WIP it What?

Someone has a pair of socks coming her way in the mail...



I finished these babies last night while watching Glee.

Here's a close up:



And another:



The Particulars:

Yarn: Creatively Dyed Superwash Calypso in "Barbuda"
Pattern: Freshisle Fibers' Watermelon Wedge sock pattern
Needles: Knitpicks circulars - size 1

I started these socks with a very specific person in mind - I hope she likes them!

I only have one WIP now - Willow's Mi Escuelita sweater - and I really need to get cracking on that one.

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

Hey, look at me! I finished two pairs of socks today!

Sock the First:



The Particulars:
Pattern: Ann Budd's Basic Sock pattern
Yarn: Kroy Socks Colour Effects
Needles: Size 2 Knitpicks circulars

Sock the Second:



And a close up because I love the chevron pattern:



The Particulars:
Pattern: Jaywalker (Rav link), size M (? - it was the second size)
Yarn: I don't know. That sounds really dumb, but it is yarn I bought off Etsy so long ago, and it didn't come with a label. I'm fairly certain it is Superwash Merino, but I would still be cautious in washing it.
Needles: Size 1 Knitpicks circulars

The significance of the blog title? Well, the thrill of victory in finishing two pairs of socks in one day - woohoo me! The agony of defeat? This is the second pair of Jaywalkers that I have knit that I can't get over my frickin' cankles! I even knit these ones in the next larger size thinking that would fix things. Not so - apparently my cankles are built of sturdier stuff than some supercool chevron sock pattern.

No matter. Someone I know has been admiring these socks, and they will be put in a package and sent to her sometime this week when I can get to the post office. She will have to reveal herself once she receives them.

I'll leave you with a Lucky shot:



What? I was, um... protecting these baby tomato plants...

Don't Believe It For A Second

My father-in-law has this little sign in his front yard, and those of us who know him (and his garden!) have to smile at it. Here are a few pictures I snapped today before dinner:























And my favourite pictures I tolld today - of the Bleeding Hearts:





So pretty!

And trust me people, this garden is nowhere near full bloom - be prepared for many more flower pictures in the next few weeks.

SS United States

We went to IKEA on the weekend to buy a new table and chair set - an unsuccessful bid, but I wanted to show you the ocean liner that is anchored right across the street from IKEA:



It was funny - the first time we came here, all three of us are looked at the boat and said, "I wonder why this is here - it's so beat up. It must have a great story." And lo and behold - in the upper corner of the IKEA window, there is this little sign:



My Gram came across the Atlantic on a boat similar to this one when she came to Canada as a war bride - it is neat to see a connection to history like that. I have to wonder how many of my friends' grandparents and great-grandparents made similar journeys.

CSA Box - Week 3

This is what Willow and I picked up yesterday morning - from L to R: cilantro, spinach, asparagus, apples, onions, broccoli, potatoes, swiss chard, yams, and lettuce.

I'm not entirely sure on the yams - are those sweet potatoes? What is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? I called my MIL about the swiss chard - to my knowledge, I have never eaten, much less prepared swiss chard and I had no clue what to do with it. We were going over there for dinner anyway, so she said to bring it over and she would look it up. Aesthetically speaking, swiss chard is beautiful with its multi-coloured stems. We ended up just cooking the tops, which one of my MIL's cookbooks said to cook like spinach with some butter - and it was delicious - much like spinach, but a little sweeter to my palate. We saved the stems, and I am going to add them to a lentil stew I am going to make tonight. I think I may add some of the spinach to the stew as well.

We also used up the apples (along with some rhubarb from the garden) to make Apple Rhubarb Crisp. This was quite fun because the only orange I had was a blood orange that I bought on a whim to see what the inside looked like. It was delicious - rhubarb is one of my all-time favourite dessert items.

Happy eating, everyone! I am really enjoying these CSA shares and am looking forward to see what we get each week - and then planning what to make with it all. I have three bunches of cilantro now - I think my next search is going to be for cilantro pesto...

Sorry!

I hadn't realized nearly 2 weeks had gone by until my parents started hassling me about the lack of blogging. I've been swamped at work and it won't let up for another month. I'll try to get back in here more often!

Oh - and for the record - those long legs definitely do not come from my side of the family!

Happy (Ahem!) Easter, Everyone

I am beginning this post with a PSA for all of you who have Easter-basket-bearing children.

When, after you have eaten a lovely Easter luncheon at your in-laws' house, you decide to go pick up some pansies to pretty up your garden - please remember to ask your child if she brought her Easter candy from Grandma's house home *before* you spend thirty minutes choosing pansies and azaleas, leaving the car locked up tight in the parking lot on a sunny, warm day. Why?



Happy decidedly does not look happy anymore. I am such a bad mommy for laughing my ass off to my child's distraught tears. We tried to placate her with Rita's Water Ice or ice cream at Sweet Lucy's, but they were both closed for the holiday. Happy is currently re-forming in the freezer.

Anyway - I have nicer pictures! It was a glorious Easter weekend here in Delaware. I spent much of this weekend with my hands in the dirt planting stuff, and the yard looks fantastic now. I love opening up my front door and smelling all the hyacinths in the front. Andrew and Willow wanted to go to the Brandywine Zoo yesterday, so we headed into the city, scrambled for a parking spot at Josephine Gardens, and took these lovely pictures:







Willow and I also took these pictures at one of the local shopping areas - there is a man-made pond that is a half-mile aroound with a walking path, and they have some pretty cherry trees planted arond it as well:







I love all the colours that burst out at this time of year - the grey sludge of worn-out winter is disappearing, and colour is everywhere. The grass is a bright green, my hyacinths purple, pink, and yellow, my daffodils every shade of yellow and orange you can imagine - but probably my favourite bit of colour from this weekend is my new azalea:



Isn't it pretty? It has red flowers and pink flowers coming off the same plant and they are all double flowers. Here's a close up:



My father-in-law gave me some advice on how to plant it, so this beauty is in its new home in the flower bed on the west side of my house. I can't wait to watch it bloom some more!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Mystery Vegetable... please help!

We picked up our first CSA share this morning, and this is what we have:



Clockwise from top left:

• 3 beets (currently cooking right now - I'm the only one who likes them - and I like them cold and sliced up)
• 1 acorn squash - nice sized - we will get at least two meals out of that one
• cilantro (I plan to make fresh salsa later this week - I love cilantro!)
• 1 large head of lettuce
• 4 Pink Lady apples (I plan to make an apple cake with these)
• green onions

and...

• ? 

We have no clue what that last herb/vegetable is with the yellow flowers - and so have no idea what to do with it.  Does anyone know what it is?  I've put it in the refrigerator for the time being.  Please help!

My Girl

And you can't have her!