(Seen here sharing the window sill with the chives.)
Today Mr Green Onions joined my window chard in a tasty stir-fry:
It's not Chinese food, but it was pretty tasty, nonetheless. (I miss Chinese food... it's too dangerous with my sesame allergy.)
Saturday, July 03, 2010
From Window To Table
I don't believe I've introduced you to my window green onions:
(Seen here sharing the window sill with the chives.)
Today Mr Green Onions joined my window chard in a tasty stir-fry:
It's not Chinese food, but it was pretty tasty, nonetheless. (I miss Chinese food... it's too dangerous with my sesame allergy.)
(Seen here sharing the window sill with the chives.)
Today Mr Green Onions joined my window chard in a tasty stir-fry:
It's not Chinese food, but it was pretty tasty, nonetheless. (I miss Chinese food... it's too dangerous with my sesame allergy.)
Just One More...
...row/wedge/washcloth!
These things are addictive when I'm on a roll.
I had the pink one as emergency knitting at work, but it was languishing. I wanted to finish it so that I could start a blue one, and so it and the blue ball of yarn rattled around my backpack a bit. On Wednesday, when it came time to pack for home, I put the pink one in my backpack, but left the blue ball behind... after all, I hadn't touched it at home the past several times, and why lug more around than necessary?
Well, it looks like I hit my stride. Wednesday night, I wanted something relatively brainless (which this is, when I'm in the groove), but softer than the hand towel. When I finished the pink one, I wasn't ready to stop... and discovered that the blue ball wasn't in my backpack! No problem, I have other colours of Rowan Calmer at home.
I'm starting to wonder if, somehow, I think that by knitting enough white ones, the blue ball will become available? (You know, like how you knit faster when you're worried you'll run out of yarn?)
If nothing else, I'm getting a nice stash of future baby presents... for girls and unknown genders. ;) (Rowan Calmer makes fantastic baby washcloths with this pattern. I already had one pale pink one done and tucked away for future giving before these latest ones.)
Notes:
1. I still need to do the last bit of weaving in of loose ends on the white one.
2. For the cloth-in-progress, I switched from just "turn" to "wrap-and-turn", with wrapped stitches picked up and knit with the stitches they're wrapping. I think this version looks better, and have made a note on my copy of the pattern to continue doing this.
3. While knitting the pink cloth, I found a break in the yarn. While re-winding the remaining yarn (enough to make one more cloth), I discovered a knot. Grrr.
4. I can get three cloths from one ball of Rowan Calmer.
5. Besides these two colours and the pale blue, I also have beige and coral. (I bought one of each colour I could find in the clearance shelves, except black. I wish my LYS hadn't stopped stocking Rowan Calmer!)
These things are addictive when I'm on a roll.
I had the pink one as emergency knitting at work, but it was languishing. I wanted to finish it so that I could start a blue one, and so it and the blue ball of yarn rattled around my backpack a bit. On Wednesday, when it came time to pack for home, I put the pink one in my backpack, but left the blue ball behind... after all, I hadn't touched it at home the past several times, and why lug more around than necessary?
Well, it looks like I hit my stride. Wednesday night, I wanted something relatively brainless (which this is, when I'm in the groove), but softer than the hand towel. When I finished the pink one, I wasn't ready to stop... and discovered that the blue ball wasn't in my backpack! No problem, I have other colours of Rowan Calmer at home.
I'm starting to wonder if, somehow, I think that by knitting enough white ones, the blue ball will become available? (You know, like how you knit faster when you're worried you'll run out of yarn?)
If nothing else, I'm getting a nice stash of future baby presents... for girls and unknown genders. ;) (Rowan Calmer makes fantastic baby washcloths with this pattern. I already had one pale pink one done and tucked away for future giving before these latest ones.)
Notes:
1. I still need to do the last bit of weaving in of loose ends on the white one.
2. For the cloth-in-progress, I switched from just "turn" to "wrap-and-turn", with wrapped stitches picked up and knit with the stitches they're wrapping. I think this version looks better, and have made a note on my copy of the pattern to continue doing this.
3. While knitting the pink cloth, I found a break in the yarn. While re-winding the remaining yarn (enough to make one more cloth), I discovered a knot. Grrr.
4. I can get three cloths from one ball of Rowan Calmer.
5. Besides these two colours and the pale blue, I also have beige and coral. (I bought one of each colour I could find in the clearance shelves, except black. I wish my LYS hadn't stopped stocking Rowan Calmer!)
