A Chicken with No Name

Remember the knitting project I said I couldn't show you until after it was delivered? Here it is- new home with author friend Jean. And that fluffy brown lump in front of her? That is real live chicken, Mr. Millie, who came to the event today to help sell books.

Before the chickee could go live with Jean, she took a tour of my yard.

She liked the garden best.

And Mr. Millie does a good job of selling books. And the chicken I brought is supervising, but Jean wants help to name her. Suggest names and I'll pass them on to Jean. Or go to her Jean Davis Facebook page and post suggestion there.

It's been a long day- all good. I did quite well at the event. But now I have to place a book order yet tonight, and then I can rest.

See Previous View of the Knitting Project

Late May Garden Color

The rock garden is sort of in between color phases right now. However, the Bloody Geranium is beginning to bloom. Most of the magenta-purple you see in this picture is that geranium.

Some of the geranium I have in the rock garden is a light pink (looks white in the picture). It spreads very slowly which is good. I'm trying to get a few other spots of it started and remove more of the Bloody one as I get good things to replace it. It's OK, but it's a little too tall and it's SO invasive. The roots are really a pain to dig out.

Also in the rock garden is another plant I wish I'd never bought. I have to keep fighting with it all the time too. However, it's a little easier to control. I try to keep it restricted to some clumps instead of letting it send runners all over the place. It's the variegated Vinca. But it does have beautiful large blue flowers at a good time of the season.

Moving to other locations, because I cleared out a bunch of autumn olive last fall, a few of my iris got enough sun to bloom. Purple...

... and yellow. Nothing unusual or fancy, but I'm happy to see some of them bloom again.

Best color display? The front flower bed. This is a teaser for a more complete report another day, but I'm waiting for one more flower to open before I do that. Best of all, only two of the colors you see here are from blossoms. Most is foliage, so it will look great all summer.

I think I can safely show you the knitting project one more time without giving away the final goal.

Not much gardening happened today. Editing, errands, wrote my column for Mason County Press, finished mowing the lawn. Maybe I have time to get out there right now for a few minutes!

Tomorrow is a book vendor event in Rockford.

See Nailing the Spring Color Palette

Assorted

What characterized today was more of the cold rain, but I don't feel compelled to show you a picture of that!

Partly because Om and I will be running all over this summer and won't see much of each other, and partly (mostly) because I wanted to try a recipe, we had a nice meal at home.

And what recipe is that, you ask? Rhubarb Glazed Chicken. It is yummy. Here is a link to the recipe I used, but I left out the hot sauce. Rhubarb Glazed Chicken. We added asparagus and a baked potato. There's chicken left for a couple more meals.

Worked a little more on the knitting project. I can continue to show you until it becomes obvious what it will be. Then you'll have to wait until it is bestowed upon the intended recipient.

And, oh yeah. I won an award at the Michigan Outdoor Writer's Conference.

I managed to work on most of my other tasks too, but the chicken was a little labor intensive because I stewed another big batch of rhubarb (and didn't need all of it for the chicken), and had to make an unplanned trip to the store. I don't usually goof up on that sort of thing, but I sure did today.

See A Little Project

A Little Project

Today was a cold and windy day that became a cold and rainy day. I did my usual indoor tasks and some errands. Then I decided on a new little fun project. I am a bit surprised to see how long it's been since I actually knit anything.

I'll let you guess for now what it will be, since it's going to be a gift.

Tomorrow's weather looks like more of the same. That's probably good news for this little project.

See The Heel is Turned

The Monday Night Knitting Club

 
Ruth goes to a knitting club on Monday nights. I had brought some knitting with me, and we've been stitching together a little bit most days. So I went along tonight. There were some really nice projects in progress or completed.

This is a sweater Ruth is working on. Lace pattern, small needles, nice work.



The group leader had just finished this Aran afghan. Also done very nicely.



Another woman was making a prayer shawl, and even though the pattern was simple, I thought it looked very pretty.



One lady does really professional quality work. This is a shawl. Unusual stitch and expensive yarn, coupled with a good knitter and you get beautiful items.



What was I working on? You've seen it before, but not for a while. There is hope Michelle will get her socks in the near future. Click the link below if you don't remember

	See Where's that Other Sock?
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Where's That Other Sock?

