One of the unexpected benefits of working from home is more time to cook. While I’ve never been a bad cook, I never put too much effort into it. When you’ve got an hour to hour and a half commute home every day, getting fancy with dinner is usually the last thing on your mind.

But now that I’ve got that commuting time back, I’m much more willing to search out a new recipe and try something fresh. One thing I want to try is cooking with fresh herbs. So there’s no time like the present to start growing them!

I found these little kits at the dollar store. (Strawberries and tomatoes aren’t herb, I know… but I love growing them). If these work out, I might invest in a little growing lamp so I can have fresh herbs, year round!

And until things start sprouting, I’ve had to resort to other measures to get a little more green in my life…

I have a bad habit of sticking pins and needles in the couch arm when I’m working on quilt binding. It was definitely time for a better solution. I had some teeny terra cotta pots in the basement, so nothing better than a sweet little cactus. (The pattern is free). I used leftover top cat from my Calendula shawl and within an evening it was finished!

What’s green and growing in your world?

Just a fluffy black cat and a little grey mouse.

Do you remember the little wall-hanging top I made way back when…

Yeah… it’s been almost a year since I finished the top. It was definitely time to quilt it. After finishing the quilting on Scrappage Patch, I had enough time to quilt another small project. So I got to it and now Tea for Three is finally hanging on the wall.

Here’s a closer look…

Mom’s been bugging me to step outside my comfort zone and try some different quilting patterns. So while I did do some loop-de-loops, I also did a little free-hand writing, and quilted some steam above each cup.

For backing and binding, I had some fabric left from the Chocolate Covered Pinwheels quilt (which also lives in the livingroom

And with this complete, I only have three tops waiting to be quilted. I’m hoping to get them done before I finish any new ones! The race is on!

While I wait for the yarn for LYS to arrive, I decided to at least get a pair of socks on the needles. Father’s day is only a few months away, so no time like the present to work on another pair of thick socks for Dad.

This is the last colour from the pile of West Yorkshire Spinners Country Bird line I bought last year. this one is Wood Pigeon… a lovely mix of grey and mauve. Since one of the greys has a pretty bluish cast to it, I decided to use up some leftover Fat Cat on cuff, heel and toe. I matches pretty well, I think.  I means there’s no nylon at all in these socks, but Dad mostly wears them around the house, so they don’t wear too badly.

If I keep at it, this pair will knit up quick and be off the needles in no time!

 

On the weekend, I was up at Mom’s trying to bang out another quilt or two on the longarm. I’ve been making tops faster than I can quilt them, and they  are starting to pile up.

Despite Minnie Winnie’s help, I managed to get two small projects sandwiched and quilted. The largest of the two was the Scrappage Patch quilt…

Which Burton used as a bathing platform while I finished the binding.

You may remember that this one began as a Leader/Ender project using up a pile of 4″ scraps to make the nine patches. Some inexpensive plain blue fabric (the same as the border on the Rainbow quilt) made a lovely sashing.

The thriftiness factor was kept up with a ditsy floral backing got in the Craftsy end-of-the-bolt sale for an absolute steal. The binding fabric was actually bought for the Follow the Leader quilt… but when I got it home and put it beside the other florals, I realized it was actually dark brown and cream, not black and white like the florals.

It’s not a huge quilt – about 66″ x 54″… but it’s a good snuggle quilt, and will make an excellent Christmas present for Dave’s Mom. Yep… that’s one Christmas present done already!

Fools’ on you Mother Nature…

You sent the snow a day too early!!! After our wonderful week outdoors, this is what we woke up to yesterday.

I feel you Relic… I really do. Don’t worry… it won’t last. By the middle of the week, the temps are supposed to be up in the low teens.

But while we are housebound again, I’ve turned my attention to getting something new on my needles.  Wyoming Breezes has been showing off some lovely cotton dishtowels lately. Cotton is not my favourite thing to knit with, but I’ve got a fair bit left in the stash, and dishtowels might be just the thing to use it up.

I started with a simple basketweave stitch, but it’s definitely getting frogged. I’m not happy with tension and I’m thinking a simple eyelet pattern might keep my attention a bit better.

So while deciding which direction I want to go, I’ve been flirting with the idea of starting a new cardigan.

This is LYS. It popped up on Ravelry just a short time ago and I absolutely fell in love. I bought the pattern right away (which I rarely do – I try to wait until I’m ready to knit it). Sadly, the only yarn in my stash in the right quantity is some rusty orange Jungle Cat. While it’s  a beautiful shade… it doesn’t really go with any of my dresses (If you can believe that.. I have 30 of them but not one in a colour that will work!!!)

This cute little croppy came up just the other day. It’s Ursa. As you know, I don’t usually o in for pullovers, but I think this one will totally work with my dresses. That said, I think it’s probably better suited to much cooler weather, so it’s going to wait for cast-on. Something to look forward to for fall, I think!

