I Drew You a Flower

Things That Smell Good

And I'm not talking about wet dog!

The flowers I got for Valentine's Day. Sneaky thing had them sent to the yarn store when I was working Sunday.

Because getting flowers is good. Getting them where other people can be jealous is better. hehehe.

The lilies are very fragrant and heady. I've been carrying the bouquet around the house with me.

Mainly had it parked on the coffee table next to me, but also brought it up to the bedroom last night so I could see it first thing this morning. Now they are on the mantel in the living room so the pups can't get them.

Vanilla. mmmmm.

The one on the right I bought in Mexico for like $5 back in 1997 or 98.

Hubby and I have been watching the end approach with dread. We've joked that we won't know what to do when it runs out, it's been so long since we had to buy vanilla.

The one on the left I bought on Sunday at Penzeys Spices. We won't discuss how much it cost, but it wasn't $5. Neat store, though.

The bottle doesn't pour well, for trying to fill a little half teaspoon measure. I had to use one of Hubby's wine pouring spouts to control it.

Boston Cream Pie.

From scratch.

Yes, the baking spree continues. Oh, and I made another loaf of that sandwich bread, but I did use the dry milk this time. I let you know more tomorrow.

Between Valentine's Day and Hubby's Birthday both being in February, it was a good excuse to make an elaborate cake.

I used the recipe in the Fannie Farmer Cook book. But I did the creamy chocolate frosting, not the eclair frosting.

I gave Hubby the whisk from the frosting to lick.

"Why did you warm up the frosting," he asked.

I made the frosting.

"No one has every made me frosting from scratch before."

I guess no one has ever loved you this much before.

We must not miss an opportunity to drive these points home.

Book Review: Beautiful Hand-Stitched Jewelry

Wow.

I mean, wow. There are some creative people in the world and the things they come up with just boggle my little mind sometimes.

Take the stuff in Beautiful Hand-Stitched Jewelry: Crocheted, Embroidered, Beaded by Emi Iwakiri (128 pages, 200 color illustrations, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-906525-36-1) for instance.

I was all prepared to mock the first half of this book to cover up my own feelings of inadequacy since I can barely sew on a button.

But after spending some quality time together, I realized the poor book doesn't deserve my sarcasm. No, it wants to be my friend and invite me into its textile world.

There are 35 projects in the book, some of which are variations on a main project—such as a bracelet based on the principles introduced to make a necklace.

The first half of the book features items constructed out of beads that are either sewn out of fabric or created from strips cut from old cashmere (!) sweaters. Which is a really environmentally sound method, when you think about it, and should be good for people who like to pick up old sweaters at thrift shops.

The directions seem clear and easy to follow, without going into excruciating detail, and include both illustrations and explanatory text. As many of the projects have only five or so little steps, they appear rather achievable, even for someone such as myself who can't sew her way out of a paper bag.

Well, at least until I got to the line that says, "Make 78 balls." And I realized my attention span isn't up to the challenge.

Flower Power!
Oh, but the back of the book is where all the action is.

The back of the book is all crochet patterns!

The patterns again cover necklaces and bracelets with fibers ranging from raffia and lame to silk and cotton.

And so cute that I just had to make these adorable rings right away. The patterns called for silk yarn and No. 8 pearl cotton, but I used some Luster-sheen that has been in my stash since, oh, 2002 or something.

I made the blue flower first on Thursday. This is why I needed the C crochet hook, and the yellow bead is the other bead I bought that day. So the blue ring cost me all of 50 cents for the bead.

Then on Friday I made the yellow ring with some of my beloved hematite beads in the center. I fancy this one looks like a sunflower. Then I made the white one, which is actually a different pattern from the first two. I was going to use a variety of colors in the center, but it turned out they didn't harmonize, so I just went with the red.

So the yellow and white ones basically cost me nothing because it was all from my stash!

I have pink and lavender Luster-sheen as well, but I had to draw the line somewhere. (Although I might break down because I'm wearing a purple shirt today and the first thing I thought was, "Drat, none of my new rings match.")

They each took about an hour, with the most fiddly part being sewing the little bitty beads in place and then attaching the flower to the ring. But Hubby was at a graduation party on Friday, so there was no one to stop me. hehehe.

Well, that is, the blue one would have taken a hour if I had remembered to work each petal in a different foundation stitch and didn't have to rip back. And if I had refreshed myself on how to work a double treble, rather than working three normal trebles and thinking "Hey, that doesn't look right" and having to rip back, again. But, really, once I got over being me they just zipped along.

