! My grandmother had several of those in her garden, and I remember constantly being disappointed that they never seemed to bloom when I visited. So glad you got to see it!
Posted by: Kat | 07/22/2015 at 09:54 AM
These are superb images! What a magical mysterious plant! And I can't believe how fast you are going with your shawl! Wasn't it just cast on the last post?!!! You always amaze me :)
Posted by: Alina | 07/22/2015 at 10:20 AM
I've had my eye on a Brickless for a while. One day perhaps. As soon as I read about your Cereus, it immediately reminded me of a novel I read several years ago, "Cereus Blooms at Night". Thanks for the time-lapse photos. I hope you finally got some sleep! :)
Posted by: DIane | 07/22/2015 at 10:55 AM
WOW!! Such beautiful images! I see fall colors...
Happy knitting :)
Posted by: Lisa | 07/22/2015 at 11:16 AM
What an amazing flower! The knitting looks pretty great as well. I like any excuse for a knitting marathon.
Posted by: Caroline | 07/22/2015 at 12:19 PM
That is really a miracle of nature. I haven't heard of that plant before, but I'm glad to learn about it.
I love that Brickless is worsted weight. A shawl that doesn't take forever!
Posted by: Caffeine Girl | 07/22/2015 at 12:36 PM
What an odd, beautiful little flower! I am amazed by all the miracles found in nature and what great excuse to stay up late to knit. I think Brickless and I need to get acquainted--something in worsted weight(aka: fast to knit) is just what I want. Yours is stunning!
xoxoxo
Posted by: Kim | 07/22/2015 at 01:12 PM
Wow! That is beautiful! And you got such great shots. I can't believe we will be missing each other on the Cape too but like I said, if you get a free day or something just message me and I can try and come out and meet you. It's only about 90 minutes away from where I live. We stay with friends who vacation at the same time out there, so whenever they schedule the house rental is when we go.
Posted by: Donna | 07/22/2015 at 01:25 PM
i'm actually using a fingering weight and it's going to be plenty plenty large enough following the pattern!! Don't you love shawls? Any weight yarn usually works!
Posted by: steph@woolythyme | 07/22/2015 at 01:34 PM
good golly, Now I KNOW you are a hardcore gardener!! Getting up at 3 a.m. for a photo I'm impressed. Love the pile of brickless in the first photo :)
Posted by: karen | 07/22/2015 at 02:17 PM
wow that is magical and love the colour of your yarn. I haven't read A Patchwork Planet...love the title. But I'm a bif fan of Anne Tyler, I loved The Accidental Tourist.
Hope you have another miracle tonight.
debx
Posted by: Debby | 07/22/2015 at 02:18 PM
I wish, but they only bloom one time. :( Hoping to find another bud before the summer is over, but no sign of one yet!
Posted by: steph@woolythyme | 07/22/2015 at 03:51 PM
Oh, wow. What a beautiful flower! Your photos are great. I love the colors in that yarn you're using; they remind me of fall, my favorite season.
Posted by: Jennifer | 07/22/2015 at 04:13 PM
did you spend the whole night knitting on the porch???
Posted by: Sara | 07/22/2015 at 05:30 PM
oh my gosh, that is absolutely beautiful!! Totally worth being up at 3 a.m. for, I've never seen anything liek it. What a little miracle!
Posted by: Julie | 07/22/2015 at 07:45 PM
WOW!! Such a beautiful 12 hours. Yes, I'd say if there is another it is worthy of another knitting marathon. ;) Thank you for making the effort to get photos for those of us who slept all night. hehee. Have a great day, Steph. blessings ~ tanna
Posted by: tanna | 07/23/2015 at 06:14 AM
Wow, that plant is amazing! And what an honour you got to watch this one night only spectacle!
Posted by: Tahnee | 07/23/2015 at 03:58 PM
So cool. I love the photos showing us the bloom progression!
Posted by: ellen | 07/23/2015 at 05:17 PM
What a treat to see this rare event! Beautiful photos!
Posted by: autumngeisha | 07/23/2015 at 09:29 PM
Oh my goodness! What an interesting flower. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Posted by: Becki | 07/23/2015 at 09:35 PM
Oooo... miracle flower.. just once... how precious! And how VERY beautiful! Thanks to you all for staying up all day & night to share it with us! ;o) I remember A Patchwork Planet--NICE read! I read a bit of Annye Tyler some years back--good summer reads! Happy Days ((HUGS))
Posted by: Tracy | 07/24/2015 at 06:01 AM