RIP

That's it. That's the last picture I took with my camera before I killed it.

As the guys were putting in on the back nine at Superior National in Lutsen, I decided to snap a few shots of the lupines blooming on a nearby hill. When they had finished up, I threw the camera in my pocket, hopped into the cart, and picked them up to head on to the next hole. Bad choice.

Now any golf course is what, 98% turf/2% cart path, right? Shouldn't the odds be in my favor that when that camera flies out of my pocket as I'm driving to the next shot that it would land on a soft carpet of green instead of unforgiving asphalt? I think so, but that was not the case. Ah, cruel fate. And now it's gone.

It had a good life. It's been all over the US and Europe. It's been to weddings, graduations, baptisms, holidays, and family gatherings. It served me well and died on a beautiful hill overlooking Lake Superior.

That was the only downside of a wonderful week on the North Shore. The weather was perfect, the cabin we rented was great, and there was lots of (too much) terrific food and drink.

At home our non-summer summer continues. Rain, clouds, cool weather. The garden is getting plenty of moisture, but could sure use some sun and heat to get things going. Lettuce is happy; tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and cukes are still waiting for the temperature to move up. I'd take a picture, but...

...AND later that day. The destruction continues. In case you're wondering, you cannot put an iPod shuffle in the washing machine. Ear buds, yes; shuffle, no. I'm going to cry now.

Get Outside While You Can

Finally, gardening weather. Well, sort of. We are having a remarkably unremarkable spring this year. Okay, in all honesty, the weather blows. Cool and wet. A non-spring spring. In between the showers I have managed to get most of the garden in, but the poor seeds and sprouts aren't getting much enticement to grow. We just can't seem to string together two or three warm and sunny days in a row.

I'm hoping June will improve our lot--and my odds of eating some homegrown lettuce.

Despite the weather, the perennial beds are filling in nicely. Apparently, the heavy snow cover did a good job of protecting the plants underground. Never content, however, I have shuffled a few things around, and I can tell you, transplanting gives you a whole new appreciation for what's going on under the garden.

In an attempt to make some more room in the vegetable bed, I wanted to move an old rhubarb plant. Those roots were like tree branches! No wonder you can't kill that stuff. I thought that was a battle I might lose in the end. The phlox needed dividing and that was the same story. Those are the plants for me!

Another vigorous "weed" that I love is the Lily of the Valley. They're blooming like crazy right now and a handful of them in a vase perfume the whole house.

Trying to keep up with my regular chores along with the yard work doesn't leave much time for anything else, but I did manage to cast on a new sweater project. As tired as I've been, I couldn't resist that Webs box. I dug out the Berroco Blackstone Tweed and settled on Fylingdales from A Fine Fleece. It isn't a terribly complicated pattern, so I thought it would be a good one for an unpredictable summer.

The yarn is a soft blend of wool, mohair, and angora and is a beautiful dark blue. I'm not such a big fan of these 50 gram balls that roll around and pop out of my knitting basket though.

Before I got started, I read through the notes from other knitters over at Ravelry, and I have to agree, the directions for the set-up row of the cabled pattern are lacking clarity. The directions aren't wrong, but they sure could use some improvement. It helped to know that I had to be on my toes ahead of time.

See all that knitting? That's the result of a frustrated gardener who would rather be outside!

Webs Delivery

My box o' yarn from Webs was waiting for me when I got home yesterday afternoon. How great is that? Three sweaters-to-be. Hours and hours of fun in a little cardboard box.

Let the swatching begin!

I'm leaning toward starting with the blue Berroco Blackstone tweed and the "Fylingdales" pattern in A Fine Fleece. Since the yarn is a darker blue, I think a simple pattern is the best. No point in doing a bunch of complex cables on such a dark field. Mmmm, but the Lamb's Pride is such a pretty brown. I sound like an addict.

By the way, as much as I love this book---and I do love this book, the one major downside is the photography. It's not that the pictures aren't beautiful; they are. It's just that they don't give a knitter much information. Go ahead and do all the artsy shots you want, but throw me one picture where I can actually see most of the sweater. Ravelry pictures have been more useful than the book itself.

