Sunday wonders - N

N is for Nature.

This summer, nature needs a helping hand.  The squash have, in gardens past, produced  some fruit that hasn't grown up.  Our garden guru (thanks, Maria) gave us a bit of advice about how squash pollinate.  Since we've had so much rain, we thought that bringing in some labor to assist the bees on rainy days would be helpful.  Then, we started really watching for the bees.  There aren't near as many this year as we have had in previous summers.  I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining this. 

This is a hard worker from a couple of years ago.  We still have the same flowers as we did when the bees were plentiful.  I wonder if someone on the block has even better stuff and they've all been charmed away?  I see a bee-house in next year's garden. 

Saturday Stash

What a funny week it's been.  I seem to have accomplished very little while knitting steadily -  as much as I can each day.
I did go for a day-long tour of community centers on a big yellow school bus with a bunch of folks who are planning their own center.  We just went for fun, really, since our little center will never grow any bigger.  There were some interesting ideas and we met some nice people along the way.  I can't knit on a bus or in a car - not a pretty result - so that was a few hours lost.

Enough kvetching.  Here's the tally for this week.  Charlie's cardi is almost done but I'm having finishing issues.  I haven't done the button bands yet because I'm thinking I might just put in a zip instead.   The sweater turned out heavier and a bit more jacket-ish than I had anticipated.  But in looking through my stash of zips these are the only two appropriate (sort of) colors.  White...
 

...or blue. My button collection is not being helpful either so I can't even show a mock-up.  So, the choice for Charlie to make: zip or buttons?  And, just to add another level of interest, I have enough yarn let to put a hood on this cardi.  It would be fairly simple at this stage.  I see it with a band of the same waffle stitch.  But what does Charlie think?

Still on the needles:  a warm and soft scarf in a worsted weight acrylic.  Ball bands are gone - don't ask me what it is.  I'm in love with reversible cables, especially on a scarf.  And this pattern, On the Side by Abby Tohline had the perfect contrasting elements for me.  That cool cable winding through the field of seed stitch.  The texture is wonderful in this yarn.  I made it a little wider than normal but I think that would be welcome on a cold winter day.

And, just finished:  a scarf I am calling Blueridge for obvious reasons.  This is a bit of yarn that I found in the thrift shop a long time ago.  It's a blend of mohair, cotton, acrylic and nylon - it knits up very light and fluffy. without all the mohair fibers flying everywhere.  The pattern I used is this one by Nancy Kleiber.  Very easy and the ruffles are fun.

And, just to round out a week, here's a shot of the latest garden bed.  Anne whipped this one together with some of the better leftover deck boards (untreated).    This is a nice sunny location and will probably be another home for squash next summer.  Right now it's waiting for soil but we've got time.  I find this bed very pleasing to look at even without any resident plants.  My favorite shape is the triangle; I'm sure that's why. 

One of the most fun parts of this stash pledge is that I can search for and try out many patterns.  It's wonderful to have so much online - and free!  It's so hard to settle down to just one.  A lot of swatching goes on around here.  The hardest part is resisting the blandishments of the various yarn companies newsletters.  It's tough but I keep telling myself that they'll still be there in January when I'm ready to stock up again.  Won't they?

Too much information?

So, I've been spending a couple of days with the Bratz. Do you know these young people? 

When they arrive at our house, they're mostly hair, attitude and NO feet.  When I first saw these dolls, I was shocked.  But as I've gotten to know them better, I'm enjoying their new-fangled ways.

Like most young girls, they need to be painted into their jeans.  How little girls' fingers have the strength to pull these on, I don't know.  Their hands are so big that putting a long sleeve over them requires a kind of shoe-horn. 

The hair gets tamed - a little.  Clean clothes are found for each one.  This is not an easy task as their clothes are similar in size to big sister, Barbie, but tighter.  Shoes are always a challenge because there just are never enough.  They just click on those stumpy legs...they're huge to balance those outsize heads, I think. 

 From their hair to their shoes, Bratz are emphatically NOT Barbies.  In fact, they make Barbie seem so old.  Not even a big sister - almost a mother.  Every change that the doll designers try only shows this to be true.  You can't put new styles on the old shape.  Sad to say, Barbie is so dated. 

Working in Bratz world means everything ends in 'Z'.  There are Boyz and Babyz and Mermaidz. The pouty mermaid actually squirts water through her lips.  Without water, you get a kind of wolf whistle.  Girlz will be girlz.

And the boys are slightly more interesting than Ken and his friends.  But, like them, they are simply a bit more buffed and beefy versions of the girls.  To me they have less personality - and definitely weirder hair. 

There is no end to the attitude.  Look at this group.  Can't you just read the body language?  The eye-rolling?  It's fun to create stories for each one as I dress her/him.  I couldn't resist posing these glittery stars all together.  What do you think is going on?

Sunday wonder - M

M is for Mansions.

This is the only mansion I've ever been in:  Muckross House near Killarney in Ireland.  It was very impressive and I know that I would certainly be very well-muscled if I had to go up and down stairs and through the miles of corridors each and every day.  The servants would be even more trim.  As we looked and listened on the tour, I wondered how they kept the food hot as it was carried for what seemed like miles from the kitchens to the dining room.

Whether the food is still hot is not something the dweller of this mansion has to worry about. I'm sure that the swallow is as happy with this dwelling place as is the wealthy family.

Someone long ago built this to live in with his family.  Perhaps it was a mansion to them.  

 

We created this mansion for our squash vines the other day.  We had an old wicker shelving unit  that was no longer needed.  With the shelves and side panels removed it seemed like the perfect addition to the garden.  Especially with a little roof of wicker to shade the plant from the hot sun.  Actually, that was left on because taking them off was becoming too much work.

Even though it could get a little breezy and damp, I'm drawn to the squash mansion with its view of the daisies.  How about you?