The Sweet Smell of Success (without Tony Curtis, alas)

Ahh, look at that! Isn't it beautiful? It's soft and fuzzy too. I can't wait to give the hats to the Lovely Aide. I'm going to see if she's there today...

I have the pattern in rough draft (and a goofy picture of me wearing the hat, taken by me in the mirror; thank goodness I took a shower today) and I'm going to work on getting it typed up so I can post it. Hopefully that will be soon.

Conquest!

The hat, so far. Sorry no one is wearing it; the only available model is eating crackers at the moment and I didn't want to disturb him. Or clean him up for that matter...

The pointy part at the top of the hat wasn't working out without giving the wearer a gnome-y, elvish "Lord of the Rings" medieval look so it's just a normal decrease that fits the head. The ear flaps took a little work but they turned out really cute, also. I LOVE THE SEED STITCH!!! This would definitely be a hat to wear in cold weather; the ear flaps are cozy and warm. The chenille has turned out better than I thought as a hat material. I don't think I'll be turning out blankets knitted from it any time soon but the fear and loathing I was brewing for those months has dissipated. And this is all my own pattern so I can post it once I have it fully finished! I still have the furry part in the front and crocheted furry trim to do but I should have it done in no time at all.

A Monkey Named Larry

(They Might Be Giants puts out excellent kid's music, by the way, hence the blog title)

Just a quick post because I really should be working. Yes, I should. And I'm not. But I promise I will soon. Once I piddle around some more...

Above is the other surprise project that I had going. LMSS knows about it now so I can finally show it! It is totally punting me out of my comfort zone because (1) I'm having to switch colors between the cables and the lace and (2) do cables. Thank heavens it's a simple cable: K8B, which means put 4 sts on a cable needle (or double point needle, which I prefer) put it to the back of where you are working, knit the next 4 sts, and then knit the 4 stitches off the double point. The top picture shows how the pattern is developing and the bottom picture shows my minor freak-out with wondering how I was going to manage all the strings. I'm doing the tip I read somewhere from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee about instead of carrying the yarn on bobbins or leaving it connected to the skein you cut it in yard lengths at a time so when things get tangled you just pull it free. Nothing to snag. More ends to weave in but to me it's a fair trade-off. I cut my yarn in around 2 yard strands and it's working fine so far, only it looks like I'm knitting with a Muppet wig.

I am actually knitting the chenille hat AND NOT HATING IT!!! I'm glad I gave myself this weekend to not stress over it (and I have 2 cute little dishcloths, too!) and it is my goal to finish this week. The seed stitch looks great and my only complaint is how the chenille bulks and grabs at everything. I'm using Addi Turbos so that eases it a little. I've worked 4" in seed stitch and am developing how to do the decrease. I'm supposed to have the top a little pointy-er than normal so we'll see how this goes. After that is the ear flaps, then the white furry bit on the front. Wish me luck! I'll get pictures up soon!

#2 Revealed: Elizabeth Zimmermann's SBJ (Surprise Baby Jacket)

And here it is: the Surprise Knitting Project #2 that is for LMSS's incubating darling (2 months to go!) who wouldn't roll around for me but did kick her mommy's innards several times during our visit. I can finally post these pictures (up till now Snakewoman was the only one in the know through email) because LMSS received the sweater last weekend. It was one of the many reasons for seeing her, along with bringing her our old baby furniture and little girl clothing. I also brought the Class Wrap knitted by Mom that was also for LMSS. This is knitted in the same yarn that Mom's Class Wrap was knitted in, only the Class Wrap was mainly in the ecru yarn with the purple accenting.

I regret not having a picture of what it looks like while being knitted; Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was right in it looking like a flat sting-ray. It's just this misshapen lumpy mass that won't lie flat and even when you try to fold it into place you are half not-believing that it's done right. It was very interesting to knit because of the way Elizabeth Zimmermann wrote the pattern and how, as you knit, it doesn't look like anything remotely resembling a sweater or even parts of a sweater. I found some very helpful sites by googling "Elizabeth Zimmermann's Surprise Baby Jacket", along with one lady who has the whole thing written out row by row what to do. Elizabeth Zimmermann really makes you look at your knitting and think about what you are doing. By doing this I am in even deeper awe of EZ and what she knew about knitting.

Austin City Limits

The views this weekend...

