just another raveller

One evening a few weeks ago, the discussion at the Yarn Boutique turned to the second hand craft shop in Fairport, NY - Craft Bits and Pieces.  It's in the plaza upstairs from the Fairport Public Library. Run by volunteers, this shop takes in, sorts, and sells used craft supplies at low prices, all to raise money for elders. Great idea, right? Someone told a story about someone else who picked up a passle of Addi's there at a buck a piece. Urban myth or true tale? We talked about a section of the shop that I have never noticed but which I find intriguing -  Lovingly Begun. Apparently they regularly take in unfinished projects and the supplies to finish them. The volunteers tidy them up and package them together for sale.  I don't get out to Fairport often, but when I do, I always stop by, if only to peruse the 80's patterns.  And here's my own "lovingly begun project." Some years ago, too many to say, I made a garage sale purchase that included 21 bl...

My Ravelry project page says I started this in May, but you know I think it was April.  Pattern: Cobweb Crepe  by Sharon Miller Yarn: Malabrigo Sock (2 skeins) for centre and Ambrosia (Knit One Crochet Too - 4.5 skeins) for the edging on 3.25 mm (US 3) needles. The pattern calls for a larger Old Shale border, but I simply stopped knitting the border when I came to end of the 2nd skein of Malabrigo Sock and then looked for a yarn for the edging. I was severely enabled by my friends at the Yarn Boutique and ended up using Ambrosia, a merino, cashmere and silk blend. It's heavier than the Sock and to make up for that I caught up an extra stitch on every third return edging row. I like that the edging is slightly heavier and more sumptuous than the centre. Mmmm. All mine!  Things seem finally to be settling down. My ankles are much better though I haven't dared a trip to the gym yet. A bit at a time. 

I don't have much to show this month. I'm still knitting away on the endless Clematis edging and a couple of pairs of socks. I don't seem to have what it takes to get on with the Pine Tree Palatine which is a shame since I'm past halfway through it. See it sitting here in its bag... Meanwhile, far, far away, my daughter has washed all the socks that I've made for her over the years...   There are many socks in my kingdom, thinks Bruno.   They have all been washed and hung up to dry, guarded by the Boojums. One sock, two sock, red sock, blue sock... Boojums and Bruno: what a wonderful thing to have one's knitting appreciated!

For the first time ever, I've had ripe strawberries in my garden during the month of May. I hear that there's been plenty of rain downstate while here, in Western New York we've been having a drought of sorts, very strange for May. My fingers are crossed for tomorrow. Right now, the peonies are blooming nicely. It looks as though there will be an excellent gooseberry crop this year too.  My tomato plants are still tiny. I planted them from seed, and late too, along with radishes, coriander and zinnias. What comes up, comes up. You can see the new fence here. We have someone cutting the grass for us now as I am not up to doing my share. It's tremendously liberating, not have to think about the lawn.  In Knitting Looking back, I see that the workshop that I attended with Galina Khmeleva took place in 2007. Five years ago! We spent 2 days in a community building in the middle of a field near Utica, NY learning the ins and outs of Orenburg lace knittin...

This was the most relaxing weekend since we started the renovation last Fall. On Saturday, we messed around in the garden, moving plants in preparation for a fence going up on Monday morning. Fingers crossed about that, but never mind. On Sunday we took the Thruway to the rez, and then up to the lake, stopping for lunch on the way. It's a big lake. Usually there's a stiff breeze off it but at midday today, it was almost completely calm.  K brought me a lawn chair to sit in since I'm still staggering around in a boot. Little waves were lapping on the shore... I got going on my knitting while he went for a walk. This is the diamond knit centre for a Cobweb Crepe. Can't seem to get away from that pattern. Lake Ontario is so big, you can't see the other side. Hmmm. Matching knitting. Everything was perfect. There were masses of Admiral Butterflies landing on the Dandelions. Sorry, no photos of them. I didn't want to move. ...

This Red Bud tree has been blooming for over a month, since the mercury hit 85 F/ 30 C in early March and pushed many plants to flower early. We planted it soon after moving into our house  over a decade ago. My husband has trimmed and shaped it over the years. His careful work probably prevented the branches from breaking under the weight of the wet Spring snow that fell this past week. This Birch is also very flexible, dare I say friendly. We planted it too, though it's not one of our favorites. It's tall and lopsided, like some loopy relative. We can't bear to get rid of it. Our Lilacs didn't fare well at all and in fact one of them was uprooted under the weight and had to be taken out. In nearby Highland Park, which is home to more than a thousand Lilacs, there were many victims. Every time we drove to and from work, we saw piles of sawn off branches along the road. The next day, the snow was all gone, and although the temperatures have fa...

This is the Spring picture that I promised yesterday, but was unable to upload. We're having a gorgeous but uncharacteristically dry and drawn out season.