On the edge

I was so looking forward to this weekend. I had no prior engagements or commitments. Dave was going to busy working on his car, so I'd more or less have the house to myself. I was through the body on the new cardi design, and I was sure I could finish it up if I focused on it all weekend.

Alas... as you can see..

The cardigan is not finished. In fact, after a weekend of knitting, I'm only 1/4 of the way through the knit-on lace edging. Admittedly, part of the time was eaten up by designing that edge, but still... I expected to be much further along.

Part of that is just me grossly underestimating how long it takes to knit things....and the rest...

 ... let's just say some knitting helpers are more helpful than others...

Sunday sweetheart

 

 

 

Isn't he just the cutest????

Garden interlude

Tomato season has begun.

I don't eat them, but I love growing them! (and if Dave can't eat them all, it's never hard to find someone who wants them.

The blackberries are getting riper!!!

But the dread fungus has hit! (those brown woody looking bits). I've sprayed them down, so hopefully I've nipped it in the bud.

Have I shown you the Cardinal flower in full bloom yet?

Until I found this at Home Depot this year, I'd never heard of Cardinal flower... but not that I have...

...I love it! It's so vibrant.

My Campanula is covered in buds...

... and hopefully this year it blooms. It budded up like this last year, but nothing happened.

One of the new Cone flowers is going to bloom soon...

... but it's hard to tell if it will be yellow or white.

The roses have on a bit of a hiatus for the last few weeks, but they are starting to bloom again...

... and Blue Girl is just so pretty!

Friday felines

I said to Dave the other day, that with the addition of Burton, our house finally feels complete. Though I still miss Rocky and Tux, there's something about bringing home that little fluffball that made me feel whole again.

But maybe it's just because they are colour-coordinated....

Knitting buddy

When I started the Exhibition socks, I figured they would just fly off the needles. In fact, I had planned to show you the completed pair today... alas, all you get is this...

... I'm barely even through the first stripe. Blame my life... behind the blog, things have been utter chaos for the last week. Nothing bad, just a million little things that swirl together like a giant tornado of insanity. So it's just been easier to work from home. And I really shouldn't complain, I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home when the chaos storm hits. But it does equal a lack of train time, thus that sad bit of barely a sock cuff...

I have, however, made some decent progress on the new handspun cardi design

Since it's only a cropped cardi, I'm only a few inches from being done with the body. And I have to say, I'm loving the way the yarn is knitting up. Browns and blues are not my usual colours - I lean more towards red, pinks and green - but when Mom showed me this spin, something just spoke to me.

It is fun to step out of your colour box every once in a while, though I admit, I'm not sure if I have anything in my wardrobe to go with it. Oh well, I love an excuse to buy a new dress. (And we are not going to talk about the fact that I just bought five the other week...)

Par of the reason this one is going so well is thanks to a certain ginger boy.

Rupert is very much a cat of routine. I've mentioned before, that almost every day generally any time between 4 and 7 p.m., he comes looking for a lap. Since I've been home so much, that lap is generally available, and I hate to say no. And since I can't do much else with a cat in my lap...

I guess I better get to designing the lace edging... if this keeps up, I'll be through the handspun sooner than I expect.

Two peas

One of the best things about bringing Burton home has been watching Rupert with him.  Rupert is a pretty subdued cat, but he's still got a wild side. And Burton knows just how to bring it out.

No tail is safe when Burton is awake.

They usually have a  play session for an hour or so after breakfast. And it always involves a good wrestling match.

Which Burton usually loses.

Though I suspect not for long -that little boy is growing fast...

 ...soon there won't be room for two.

New blooms

 Summer is flying by, but there's still plenty going on in the gardens...

The new purple Speedwell (also known as Veronica) has bloomed. I'd never heard of Speedwell before I'd picked the pink one up on clearance last year, but now it's one of my favourite plants. It blooms really well and the bees love it.

The new Cherry Brandy Susans are opening up... they are a touch bug-eaten, but I still love the colour.

This day lily is 'Frans Hals', one of the day lilies I picked up on clearance at Home Depot this year. Have I told you how much I love day lilies?

The forget-me-nots in the Faerie Garden pot have bloomed. They always make me think of my grandparents' old cottage.

The Iceland poppies I started from see this year are a mix of colours, and this lovely littel yellow one just popped. They are smaller than an Oriental poppy, and I'm really hoping they are hardier. I haven't had much luck with poppies so far - but I'll keep trying until I do.

 The pink stargazer lilies are the last to bloom. I think they may be my favourite of all the lilies, though I'm hoping to add a few more varieties next year.

 The purple Latris has bloomed - it's so funky and cool.

And the Triteleia bulbs from the dollar store are in full bloom. They are so dainty an pretty!

And the Black-Eyed Susans... I love them because they will bloom right to the frost.  Thankfully, that's still several months away, because there's still lots more to bloom... stay tuned!

Progression...

My knit mojo seems to have returned a bit, though it's still going slowly.

The new handspun cardigan design is going well. I'm past the underarms, but it's still a lot of stitches on the needles, so it doesn't exactly fly. And of course, then there's that other distraction...

Sunny Sunday

First, thank you for all your kind words about our dear Deuce. They are very much appreciated.

But Deuce was a happy  cat, and he'd want us to focus on the things that make us smile... so...

While I was disappointed that the Indian Blanket sunflowers were not as advertised, I have to admit they have been a nice addition to the garden this year... not just because they are pretty....

They are a pollinator paradise.  If you're one of those people afraid of bees, my yard is not the  place for you. It's a postage stamp backyard crammed to the gills with bee-friendly plants and there are days it's literally buzzing out there! The sunflowers are a definite bee favourite.

 No matter the type... we've got sweat bees, honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees.... But it's not just the bees stopping by for these big yellow beauties. They are a favourite of the ubiquitous white cabbage butterflies (there's ALWAYS one or two fluttering around the yard), but they've also attracted some other friends...

It took a lot of patience and running about...

 But I finally got some pics of our Monarch friend! I've actually seen quite a few Monarchs this year (which I hope is a good sign)...

... and they seem particularly fond of the sunflowers.

But it's not just insects... the sunflowers have invited one last unexpected guest...

The pictures aren't great, because I had to snap them through the glass of the back door - but these beautiful little finches are regulars in the yard now.

There's a 50/50 chance that there will be one flitting about when I look out the door. And it seems as if they've been having quite the feast!

Deuce 2004-2017

It's with great sadness that I announce the passing of another of the Wandering Cat clan.

Late this week we had to say goodbye to Mom's mighty house panther... the noble Deuce.

Deuce started life with my brother's family. Miss Pee was just a wee one. He got his name thanks to the extra toes on his front feet...

Big double dew claws that gave him "mitts"

We he was a couple years old, he had some pretty serious health issues. My brother was long-haul trucking, and my sister-in-law had her hands full with a toddling Miss Pee, so Mom took Deuce in. he recovered quite nicely  and took over their house....

... and the neighbourhood.

Like all the cats of our clan, he had a good long life - spoiled as could be.

 While he was quick to tell you when he didn't like something...

He was also quick with a purr and a snuggle.

 He will be very much missed.