Home When the Flowers Bloom

Hello Gentle Readers. Mid May and the iris are in bloom. They remind me of a line written by my gentle grandfather from the western front in France. After the Armistice he looked forward to coming home. All the US service forces couldn't sail at one time and so he remained in France with a unit that helped build or rebuild a stadium outside of Paris. In the letters between November and his arrival home in May, he speculated about the date of his return, pushing it forward each time. On one of the last postcards he posted from France, he wrote to his mother, "I'll be home by the time the flowers bloom." 

These May days are glorious. We ate our dinner on the deck last night. Saturday, we planted the garden and arranged drip hoses. I planted lettuce seeds in a large pot. We covered the top with chicken wire and weighed it down with two pieces of wood. I hope this high tech arrangement keeps the critters out of the lettuce. It's growing. Last night a little hummingbird migrated through the backyard. We had a brief look before he was gone. We don't often see them here. 

Late in the morning as it may be, it is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and friends. This week I frogged a red hat that was too big. My gauge was off. I loved the yarn and the pattern but I think a yarn with more color variation would be a better choice. I made some progress on the Juniper Hat. The color work is enjoyable. 

I cast on a shawl for comfort knitting. I'm combining this skein of hand-spun BFL Silk and an unknown skein of yarn from my stash. It feels like it is a Merino/Cashmere Blend. I can't remember where it came from but I must have tried to use it in a shawl as it is in various balls. The two yarns are working well together and it's another peaceful knit.  

I finished the Moon Phases table runner. I love the spell cast by hand stitching and quilting. I started with a hoop but then set it aside as it felt awkward. I quilted around each shape to make them stand out, added some random lines and swirls. I finished by quilting small stars around the moons. I'm not sure what I'll do with it but maybe one day I'll dress up the table for the two of us. It was a fun project. 

Some readers asked about the shortie socks so I am reporting back. I like the look of the shadow wrap heel but a standard heel flap and gusset is a better fit for my foot. The heel tab at the top of the cuff prevented the cuff from sliding down into my shoes. It makes a big difference for me. I plan to knit more with this modification. 

As for reading, I'm almost finished with The Girl with the Louding Voice. It's a hard story to read. I hope this brave spunky young girl gets the education for which she yearns. Nigeria is a hard place for many but especially girls and women who live in poverty. It's not all that pleasant for women with means. As a balance, I'm listening to a light mystery, Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon. Three generations of women, a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter are caught up in a mystery. The grandmother, a real estate tycoon with cancer, is a force and is not going to let her granddaughter be accused as a suspect. 

I hope May is bringing you flowers and sunshine. 

Ravelry Links

Juniper Hat

Curious Hand-spun Shawl