In the category of ta-da, I finally finished a little Cabled Baby Blanket that I started ages ago. I needed a break from Prayer Shawls as my movie watching project, so several months ago I grabbed a cone of acrylic sport weight yarn that I've had forever and cast on a blanket for Birthright.

It's true. No sheep were robbed to make this blanket, but it's just not practical to think that a young mother is going to hand wash spit-up off a blanket, so it's a good fit.

The pattern is simple to memorize. The sport weight gauge did mean slow progress--just right during our long winter. Now I think that there's enough yarn left on the cone to cast on a sweater to go with it. Maybe even booties. A baby ensemble.

Mitred Crosses Blanket

Sometimes fun projects land right in your lap. That was the case with the Knitted Quilt I finished up over the weekend.

In March I saw Kay Gardiner's post about the pattern she had developed to sell to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Like many of the other Mason-Dixon patterns, this is a simple and beautiful interpretation of a practical household item--and for a good cause to boot.
Before I knew it, I was hooked. The technique keeps you interested and the color changes in the yarn lure you in to see what's around the next corner of the block. I also like that it's a portable project. In fact, I'm going to start another one to keep in a basket as a take-along project for this summer.

There is one change I will make in the next one. Rather than join the squares by using a three-needle technique, I think I'll take the time to sew the squares together by hand. If I do it as I go along, I don't think it will be too overwhelming, and I think the end result will be worth it. I'm very happy with the first one.

My next project is coming out of a book of patterns that were suggested to me by a friend. (Thanks, Deb.) That book is A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd.

Usually, I won't buy a book unless there are at least a couple of patterns that I know I will use---although that rule has been broken on more than one occasion for a must-knit item. This book should keep me going for a couple of years of fun cable knitting. Honestly, I couldn't decide which pattern to knit first! So far, I've narrowed it down to three or four.

I've got a box of yarn on order and will be waiting for the UPS man to deliver the goods.

In the meantime, I'm hoping that spring weather will finally come to MN and that I'll be kept busy in the garden. Last week I went from sitting at a Twins game in a snowstorm to a warm beautiful day of cleaning out my flower bed and back to snowflakes again. I guess we shouldn't complain about a little chilly weather with the terrible storms down south. I'm anxious to get digging!

Hope Springs Eternal

This is what hope looks like.

Warm days have been few and far between so far this spring, but I guess the word hasn't gotten out to the crocus. They're going to bloom regardless of the weather, and what a welcome sight. I like that attitude--if in fact crocus can have an attitude--because quite frankly, the only thing that's been worse than the tough winter we've had this year is all the complaining people have done about it. It is Minnesota. It's going to be cold and snowy once in a while, right? Toughen up and look to the crocus!

The rest of the garden is starting to show some activity too. Sprouts and buds are popping up everywhere. I even saw a few stalks of asparagus and could harvest some chives for the kitchen. It's tempting to get out and get some things done, but honestly, there isn't much that I can do at this point other than watching and waiting. I did throw some lettuce and grass seed in the ground the other day. I'll keep an eye on its progress.

I've been having fun piling up finished squares for my Mitered Crosses Blanket. In fact, I've gotten all the blocks completed and am starting to put them together. It took me a while to figure out the best way to seam the finished blocks. The original pattern recommends using a three-needle join which sounds good to me. Who wants to hand sew all those seams?

My first attempt didn't turn out so great. The divot between the garter stitch rows seemed too pronounced. Frog, frog. So then I thought, why not work with that and join them wrong sides together for a ridge that could be part of the design. Nope. Frog, frog.

I ended up going back to the suggested method, but this time I used a size 8 needle--the blocks were knit with a size 6--both for picking up the stitches and working the bind off. The more relaxed seam and some good blocking when I'm finished should do the trick.

Blocking should be exciting. I'm having flashbacks to some past laundry incidents with red and lighter colors in the same garment. Keep your fingers crossed that this yarn doesn't bleed and I end up with a pink throw. Maybe the first step will be to give the whole thing a soak in a light vinegar and water solution just to be sure that the colors are set.

