Gardening

Here are pictures of my cucumber crop.  I have three plants in a pot and I used a tomato cage as my trellis which seems to be working quite nicely.  I did manage to pick two of them today and put them in the fridge.  I have plans to make pickles as soon as I get enough cucumbers to do the job. 

I had coffee last night at 7 pm, two cups and it kept me flying high on caffeine.  I managed to do some painting and two of the skeins turned out fabulously, the one, ugly.  I will use it for one of my projects.  It might actually knit up into something nice, one can only hope. 

I have only a couple more rows to go on the silk shawl.  I so can't wait for that thing to be off of my needles.  I need to finish the playtime neck scarf and then I can start my next project.  Not a bit of lace this time, I have a hat to knit for a sweet heart of a teenager.  I told his Mom that I hadn't forgotten about him, I just haven't had the time to work on a hat for him.  I hand painted some yarn for his hat and I have plans to do a Fair Isle pattern with the hand painted yarn and a solid Peruvian Highland wool.  I am also thinking a pair of Selbu mittens wouldn't go amiss.  I have enough yarn around the place to knit him a scarf to match.  I have yarn galore around here. 

Then it will be back to lace knitting.  I am hooked.  Yep, pretty much.  I was thinking after the lace pattern, I will be knitting myself a new pair of socks.  Actually, I think Maribeth will be next, it is almost time for a new pair of wool socks for her.  I know, I said I wasn't knitting socks for anyone but, Maribeth is not just anyone, she is my niece.  My nephews are too picky.  I had tried to knit one of them a pair of socks but, miserable failure since he loves his white tube socks.  The other one loves to go barefoot so, socks won't work for him. 
 
I am trying to use up my yarn stash.  I have so much sock yarn, it is out of control.  I know, it is something else.  I have to work through my obsession with sock yarn.  I can't help myself.  I fell in love with the yarn before I fell in love with the sock knitting itself.  Then I realized what beautiful socks I could make for me and everyone around me.  They are a well loved birthday present around these parts.  Best part, they are relatively inexpensive and if people follow the washing instructions, then they last a good long while.  If you have people like my sister who can't seem to read the instructions I provide with the socks and she washes the damn things in the washer and felts them..then I feel your pain.  SIGH!!!

I am to the point where I send laminated washing instructions with the socks.  I am getting wiser in my knitting.