Sky Blue Pink

As a child, whenever I would ask my father the color of something, his reply was always "sky blue pink". That name seems particularly apropos for this time of year, when it seems the world has been painted by a master pastellist. And, of course, it has been.

This past Monday was like Christmas in, well, March. I had ordered a few things online – a yarn swift, some yarn (naturally), and a new copy of Bob Dylan's Biograph. (My original copy, a gift from when it was first released in the late '80s, had been played so many times it was now unplayable. And how can I get by without my favorite Dylan songs?). When I arrived home Monday evening, I found they had all been delivered that same day!

I set to work immediately, using my new swift to hold a hank of my new gorgeously soft Malabrigo Lace yarn in the most beautiful pale blue, destined to become my Featherweight Cardigan (Hannah Fetig's pattern which I had recently fallen in love with). I cast on later that evening...

I had finally finished the Brown Tweed Gansey Socks, and though they're a little Fall-ish in color, they are pretty comfortable since the temperatures have been a bit cool. 

They would have come in very handy on Saturday morning, when I went out to the Botanic Gardens to photograph the cherry trees, now in full beautiful bloom. I was there at sunrise, and although the trees were breathtaking, it was pretty chilly. After a few minutes my hands were almost numb. And the cotton socks I was wearing were already damp from the dew on the grass. Wool socks would have been so much better. What was I thinking?

Oh well, did get some nice shots...

...and then some pics of my neighbor's lovely tulip magnolia...

The rest of the day was spent digging in the garden again. I think the major digging is done (for now) and most of what's left is distribution of the big pile of mulch that's taking up my parking spot in the driveway. And nursing my sore muscles.

This morning it was time once again to turn my attention to the Wedding Shawl. The rows are getting so long now that I can't complete a full repeat during my weekly viewing of CBS Sunday Morning, where there was a segment today about knitting with Mo Rocca (very funny guy). Anyway, just a few more rows and it will be time to start the transition into the rather deep border pattern. I like the way the pearls graduate from none to one to two and so on...

This afternoon I painted, making some more progress on Romance, and then talked on the phone with my sister in Canada, where Spring is just barely beginning to show with crocuses and snowdrops. Hm-m-m, I should make her some wool socks.

It's been a lovely weekend, all sky blue pink. And when I drive home from work tomorrow evening, I'll be listening to Bob Dylan. Probably Tangled Up In Blue.

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

On Friday I was finally able to take a long-awaited day off work to play in my garden. Had a wonderful time pruning and digging and getting my hands in the soil. Then I started Saturday with a walk around the yard with camera in hand, and WOW! what a difference a couple weeks has made!

The heloborus that looked so puny before have suddenly exploded in flowers, even a surprise purple and white one which had never bloomed before.

Daffodils are starting to open.

Hyacinths — a gift from a friend a couple years ago — sparkle by the front door.

Acanthus leaves are beginning to unfurl in the side yard.

Close by a hosta is pushing little purple tips up out of the soil.

And vinca's periwinkle flowers are popping open.

Saturday was an intense day of digging and moving shrubs around to allow for the new light pattern that will take shape when Jim has finished building his studio in the back yard. So much of what I planted last year has now been relocated. And my muscles got a much-needed workout.

In between I managed to finish — just in time for Spring, ha! — the brown tweed gansey socks that have been on my needles for the past few weeks, as well as the "Strange Harvest" glovelets.

Next up, a new sock in my own Spring-hued hand-dyed yarn. I call it "Ziggy" and will post pictures soon.

I even found time to work on "Romance with Pearls", which is progressing fairly well, and should be complete in two or three more good long painting sessions. The operative word here being "should".

So it's been a great weekend for all things yarny and soily and painty. Too bad there was no time to take care of things dusty. That will just have to wait for another season — er, um, weekend.

Happy Spring everyone!

Missed Stitches and Other Longings

It's been a tough week here at Sleeping Cat Studio. After months of mostly less-than-busy days at the office, a big project on a tight deadline had me clocking around 60 hours, wrapping up late Saturday evening.

Now, don't get me wrong. After 40-some years in the graphic design business, I know all about working to meet deadlines. But this has seriously cut into my knitting time, pre-empted my planned days off to work in my garden, and left me too tired for my usual Sunday painting session.

Still I am very happy to have a job. It's what enables me to pursue my knitting and gardening and painting. I do still chant my daily mantra: I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. And tomorrow afternoon, when I leave the office, there should be plenty of daylight left to enjoy. Which leads me to think back to last year's first day of Spring:

I drove down Cherry Road the other evening, and the trees aren't nearly this far along toward their blossomy magnificence. In fact, they looked downright wintery. Which will make them all the more beautiful when the time comes.

Which will be soon I know. In the meantime, with any luck my schedule will get back to something resembling normal, and my hands back into something yarny or soily or painty.

I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.

Springing Forward

Ah Spring! You can smell it in the air. You can sense the buds just below the surface, ready to burst forth. You can — ok, I know it's not quite Spring just yet, but we're almost there. And the weather this weekend has certainly been convincing.

This winter was, well, almost a real winter. I say almost because it really didn't come close to the "real" winters I remember from my Canadian childhood.

I'm happy to say the pansies have recovered. Looks like they have a bit of attitude from enduring all that ice and snow.

Everything seems a little late coming into bloom though.

The helloborus are just beginning, 

the mahonias are still in full flower.
And my sad little forsythias aren't even showing color yet.

So after cleaning up flower beds yesterday, and exercising muscles I'd forgotten about, I decided today was going to be a slow one. Yes, I know I really should be painting, but the thought of standing in one spot for several hours was decidedly unappealing.

Woohoo! let's dye some yarn! I've been itching to try it for a while, and this morning looked like the perfect opportunity. So I got out the KoolAid and a hank of off-white sock yarn (that I got for a song at Tuesday Morning; best not to experiment with the good cashmere) and went to work. Hm-m-m-m, this is kinda fun. Now, I thought about taking pictures of the process, but was too caught up in what I was doing to get out the camera until it was too late. Anyway, here's my first yarn, fresh out its steam bath.

The color's a little Easter-eggy, but I think it might be pretty once knitted up. Springy, at least. 

After a quick wash and rinse, I hung it on the back of a chair on the deck to dry. Notice how it matches the chair. We're all about color coordination.

Now it's time to get back to some knitting. And dreaming of flowers and yarns to come.