Spring to Finish - recap

Jacquie's Spring to Finish challenge ended on Monday and even though I didn't finish everything on my list, I'm happy with everything that I accomplished.

I was distracted by lots of other projects, so in addition to finishing what I started months ago, I also started a handful of other projects...

1. testing out my new weaving loom (a graduation gift to myself!)


2. Casting on for an Icelandic sweater and my first time using steeking and colorwork in a garment...


(pattern is Hela cardign and I'm using this speckled white and magenta for the yolk colorwork)


3. A May start and finish...this Eternity Scarf made out of Pigeonroof Studios superwash worsted yarn. The yarn is gorgeous and was a joy to work with. It's just too bad that I finished this just in time for 80 degree summertime weather!

(I should have staggered yarn from each ball in this project as there is a big variation in colors. Fortunately the color change isn't too noticeable when I'm wearing it).

Garden 2010: Week 2

Here's my belated garden post this week...

In an effort to keep up on the weeding (one of my goals for this year), I had to do a quick run through of the veggie garden before taking these pictures. Those weeds popped up fast this year! Now I can see how weeding once a week is a lot more fun than a long 2 hour session once a month (ahem, yes we are lazy weeders!)

We lost one turnip green already and I accidentally weeded a pepper plant, so we've had two casualties so far.

The direct sow seeds are popping up already and their little blooms are so cute! I'm so excited for the radishes to grow. Home grown radishes are so much tastier (and spicier) than store bought radishes.

Last weekend Jon and I went flower shopping together (big mistake as we are both enablers!)

We did two part sun pots for our front porch,


two full shade pots for our back patio, and some more herb pots.


After reading a bit more about edible herbs and fun drinks that you can make with them in Grow Great Grub, I got some more herbs to plant in my neglected strawberry pot (Apple Mint, Orange Thyme, Peppermint, Spearmint, and Lemon Verbena).


I also got a few more varieties of basil (Thai, Spicy Globe, Purple), and a dark purple shiso plant (shown with a dill, oregano, and parsley pot, too).


Our big purchase of the day was this specimen, Korean Fir Horstman's Silberlocke. We're trying to add more evergreens to the front of our house so that the landscaping looks nice year round. This tree is about 3 feet tall right now and is a slower growing fir with a crazy shape. Once we move some of the perennials in the front garden around to make more space, I'll take a picture of the whole tree. This is a slower growing evergreen and it looks more like a giant bonsai tree than a landscaping tree, so Jon and I were both excited to add this to our garden!

I'll leave you with shots of some perennials that are in bloom in the garden right now.

peony


bachelor button

potholder swap

Malka at a Stich in Dye hosted a potholder swap last month and she paired Susan at iamchickenfoot and I together.

Here's what I made for Susan:





Susan requested red and aqua potholders, so I dug through my stash to find fabrics that fit the bill. I quilted the log cabin and batting together and then sewed the front to the back pillowcase style.
Susan made me this cute hexagon trivet. It matches our kitchen and dishes perfectly.



Now I just need some fresh flowers to throw into that pitcher.

She even sent an adorable little log cabin pin cushion. Isn't it darling?

You can check out the rest of the projects for the swap in the flickr group here.

Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival

Amy at Amy's Creative Side is hosting the Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival again and here's my entry this spring...

I couldn't pick one favorite, so here are my two favorites right now.


Kandinsky quilt (original post here)



Doll Quilt Swap #7 Quilt (original post here)
I am starting to get overwhelmed with all of the great fabric options appearing on the market, so these quilts are my throwback to the basics of quilting. Solids never go out of style, right? (But, of course, I'm always in the market for new and interesting prints).

I didn't use a pattern for either of these quilts and sort of improvised on my design, technique and color choices. I find myself enjoying working with solid fabrics the most and I love rainbows of color, so these quilts were really fun to make. These two quilts together also demonstrate my inclinations toward order and organization, with a bit of controlled chaos thrown in for good measure with the wonky circles and freehand stippling.

(I see a theme here too with my love for solids and past favorites that were entries for the quilt festival. Check out my Triangles in a Square Quilt here and my Plain Spoken Quilt here).

Garden 2010: Week 1

Sunday was planting day for our garden. I'm going to try to post progress reports each week with photos to track the progress and to make notes to myself for things to try next year.


