My Life Really is Plant Themed

Some of my absolutely favorite floral prints are from Victorian rugs.  The rugs are frequently done in shades of black, gold, cream. deep red, and forest or moss greens.  There may be one in my living room.

I bought a shawl pattern today because it was inspired by a favorite flower, hellebore; a plant that also resides on my front porch.

It's the second shawl this month I have purchased for that reason.  Frenchie,(who is awesome), released the Sakura Shawl.  Who doesn't love cherry blossoms? 

Hope Spring Eternal was also released this month, (yes, I bought a lot of patterns this month.)  Honestly, a sweater with plant and root on it? Fabulous.

Then I saw that the Flower Buds Cardigan was published.  Definitely my aesthetic.  Simple, useful and plant themed.  I do adore a good cardigan.

Then....I found Wolfberry Knits, who has at least one pattern that makes me wish I had a knitting machine, because I love corvids about as much as I love plants.  Happily, there were a couple of hand knit sweater vest patterns that were outstanding.  One is the Winter Tree Vest.  The other is the Brambly Vest.  Having recently re-discovered my love of a good sweater vest, the discovery of those two patterns was lovely.

Lest you think I only knit plant themed items, I would point out I also purchased the pattern for Ripple Buttshorts and a hat titled Omgwtf2020.

The hat is the only pattern I had yarn in the stash for.  It is a skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Yaksi in their True Blood colorway that I bought a couple of years ago, then couldn't figure out what to do with it. 

Which means I totally ignored the two dozen other projects already on the needles, most within arms reach, and cast on the hat.

There is even a black faux fur pom pom in stash to top it when it's done.

This obviously means yarn research is in my future.  Yarn appropriate to the pattern gauge, fiber content I like, in the correct color palette (to match my existing wardrobe and mental concept of the piece. I rarely knit an exact replica of the original.), as well as in a reasonable price range.  It's a lovely way to fantasy knit.  I have a little notebook so I can write down pattern names, colorways, yardage, and prices to come back to later as availability and budget allow.

Do I need more yarn right now?  Not really, but that's like asking if I need more plant seeds or flower pots.  Would I say no to these things?  Highly unlikely.

The Big Picture Is Just Too Big

I've been trying to put together this post for a solid week now.  Maybe try to keep things super light with a discussion of how my passion for plants has slammed directly into the knit wear plans. Leaf designs, trees, and the like on everything in some way, shape, or form.

But I can't.  I consume a reasonable (no more than 3 hours daily on average, usually 2 or less, there are things to do) amount of news, one must stay informed.  Courtesy of logical extrapolation and some quite on point gut hunches, we are fairly well prepared for things as they are. I understand what is going on, as well as the extent of it.  I can see the big picture, along with the most likely outcomes.

And then my focus shatters.

More than once in the last week and a half, walking out to tend the plants on my front porch, my stomach has clenched, and I have fought the urge to run back into the house.  With no one to be seen.  In my very non-threatening suburban neighborhood where lone women feel safe to walk their dogs and kids ride their bikes without adults hovering. (Which I wholly appreciate after 20+ years of...less than ideal neighborhoods.)

The lockdown/shelter in place orders have not changed my personal day to day that much.  The whole thing is a slightly more limiting variation of my life for the last couple of decades.  I rather like having everyone at home.  Aside from Husband having to finish his Spring semester in our living room (just a few more weeks), everyone is willing and almost, dare I say, eager to help with house things.  There has already been one week where I did not have to cook at all.

I have interacted with more people in the last month or so than I would normally interact with in six months.  I still don't have much to talk about, but now neither does anyone else really.  Though I don't have as many complaints either.  So it should balance out, right?

I am jumpy too.  I almost threw a mason jar of water up my own nose when someone opened a bathroom door the other day.

I have tried everything I have (legal) access to, to try to fix it.  To calm myself somehow.  I know things will work out eventually.

But right now, even knitting and gardening ain't working.

Happy Easter, if you celebrate...

If you don't, a very convivial Sunday in April to you! (To lightly paraphrase a Deadpool quote.)

We are not church going folk, so our Easter celebrations tend to be more of a celebration of Spring.  Joy in weather that is not literally freezing.  In the new seeds making their appearances.

Nasturtiums that will get everywhere, blooming with bright pops of orange, cream  and blood red against big vibrant green leaves.

Where I dumped the last of the old seed flower mix.  I know there are California poppies in there, not a clue as to what else decided to actually sprout.

One of the root crops I put in is already making an appearance.  I think that's where I planted the beets?

The blueberry bush has been showing its happiness at the bright sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Enjoy your day as best as you are able.  Take a virtual garden tour if you can't get outside.  I am rather partial to Kew Gardens myself. :-D

Battling the Squirrels

I have gardened everywhere we have lived.  From New Mexico to Florida, (really lots of sand and deserts), I have grown plants.  Strawberries, watermelons, peppers (sweet and hot), tomatoes, onions and salad greens, some with more success than others.  

I have had to deal with rabbits, all sorts of rodents, birds, and, in the case of Florida, cotton mouth snakes in the yard.

But no squirrels.  When there were enough trees, there were lots of predators.

