Designer of the Month!

Patternfish's August newsletter is out and the designer of the month is .........ME!

I have 102 patterns on PFish (as I fondly refer to it) - almost all of which are socks.

I am honoured and humbled to be featured and have my patterns showcased like this

Patternfish's home page is here

New pattern just released

... and guess what..... it is a ...... sock!



Surprised? Not really, I know - since most of my patterns are socks


This is the top of the foot - I am enchanted by it and the way it wanted to be decreased - not my usual star toe.



Some times the design just tells you what to do!

Byzantium is available from Patternfish (I should mention how lovely the people at Patternfish are - they really are!)

One day in June

June 9th blooms:

Siberian Iris

Salvia


Pulmonaria leaves - bloomed for almost 2 months - the earliest to bloom


Newly planted Oakleaf Hydrangea, Clematis Summer snow and Lady's Mantle


More Siberian Iris


Lady's Mantle up close and personal


Chives



First bloom on my new Clematis Niobe. Every picture I have seen of it has been red but this is closer to the actual colour but still a little on the red side -it is even more beautiful than expected


Hakon grass


More Lady's Mantle - a lovely plant for partial shade - buy, beg, borrow or steal some if you don't have any - it blooms a brighter almost fluorescent green


More to come

a quick update

A very quick update

I am back

Selling yarns again - on eBay - so have a look and see if there are any of my yummies you can't live without

More soon

Meanderings

A friend and I visited a yarn shop (or 2) on the weekend and I am pleased to report that although I am no longer selling yarn myself, I am still getting that heart thumping feeling when I see a gorgeous hank of yarn.

Case in point is VIOLA

Walking in front door of Shall We Knit (in New Hamburg, ON) there is an old armoire on the left stuffed to the gills with Koigu. I stand and gaze at the colours, thinking of all the lovely things I could make of the luscious yarn and its luscious colours and my heart beats and I breathe deeply.

Then I turn to my right and spot (wasn't hard as it is right at eye level - clever marketing folks there!) 2 baskets of beautiful, intense, subtle, luscious, wonderful hanks of colour. The yarn is Viola, from an indie dyer in Toronto and is stunning! Heart thumpingly so. Especially the red

Go see it - trust me you will like it!

Impatiently waiting for Spring - it was -13.6C this morning when I got up with the dog. Brrr. And here I am thinking that that little rodent who didn't see his shadow on GH Day was going to give us an early Spring. Nuts to that

Off to work - have some knitting projects on the go but can't show them to you yet.

Yearnings

I read a few garden blogs on a regular basis and one of them today talks about the advantages of snow.

Intellectually I agree that snow is a good thing - helps to insulate the garden and keep perennials from being heaved out of the ground, provides moisture when it melts and gives a good start to the season - but I must say I am sick of the sight of it.

We have about 14 inches on the ground with huge mounds at the bottom of the driveway allowing just enough clearance to get the car out (I got stuck the first time - my technique has improved since then). The dog loves it.... but I do not. Enough already!

Oh and I forgot to mention it was -19.9C this morning when I let the dog out for a microsecond.

Time to get the shovel out and dig some garden!

I have been knitting up a storm though (I guess that is another advantage to snow) and have completed the preliminary knit of a shoulder shawl in mohair (lots of fuzz, great depth of colour, not too complicated a design since it would be lost in the fuzz).


And also a triangular shawl in fair isle in Kauni yarn (long colour stretches with gradual changes from one to the next) with a corrugated ruffle for the bottom. I knitted it circularly with a steek and cut the steek in the company of my knitting group - now picked up along the edge and am knitting a border to wrap around the cut edge. This is how the yarn started out but I realized I had knitted it too small so ripped it.


Off to work on a pattern for fingerless mitts. Two hand dyed yarns in a fair isle with a corrugated ribbed cuff and Latvian braids (yum)

Long time posting

I knew it was a long time but was actually shocked to see my last post was in August. A LOT has happened since then!

Red Bird Knits has stopped selling yarn and I am just going to be promoting my patterns and will add to the list now and then. Pattern sales won't keep food on the table but I have been lucky enough to find another job that allows me to work at home and give me the flexibility I need/want/crave!

I am doing freelance copyediting

How's that for a change of pace?

Other happenings:

I have a fence and it has changed my life! The dog goes out in the morning and we have a walk later in the day when the sun is up. Hallelujah!

I have barely knit a thing since I stopped the Sock of the Month Club - finished my Hoxbro shawl knitted in Noro Silk Garden Lite (discontinued wouldn't you know) and wear it daily. Warm and cosy winds the day. I also made a pair of wrist warmers from the left over bits and although they are only about 4 inches long they are greatly contributing to my overall warm happiness.

I have been obsessively making bead crochet necklaces and bracelets (and have sold 2!) from my bead/semi-precious stone stash

Silver metallic and turquoise:

Gold metallic and random bits of shell and leaves

Matt black and swarovski crystals - since ripped out and redone with only the clear crystals - made thinner and more delicate I thinks


There are more - and I will post some more one I get them photographed.

DS is about to go and shovel us out so I will go and help. There are about 8 inches of snow on the car!

We Has Postses etc

A storm brought down my tomatoes which were supported on 3 bamboo stakes (bamboo from my old garden!) and I lost about 3/4 of my crop. After untangling and retying to twisty metal tomato stakes (who'd a thunk they would actually be used for tomatoes one day) the plants are recovering.

There is a Lemon Boy (low acid, quite fleshy not too seedy), an orange one (juicy!) and a red one (not much flavour):


This is David Austin Leander - the buds open tangerine and fade to pink as they mature - not sure where the spots come from - haven't seen them before:


Pot of Coleus, potato vine and some added pots of Gerbera stuck into the original pot. The Gerberas have been disappointing as the original 6 plants stopped blooming over a month ago:


One post!


More posts!


The 1st picture shows how perfectly the posts were set - as you sight down the line you see only the 1 post.

Now all I need are the parts in between and I might be able to let the dog out!