We had a great time. LMSS is doing great and we had a wonderful time playing in her backyard, which is actually what we did most of the time. It was so nice just to visit. (By the way, if you're my friend on Facebook or Myspace, I have more pictures up there.)

The drive wasn't too bad. Actually, it wasn't bad at all because we took Hwy 79 all the way there and there were lots of little towns to keep you interested. Hubby drove there and I drove back and everyone else slept. We met LMSS's students, learned what travelling with a new puppy was like (not recommended but could be worse), and I did NOT work on the chenille hat. At all. I did knit a nice little dishcloth and half of another. I also went to Hill Country Weavers and DID NOT BUY ANYTHING!!!!!

I think I need to check my temperature...

Here's a little sweetness added to your day!

I'm sure you've been wondering what the puppy looked like. Here she is. She's not even 3 lbs. and can fit in Hunky Hubby's shoe easily.

Just wanted to add this for fun!

For your consideration

And here it is! This is the finished cabled newsboy cap, knitted more rasta style with 8 of the regular cables before starting to decrease. Little Guy's Tupperware puzzle ball (the thing you stick the shapes in the holes they belong to) served as the model (you can't see it but it's there; the closest thing to a human head I could get to sit still for more than 5 seconds) and I love the way it turned out. I had to get a picture of the star made at the top. The color variations in the yarn gives it such a neat look. And it looks great on the person it's for.











Here is the helmet picture and the yarn that will eventually be that. One day. Wish me luck!

Preparing for battle

I am eagerly anticipating the yarn shops in Austin... They won't know what hit them. Wait, darn, we're on a strict budget. But I would really like to celebrate my trip by finally getting those rainbow Lantern Moon needles. Can I do dishes? Wind yarn?

I finished correcting the purple newsboy hat last night but neglected to take a picture of how pretty the top turned out. That's on my List-of-Things-to-do-Before-Leaving, along with making sure we don't leave any trash in the trash can or dirty dishes in the dishwasher. No stinky-winkies when coming home. (where is this language coming from? Is it owning a dog? Too much British tv?)

I enjoyed fixing the hat. Gave me a sense of accomplishment and a good shake and spread (think sheets or a blanket) on making the chaotic bed of life. The puppy is even settling in our routine and I have to remind myself she is a smart dog and is not looking for sneaky opportunities to wee on the floor. She's doing really well and the kids are great with her.

But back to the hat. Call me insane, but I love the finishing part of projects. I know I've probably said this before but I'll say it again: watching the knitted mass come together and get all it's ends tucked in is a lovely sight. Makes me feel like I actually am SuperWoman and can create anything with just a wave of the knitting needle. (That reminds me, the puppy is so small and will be so small full-grown, Mom mentioned needing to get it a sweater so it wouldn't get cold in the winter. I laughed and said I could just knit one. That got my mind thinking: me knit for a dog? Are clothes really even good for dogs? She so little it wouldn't take all that long anyway... if you had told me 3 months ago I would be thinking about knitting for a dog I would have told you you were on a fast road to CrazyTown.)

Ok, maybe I'll finish about the hat now. I got it finished, checked everything, and then compared it to the chenille mass that has been sitting all by it's lonesome for a month or so. Ok, so the issue is the chenille has LOTS of give to it (is that what they mean by negative ease?) and I need to thicken it up/give it some structure/help it stay the gauge it needs to be. Solution: knit 2 strands at a time. Ok, that'll be note #1. Now for the actual stitch part. The thing is the picture I am trying to copy knitting is crochet and the crochet stitch used is the double-half stitch which has a nice little pattern to it but I'm at a loss on what to do knitting to get a similar look. Have I gone through my knitting books, no. Should I? Probably, but that would be too easy, wouldn't it. :) I'm thinking of this as not me being lazy but a test of my mental recall on what my knitting looks like and the different stitches. I'm considering seed stitch. The hat has a helmet look to it and I think that would be nice. I did purling on the right side for Helmet: Take 2 (as in the second time I tried it; Helmet: Take 1 was the attempt at the crochet pattern and looked like a dog bed) and that didn't look right. The only thing is seed stitch isn't tight fitting and I might lose some structure. I am knitting 2 strands together though... it might work. We'll see. I have my knitting bag to take mostly ready and I'm starting my little piles of things to take. I have to remind myself we are only going for a weekend, though, no need for half the wardrobe and "just in case" knitting extra projects.

