Spring Tulips

Yesterday 3 garden club members joined me yesterday at the Library for our gardeners midday meetup. Joyce and I walked the square and checked the beds. The tulips were wonderful. Thank you Rachelle for replanting them last fall. I was surprised to see so many tulips. The ones under the sign on Erie Street were amazing. If you get some time its worth a walk around the square to see the flowers.

For 8 years now I have been growing lettuce, cherry tomatoes, beans and cucumbers in 7 plastic storage boxes grouped together in the center of my little cottage garden. I let the the lettuce go to seed by accident a few years ago and was surprised to find it coming up by it self in March. This year I checked the boxes on St Patrick's Day and sure enough there was little sprouts. I have thinned and thinned the seedlings. I transplanted some but the transplants are not doing as well as the plants that I just thinned out. in a couple days I will thin again and this time the lettuce I thin out will be big enough to put in my salad. Here are a couple pictures. If you want to try this let me know and I would be happy to answer questions. It is so easy. These boxes provide all the lettuce I can eat from spring till late July when it becomes too bitter and goes to seed.

Knitters Fantasy in Ohio

Time is sure flying by. The daffodils are blooming and my lettuce came up again in my boxes in the garden. I thinned it our yesterday and transplanted some to another location. I dug out three small wild cherry trees along my picket fence. I moved some daylilies, dividing and potting them for our annual plant exchange. I was so busy working in the garden I just lost my focus on getting ready for my upcoming workshop at Knitters Fantasy this coming Saturday. It is a good thing that I taught this workshop on Feather and Fan lace several times before and have a lot of samples. However, I really wanted to finish the skirt I have been working on for the past year. The Sasha Euroflax Louet pattern with the three tiers of lace ruffles. One of the tiers is Feather and Fan. I was knitting every evening on my skirt with encouragement from my Friday afternoon knitting group friends that challenged me to finish it and wear to Knitters Fantasy when I teach my workshop.

This skirt was popular last year and I really wanted to wear it before it went out of fashion. I admired it on several folks that I saw wearing it at the various knitting events I attended during the year, including Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Knitters Fantasy and Pgh Knit and Crochet Festival. I am sure if you attend any of these events you also saw and admired this skirt too.

It is not a difficult pattern but there is a lot of knitting around and around forever on #6 needles. I have the under skirt almost finished and the top lace tier done. I would have had more done if spring hand not sprung and the sun had not come out last week and I could have kept my hands out of my garden. I just could not sit inside and knit with so much to do outside. Then I was so exhausted from working in the garden I could not even hold my knitting needles in the evening to knit. I am no spring chicken and just cannot work like I used to. I will post pictures of my skirt in progress soon. I look forward to seeing many of you at Knitters Fantasy Saturday. If you need info and directions check my links or google Knitters Fantasy.

This Thursday, April 8. Mercer Spinners and Wavers Guild is meeting at Munnell Run Farm for a workshop Knitting Eyelet Cast on and Mobius Join with Barb Wingert. I will be there knitting on my skirt.