Hot humid days and evenings arrive early this July. Evening temperatures stay in the mid-80's. My Granddad used to call hot days with very warm nights "tomato growing weather." Indeed my tomato patch is thriving. This is good because the basil is waiting. When we leave town, a neighbor and I trade watering chores. I also knit baby sweaters for her grandchildren. It's a fair trade and she tends a large garden so is knowledgeable about watering. I also use drip hoses which makes watering easier and more efficient.
Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and company. I'm not sure how I came to be knitting two sweaters in the summer but here they are on my knitting needles. As the news unravels, I am glad I can knit. I am working away at a bin of very nice stash yarn. I bought the yarn for this sweater in the early days of the Pandemic. Remember those days? They feel like forever ago and just yesterday. Over the weekend, I put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn and knit another inch of the body. Then I tried it on for the moment of truth. Lo and behold the sweater fits so if I don't get too warm with a sweater in my lap, I have lots of round and round knitting ahead. I made this pattern a year ago in a different yarn and will have two completely different sweaters.
I cast on a baby sweater for the soon-to-be granddaughter of my neighbor. I had yarn leftover from a cardigan I knit for Norah so I'm using it for this pattern. I have knit this little sweater in both fingering and sport weight. Since this is DK yarn, I'm knitting the newborn size knowing it will be bigger and hopefully fit the baby by the time she needs a sweater. She will be born in Minnesota so a heavier cozy sweater makes sense to me.
I read a book leftover from our trip, The Lost Apothecary. The title was on the March 2022 Indie Next List. The story features three women from two different times, each at a crossroads in her life. I found the novel to be slightly below average. Some of the plot twists were unrealistic and read like a melodrama. My summer reading feels odd this year. The craziness of the world effects what I want to read, not too heavy but not too fluffy either. I have a stack of library holds that aren't yet available to me so maybe I'll read some tried and true authors.
As we step into July, may your making keep you good company and your garden thrive.
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| It's a jungle out there - but a good one. |
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ReplyDeleteI'm glad that heat and humidity are good for something. I have a few extra tomatoes and peppers in pots and it's a race to see who gets the first fruit - me or the squirrels and deer. Those are both lovely sweaters and I'm also glad for knitting and reading as a diversion from the world.
ReplyDeleteDo you know I can’t remember the last time I knit an adult size garment- it would have to be many years ago….. I do have memories of a fisherman’s rib jumper/sweater for my husband- memories of us both dying of laughter when it was finished and him agreeing the yarn would be better used for something for the children……several of them benefited😊
ReplyDeleteI quite like the look of the baby cardigan/jacket so may give it a try sometime.
Those tomato plants are impressive! Ours have been growing well, too, as long as I make sure to water them (we are slightly below normal on our rainfall right now, though we did get a couple of good soakings yesterday). I think baby sweaters are excellent projects for the summer because they're not too big or heavy, and it's good to get them done now so they'll be ready for the fall! But you will also want a warm sweater come chilly weather, so I think as long as you can work on yours in the air conditioning, you'll be happy to be getting it done now.
ReplyDeleteYour tomato plants are looking so good, Jane! And how nice that you have a neighbor to trade watering chores with. That makes things much easier for combining summer gardening and travel. Both sweaters will be wonderful -- and maybe you can work on the tiny baby sweater on the days that are too hot for holding the adult-sized one in your lap!
ReplyDeleteYour tomatoes are looking excellent, Jane! They do so love this spate of warm days and nights! I have new tomatoes every morning... for a few plants in a couple of pots, it looks like I am going to have a banner year for fruit!
ReplyDeleteSweater knitting is a year around activity for me. :)
Marc's tomatoes are thriving too ... I guess hot days and warm nights are good for something! I also knit sweaters all year round and have THREE babies to knit for beginning next month. Little dresses and cardigans are fun and quick to knit!
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed our first tomato yesterday! We have plenty more on our plants, but they are all green. Not sure why the one ripened so fast, but it sure tasted good! Your plants look very healthy and it's so nice you have someone to trade watering with! Your sweaters are coming along nicely. Love the colors for both.
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