Monday, May 28, 2007

WIPS

My SP10 hostess has asked us to post about our oldest WIPs. She also mentioned taking pictures of the blasted things, but I am refusing to take any pics until the new camera comes in. Which is supposed to be Thursday. This old one just pisses me off anymore, and I can't take it. Especially after using my mother's for a couple of days. The color difference is unbelievable.

I might relent and post some pics on Wednesday if the weather is nice and I have time.

I'm not sure what my oldest WIP is. When does it officially stop being a work-in-progress and become a UFO? Is there a certain amount of time when you realize that you will NEVER even attempt to finish said project?

I would have to guess that my oldest WIP is a baby blanket that I started for my niece's baby. I started it sometime early last fall. The baby is 5 months old now. I might go back to finishing it. It was the sock monkey blanket from the Happy Hooker book. Unfortunately, the yarns I got weren't exactly right, and I didn't actually read the directions, and I never could get the hang of making the monkey heads.

I also have the blasted tote that will someday be finished, felting and all. I used the wrong yarn on one of the stripes of the bag, so I had to take out another 10 rows to fix it. And now, I'm not exactly sure which hook I used. I really need to get a small notebook for my bag so I can keep track of my projects, the types of yarn and the size hook. Maybe I could use that lovely little book that Noodle Girl gave me. I could even put swatches in it. OK... I could barely type the word swatch without busting out in laughter. As if I would ever swatch! Where's the fun in that? It's almost unsportsmanlike!

SP10 will be drawing to a close soon. I need to get the last-minute goodies I want to send my pal... I was thinking of ordering some yarn online, but I think I might just go to my LYS and get her a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. It is so soft and comes in lovely colors. Hmmmm...

Alrighty... off to bed. Later, peeps!

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Outdoors pics

Sorry if these take a while to load. I thought the bigger pics would be better for detail.

I took these with my mother's camera, which happens to be the same kind of camera that Suz has. I liked it so much, I bought one off of Ebay. I can't wait for it to get here. Finally, clear pics!

So, this is my rhododendron. The thing is frickin' huge. The top branches reach the bottom of my roof. And it really is hideous, except for one glorious week in spring! Actually, it's been in bloom for about 2 1/2 weeks, which more than makes up for the other 50 weeks of weird-looking-plantiness.




And here is one of my mystery flowers. Almost looks like some sort of lily, but it's on a woody, trunk-like stem. It's a perennial, and it has been cut back a few times. I don't know what it is or how big it could get. Anyone have some ideas? I'm really new to this gardening/landscaping thing.


Another mystery plant. I actually think I used to know the name of this when my mother worked for a florist, but I don't know it anymore. It's some sort of succulent. And for the life of me I can't remember if it ever flowers or not. It almost reminds me of those horrid hens and chicks plants that I despise. They might actually be related.


Hopefully I will get my new camera soon. My peonies are ready to bloom and I want to get pics before they go away for the summer. I also have a rose bush that I need to plant, might do that today.

In hooking news, I'm working on my first doily. Not exactly sure why I decided to make one. I had a pattern, I had the thread, I had the hooks. I want to be able to make lacier things eventually, and figured a doily would be a nice place to start. I finished most of last night. I'm hoping it won't look as wonky once it's finished and blocked. I think I might give it to my SP10 recipient. She collects lacy things and apparently has a small doily collection. I wanted to send her socks, but there's only a month left, and I won't get them made in time, and Greg won't make them for me.

Later, gators!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

SP10 contest

My hostess has a contest going on where we are supposed to post about where we knit/crochet. I was going to put all sorts of pretty pictures, but I borrowed my mother's camera to "test drive" it, then realized I have no way of getting those pictures from the camera to my computer. My mother did not include the cable when she loaned me the camera. I'm not sure she even knows that there is a cable. Hi, Mom! (in case she is reading this!).

So, here is the post without pictures. Most of the time, I crochet (and once in a while, knit... the same scarf I am practicing on) on a couch in front of the TV. Either at home or at work. If I am at home, I also have an 8 pound ball of fluff sitting on my knee. Morganna likes to keep my right knee warm while I crochet. Occasionally, she'll help keep the yarn properly tangled.

When I have the time, I pop in a TV series that I never had a chance to watch when it actually aired, and I will crochet through a season of TV shows. Or, I watch whatever movie that "accidentally" wound up in my Netflix queue. Not sure how Katherine Hepburn films end up in the mailbox. Greg is threatening to sue. :-)

Not terribly exciting. Not very original. I crochet while I watch TV. But there is more...

A number of us bring our knitting/crocheting to church. It was quite the scandal at the beginning, so we asked the minister if he minded (since, really, he is the only who should be able to see us). He said he would rather see us knit than sleep during his sermons. It helps that many of us are making lap blankets for nursing home residents, or mittens/scarves/hats for the Christmastime mitten tree. So, it's charity, at church. And it keeps our hands busy so we can actually pay attention to what is going on.

AND... I often keep small projects in my purse, like dishcloths and baby booties. At least, when I don't have a book to read or I am going to be spending time with someone who will be interrupting my reading.

OK, that's it. I need to go and take up my spot on the couch. Greg bought me seasons 1 and 2 of Red Dwarf for my birthday!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Landscaping

I posted about this on my other blog, but I know that some people don't read that one, so I'll post about it here.

I've been doing a lot of yard work lately. OK, I only watched as my tree was cut down, but it seemed like a tough job. And I put a pond in Monday. It's only a 30-gallon pond, but it quite a bit of time to work on it. I had to remove about 50 daffodils, move about 20 or so rocks, tear up a bunch of creeping Charlie and dandelions, dig a hole, and plant a bunch of flowers. I am still sore. I still have some dirt under my nails (I refuse to wear gardening gloves, I love digging in the dirt and actually feeling it in my hands. Have I mentioned that I am an earth sign?)

And here is what it looks like:



I really need to get a new camera that will take better pics. It was also dusk when I took the picture, and the house was between me and the setting sun. I chose rocks to put around it that had interesting shapes so they would form some fun little hiding places for the wild critters that hang out in my yard. The large rock in the back is going to be an altar/place-to-leave-offerings. I still need to put in a border and maybe some mulch.

I have so much work left to do on the yard, front and back. It is my goal to have flowers from early spring to late fall. Right now, I have the daffodils, day lilies, tulips, a rhododendron, a star magnolia, an apple tree, hostas, peonies, salvia, I think some kind of delphinium, and a bunch of other things that I don't know the name of. Maybe I'll take pictures of the stuff I can't identify and post them here. Maybe someone out in the ether can help me!

OK, that's all for now. I will be posting again later this week. I need to get some pictures for the new contest my SP10 hostessing is having.

TTFN!