Friday, July 02, 2010
I want to ride my bicycle
Today is hot and humid. I sat around my air conditioned apartment for a bit, trying to decide if it was too hot for a bike ride. The forecast said one temperature, my outdoor thermostat said another (hotter), and the weather people were bleating about humidex heat warnings. (Weather-wise, heat is the second killer in Canada... I suspect that cold is the first.) However, I've lived through NC heatwaves. I decided to bike down to the local bike shop to get a bike pump, and use that as a weather test.
In addition to a pump (with pressure gauge), I also bought fenders (I'm not a fan of stripes):
and I joined the cool kids with the gloves:
Now, if only I were skinnier, I bet I'd look like a real bike rider. ;)
After dropping off the bike pump at the house, I decided to ride over to Kildonan Park and back... I had water, and I've dealt with worse heat and humidity. (The humidex is 40 C... in NC, it's 40 C *before* the humidity!)
On the way over the bridge, I had to pass a couple of teens that look like they might be gang members. I got close, slowed down, then said "excuse me please". As I passed, one of them said, I *think*, "nice bum". Uh, what? By his standards, I should be the frumpy old lady. Perhaps he hasn't figured out the sarcastic tone yet? Unless he said "nice bike", and I heard wrong? Weird.
A bike lady (also wearing gloves) gave me a thumbs-up in the park. Yep, I'm part of the cool crowd. ;)
My bike goes *fast*. :) The route through to the park and back is mostly shaded, too. (If I had continued to the route over the Chief Peguis Bridge, I would have had quite a ways on hot, sunny concrete, so I didn't do that today.)
After I returned, I stopped in at mom and B's briefly to return the garage key and say hi. They both commented on my hot, sweaty appearance. Oh... and I come by my class honestly:
Mom: "You have a sweaty butt-crack. Want to know how I know?"
I knew, but didn't respond. B fell for the trap, though.
B: "How do you know?"
I turned so he could see. Sorry, B.
Anyone have a good method to reduce sweat? I *hate* being all sweaty, but I'm a sweaty person. *sigh* All it takes is some heat, exercise, or washing dishes. Ew. (That's one of the reasons I hate washing dishes. The other is the sore feet and back/neck.)
I'm calling this shot:
"Chain Grease with Calamine Lotion". Yep... classy.
In addition to a pump (with pressure gauge), I also bought fenders (I'm not a fan of stripes):
and I joined the cool kids with the gloves:
Now, if only I were skinnier, I bet I'd look like a real bike rider. ;)
After dropping off the bike pump at the house, I decided to ride over to Kildonan Park and back... I had water, and I've dealt with worse heat and humidity. (The humidex is 40 C... in NC, it's 40 C *before* the humidity!)
On the way over the bridge, I had to pass a couple of teens that look like they might be gang members. I got close, slowed down, then said "excuse me please". As I passed, one of them said, I *think*, "nice bum". Uh, what? By his standards, I should be the frumpy old lady. Perhaps he hasn't figured out the sarcastic tone yet? Unless he said "nice bike", and I heard wrong? Weird.
A bike lady (also wearing gloves) gave me a thumbs-up in the park. Yep, I'm part of the cool crowd. ;)
My bike goes *fast*. :) The route through to the park and back is mostly shaded, too. (If I had continued to the route over the Chief Peguis Bridge, I would have had quite a ways on hot, sunny concrete, so I didn't do that today.)
After I returned, I stopped in at mom and B's briefly to return the garage key and say hi. They both commented on my hot, sweaty appearance. Oh... and I come by my class honestly:
Mom: "You have a sweaty butt-crack. Want to know how I know?"
I knew, but didn't respond. B fell for the trap, though.
B: "How do you know?"
I turned so he could see. Sorry, B.
Anyone have a good method to reduce sweat? I *hate* being all sweaty, but I'm a sweaty person. *sigh* All it takes is some heat, exercise, or washing dishes. Ew. (That's one of the reasons I hate washing dishes. The other is the sore feet and back/neck.)
I'm calling this shot:
"Chain Grease with Calamine Lotion". Yep... classy.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Repairing Carders
I took my carders over to my dad, to see if he had some really short screws that I could use to repair them. (The handles are loose.) He suggested taking out the nail at the base and gluing them. Turns out there was a tiny, hidden nail further down... but I was still able to get the handles out. To reassemble them, I knocked the hidden nail flush, then used a screwdriver bit by feel to re-set the nail. Photos of the process:
Materials:
(I ended up going with slightly larger nails than those pictured. I also used additional clamps and some vice grips. But I didn't know that when I took this photo.
No wonder the nails were so &*^%$ hard to get out:
Hey, cool... the handles are dove-tailed:
(Just not tight enough to prevent wobble.)