Second thoughts

I did not have the hat finished, thanks to the dynamic duo waking up before I could get into anything. I did, however, have a spark of smartness: why not try the hat on the Lovely Aide to make sure it fits before it's finished (no more frogging for that one) and then KEEP the hat to measure the chenille one to it as I knit it this weekend. Genius, eh? I am oh-so proud of my cleverosity. Saves me the self-flagellation when I'm somewhere near Palestine (Texas, that is) with a half-knitted hat and questions about size.

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride...

This morning I did not shower. There was laundry to fold. It is not put away, but it is folded on the bed ready to be put away when time allows.

This morning I did not sit down to eat my breakfast until I had made peanut butter (the food processor would have been too loud to run at 11:30 last night and I didn't feel like putting 2 kids and the puppy back to bed), fed the puppy, fixed the rest of Hunky Hubby's lunch, take the puppy out to pee, feed Little Guy, distract the puppy from the shoes by the front door, change Little Guy (he didn't get dressed until later; I still had to finish the sandwiches), kiss Hubby good-bye, get SuperGirl up and fed, and survey the state of the dishes from the night before because I had run the dishwasher that evening (didn't feel like unloading it to clear the sink that late, so left it). There were other various things I did in there while I was running around and Hubby was making his tea and trying to get ready. He was slowed down because Little Guy peed on him during breakfast and he had to change.

The joys of being parents.

Now I've been at work for over an hour and have not gotten any work done due to Little Guy wanting to run around outside and a puppy not sure to pee or not to pee. There is a side of me screaming but there is a side of me shrugging and moving on.

I'm not complaining. I want to SO BAD but I'm not complaining. Things could be totally worse. Things could also be totally boring and me get more work done in shorter amount of time but I wouldn't have the pint-sized company. Also, it seems like there's always something that is going to slow me down or happen to keep things from being stable and consistent so I'm working hard at rolling with it. I'm happy that it's a 2-year-old tucking all my paper-clips and his Pawpaw's loose change in the filing cabinet and a potty-training puppy, even though that means cleaning out the filing cabinet in the next week and wiping pee puddles when I don't catch the potty dance in time.

On the bright side, I did start fixing the cabled newsboy cap for the Lovely Aide last night when I was helping one of my ladies from the class. It was so nice to make myself sit down and work on it, especially with how hectic things have been. I was able to work on it this morning in a 10 minute tea break before getting SuperGirl dressed (an adventure in itself some mornings) and I'm down to the last cable while decreasing. I had to knit 4 more cables to it to get the length I wanted to go over her ears and I think it's big enough. I plan on finishing it on my lunch break today so I can take it to her when I pick SuperGirl up from preschool. I promise to have a picture.

I did decide to take the chenille hat to Austin. I need to finish that. It's hanging around like a stinky sock with no warm wash load and I know I'll feel better when it's done.

Errata on the YO

I was reading my handy-dandy little Yarn Harlot page-a-day calendar here and she had something interesting: YO (yarn over), O (over), YF (yarn forward), and YRN (yarn round needle) are ALL THE SAME THING. A month or so ago with that blue/white dishcloth I knitted that they called "Feather and Fan" they had that "yfwd" instruction that I took to mean bring the yarn forward, as in to the front. Nothing about a YO. I realized once the pattern didn't work (and there wasn't a lacey anything showing up) that it was a YO, bringing the yarn to the front over the needle, and today's page-a-day further clarifies the variations.

Learn something new everyday. This makes me want to knit some more and find out new things in the different patterns you read but I'm having to OFFICIALLY WORK so I can't sit and play with my projects right now. I am, however, this weekend having to take a 5-6 hour car ride with the FabFam to see LMSS and take her baby furniture and clothes so there is opportunity for lengthy knitting time, provided the kids and puppy aren't high maintenance. I've been contemplating the project to bring but I know what I SHOULD do: bring that chenille hat. I can finish it by only having it to work on the whole weekend and it will be done. I should finish the other this week so I'll be able to get both to the Lovely Aide next week. I know a knit shop excursion there in Austin will be mandatory so I can reward myself by getting something IF I am a good girl and knit the hat. Let's see if it will work. Disciplining myself is never fun, even though I could use a time-out every few days or so.

