Tuesday, March 02, 2010

I’ve just been ordering vegetable seeds. I have been very slow about it, this year – the weather makes it impossible to believe that anything will ever grow again in the frozen earth. Increasingly these days, I buy a seed here and a seed there from a variety of suppliers. It’s fun, but it slows the process down.

This morning I have been over at the Victoriana Nursery Garden, attracted by their “Victorian Colossal Climbing Pea”. Then I stayed around and got some other stuff.

And while on the subject of vegetables, yes, Becky, a leek. Leeks are a national symbol of Wales, like daffodils, although less commonly worn. The one I saw on March 1, 1966, was very clean, trimmed down to a modest length, and secured to the man’s lapel.

Knitting

All went well yesterday. The thing is to keep calm and not struggle on to the point of exhaustion. There’s no hurry, as long as I keep at it.

The second sleeve of the Grandson is now set in, and I am satisfied with the result. Next I must press the seam towards the sleeve (EZ’s instruction) , and hem down the facing, before returning to the first sleeve and continuing to unpick it. I didn’t achieve Cynthia’s row of seeming-stitches. I think I did it essentially as EZ prescribes, moving back and forth from sleeve to body in what amounts to an overcast stitch. It looks surprisingly unobtrusive.

Tonight’s unpicking will involve the top of the sleeve which is a bit precarious for reasons mentioned yesterday. Take it slowly. Be careful.

So I got some more sock knit, when it was time to watch Neighbours and I needed soothing. Today’s excitement is a visit to the optician. That should add a few rounds while I wait for drops to take effect.

I spent some more time looking at Koigu patterns in Ravelry, indeed found a striped cardigan called, I think, the Vertical Kaleidoscope. Ravelry promised a download version, but the seller’s website wants to send me a printed one, charging $65 for Expedited Delivery. I emailed them.

The ribbon stripes in my head, with or without Theresa’s beautiful waves, remain the Top Idea.

9 comments:

  1. Your seed source sounds wonderful. Some years ago the Times ran a promotion alongside Heligan Gardens in Cornwall for Heritage seeds. I can't explain the excitement of receiving those seeds - packs of unusual beans or oddities such as Scorzenara - month by month. Not many of vegetables were actually edible when it came to it, but that was not the point.

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  2. if you don't get an answer, let me know and i can order it for you. email me if you want to do this (we can do paypal for the money).

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  3. but actually it seems like a simple side to side sweater .

    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/side-to-side-kimono

    i found a lot of side-side sweater/jackets by putting that phrase in the patterns search.

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  4. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dakota-on-the-side

    another one..

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  5. One of my tasks for today is to finish up my seed starting chamber down in the cellar and get some seeds going. I just got more artichoke seeds and a few others. I was a bit irritated that the artichoke seed packet had a warning indicating that the variety is patented and not to be propagated. I generally avoid those on principle, as I don't believe anyone should have patent rights on a living organism. I could see a reasonable argument for protecting a technique for producing same, perhaps, but not the organism itself. At any rate, the seeds are now here, so I need to get them started now in order to have time to fool them into blooming this season.

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  6. If you haven't looked already i did post pictures of the "ready-made" one I saw.
    The Vertical Kaleidoscope is very handsome.

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  7. I ended up being able to get the pattern for $7.95 via an email load. Even after bringing Koigu with me for you I still have enuff to knit 4 or5 of the sweaters.

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  8. Jean, do you have Marianne Isager's book "Classic Knits"? It has a pattern in there which might be made to work for Koigu, called Honey:

    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/honning---honey

    In the original Danish it was called Honning, and the book was called "Strik a la carte". Tres Europeen, n'est-ce pas? :)

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  9. After all the rain and cloudy days last year, I'm intentionally ordering see varieties labeled "early" or short growing season.

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