Lean, mean, green knitting machine

When I showed off Sacre Coeur the other day, Ariagnee told me to knit faster so she could see the colour changes

Well, I aim to please....

I'm actually all the way through the yellow and heading back into the green. I'm also on the edge chart. This one is going way faster than I expected when I cast on. And it's one of those nice patterns that you can pretty much just knit until you run out of yarn. Don't be too surprised if you see an FO post within a week!

Bee Mine

Last year we had the bumblebees

(and we've had some this year too)

And so far this year, we've seen

Alfalfa Leaf Cutter Bees....

Green Sweat Bees...

... and even an Elm Sawfly (which is neither a bee, nor wasp, but looks like it!)

But at long last... we thought we finally spied...

The coveted Honey Bee

But alas..... our beekeeping friend Natalie has identified it as just another sweat bee.... The sweat bee is a much smaller bee (about the size of a housefly).

But any pollinator is a good pollinator when it comes to flowers

One day, my bee will come

My little runaway

Well... not entirely... not yet anyway. But a certain little feline of mine has been awfully curious about the neighbour's yard. If I turn my back for too long, more often than not, he disappears beyond their fence.

And remember that cat that looks like Tux...? Well Rocky wants to keep him far, far away from our yard, and has no problems chasing after him. He's come back pretty quick every time, but I thought it best to take a little precaution...

...a collar and an id tag. On the other side is my phone number, just incase he ventures a little further than he should. There's also bell on it, so it's a little easier for me to keep tabs on him.

The picture above about sums up how he feels about the whole thing....

 But I think he looks rather handsome!

All a-sprout

Well that didn't take long...

I knew the cat grass wouldn't take long.  That stuff sprouts in just a day or two. (A great seed to plant with kids to get them interested in gardening) And that pic is a few days old.

Now look at it! It's already over an inch high. Another week and I'll be letting the cats have a taste.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the others

But just a day after the cat grass, the lettuce was showing signs of life. It's growing much slower, but it's growing, so I'm a happy girl!

And a few days after the lettuce poked through....

The forget-me-nots made an appearance.  Once they are big enough, they will be going up to Mom's gardens.

Shoe-a-holic

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a bit of a problem when it comes to shoes. I've flashed the odd pair here, and at last count, I had somewhere around 65 pairs. But I need to do another count, because I've been on a bit of binge.

These cute little sandals arrived this week

These Hush Puppy wedges were an amazing  deal I couldn't pass up - regularly $100 on clearance for $25 and I had a $10 off coupon. And they are soooooo comfortable!

These killer Nine West heels were first spied on a shopping trip with a friend a couple months ago. They were also on clearance but they didn't have my size at the store we were in. I stalked the online store for a few weeks, and they came up even cheaper, plus free shipping and a 10% off first time buyer's discount. It was obviously meant to be!

These super sweet tartan heels were a fabulous e-bay find. They should be arriving any day now. (I've wanted a pair of tartan heels for a few years now).

And these Nine West granny boots were another thing I've been hunting for for ages (I'm very particular about granny boots - I've been searching for the perfect pair). These were found on ebay this week (also on clearance) and I had just enough in my paypal from the sales of Cygnus to cover them. They should arrive in a few weeks.

And all this shoe shopping has another plus side

 A very happy Peno!

Heart of Green

With Missandei off the needles, I can turn all my shawl knitting attention back to Sacre Couer

It's hard to see in that picture, but I'm starting to get into the lighter green, and will soon be onto the yellow.

This pattern has a nice rhythm to it, so it's a nice one to knit. And it doesn't take long to see progress. That combined with the softness of the yarn (some of Mom's handspun) are making for a very enjoyable project!

Overgrown

As I mentioned the other day - everything is doing really well in the gardens

 The Hibiscus is blooming like crazy

And even the Butterfly bush is getting ready to show off her colour

 I wasn't sure if I'd get blooms the first year, but she's covered in all these little buds, so hopefully it won't be too long.