Dishcloths, diapers, and doggy treats

To sum up this weekend, we now have a puppy (part terrier, part chihuahua, really cute and sweet), LittleGuy and I am the ones who are having more discomfort adjusting, and I decided to take on something smaller and that utilizes less brain power than Surprise Project #3 (another dishcloth knitted on the bias with alternating purl and knit row blocks) which I got halfway through when I realized I really need to finish that newsboy cap for the Lovely Aide because I'm going to have to help someone with that tomorrow night. Last week I had worked on Surprise Project #3 rather pleased with how it is coming along but it's more of a project you have to pay attention to (there is lace involved). I don't think I will have to frog it, or start a support group for it, so I think it's a keeper.

Now, a support group for someone who as aquired a puppy, the sweetest little good-natured puppy guaranteed not to get big, slobbery, and destructive, maybe. The human (me) has never really cared for dogs to the degree that she wanted to get one but agreed to it because it was for the kids and Hunky Hubby who have really wanted one for EVER... I'm coping. I feel like I'm toting around two babies: the almost 2 year old (LittleGuy) and a 9 month old who's furry and the size of Hubby's shoe, both a little jealous of the other but also coping and learning to play with each other.

Is there a maternity leave for dogs?

Hopefully I'll be back to my knitting leisurely soon...

Random Tasks

I'm back from lunch and thought I would write some random thoughts that I had made a mental note to include the next time I blogged but ... well, I didn't. Here they are:

I think robins are cute. Hubby taught me how to mow and while I was mowing there were robins popping over to check out the bugs I was stirring up. They were just taking care of business, knowing these people with their noisy grass cutters make easy work of unearthing the little buggers. (Hubby was doing all the edging and weed eating. I got to use the blower after finishing the backyard and that thing is harder to operate than it looks!)

While mowing the backyard I thanked God that I am a knitter; knitting has really helped me work through large expanses of boring rows or rowing boredom, however you want to put it. We have a backyard on the long side and it was fun to have thoughts like "how many squares can I mow instead of doing rows? Would Hubby like it if I did an octagon instead?" instead of "when will this @#$%ing thing be OVER?!?!"

Patience is certainly a virtue.

Sunday was not only Easter and fun time for the kids, but I actually got a quiet afternoon to build my herb garden. Mom and Dad brought a lot of bricks from their house (knocked off the back of their house when they added on in '93; they've been living in a pile at the back of their backyard with some young trees and two snakes, Mom told me) and I used them to build a 3x4 ft box in the backyard and filled it with the dirt I had dug out of the front bed a few weeks ago. The kids think the garden box is great, especially since you can stand on the little walls. We bought our herbs and they seem to like it too.

I'm finding the better I get, the more I want to stay outside. This weather is gorgeous! I'm even contemplating what it will take to dig up the brush on the side that I would love to borrow a herd of goats to eat it. I guess it'll just have to be me and my shovel. And Ph-i-l, Hubby, and the chainsaw. Darn. I love watching goats more.

Shalom!

This is me, again in my fabulous pajama pants, modeling the finished Shalom cardigan! This thing was truly over before I knew it. I did have to leave off 2 rows of the stockinette at the very end and 3 rows of the garter stitch at the finishing border so I wouldn't run out of yarn (there were only 3 skeins in this color and I used it all to the very loopy end. I have enough to darn with if needed, but that's it) but that only made 1" of difference. The only problem I have with it (and I should have thought of this but when I was knitting I was in denial because I love this yarn) is the 25% wool contained in the yarn. It makes it itchy enough to be mildly irritating. Not so much that I won't wear it, but enough that this will only be worn until consistently 75 degree weather and the factor of it being too warm will kick in. The nice thing is, now that my hormones aren't as imbalanced, I'm not constantly too warm and a nice cozy cardigan on chilly mornings is really nice.

Now back to surprise project #3 and the 2 hats for the Lovely Aide. I told myself I would have them finished by the time SuperGirl's preschool is over. (By the way, she is going to that year-round school next year; we got the letter last Friday. YAY!!!)

I'm not looking forward to tackling the chenille hat but I think I will knit it using 2 strands at a time to give it more body and structure. That should help. The other hat just needs 3 more cables added and that should be done in a night or two.

I puzzled out my puzzle ring and am now wearing it again. I bought it while engaged to Hubby visiting him at grad school. It's one of my favorites and now will not leave my finger. Literally. It's tighter than I remember.

I've made another pact with myself to not buy anymore yarn until these projects finish, as in not only these I have working, but the sweater for Hunky Hubby, the cotton colorful cabled (love that alliteration!) sweater for me, the socks for Ph-i-l and M-i-l, the afghan for AAnt (Hubby's friend who wouldn't have anyone else make something for him and he's a single male who likes my handiwork; how can I say no?), and I know I'm forgetting something. I still have more dishcloths to make and more yarn waiting for me to find the pattern they are looking for. Hopefully I can resist the call of the yarn for at least another month or so.

