Cottage46 Knitter

Spring Forward 2009

I'm hanging out this morning at a branch library while VK does some yard chores for his aunt.  I was going to do some work (editing 2000 bibliographic entries that migrated weird), but I forgot to bring my little USB plug-in number pad.  I'm not typing in 14-digit barcodes without a number key pad.  So I've been dinking around on the Internet for 2 hours and really wish I'd have brought my knitting.

I've been working on another version of the Spring Forward cardigan in Cotton Ease.  It's moving along pretty well.  Project monogamy.  (Pardon the multicolor table.  It was blue, then it was yellow, now it's both.)  I'm adding a diamond cable to the front instead of having about 20 stitches of moss stitch by the button bands.  I love this pattern and I'm mildly confident that this one will fit!  I'm going to an all-day fitting class next weekend at knitting camp.  Looking forward to it.

We spent the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend getting everything planted in the garden and putting up a wire fence around it.  No bunny salad bars here.  After 6 hours out in the sun, I had a migraine for the rest of the weekend. 

We added 3 rhododendrons to the yard this spring.  They are blooming like crazy!

Kevin has been putting out hummingbird feeders for the last couple of years.  We have one right on our deck that he literally has to refill every day.  I've been nose to nose with a couple of hummingbirds already this spring. 

We also have a robin's next on the same deck.  I think the little guy on the left looks like he's growing weary of the paparazzi. 

FO and Why doesn't Sonya read anymore?

Sorry for the long time, no post.  We migrated to a new software system at the library and we've been putting in a new garden at home.  A HUGE new garden.  We were thinking 15' x 20' and ended up with 25' x 45'.  Oy.  Both things have left me a little frazzled.  You know you're tired when a colonoscopy presents itself as an opportunity to curl up under heated blankets and take a drug-induced nap.

Anyway, the garden:

And the really sad thing is we don't have a dang thing planted in it yet.  We've had a really wet spring so it didn't get tilled until late.  Hopefully we'll get everything planted this week. 

We also went overboard at the flower place:

 

   

Despite the general hecticness, I did finish my Cable and Os cardigan.

The button bands really are the same length in real life.  Really.

Pattern: Cable and Os cardigan from No Sheep for You
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (I frogged my Fir Cone cardigan for 7 skeins and bought 2 more from Ravelry)
Needles: US #5
Comments: A very enjoyable project.  I added a buttonhole band and did the sleeves from the top down with short rows for the sleeve cap.  Stretching seems to be minimal; it's knit pretty tightly and has lots of twisted stitches.

In other news, I joined not one, but two (!) book challenges for 2009.  I was a voracious reader my entire life until knitting came along.  And frankly the Internet has nibbled my attention span down to a nub.  So I'm going to cut waaaay back on news blogs (not knitting blogs.  Please.) and try to read actual whole books.  I'm a librarian for Pete's sake.  So I added a Book Challenge page to keep myself honest.  (Upper right column somewhere, if you're interested.) 

Coming soon: pictures of my second attempt at Spring Forward.