Snow!

What is up with this?!

I dug up my dahlia tubers on Sunday just in time!
They are safe and sound in the garage
through this arctic blast.
3" inches of the white stuff so far
and it is still coming down.
I feel sorry for the deciduous trees
that haven't given up their leaves yet,
since they are sorely weighted down
with all of the snow.
My Gunnera is out there awaiting
the temperatures dipping down into the teens,
without any protection.
After years of fretting about protecting them through the winters,
I have decided that they are on their own from now on.
If they can't make it then they don't belong in my garden.
Sometimes you just can't do everything you'd like any longer.
I'm just reaching a point in my life that simplicity has a nice ring.
That especially holds true when thinking about the enormous task
each year of planting, staking, labeling, training, watering, digging up, washing, labeling again and storing the vast dahlia collection.
Each year I ask myself, "how much longer can I keep doing this?"
But I keep doing it.
They are so pretty throughout the summer.
What great cut flowers!
But really!
The work is tremendous!

Okay, I better go check for the mail before it is completely dark outside.
Happy Snow Day y'all!

Finished!

This fits perfectly! Yeay!
Pattern: "Cinnamon" by Kim Hargreaves.
Kind of a weird yarn:
Collezione S. Charles Filati d' Italia "Sahara"
44% Viscose, 20% Linen, 36% Bamboo.
It’s somewhat tweedy.
I’m happy with this one.
I need to re-seam one of the side seams at the bottom since I noticed in the photo that the ribbing doesn’t line up.
Yikes! How did that happen?
I was so excited to get this finished I guess I rushed the last seam.

That’s dahlia “Keith H” in the background.

So Close

I spent the entire day in one spot knitting today. I am so close to finishing a sweater and whenever that happens I go into a ridiculous knitting trance that lasts for a crazy amount of time. The treat today, while in the trance, was tuning in to the Metropolitan Opera's presentation of Puccini's La Rondine on PBS while knitting. This opera has one of my absolute favorite songs ever: Chi il Bel Sogno. There just isn't a more beautiful song! It simply transports you to another place of expansive fields of red poppies and summer heat, even though that is not the locale of the scene in the opera. Okay, time to get back to the knitting. Only seven more rows, of 237 stitches each row, to go and then sewing up the seams. So close to being done with this one. Then on to the next one.

Mushroom Walk

These are some of the most beautiful of the wide array of mushrooms
that I saw today on a walk through The Bloedel Reserve.
I wouldn't dare taste any of them.
The motto of mushroomers is
"When in doubt
Throw it out!"
What a beautiful day today!
Just a delight at this time of the year
to be treated to full sun!
Cheers!

wowahlias

Asahi Choji

Asahi Choji

Mary Eveline

La Bomba

Aren't my girls pretty?

Cornus kousa fruit

words of the week

Here are the words of the week after reading the Sunday New York Times:
schadenfreude
truculent

And the quote of the week is by Cisco Morris when describing a lovely new variety of Panicum (an ornamental grass):
..."so stunning that even squirrels cry when they see it!"

Worksheet

I donated my time to illustrate this worksheet for children who visit the Bloedel Reserve, a beautiful public garden. I hope they like it.

Words

In an article in the Sunday New York Times about Victoria Beckham's burgeoning fashion empire three words were new to me. I love looking up new words. Revealing my ignorance the words of the week are:

Argot
Alacrity
and Suplicant

I also loved a quote by Victoria, "it's exhausting being fabulous"! Can't you just see her saying that?

new dress

Here's a dress that I made recently from IKEA fabric.
When I finished initially it was huge,
so I had to rip out the zipper and then take in several inches
along the center back.
Now it fits perfectly due to the expert pinning of my handy assistant.
Thank you sweetie pie.
Happy summer dress.
Just in time for the heat!

Race Day

Yesterday I thought that I would skip it. I wasn't sure last night. This morning I woke up and looked at the start time on the race notice and decided, well, I paid for it, I signed up for it, but what really made me go for it was a note that mentioned that the first 600 participants receive a race medal. That little token sucked me in. I thought that would be a nice addition to last year's medal on my gym key ring. My hesitation to race today was based on the fact that I hadn't run since Monday. I have been running all year long and it is getting harder to force myself to go to the gym after work now. But I had been training up until recently to get faster, and so I just didn't want all that time in the gym to go for not if I didn't race today. I didn't have great expectations since I thought that I would get winded easily, since I had not run since Monday.

The nice thing about today's race is that they provide a trainer to give a stretch workout before the race. So I warmed up at the workout and then ran around for the next twenty minutes to get loose. Then race time came and I positioned myself near the front of the line, since at the 4th of July run I got bogged down by all the kids and strollers in front of me at the start of the race. The horn sounded and the race was off.

I started passing teenagers and young kids which gave me a sense that maybe I could do well today. Then half way through the race a woman ran right next to me with white hair. I looked at her bib and she was in my same age division. So I pushed it harder. I made some headway in front of her and then she gained on me, then I pushed ahead and then she again surged. I really pushed it in the last 400 meters seeing the finish line ahead but about 10 feet from the finish line she surged ahead of me. I thought to myself that I had tried to stay ahead of her for this race and I wasn't going to let her beat me at the end so I dialed it up for the last 5 feet and beat her at the line by .5 of a second.