Just killing time; Tock wouldn't like it.

Little Guy just got in my lap and stuck out his tongue. It is yellow. Why is it yellow? I don't think I want to know.

On this Good Friday I am still working in the morning because Hubby is not off and since I am only contract work, I don't get paid for the days I don't report. Money needs making so I am working. Ph-i-l, however, is not working and yesterday asked me nicely not to came prancing through the house before at least 8:30 a.m. because he fully intends on sleeping in. I assured him I would not be out of my house and in his before 9:30, especially since not only will he be trying to sleep in, so will my brother-in-law and m-i-l (not sleeping, but most definitely doing housework).

Fast forward to this morning. Little Guy had me up at 6:30 a.m. (normally I'm stumbling out of bed at 7:05 and he's not up until 7:40) and it is 8:43 and I am wondering what to do with myself since I can't go in to work yet. Fold towels?

I worked some more on the Shalom Cardigan last night and this morning. I think this one might actually fit me right, tight enough where I want it but still roomy enough to move around. It's fun to knit; there are lots of ptbl (purl through the back loop) and ktbl (knit through the back loop) that I thought would drive me crazy but they aren't too bad. Purling through the back loop while knitting continental can be tricky, especially if you're trying to make sure your stitch doesn't twist. The last time I had to ptbl it was with that Class Wrap and it was done while making a ruffle. That was hard and I'm not going to willingly try that again. But with this, when done in a rib pattern the ptbl and ktbl makes almost a braid look. It's what gives the texture on the collar (yoke?) out to the sleeve. There are 3 tiers of it, with increasing the # of stitches each tier. I'm on the 3rd. After this one I will BO the sts for the armholes and continue in stockinette with a garter border for the body of the cardigan. Depending on how much (or little!) I have to do this weekend it is feasible to finish by Monday. I'm not holding my breath but that would be a nice little present for myself.

It's nice working on a project that uses chunky yarn; it finishes before you know it. I'm so used to the sock yarn and the finer sport-weight yarns that take a while; to keep yourself sane while knitting the 8 sts = 1" gauge you prepare your brain for weeks spent on the project, even if it's a little bit of something. When it's finished you look back on the tender, delicate handiwork and marvel that you did that with your own hands. With the bigger gauge projects, I find my mind is still prepared to take forever with it, but then it's suddenly finished (after only a week or two!) and I'm looking at the solid, secure handiwork and still marvelling that I did that with my own hands!

Makes me think of your US #1 needle tank top, Snakewoman. Here's to creativity, persistance, and time off to utilize those virtues!

Knitting is definitly melachah!

Since I'm not working well with #3 right now (and it's not easy to carry around) I went back to the one project I CAN post: the Shalom Cardigan. Funny I did that, since today is Passover (Happy Passover to whoever is Jewish, the lady who introduced me to this pattern, and that wonderful family I baby-sat for throughout college!) This pattern moves along fast, lots faster than I remember it moving along when I was getting distracted by my surprise projects for LMSS. I might work on this one until it's finished. I'll be able to wear it for another month or two while figuring out those projects I have to fix.

The house front has a new addition that thrills SuperGirl to no end: a flag in the flagpole. I had thought we wouldn't be able to put one up there because of the gutter placement but a few days ago I realized that wasn't the case! It's a lovely American flag (it came with the replacement pole) which I figured was nice for Memorial Day and 4th of July, plus I've never been one to display seasons on or in my house and I might need to do a little something. Hunky Hubby says at football season we get an LSU flag, though. No arguing! I told him that was fine as long as it wasn't so big it blocked the front walkway.

Galaxy defender?

#3 is going to be more challenging than originally thought. I am tempted to start posting it because this is one to talk out but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Maybe it's just first few row jitters...

I think my sock hiatus is closing to an end; I'm starting to eye the bag of sock yarn with that burning sensation in my brain saying "what shall we do today?" I would like to do something different but these skeins have such lovely self-patterning parts I'd hate to not knit them to their full potential. I'm also trying to keep from starting anything new because I have the chenille hat to knit, the purple cabled newsboy to make bigger, the ski hat to eventually get back and make smaller, the Shalom cardigan to finish, and that #3 to wrestle with. Hooray for starting new projects but hooray for not having UFOs hanging around the place. For those who don't know, UFO means "Un-Finished Object"; appropriate, I think. When they are spotted they cause panic, wonder, and concern, only I don't think knitting has little men in black to show up and rescue the innocent citizens. Nice to know I'm doing my bit for humanity.

