Time to drop the resolutions

I'm dropping the resolutions, because I just keep plugging along, doing what needs to be doing.
Greenhouse:  still cleaning--it's been so hot for weeks that, even with fans on, it's unbearable to work in there, so I'm way behind.  Today was cooler, and the next few days, too, so I hope to finish soon.  I did finish washing over 5000 trays.
Gardens:  the vegetable garden is very productive in spite of no rain (and no watering on my part), some weeding didn't get done till very late, so it may be too late for some of the squashes.  Will have to buy squash this winter in that case.  Flower beds--still a disaster except the shaded ones--did those in the heat.  Berry patch only about 20% cleaned--got too hot, and without rain, the ground was like cement. Important to do these before fall and spread some Casaron in fall to prevent weed germination in spring.  Everything is ripening too fast because of the heat.  We have shared corn, cucumbers and tomatoes with anyone who will take them.
The peas weren't ready one day, the next day, over-ripe, so I'll pull them.  The onions are nicely keeling over on their own--they keep better if they fall over on their own.

Knitting: Working on Master Knitter Level 3--all reports and reviews done, working steadily on swatches.  Hope to finish these by end of Sept.  That will leave the hat and sweater to be designed and knit by April.  Will there be time for any Christmas knitting?  I made these  Teeny Tiny Socks for the new grand-baby that's expected in February.  The parents are not likely going to ask the baby 's gender, and I'm finding "gender neutral" leans towards masculine--that's why one pair got a bit of lilac in it:

Each pair took just under 10g. An Old Shale blanket is in the works and I'm dying to start this car seat/stroller cover:  Sleepy Monkey Blanket.  I have to buy some flannelette to make good quality receiving blankets.

I also made 3 Ruffle Scarves (which I strongly dislike, but OK in Edmonton Eskimo team colors, green and gold) for DD2 and DD3 and an elderly lady in the Nursing home who proudly wears her Edmonton Eskimo cap.  I don't have photos of my scarf, but this stock photo from the yarn company will give you an idea:

Aches and Pains:  My right hip is deteriorating and referring pain to all kinds of places as well as making it hard to tie shoes; according to the MRI it is moderately damaged, but there is a protocol that must be followed before surgery, regardless of the fact that it is very painful, and that I am still actively working in the greenhouse and around the farm.  The sequence used to be something like this:  pain management and exercise; when these don't work any more, cortisone shots directly into the joint, and when these don't work, surgery--if I live that long, and am fit enough to withstand surgery.  The process took at least 7 years with my left hip--highly successful outcome from that surgery.  I've been going to massage therapy to keep the muscles from seizing from the pain (and to un-seize them from the sitting-and-knitting all winter), and started physio this week to learn an appropriate exercise program.  Since,when sitting for extended periods of time, you're supposed to get up and move every 20 to 30 minutes, one of the exercises is easy to do and perfect for limbering things up.  Also I figured out an indoor 2-minute walk is:  **[the length of the living room, dining room, kitchen, down the stairs (backwards is less painful and more secure), the length of the basement, back up the stairs and back to the living room]**, repeat from ** to ** once more.
Fruit Flies:  There are so many fruit flies.  I am trapping them very successfully.  Take a clean yogurt container (about a quart size), put bait in (I found orange peels the best, mango second), stretch saran wrap over and fasten with a rubber band. Punch about 10 small holes with a skewer or round toothpick (they will find their way in but few will get out).  Within 5 minutes the orange peel one was full of flies, by the third day, there were very few flying around.  They will go to any fruit trimmings; I was trying different fruits in 5 different traps.  They all caught some, but orange and mango caught the most.  The orange one was just swarming.

Till next time:  Happiness isn't having what you want, it's wanting what you have.

Calming Down, Life Goes On

Like I said, in the previous post, I was nervous but didn't know if I needed to be.  If all I did was react emotionally, and not practically, and didn't make adjustments, then, surely, I needed to be nervous.  So I made my calls, looked at my planting plans, decided to work on efficiency, and set my determination to grow the best plants at a fair price to the customers and to us.
With that new mind-set, we will continue next year.
This greenhouse season hasn't been as good as previous ones--not because of the new business to the south of us, but because of the weather--late, cold spring, late frosts, then almost daily rains.  The recent couple of years of heavy winds has taken a toll on our hanging basket sales--they were the most beautiful  we have ever had (lots of sunlight during those cold winter days), but the sales were down.  Since I am of the firm belief that these winds are now part of our  climate, I plan to reduce the number of hanging baskets. Otherwise, not much will change in our planting plans.

