Whew! Ya’ll, I have been busy! The garden is really starting to crank out some groceries. The broccoli is mostly done, the cauliflower is nearly finished. The weather is turning hot, so all the brassicas are starting to bolt. So far we have frozen one round of greens, and I picked all these this morning, so the kitchen is about the be an active place, washing, blanching and bagging greens for future meals.
Poke salad and collards on the left, turnips and mustard on the right.
I went hunting the elusive wild huckleberry a couple of days ago. I was going to go again early this morning, but woke up with a migraine, so that was a no go. Might try late this evening. We have made two batches of sauerkraut, and I made one batch of Kimchi; will be making more tomorrow.
Huckleberries!Packing kraut in the crockCabbage for kimchi Went floating on the Buffalo National River with my sweet son!Went camping with my bestie and her husband at Lakeview for a few days and caught this beautiful sunset.Sugar snap peas; I love the little curlicues.My current knit is The Witching Hour by Hannah Mann. I had to rip it out and do some math; the sleeves were too small. They are perfect now!I don’t think I put this here yet; I put it on Instagram and Facebook, but it’s so pretty, it bears posting here too. This was a super fun project from Lolli & Grace.
I hope everyone is having a good week. Drop a comment and let me know what you would like to learn more about!
It’s been a minute, folks. It has been super busy around Rodgers Ridge, what with trying to get the garden planted. It has been unseasonably cool, and tomorrow is May 1st. I got tomatoes and chilis planted and mulched today, and Mom planted the sweet peppers and eggplant. It was so windy today, that my hat blew off several times and my sunglasses got knocked off once! Gusts were around 30 mph, so I was happy to be done. I needed to mow and plant a few seeds, but decided that could wait another day or two. The wind is really not fun to be out when it is gusting that hard.
One of our peony plants. They are starting to put on a show!The clematis is covered in blooms.
Here I am pinching off the lowest leaves on this tomato plant. I then plant it up to those nodes. This encourages more root growth, to ensure that we will have strong, healthy plants to support all the tomatoes I hope to get!
My latest sweater I finished for myself, the Ohlala tee; you can’t see it too well here, because the bib of my overalls is hiding a lot of it, but this is a decent picture of me, so I decided I would show you anyway.I am taking a knitting break, because I saw a few of my fiber artist friends working this project from www.lolli and grace.com. I have not embroidered in a very long time, but this project really caught my eye. It’s called “One Meaningful Word”. I haven’t decided what my word will be yet.Bug Boy asked me to mend some jeans for him, and the way that they were torn called for some visible mending. He was happy with the repair!Finally, for my knitting friends, here is the photo of my Ohlala Tee in blocking stage.
I still have more garden work to do, so will try to post more garden photos soon. I am chomping at the bit to do some clay work; if I didn’t have to sleep or hold down a job, I could get a lot more done! Until next time, make life DIY!
Hey ya’ll! I have been busy making things green, or green things, or something along those lines. It’s that time of year when we start getting excited about the garden. I am extra excited since my new working hours afford me a little more time working in the garden. Since I work from home now, with a 30 second commute, I can get up early and go work outside and get some things done, and still have time to clean up before my “commute”.
Baby cabbages, all tucked in. The cans/collars protect them from cut worms.The rhubarb has woken from its winter slumberTrying some grow bags this year. I have red and yellow potatoes planted.Leeks and Napa cabbageThis bed has been planted with mustard, radishes, collards, turnips and three kinds of lettuce. Not much to see yet.My latest knit is also green; the Ohlala Tee by Jil Karina Bo.My latest pottery finish; a set of dishes.Finally, last night’s sunset. Ah, I love my country life.
Hello, devoted readers! I have had a very busy weekend. Bug Boy and Little Brother were here for the weekend. I told their Mom to be sure and send them with some work gloves. I had plans.
Mom and I managed to get our onions out last week. I needed to re-level one of the walls of my green bean bed (which honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to doing). So Little Brother and I dug out the dirt on the inside where I needed to fix the wall. After that, I removed the blocks and was ready to start leveling the ground that they had been sitting on. When I sat the blocks on the ground outside, I noticed that ground was quite level, so rather than digging down, I added some dirt and reset the block I where I had moved it. The end result was that my bed was a tad bit bigger, and I didn’t have to work quite as hard as I anticipated. With the wall re-leveled and re-plumbed, Little Brother and I dug out all the winter weeds and fluffed up the dirt for planting. Bug Boy helped me put the hog panel back in for my green beans to grow on. Then I ( with the boys help) mulched all around the bed. Then while Bug Boy went down to the pond to fish, Little Brother and I walked down to the bottom of the property to check out the dry creek. As we had over 6 inches of rain Friday, I figured there would be a wet creek. I was not disappointed!
This creek actually has a name on the map; Neilon Creek. That leads me to believe it may have been a year round creek at one time.