Nippy Noodles

SuperGirl helped me find the buttons and #3 has been coming along ok. I'm wondering if I'll have enough yarn but I did get gauge and the pattern says "yes." Hopefully it's not a compulsive liar.

I got the purple hat back from the Lovely Aide to fix and add to (she needs 2 more inches) just in time for the 40 DEGREE WEATHER HERE IN APRIL. I had to cover my brand new, just planted/potted plants last night! What the heck? The one time I actually get out and garden it freezes. Too funny. Thanks to Mom I found out about this weather attitude and whipped out the spare sheets to cover them. They looked just fine this morning and Piper (our orange cat) has a little nest of sheets on the front porch rocker until I decide to wash them or use them tonight if there is another freeze.

Now on to work. Drat.

By the way...

I finished Secret Project #2 last night. On to #3 and a button search for #2 (keep you guessing, LMSS!).

You can also click on the pictures below to make them bigger. The detail from my camera is amazing! I didn't realize how nice it was until I clicked on one to see what it would do. Learn something new everyday!

The View from Saturday

Isn't it great? And you can barely see the ashy marks the gardenias had left on the siding (right side of the steps). I scrubbed and scrubbed trying to get it off. The small bushes in between the orange pots (which hold Meme's original plants, still here and ready for spring) are Indian something-or-other (shouldn't I remember that? maybe Hawthorne) and have little white and pink flowers, the flowers in front of them are Gerber daises (in honor of SuperGirl), and the bushes on either side of the steps are camillias (gorgeous in Jan/Feb). The azaleas, alas, aren't as pretty as they were 2 weeks ago but you can still see one of them blooming. That is LMSS's big fat bird on my steps (happy as always) and I couldn't resist taking pictures of SuperGirl's swinging turtle (those purple plants are also Meme's, happy and ready for Spring; isn't it great a part of her still lives on?). Yesterday morning we watered everything again and I buried 2 cans of cheap beer to dissuade the slugs from eating SuperGirl's daisies. We have some big ones and where I don't like killing nature, these are abnormally huge and healthy (I suspect they are the ones stealing the cat's food) and I would like my flowers to survive the season.

The trellis at the far right will have vining pink flowers (don't remember the name) and the potted plants on the porch are in honor of my M-i-l who loves those mixed flower-y pots and always has really nice ones. The green plant at the top is citrenella, dissuading the Louisiana state bird: the mosquito (just kidding, I know the state bird. Dodo, right? Heehee... and the brown pelicans and my elementary school teachers are screaming right now...) and I even included SuperGirl's big happy family picture for Hunky Hubby.

Life is grand. Yes, Hubby is a big baseball fan. I wanted to get the one that said "The [insert last name here]: putting the "fun" in "dysfunctional" " but we aren't dysfunctional and I sometime have people I work with coming by the house that wouldn't understand.

I'm finally not as sore as I was. I also have so much energy I have plans for the backyard too. Herb garden. I can taste it now...

Saturday is for...

I never thought knitting would have helped prepare me for gardening but it has. I have forearm muscles I never knew were there before and they came in handy yesterday. I have these gardenias in my front flower bed that are unhappy and UGG-LEE to say the very least and I am feeling so fabulous I totally redid the whole bed. I got out there with my hose, Ph-i-l's old jeans, a shovel, and had all the neighbors wondering what in the world I was up to. They were impressed once it was all said and done. It was great. And I even did it with no Hubby (he was at a wine tasting but I do have to say he did spend a nightmerish Saturday morning at Lowe's with the rest of Shreveport's population getting soil, mulch, and sand for me) and with 4 kids running around (cousins were over for me to baby-sit) and I DID IT!!! Now there are lovely happy plants with no mean-y weeds and I even did the rest of the front and the sides too.

Now the backyard... That one is going to take a full weekend in itself.

Pictures to come soon. This is a momentous occasion!

I have been knitting, meanwhile, even though in tackling the garden it nearly won and I am VERY SORE. The secret project #2 is 5 rows away from being finished and I will post it once LMSS receives it. It turned out great!