Guess I won't worry about that just yet. I've got more blocks to join and lots of i-cord to go.

Flu, Flowers, and Finishing Up

Yep. Lost a whole week to the flu. It's too bad that you have to wait until you feel like total crap to have a week like I did last week. Sometime I should just fake the whole thing and spend several days in a row in my pajamas, reading books, taking naps, watching old movies, and not doing one lick of anything at all resembling productive work. That sounds so good, except I was too darn sick to appreciate how great I had it.

With an energy level that is still mostly low, even I know that I can only be a slug for so long. A guilty conscience kicks back in again when a fever breaks. So, today was simply about getting up, getting dressed, and getting out to see something besides these four walls.

What could be a better way to snap out of a funk than a visit to Macy's Spring Flower Show? Not surprisingly, we weren't the only ones who thought this was the place to be on a cold day in late March. The crowds, however, were totally worth the show. This might be one of the best I've ever seen.

Gorgeous displays and color combinations, and all the flowers haven't even come to full bloom yet. We've even thinking about going back next week to see it again. I'm sure it must smell as great as it looks. (Not sure about that one yet.)

After we got our fill of the flowers and had a bite, we decided to swing by the Conservatory on our way home and see what they were showing for their spring display.

Como was nearly as popular--looks like every Minnesotan is craving some signs of spring. Another beautiful display, and even my stuffed up sinuses could pick up the fragrance of all the hyacinths in bloom.

It was tough to walk past the mountains of dirty melting snow to get back to the car. We could feel the orneriness build. Come on! Enough! Lucky I remembered the camera so I can remind myself that there are better times ahead, and soon, I hope.

Now that I think about it, I was somewhat productive over the weekend. Fun productive. I cast-on a new knitting project. Last week I had purchased and downloaded Kay Gardiner's (Mason-Dixon Knitting) Mitered Crosses Blanket Pattern.

The proceeds from the cost of the pattern will be donated to aid people in Japan who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami, so go buy it. Besides contributing to a great cause, it's such fun to knit and so pretty!

Warning: This pattern is addicting. The "one more row" syndrome is compounded by the "one more square", by the "one more border." Yikes.

Instead of using the prescribed Noro, for my Knitted Quilt I went with the more cost conscious Lion Brand yarns--Fisherman's Wool and Amazing. So far, it looks fabulous. (In my humble opinion.) Trust me, no need to look down your knitting nose at either of these yarns. They are perfect substitutions.

I also put the finishing touches on my EZ EPS Henley this weekend. Good old Elizabeth comes through again. Don't you just love her practical advice? She's a very liberating instructor. I only wish I would have gotten her books years ago when I was first learning to knit.

Color work is still not my favorite knitting technique, but it's definitely more doable when knit in the round.

A Brief Respite

Since Spring doesn't seem to be coming to us any time soon, we decided to go and find some on our own. The Como Park Conservatory seemed like the perfect place to take in the sights and smells that we miss so much during our long winters.

The minute you step in the door, you can feel the change in humidity. The coat comes off, and you just inhale. It's warm, it's tropical, it's green. I could stay here awhile.


The Winter Flower Show is full of fragrant lilies, cyclamen, and camellias. There are also many colors of amaryllis blooms and azaleas. This particular show lasts until March 20. It's hard to imagine that they can top this for the Easter display. Trust me, they will.


The 'La Mancha' Lily is the one that caught my eye. The blossoms are huge, and the colors are just gorgeous. It's a Zone 5 lily, so it would take some pampering if we had a tough winter, but I think I'll have to give it a try. My other lilies seem to be a favorite rabbit food. I'd have to work hard to protect this one.




Last, but not least there were all kinds of one of my all time favorites--the foxgloves. I've had mixed luck with these in my garden. Last year was the first time that I was really happy with the results. Apparently, there are some varieties now that will bloom in their first year. You just plant them like annuals. I'll have to put those on the list as well.


We finished off the afternoon with lunch at Brasa on Grand. Also a place that smells very, very good.

Spring was nice while it lasted; more snow is on the way tomorrow.