Spring has arrived wet and windy here in Northern California. Which is okay since we had a dry winter and not enough snow in the mountains to melt and help water us this summer when it gets HOT. Even though it's been wet, we do what we can to hurry Spring along by making flower wreaths, summer gardens, and cotton knits.
This lovely wreath photo comes from my niece D in Vancouver, WA, made by her very creative daughter, L. Michael's Arts & Crafts is the source for all the materials. The Pacific Northwest has many more wet days than we do, so they really need this wreath to keep spirits up.
Early harbingers of Spring are tulips which popped up out of the strawberry pot in the flower garden. Irises are just on the verge of blooming as well as lilies and wild flowers and will be in the next blog.
Now about the winter garden which we planted just to see what we could do. Amazingly, we got quite a bit of produce - broccoli and lettuce (pictured) plus peas, Swiss chard, spinach, beets, and collard greens. But like I said, Spring has arrived and so the summer veggies need to be planted.
So we harvested. Actually, Master Gardener D harvested, and I cleaned, blanched, and cooked what I could to use or save. Below are the beets which I cooked and served for dinner. They were so young and tender - delish. I even saved some of the greens.
Lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard.
Peas - cleaned and ready to cook. These can be eaten as is, no need to pop the pods.
Once the garden area was cleared, Master Gardener began getting it ready for summer plants. A lot of hard work, much of it in the drizzling rain, but gardening is in his genes. Both grandpas were backyard gardeners. We found night-crawlers living in the rich soil and they help aerate the soil - exciting find.
And here's the result of hours of work - tomatoes, peppers, and other veggies. More photos as the garden grows.
Now on to the indoor knitting activity with cotton yarn. When I need a break from large projects with woolly yarn, I like to work with cotton, knitting wash cloths and baby bibs. I've been organizing Grandma's Favorite washcloths in bundles of three for the Eagles Christmas Bazaar. 
Grandma's Favorite dishcloth pattern can be found here: http://www.groupepp.com/dishbout/kpatterns/grfavorite.html
It's super easy and makes a thick washcloth.
It's super easy and makes a thick washcloth.
These washcloths are a smaller variety with different textures. Their pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/washcloth-quartet There are an abundance of knit or crochet washcloth patterns on the Internet for beginners or advanced knitters. Knit up a square and give it as a gift.
From washcloths to baby bibs is not a long leap. With each bib I've included a matching washcloth, Grandma's Favorite in a smaller size. There are variety of bib patterns on the Internet - this one - Basic Baby Bib can be found here:
Texture and/or stripe this bib as your heart desires.
This pattern called Baby Love Bib can be found here:
And this denim blue (looks grey) Basket Weave Bib can be found here:
For little hands that want to do their own washing, there is the fishy-fish bath mitt. This pattern also has a washcloth in the shape of a fish. Good way to use your smaller balls of yarn and give a small child a sense of "I can do it myself." This pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fishy-fish-washcloth-and-bathmitt
This yarn is recycled from a sweater I bought at the thrift shop. Here it is after washing. My first attempt. It's bulky, soft, and fluffy. I'm not sure of the fibers - no label, but I'm assuming there is some wool. Watch for something made from this in a future blog.
SPRING - rain or shine we're happy you're here.
Keep on knitting and crocheting. See you in the next blog.