Monthly Archives: March 2014
I’m a bit hard on the toes of socks and these socks are 100% wool. So I added a thin strand of 75% wool, 25% nylon along with the yarn I’m using, which will increase the wearing time on them. It does make the toes a bit thicker.
This thin stranded yarn is made to add to toes and heels to prolong their wearability and can be obtained at knitting stores.
You can see how thin it is compared to the yarn I’m using
READY TO WEAR!
I may have taken out more stitches than I put in today – at least it seemed that way. Can you relate to any of the following?
I started an embroidery. Then the machine jumped and I didn’t catch it right away, however, I’m going to finish it and try something creative.
Then I did a practice buttonhole for my jacket which went great, but the real one didn’t. I have now taken that out and decided this might be a day better spent doing something else. So, after some chocolate and since I really want to end the day on a happy note, I’ll show you a quilt that I finished this past year and hung on the wall. It’s bright colors cheer me each time I walk past it.
This is the photo I promised of a Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke). It is very knobby and this one still has lots of dirt attached. Sometimes a knob has to be cut off to wash all the dirt. I used them in the salad sliced thinly as “water chestnuts” however, next week I plan to cook some as potatoes.
Today we invited 5 guests for dinner to get to know them better. We enjoyed Broccoli Quinoa, roasted cauliflower, roasted squash, corn, tossed salad, zucchini bread, and regular whole wheat bread with hummus. We didn’t have dessert as we rarely have room left after eating a good meal.
(DH was concerned that I not show the people as recognizable since I hadn’t asked for permission. What is the rule on this? Do you know?)
2014
03/07
Category:
Life
COMMENTS:
Comments Closed
The day was lovely and the daffodils have started to open. I love their sunny color.
I started my day by dropping my cell phone in water. We dried it as much as we could and it still doesn’t want to work. However, there were appointments so we spent a lot of the day going from place to place. First DH had a Dr. appointment, then we went to get some sunchokes to plant (also called Jerusalem artichokes)
They are in the sunflower family and have a smaller flower. “They look like small, knobbly potatoes but crunchier, sweeter and do have a slight taste of artichoke. They practically contain no starch, but plenty of inulin (not insulin), which becomes fructose when spuds are stored in the ground or refrigerated. The humble sunchoke is considered gourmet fare by many. Raw, it’s an excellent substitute for water chestnuts in hot and spicy stir fries, or cooked in cream soups, broiled with sweet potatoes, or simply scrubbed and baked..” from http://www.localharvest.org/sunchokes.jsp I want to plant some because I have read they are great winter animal feed as well as being nutritious for humans. And it is the end of planting season for them. (I shall try to remember to get a photo tomorrow for you).
We stopped and picked up the animal clippers so bunnies can be clipped again, and made a visit to Panera Bread. Then off to the phone company to get help with the phone. which ended up with me having a new phone.
While the car was running, the knitting needles were also busy. I have turned the heel and am now working on the foot of the sock.
Just look at these flowers, so ready to burst with color. Spring must be very close. And the weeds are growing once again, another sign.
We have had more rain than I can remember at once. It has created a new pond.
In addition, though I can’t show you, we’ve been keeping our bedroom window open at night to hear the marvelous tree frog chorus. Interestingly, they stop instantly at the slightest sound or maybe movement. Though they are mostly down around the pond, they hear us open the window and everything stops. At other times, there much be an animal of some type go through there because again, they all stop as though they have a director.
I don’t know what is making these holes, but they have just showed up. Is it toads, mice, what? They have underground tunnels. They don’t seem to be disturbing anything. I noticed them this morning when I went out to put the slug bait down. And I did get the preplant fertilizer on as well. So maybe, hopefully, I will start some seeds, Sunday.
Today was a shopping day – first to the local nursery with samples of a couple items growing in the greenhouse of which I’m not sure (and neither were they). We made a few purchases. It is still to early to get any garden plants.
But the half-inch baby slugs are really enjoying this rain. So we purchased an organic product to reduce their number. And even though the banana trees look dead, I was told that sometimes the rhizome isn’t, so purchased some fertilizer for them, just in case.
Then off to Costco and Safeway before returning home. to put everything away and eat lunch.
As I was knitting this afternoon, I noticed this mini parade walk by and then stop to see what was going on. Apparently the girls found some seeds and Mr. was crowing his head off, telling all would be predators to stay away.
I used the new 1 1/2″ Prairie Point Ruler that I purchased at the Sew Expo last Thursday on this jacket.
I LOVE it for the time-saving device that it is. The points are all lined up equally without having to measure each of them.
I first removed the ribbing and put it aside (one never knows when this will come in handy for another project.)
After that, I sewed on the prairie points and then the grosgrain ribbon for the front.
So now I’m deciding on whether I want to use these pockets or not. And these buttons are in my collection. I love the horse buttons and think they are perfect, but there are only two of them. So shall I use one of the other buttons tacked here for you to see, or is it time to go shopping and try finding some different buttons?
Today was the first real day of retirement for DH. Some of today was spent discussing what adjustments will be made. We just needed clarity on things like which days will be spent doing things we will do together – such as shopping and which will be at home. He knows I will never run out of projects I want to do and he will work at getting projects he wants to do, though for the immediate future that may be lots of reading and the gym.
I was ready to start a new pair of socks and found this pair had a few inches knit. It also had a pattern with it, but not the pattern that the socks were being knitted. I’m not sure how that happened. I undid a few rows to figure out the pattern and am now knitting them as my March pair of socks. Since they are larger yarn and larger needles, they will go faster than the last socks. I’m using “Mountain Colors Golden Willow” from Weavers Wool Quarters which is 100% worsted wool.