Since this is not my garden/greenhouse blog, now I'll get back to the other activity that I love:  knitting.

There's not much to say.  Been very busy with non-knitting activities.

Kubota Man's store-bought socks are binding his legs (he's not complaining but it makes me choke), so I decided (you may have noticed that I have not made him even one knitted project since I've been blogging--poor dear) to bump him to the top of my knitting queue and whip up 4 pairs of socks.  These are from Briggs and Little Durasport.  The finished ones are the color Denim, then there will be gray, oatmeal and forest green.  He will think Hell has frozen over.

This pattern is from B&L, and is a really good-fitting sock, snug but not tight.  Not bulky since it is called Sportsweight, but is really a thick fingering--and I knit it with smaller needles for snugness.  I love this denim color--I think there is a sweater or vest in my future with this yarn.

I'm working on a cardigan, but no progress photos, have finished the Fair Isle Wristlet project for the Master Knitter Program.  In progress is an Argyle sock  and a self-designed vest in sportsweight, all for that program.  My goal is to try to finish this level of the program by the end of July, but at worst, by September.  The swatches are all done, but every so often I re-examine a swatch and re-do it.  The intensive written work is all finished.  My ending sentence in the 2500 word knitting report is my crediting Kubota Man's support for my knitting since when I told him my extensive stash has great R-value (knitters know that means Recreational value), but he inferred that meant it has great insulation value, so he is convinced we save on heating costs, hence supports my knitting.
I am doing well on my yarn diet.  I have such a beautiful collection of yarns that I no longer can justify purchases till I have made a significant dent in my stashed yarns.  I still like them all, even want to make the projects that they were intended for--so no selling or donating with my stash.
Just for a lark, I started a shawl using yarn from stash, and when the cardigan is finished, I will do a lovely shawl KAL on Ravelry--also from stash.

I almost forgot to introduce you to two new members of our family:  Kubota Man II, and Kubota Mom II.  A friend of ours received a robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas.  She thinks it's just the cat's meow and can't stop singing its praises.  So, when it came on sale, I bought KM II--I named it after him, because that's the only way he will vacuum every day.  We tell it to clean--it cleans, then goes home to its docking station to re-charge--all I have to do is empty the collecting bin and make sure the hair and yarn (you didn't see this coming, did you?) is cleaned out, and take the dust buster to the filter.  It senses the dirtier spots and vacuums in circles over those spots.  Meet KM II:

 Since the house has two large distinct areas, KM said I should get another one for the bedroom/hallway wing.  It was a really good deal at Costco--that one came with two complete sets of replacement brushes, 3 extra filters, and a better brush cleaner to remove hair and, yup--yarn.  Meet Kubota Mom II (because that's the only way I will vacuum every day).  Kubota Man even suggested getting another one for the kitchen-dining area, but I am definitely still fit enough to get out a broom and dust pan.  Plus, I'm running out of names.

Till next time:  Courage is being afraid, but going on anyhow.

Master Knitter Level 2 Update and Other (Hopefully) Interesting Stuff

I've been working on the Level 2 of the program.  This level involves 24 swatches(notice the fat binder), involving lots of finishing techniques, lace and cables,  There is a lot more writing in the level: 4 knitting book reviews (middle photo), patterns and instructions, many questions to answer (third photo), and a very long history

report.  The projects are a fair isle wristlet, an argyle sock, and a vest.  I have everything done but the report and the projects.  Report before projects--the ending to the report is done, and most of the research is done.

I had a frustrating experience this past week with an overspun alpaca yarn.  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a nice stockinette tension--and that's knitting in the round, where no purling is involved.  I saved this piece to show the yarn shop, then to be able to complete the project these liners are intended for, I pinned the strand of yarn to the ball of yarn, stood up, and let it unspin a few yards at a time.  Not much fun for a $20 small skein of yarn.  So all this work went into the orange mittens which had been shown before, but now are nicely lined.  Their owner loves them.
For the same person, a lovely green cabled hat, lined with some really funky yarn that he chose.  The hat is Briggs and Little Heritage, the liner is Mirasol Chirapa.  Here is the Ravelry link.

Same person has a sweater from the same yarn, beautiful workmanship (not by me), but it is too long.  So I have mutilated the sweater in preparation for re-grafting the ribbing onto the shortened sweater.  I chose to graft because some of the ribbing knit columns continued up through the sweater, framing the cables.  If I simply re-knit the ribbing downward, I would lose this continuity, but if the grafting gets too complicated, I can still do the downward ribbing as a last resort.

