stretched and about to burst

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, projects

i’ve been watching this lily bud since sunday . . . we are so going to have our first lily bloom very soon—this one’s just about to break open and show its deep bordello-red self (the red ones always bloom first, and the white ones last). we have a whole row of these asian lilies in all colors along the fence at the back of the hosta bed. david must like them a lot because i’m noticing that he has also planted them in all sorts of places i didn’t know about. that’s ok, though . . . who wouldn’t love these fantastic flowers, with colors straight out of a persian tapestry studio?

so, yeah, i used those rapini thinnings for lunch the other day

sautéed with oil and roasted garlic . . . i also threw in some asparagus that needed to be used and a few mushrooms. just your basic italian oil-and-garlic-based topping for pasta, no recipe needed. it tasted amazing, and we promptly wolfed each portion. teyani, is this what you’ve been hankering to see? (heh. she’s been mentioning food in almost every email, so it must have been a while since i posted some. i’ll try to be better, and get the camera out when i cook more often.)

so finally, finally, i got my last gardening errand done, more or less. the other day beckie and i went to the local organic gardening supplier to pick up some things we needed (you should know about this place if you can’t find organic supplies; they are really good). on the way back we stopped off at a garden center so i could hunt for the coleus and caladiums i wanted.

and, er, i found some. well, they didn’t have caladium left (dang!), but i got coleus. and i let myself give in to painted begonias (even though i killed the ones i bought last year), as a substitute. i really thought i was falling down bad by picking so many things, but i couldn’t resist.
talk about your persian carpets . . .

all that beautiful color and texture (and beckie was no help either . . she gleefully carried things i couldn’t hold and pointed out ones i may have missed. bless her.). i mean, just look at these

and these ones with the weird suessian leaves—no way were they staying in the greenhouse.

THEN when we got to the checkout, we found out there was a 50-percent-off sale (and on further reflection, the fact that the whole place was actually quite empty made perfect sense; people who are serious about getting caladium, got them when the getting was good.). anyway, we (and by we i mean i—beckie was a saint and didn’t spend a dime there) ended up getting all those plants for $17. not bad for decorating the front stoop all summer long.

and then it got quite cold, windy, and rainy and i haven’t potted them up yet. but i will.
it’s just sooo . . . chilled out there. i mean 50s and 60s. in june. weird.

so i stayed inside and knitted and worked on the big pattern. the big pattern is done, yay. the big secret project isn’t yet, though. so i worked on that quite a bit—it’s awesome and, at the risk of what you might think is taunting, i really, really want to show it to you. but i can’t, so i won’t.

instead, we will look at another piece of loveliness, just off the needles. and for which we are having the perfect weather.

elm row is done, washed, and stretched. and—omg—i love it even more than i thought i would.
it’s just. so. so. strikingly pretty. what am i going to wear with it??

(no—seriously—what am i going to wear with it? hmm, mebbe just my birthday suit, eh?)
unfortunately, today it is so dark and lacking in light that most of my attempts to photograph it have resulted in dreck. but here’s another

the stitch gives the fabric some really nice dimensionality, even though the bamboo/cashmere/bison yarn has no spring to it whatsoever.

ok, kids, get ready . . here comes the money shot, and it’s a good one

(and, speaking of money, i have a lot of yarn left from that 360-yard skein i started with—maybe enough for mitts.)

please, we are SO close to adding a bonus amount to the matching fund . . if you give, or have given to claudia’s ride for MS, leavea comment to let me know so we can use it up ASAP!

36 thoughts on “stretched and about to burst

  1. Your elm row scarf is really gorgeous. I love the way the leaves stand out so clearly in their rows. Will it be available for purchase soon?

  2. Elm row truly is a lovely piece!
    I’m dying to go back to Iran, and you’re telling me that I could see reminders of Persian tapestry and carpets in your garden? Be careful, I may just decide to come over!

