THE COLORS OF MAY

It's a warm and soothing month of May here  in northern California.  Today we had a few rain sprinkles mixed with a lot of sunshine.  Even though it's warming, memories of cold winter days motivate knitters and crocheters to continue making items to keep neck, head, and hands warm when the time comes.  Here is another version of my favorite neck warmer that I've shown in previous blogs.  This pattern is worth every penny of the purchase price. If you're interested look for it here: Cabled Neck Warmer at Etsy store: http://homemadeoriginals.net/

also at Blog: http://homemadeoriginals.blogspot.com/

This one is a modified version of the mistake rib neck warmer. I used two yarns together, one worsted grey and one multicolored sock yarn.  I found these unusual buttons on a very worn out sweater at the thrift shop.  Bought the sweater and salvaged the buttons.  No telling what you can find at a thrift shop that you can use in your crafts, especially ribbons, yarns and buttons. 

In my last blog I showed three wool grey striped hats.  Here are two more wool hats to add to the collection that I'll be mailing to the organization, afghans for Afghans.  Their mission is to send warm, wool clothing items to children in Afghanistan before the harsh winter sets in.  

Their current campaign is for hats, mittens, and socks. The items need to be sent to their San Francisco address by a date in July. From there volunteer organizations transport them to Afghanistan.  If you are interested in participating, you will find all the information here: 

http://www.afghansforafghans.org/index.html

You know the old saying, "April showers bring May flowers."  It's true.  Wild flower seeds, and bulbs long dormant are popping up and filling in the flower beds.  Love it.  Our yard has never looked so good, thanks to Master Gardener, D's research and hard work. 

And the vegetable garden, too.  Master Gardener D's tomato structures are doing their job of keeping the plants leaves off the the ground and growing up like they're supposed to.  You can see the huge squash leaves in the background.  We should have some yellow summer squash in a few days. Yum.  More flowers below - We think these are a type of lupin. Love the colors. 

How beautiful is this!  This lovely red purple flower is a Day Lily.  More of these should be coming up soon. 

I'm currently working on snake scarves inspired by a pattern for a coral snake.  I now have one coral snake, one rattle snake, a rainbow snake (my own idea), and part of a green textured snake.  I'm not particularly fond of snakes, but appreciate the beautiful colors and patterns that some of them wear. Look for my snake scarves and the link to the pattern in my next blog.

Keep on knitting, crocheting, and gardening - nonprescription stress relievers. 

GETTING READY FOR SUMMER and WINTER

 Greetings everyone.  I've finally got things working again on my blog setup.  I had to download Google Chrome since my old browser no longer supports Blogger.  I'm sure Google and Blogger are friends, maybe even relatives.  So to have one you need the other.  So here's hoping all goes well - yesterday I was ready to retire my computer to the old computer's home.  It is old, but works just fine now.  

Things are moving right along in the garden so here's a few pics to bring you up to date.  Master Gardener D has been working hard and lovingly on vegetables and flowers, fertilizing, arranging, trimming, etc. and we continue to enjoy the results of color and textures.  This is the garden area after the winter garden plants were removed.  The irises were in full bloom.  This year's colors are lavender and purple.  These plants started as a handful of tubers given to me by friends in Elk Creek.  We have three times as many now as the tubers can be divided and replanted.  If left alone they will multiply on their own.  Love the colors. 

Master Gardener D working on his creation for a tomato support.  This year we're not crowding the plants since they grow quite tall and rangy.  If there's no support the plants will fall over with the weight of the tomatoes.  

Each string is measured and tied.  Patience is definitely a virtue here - this is fun for MGD, he says and satisfying, too - the orange wild flowers - Wow!

This is the garden today - we planted a few marigolds to help deter bugs.  Bugs, slugs, and sometimes mice love backyard gardens.  Besides the tomatoes, we've planted squash, peppers, pumpkins, eggplant, and leeks.  There is nothing better than eating a tomato right off the vine. A little salt, please. 

Two new additions to the flower garden are Asiatic Lilies - One yellow and one red-orange.  These plants are perennials so we'll get to enjoy them again next year.  Again, the colors are outstanding.  MGD also planted a Stained Glass Lily and when it blooms I'll put it in the next blog. 

On to the knitting.  My good friend, J, gave me a couple of skeins of wool yarn and just about the same time "afghans for Afghans" , an organization that sends warm, wooly hats, mittens, socks, sweaters, blankets to children in Afghanistan who must endure very cold winters, announced their current campaign for hats, mittens, and socks.  They ask for items to be knit from wool or mostly wool yarn because it provides the maximum warmth.  So with that in mind, these hats were created.  Thanks, J.  

This hat pattern is one of my favorites.  In fact I'm working on a fourth hat right now.  It's a free pattern called Grammy's Mitts and Hat - at Tanis Fiber Arts. It can be knit flat or in the round, uses worsted weight yarn, and has sizing for adult, child, and toddler. I've knit these in the round because I'm getting better at it - practice, practice.  

