Sunday, June 5, 2022

Knit, Garden, Hike, Repeat

 On the knitting front, I finished my pair of socks using the Winwick Mum pattern and the Turtlepurl yarn. It took me several weeks with school and everything to make the first sock and I messed up the toe part so badly that I actually took scissors to it and cut it off (!) and went at it again. Of course, the second sock went like magic and I finished it in 2 days. I was a little dismayed that the yarn ends did not weave in very well (especially as I had alternated colors for the cuff, heel, and toes) and did not improve after blocking. When I went back to look at the yarn, sure enough, the yarn is superwash wool, so will not stick to itself. If I had known that, I would not have just knit straight ahead and not switched colors. 


I am pretty happy with these overall though. 

What I am NOT happy with is the cardigan I started last summer. It is a cotton cardi with no buttons and it should be easy. I stopped knitting it because the cotton yarn was giving me no end of grief with the stitches seemingly constantly slipping off the needle. Well, I pulled this UFO out this week and had another go, but when reading the directions I was at a loss. "Selvedge stitch"--"Sew on sleeves"--"Sew on collar." I fiddled and thought and just could not wrap my head around what to do. It seemed the selvedge stitch was to be put in the wrong place--and wouldn't I need a row of those stitches? The more I looked at my uneven knitting and thought about having to somehow evenly pick up stitches on bound off stitches, I just said to myself, no

Alas, this project is officially scrapped. Life is too short for this kind of thing.


Instead, I cast on the Lunenburg pullover by Amy Christoffers. This may have 5 balls of yarn going all at once, but I definitely feel more comfortable knitting something like this.


Meanwhile, the flower garden is over the top! Bursting with color and variety.






Saturday, I went on a group hike up to Anna Ruby Falls, a dynamic double waterfall. 


The trail was thick with rhododendron and passed over many water ways. It was a fairly challenging ascent, but the falls at the top were a fabulous reward and a great place to stop for lunch before heading back down. 

Everyone on the hike was so nice and interesting and enthusiastic. 




 My son and I went out this morning, poking around in the woods for snakes. We saw a pair of water snakes, but didn't even bother to take a picture of them. He calls them "lowest of the low tier snakes." In other words, super common. It was really just too hot for snakes today.

 But we didn't mind. We did get to see this this glorious mimosa in full bloom!




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