Clamping:
In order to apply pressure to the hidden part of the handle, I used nails in a block of wood.
Turns out I clamped the block too tight, though, and left dents in the leather:
The nails didn't hold up that well either:
For the second carder, I used a 3x3 grid of nails, and less pressure.
I'd call the operation a success. :) (These are the carders I bought at a local antique shop.)
Materials:
(I ended up going with slightly larger nails than those pictured. I also used additional clamps and some vice grips. But I didn't know that when I took this photo.
No wonder the nails were so &*^%$ hard to get out:
Hey, cool... the handles are dove-tailed:
(Just not tight enough to prevent wobble.)
Clamping:
In order to apply pressure to the hidden part of the handle, I used nails in a block of wood.
Turns out I clamped the block too tight, though, and left dents in the leather:
The nails didn't hold up that well either:
For the second carder, I used a 3x3 grid of nails, and less pressure.
I'd call the operation a success. :) (These are the carders I bought at a local antique shop.)
Hempathy
A friend gave me two balls of Hempathy. The tank-top is on time-out for a bit (gauge issues), and I wanted something simple... so I decided to make another hand towel. Here it is, a few rows after I joined the second ball:
This is nice stuff. I think I'll buy enough balls to make a tank top or two. :) (And the hand towel should help me estimate how many balls I'll need!) I'm knitting this on US 3, which gives a nice gauge.
This is nice stuff. I think I'll buy enough balls to make a tank top or two. :) (And the hand towel should help me estimate how many balls I'll need!) I'm knitting this on US 3, which gives a nice gauge.
Window Chard
Every few days, I get the feeling that my window chard could use some water.
I'm not sure what tips me off.
After I give it some water, though, all is right with the world again. A few hours later:
Next morning:
I think it's about time for a Swiss chard stir fry. :)
I'm not sure what tips me off.
After I give it some water, though, all is right with the world again. A few hours later:
Next morning:
I think it's about time for a Swiss chard stir fry. :)
Bud's Buds Bloomed
Here's some more poppies that bloomed before I got them outside:
One finished blooming before I got it outside, but the other two still have their petals. Some more have buds on them... and if the transplanting doesn't kill them, perhaps we'll have flowers in the garden. ;)
One finished blooming before I got it outside, but the other two still have their petals. Some more have buds on them... and if the transplanting doesn't kill them, perhaps we'll have flowers in the garden. ;)
"Low Mosquito Count" My A$$
There was an e-mail that they've temporarily stopped fogging due to low trap counts... well, I think I just fed the next boom. I really could have used an official mosquito swatter out there while I gardened.
Parts of the garden were fairly easy to weed: the parts that get sun, and hadn't been stepped on when the caretaker pruned the shrubs. The parts the caretaker had stood on were like *cement*, and the parts that were heavily shaded were like wet clay. (Probably because they were.)
I didn't do much weeding in the heavily shaded area, but it wasn't too bad anyway... probably because the day lilies shaded out the weeds too. The other parts of the area I dug I did weed, and I put my seedlings in the sunnier portion. I planted the dead-looking ones too, on the off chance they recover. (And even if they don't, the dirt is good, and will help the garden.)
Before and after shots:
(Click through for biggy view.)
I realize that hot, humid days aren't the best for planting seedlings... but it's not like I've had much choice.
Heard on the radio a few minutes ago: "...but the humidity makes it feel more like 38" C.
I was hot, sweaty, and covered with mud and mosquito bites by the time I did this half, so work on the other side will have to wait. I came in, had a cold shower, and slathered myself with calamine lotion. I had been thinking of going for a bike ride, since it was sunny... but I think I'll sit in my air-conditioned apartment and pretend that the "great outdoors" doesn't exist for a while.
Parts of the garden were fairly easy to weed: the parts that get sun, and hadn't been stepped on when the caretaker pruned the shrubs. The parts the caretaker had stood on were like *cement*, and the parts that were heavily shaded were like wet clay. (Probably because they were.)
I didn't do much weeding in the heavily shaded area, but it wasn't too bad anyway... probably because the day lilies shaded out the weeds too. The other parts of the area I dug I did weed, and I put my seedlings in the sunnier portion. I planted the dead-looking ones too, on the off chance they recover. (And even if they don't, the dirt is good, and will help the garden.)
Before and after shots:
(Click through for biggy view.)
I realize that hot, humid days aren't the best for planting seedlings... but it's not like I've had much choice.
Heard on the radio a few minutes ago: "...but the humidity makes it feel more like 38" C.