This scarf was created using variegated sock yarn and another light weight yarn - solid color in the broken rib stitch, another one of my favorite stitches. Just an experiment - but I'm very pleased with the results.  The stripes appeared because of the pattern in the sock yarn.  I'm going to keep this scarf for myself to wear this winter. I also have two neck warmers in the works - will show them in next blog after I attach the buttons. 

Finally, Mother Nature amazes me again.  This succulent - cactus welcomed Spring/Summer with it's own variety of flower.  I'm sure others like it in the Arizona desert are doing the same thing - just that time of year.  There will be more blooming cactus in the next blog - they're in the works. 

If you are a knitter or a crocheter, there are many opportunities to knit for charities - I've mention some in previous blogs, and lists can be found through Google.  The colors for the Special Olympics 2013 Scarf Project should be announced soon. I'm sure my friend J and I will again knit up a few scarves for this one.  It's fun to see the scarves that were made for the 2012 games. Just go to their web site or Red Heart's web site and see the huge variety.  It's exciting to me to be a part of this.  I know the scarves are appreciated.  What a great idea!!!

Keep knitting and crocheting - it brings peace of mind. 

IS IT SPRING YET? GARDEN AND KNITTING.

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. 

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: 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-baby-bib---knit-version 

Texture and/or stripe this bib as your heart desires.

This pattern called Baby Love Bib can be found here:

http://www.greasy.com/nittineedles/baby_love_bib_free_pattern.html

And this denim blue (looks grey) Basket Weave Bib can be found here:

http://www.greasy.com/nittineedles/basket_weave_bib_free_pattern.html

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.

STRIPES AREN'T ONLY FOR TIGERS



      Greetings, knitters and crocheters and anyone who has wandered on to minipurl's blogspot.  This month I turned 39 again, just like Jack Benny.  If you don't know who Jack Benny is, I have to tell you we are both kidding.  I'm older than 39, but not ready for the old folks' home.  I can still wrangle a classroom full of junior high students without breaking a sweat.  I have to say, though, I'm glad birthdays come around only once a year.

  The birthday flowers are from my thoughtful son, D.  Love them - they bring bright colors and hope that spring is on its way as you will also see later in the blog.  Thanks, D!  My husband, K, treated D and I to a terrific Italian dinner at Panighettis Eatery in Chico.  Thanks, K.  Happy Birthday to me.

Now onto the theme of this blog - stripes.  As I said stripes aren't only for tigers .. or socks.  Several years ago I came across a knitting pattern that used self-striping yarns to make scarves called "Angus - angular scarves."  Here's the link and the cover photo: http://www.smallknits.com/free-patterns/angus-angular-scarf/

    I made two of this red scarf, one for myself and one for my sister, C.  Recently she asked me to knit another one for a friend, but I was unable to find the exact yarn.  

I tried sock yarn but it was too thin.  So I tried two other yarns with more weight and was happy with the results.

This is the scarf I sent to my sister for her friend, K.  It's knit in Deborah Norville Jeweltones.  57% Acrylic/40% Wool/3% Sequins.  I ordered this yarn from JOANN.COM. The yarn is labeled a "2 - fine" weight, but seems heavier.  I used size 8 needles. Self striping yarn produces such spectacular results, non knitters don't realize how easy it is to create.

This scarf is made with a bulky (5) yarn from Lion Brand.  It's !00% Acrylic.  I used a size 10 needle.  I found this yarn at Michael's or Joann's.  The striping is more subtle than the other scarves, but just as impressive.  This is a very warm, soft scarf.  A huge variety of self striping yarns can be found at yarn shops on the Internet in a variety of fibers and weights. I'm also knitting wash cloths for the Christmas Bazaar.  I'm putting them together in little bundles and wrapping them with Chrismasy ribbon.  The Internet has many, many free wash cloth patterns: Ravelry and Knitting Pattern Central are good places to start looking if you don't already have a stash of cloth patterns. Or, you could make up your own patterns!

I think most yarn lovers, also love cats and dogs that they can pet and enjoy the feel of the fur the same way we enjoy the feel of the yarn.  I found this nifty basket at the thrift shop and before I could put yarn into it, my cat, Minipurl, climbed in and stayed a while, as I organized some of my novelty yarns.  I like to keep them out so I don't forget what I have and because they just look beautiful.

I know it's still winter, but March arrives next week, so it's okay to start thinking it's early, early spring.  The weather has been perfect for spring arrivals, a little rain and then a little sunshine.

The daffodils and crocus are the first bulbs to get all the way up.  Tulips are on the way.  Can't wait to see them, along with Irises and a varieties of Lilies.  D planted them in the fall.  These bulbs are perennials and with divide and grow again next spring.  Mother Nature at her best.  I'll have more to show off in the next blog.

The garden and back yard has a new guardian.  A birthday present from my sister, C, a jewel of a salamander wind chime.  He or she hangs on the edge of the patio roof bringing color and sparkle to a grey day as you can see by the sky in the background.  Not only is there color, but tinkly sounds as the wind blows through the chimes.  Thank you, C.  She knows what I like.

    Until next time, keep on knitting and crocheting - doing so creates inner peace.