  3. Love the scarf, love the plants. Actually, the fact that you seem so entranced with the colours of the coleus has left me feeling quite vindicated. I was discussing possible colours for a project with a friend the other day, and I mentioned aubergine or moss green. She seemed to think my colour sense was strange. But hey, Mother Nature herself has come up with that same combination, and it looks great!

  4. I love that you’re doing a matching fund for Claudia’s ride. I donated on Sunday and am happy to help you spend your money on this cause. :o)

  5. I donated $10 today :)That scarf is gorgeous! I may have to make one even though I have no idea how I would wear a lace scarf!

  6. I’m glad that you are making so much progress on
    Claudia’s fund. Your gardens are lovely and
    so is your new scarf. As I mentioned before, I
    really miss my garden and my plants, but they
    were not as beautiful as yours.

  7. ooohhh I looove coleus! Yours are stunning! I always have at least one (usually more) year round. They are magical plants. And that scarf! Beautiful! The pattern and color are great. :o)

  8. Elm row is awesome! Then again, so is your garden!!! I’d trade ANYONE some knitting for a garden that looked (and produced) as well as yours!

  9. I agree with Bobbie on both counts, however, I’m bringing my silverware and plate over to your house for dinner!!!! 🙂

  10. I’m not easily impressed by most lace patterns (uh, yeah, totally don’t get what I’m supposed to be seeing), but I’m awed at elm row. Those are leaves! So cool!

    And how do you get so much into your garden? People with gardening skills amaze me.

  11. My mom is dealing with MS, so it is something personal to me as well. I’ve given $200 to Claudia so far.

  12. oh my – the newest shawl/scarf is so stunning as to be breath taking… me thinks a short sleeve white tank top and some khaki crop pants.. (ahem.. sorry, I just slipped into store mode..silly me)

    And YES! that wonderful photo and all the goodies listed that you tossed in it to make yumm is exactly what I was hoping for 🙂 thanks so much (am off to make dinner now that my stomach is growling after your lover-lie post!)
    The new garden additions look so sweet as well. My back yard is mostly shady – me thinks that it’s time to add some coleus.

  13. So–your David secretly plants lily’s, and my Mark secretly plants day-lily’s… lot’s and lot’s of them!

  14. Oh dear, I’ve got serious plant envy now. Those coleus (colei?) are gorgeous! envy envy envy

    And oh my goodness, that Elm Row is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!!

  15. Elm row is so pretty ! And so is the garden !
    I realy love the begonias you bought, they have such wonderful colors and texture 🙂

  16. I don’t know what planet I’ve been on, because although I have some of your patterns, follow the Knitspot group on Ravelry, somehow have neglected to come … here. OMG Luckily someone above answered my first question — this is called the elm row then. Is it in “beta” or available? LOL I’ll check your side bar. Now, to drool over your flowers and other projects — a trip through your blog will be a great respite to an otherwise stressful week! Maryjo

  17. Anne, the yarn you used was reviewed by Clara at Knitter’s review. Can you tell us more, since you knit an entire scarf with it? It is very lovely, btw and can’t wait to try the pattern!

  18. Anne, I live in Akron (within hollering distance!) I kept my begonias thru the winter in an east facing window and now it’s on my enclosed porch for the summer. You will kill it quicker by overwatering than anything else. Perhaps put it in it’s own pot neat the coleus, but it requires far less water than they do,The coleus look stunning together, just may tempt me to drive to Hartville =)

  19. Love everything, as usual. I just got out of the hospital, and I’m at a loss for my usual bouncy posts, but you know how I feel about everything you knit. I can’t wait to see the secret project.

  20. That’s a beeeeeautiful scarf! What a perfect use for that yarn. And I agree you should just wear it with your birthday suit. 🙂

  21. I really love reading your blog– vicarious gardening (since I rarely have the energy by the time I get home from work) and inspirational knitting!! I have happily made a donation of $40 to claudia’s ms ride.

  22. Hey Anne,

    I donated $10 to Claudia’s MS Bike Ride. I’m not sure what information you need, but please feel free to contact me for any specifics.

    Best,
    Tevana

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