FiFi Finally Fini!!

So here I am a week late with posting. I just didn't have that much to say. It was all about Fifi and she just would not get dry from her blocking in the damp rainy cool weather we had last week. But finally the sun broke thru the clouds, the temperatures climbed and my wonderful Fifi finally became camera ready. Well, except for a picture of the sweater actually on me. Cause that would mean I would have to stay out of the garden all day, shower and clean up and then get someone to snap a picture. But I promise, this sweater does look quite good on me, if I have to say so myself.


So on to the next project. In fact I have several in the immediate queue. Our local LYS recently had an anniversary sale. So I happily went on in to participate. I fully intended to buy something summery to knit since I feel like I am really going to enjoy wearing Fifi. But I just did not find a pattern ahead of time that I liked very much. Sure didn't want to make Fifi again anytime soon. So I ended up buying a bunch of Cascade 220 to make the Faerie Ring Cardigan. This is a free pattern on Ravelry and there will soon be a knit along starting for her. She is a quite beautiful cabled hooded coat/jacket that I will make great use of this next fall and winter. The color I ended up getting was not that exciting, but by default, cause it was one of the few colors they had 10 skeins of the same dye lot. But then I got home and was cruising Ravelry again and came across a nice summer top pattern that I really liked. And it was free. Alot better than the $6.50 I paid for the Fifi pattern that was so horribly written. So now I am in love with Buttercup. The yarn that is called for is Elizabeth Lavold Hempathy. I have long wanted to try using hemp. It is a great renewable fiber that is supposed to keep getting better with age. It has a long history of being a great useable fiber. But did you know that they can not even grow hemp in the US?? Cause it is the same plant as marijuana, except it does not have the chemicals that make it a hallucinagenic drug. But the silly US of A can not figure out how to have it be the important agricultural crop that it is(it has a trillion great useages) without messing up their ability to track the illegal growing of marijuana. Maybe they should just ease the stupid restrictions on marijuana?? Just a thought, not something I would march on Washington for, LOL!! But anyway, after that regression, back to the story. So I looked on line and found plenty of sources for Hempathy but at almost 8$ a ball I was not so sure I was interested. But luckily I found a vendor on ebay, that I have used and loved before, and she had it for $5.00 a ball. Sure, last years colors, but hey, I am always a step out of fashion anyway!! So hopefully I can start tonight. Hempathy is one of those great yarns that already comes in a useable ball!! Whoppee for me!!

The garden is going well. Once the rains finally slowed down and the soil warmed up. I now have in most of my green beans. 2 full rows of white half runner, 1 row of bush beans, 1 row of Christmas limas and soon to be 1/2 row of purple yard long beans for fun. I also have in 10 tomatos of various sorts. Most I started from seed myself and 2 I bought. My seedlings are a bit small so I chickened out and bought 2 from the nursery to get me some earlier tomatoes. There are 18 peppers. And the same goes for them. They were really small so I bought 6 different plants to give me a jump start on the season. Some folks buy all their transplants at the nursery but my gosh, good plants are now close to $5.00 a pop!! Next year my seedlings will be much better off when time to plant. I will be setting up a light stand and starting those babies way earlier in the year. I also have in 5 summer squashes, 4 winter squashes, 4 cucumbers, 8 different sweet melons, 4 brussel sprout plants and there are still a few things to get in the ground in the next few days. We are starting to harvest lettuce, radishes and herbs out of the herb bed. I keep intending to take a picture of the herb bed now that I got it mulched and it looks so pretty. Maybe next post, OK??

Guess I better get a move on. If I want to be able to knit tonight, I need to get my housework done and the rest of the yard work started. Dinner is leftovers.. And BTW-DH is going to be gone for the next 5 days!! So I am gloriously left to my own devices, wishes and desires. Sleep when I want, eat when I want, go where I want................I have at least one frivolous trip planned involving antiques!! See ya next time.