Seeds and Needles

The past three weeks have been nuts. I've been busy gardening and knitting, working, living life, and making a poor effort of keeping in touch with my blog and others.

With the weather being crappy for the most of March, David and I have been taking advantage of whatever decent weather we are given on the weekends during late March and April. We've been going over to Edgar's Acres most weekends to get the garden cleaned up, and planted. Susan has been coming over some weekends as well to help because she wants fresh, organically grown produce. She loves to weed, so we are happy to have her join in on the gardening experience. We are going to be heading over the next two weekends as well because the Hood Canal Bridge is going to be closed for six weeks starting May 1. When we head over to Edgar's Acres, the trip will be another two hours longer.

The deck at Edgar's Acres is done and LOVERLY. We are thrilled with it and the contractor did an outstanding job.
Ready for the nice weather to begin.

In late March Susan and I went over to clean up the garden and plant onions. We've got Susan's leeks ...

Walla Walla sweet, red slicing onions, and Copra yellow storage. Louie helped.

In the raised bed we planted parsnips (with radishes on top to break the ground for the parsnips), spinach and lettuce.

The following weekend Susan came over to our Bellevue garden and we planted peas. I plant the peas and beans in Bellevue because it's easier to keep up with the picking.

We had a three hours of sun on that Sunday, enough to warm up the soil and let us plant.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for my seed potatoes to eye out enough to plant at Edgar's Acres.

The early white potatoes should be ready to plant this weekend, and maybe the reds. The russets not quite.

In the meantime, I've been knitting. I've got a bunch of baby knitting to do for friends and relatives expecting starting this month, through September.

I'm calling this the lime sherbet baby blanket. The color isn't coming out true, but it is exactly the same color as lime sherbet. The stitch is called the ribbed stockinette, and is knitting up beautifully.

I will be posting the entire pattern (when I have time?).

This is baby blanket no. 2, knit in a bulky weight yarn. Soft, Soft, Soft.

This is the third section to the big baby blanket I'm knitting.

Then there is baby blanket no. 3 in a log cabin pattern. There is a reason why I'm knitting on four blankets at once.

I was cruising along on baby blanket no. 2, when I discovered I left the other yarn at Edgar's Acres. Then I moved on to baby blanket no. 3 when I discovered the two remaining skeins were of a different dye lot. I had to think about this, and decided I will try adding more sections with the other skeins, and call it a design element.

I started baby blanket no. 1 because I couldn't work on the other two. Not sure why it's baby blanket no. 1 except the picture came up first on this posting.

The big baby blanket is more of a winter project so I'll work on it next week when we are supposed to get snow again. Probably next Tuesday on my birthday.

Finally, the sock. I have started on this sock three times and I still don't like it. It's my commuting knitting but I am bored with not liking it and trying to enjoy knitting it.

Finally, one of my additional sons, Matt, has moved in for a while. We adore Matt, and we adore his lovely girlfriend Elizabeth. The dogs adore Matt as well.

I warned Matt that he becomes a subject of my Blog by moving into the house.

Well, I have dinner to get started so I'm off to cook and knit, and enjoy the last decent evening on the deck that we will have for a while.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!!!!!!!

TTFN

Sue

Civic Duty

I was called four times. First case was settled before leaving the Assembly Room. I was polled three times, excused twice, and sworn in as an officer of the court to serve on the jury for a criminal case.

I have worked in the legal field since 1975, 15 years in litigation. I have helped to prepare for numerous trials, just to have them all settle before trial starts. This week was the first time I have been in a courtroom, and the whole process was fascinating.

It's back to work for me today and I'll be glad to get back. I am fortunate to work for an employer to encourages and supports their employees while doing jury duty. Many of the other jurors who were summoned were doing so on vacation time, or on their own time. Another advantage of working for a law firm.

As for knitting, I did get a lot done. I've got over two feet knit on the prayer shawl. Fortunately, all of the sheriffs inspecting items in security when entering the courthouse were (a) knitters, (b) were married to knitters, or (c) had mothers who knit. It was interesting, however, that out of about 400 people summoned for jury duty, I only saw two other knitters. We three agreed it was the perfect way to pass the time.

Well, off to work I go.

TTFN

Sue

Shhhh .....

No questions, no newspapers, no T.V.

Jury duty.

I did get some knitting done, however. Fortunately the sheriff on duty is also a knitter so she let me bring it into the courthouse. She understood that a knitter is not going to use her needles for anything but knitting. Tomorrow I may not be so lucky, but I'm going to try anyway.

TTFN

Sue

Arf Arf - NEWSFLASH

"Bark Bark Bark" at our house translates to "OUT OUT OUT," and NOW. I figured the doggies had to go outside to do their business, but no ...

The snow has melted and the sun was out and they wanted to go soak in the rays.

Edgar, our Puerto Rican rescue says he belongs in the sun.
Louie went flying out the door and plopped himself down for a sunbath.

Johnny says it bright out here but it feels oh so good. A.J. loves the way the sun feels on his old bones.

The sun lasted 10 minutes. The clouds moved back and it's cold again.

We people aren't the only ones waiting for warmer weather.

TTFN

Sue

Coming Right Along ...

On Friday Susan and I put our two halves of the shawl together and look, the gauge is right, and each half is the same size. Each skein of yarn is knitting out to about 10-11" so we are going to need six skeins for the entire shawl. Small problem, however, we only bought four skeins. Next step, contact Myra at Fancy Image Yarns for some more yarn. We know we won't be able to get the same color (Susan already checked with Myra on that), but we decided to get another color close to this, and use a different stitch over the back and shoulders. A design element ... we knitters create lots of them.
Now that I have the Addi Lace needles, the knitting is coming along beautifully.

In the meantime, A.J. is resting.

Actually, he is doing very well, the sore is healing nicely, and he is thoroughly enjoying the special attention.

Tomorrow I'm off to Jury Duty. I should get a lot of knitting done.

TTFN

Sue

At a Loss for Words

I came across this on AOL under the category of the latest in bathrooms.

I just don't know what to think.


Since when is sitting on the toilet a romantic experience?

TTFN

Sue

Lace and Dogs

I am relieved to say that the third attempt at the lace shawl is working out much better. I am enjoying it this time around, and am pleased with the knitting. Using the Addi Lace needles makes a huge difference. Too bad I didn't start out with them in the beginning. It isn't as though I was unable to find the needles at the Madrona Marketplace. I've got about 4.5 inches on it now.
I'm knitting in good light, without help from the dogs, and before my glass of wine in the evening. The dogs are very interested in what I'm doing.
I told Edgar Joyce has a big dog named Jazz so he is sending good wishes as well.
Pretty.

Meanwhile, A.J. has an owie. The other morning he woke up with a big owie on his face. Somehow, sometime and somewhere, he bumped his face. We can't figure out how it happened, but with a blind dog he could have been anything.

He went to see his favorite vet today and she shaved the area around the sores. Considering A.J. is an old dog with four teeth and can't see, the vet said he is in great physical shape. Maybe it's a good thing he can't see. He might not like what he would see in the mirror right now.

TTFN

Sue