Another project that intrigues me is a chain made out of lame yarn which reminds me of a smaller, crocheted version of those big, knit chain scarves that were in Loop d'Loop.
I wonder, if I made a really long one, would Hubby let me use it as a Christmas tree garland? Considering the way he balked at the Wee Hats, probably not.

And a Techniques Section
The waaay back of the book covers equipment and techniques you will need to make the projects. There are illustrations of the embroidery and crochet stitches used and instructions for making pompoms and tassels.

I haven't seen this book or any of the patterns on Ravelry yet, but it only just came out in March, so people might not have caught up with it yet.

If you are into sewing and textile crafts, I think you'll really dig this book. Crocheters will find a lot of inspiring stuff as well. And knitters, well, it's about time you got with the program and learned more about the other craft. Then you can have cute flower rings, too.

PS—My profile picture is me, in pigtails with the blue and yellow rings. snicker. The loops are two small for a full ponytail. But now I'm plotting...

Back to the Beads

Wow, that's a really bad picture, you can't see any details at all.
Anyway.
You tried to warn me.
Provided you can consider pointing and lauging at me for "falling down the beading rabbit hole" a warning.
I should have listened, and you can take comfort in the fact that you were right.
Hubby sent me grocery shopping by myself on Monday. Being unattended, I ran off to Michael's to buy new wire.
Oh, I did tell you that the 32 gauge wire I bought before was less than useless, right? Yeah, it snapped while I was trying to make my first marker.
At the time, I called in the troops and e-mailed the teacher who does a knit-beaded bracelet class at the store and asked for advice.
She said I should get 16, 18 or 20 gauge wire, then listed a dizzying array of tools it would be handy to have, and ended with a generous invitation to come over for a quick lesson.
But I did not take her up on it, as I'm actually a little shy (no, really, I am), and thought I could figure it out.
However, I've now spent like $20 on materials and I apparently keep buying the wrong stuff.
I'm rather annoyed. In fact, I just paused to send her an e-mail and see whether her offer still stands.

The Way It Should Be
And, in case you are wondering, I did not get in trouble for wandering the countryside after work this time.
Because I was not bringing dinner home with me. ha!
In fact, when I got home, he was in the process of heating up our leftovers for dinner, the pups were eating their dinners, and the kitchen was clean.
AND he instantly started putting things away as I brought the bags in.
Yep, kinda handy to have around.

Stupid Plant
I noticed yesterday that the wisteria vine on the trestle leading into backyard is finally blooming.
This is only the second time in the five years we've been in the house. The previous owners planted it and the first year it was just a strange, unidentifiable stick.
However, the blasted thing is only blooming at the top of its canopy, where I can't reach, smell or really see the flowers.
The left photo is zoomed in.
I'm sure it is doing this to taunt me.
Especially considering I see ones on the side of the highway which are as big as my house because they've gone invasive and engulfed an entire tree.
Part of the problem is probably that we don't know how to trim it properly.
But I reserve the right to be ticked off about the situation.
Oh, and my lilac bush isn't blooming yet either.

Gratuitous Puppy Pics
Yesterday was Baru's birthday, by the way.
He is four now.
He would like you to know that gifts of Milkbones and jerky for dogs will be warmly received at any time.
Samson would like to point out that his birthday is coming up on May 27 and he believes you can never own enough tennis balls.
When I was at the store yesterday I bought them each a smoked tendon jerky thing.
Puppies don't understand the concept of only the birthday boy getting a present.
Samson started rooting through the grocery bags and seemed to realize those were for them. He was getting himself all worked up waiting for Hubby to hand them over, it was terribly amusing.
Here they are, both tired after our rousing game of morning fetch. I was taking the picture of the stitch markers and Baru came and sat down right in front of me. I can only imagine he wanted his picture taken, so I obliged.
I worked a few rows on the Harf last night, but most of my evening was dedicated to fighting with the beads.

We Have Lift Off

No yarn related content ahead.
My bulbs have started coming up.
Here are some lame little crocuses that have bloomed in the corner flower bed under the rhododendron.
Bulbs in the other flower beds have broken the surface, but haven't made this kind of progress. Although I think some daffodils will bloom any day now.
I'm even starting to see leaves breaking the surface on the hill in the driveway.