And now the next big project, the chain mail for the theatre.  This is the prototype on my lovely visage.

And the cording, all dyed, waiting to be rendered into the cowls.

I have a baby shower on Monday, so I whipped up these to go along with the gift.  Someone on Ravelry was having trouble with the pattern, so I offered to help, and in that process I whipped these up.  Parfait!!

And every knitter (aka as stasher) can relate to this image from Facebook.  So instead of some wise saying, this time I will end up with this thought:

Till next time:  keep healthy , keep safe, be happy.

Oh Dear, Oh Deer!!!

 The biggest news of the time interval since the last post is my encounter with a deer.

Not this particular deer--so beautiful and gentle-looking, yet so destructive.  I had just stopped on my way to the city (a mile and a half from home) for another group of about 20, pulled over to let them cross, slowly proceeded, when another group appeared suddenly, obscured by dense trees and some grain bins. Now the Tundra is in the body shop having $7000+ in repairs done.  No injury to myself, Praise the Lord.

Then I had an all-day Catholic Women's League Meeting on the following Saturday.  Some boring business, lots of fun, good food, and meeting up with good friends.

 And the renos go on (Master Bedroom):
1.  Clean out closets and make a big mess to be sorted through.

2.  Strip off old wallpaper

3.  Patch, prime, and 2 coats of paint (closets and feature wall done)--crown moulding to come later (since the blizzard and very small box rental truck prevent me from going to the lumber store).

3.  Shop for new furniture.  Can't believe that oak is less costly than maple--almost $1000 less on the total cost of all the pieces.

Master Knitter work is going along well--except for keeping the living room tidy.

I finished a sweater for a friend who started it for a Christmas gift (2011) and life--in the form of 3 little boys and a new baby daughter--got in the way, so I finished it for her.

Family Day Pot Luck after Church on Sunday:

A birthday party for Kubota Man, at a fancy restaurant--whole family in attendance.

And a trip down memory lane.  DGD2's boyfriend's sister had twin boys, so DD2 wanted to make the "cookie monster sweater" for the babies.  So, in looking for the pattern, I was missing a page, and had to find DD3's little sweater to make a chart.  I found so many cute baby things in that box.  That would be a good future visit with the kids--look at their baby clothes.

We will start working in the greenhouse this weekend (DH has already been working to get ready), but first we have to find the greenhouse:

Till next time:  A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.   (Thomas A. Kempis)


















flooring

The Master Hand Knitter Program

I consider myself a really good knitter.  Well, to tell the truth, an excellent knitter.  So why did I sign up for the Master Knitter program?  I came across it on Ravelry, and looked into it.  There are three levels, and one must pass the first to do the second, and so forth.  The first is very basic in its content.  You have a package of instructions, which you must follow to the letter.  The work consists of 16 swatches wherein you demonstrate your mastery of basic stitches, cast-on, cast-off, a variety of increases and decreases, and color work.  There is also a hat to submit.  The thing that intrigued me was the writing you have to do.  There is a series of questions you have to answer about the work that you did, and a report on blocking and care of hand-knits.  But you can't just answer and report from what you know--you have to research and provide references for everything. 
I'm essentially a self-taught knitter, with a repertoire of techniques that I realized (thanks to Ravelry and youtube) is quite narrow, although it has served me well.  So, in researching I hoped to expand my skills.
In the second and third levels there is some designing required.  That was really my carrot.  Designing and improving my pattern-writing skills.
Besides the Master Knitter program, there are other programs, a beginner course, a basics course, etc.  To avail yourself of any of them, you have to be a member of The Knitting Guild Association.  This membership allows you to take the programs (for a fee), and includes a quarterly, excellent knitting magazine.  Here is the link to the home page of the Knitting Guild .
I am almost finished Level 1, which I started in May.  I have one year to complete it, but if I go over the year I only have to check for updates to the program and make sure the updates are included--there is really no time limit.   When all the samples and writing are finished, the entire binder (with everything in plastic page protectors) is sent away to be assessed.  It is sent to a number of "co-chairs" for assessment--the fee for the course is to cover the postage of mailing the package around--it is a non-profit situation; the co-chairs are volunteers.  After assessment it is returned with commentary and a request to re-submit samples that don't meet expectations.  On Ravelry there is also a group dedicated to these programs.  There are members all over the world, as are people who have taken some of the programs.