Spring for Sure

 My King Orchid rules the pool patio area.

Though the ground orchid is pretty spectacular this year, too!

 The African Irises are pretty glorious, too.

 The Amaryllis simmers out front.

 The Fringe Tree welcomes you as you turn in our driveway.

This is            , meaning it flowers before the leaves come out!  This tree is also in the Olive family.

AND it smells delicious!  It is rare to have a great smelling flower but this is one you want to savor in your yard!

Here is the full on shot of the King Orchid so you can see that it has outdone itself this year!

I've planted some Mexican Daisies, Ageratum, Chrysanthemums, Geraniums, Begonias and Calendula for future enjoyment!

(And got overheated for my outdoor endeavors.  MS messes with your ability to regulate your body temperature and it is way too easy to overheat.  I thought I was doing ok until I wasn't so I headed to the pool for a cool down.  Unfortunately, the pool temperature was 97F which did nothing for me except get me wet!

Bill hasn't been able to go in the pool because of his cast so he hasn't been paying attention to the pool temp and turning off the solar heater when needed....oops!  I admitted for the first time that the pool was too hot!  Not a typical complaint by me.)

Stitches...

I sat for one night without any knitting and it drove me crazy.  When I dug through the stash , I found this pattern from PurlBee with the yarn.  Somehow I had overlooked it.  Perfect challenge. 

The small square quilt is off the frame.  I used a new Accuquilt die to cut these blocks out, still in rainbow colors as a packet, and just an experiment to see how the beige just toned down all the colors. 

I also made the panto for this using the book Add a Line Quilting.  They show you some great designs you combine for a good pantograph.  It takes a bit of work to get the size right but it is good mental work and I enjoyed it. 

 And I liked doing the actual quilting, too! 

You can see the design better on the back perhaps.

And since one quilt came off the frame, the last little project for my neighbor gets loaded on for quilting;  this is a little wall hanging for their camper!

(Yes, I ironed it after I loaded it on the frame, these things happen!)

Nurmilintu #4

This time the shawl is large, warm and comfy.

The yarn is hand spun and dyed Cormo sport weight.

I used size 8 needles. 

Right off the needles, it would have been useable.  It was large enough to make a good shawl. 

But the magic of blocking firmly opens up the stitches and makes a shawl with drape which is much more comfortable and attractive.  I have used up all my Cormo now.  I like making a dent in the stash!

BSJ

There is just something addictive about knitting the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann!  This one in Cascade sport superwash.  It is for my youngest grandson!

Mad Scientist

So I picked the 30 fruit from the Prickly Pear Cactus, very ripe fruit.

When I finished picking all the prickers from my fingers.....

 I put them in this old pickle jar and covered them with water to soak overnight.

The next morning, I put them through the blender, filled the jar to the near-top with water and set this outside in the sunshine so it will ferment for a few weeks!

WHY?  you ask.......

So I will have a wonderful natural dye for my wool!

Prickly pear juice is used as a natural dye. Betalain pigment was isolated from prickly pear (Fernandez-Lopez and Almela, 2001 and Forni et al., 1992), it is found also in red beets (Beta vulgaris). The betalains are a group of nitrogen containing pigments that are yellow, orange, pink, red and purple in color. Betalains have no toxic effects in the human body and are seen as a natural and safe alternative to synthetic red coloring

I will use the strained juice to dye some wool to spin to knit to wear!

Tumbling Down!

                                               
I used two charm packs plus a few cut patches from the stash to prepare for this lap quilt top.
It's Storybook Vacation by Whistler Studios, of Windham Fabrics.  I chose to piece the border in half blocks so I didn't waste the vintage Scotty dog fabric but kept it looking just right-I had an idea, you know.

and I finished Millie's second sunflower twin-sized quilt.  The frame is empty but not for long;  there is a small top on my design wall that needs to be loaded on and then I have Mom's large quilt!

I am rarely lacking for a top to work on!

Attraction Aroma

We have this very large, leafy tree on our front porch.   It is a Dracaena Fragrans .  When it is hit with a cold spell such as our several freezes this winter, it will often produce flowers.

Most of the year, I water it and care for it and admire the tree frogs and lizards that seek refuge there! 

So, once a year, it goes all out and produces a stem of these large flowers.  This year it has three stems of flowers!   They are 18" stems of blooms!

It might not be the most beautiful flower, it certainly isn't an impressive plant (most common name is the corn plant)  but what it does is produce the most amazing night time aroma that attracts moths and interested homeowners! 

