Today...A very good day

 If I didn't know better, I'd think today was my birthday! Today's the day I brought home my new "baby". I'd like to introduce you to Miss Shirley Pink:



A Phalaenopsis Orchid, my first.










I've always wanted to try to grow an orchid, but was afraid to spend the money and have one die. Normally orchids cost $20.00  and up. That;s a lot to spend not knowing if the plant will survive.

Usually I don't name my plants, but thought I would this time, mostly in honor of my friend, Dee (the enabler), who names her plants and she's the one who encouraged me to buy Miss Pink. I guess I should start my story from the beginning.

Yesterday I did my food shopping and while I was at the grocery store I started drooling in front of a table display of orchids. They were a special, just $7.99 and my goodness they were all beautiful and very healthy looking. I started talking to another admirer of the plants. I was very tempted to buy one, but I was too afraid I might kill it. The other woman told me about how she had killed them in the past. We both decided not to buy one.

I kept thinking about them all day yesterday and even told my husband about them. I also wrote to my friend Dee, a very successful orchid grower, who lives in Florida. Today after I read her email pretty much telling me -- to go for it, I had nothing to lose, I was a woman on a mission to go back to the market and buy one. I was afraid they might all be gone. This market is super busy, but to my delight they were all there. It didn't look like they sold any as far as I could tell or maybe they got another shipment. Well, low and behold there was another woman looking at them today and I again struck up a conversation with her. As it happens she also grows orchids and is a member of the garden club and she was very happy to help me. She gave me some advise and helped me pick out my beauty. Now time will only tell if I can keep Miss Pink alive. Thanks to Dee, as she patiently answers my questions, I'm hoping Shirl will have a long life and hopefully continue to bloom for me :) I've got lots to learn about Orchids. Hopefully she'll be patient with me while I learn :)

Now you probably saying this is a knitting blog where is the knitting content? No knitting to show you today but I do have something knitting related in a fibery sort of way. Here's my loot, a prize I won on Linda's blog contest recently. I really hit the jack pot with 4 skeins of wonderful yarn from Kraemer Yarns. Two greenish worsted skeins, one brown DK, and a yellow fingering weight. Love all of them! Aren't I the lucky one?


In addition she included a lovely hand crocheted dishcloth in my kitchen colors and knitting note cards (my first) and a pad of tulips for my friend. Everything is wonderful...Thank you, Linda, for your VERY generous surprise package!!! I really appreciate it and you made today very special.

So much for the spring weather last week, as we are now expecting 2-4 inches of snow overnight. The good thing is -- it shouldn't stay around long. After a taste of the nice weather I am getting very itchy for it to arrive and stay. Better get cracking and get back to my knitting. That baby blanket has to be finished by April 15th. Happy Knitting :)



Copyright ©2006-2011 hakucho, All Rights Reserved.

In quest of a neater edge

For a while now I've been thinking about how to go about improving my circle cloth pattern so the resulting cloth has a neater edge. Over and over despite it's popularity I've heard the comment made that they love the cloth, BUT it would be nicer if it had an edge that wasn't so wonky looking.

Needing to make a baby blanket prompted me to pull out some kitchen cotton and knit up some circle cloths and try an idea I had to make a smoother looking edge. First trying it on a smaller scale with a dishcloth and then perhaps trying a blanket.



I was very pleased with my cloths and I think they look pretty good.

Then I moved on to a baby blanket. I'm still only on the beginning stages of completion, but so far so good and I am really loving the thick and cushiony blanket.
I'm using easy care Lion Brand Pound of Love yarn and it's so soft and silky. I even love the wrong side which looks similar to garter stitch stripes.
The secret to the neat edge is knitting the beginning and end of each row in a double knit.
I am very pleased with the results.  What do you think?

Do you think possibly spring is really here? Sure felt like spring today with temps in the 60's. We only have a few very small snow piles left. You can finially see green sprouts trying to spring forth...oh, I can't wait...hope everyone is enjoying their own spring weather...perhaps with some outside knitting? Happy Knitting everyone :)


Copyright ©2006-2011 hakucho, All Rights Reserved.

A Quickie

After knitting my husband's sweater I needed a quick project to make me feel like I was able to accomplish something in a short amount of time. I chose to make something for myself - for a change. Armed with leftover odds and ends of my kitchen cotton, I decided to make a case for my earphones. This is something I've been wanting to make for a while now, but never quite seemed to get around to it. The new case sure beats the ziploc sandwich bag I had been using :)






My grandmother's button box which was handed down to my mother and then to me really came in handy.

I rummaged through my button tin of all kinds of old, really old buttons. I had a few different buttons to choose from, but finally decided on a navy blue one to sew on my case.
 
We also celebrated my middle son's nineteenth birthday yesterday. He's home from college for the weekend and we decided to celebrate his birthday early since his actual birthday is Monday and he'll be back at school. I can't believe he's nineteen! College is really turning him into a fine young man.  I'm not sure how it happens  whether living away from home makes them more tolerant of their poor old parents or what, but they do become nicer people in general. I know I observed this as it happened to my oldest son. It certainly makes me hopeful the same thing will happen with my youngest. Fun times ahead :) 


I can't believe February is just about over. Where did the month go? I'll be glad to see the spring weather finally arrive. There are no signs of spring around here...still too much snow yet to melt. Good weather though to stay inside and knit. Happy Knitting everyone :)


Copyright ©2006-2011 hakucho, All Rights Reserved.