New things for this year:
1. 8 Basil Plants planted in the garden. We LOVE pesto and after reading Jacquie's tip about freezing pesto in a sandwich sized plastic bag (flattened), I've been freezing it in the summertime. For the past three years we've grown one plant in a container (the container was too small and the basil never flourished). We usually supplement with basil from the farmers' market, but this year we are trying to grow more of our own.

2. Jon built this amazing squash trellis based on these plans from Organic Gardening. The materials cost $38 and it's super sturdy. We are growing 7 plants of 4 different squash varieties (butternut, spaghetti, zucchini, summer yellow) on this trellis and hopefully everything will flourish and cover the trellis to make room for other plants in the garden. Melissa let me know last summer that you can store butternut squash in a cool dry spot for use over the winter. She also let me know that you can freeze shredded zucchini for use later on (my mom suggests freezing it in bags that are the correct amount for whichever recipe you plan to use - zucchini bread, anyone?)

3. We went from 4 rows to 2 rows and two wider beds for things like root vegetables and greens. I think the new layout will fit more plants than before. (here is the four row layout from 2009)

4. Our indoor seedlings grew well this year (well all but the pepper plants)! I supplemented our plantings with some plants at the farmers market to fill out the garden and we only had to spend $20 on new plants (40 veggies and herbs).

5. We didn't grow any tomatoes this year. Neither of us like them that much (heresy, I know) and they take up too much room. Now we have more space for other veggies to try.

6. We didn't grow any broccoli either. The plants are huge and we always accidentally let them go to seed. It's much more convenient to buy it at the farmers market.

7. For the walking paths between rows, we got rid of the black weed barrier cloth/woodchips and put down newspapers covered with grass clippings (tip taken from Animal Vegetable Miracle).

8. I removed all of the flowers from the last row of the vegetable garden. I moved the perennials to other areas in the yard and plan to plant my beloved zinnias next to our garage for summer bouquets around the house. Because we eat more veggies than ever, every bit of space counts!

This year our garden has:
Herbs (in the garden):
Chives
Thyme
Lots and lots of Basil
Sage
Oregano
Rosemary

Herbs (in containers):
Flat Leaf Parsley
Parsley
Mint
Dill
Oregano
Shiso


In rectangular bed #1 (5' x 10') - all direct sow seeds
Spring Onions
Leeks
Onions
Parsnips
Turnips
Carrots (2 rows)
Radishes (2 rows)

In Rectangular bed #2 (5' x 10')
3 Varieties of Lettuce - direct sow seeds
Spinach - from seeds started indoors
Mesclun - direct sow seeds
Bok Choy - direct sow seeds
Herbs

On the squash trellis (4' x 4')
Butternut Squash (1) - from seed started indoors
Spaghetti Squash (1) - from seed started indoors
Yellow Squash (3) - from the farmers market
Zucchini Squash (2) - from seeds started indoors

Under the squash trellis (4' x 4')
Mustard Greens (4) - from the farmers market
Turnip Greens (4) - from the farmers market

In Row #2 (2' x 16')
Okra (4) - from the farmers market
Swiss Chard (5) - direct sow seeds
Kale (4) - from the farmers market
Bok Choy (5) - from seeds started indoors
Bush Beans (6) - from seeds started indoors
Pole Beans (8) - direct sow seeds

In Row #1 (2' x 16')
Cucumbers (2) - from seeds started indoors
Green, Red and Yellow Peppers (11) - from the farmers market
Sweet Banana Peppers (2) - from the farmers market

For comparison, here was our garden
in 2007



in 2008


in 2009


Goals for 2010:
- keep the weeds under control
- prune plants as needed for bigger vegetables
- grow seeds in rotation for a constant harvest (I've never tried this before)
- take better notes to learn from past mistakes
- explore organic fertilizers/pest control

cute overload

Jon called me into the living room on Sunday so that I could see this...





eek...those kitties are too cute! He couldn't get him to leave his lap for some extra space for his computer for the life of him!

NYTimes: felted rugs

I came across this article in the NY Times (via Ravelry) about artist, Dana Barnes, and the giant rugs she crochets and felts out of wool roving...


I am drooling over this loft and those cheery rugs. But, oh...the dust they must accumulate!
See more photos here.