Idle Hands

This week in the garden: Redolent

That's the word that comes to mind every time I step into the backyard.  The air is redolent with gardenias and jasmine.

And the hydrangeas are in their full glory:

Welcome, summer.

Summersville Leaf quilt

This beautiful set of coordinating fabrics just arrived from Sew Mama Sew.

I'm going to use them for a simple patchwork quilt.  I'm picturing afternoons reading under a tree at the park, Fourth of July picnics, and nights watching fireflies.  The fabric's name -- summersville leaf -- seems like a promise of good days to come.

This week in the garden: Rainy morning

It's one of those soft, misty mornings when the garden seems to be resting, storing up its energy for sunnier days. 

Strawberries as ground cover: Best idea ever

I'm increasingly tempted to just give the whole garden over to strawberries.  Two years ago, we planted a few in the front yard.  Now they're established, growing voraciously, and producing so much fruit.  Every day, we collect a hand full of berries. Bliss!

Color play

Moss and ferns cowl in progress:

I'm learning lots of new techniques in this cowl, the most fun so far being daisy stitch, shown here alternating in pink and gray...it has a kind of a granny feel now, but I think the finished product will be pretty cool.

 

This week in the garden: Home again

The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur...sometimes a joyous blur (a dear friend's wedding, a visit from my mom) and sometimes a frantic one (long days at work, trips out of town for presentations), but generally a whirlwind. 

This weekend, I did very little, and it was wonderful.  Restoring.  Like coming home to myself. 

The garden has suffered a little from my recent neglect, but it is also full of wonderful surprises, like this happy nook. 
 

It's nice to be home.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2012

Last weekend, we headed out to the Howard County fairgrounds for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  Hurrah!   

The day got off to a wonderful start as we walked into the festival and my mom was stopped for the first of many questions and compliments on her wonderful shawl.

Not long after, we wandered by the pavilion of knit and crochet contest winners and were delighted to find that my friend Lisa Marie had won not one, but two, ribbons -- one for her adorable Wheat Basket Beanie:

and another for stunning Riding Jacket:  

 

So basically, I had the pleasure of attending the festival with two celebrities.  I think the sheep knew they were in the presence of greatness.

 

We spent most of the day winding through stalls admiring the abundance of beautiful yarn:

 

When we were totally oversaturated, we took a break to sample sheep and goat cheese:

and to watch sheep herding, spinning, and weaving:

So much fun.  Of course, I also found some amazing yarn, which you'll see in projects posted soon, because I can't wait to start knitting!

This week in the garden: In bloom

It feels like we're turning a corner -- summer is going to be here any moment.  The garden is bursting at the seams. 

The columbines are wonderfully delicate and hardy, all at the same time:

The evening primrose is in its full glory:

The love-in-a-mist is abundant, planted from seed last year and now spreading all over the garden:

And the Kristin rose is ready to burst into bloom:

It's supposed to be beautiful today.  Enjoy!

Next up: Owlet dress

It was love at first sight with this adorable applique.  Then I found the indigo corduroy and green buttons to match, and the whole thing came together as a more wintry version of the Ray of Sunshine Dress (Butterick 3772).    

I'm hoping to find some time to sit down and finish it next week, so more pictures soon.

In the mean time, details: The applique is made by Wright.  I got mine at Hancock fabrics, but you can find them lots of places online, too. 

This week in the garden: Plants that like it rough

Each tree on our street is surrounded by a box -- a small area of soil (about 4 x 8 feet) usually filled with little more than weeds. 

For some time now, we've been trying to make the tree box in front of our house an extension of our garden, but it's been an uphill battle.  These are not hospitable growing conditions.  Above all, this is public space, carved out of the sidewalk: Kids trample the plants and pull up the flowers, and dogs do what dogs will do.  Also, the soil dries out quickly, so the plants have to be able to survive hot, dry conditions.

Few plants can withstand this rough treatment.  Nasturtiums are too delicate.  Daisy stems are easily broken by careless passers by.  After three years of trial and error, the champion has turned out to be the humble carnation (a.k.a. dianthus).

We have tall reddish ones

and short pink ones,

and both are thriving.  Other winners have turned out to be:
-allyssum, which you can plant from seed and re-seeds itself every year
-liriope (a.k.a. monkeygrass), favorite of landscapers everywhere
-rose of sharon, a shrub that establishes easily and flowers prolifically

After all our false starts, I feel so gratified by the greenery and color.  It's like our little gift to the neighborhood to have transformed this weedy patch into a bright spot.