This morning, after a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, we ran to town to get potting soil and gas for the mower. When we got back to the house, Bug Boy helped me set up some grow bags. I decided to plant my potatoes in some of these. I thought they might be kind of cool, as they have Velcro doors so you can reach in and pull out a few potatoes without having to disturb the plant. Sounds good in theory. Little Brother helped me plant the potatoes, and we had more potatoes than we had grow bags, so we planted the rest in the bed we had just prepared. This evening, I planted carrot seeds in the remainder of that bed. When it gets warmer, I will add bean seeds close to the panel so they can climb up and over, forming a nice trellis. I also planted our leeks this afternoon.
I had harvested some red bud flowers yesterday, and brewed a red bud tea. This evening, I made some red bud jelly. I found a small batch recipe, as I had never tried red bud jelly before, so I thought it best to make just a little. If I decide it’s tasty, I can always get some more blossoms, maybe. I say maybe, because while red bud trees are fairly short as trees go, they are still taller than me, so my ability to gather them is somewhat limited. I will let you know if the experiment is a success, but it is pretty.
Red bud jelly. Isn’t it pretty?
I also did glaze fire number one for the set of dishes I am making. Fingers crossed that they all come out right! I have about three more firings to complete the set. If nothing cracks in the fire, I will be so happy!
In knitting news, no hats, but I am knitting myself a new pullover sweater. I am making the Ohlala tee. I am using a beautiful moss green yarn from Dragon Hoard Yarns. It is knit from fingering weight yarn, and is a top down circular yoked sweater. It’s so pretty. I am about halfway done with the yoke, then the rest is just stockinette in the round on slightly larger needles, so once the yoke is done it should move along fairly quickly. I am looking forward to wearing it! My knitting/kayaking/camping friend Sheila went with me last Saturday to Eureka Fiber in the Ozarks. We just went for the day and had a nice time! She found some beautiful hand dyed wool/silk blend yarn to knit a sweater for herself, and I picked out some yarn to knit The Witching Hour. I have been wanting to make this for quite some time, but had not yet found the right yarn. It will probably be my next project.
Hat number 23 is Barley by Tin Can Knits. I gave it to my handsome son, shown modeling it here. He didn’t want to wear it slouchy style, so he’s cuffed it up here. It was such a quick mindless knit, that I quickly cast on hat number 24, Barley Light by Tin Can Knits, which is the fingering weight version of Barley.
Also, I finished the costume for Bug Boy’s next play. I am quite chuffed with how it turned out. Don’t judge me for not matching the print. It was rather dizzying.
Also, Saturday and Sunday were great weather days here. I needed to put some chicken wire at the bottom of the existing garden fence, as we had a couple of holes where critters were getting in and eating some of our plants. This should put a stop to that. I don’t mind sharing some with the wildlife, but last year they ate all the fall cole crops, my green beans, and gnawed on the melons. Hopefully that won’t happen this year.
I still have to put some more wire on one more side, but I’m getting there! Whew , I guess I have been busy. Tomorrow, back to work!
Every time I make something new, it becomes my favorite; but this is really a nice hat! Stranded colorwork make me happy! This is typical in that most rounds are only two colors, but there are 3 rounds where you have to carry 3 colors, so a little more challenging there, but not too much. Not sure what hat #23 will be yet, but I will post here when I decide. Otherwise. I am just focusing on learning my new job. I really like it and it’s such a nice change for me that still allows me to use all my therapy knowledge and skill of 23 years.
Hi ya’ll! Just a quick post to show you my latest makes. I just now finished hat #21, Cardamom Coffee, by Caitlin Hunter. This one has been in my queue for a long, long time. The yarn is Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in black, cream and Sunrise. I had this yarn in my stash from my last overseas vacation in London. That was about 5-6 years ago, pre-Covid. It was the perfect choice for this project!
Cardamom Coffee by Caitlin Hunter
I have a fake fur Pom-Pom that will be perfect on here in my stash. In the pottery department, I am making a set of dinnerware for a friend.
Plates drying on the shelf, waiting to have transfers added.Large oval serving bowl, recently has the transfer applied. It will dry for awhile before being fired.
I am also sewing a suit for Bug Boy’s next school play. (Pics for that later) I also finished a sweater recently for my son. I am so pleased at how it turned out. It fits him perfectly!
I won’t keep you long, but I just wanted to add to the tally of hats. Last night I finished hat #20. The pattern is the Copy Cat C.C. Beanie. The Ravelry link is here, or you can go straight to the designer’s blog here. Another win is that I used up some deep stash on this one. The yarn is Caron X Pantone, which is a 60/20/20 Acrylic/Merino/Nylon blend. I had bought a few of these awhile back, and they have been marinating in the stash for a good long time. Anyway, here’s mine.