400 Strong
I say these five little crocus are lame because I'm sure I've planted around 400 bulbs in the four years we've been in the house, so I feel I should have much more color by now.
Also, I really should have gotten closer when I took the picture, but I was in my pajamas and only has on slipper socks, so I didn't want to walk in the dirt.
The bulb situation is really out of control, but I'm still not satisfied.
The first year in the house, Costco had reasonably priced bags of 100 daffodil bulbs. My mom and I decided to split a bag, giving us 50 bulbs each. Well, when we went to the store there weren't any more of those bags, so we ended up buying a variety of smaller bags.
After we'd divided them up, we each had upwards of 100 bulbs. We looked at each other and said, "How the frak did that happen?"
Now, I know 100 bulbs sounds like a lot. And it was a lot when I was planting the damn things. But when they bloomed, it seemed sparce.
So the next year I did it again.

Seasonal
The problem is, it turns out all the flowers I really like, and therefore keep buying/planting, are early spring bloomers—daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, paperwhites, crocus. So they all bloom at once and then I've got nothing for the rest of the summer.
Resulting in an effort these last two years to find late spring and summer blooms, but they are more money for fewer bulbs. So my beds are still pretty sparce.
And I've only got the three small beds and the hill out front, so I'm really planting bulbs on top of bulbs.
It's getting ugly.
What I really need is some hardy, fast growing ground cover.
Hubby commented once that usually when people have an interest in something (like say, gardening) they also usually have some skill at it.
He wasn't trying to be insulting. He was just commenting on my plant killing skills in general. It's not my fault our soil sucks.

Furry Little Flower Killer
Not that any of my efforts matter.
Once those poor daffodils do bloom, they won't have long to live.
Let's see, it was the second year in the house, which would have been Baru's first spring, because we got him the summer we moved into the house.
Which would also have been the first time any of the bulbs I had planted would have bloomed, since they would have gone into the ground autumn 2005.
One day I was on the back porch and noticed some recently bloomed daffodils were gone.
Not withered like they had died, just gone.
Which was odd, since we don't get deer in our yard (there are only two recorded sightings and it will be five years in the house in April), and I didn't think deer ate daffodils anyway.
As I was contemplating what could have happened to my flowers, Baru was running laps in the yard.
The next time he passed the flower bed, and without breaking stride, he turned his head and decapitated a daffodil.
After a few strides, he spit it out.
His lack of hesitation proves this was something he was accustomed to doing.
I've also seen him going out of his way to munch on tulips, which he also spits out.
And there is no way I can stop him.
This is, of course, so wrong on so many levels.
In addition to concerns for Baru's health, there is the annoyance of loosing my blooms, and then also having to let the plain leaves finish their growing cycle so the bulbs have enough energy to come back the following year.
So Baru can entertain himself.

Poncho Power!

The Solo Cropped Poncho is finished!
I wove in the end of the tail around 8 am yesterday.

Stats Recap
The pattern is 04 Cropped Poncho from Rebecca magazine #32.
Needles: US 7 & 8
Yarn: one skein of Solo yarn from Brooks Farm in TX. I had about 3 feet left over.
Modifications: I shortened the collar to 7 cm and the total finished length is about 34 cm (compared to the 20 cm collar and 50 cm length called for in the pattern).
I figured I would work until I ran out of yarn, realizing I would probably have to tink at least one row to have enough to bind off. I ended up have to pick out a row and a half. When it looked like I was almost out of yarn I started to bind off, but it was a mess with the YO. So I tried to work a row of K1, P1 rib to make things pretty, but at the half way mark (I had a marker in place) I realized I was going to be short, so I took out that ribbing and then a row of Fisherman's Rib. Then reknit straight K1,P1 rib and finally bound off using the Russian Bind-Off as explained by WendyKnits here. phew.

Public Reaction
It has been well received. I put it on and Hubby was all like "Hey there, pretty girl."
I wouldn't have thought a poncho was such a flattering garment it would get me extra kisses. (It probably didn't hurt that I had just washed my hair, so I was all shiny and fluffy along with my pretty red poncho.)
Of course, I had to wear it to the store so other crafters could admire it.
Cynthia said it was gorgeous, so I pointed out it was the yarn she gave me.
And other people during the day thought it was adorable.

The Right Pattern Makes a Difference
I had always figured I wouldn't knit a poncho, even during the height of the craze—what two years ago?— because I didn't want all that material all over me making me look like a piece of furniture.
Hubby had suggested once before that I make a poncho. We were out somewhere and another young couple walked by, she was wearing a woven poncho that looked good. But she was slim (like me) and the material was thin, so it wasn't all over whelming.
This poncho, however, being cropped and from a DK weight yarn, isn't overwhelming in size, weight, or warmth.

