Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Blooming in May

May has flown by, hasn't it? It's one of my favorite months, before summer's heat hits and I melt into a hibernating puddle of misery! Here's a photo of the gardenia bush just a few minutes ago:


It always performs well, but this year it's really blooming its heart out!

Just across the driveway is my long herb bed. It's bursting at the seams. I just added 2 small chamomile plants.



I keep telling myself that I can't put one more thing in that bed.

Here's our back deck, on the north side of the house.



That's a shade sail that we drape over it to make some shade. I believe in the value of impatiens each summer, so I pot lots of them. Here's my little potting area:



Last week we finally -- finally -- after years of staring at it, cut up and removed the Terrible Dead Hot Tub. Now I have an empty place to fill!



Right now I just have some cherry tomatoes in pots, and a struggling lavender. Eventually it will come to me, what I want to have there.

Have any of you spinners ever tried to spin Malabrigo Nube fiber? It's hard! It's soft as silk, and oh-so beautiful, but it's quite compact and difficult to separate and draft out, before spinning. Anyway, I spun up two hanks of it last year, and at last I'm knitting with it. 


It's lumpy and bumpy, but I'm having a go anyway. I'm turning it into a long triangular shawl to go around the neck. Not a big shawl to cover the back, but one designed to hug the neck and shoulders, cross over the chest, and perhaps tie behind. 


I'm alternating between garter stitch and stockinette. It's 100% wool, so it will be warm in winter, and very soft merino around the neck. I'll show you when it's done.

Happy nearly-summer, friends! If you live in the  U.S. South, you know it's pretty much here already, right?

3 comments:

Granny Marigold said...

Impatience are such pretty flowers but I have no luck growing them. Even when I bring home healthy plants, full of buds, they slowly fade away.
Your Terrible Hot Tub is gone and you have a lovely area to work into whatever you want. Have fun.

Gretchen Joanna said...

The disposal of the hot tub must feel wonderful!

I love your shawl so far - very appealing. Those colors are delcious. <3 But, you must not enjoy working with wool on hot summer days...? What is the coolest activity when it's hot and humid outside?

Henny Penny said...

I am so jealous of your herb bed. It's packed full and beautiful. Can't tell you how many herb beds I have started and failed at. Wish I had the money back from all the plants I have killed over the thirty years here. :) I didn't even think about Impatience this year! and those will grow in the shade...something we have plenty of. Enjoyed your post!