Playing Catch Up

9.13.10

9.12.10

9.11.10

9.10.10

9.9.10

Pretty

Calla Lillies and Forget-me-nots.

June

The back yard is looking lovely!

The dogs really wanted to be in the photo for some reason.

You can just see the crabapple tree - though right now it is being upstaged by all the flowers.

A Beautiful Apron & A Beautiful Spring

I sewed this apron yesterday morning using the tute from Stop Staring . . . and Start Sewing! http://jonag.typepad.com/

It was a really quick project and turned out very nicely. Have I ever mentioned how much I love aprons?

Here is the view we have had of the patio all week. El Guapo took the blue bench out of storage, noticed it needed a little repair, so just plunked it down under the flowering Dogwood - out of the way. All week I have looked out the kitchen window and the back door just to see the vignette it makes with the contrast of the blue of the bench and the pink of the blossoms. It makes me happy!

Spring is making its way to the Willamette Valley!

Sunday Morning

My newest obsession . . . hot cereal on the weekends with candied walnuts (or pecans) and usually some fresh fruit with a coffee chaser.

Here is the May 1st view of the Crabapple tree.

Happy Birthday El Guapo!

Some Crabapple blossoms for El Guapo's birthday.

Budding

This is the crabapple tree. Photo taken on April 1. I was going to try to get a better shot - it was really windy on the 1st and the photo is kinda blurry. Since then, however, we have had gale force winds and pounding rain. Squint your eyes and it doesn't look so bad!

April

I don't know where you fall on the International Date Line, but in our neck of the woods, it's April 1. I woke this morning to frosty roofs (rooves?) and lawns and SUN - which I think even Noah was happy to see - and he only had 40 days of rain.

These first two photos were taken last week (which just proves that my earlier dig at the weather was a slight exaggeration).

This photo was taken yesterday after much rain. There was an inch of snow in a nearby town, but only flurries of pear blossom petals in our back yard.

Happy Birthday Me!

What a beautiful first day of Spring we had! And, incidentally, what a beautiful birthday I had!

The family's gift to me - aside from a delightful vintage charm bracelet - was a day with no parental responsibilities, just knitting in the sun. My gift to me was the incredible cake pictured above! Made with Gluten-free flour, it is a seriously decadent cake, perfect with tea on the patio!

Three WIPs

The Rosebud Cardigan is progressing nicely. I have the back, two front pieces and the front and neck trim finished. It is only lacking two sleeves and some sewing up along the sides. I am loving this cardigan!

Another pair of socks. For me this time! I have had to make them a little shorter in the ankles as I used extra yarn to repair the Zora hole in the previous pair. Actually makes them more like sports socks and I like the look.

The Crabapple Tree. Can't wait for it to bloom!

March Crabapple Chronicles

Impossible as it is to believe, the sun was shining so brightly when I took this photo that the tree is kinda bleached out. Looks like the lawn needs a trim . . .

Here is a rare sight.

I'm not sure if Ripple was asleep and therefore didn't notice the infringement of her space by Zora, or

if she's just given up.

Maybe tomorrow I will show some of the many items of clothing I got when the girls and I went shopping at the second-hand store in Salem with El Guapo's sister and her girls on Presidents' Day.

The Finished Crap-Yarn Crochet Blanket

Extreme close-up to show the lovely pattern

Over all pattern

The sexy, rumpled look

The whole thing - reclining, Roman-like - on my bench

I don't know the dimensions, and I don't want to find my tape measure and figure it out - but I do know that it is surprisingly heavy for its size. This is a very dense pattern!

Today's view of the crab apple tree (note the sunny day!)

February

Here are the arm warmers I made from the sale wool. I made one using the same fingerless mitten pattern from {a-black-pepper}, but it was too tight so I ripped it out (even though I FINALLY figured out the thumb gusset!) and made these from A Friend to Knit With - I think they are "Toast", but maybe "Toasty". One thing I have learned about my knitting - not only do I knit tightly, but I bind off tightly also - perhaps a bit too tightly. The thumb openings need some definite stretching. But I love the color and the form fit.

Ripple has reservations about Zora.

She dislikes the snuggling and would really like to play - which Zora is not quite ready for.

February Crab Apple

photos

the light was good and the day was fine . . .

a great opportunity to take some photos

of the wintry garden

and use a photo editor on some of the images!

Sunrise on the 7th

Its an awful photo - blurry, but the moment passed too quickly for me to get a better one. This is the sunrise this morning behind the pear tree.

Happy New Year!

A delicious bowl of toasted oatmeal with walnuts and nectarines

The narcissus blooming on the dining room table

The backyard Crabapple Tree

Not a Sign of Hipocracy . . .

Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see . . .
Now, I had noticed that the back yard was making me feel very serene all summer, I had not realized that is was so sincere, however! But just look at the evidence . . .
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! And it grew in our very own back yard. 126 lbs!

* On an unrelated note - the second sock is finished and the sweater is progressing famously!

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever . . .

And I'm not talking about the dog, this time! I just finished my first knitting project - woooot! A nice, woolly pair of socks for Sunshine.

Speaking of things of beauty - look at these hibiscus blooms from the back yard! I took these photos last week and I think they're mag!

All Things Floral

So . . . much crocheting this week. I must admit, I am very pleased with how this is turning out. Just shows you shouldn't judge yarn for being ugly and nasty - it may have something beautiful inside just waiting to be released . . .

People have been walking past commenting on the sunflowers in the vegetable garden.

This is the view I see when I look out the bathroom window. We didn't plant any sunflowers this year - just so you know. The bounty is 100% thanks to the scrub jays who call our back yard and garden home.

These are my current favorite flowers. Kent Beauty or "Hop-Flower" Oregano. Aren't they lovely!?

Back to the hook and yarn. I'll keep you updated as the Babette style, join-as-you-go, garden flower blanket progresses.