The Yarn Collector

I don't have a yarn stash. I have a yarn collection.
I am a yarn collector.
The photo does not do justice to the sheen of this rich, gorgeous yarn.
Yarn: Sea Silk
Company: Handmaiden Fine Yarn
Color: Ocean
Possible Project: Ishbel

Another Tree Down

We had a birch tree growing opposite the kitchen window. I took branches off here and there over the last couple of years so we could see around it to the upper garden. We really didn't need the tree (we are set in a forest, after all) but the birds seemed to like having it close to their feeders. However, birches grow at a tremendous rate and this was the week that the view had to be restored once and for all. Tree down. Birdhouse up.


And the foxgloves are back - those gracious, delicate foxy ladies that wind their way independently throughout the garden and wooded areas and reappear year after year.

Madly Off In All Directions

We went to Dartmouth this morning to order glass for the top of the round coffee table in the front room. We're aiming for a cleaner, crisper, fresher look in there. That glass store really didn't have what I could see in my mind's eye, and wanting to accomplish something on the other side of the harbour to make the drive worthwhile, we stopped at the yarn store (Tangled Skeins) for just a single ball of tweedy sock yarn and came out half an hour later with a shopping bag of luscious, divine, and delicious yarn in hand.
Pink Yarn: Spud and Chloe Sweater in Watermelon color
Blue Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in 340202 color

'Tis the season for lilacs and homemade strawberry jam. I made the jam last evening and it is setting up nicely. Some berries were reserved as I promised Derek "real" strawberry shortcake this season!
Lilac: James MacFarlane
Jam: Red Rosie Beaucoup

Garden Work

When I last saw Sophie in France, she gave me paint chips to take home as I fell in love with the blue doors and shutters of France, especially in the countryside. I haven't been able to find just the right shade for the house in order to duplicate the feeling here and I fear that in woodland Nova Scotia, the romance of the blue door is lost in translation. However, I have been able to use the blues I love so much by painting the lawn chairs and garden benches.
Color: Home Hardware Woodshield Stain (Felicity) mixed with about 1/4 cup of Sico Interior/Exterior Floor Paint (Brown)


Another ongoing project this summer is laying brick edging around all the garden beds - something I started last year. It eliminates the need to take an edging tool and refresh the seemingly miles of edges on the property a couple of times during the growing season and it makes mowing so much easier. I've laid 85 bricks so far this summer and hope to set in at least 100 more before the snow flies.


The major project this year, however, is pruning out the forest. No mean feat! I have been trimming all the evergreens from 1 foot to 5 feet from the ground, removing dead limbs, culling young trees (always painful), and, overall, reducing the forest fire risk and increasing light and air circulation throughout the woodland areas. We have taken three truckloads of forest material to the compost dump so far this summer, placed endless tied bundles out on recycling day (our neighbours let us use their allotment as well)and plan to rent a truck again for a second major overhaul. Whenever an entire tree comes down (like one growing too close to the deck), another birdhouse goes up!

And sometimes it is nice to take a break and just wander around the acre of gardens and wild growth and look at all the things tucked away in the various nooks and crannies.
Weigelia florida 'Pink Princess'

Finally Finished

It has taken me ages to finish off these socks. Gardening has been taking up most of my time these days. The deck has been scraped and painted, three full truck loads of tree branches hauled away to the compost dump, benches sanded and painted, birdhouses cleaned and touched up, and fifty bricks laid today as an ongoing lawn edging project. It feels good to be so tired at night that it is hard to hold one's head up!
Now, if they don't get a wood stove installed before winter, Rachael will still have warm feet in the basement family room of their new home!
And, as a knitting sage once said, the real joy of finishing of project lies in the fact that you can now start a new one.

Sweetpea's Popcorn Sweater

Pattern: Child's Aran Pullover
Pattern Source: Caron International Yarns
Yarn: Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride Superwash
Color: SW166
Occasion: Sweetpea's First Birthday
Accessory: Fisher Price Corn Popper!