Creativity To Go

Clematis coming soon!

The yard is coming to life as April draws to a close. This is my fourth summer in this house, and I finally feel like I have my yard "established". Perennials have taken hold and are coming on with a vengeance. My front flower bed looks full and respectable, though of course it isn't finished.

And garden season is upon me. We made a 10' x 4' raised bed last year that was quite a success. I got lettuce planted and it is trying its best to grow. I had a surprise crop of seedlings pop up. I was hoping for tomatoes, but once the second leaves came on, I found this:

Volunteer Green Beans

Green beans! I wasn't planning on planting any this year, but how can I say no to this? One of my projects for the rest of the week is thinning these out. I'm hoping to get out today to buy plants for the weekend to avoid the mad rush on Saturday. Everyone is itching to plant!

Today's Projects: Knitting and Cross Stitch

Today is a major errand day. I knew I'd be stuck at the oil change place for an hour, so I decided to take my crafting on the road. I'm not afraid to knit in public, so I dragged my silk stocking along. I'm making great progress (though I remind myself this is only the first sock), and managed to turn the heel and start the foot while waiting for the car.

Knitting in Public

It's mostly men in the waiting room at that time of day. I got some looks, but no comments. However, one woman approached me, asking if I knit for myself or other people. That's not what people usually say. We chatted a bit and it turns out she has crocheted 150 shawls for people at an organ donor center. The center provides the yarn and looks to volunteers to knit or crochet. She gave me a contact card, and I might look into this when I'm ready to take on some charity knitting.

Not technically today's project, but yesterday on my lunch break I found the missing directions for the counted cross stitch peacock. I had a few spare minutes so I even started on it a bit.

My nemesis, the Peacock

See all that blank canvas around the peacock, from about 10 o'clock to about 4? Yes, that is what needs filled in. With teeny, tiny stitches, with practically every square being of a different color thread. Aiyiyi. I love it, and I want to finish it. It will be mine.

Podcasts du Jour

I didn't listen to podcasts at the oil change, but yesterday and today I've been working on the back catalog of:

• Prairie Girls Knit and Spin--they've got a great rapport, and complement each other's styles in many ways
• A Playful Day--she's still on the topic of blogging and creativity!

I guess there are going to be a lot of repeats on these, and I'm not sure how to handle it. I think I'll go ahead and post what I'm actually listening to for those who stumble on the blog. It will be new to someone.