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I'm still alive -
May. 8th, 2011 04:39 pmbut I sure don't seem to be doing too well on this journal-updating stuff.
Probably because it seems like all I do lately is knit. Which I love, but it's a pretty quiet hobby.
Spring seems to be here, though, so I'm working more on gardening. Today I was out pruning things - the wisteria, having finished blooming, is throwing out tendrils right and left - realized the other day that I had to lean sideways to get past it through the gate, so it was time to do some work. However, I got a bit distracted by the camellia - did some major surgery on that, which I hope I won't live to regret. It infringes on the gate from the other direction, but it was mostly that I realized how sprawly it was getting, and how much it was shading the plumeria. I have 2 little plumeria stems that I planted a couple of years ago - they've been doing pretty well in little pots hanging off the fence, where I think they got a fair amount of light. But when I checked them earlier this year, they were pretty root-bound, so I have replanted them in some nice big grown-up pots...where they have done nothing whatsoever. The stems are still green and feel firm, so I think they are still alive - hopefully a bit more sun, and the fact that it is finally getting warmer, will encourage them to show me a few leaves. Probably should have taken before-and-after pictures, but I'm afraid the sight may cause heart attacks in any genuine gardeners who happen across them.
I decided to focus more on flowers this year - bought a selection of seeds that I hope will give me a black and white (well, really, really dark purple and white) collection of flowers - we will see. Just put the seeds in a few weeks ago, have sprouts, but it will be a while before I get flowers. All the roses are blooming, though, so that's something.
I broke down and bought a hammock chair at Costco a couple of weeks ago - takes a bit more room than I thought on the patio, but it is comfy, so I hope to spend more time sitting outside enjoying the world this year (and probably knitting).
However, much as I love shawls (and no matter how many I have in my queue), I am getting the itch to do something else - and not just knitting other things. The same Costco visit that produced the chair also netted me a new sewing machine. Sewing is another thing I learned as a child and used to do a lot off, but which has sort of drifted by the wayside in recent years. All the time I was growing up, my mother or (later) I made pretty much all my clothes (until I got into the nothing-but-jeans-and-tee-shirts phase). As long as I had access to my mom's machine, I still did some stuff, but as I went home less and less, I made less and less. I did inherit my grandmother's sewing machine - a lovely old portable Singer, in a wooden case with a shaped top, yet - functional, but old enough that it predated zigzag stitches, which meant no knit material, and doing buttonholes by hand, so it definitely limited my options. I've been toying with getting a new machine - I've been working on a sweater which will need to be steeked, so I figured that was an excuse for a new one. Then I was talking to a friend, and she told me about a new machine she had just bought, despite owning I think 4 others (including a beautiful antique yet functional treadle machine) - and I figured if she could have 5, I could have 2. Costco's coupon's that week included $25 off on a Brother machine, so I decided I would look at them - they didn't seem to have any in the store, but they did have a pretty tricked-out Singer portable, for less than the Brother was (even with the coupon). Haven't really played with it yet, but last night I went to take a look at my stash of fabric (rough estimate: enough for a complete new wardrobe) - found a dress and a skirt and blouse already cut out, so guess I will tackle those. Hate to think how old they are - they may actually be somewhat too big - but the dress is a somewhat tailored shirtwaist style (sleeveless, for summer), the skirt and blouse are also pretty straightforward and classic in style. And what else can I do with already cut-out material?
SO: need to cleaning off the dining table, buy some interfacing, and see where I get.
Probably because it seems like all I do lately is knit. Which I love, but it's a pretty quiet hobby.
Spring seems to be here, though, so I'm working more on gardening. Today I was out pruning things - the wisteria, having finished blooming, is throwing out tendrils right and left - realized the other day that I had to lean sideways to get past it through the gate, so it was time to do some work. However, I got a bit distracted by the camellia - did some major surgery on that, which I hope I won't live to regret. It infringes on the gate from the other direction, but it was mostly that I realized how sprawly it was getting, and how much it was shading the plumeria. I have 2 little plumeria stems that I planted a couple of years ago - they've been doing pretty well in little pots hanging off the fence, where I think they got a fair amount of light. But when I checked them earlier this year, they were pretty root-bound, so I have replanted them in some nice big grown-up pots...where they have done nothing whatsoever. The stems are still green and feel firm, so I think they are still alive - hopefully a bit more sun, and the fact that it is finally getting warmer, will encourage them to show me a few leaves. Probably should have taken before-and-after pictures, but I'm afraid the sight may cause heart attacks in any genuine gardeners who happen across them.
I decided to focus more on flowers this year - bought a selection of seeds that I hope will give me a black and white (well, really, really dark purple and white) collection of flowers - we will see. Just put the seeds in a few weeks ago, have sprouts, but it will be a while before I get flowers. All the roses are blooming, though, so that's something.
I broke down and bought a hammock chair at Costco a couple of weeks ago - takes a bit more room than I thought on the patio, but it is comfy, so I hope to spend more time sitting outside enjoying the world this year (and probably knitting).
However, much as I love shawls (and no matter how many I have in my queue), I am getting the itch to do something else - and not just knitting other things. The same Costco visit that produced the chair also netted me a new sewing machine. Sewing is another thing I learned as a child and used to do a lot off, but which has sort of drifted by the wayside in recent years. All the time I was growing up, my mother or (later) I made pretty much all my clothes (until I got into the nothing-but-jeans-and-tee-shirts phase). As long as I had access to my mom's machine, I still did some stuff, but as I went home less and less, I made less and less. I did inherit my grandmother's sewing machine - a lovely old portable Singer, in a wooden case with a shaped top, yet - functional, but old enough that it predated zigzag stitches, which meant no knit material, and doing buttonholes by hand, so it definitely limited my options. I've been toying with getting a new machine - I've been working on a sweater which will need to be steeked, so I figured that was an excuse for a new one. Then I was talking to a friend, and she told me about a new machine she had just bought, despite owning I think 4 others (including a beautiful antique yet functional treadle machine) - and I figured if she could have 5, I could have 2. Costco's coupon's that week included $25 off on a Brother machine, so I decided I would look at them - they didn't seem to have any in the store, but they did have a pretty tricked-out Singer portable, for less than the Brother was (even with the coupon). Haven't really played with it yet, but last night I went to take a look at my stash of fabric (rough estimate: enough for a complete new wardrobe) - found a dress and a skirt and blouse already cut out, so guess I will tackle those. Hate to think how old they are - they may actually be somewhat too big - but the dress is a somewhat tailored shirtwaist style (sleeveless, for summer), the skirt and blouse are also pretty straightforward and classic in style. And what else can I do with already cut-out material?
SO: need to cleaning off the dining table, buy some interfacing, and see where I get.