I came in first for my age division for the second year in a row for this race. My time was quite a bit faster than last year only because that other woman was neck and neck with me. She pushed me to really give it everything I had. It felt good to come in first after putting it all out there. I would have been so disappointed if I had come up short at the finish line. But it turned out in my favor and I'm glad that I decided to participate today after all. The blue ribbon went up on the wall in my sewing room with the rest of my race ribbons when I got home.

At my age it feels good to accomplish a physical goal, when I have never considered myself to be athletic in the least. Maybe just maybe my genes contributed slightly to make my daughter the state track star that she is. This is the fifth race I have entered in a row where I have come in first in my age division. Time to dance a little jig for this old lady.

Hot!

When it's hot my daughter and I like to paint with mendhi.
There are cooling properties to mendhi as soon as it is applied to your skin.
What a wonderful sensation!
No wonder it is used in some of the hottest countries in the world.
Cheers to summer!

kitty gingivitis

Fascinated by Words

Whenever I come across new words I am intrigued and usually write down the word to try to remember it. Most of my new words come from reading The New Yorker magazine. I think I might start listing my new words here and show how ignorant I am of the English language.

The word of the moment is pinioned.

Boléro

Here's my latest knitting project
completed today from

Naoko Shimoda's Standard Knit 下田直子のかんたんニット
It's a Japanese pattern, but charted, so it was easy to follow.
I love the simplicity of the pattern.
I ripped apart a vest that I made over 28 years ago
and recycled the yarn into something more contemporary.
I knit until I ran out of yarn so the neckline
is a bit larger than the specified pattern.
I love it.
The alpaca mohair yarn is so soft, like bunny fur.

cocoon

this week's illustration friday submission:

her exquisitely crafted cocoon

of twigs, moss, mud and grasses
could not protect her delicate eggs
from the ravages of a marauding raccoon.
this is what i found in our garden
...
this morning.
i had watched mama build her nest
for days,
eventually laying her clutch
and keeping them warm for two weeks,
until this.
my heart goes out to you dear mama.

Hermes

I love this website ... Hermes

Not only can you see the finest technique employed by master seamstresses sewing rolled edges of silk scarves, and glove makers creating their guanti, but there are games, crafts and endless inspiration for crafters.

furry

This was a stash busting project.
I had 5 skeins of Rowan Big Wool Tuft
and I knit until I ran out of yarn.
The pattern is "Kay's Tess D’Urbervilles Shawl"
but meant for a much finer gauge yarn.
I used size US 19 needles,
which if you haven't seen them before are enormous.

tawashi

i have been making tawashi lately.
they're dish washing scrubbies.
later i'll post others that i've made.
there are lots of Japanese crochet books dedicated to making tawashi.
Here's an example of one of the books.
You can thumb through the pages of the book at Tezukuritown
(one of my favorite sources for Japanese patterns).
this tawashi is stuffed with nylon tulle.
i also used the cording handle from a store's shopping bag.
these little projects are fun since they are finished quickly
and can make nice little gifts.
i used Daiso antibacterial acrylic yarn.

watercolor

Here's a watercolor that I painted a few weeks ago.
I'm so fortunate to get together with a great group of friends that like to paint.
This one isn't finished.
The vase floats right now and needs to settle in on some sort of surface.
Isn't springtime great?!
All I want to do is paint flowers all day long.

Finished

Yarn: Simply Shetland, Colours of Scotland, Silk Lambswool
Color: Culzean #.036
Pattern from:

Hand-knitting: Spring/Summer (てあみニット)

by Nihon Vogue (日本ヴォーグ社)
I lengthened the sleeves.
At first the yoke was too tight using the specified hook size so I ripped the entire yoke and started over again with a hook 2 sizes larger and now it fits perfectly.
I'm happy with how it turned out.
While working on this sweater I was very frustrated with the yarn since it has lots of bits of scratchy plant materials spun into the yarn. But the worst part was that the first ball had dozens of breaks in the yarn so I have loads of ends to weave in.
I do like the scallopy edging.
This pattern is in Japanese so it was a fun puzzle to try to figure out how to make it.
It definitely flexed some brain muscles.

less toxic

Here's a website that I have come across called the Environmental Working Group where they have a healthy home checklist. I have become more proactive in the last few years to eliminate objects that I had regularly used in the past such as non-stick pans and plastic food containers which are some of the recommendations from the checklist.

Here's a great article along similar lines about eliminating endocrine disruptors by NYTimes columnist Nicolas Kristof. While I'm sure I'll be fine after my sonogram breast exam next month I am trying my best to eliminate unnecessary toxins in my home to make for healthier bodies around here.

