picking up where i left off . . .

Posted on Posted in projects

wide-open flowers on the may apple when i woke up yesterday; a little fruit will form at the center, which is edible (though i’ve never indulged—btw, the rest of the plant is toxic so if you come across it, don’t nibble).

and then we had a surprising visitor—this guy hangs around at night and i often meet him in the dark when dismounting from my bike after an evening of classes. but i’ve never seen him out in broad daylight

he was gettin’ busy in that lawn—rooting around in an absolute frenzy.
“for what“, i asked david, “what do you think he’s looking for out there?”

“grubs”, said david.
ah, yes. oh joy. glad to accommodate. just stay that far from the house, please.

i’ve been knitting while david works on reorganizing our garden space outside

we’re getting rid of the raised bed boxes and expanding the planting space out there. that way, we can include vegetables we always have to skip because of lack of space. later this week we’ll put in all the plants. it got warm early this year and we probably could have done it sooner, but we almost always have a late frost in may and i really didn’t want tempt mother nature.

this may seem grossly unfair, but while david works outside, i’ve been working on new designs inside (i KNOW).

one thing, before i go any farther—jocelyn found a small error in the start shawl pattern on the setup for the top hem edging (this is why we love jocelyn). it’s a small correction which can be found on the errata page (scroll down). sorry for the inconvenience—it’s small i promise . . .

several of them are secret or in a stage that is too early to show, but i do have a new sock that is well on its way.

it’s a very subtle pattern but i love the way it works with this strongly self-striping yarn. it would work equally well with another self-striping yarn or one that pools or spirals (i happen to like certain kinds of pooling, but that’s just me).

the twisted stitches in the shifting rib pattern give a crisp effect that stands up to and has a nice interplay with the color bands, but doesn’t seem to make the fabric tight or stiff—which is what i expected. but it hasn’t come to pass; i think that’s because the placement of the twisted stitches moves from side to side and doesn’t form long, rigid ribs.

the other nice thing about the pattern is that it is a 3-stitch repeat which makes the whole thing easily resizeable, yay.

last night after posting the new shawl pattern, i felt a little tapped out, so i just relaxed with my new little nothing scarf and added a whole bunch of repeats to it

and that was just what i needed—i’m just about halfway through now, woo-hoo. this photo does not do justice to this subtle, delicate colorway dyed by kim—the photos from the other day are better, where the rainy light and surrounding greenery reallyenhance the shifting greens in it.

well, that’s all for today i think—i’m off to work on swatches and new things for a while, now that i’ve re-energized myself (lo-o-o-ong nap today—obscenely long, really. but much needed).

23 thoughts on “picking up where i left off . . .

  1. we have skunks here in my ‘hood and the animal control folks warned us that if we see them in the daytime or they don’t seem afraid, they could be rabid. (We accidentally trapped THREE skunks in the little havahart trap last summer, when I was trying to get rid of a woodchuck. Life in the urban jungle!

  2. I remember one year when our dog got sprayed by a skunk. Oh my. That was some time ago and not with our current dog. We haven’t had skunks here but an occasional snake. Very pretty socks and scarf.

  3. Today was definitely a gardening day – I was into it too!
    And you know, I can’t stay ahead on the patterns you offer – I just bought 3 and here’s this little nothing that I ADORE…

    Oh well, I’ll get some others done first, perhaps?

  4. Mmm, I love what you’re doing with Meg’s yarn! I’m a Twisted aficionado, with a good-sized collection; and it’s a constant challenge to find a pattern that doesn’t either get lost in or even detract from the lovely but marked color changes of the Organic Stripes yarns. I’m constantly playing with ideas, most of which I’m not entirely happy with.

    This is awesome! I’m looking forward to the pattern.

    I guess your new visitor is performing a service, but a little too close for comfort for me. Kind of pretty, though. From a distance!

    Still fascinated by the May apple….

  5. Great sock with a nice rythm to it — and Batty sure looks great knitted up like this, the stripes show up in all their beauty. Are you using Twisted’s Arial or Playful yarn for this?

  6. Happy Mother’s Day to your mama! I’m glad she had you! The sock yarn is really pretty. I’m so behind on your patterns. Give me a Knitspot credit card!! That’s all I ask!!

  7. naps are lovely. I recommend a taking them frequently.
    How fun that you are getting more garden space.
    And the sock-start is looking quite enticing – love that poi-puley yarn with that fun pattern.

  8. I like your “plays nice with self-striping yarns” sock. It has a nice mellow look to it.

    The skunk on the other hand brought back horrific memories of the spring they decided to nest under the house.

  9. Yeah, you might want to call animal control if you see much more of that skunk. When you see nocturnal animals coming out during the day it’s often not a good sign. Let’s just hope he’s enjoying his grubs and that’s all, though!

  10. We had fun in the last three years with first one skunk who took a liking to our front entrance – seems that when the landscape people put up my stairs they left a hole under that cement entrance.. Therefore I first had one then 3 (!!) skunks taking domicile under that… The pain: they came out at night and as they were disturbed by animals they kept spraying everywhere.. and strong.. We finally closed that hole down last year – after a memorable episode with my husband putting a hose of very warm water in that hole for them to get out in daylight.. When they wouldn’t move he opened the front door: and they sprayed the door – all three of them.. We see proof they are still in the neighbourhoods as we got invaded by larva of cockshafer (hope its the right word thanks for Altavista Babel !) and they have been ruining everybody’s lawn… They are fun to deal with maybe once but when it becomes a whole story: not so funny anymore..

  11. Saw the Little Nothing over on Cattywampus’ blog. Looks great.

    Did you know that Great Horned Owls eat skunk? It’s true. They have no sense of smell – imagine that ;o)

  12. Raised bed plots have a certain appeal – easier on the knees to weed and tend to but I’ve wondered at the constraining space. While they look neat and orderly, an open garden makes for more yummy goodness. 🙂

  13. Nice sock! Not many patterns will work with a strong stripe, but that looks really good.

    And another little nothing, too…!

  14. I’m just freaking crazy about that new sock. It’s a good thing you haven’t released the accountant sock yet (forgot what you’re going to be calling it), as I’m dealing with my second Sock de la Mer which I royally messed up by not checking gauge (DON’T even SAY it). Aside from that, as I check to see the availability of Twisted’s yarn, it all seems to be out of stock! Rats! Sure hope you’ll have some other lovely striping yarns you can suggest if the stock remains depleted.

    Excuse me while I wipe up my drool.

    lennox (fka Beth)

  15. I’m guessing, this time of year, that skunk might be hoping for pickles and ice cream to go with her grubs.

    I have not seen a mayapple in bloom since I left home for college 31 years ago. Thank you SO much for that picture!

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