I don't actually remember planting daisies....

 But the bee garden is full of them.

In fact, the bee garden is absolutely full.

  

The right side isn't too bad...

Though the poor Columbine has been overshadowed by the Bachelor Buttons. I'm going to have to move them next year, or I don't think they will ever bloom

And over on the left side

The daisies and the black-eyed susans have absoltely taken over

 

 They've almost grown out of the border

And are completely shadowing the poor heather.

I guess I'll be doing some expanding next year....

A tale of two sweaters

 Work on April is slow, but it is happening

The Twisted Top Cat is so nice to work with, and I think it's going to be even nicer to wear! I've got a ways to go before splitting for the armholes. But this one is a cropped sweater with shorter sleeves, so I expect to have it done before the summer ends.

And don't worry, Sherlock is not being neglected

It's my main travel project - and it's got a fair few rows done on it over lunch, and while waiting for tires to be put on my car. As a result, I'm about an inch or so past were I had to rip back, and I'm almost through the second skein of natural yarn.  With any luck, this one will be done just in time for the cooler weather. (not that I'm not enjoying the warmth right now!)

Potted

While everything in the garden is pretty well established now, there were still a few things that needed my attention

While I liked the concept of the salad bowl I bought, I found the lettuces in it were quite bitter. When the Arugula started to bolt, I knew I'd have to replace some of then anyway, so I got some seeds of a sweeter variety and planted them in the planter this weekend. I'm not sure how long they will take to sprout... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

A local realtor likes to send out promotional items about once a month - note pads, magnets, etc... and last month, she sent out seeds

So they got potted on the weekend too!

... in the cutest little terra cotta pots from the dollar store.

I had some cat grass seeds kicking around too.

So they got potted too. I figured this would be an ideal way to give them to the cats. When they eat down one pot, I can swap it out for another and let it recover and regrow. Those pots are also from the dollar store - just a little bit bigger than the others

And just as cute.

So they are all lined up on the patio table, waiting for the sun to do its work...

 So much for using the table for dinner!

FO: Missandei

The Game of Thrones KAL has wrapped up. The winner has been chosen, and I got some finished shots of Missandei

She's quite large, but took just a skein and a half of Fluffy Cat Light (and only 40 grams of beads)

You don't get a lot of depth on this type of crescent shawl but the width grows quickly.

The Fluffy Cat is incredibly soft, and nice to wear.

But it's all those little beaded butterflies that make this one really special

I've just got to get this one test knit, then I can release the pattern.

Sucked in

(Knitting post coming soon, I promise)

Y'all know I love a good sale. So you won't be surprised to learn that when my local grocery store garden center started clearing out their stock, I just had to go see what they had.

The deals weren't as deep as last year (yet), but I still came home with some pretty gorgeous finds.

 Just gorgeous... am I right???

This beautiful braided Hibiscus tree can't winter here, so I had to put her in a big pot so I can bring her in before the frost. (And the darn pot cost more than the tree!!!)

I've got her nestled between the roses and the back step. Such a beautiful sight to see as soon as I walk out back.

And did you notice something new beside Tournament of Roses...?

Meet Popcorn Drift. Drift roses are a cross between a ground cover rose and a miniature rose.

As you know, I normally prefer tea roses, but not only was this one an amazing price.... it smells wonderful!

I planted her in the last spot open in the backyard. Which means that Navy Lady....

 

Had to go out front - but I found the perfect spot right at the edge where the driveway meets the walkway

This one is a shrub rose, but I just couldn't resist that colour. And since buying it... I've discovered something that makes it even more wonderful.

"It was named in honour of the thousands of Canadian women who served in the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), known as Wrens, and the women who continue to serve as members of the Canadian Navy today. Developed by Agriculture Canada (that government department once had quite a well-known rose breeding program), the rose received a special place in history in 2010 just in time for the Canadian Naval Centennial."

How cool is that?