Ta Da!

If Lucy was here, she would clap and call out "Bravo!"
The mittens are done after having first knit two right hand ones! I misread the pattern instructions and was so involved in the pattern sequence that I didn't notice until the mitt was finished.
It reminds me of playing bridge in the Valley years ago with an elderly, retired school teacher. She had a sharpish tongue and a quick, dry wit. She told the story of sitting on her sofa in Halifax years before, listening to the radio and knitting mittens. The announcement came on that war had been declared and she was so distracted by the news that she knit two left mittens. "There", she told her young son, "You'll just have to wear them that way and support the war effort. I'll have other things to do now."

Sweetpea's Corn Silk Sweater

Here's a golden sweater for a little redhead I know who looks stunning in yellows and oranges.
Pattern: Easy Raglan
Source: Green Mountain Spinnery
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted Superwash
Color: Corn silk
This is a great, basic pattern. I did it in white with eyelet shoulder seams for Le Little Turnip and again, here, in yellow for Sweetpea with plain seams created by Kf&b decrease stitches. I much prefer the white Cascade 220 Superwash to the Lamb's Pride, however. I bought the latter purely because the color screamed "MacKenzie". I have no complaints about the quality of the yarn but I get better stitch definition and better drape with Cascade.

Heeeere's Hagley!

The first Clematis Hagley bloom of 2009.
We always view this clematis with affection as Hagley is also the nickname that Daughter Number One gave to Daughter Number Two - who, besides Hagley, is also known as Haddums, Our African Queen, Our Tanzania Tootsie, and our little Veggie Burger.

And the other pinks are now back in the garden:

Astilbe Amethyst

Astilbe Peach Blossom



Rosa Wife of Bath

Makin' Mitts

I found this pattern yesterday on Ravelry. What our parents and grandparents could have done had they be able to read, research and, perhaps, shop online! I was able to purchase the pattern in the time it took me to enter my credit card number and other info via the ultra secure PayPal and - voilà - the pattern was coming off my printer. Talk about instant gratification...
It is a lovely, well written and well presented pattern. Not difficult but you do have to keep your wits about you and keep track of where you are in the row sequence.
Pattern: Merion Mitts
Designer: mintyfresh (another clever young Canadian)
Yarn: Cascade 220
Color: 8401

The White Period

Clematis: Duchess of Edinburgh

There are three clematis planted by the obelisk at the wellhead along the front walkway to the house. Niobe blooms profusely every year. Hagley (in honour of You-Know-Who) has only started to bloom a bit over the last couple of years. And the Duchess of Edinburgh has never, ever shown its lovely face. Until this week. In fairness to the Duchess, I have been in the habit of cutting the vines back to the ground each winter so I can wind a balsam wreath around the obelisk and the Duchess probably likes to bloom on old wood. I didn't cut the vines back entirely this past Christmas and will not do it at all now. It is so nice to see the white flowers, especially at dusk.



Like Picasso in his blue period, I am in a white phase right now. Isa has had endless patience in trolling through the websites I send her to look at yarn colors and knitting patterns for Lucy Darling. She made a list of Cascade colors she thought would be good for le petit turnip and this winter white was one of them. I enjoyed this project for Le Turnip so much that I have an urge to knit only in shades of white for the next while.


Pattern: Easy Raglan Sweater
Pattern Source: Green Mountain Spinnery
Yarn: Cascade 200 Superwash
Color: Winter White

Slugging It Out In The Garden

The summer so far has been drab and dreary. The temperatures have been comfortable, moderate. But the fog rolls in at supper time and doesn't roll out again until about four o'clock the following afternoon. We madly try to hold fast to the couple of hours of sunlight but it slips from our grasp as yet another blanket of grey drops down on us.
The garden has become a damp jungle dripping with slugs and fog water - but pretty nonetheless. I go slugging every day with a container of salt water and a trowel. I have a quota of 100 slugs before I go on to other chores. On Friday, I collected (with ease) 201 slugs from the grassy areas alone. I have deep seated feelings of revenge when I find them chomping in a newly planted hydrangea or a pricey gerbera daisy. I remember FRED saying last summer (another damp, foggy one) that he squished them with such vengeance in his heart when making his morning rounds in the garden. FRED's slugs grow to the size of small mice so I suppose I should feel grateful that at least mine are the smaller variety.

There are a lot of red tones in the garden in July.


Astilbe: Red Fanal

Rose: Morden Ruby

Believe it or not, I actually planted less in the window boxes this year and they have filled out quite nicely despite the cutback.



Closer examination reveals a new variety as well:


Yarn: Extra Merino Big
Company: Schachenmayr Nomotta
Color: Magenta