Have I Been Unfair?
I spent so much time complaining about the Fisherman's Rib when I started this poncho, that I wonder if I will scare other people away from the pattern.
I am only one of three people on Ravelry who have made it, and the other two didn't blog about it (or didn't link their blog posts to their project), so the only thing people have to go on is my early struggles.
Oops.
The stitch wasn't too bad, once I finally got the hang of it.
And I think the finished poncho will be quite usable. Since I'm off the train I'm back to my 45 minute plus commute by car. In the winter I run into the difficulty of wanting to be all bundled up against the cold, but then once the car warms up, my coat is all hot and restrictive (and I have a long coat to boot.) Yesterday when I left for the store I took my coat off, but I was still warm enough with the poncho on.
But at the same time, on the way home I had to stop at the grocery store. I had the poncho on under my coat, but I didn't get to hot.
So really, it's going to be rather useful in this weather, as well as in the office when the HVAC isn't to my liking.

In Other News
My poor, neglected little Christmas Cactus is blooming!
Really, you don't understand the adverse conditions this poor thing has to contend with. Unlike the dogs, my plants can't tell me when they need attention.
If your Christmas Cactus isn't blooming, you might want to evaluate the lighting situation. When I was at the paper in New Hampshire I used to do regular seasonal interviews with the owner of a green house in one of my towns (who also happened to be one of the selectmen). He told me that Christmas Cacti actually rely on the changing light conditions to know when to bloom. So if it is only exposed to artificial light its cycles can get messed up.

No Go

The energy assessment didn't happen.
We had waited for about 45 minutes when Hubby suggested I call to see where they were. I was told the crew wasn't working because it was Columbus Day, a fact I had questioned when the appointment was set. The dude said someone was supposed to call me to reschedule, well obviously they didn't. Now they are supposed to call me first thing tomorrow and I'll have to take a vacation day.
The best part was an auditor from UI was at the house to assess their work, which I told the dude on the phone.
A few hours later someone called Hubby to apologize for the inconvenience. That person said the crew had called in sick. Uh, huh. My suspicions are fueled by them knowing about the auditor, however the auditor was long gone so how could that help them?
One good thing is the auditor said this company we're working with is one of the best and actually trains the other companies in the program.

Yard Work on an Autumn Day
Another good thing is Hubby and I got tons of yard work done. He was already outside mowing when it all fell apart. The plan was he'd take the pups out with him when the guys arrived and I'd be in the house to observe.
Well, when they weren't showing up I got bored, went out front and started sweeping the porch. That turned into raking the driveway. Hubby mowed and trimmed the hedges.
The house looks all spiffy again. The raking wouldn't have gotten down if the guys had shown up because I wouldn't have been out there helping.

Iris Plant Goes Down
But that's not the only outside stuff I did.
On Saturday I attacked an overgrown Iris plant in the side yard. A previous owner had planted it and I haven't divided it in the three years we've been here. It was starting to choke itself.
I was at it for two or three hours. I had to dig it up, which wasn't easy because the roots were so dense and our soil is so rocky. I even had to pop a section of the picket fence out so I could attack it from all angles.
It was so tangled up that I had to bust out the garden shears and just hack at it to break it apart. I ended up with probably two dozen plants when I was done.
Thankfully, Hubby arrived home from the debate then and I had an excuse to toss everything in the shed and collapse. I did dig a trench along the fence and replant about 8 plants first.
This morning I woke up bright and early (which was annoying on a holiday Monday) and went straight outside and planted the rest of the plant.
That little adventure ended up taking two hours as well. There is a weird berry plant thing that keeps growing in one of my flower beds. It has really thick roots, which I think is how it propagates, and black berries in a grape cluster. Well, I went crazy uprooting it. Ended up digging up one entire flower bed and a hole at least a foot deep.
The worst part is it will probably be back next year.

A Fuzzy Supervisor
Samson got tons of fresh air this weekend.
Since he is a good puppy who just wants to be with his human I let him be in the front yard with me while I was attacking the Iris. And he followed me around while I was raking. He kept an eye on Hubby, but he doesn't like the lawnmower and other noise equipment.
The only issue we had on Saturday was when someone walked by the house and Samson started to follow him. I turned just in time to see his tail disappearing around the hedge. But he came right back, straight to me, sat down looking all contrite, and gave me his paw. He looked very sheepish during my lecture about being a bad puppy.
Baru stayed in the house. He doesn't like to be outside anyway, and his little brain can't handle the excitement of being in the front yard, so he runs around like a maniac. It's worrisome and just easier on everyone not to include him.

Did I Mention How Lucky I Am?
Just as I finished planting everything this morning Hubby called me in for breakfast. He had a lovely veggie omelet waiting. With a bowl of strawberries on the side. I swear sometimes it's like being at a bed and breakfast.

