it’s high spring here now—the difference between this weekend and two weeks ago is amazing. the flowering trees are at their absolute peak right now and this year, they are thick with blooms like i’ve never seen before. our lilac, for instance
stops me in my tracks every time i see it. haha, most of its flowers, however are out of reach; it’s very tall (which makes it an excellent screen for the backside of that commercial building).
underneath it’s cool and shady and a haven for bunnies, ferns, and hostas.
i ran in an event in another town this morning and the whole burg was full of cherry trees in bloom—astounding.
(no photos, sorry; i was on my own today—it was way too early a start time for mister knitspot to attend, haha.)
it’s redbud season here as well and there are gorgeous specimens at every turn in canton; it’s a popular decorative tree in our area. i want one so badly, but the longest side of our property faces west, providing no shelter for them form the wind; they tend not to thrive in our situation. we planted one a couple of years ago anyway and it has struggled, producing leaves and flowers only on its lower half.
david’s tulips are in full bloom now—i think he got every one of the types i circled in the fall catalogs and it’s been a progression of tulip fireworks all week long.
BAM!
BAM!
bam-BAM!
ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bam-BAM!
a funny checkerboard fritillaria
and sweet yellow jonquils.
we’ve had the windows thrown wide open every day and the scents are enchanting. those fresh flower smells wafting in the window are one of the nicest things about working at home.
and look—it’s the rising of the fiddleheads; i’m so glad i caught them at it this afternoon. another day and i might have missed it. the hostas nearby are beginning to unfurl their leaves—they’ve gone from little nubbins emerging to leafing out in just a few days.
and along with those, the lily of the valley, which are poised to open their little bells any moment.
and last but not least, those amusing little may apple plants, with thier gnomelike shapes. last week there wasn’t a sign of them and this week, i was lucky to catch these last few before they raise their foliage umbrellas.
spring came late and slow but now it’s moving fast with the new warmth, as temperatures rise into the 70s most days.
it’s great running and biking weather, too. i hope it stays like this for a while . . .
while it’s hard not to let spring fever get the best of my days, i’m actually getting lots of work done right now, because i get to stay home for awhile; i won’t be going away again til the end of may.
i still have lots of secret projects on the needles as well as on the drawing board, but at least i can sneak in one or two that can be public. actually, VERY soon you’ll get to see one of my favorite secret projects of late—i think on monday, actually. i still have several under wraps, but that’s always going to be the case as long as we have a club going.
meanwhile, i finished my sculling infinity scarf and blocked it—i love it. and my dear friend candy finished her sample in oatmeal at just about the same time
which went into the blocking bath about two minutes after it arrived here, so that when we take photos on monday, we can include both.
i had thought i’d release the pattern last friday, but when it became possible to have it in two colors for the release, i waited. and monday is going to be the release of that secret project i mentioned (which i’m almost certain you’ll like), so now i think we’ll wait til NEXT monday to release sculling.
i’m starting to feel a little less panicky about what i have to get done this month, but i’m being careful not to get too distracted from my to-do list—there is still a full calendar of must-do projects for the next few weeks.
that said, i did wind up my briar rose sea pearl so that i could cast on when i was ready to treat myself to a new project just for me. if i get two more patterns written up and one of them on the needles by the end of tomorrow, i can work on the charts i need to cast the sweater on.
i’m not that optimistic about finishing those two pattens, but you never know; it could happen.
i also spent some time this week on blocking those items i mentioned the other day—i did the two cowls and a secret project during the week and then today, i blocked the gnarled oak woods wrap that phoebe knit for us with our romney merino special.
wow, the sheen on this yarn is incredible.
just look at the beautiful shading and patina on those leaf shapes. sigh.
as soon as i can get photos for the pattern cover (it’s a special edition pattern, just for this yarn), we’ll be able to list these kits.
our production version of this yarn will be released along with the bloch ness sweater, which should be pretty soon—i know it seems like its taking forever, but we want to have a couple of samples and make sure the pattern works for several yarns and sizes.
i hear david packing up boxes in the other room, preparing for the renovation, which is due to begin on june 10th. there is a lot to pack up; probably a lot of it will go out the door too, thank goodness.
we are biking regularly now and i’m enjoying warm weather runs again, yay. i ran my first 10K this morning and placed 3rd in my age group (someone took a photo but it’s too blurry). i was a little mad at myself because at the VERY end, i suddenly felt breathless/wheezy and had to slow down a notch, allowing someone to pass, resulting in her taking second in our age group, haha.
overall, i didn’t do my best time, except for one mile that was a personal record; i still run faster at home on my own. but my time was good and i was encouraged; i can see where i could use some work to get more evenly paced. gotta figure out how . . .
have a great rest of the weekend; see you monday.