During the day, these clusters close up and you can't smell a thing!

As the sun goes down and the air stays warm and humid, the clusters unfold and the aroma wafts on the breeze!

This is a wonderful experience because so many of the showy and colorful blooms have NO smell and so this smell is just what I think a hibiscus should smell like!

It's a heady sniff after all the oak pollen! lol

APRIL 1ST

Ha, ha!  This sums up my life!

I hope you have a good day-I plan on getting Bill with a good joke today!

Millie's first sunflower quilt is off the frame and ready to give back to her. 

Then I loaded up this baby quilt for a friend's new baby.  It was nice to have a quick one on the frame;  I did a panto of flowers and butterflies. 

See?  I know that purple and butterflies were requested.

Done! 

I fold them up and take them back to  her;  she lives next door! 

And I load the next twin sized sunflower quilt on the frame.

Phew!  What a day!

Finishes are Close

I have the 7 bags finished for the Fiber Pusher Podcast sale.

I thoroughly enjoyed making them and didn't regret the decision to make them! 

Since the socks were off the needles I turned to another Nurmilintu shawl.

I wanted to make another baby surprise sweater but need some superwash yarn-I hate to strap a mom with a hand wash only sweater!  It would have worked up great in this yarn though! Oh, well.

This yarn is hand spun of Cormo so the shawl will be like getting a hug every time it is worn!

Midnight

The men's midnight blue socks are finished.

It is hard to knit with a dark color!

The yarn is handspun, superwash merino/nylon.

250 yards

size 2.5mm needles over 60 stitches in plain toe-up knit with a 2 x 2 rib cuff

Size 10 1/2 men's shoe

I knit these for my son-in-law,  Bruce!

It's That Time of Year!

Alligator turtle! 

He brings 'snapping' turtle to a whole new level!  He came through our yard recently!

One of our resident gopher tortoises.  He is an adult with a  14" shell.

Yesterday, while some children came for a visit and we took a walk, we came across this young one with a shell measuring 2 1/2" !  It is the first 'baby' we have seen.

We brought him up to the house for Bill to see (and photograph) and then we returned him to his own territory again!

Spring has everyone on the move!

He is Risen!

Family Gifts

Bill stuck a 'top of the pineapple' in a pot a few years ago and I have watered and turned the pot so it would grow evenly ever since.   Finally, all the care is paying off because it is growing a pineapple!!!!  I have no idea how long it takes to mature but I will let you know!

 This is my geranium, which came back on its own from last years planting....always a favorite of mine.

The Egyptian Iris.  They are blooming all over they yard. 

And look who came for the weekend!

Her dress is off for the fancy egg dyeing and a good thing, too, because splashes happen! 

Proof that I can and do cook even if it generates little pleasure.

I have been trying to make my son-in-law's pizza recipe for a year.  I have the dough down, the fixings down but getting that thing from the counter to the pizza stone has been vexing and even a health risk for both me(blood pressure spike) and Bill(smoke inhalation) because even with the fancy pizza peel, I couldn't get this thing safely delivered without it ending up a calzone!

My daughter called last week to say she read on a blog that parchment paper works better than cornmeal.  I had to try-

SUCCESS!

No more tears.  This pizza was delicious to eat-even the kids like the non-supreme side!

Sometimes, daughters know best!

No Straight Lines

Another pair of Zigzagular socks off the needles!

It's a good metaphor for my life at present!

Sometimes things go sideways and you have to line it back up again!

You know what I mean?

I dug through the stash and organized some coordinating fabrics for a bunch of project bags.

I am going to fill up my Etsy store which is a bit of a change for me.

I am not usually an ambitious in the 'make some for sale' arena.

Benita Story is setting up a virtual fiber fair of vendors on her Ravelry Group, Fiber Pusher Podcast, and I want to participate in buying and this time, selling, too!  

It begins on April 1st and is open to all members.  (join now if you want to participate!)

So I am working on a good schedule for assembly line work!

I set my coloring book up on the craft table in the studio so that every time I walk by I can color a little and add to the beauty on each page.  I am liking the way I can randomly relax for a few minutes!

Aromatherapy....

The orange blossoms are so plentiful and so aromatic right now!  The wind blows trails of sweetness across the whole yard.  It is good....... 

I take Bill out for golf cart rides....this was his latest project-clearing the eastern boundary of brush.  The scents there of pine, vines and earth are very heady.  

I like the scent of woods to be part of my head clearing each day.

I am tired and a quiet ride so I can admire and savor these senses are treasures!

What do you do to decompress?