June Socks in May!

My knitting goals for 2012 are to become more proficient at Fair Isle work and to knit down the supply of sock yarn that has been stashed in the yarn drawer. Finishing twelve pair of socks in 2012 will pretty well take care of the sock yarn supply.

So far, I am ahead of schedule as the Milk and Honey socks are now finished and count for the month of June.

Pattern: Simple K3,P1 Ribbing

Yarn: Lisa Souza Sock!

Colour: Milk and Honey

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

I have ordered very little Lisa Souza yarn over the years but I do like it very much. The quantities are generous (Sock! comes in 450 gram skeins) and it feels good in the hand.

And the work in progress:

Schneekoppe - designed by Manuela Burkhardt

The Case Of The Shrinking Rose Bush

Some mysteries are never solved. Where is Jimmy Hoffa? What happened to 2.0's missing navy sock? Are there puppies in heaven? What happened on the Mary Celeste?

Well, here's one that was put to rest around 7:30 this morning.
For several years, the rose bush Nearly Wild, situated on the corner of the pathway to the Upper Lawn, delighted us with a cloud of beautiful rose colored blooms throughout the entire summer. But over the last couple of years, it seems to have stagnated - not growing, hardly blooming. In fact, it has been getting smaller and smaller!  Roots too wet over the winter? Too much or too little fertilizer? Not hardy enough for a changing Maritime climate?
Or...

Note the nonchalant stance, the "I just happened to wander in here. I'm not doing anything. Honest."

Until - caught in the act!

Rabbit stew, anyone?

Slow But Sure

From this...

To this - slow but sure...

The opening for an under deck door...

The white post covers from Trex have not arrived yet. I am hoping against hope that the deck will be finished by the end of the week but it is not looking good. I have been assured that the handrails and spindles will not take long to complete once the white covers are installed on the posts. The landscaping can't be completed until the deck work is finished.

Ever inch of the project has been done with amazing precision.

And inside - I haven't had much time to knit. Spring and fall are the busiest times of the year on this property. So I set the Schneekoppe socks aside for a few days and pulled from the yarn drawer some Lisa Souza sock yarn that I have had forever and cast on a mindless knit - a simple ribbed sock.

Pattern: K3, P1

Yarn: Lisa Souza Sock

Color: Milk and Honey

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

Finally - Flawed But Finished

I started this little cardigan on December 3, 2011. It qualifies as the longest ongoing project in my knitting history! I have knit the pattern several times successfully but deciding to do it in stripes this time resulted in no end of difficulties with the finish work. With the strands of different color yarns being carried up the sides of each piece,  the resulting edges were not as neat and uniform as when using a single color. The button and buttonhole bands are just passable and I am not at all happy with the neckline - even after taking it out and redoing it several times. But it is now May, 2012 - time to compromise and just get on with it! I finished the button bands this morning. I will block it tomorrow and sew on the small navy buttons.

Pattern: Sweater, Jacket, Hat & Helmet for Baby by Marks and Kattens (Clown #05053)

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (Natural) and Lang Jawoll (Navy)

Needles: Circular, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm

Now, here's a better project!

Pattern: Schneekoppe

Designer: Manuela Burkhardt

Yarn: Opal Surprise

Color: 4063

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

Manuela designed these socks and posted the pattern, in German, free of charge, on Ravelry. Not only was that most generous of her, but she then very kindly provided an English translation. It is a lovely pattern to watch unfold.

Meanwhile, outdoors...

Our new deck is proceeding slowly but surely. The master woodworker, Bill O'Brien, is working alone. The deck is larger than the old one and is a combination of cedar, white Trex, and white vinyl latticework. The composite materials are being used in order to provide the white that works so well with the creamy yellow house - but maintenance free. Over the last 15 years, I have spent a couple of weeks every spring cleaning, scraping, sanding, and staining the deck. This maritime climate is hard on paint and stain! And I resent the gardening time lost at the busiest time of the year outside.

Bill does marvelous work. You can see how beautifully this set of outdoor steps has been put together - not your usual deck staircase! The posts will be clad in white Trex and there will be a gate at the top of the stairs for visiting and live-in babies.

Movita - A Life In Review

Movita is forty today. Now, I don't usually indicate, except for the little ones, how old someone is on their birthday but Movita has been holding a Bake My Cake contest on her mostly-food blog (http://movitabeaucoup.com/ ) to mark her fortieth year, so there is little point in being discreet about it here!!

Movita was interested in cooking and baking at an early age. She was "hands in" from the very beginning.

Is it any wonder that she is holding food contests now and planning to attend baking school in the fall?

She was always particularly interested in cakes.

And, look, she took care of the washing up herself!

                                              

She was collecting blog design ideas long before Al Gore created the Internet

She was rarely a gardener in those days...

But always a dancer

For a very brief time, a skater...

Sometimes an explorer

An enthusiastic worker

A part time clown

A very reluctant Holly Hobby (see http://movitabeaucoup.com/2012/04/25/chocolate-cake-with-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/)

An animal lover

A loving sister

A fun companion

And always an angel

Happy Birthday, Movita Beaucoup

You are my very dear first born baby. Regardless of how many others appear in the generations to come, I will always have loved you the longest.