Last is Nera. If it looks somewhat familiar, it’s because you may have seen it on Delighted Hand’s site – she just finished one. I adore how it looks, and think it would look fab with my dresses. Sadly… I have no yarn for it either! (It’s knit n bulky, and I don’t tend to stash it.) But have no fear…

Knitpicks has come to the rescue with a pile of these beauties! It’s the same yarn I knit Carbeth in – this time in drawing room. It was a joy to knit with, and is pretty nice to wear, so I’m happy to knit with it again.  Of course… it won’t be here for a week or two… so I’m still looking for something to knit…

I’m sorry for no crafty stuff… but we are just too excited about Spring

The last few week days were warm enough to have windows and doors open and the boys were just begging to be outside.

As you may know, we have a bit of a tier system here with outside privileges.

Burton is on a harness and leash because for all that he is adorable, he’s notoriously stupid. And on top of that, he has no fear. If allowed free, the first thing he does is climb a tree… and get stuck. Who knows what other trouble he’d get in to if I let him have his way.

Rupert has a little more smarts, and a lot more fear, so he’s allowed to remain leash-less, but is only allowed out when I’m out there with him. In truth… he’s really only leash-less because if you try to put a harness on him, he thinks you’re trying to perform an exorcism on him, and he goes all demon kitty. So we have an agreement… he can be harness free, as long as he remains in the yard. Which he mostly does. Every once in a while he gets brave and travels beyond his boundaries, but a  quick clap of the hands has him running back. Peno has the same privileges as Rupert. Though I don’t have to worry much about her. She usually just comes out for a quick munch on the lawn, then goes back inside to resume her 23-hour nap.

Relic is the only true free-range cat of the bunch. And only because it’s notoriously difficult to corral a cat who’d been outside for the three years prior to you taking him in. We’re talking about getting him a GPS collar to see how far, and where he goes. Though most of the time, he’s just out napping in the garden.

Up until today (it’s COLD again!) we’ve been going outside for an hour or so every day. We’ve seen our first honey bee, though have nothing in the yard for the poor girl to eat. Nothing is in bloom yet – not even a sad little dandelion (and no sign of my snowdrops).

I did attempt a little bit of clean-up. Cutting away dead stuff, raking out the leaves, sweeping up the patios stones…

But clearly… I’ve got a lot more cleaning to do!

The temps steadily rose this week, and spring continues to march on. Of course, the temps are set to drop tomorrow and there’s the threat of snow… but for now I’ve been enjoying the miniscule amounts of green.

The first of the winter sow jugs are starting to show signs of life. This is the Iceland Poppies. It’s no surprise they are the first – after all, Iceland Poppies would be acclimatized to cooler temps.

The second jug has turned into a bit of a mystery. The sun bleached the label, so I’m not sure what it is. It’s either the black-eyed susans, Lupins or the silver dollar. I’m leaning toward the latter, but I’ll have to wait and see.

I was surprised to see this Blanket Flower looking so perky so early. Historically, the Blanket Flowers have been one of the later plants to come back to life.

The Spanish Armeria is marching along right on time. It blooms early-mid May and then it’s done for year.

My reliable Red Dwarf Columbine is performing as expected. It’s always one of my earliest to grow and bloom.

The ground has firmed up a bit, so I was able to do some clearing of dead stuff. When I did, I found these little anemone sprouts.

And this mystery plant was hiding in the front garden. I think it might be my Astilbe, though I was sure it was closer to the steps. But I can’t for the life of me think of what else it might be! Oh well – time will tell.

Sadly, there’s also a fair bit of squirrel damage out front. I’m trying not to get too upset, there’s still lots of  bulbs still intact and sprouting.

Like these crazy Aliums! I’ve got several crazy lumps of these. Last year they were all single plants… but look how they’ve multiplied!

I think the only one more excited about Spring then I am is this guy….

I don’t make the bed right away (and sometimes not at all), so lately, every morning when Dave gets up, he’s been arranging his blanket into a little nest.

Why you ask…?

To appease our favourite little ginger.  Every morning, after breakfast, and a brief bird watching session, he retires to the bedroom for the day. If there’s a nest waiting for him, he’ll settle right in and won’t show his face until after dinner.

Who needs fancy pet beds when you have your Daddy’s favourite blanket?

C’est fini!

It really shouldn’t have taken a month an a half to knit a pair of ankle socks (especially when I only had one other thing on the needles at the time!), but it did.

The pattern is Business Casual. It’s a freebie, and a fun one! The only downside is that there are no rest rows. The yarn is Malabrigo sock. It’s 100% superwash merino and soooooo soft!  It’s only downside is it has no nylon – I hope it doesn’t wear out too quickly.

And because someone with comment on the shoes… they are from Aldo, though I actually got them from a thrift store several years back! Sadly, now that I work from home, my fabulous shoe collection doesn’t see much wear. (Dave and I aren’t social butterflies, so I don’t get out much). Part of me feels like I should go all Marie Kondo, and thin the herd… but darn – just looking at them sparks joy!

Now… I have absolutely NOTHING on my needles…. this feels so weird…