woolythyme

click-clack.....

The needles haven't been flying, but they've been steadily clicking away....

Koto....front and back are finished, worked from the bottom up, in the round, with a multitude of short-rowing that is nothing less than miraculous, because I think it turned out the way the pattern intended.  I'm not always good at blind-faith knitting, but I think this worked.  The sleeves are worked separately, which I found to be a very nice stopping point. 

Time to cast on sock #2.  Sock #1 has been finished for months....maybe years.  It's been hanging on it's sock stretcher on a cupboard so long that it's become part of the decorations; I stopped seeing it eons ago.  I vaguely remember this pattern....cute little picot edge and a decorative heel that I had never done before.  I'm actually excited to finish this.  I'm thinking I stopped because the socks were too big for me, but they were never intended to be MY socks.  DIL I think will love them.

Knitting life is good!

Happy Dance!!

(Blue-footed boobies, Galapagos Islands, September 2018)

if you see my knitting mojo would you please send him home?

Back in the 'good ole days' of early 'retirement' I'd get up, gobble some oatmeal, and settle in my 'knitting' chair with a good book and my latest project.  Sometimes I'd be listening to that book....sometimes with an easy, mindless project, I'd be reading that book.  And that was my day.  I'm not kidding.  8? 9? 10 hours of blissful knitting and reading ....occasionally even more.  

My friends would see something new---like a lace weight shawl or an afghan....and say....oh, did you whip that out yesterday?  Well, almost, although I probably had a good 120+ hours of work in it.  Socks?  A pair easily in two days.  The hours?  A LOT!  You know how it is when you see the 'finish line' of a project looming.  I was probably kitchnering at 3 am.  

I haven't seen a good marathon knitting day in months.  I haven't wanted to see a good marathon knitting day in months.  I thought my knitting mojo was just taking a little break; after all, that happens to us all, right?  Mine, though, I think has permanently moved out of town.  

This little project was supposed to lure it back.  Fun.  Fair isle.  Portable.  Pretty. 

I knit three rounds the last two days.

 

I've been out and about looking.  Mojo, where are you?

I guess I've been looking in the wrong places.

 

A Monday Moment....

a moment from the week...through the lens of my camera

 

spring springing::new smells smelling::bees buzzing::sun peeking::spring (almost!)

hurricane blue...

The aftermath of Harvey has finally made it to the Midwest....in the form (for us) of a gentle rain that has settled in for awhile.  We actually need the rain and it's predicted to move on as the long weekend progresses; we might get just enough.  Our hearts and prayers are going out to all the displaced folks south of us dealing with the nightmare amount of water Harvey dealt to them.  

Coincidentally, I happen to be knitting with hurricane water blue....in the form of Ella Rae's merino lace.  I knit with blue less often than hurricanes make landfall, so in my little knitting world this is an epic event.  Not sure why this yarn was in my stash, but it was...and now no longer is.  This featherweight is missing about an inch of its collar and the sleeves.  Its finish date looms near.

Looming near....that's my boy (always) and look what a little dumpster diving produced for him this morning?

Bliss.

an old dog learns new tricks...

Ha!  Bet you thought Freddy was starring in this post.  Sorry.  I'm the 'old dog'.  

These NoShow Socks by LaMaisonRililie were so much fun to knit, but in that sort of masochistic, torture-me way that somehow turns in to a very satisfying 'aha' moment at the end.

I hate (HATE!) toe-up socks, but decided this was the day I would learn to do Judy's Magic Cast on.  For those few of you who have not mastered this ingenious cast-on, believe me when I say you cannot do it using double point needles.  I shredded my poor sock yarn, stabbed myself to the point of drawing blood with metal dps, switched to bamboos and broke one with my unsuccessful attempts.  Plus, I wasted a whole morning. (Patience?  What's that?!?) When the light bulb (dim as it was most of the morning) finally went off and I pulled out some circulars (which, of course, is what is used in the pictures I was following!, but I hate knitting socks on circulars even more than knitting toe-up---the combination of the two just gives me the heebie-jeebies)...the cast-on flew onto my needles and I was a very, very happy toe-up knitter and I easily moved my stitches back to the dps.  

Fortunately, I already knew how to do the German short-rows (actually my preferred technique for short-rowing!!) because my learning-curve by now was at the end of its proverbial rope. (Yes, what little patience I started with was gone.)  Interesting heel (very clear instructions)....and the increased bind-off at the end was simply brilliant (although I had to get on the computer and follow the link to her tutorial...which meant, big sigh, I had to get myself off the sofa grrrrr).  I'm really wishing that I hadn't started out making these as a gift for my DIL (whose foot is much longer than mine.... I might have decided to keep them!!! they are grey afterall!), because.......

