Chapter 22 - Beanie and Blooms

My grandson, under the bougainvillea.

EARLY SPRING FLOWERS

It's such a beautiful time of year here in Zone 9. The bougainvillea shrubs and vines have burst into full, frothy bloom, in all shades of pink, purples, red and even orange! More about that later, though. Let's get into the knitting!

Finished Object - Beanie

Another variation of the pattern I'm working on.

I'm still playing with yarn weights, needle sizes, and this, the latest of my beanies, is by far my favorite version. 

For this one, I paired purple Italian mohair with a variegated, hand-dyed 100% super-wash merino, creating a bulky weight yarn. I upped the needle size and altered the pattern (less repeats) to make a less slouchy hat.

I'm really happy with this hat, and I'm floored by how soft and supple, and how satisfyingly heavy, the hat feels. It's the coziest knit ever! 

Detail showing the mohair and merino together.

The mohair (I've got tons of it) was a gift from a friend, and it came without ball bands. The worsted is Primrose Yarn Co. Dutchess (sic) 4-ply super-wash merino in the Sonic Youth colorway.

Still Working On the Pattern Though

Yep, I've got a ways to go before I publish this. But it's coming along and I'm motivated to see this project to completion.

Work In Progress 1 - Christmas Socks

A few more rows to go before the heel flap.

This beautiful sock yarn is Cascade Heritage in Holidaze, and isn't it knitting up nicely? I love the mint green and burgundy additions to the classic red and green Christmas palette.

I went down a needle size for this pair. I'm knitting on size 0 this time, but I'm using the exact same numbers I use for my size 1 socks. Judging from the completed sock above, these will fit my feet better than any sock I've made myself to date. I think I've finally got my "recipe."

I wanted to have these off the needles by now (I'm secretly in a race with my Indiana friend, Evelyn, who is knitting the same socks! She was ahead of me last time we compared) but my sweater knitting took precedence.

Work In Progress 2 - Seaside Sweater

Almost done!

I would have been finished a while ago, but a couple (no, three) things happened.

First, my brother and sister-in-law came down for a weekend right after I started this project. One can't sit quietly and knit when they're in town! It's go-go-go with them! So, knitting didn't happen.

Knitting SNAFU's

Second, I did the back pleat and neck/front band before the sleeves, and was not happy at all with the band! The designer called for a needle two sizes down from the main knit, which made it so dense and tight! The band pulled up the garment at the bottom corners in a very non-relaxed way. So I decided to block it before starting the sleeves, to see if this would be fixable.

The third problem I had was that four days after blocking, the sweater was still sopping wet. I had run out of patience by this point, so out came the blow dryer and I spent two days gently drying it until it was, well, if not dry, it wasn't wringing wet.

It still looked bad. I ripped out the band and will redo it with the regular needle. I'll also pick up every stitch instead of 5 out of 6, as the pattern calls for.

THAT'S IT FOR KNITTING!

Flowers and Beach Life

Orange bougainvillea.

Across the street from us, our neighbor's orange bougainvillea is in all it's glory. This year it has outdone itself in fullness and color, so I had to take a photo. Click on the photo to enlarge it, to see what I mean!

Here's this photo again haha!

This bougainvillea is in a lovely little outdoor "room" at my son and daughter-in-law's new home here on Beachside. Their dining room has wall-to-wall sliders that look out onto this secret tropical garden, the star of which is this bright pink beauty. It even made my four-year-old grandson dance with happiness!

My oldest orchid.

In 2014 I bought a grocery store orchid for $14.99, and it comes back bigger and bigger every year!  Some years it's in bloom at Easter time, but this year it may be spent by then, since Easter's so late.

Newest orchid.

This yellow one is from 2018. I got it for $19.99 at B.J.'s Club. It's prettier this year, despite the conditions it has been forced to grow in.

My other orchids aren't blooming yet. They do have buds, but they tend to bloom a bit later. I'll post photos of them when they've popped. 

About My Orchids

I have the luxury of living in a sub-tropical climate, so my orchids are outside dwellers all year long. I only bring them inside during their peak blooming time so we can enjoy them up close.

In the fall of 2017, right before Hurricane Irma, my tree guys accidentally dropped a branch on my shelves of orchids, out on the little patio behind the guest cottage. They lay on the pavers amid shards of broken terracotta, but I didn't have time to figure out what to do with them because I had to evacuate. I moved the plants to a sheltered spot and left town.

Well I have to admit I've been lazy and busy, and this spring is the second year in a row that these poor, neglected orchids have put forth amazing flowers! I believe it's time to make a priority of cutting their roots away from the pottery shards that they call home, and re-potting them in proper pots.

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And there you have it! Thanks for stopping by. TTFN!