Where we are now, there are squirrels.  Lots of the little bastards who think the soft dirt in my containers is wonderful for digging.  That the beautiful seedlings I put out are perfect for snacking, especially those early spring leaf buds on the blueberry bush.

Neem oil, diluted in a spray bottle of water, sprayed liberally on any leafy bits seems to be doing a good job of protecting what is left of the first batch of seedlings and the blueberry plant from their hungry maws.

To keep them from digging, I mixed up what I have labelled as Squirrel Repellent, but could honestly be used in a decent chili.

Garlic, black pepper, and chili powder.  Cayenne would also be a nice addition.  Sprinkled liberally on the surface of the dirt, avoiding as much of the plant(s) as possible.  While we have had quite a lot of rain lately, it does seem to be working, despite having to re-apply after a decent rainfall.  Yes, it does smell, but it mostly smells of someones dinner, so I don't mind.

I went looking for bird netting, as it's served me well in the past, finally found a non-Amazon source with the netting in stock...but it's going to take a little longer to get here.  Yes, I do know the squirrels might get tangled and/or strangled by it.  I've dealt with the aftermath before.   If it's me and mine being able to eat salad and cucumbers or the squirrels...yeah, the squirrels can piss right the hells off.

I've also managed to save seeds from the hot peppers from last year, originally bought as seedlings.

Dragon Cayenne and Thai Hots(usually sold as ornamental locally).  The fruits from last season were not for the faint of heart and dried beautifully.  I was directly reminded of their firey-ness when I absent mindedly touched the end of my nose while harvesting this bounty of seeds (after I re-seeded the pots of course), which set the end of my nose on fire, (leading to me looking very silly with yogurt on the end of my nose for a bit).

It's still the very beginning of the proper growing season here.  There will be green things.  Soon.

At Forty-four

I don't apologize for the sort of trashy, fluffy novels I enjoy reading.  I dress how I like, frequently in things I have made, despite the...interesting responses from most people.  I have actively stated I dislike being the center of attention...and people have started listening.  I continue to wear my hair in braids, as well as dye it with henna.  I am studying permaculture and adore it!  I am currently reading Gaia's Garden, which I highly recommend!

I will try to grow any plant I can get my hands on, including super tiny tomatoes.

I still love to play in make up.  I have an entire drawer full of the stuff.  

Mostly I wear this:

I did splurge for my birthday this year and bought a whole face worth of make up from Besame.

Because a blood red lipstick (a replicated color from 1922), purple cake mascara(super easy to use), a fancy compact and apricot cream blush seems very fancy.  I actually wasn't sure about the blush color, but it was their recommendation.  I really like it!  Who knew?

I also still adore video games, though I mostly watch now, since knitting and trying to game at the same time does not work.  Buuut, I can knit and play board games.  So Husband bought me the board game version of one of my favorite video game series!

I may be a fan.

I am still awkward and ridiculous, my hands full of yarn and my nose in a book, dirt under my nails from gardening.

Now, I apologize less for it.

Well, that was unexpected

Just before 6pm (local) today, the largest earthquake I have been through since probably about 1989 hit Idaho.  Reports are saying it was between 6.3 and 6.5.  Honestly, it rattled me a bit.  Son walked into the living room to ask what the heck was going on.  Husband and I told him to head to a door frame in unison.

Nothing even fell over, though the house moved rather a lot.

On the upside, the cat slept through it.

Grocery Shopping was Surreal

The area where we live does not have a populace who seems to really believe that they could get sick or worse yet, get others sick.  Despite a state stay at home order, there were rather a lot of people still out and about, almost none bothering with any actual precautions.  Most panic buying seems to have subsided, though that may be due to lack of product on shelves more than anything else.

Since Husband has a background in biohazards and public health, we have been carrying hand sanitizer since the end of January.  We also tend towards overly cautious in the current situation. Masks and gloves, already stocked in our house(yay for woodworking supplies), are worn for all errands and only removed once back inside the house. Showers are taken immediately following a store run.  The clothes worn for errands are put directly into the washer.  We live in a neighborhood that has quite a lot of folks in the retirement age range, so better safe than sorry, for our neighbors and their grandchildren.  It's not just about us.

The store local to us also serves the higher end suburbs of Boise.  People were taking almost no precautions at all.  Not being respectful of space.  Staring openly or pointedly avoiding acknowledging us.  A few even giggled. Gloves are fairly discreet, you can't hide a face mask.

Things mostly looked the same. One lady loudly bought out a type of bacon at the butcher counter, while standing way too close.  For us, it was a slightly larger than usual grocery store run, but with Easter coming up, that isn't actually out of place.  The conversations in grocery store parking lots as we load the car, of thankfulness that we are able to buy a little extra at this point and remembering the not too long ago times we couldn't, are unusual, but decidedly heartfelt.