16 thoughts on “spring in my step”
I think spring might be my favourite season. It’s just amazing watching new life appear before your very eyes. I go outside and think ‘how on earth did I miss this yesterday?’ We have bluebells in bloom and the irises are just about ready to explode. Your tulips are stunning, I especially like the 3rd and 4th colourways. Excited about the new cowl and the gnarled oak pattern reminds me of Long Shadows. You’re right about the sheen on the yarn, it is going to make stunning sweaters too. I am coveting your Sea Pearl too with its silky sheen. I wonder what that’s going to become?!!
Love your pictures.
Just wanted to add some information about red buds that may be helpful.
We planted a dwarf, WEEPING red bud last fall. We planted it very close to our house. A dwarf will do fine in sun or partial sun and planting it close to the house gives it protection. It is right outside our “kitchen table window” and it is close to the humming bird feeder which attaches to the window. The humming birds drink from the feeder and then sit on the red bud.
Because of its weeping shape it looks wonderful next to the house. I’ve read that it is ideal for tight or enclosed spaces. Ours is staked and will unlikely grow higher than ten feet – right now it is about six feet. I read online that the the tree flowers of the weeping variety are edible. Ours bloomed this very first year.
On a knitting note, a friend knitted Twig and Leaf for me in a 100% silk lace weight that I purchased from LostCityDenise. It is glorious.
Thanks, Anne, for you terrific patterns. Reading your blog is always a highlight of my day.
David’s tulips are *gorgeous*!!!!! I love tulips and they are on my planting schedule once I can get out and putter around the yard again. Loved all of your garden pictures, Anne.
Congratulations for your 3rd place win!!!! Just think where you were last year and how far you’ve come. You are such an inspiration. Way to go!!!
Now I am seriously coveting the special edition Gnarled Oakwoods kit!!!!!!! I will have to stalk your site more than ever to get one of these lovelies. Now that Michael is only coming once a week, I stand a chance of sneaking it in without him seeing my purchase. He’s on neat freak/cleaning/decluttering mode in a big way. Yarns and bags included. I have to protect my stash.
Sculling not until NEXT Monday!?!?! Yes, that was me stalking the blog on Friday. Phooey, now it will have to wait until after vacation for knitting. Oh well, maybe the secret project will appease my needles.
Your photos of the flowers are like little gifts–thank you–and they remind me that summer’s on its way. Any chance you might publish your Wandering Thyme pattern as a single any time soon? It would make a lovely summer scarf!
The pink and green tulip is exquisite! All the flowers are beautiful. Lilacs are a favorite–I grew up in The Lilac City–Lincoln, Nebraska.
I am in a jealous snit over the comment about a completed Twig and Leaf–my closet is torn apart in a crazy making search for the yarn I had planned on using!
Only third place in your age category? That’s fantastic, Silly!
Your spring flowers are beautiful! The lilac is especially beautiful. It looks a lot like my neighbor’s lilac and I am thankfully upwind of the blooms. It’s been breezy here today so my house is filled with the lovely scent of lilacs!
oh, I meant downwind!
Your lilac is beautiful! Ours were so straggly this year and only put out a few blooms. Hope you don’t mind that I am vicariously enjoying yours via photograph 🙂 Our tulips did not come up either… but the patio tomatos are in full bloom. Go figure. Fab sculling infinity scarf! Love the sheen on the yarn too. Thank you for sharing your lovely yard and yarn/patterns.
I wish blogs had ” like” or in your case “love” buttons for all the gorgeous flower pics and amazing knitting! The fritilaria is stunning and the little rowers on the cowl in the new yarn…. Swoon! Happy spring!
Love, love, love your flower pictures!!!! Thank you for brightening up my day with all the beauty in your blog, especially your incredible designs!! I really enjoyed knitting sculling for you and how lovely to see her “blocking away”. Thank you so much for your talents and inspiration!!!
Love the flowers, the cowl, and especially that oak woods wrap again!!!
That checkerboard flower is out of this world!!! How cool. We’re just losing a lot of the blooms off of our flowering trees here. It goes so quickly.
Thanks so much for the spring pics. I needed them! Just left Maryland for MSWF and all the greenery anf flowers. Back to Wisconsin and still no buds on the trees so we’re still waiting. I can’t wait for the pattern release also!
oh, your lilac is so, so beautiful! they are finally starting to bloom here on long island too, and the way that they scent the air as i walk/drive by is the best thing about spring 🙂
PS: your Wool People 5 design is goooorgeous!
That Briar Rose Sea Pearl is gorgeous–can’t wait to see it knit up. I love the sense of motion in the aptly-named Sculling. Red buds are my absolute favorite spring tree. There is a bowling alley in my town with soft blue walls and a row of red buds against them which is always a highlight of my spring. I love the lilacs too, but have become horribly allergic to them in the past few years, so no lovely bouquets on my table any more. If you prune back the center of your lilac to allow more light into the center of it, it will put up new shoots over the next couple of years, and you will get flowers that are low enough to pick, while still maintaining overall height. Lilacs will take even very severe pruning if they are well established, as you perhaps already know.
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