Car, Train, Bus, Shoe

Mercy.
That was my commute this morning. High gas prices have made me flee to public transportation. I have long thought that public transportation was not an option because I live on one spur and work on another and never the twain shall meet. Turns out there is a shuttle bus to get from the train station to my office (I think that would qualify as the "last mile"). [well, technically the office across the street.]
Time wise, it is a little longer than driving (I have to leave the house much earlier, but get home around the same time, if a smidgen later). But cost wise, ah cost wise the ticket should pay for itself in two weeks (if I get the monthly pass).
And I'm concentrating on all the extra knitting time I'll have, since I'll be able to knit on the train rather than sitting in traffic. Which should also be good for stress levels, and I can always claim the warm fuzzies of a commute with a (hopefully) smaller carbon footprint. I can't claim I'll be getting more exercise since the shuttle stop is across the street and it took me about a minute to walk over. (If I was feeling ambitious I could get off at the next building down, which it at least a two block walk.)
But, boy howdy, this public transportation business wasn't as easy as you might think. I made the first train, which is key—if I miss the first train it's all over because it's the only practical train out of the itsy-bitsy station near my house. (I did a dry run on Friday and missed that train. But I was in the office by 8 am because there was no traffic since it was a holiday weekend.) However I didn't realize that the train made a stop before the station I wanted, so I got off(!), quickly realized my mistake and got back on. As though that wasn't embarrassing enough, the conductor noticed and asked if I had gotten off.
I think this might be a situation where looking 10 or so years younger than I actually am (no, really, people mistake me for a much younger person all the time) worked in my favor. People probably figured I was a befuddled college student wandering around, rather than a befuddled adult.
[And I just thought, do I really want to be putting this all on the internet? Well, let's see, I already told Boss Man, The Other Associate Editor, and The Deadline Setter. And I'm sure I'd tell my mom, if only for the motherly sympathy. And I e-mailed Hubby, so all the important people already know. And the blog title is "The Adventures of Traveling Ann" and if this doesn't count as a travel adventure, I don't know what does. At least at this point, next week I'll be an old hand at this public transportation nonsense—if I have the nerve to stick with it!]
So I made it to the station for my transfer—and instead of getting on the semi-express that gets into my final station at 8:06, I got on the local, which got in at 8:20ish. Obviously I have a lot to learn. Fortunately the little shuttle buses run until around 9 am, so there is flexibility on the way to the office. In the end I came tumbling in at 9 am, although my stress levels were probably about the same as on a normal driving day. In theory, if I get on the correct train, I'd be in around 8:30. At least the shuttle bus drivers were all nice.
On the way home, however, there is one train out of the station on this end that goes to the little station by my house. If I miss that I'll be stranded at one of the stations in between and will either have to call Hubby to rescue me, or try to figure out which public bus to take.
As you've seen how successfully I navigated in, you will not be surprised to hear I would call Hubby in a situation like that!
Of course this will make it a little difficult to get the Peace Lily back to the office. You won't catch me carrying a massive potted plant on the train. (look! it's the Long Island Ferry! I can see it from the train station waiting for my transfer.)

Still Knitting I-Cord

That title about says it all. I finished the first handle and I'm about a third of the way through the second one, based on the three color sections. I might actually have enough black for both handles, which would be very exciting.
I did throw the I-Cord over for a while this morning in favor of my Rainbow Swirl Socks. I turned the heel and am working down the foot. I just love heel turns, they seem so magical some how. And I like the lines that form on the side of the heel where you pick up for the gusset and the gusset decreases. It is all so orderly.
Some time was also spent tormenting the Peace Lily I keep at the office. When I bought it it was a bit bigger than I wanted, but I got it anyway because I had just read an article about how this is a good plant for filtering out impurities in indoor air. It's a bit too big to have on my desk, so I put it on top of my cube wall at an intersection. The entire office can see it and I think people have developed a secret affection for it as I've had reports of random people watering it when it wilts and people occasionally stop by to admire it. Well, it didn't do so well when I was off for the weekend when Charlene Schurch was in town. It was very wilted on Monday and did not rebound quickly after I watered it like it usually does. Extreme intervention was needed, so The Guy in the Art Department took it to his window and gave it sips of water during the day. (It took a bad turn when I was at the convention in Philly as well. That time it was moved to a filing cabinet in Boss Man's office. See, people love the Peace Lily.) The Art Department then had a consultation and decided that I really needed to transplant it to a bigger pot. Since it was another 3 day weekend, I brought it home Thursday. I've transplanted it, after trying to loosen the roots up, but I'm not sure the new pot is big enough.

Things with Bark

Dogs and


dogwood.