I.REALLY.WANT.A.PAIR.OF.MY.OWN!!!!  (Patience. Patience?...what's that?)

 

The rest of the weekend was spent chasing birds and butterflies....hummingbirds and monarchs to be specific.  The migration for both passes though our area ....

Hello????  Who are you sneaking into my monarch picture?

(This is the view from my computer...is it any wonder I didn't get much done this weekend?)

 

These shots fall into the 'rather-be-lucky-than-good' category (also known as 'take-a-gazillion-shots-and-hope-for-a-miracle').  I'm desperately trying to learn patience with my photography.

 

Patience.  

Obviously, not just a knitting-thing.  

 

 

bzzzzzz....

Look what has come to live at our house?!?

They appear to be settling in and orienting themselves beautifully!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I have a friend who is a beekeeper.  I have another friend who had an unwanted swarm of bees.  Beekeeper-friend asked if I would like to 'foster' a hive......

You bet I would!!!!

rain, rain....

• A trip to Memphis to visit our 'sister church'....same architect, same design---for the most part, same footprint, only our church is the baby sister.  It rained on us.

We came home with so many ideas and plans and hopes and dreams...but top priority will most likely be the gardens and ceiling tiles.  The rain certainly didn't dampen our enthusiasm!

 

• Garden Clubs of Kentucky recognized and dedicated the Monarch Watch Certified butterfly garden I've been involved with at Whitehaven; the only Monarchs to appear were eaten immediately!!  but this swallowtail made sure everyone knew we had a 'working' butterfly garden.

The dedication ended, we packed up our tables and goodies....and it rained.

 

• This was Pollinator Weekend at the Lake, so I had to make a quick trip up there to visit Alicia, owner of Ironweed Nursery where we bought the plants for the butterfly garden. She only deals in native plants; the way they took off and filled in our garden in only a year--it was actually a year to the day since we planted our baby plants!!!--- has made me a real convert, so of course, I had to buy a few for my garden.

(That was her table display....I wanted to buy that many, but didn't.  How could I have gotten them all to the car?  It was pouring!!)

 

• Between raindrops, I ran out to Mt. Kenton cemetery for my first photo assignment in the photography class I'm taking.  Something stationary.  Using a prime lens.  Camera set on automatic.  Definitely a case of a little tiny bit of knowledge making this assignment frustratingly difficult.  I always shoot in manual mode.  'Auto' stinks.  BUT...I've lived in this town almost 35 years and had never visited Alben Barkley's grave.  (He was vice president under Truman) I must admit, I was a bit disappointed; I thought the monument would be fancier and larger (I came equipped with an 8 foot ladder!! which I obviously didn't need!) But, I got to check off that local tourist stop and enjoy a few minutes of peace and solitude in a very lovely setting.  

 

And then it rained some more.  

 

And I was totally fine with that...

I baked my favorite blueberry coffee cake for Sunday School Rally Day this morning,

 

and then...

Freddy and I cozied up on the sofa and worked on yet another...sock yarn blanket.

I love rainy weekends.

weekending with the birds and butterflies....

While Freddy was usurping the computer, I was off watching hummingbirds being banded....

this little guy was an immature male ruby-throated hummingbird (rubies are the only kind we have in our area)...he had just two teeny red throat feathers.  

There were hundreds bombing the feeders....

 

while the swallowtails were bombing the Silphium perfoliatum.

 A lovely way to sweat away a morning!!!

 

* * * * * * * * *

Reminder:  there is a giveaway going on here open until the 14th.

the colour purple...

 

 

 

Shawnee Hill Lavender Farm's First Annual U-Pick weekend.  

 

I picked!

rain, nests, and new sweater...must be spring

The rain finally stopped, but it's hard to complain about its effect here after watching only a few minutes of national news.  My heart goes out to our southern friends dealing with the devastation of flooding.  My world turned upside down last year when we had about 18" of standing water in the scary basement (during which time it was referred to as the SCARY basement).  This time, fearing the worst, we found ourselves simply wet, not wading.  All is good.

To celebrate...

a few flowers.  I'd still need hip-boots to tackle the backyard where there are some daffodils blooming.  My Blenko vase is waiting for a bouquet.

The birds are starting to nest...

making questionable decisions again this year.  The term 'bird-brained' I guess was coined for a reason.  You CANNOT tell me bitty bird is comfortable in her new spring abode, but man, does she get feisty every time I pass by (which I have to...to get to my car).  It's hers and she's going to protect it, even if her babes will never figure out how to get out.

And then,

there is Boxy, growing rather steadily.  She should be finished just in time to put away for our long stretch of heat and humidity.  

 

Yep.  It must be spring.