Muddy Paws

Liz, Mo ... I've got something to admit. I've been cheating on you. I started a gardening blog. It's nothing serious -- I swear! Just a lark. I haven't really been keeping it a secret, I just could never find the right time to tell you. But here it is.

Please know that nothing will ever come between me and our blog. Nothing. In fact I just finished a lace scarf. And a knitted bunny. And a handtowel. I'm going to blog about them soon. Really. I promise. Forgive me?

Conwys

I love Nancy Bush. These socks were such a joy to knit and like Liz, I'm having a fling with Nancy.

Pattern: Conwys from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids, Burgundy
Needles: US 1s dpn
Notes: No modifications. I loved knitting with this yarn and will knit with it again. I was surprised by the color which I found tended toward a deep rose rather than what I typically think of as burgundy. It is really lovely.

Lace Report
I haven't been completing my required 2 pattern repeats of the Diamond Border Scarf. I'm going to be picking it up much more this week. Although I did buy a pattern for the XRK Yarn-Along Yarn -- Sylvan Spirit. Many thanks to Melanie at The Yarn Lounge for help in picking it out! I thought it appropriate to knit the Leaf Lace Shawl with this yarn due to the name and the color. I won't start for a few more weeks since I want to be really making headway on the Diamond Border Scarf before I start another lace project.

Stash Report
I was in Charlottesville a week and a half ago and picked up these goodies at The Needle Lady.

Koigu and Jitterbug

Yummy. I see more socks and a chevie for me!

Garden Report
Here's how the garden looked at the close of June. Since I snapped this, the black-eyed Susans and purple coneflower have burst into bloom as well as my favorite oriental lilies. Things are so lush and full -- my time is spent mostly in watering, weeding, and deadheading ... oh and knitting on the patio!

Digging the Lace

I've been working on a lace scarf with my Sea Silk. I had to knit and frog a few times before I got the hang of the pattern and of correcting my mistakes. Now, after 10 repeats of the border I feel good. Real good. I love it. It is currently sharing knitting time with some other projects, but I hope to be done with this in about 3 weeks or so (I am not a fast knitter!).

The pattern is from Victorian Lace Today: Scarf with the No. 20 edging. Or as I have been referring to it: The Diamond Border Scarf.

I cannot impress upon you all enough how much I love this Sea Silk. I have been unable to capture the beauty of the colors and certainly if you have felt it, you know that one would have to be a poet to fully describe the texture. And the smell is ... well, vacation. Knitting this project is just a feast for the senses (I guess the hearing thing is lacking. But I've been listening to lots of good music while knitting as well ...)

I leave you with today's colors in the garden.

Teasing

Spring has been teasing me.




And now I will tease you.



I finished the right hand of the Anemoi Mittens the past weekend. For some reason, casting on the left hand is taking me some bit of time. I will endeavor to have a complete, blocked set of mittens to show you all on Monday -- well, maybe Tuesday ...