Costuming for the Occasion

As someone who has spent quite a lot of the last couple of decades keeping myself entertained, (thankfully my kids are waaaay old enough to entertain themselves now), I feel like I have a rather uniquely suited mind-set for the current situation.
My latest focus, aside from the slightly manic organization of...well everything, is the appropriate outfits for this occasion.  It's been a favorite hobby of mine for years, though the ensembles have rarely been horribly practical.  Current events demand practicality, which in my head, means as many pockets as possible and something I can wear with my boots, combined with a semi-subdued color palette.  My brain dubbed this sartorial concept, Rosie the Riveter meets Sarah Connor.
Hence, my purchase of cargo pants:

The colors of said pants will surprise absolutely no one.  They need to be tailored slightly, which I will likely get to this evening.
Now to go with said cargo pants, one needs tank tops of course!  I have the supplies to make a few All Tied Up Tanks, as well as the  non-wool yarn to make a few other in an even simpler design.
My Little Secret Crop also fits the bill, so progress continues:

I did realize that at some point sleeves would likely be needed so a couple of Knot Front Tees are also on the to be made list.
What accessories to put with this?  Stylistically, simple is best.  Something to cover ones head would be good.  Happily I finished the first of three Lisbeth hoods already!  The yarn is Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Bosques colorway.

There will also be a few of the Ivy vintage-style faux headwraps done shortly, (they don't look like much on the needles).
But what about my hands and arms you ask?  Especially with them exposed courtesy of the tank tops!
Apocketmitts to the rescue!  Yay extra pockets!

The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Single Silky Targhee in Say Nevermore. 

I may be slightly over enthusiastic about this particular look.  Though with as easily as I was able to put this all together, it was just a matter of time before I managed to put the pieces together.  Or had the gumption to wear it.

So.....how are you?

The current situation is quite horrible, especially for all the folks who are social and work outside their homes, (I know that is pretty much everyone).  Please know, I am worried about y'all.  Every. Last. One of you!
Around here at Chez JuneyWoollyThinker, life proceeds almost as usual.  While there is no popping out to the store or job interviewing going on,  I continue to knit.  It's Spring now, so there is gardening to be done.  I may even manage to pull out my sewing again.
On the knitting front, I cast on My Little Secret Crop last night, about 10:30pm after pillaging my yarn hoard for appropriate yarn.  I'm about half way through the body (I'm adding just a smidge of length) and am already plotting a second one.  The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in the Aurora Heather, it's been in the hoard for years.

We'll see how fast I can finish it.  Wool tank tops seem rather sensible for Spring weather in Idaho.

With the start of the gardening and the putting out of the seedlings comes the War with the Squirrels.  There are rather a lot of the fuzzy little bastards around here.  They left my pea seedlings alone:

But for some reason the bean seedlings were to be dug up, sat upon, and in one case, eaten entirely:

The conspiracy of ravens that has been frequenting our house, as well as a local hawk or two (occasionally even sharing a tree) seem to have slowed them down today.  Honestly, I am completely okay with it.  I really don't want to have to keep re-planting.  Cayenne pepper and neem oil will be used liberally as deterrents as long as my supplies permit, combined with physically chasing them off and shouting, "Oi!"  Hopefully, something will work.

Stay safe.  Be well. (I still can only think of Demolition Man)

Updates and Not Knitting Bits

This evening we found out that Husband's classes will all be online for the rest of the Spring term.  Our new plan is for us to just hang tight and indulge our very introvert type selves for a couple of weeks.  We are a bit of a...wary lot (mostly due to Husband's public health background), so we have been slowly planning and setting up for this for a good couple of months.  (Not in the absurd, "buy all the toilet paper" way, thank you).
Happily, gardening season is starting, I have a garage that needs re-organization, a pile of needlework projects, new novels to read and a hoard of yarn.
My seedlings are doing well.  It should be warm enough soon to for them to go outside:

I put together a seed mix of sort of similar, older seed out of my collection:

Quite a lot of the mix is edible plants, including some random lettuce.  It will be a surprise to see what sprouts.
Then there is the vintage lace that finally got washed up.  My plan is to use some of it in a necklace.

In the process of digging out the lace, I came across some buttons that were ideal for the A Bit of Funk cardigan I have been planning.  I think they pair well with the lace I had already bought for the project.

Please, don't panic, take care of yourselves as best as you can, and listen to my sheep friend with their (slightly) modified message from Subversive Cross Stitch.

The Current Theme is Apparently Green

Despite the weather deciding to not be amenable to my Spring mindset, I continue to push forward in anticipation of warmer weather.
My garden starts are making their first appearances.  I may even be able to put them outside in a few weeks.  Mainly, peas, cucumbers and melons.

I pulled a cross stitch pattern from the top of my pile from Subversive Cross Stitch and got to work.

I cast on a giant color work shawl, the Boho Texture Triangle  Not my usual style, but in a forest themed color palette?  I am smitten.

I finally broke down and bought mesh produce bags.  They are quite good.  I also purchased some microfiber cleaning cloths/towels.  Yes, they are synthetic, but if I don't have to keep buying plastic wrapped paper towels?  I will call it a win.
I got some vertical planters for the mass amounts of salad I plan to grow this season.  They are heavy, well made pieces I will reuse for quite some time.  There may also be a half dozen other large planters in my front room.  I can't put in raised beds where we are at right now, so I plan to be Queen of the Container Garden.

The emergency radio I bought for our camping gear box?  Totally bought it in green.