I would wilt in this heat too ...

I took pictures of my beautiful Peonies before the heat wave hit us and it's a good thing I did. They looked pretty sad under the heavy weight of the humid hot air we're getting when I was leaving for work this morning.





And the fragrance was divine ...

Of course the hugh Lamb's Ears plantings by my walk don't mine the heat. I love to reach down and pet their leaves. If you don't know this plant, find it. It doesn't have flowers but it gives interest to the garden and when planted near a border it's a "pick me up" to your senses when you "feel" the leaves.



Can't think of anything better to do when I'm not knitting, like playing in my garden. Unless ...

I have money to go shopping!!

Hey Ewe!

I thought I would have nothing to talk about today, but once I downloaded my camera I realized I had been taking pictures here and there throughout the weekend that I had forgotten about. Of course I haven't forgotten my garden. That's a compulsion for me during the Spring and Summer season. So now you're going to have to see my whole Iris bed. And of course my newly blooming Peonies.

Oh I love the Peonies!

And as the seedlings in my vegetable bed pop up out of the ground and hopefully produce some good eating, I've been trying out a new system. Well a new system of planting for me that is. I'll show you the books I started using to help me be more productive. The Great Garden Companions is a great guide to what to plant where and with whom as an companion each should be planted with. I'm also an Organic gardener and I never use pesticides.

Then there's the Garden Journal my friend, Sammie in Georgia made for me ...

It's a great place to keep track of what I've planted, where and also to hold the seeds I'll need for a mid-summer planting. See, I'll open it up to show you how I've been faithfully using it. I even drew a diagram of what I planted and where. It's so I can use the crop rotation plan next year also.

The reason I'm showing you all this is because when you start seeing pictures of my vegetable & herb garden you're going to see what looks like a jumbled mess of plants. But that's how the Great Garden Companions explains to do it and I needed to find a way of producing more in a small space and yet have it look "artful" ... Okay, we'll see if I've accomplished that later.

Next year, I'll even put some veggies out front, I think by gosh.

And what about my knitting? Oh ya, it's been rainy so I don't even need to water the gardens, so I've been trying to catch up on my Sock Earrings ... Los Lobe Hose Tiny Sock Earrings. I've even sold a pair to a friend that I see at the train station every day. Here they are ... what do you think.

Tiny huh?

And if you need a comparison ... here they are with the Sock Blocker socks that I recently knit. They're more than half the size ... maybe even less than 1/3. Believe me, I have to use Mags to knit these babies, LOL.




I've also got to show you what I bought a few weeks ago. Finally showing off my find. These cute sheepy Jacob Sheep Notecards to write up some quick notes on you know. There are four cards in the group. But I'm having trouble with one of them. The fourth one.

And ... notepad paper [from the same place] Jacob's Reward Treasures for Spinners, to write a longer letter maybe. Yah, I know ... I'm not a spinner [Yet], but I can't resist sheepy things. And "Hey Ewe" ... you want to see what I'm having trouble with?

That fourth card....

Is it obscene? Or ... is it only me?
And just who in the World would I want to send this card to?

Memorial Day weekend flurry ...

No, not snow flurry ... a flurry of activity ... knitting for one thing. Yup, here's a FO posing for your approval. Rowan Kid Silk scarf. So soft. So luscious. So nice around the neck, never mind the fact that I love smelling it! I think it's the smell of the silk that makes it so irresistible.
My favorite color ... orange. It's done, done, done. Started in January, finished May 25, 2007.

Now I'll be back to one of my WIPs, the reversible cable scarf. I love this scarf also and it's going pretty fast since I only started it this last Saturday. Lily Chin would be proud!
So pretty with orange and purple.

As of this morning ... Saturday, I finished planting my Veggie garden. Just need to put down some straw or something for mulch. But the last of the seeds are in. Well until the early crop comes in. It is a small space, but I'll have a lot going on there soon.
I love my garden. I love eating from my garden too. Yum, yum, can't wait!

And because we're preparing for a big cookout here in our own backyard tomorrow, the DH and I have both worked for two days straight to prepare. The lawn, flower beds and backyard are all ready. And the house is clean enough so we are not be too embarrassed when someone goes inside.



Have you noticed that I love orange? I also love orange and pink together. And purple, red, yellow. I don't think there's a color in nature that I don't like.
I love 'em all!


Everything is ready, so I suppose I can sit down and take a break now. See that little pink knitted piece on the table below? Well it's a swatch. Yah, I know, I know, when does the Stitchingnut ever take the intelligent step of swatching before she begins something? But that's what I'm doing. Since I'm not using the yarn that the pattern calls for, I thought it best to make the wise, intelligent choice of getting gauge. I'll show it to you if I get the results I'm looking for.

Okay, okay ... you guys are tough. I'll show it to you either way. But when I'm done. Okay?

The good the bad and the ugly.
Back to my knitting ...

Before I go on Vacation ...

As our Cheery tree looses the last of it's blossoms I write this. Here's a picture while it was almost in full bloom last weekend. It was the last chance to sit in the backyard before the flowers were gone. Happens very quickly. But now all the leaves are out and it'll be like sitting in an outdoor living room. [Click on the picture to get an enlarged view. Nice huh?]

I also want to let you know that I'll be popping in only once in awhile this coming week. I'm on vacation! Hurray!!! It's an "at home" vacation ... cleaning, gardening, organizing and ... of course knitting. I did want to do a little bragging tho ... not about my knitting ... but just that I've LOST 12 pounds! Only 43 more to go!! Okay that's a lot more to loose, but I'm determined to do it even if it's only 1/2 lb a week [like it has been]. But it's a lifetime commitment now.

I'm doing it by going to Weight Watchers. [in case you're interested]

I also want to show you one of the t-shirts I bought a few months ago [didn't fit well back then, so I held off showing you]. It's from Threadless.com, which a lot of you probably already know. But if you don't, check 'em out. Occasionally they have what us knitters really like but also neat shirts for gifts for other non-knitters in our lives. This one has not only sheep on it but it involves math ... and you know that I work in M.I.T.'s Department of Mathematics, right? I couldn't resist this one ... sheep AND math.

I realize you might not even know that those pictures were of me, right? I always do feel a little silly showing "headless" shots. So here I am wearing the shirt with at least my face showing. LOL, but without the top of my head only. Haha, at least you know it really IS me.

Now excuse me friends, but my garden needs some attention ...