My Copy Cat C.C. Beanie
Also, the President is giving a State of the Union address tonight, so I hope everyone tunes in. Happy Tuesday; make life DIY!
Get Garter- Pixie hat. I made this for a friend who battled cancer (and won!)
Hello all! Here I am again, blogging! Since last we met, I made mention of knitting all 300 hats that are in my Ravelry pattern library. My sister Angel insisted that I should absolutely count the patterns I have already knitted. So, after taking stock this afternoon, I have knitted 18 of the 300; some I have knitted twice. I am only counting the first time I have knitted each pattern. I do have a few pictures that I will share, but a lot of the hats I have knitted have been given away. The list of hats I have knitted so far:
Bankhead by Susie Gourley, Big Chunky Comfy Hat by Erica Kempf Broughton, Anemone by Cat Bordhi, Fidra by Gudrun Johnston, Warm the Line by Rosemary Hill, Adult Fish Hat by J.G. Miller, Dutrieu by Wooly Wormhead, The Little Mountain Beanie by Sandra A. James, Brick Sidewalk Beanie by Ann Weaver, Helmet Hat by Deborah Newton, Child’s Fish Hat by J.G. Miller, Ribbing & Lace Chemo Cap by Heather Tucker, Get Garter-Pixie Hat by Wooly Wormhead, Sunflower Medallion Hat by Anna Al, Cable Kitty Hat by Jennifer Riley, Spliced by Jen Zeyen, Double Crossed by Katie White and The Botanist by Tanis Gray. Whew! I am not putting in links on all of these, because that would take a lot of time. If you are a knitter and are on Ravelry, and are able to use Ravelry without issues, you can find them all there.
I think hat number 19 is going to be appreciated and worn a lot. Today was the first day in weeks that the sun was shining and it was warm enough to do outside activities, so the boys and I went to the river to hike and trout fish. The trail was still quite icy on one long shaded stretch, so we turned around to let the boys fish. Bug Boy caught 15 Rainbow trout (all released back to the river); Little Brother caught a rare tree fish. I explained to him that the fish were in the water, not in the trees. He was done. I wanted to then take them to The Cotter Bridge Market for homemade ice cream, but they were closed. Bummer.
Because it’s been so icy and cold, not a lot of clay work has been getting done. I have flower pots to glaze, garden art to install and some stuff that needs to go through a bisque fire. Mom and I went to Nixa, Missouri last weekend to pick up some new clay for a commission I have to complete. I have everything lined up that I need to complete my first full set of dishes I am making for a friend.
My most recent clay project. This will be part of a Japanese Pagoda inspired garden lantern.Taken two weeks ago, on a cold but sunny hike to Indian Rock House
I am now trying to decide what hat I will knit next. I also am working on a sweater for my son. More on that later! Make life DIY!
Since last we met (2 long years ago), a lot has happened. My last post was about cups. Since then, my list of DIY skills has grown to include pottery, and now I am making my own cups. Pottery is something I have wanted to try for a very long time, and the winter of 2021, after an extended bout of COVID-19, I decided it was time. Pottery has been such a fun learning experience. When my brain needs a reset, all I have to do is sit down to my wheel and throw a few pots, and everything feels better.
One of my favorite hand built cups
This year is bringing many changes to my life. After 23 years in practice as a physical therapist, an opportunity came my way that would allow me to leave patient care and work from the comfort of my own home. This checks so many boxes for me at this stage of my life, so of course I accepted! I will be able to continue to work, using my skills and knowledge gained all those years as a PT in my new job as a Home Health Care Coordinator for United Healthcare Group. My new job begins next week, and I am super excited!
On the fiber arts front, I have been doing A LOT of knitting, and a little spinning. My spinning wheel was looking lonely one evening and it was too cold to go to my clay studio, so I did some spinning.
The singles still on the bobbinThe finished yarn, chain plied
I knitted a vest for Bug Boy, and a cardigan for his little brother. If any of you have been following since the old days, you might notice that Bug Boy is quite grown up! He just turned 15.
Bug Boy wearing his new vest, Caldwell (pattern on Ravelry)Little Brother. His sweater is Arlo (also on Ravelry)
What’s on my needles right now is the Guston henley for my son. I have been scrolling Ravelry for a hat project, as while I knit a lot of hats, I also seem to give a lot of hats away. I happened to note that I have 300 (300!!!) hat patterns in my Ravelry library. That is a nice round, even number, that I am thinking of setting the challenge for myself to knit all 300 patterns. Now, obviously, I have already knit some of them, so the question is, do I count those I have already knit, or start at the beginning and knit all of them, not counting those I have already made? What do you think? I do know I will be knitting Cat Bordhi’s Anemone hat again, as it was super fun and the one I made was given to a dear friend who was struggling with chemo. Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are. Happy 2023, and let’s all make life DIY!
renee1965 