I was hot, sweaty, and covered with mud and mosquito bites by the time I did this half, so work on the other side will have to wait. I came in, had a cold shower, and slathered myself with calamine lotion. I had been thinking of going for a bike ride, since it was sunny... but I think I'll sit in my air-conditioned apartment and pretend that the "great outdoors" doesn't exist for a while.
Windows vs AC
Open windows, or turn on the AC? It's always a complicated decision.
Lately it's been humid out, even if it's not that hot, and so I had the AC on for quite a while. One morning I woke up to a strange smell in my bedroom, coming from the apartment below. (It was a sort of "toasted" smell... I have no clue what it was.) On the off chance that it was drugs, I switched to opening the windows. Since it wasn't that humid out, I left the windows open that day and night. The next morning I woke up all stuffed up from pollen allergies. I went back to closed windows with the AC on.
Yesterday I had the AC on, but it was cool enough at night that I turned it off, and left the windows shut overnight.
This morning, I was trying to decide if I should turn the AC back on, or go with open windows. Just as I was thinking about it, the news came on, and said the high for today is 30 C. I decided that AC was the way to go. As I was sitting in my office, reading blogs... perfume (cologne?) started coming up from below. *sigh* AC off, windows open. Now I'm sniffling from the pollen instead of the perfume, and it's incredibly humid from the rain last night. Gah!!!
I think I'll have breakfast (I slept late... why am I so tired? I had a nap last night too!), weed the garden, plant the half-dead seedlings, and *then* switch back to AC.
In other news, I got to listen to some drama from next door last night around 1 am. (I went to the window to make sure it wasn't the type of domestic dispute that required calling the cops... I could hear yelling, and someone very definitely upset.)
You know the young couple from next door? The one with the rowdy drinking/smoking/pot friends? Well, the woman was outside, all upset, and her younger brother and mother were trying to comfort her. Sounds like there's trouble in paradise. The young mom thinks the young dad (who had left to go out) doesn't love her, and needs to sleep with other women (although she clearly doesn't want that). She's upset that he leaves for several hours each day, and is "hardly ever around". The brother was trying the argument that because he stuck around at all meant that he loved her... and how he would feel if he had gotten someone pregnant at 17. (I thought they looked rather young to have a kid!)
Around this point I decided that calling the cops wasn't needed, and did my best to ignore the ruckus. I did notice that they managed to get themselves locked out (the mom mom had put the floor mat in the door to hold it open, but someone else came home and moved the mat), but they were able to get back in by taking the screen out of the window and crawling in that way. (Classy.)
Lately it's been humid out, even if it's not that hot, and so I had the AC on for quite a while. One morning I woke up to a strange smell in my bedroom, coming from the apartment below. (It was a sort of "toasted" smell... I have no clue what it was.) On the off chance that it was drugs, I switched to opening the windows. Since it wasn't that humid out, I left the windows open that day and night. The next morning I woke up all stuffed up from pollen allergies. I went back to closed windows with the AC on.
Yesterday I had the AC on, but it was cool enough at night that I turned it off, and left the windows shut overnight.
This morning, I was trying to decide if I should turn the AC back on, or go with open windows. Just as I was thinking about it, the news came on, and said the high for today is 30 C. I decided that AC was the way to go. As I was sitting in my office, reading blogs... perfume (cologne?) started coming up from below. *sigh* AC off, windows open. Now I'm sniffling from the pollen instead of the perfume, and it's incredibly humid from the rain last night. Gah!!!
I think I'll have breakfast (I slept late... why am I so tired? I had a nap last night too!), weed the garden, plant the half-dead seedlings, and *then* switch back to AC.
In other news, I got to listen to some drama from next door last night around 1 am. (I went to the window to make sure it wasn't the type of domestic dispute that required calling the cops... I could hear yelling, and someone very definitely upset.)
You know the young couple from next door? The one with the rowdy drinking/smoking/pot friends? Well, the woman was outside, all upset, and her younger brother and mother were trying to comfort her. Sounds like there's trouble in paradise. The young mom thinks the young dad (who had left to go out) doesn't love her, and needs to sleep with other women (although she clearly doesn't want that). She's upset that he leaves for several hours each day, and is "hardly ever around". The brother was trying the argument that because he stuck around at all meant that he loved her... and how he would feel if he had gotten someone pregnant at 17. (I thought they looked rather young to have a kid!)
Around this point I decided that calling the cops wasn't needed, and did my best to ignore the ruckus. I did notice that they managed to get themselves locked out (the mom mom had put the floor mat in the door to hold it open, but someone else came home and moved the mat), but they were able to get back in by taking the screen out of the window and crawling in that way. (Classy.)
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