Harvesting Herbs and Garden Planning

We are finally getting some normal winter temperatures here. Brrrr. I am not used to it! Last night, I harvested a bunch of the rosemary as it doesn't usually survive our coldest weather here. I'll have to cook some Italian dinners this week! It smells so good!

The cold weather is making me want to look at seed catalogs. I just counted 22 catalogs I have recently received and I know I've already recycled another 5! Here are a few of my favorites. I also really like Johnny's and Thompson and Morgan, but couldn't really fit them in the pic.

Every year around this time, I draw out diagrams of the upcoming vegetable garden and plan what seeds I'll need. I decide what flowers I want to add to the gardens and which existing ones need replacing with fresh plants. Soon, I'll start sowing flowers and veggies in the basement where I've set up some lights and a heat mat to fool them into growing early. It really boosts my mood to see little green plants growing inside while it is still cold out. The hardiest seeds will be sown in pots and put out in the cold to come up when they are ready.

Blue

I feel like I'm getting a jump start on Project Spectrum with all the blue yarn I have been knitting since the first of the year!

I completed the back of the Drops Cardi Saturday night and got it blocking right away. Here are all the pieces...

...I have a lot of seaming ahead of me!

While the final piece of the Drops Cardi was blocking, I began Lara, a Debbie Bliss pattern I have been admiring for some time.

Instead of spending $130 on the recommended Alpaca Silk, I am using $17 worth of Lion Brand wool-ease in Navy. I'm thinking that if I really love to wear this sweater, I'll splurge at some point and make it with the Alpaca Silk too. But I think the wool-ease will be ok initially. I'm planning this as an everyday sort of top to wear with jeans. I'm hoping to finish it up quickly as the temperatures are dropping and we are going to get some winter weather around here after all. I could use a cozy new sweater to wear!

This is a pic of the left sleeve. For this pattern, you start with the left sleeve and knit your way across to the right sleeve all in one piece. It's a little bit like the child's Lola sweater I made last year.

I'm starting to look ahead to projects for this year and will begin to post ideas soon. For now, I can say that I will be making a pink, green and cream Noni bag for Project Spectrum in April and May. Debby is going to work on one along with me! And, I'm planning to make the shrug from Debbie Bliss Cathay, but have yet to choose a color. I will pick one that fits in with Project Spectrum.

Why is it always dark and rainy when I am trying to take pics? I lightened the pics up as best I could...I hope you can see enough detail.

Saffy Pics

It's raining today...again...and someone has cabin fever!







In knitting news, I'm done with the right front of the Drops cardi and am nearing the end of the back!

Project Spectrum 2.0

I signed up to be part of Project Spectrum 2.0. I enjoyed seeing other people's blogs with all the colorful pictures last time. I think it's going to be fun to join in!

More Drops Cardi

It is so dark and rainy here today. I apologize for the uneven lighting in this photo, but I want to show you the left front of the Drops cardi!



It has a little shaping for the waist in addition to the v-neck and sleeve shaping. The trim is created as you go by garter stitching the center 12 stitches.

Although I had some initial concerns about working with the fine alpaca yarn, I'm finding that it's knitting up quite quickly. It can look a little uneven as I work, but I find that a quick dip in warm water and blocking overnight evens it out nicely.

I hadn't really examined the Drops free pattern site before recently looking for a pattern for the Drops Alpaca in my stash and I really think it is a wonderful resource. If you haven't checked it out already, you might like to: Garnstudio & Drops Design. The cardi pattern I chose is clearly written and quite simple. It occurred to me that this would be a good top to embellish with the lace cuffs or trims like you can find explained in Nicky Epstein's books like "Knitting on the Edge".

Well, rainy days are good knitting days, so hopefully I'll make a lot of progress on the right front today!

Drops Cardi

Just a pic of one of the sleeves. I have both done now and am working on the left front!

New Year, New Pattern

Last year, I had my eye on this Drops pattern...

cabled cardi
...and bought the yarn for it.
But when I saw the fineness of the fiber, I was worried about how long it would take me to knit up! I've chickened out and I'm not going to make the cabled top, but I went on the Drops free patterns site and found this top to make instead!

cardi
And, I should even have some yarn left over to try making these cute bobbled wrist warmers.

wrist warmers
I began a sleeve on January 1st, finished that on the 3rd and am currently knitting the second sleeve. I'll post pics soon!