 
You may remember that there was a sock project in the works.

I did warn Michelle that it might take me a couple of years to get these done. She said she was good with that. If you know me, you know I was at least being honest with her.

Got the first one done a long time ago (February). Here's where I am on the second one. I did do a little tonight. The cooler weather makes me want to handle yarn.



Off to work now! Short post tonight.

	See It Fits!
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Black Vest, Cha Cha Cha

 
I don't know much about dance, but I do believe the Cha Cha has a lot of stepping backwards as well as forwards. That is sure the story of this vest. But I'm calling it done.

Sometimes making it up as you go doesn't work as well as other times. I had to redo the bind-off row on the bottom because I did it too tight. I had to unravel and re-knit the first armhole ribbing because I did it too tight. At least I had enough brains to do the second one to match the correct version of the first. Then I did the neck ribbing a little too tight. I could wear it, and did so this morning, but it was tighter than I wanted. So I unraveled that and completely re-did it today.

Do I like the finished product? Meh. Don't like black. That's the bottom line.

However, one goal was to do an unusual enough stitch that it has a little bit of interest. After church, the lady sitting in back of me said she'd been studying it during the service and she really liked the design. So that mission was accomplished.

Of course, the big joke is that it was so warm today I hardly needed a sweater vest. But, doggone it, it was made so I wore it!

	See We Temporarily Interrupt These Socks
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We Temporarily Interrupt These Socks

 
Yesterday was non-stop and when I finally got home I was so tired I completely forgot to do a blog post. Today is more normal.

I've begun working on the second fancy sock, but it has to go on a slight hold so I can finish something I need to get done.

If you have a long memory, you'll recall yet another project started and not finished. (You can follow the link if you want to see the design closer) This one was begun just about a year ago. I want a vest for bell choir, and we are supposed to wear black and white. I'm not a fan of black, so I don't own anything that will do.

Over the weekend I picked it up again because I really would like to have it done by this Sunday. Here's where it was when I started working a few days ago.



Got the front done.



Sewed it together and decided I'd knit the ribbing. The body of the vest is crocheted, and crocheted ribbing is possible, but I opted for the knit. About an inch to go on the bottom, then the armholes and neck.



Think I'll have it done by Sunday?

	It Fits!
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It Fits!

 
OK, You are probably getting bored with this sock, but it was a good day because it fits perfectly, and Michelle loves it. Of course, it needs a mate.



I promise not to give you the blow-by-blow on the second one, but you'll probably see the final product because there are some finishing touches to add.

Early bedtime is in order. No manic knitting today.

	See Footsie
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Footsie

 
Had to wait to post until this was done!



Lots of finish work to do, but tomorrow Michelle tries it on. Hope, hope, hope it fits. We did many measurements, so it's hope with some basis in reality.

Bed. Now.

	See The Heel is Turned
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The Heel is Turned

 
Back to the socks. A nice calm day to knit and be quiet.



I reinforced the heel with a clear nylon filament the yarn store recommended that was just plain awful. I was afraid it was going to be... and I was right. I'll have to use it in the matching sock, but never again. Nylon thread would be better. This was too stiff. Anyway... here is the long view. I'm not thrilled... would do several things differently on another pair, but Michelle likes them, and that's the important part.



In other news... I skied out back. Amazing how slow that is after skiing groomed trail yesterday. But I did my four hills, and the biggest one twice. This landscape appears more bleak than the day felt since there was actual sun, but I like the way the picture looks.

	See Ready to Start the Heel
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Ready to Start the Heel

 
I did manage to get a little more knitting done today. I'm ready to start the heel tomorrow!




It looks like a really simple section, but I had to take several rows out twice. Once I started doing ribbing, I limited my choices of pattern things I could do. And I had a goofy number of stitches. And I learned that it's quite a feat to turn ribbing into cables, despite the fact that it looks like a natural progression.



Tomorrow is my early work day, so I'm headed to bed.

I took the project to work, and the friend says they will fit fine. Also, I took it by the yarn shop because I was hoping to get some longer double-pointed needles in this size. No luck on that, but they were kind of impressed which made my ego feel good.

	See It's Still Socks
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