Liberty Redo 2

I revised my Liberty of London skirt again. The first version can be seen here. I felt that the previous version was too dowdy and I likely wouldn't wear it. I love the latest version and will wear it often.

happy easter

copy

i copied an image of a painting from a magazine
that has been displayed above my studio table for many years.
all of a sudden i just had to paint it.
it's a view of coit tower
from russian hill in san francisco.
i wish i knew who the original artist
was so i could give credit
but i didn't keep that info with the little image.
do you know who the artist is? i'd really like to know.
i took the photo right after i finished painting
so the shine of wet paint makes it look unlike the original.
also the colors are much more vivid in real life.
i love oil paints!
this was fun.

Liberty Redo

I sliced up a Liberty of London for Target
girls dress and made it into a skirt.
That's a lot of Liberty fabric for $16.
I've gone a little crazy
over all the Liberty offerings at Target.
It's a dream come true for a rabid Liberty fan.

I love this movie
Valentino: The Last Emperor
For anyone who has ever created their own clothing,
especially of one's own design,
you will appreciate peeking into the world
of a one of the finest designers ever.
I loved seeing the design process
and production of his iconic dresses.
Not to mention gorgeous chateau, gardens,
Puccini, Roma, Venezia,
and plenty of beautiful people.
It is a gem of a film.

now available

"Bice Light"
original oil painting
by me
now available at my Etsy shop

cake

i followed the recipe exactly,
including using the correct pan size,
yet the batter cascaded all over the oven floor.
what a mess!
it was quite a job prying the layers
out of their pans once they had cooled
since they had mushroomed over the brim.
after some surgery the cake was salvaged.
recipe from Fanny at Chez Panisse.
Happy Birthday baby.

Hummer Check-in

I just visited Phoebe, the Channel Island Anna hummingbird, again to see how things were going for her and saw that she has laid a new clutch of eggs since the last time I checked in on her. Watch for a while if she's on the nest and eventually she will fly off for a bit and you'll be able to see her eggs. When she returns to the nest she rotates the eggs and repairs the nest. It's really a beautiful thing to witness so closely.

Have I ever endorsed a product on birdieopolis before? Nope, yet GoodBelly has dramatically changed my belly health. As an IBS sufferer I've been researching the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics lately. Up popped GoodBelly, hence a happy tummy ever since drinking it up. Friends that have used it have also sung its praises in loud choruses.
Thanks NextFoods for making such a sensational product.

In Love!

I am in love with this hummingbird nest cam! The chick has grown so much since I first started checking in on it a couple of weeks ago. I just love watching it! If you love birds too you'll have to take a look.

kitty loves sleeping on the mohair blanket in the sun.
life is good!

mohair from belgium.
no pattern.

noh8

i was really impressed that Cindy McCain
would step out in support of the noh8 campaign!
i agree with Cindy that anyone should be
free to marry whomever you chose
to love for the rest of your life.
i made this felt bag to hold my latest knitting project.
looks like closing arguments are underway in CA
at this moment in the noh8 case.
what will the outcome be?
will it open freedom for all nationwide?
or will things remain as is
until a new enlightenment period emerges in the future?

bag pattern from isbn 9784579111152.
sweater is a debbie bliss pattern.

mini

recent crochet work from Japanese patterns

new shade

here's the latest version of the shade for the dining table.

the wood leaves have been buried deep in a drawer for years

and when i came upon them the other day

i had an immediate desire to make this.

the leaves are from IKEA.

Happy New Year!

While waiting for my pathology results I was pretty consumed by thoughts about the future of my boob. I have been a regular contributor to the Postcards from the Edge AIDS fundraiser in NYC yet this year's entry was a bit different than usual. My fiberworks have never included naked bods before, but this year there wasn't another subject that I was interested in creating. At the time I felt that whatever was to happen following the pathology results that I was going to be a victor and not a victim. And so the gal on my postcard is holding a laurel wreath. It's not on her head yet, but she is ready to put it on her head, soon. The laurel wreath is on my head now that I know that the pathology results from my surgery were even better than the original biopsy findings. Before my doctor told me the pathology results the nurse tested my blood pressure and it was the highest level it has ever been. I usually have very low blood pressure, especially since I run all the time, and I told the nurse that I was sure that the reading was due to being very anxious to hear the results of the pathology. She was quite understanding since she must see this all the time in her daily work. My heart was pounding out of my chest too. Then the doctor came into the exam room and said, "I know you would like to have more surgery, but you won't need any more!" What a roundabout way to say that I was okey-dokey. An enormous weight had in that instant been lifted off of me. It had been two months of mammos, biopsies, wire localization, surgery and hives to get to this point of not having a constant cloud over my existence. The only other times in my life when I have been as happy were when I got married and gave birth to my babies. I wanted to jump up in the air and do that sideways heel click move but I'm not coordinated enough to do it as well as I imagine it should be done. Joy filled me so completely I could not stop smiling. I am a lucky one. It must be horrible when the oncologist has to tell his patient that their worst fear is realized. For me however I imagine a wonderful new year full of cheer and optimism. My life turned on a positive or negative result on a glass plate under a microscope. I am blessed to have a favorable outcome, and to be lucky enough to have a surgeon that was superbly skilled.

I wonder if my postcard sold this weekend in NYC.

Happy New Year to all!!!!! Be healthy!

Ripping without Frustration

My crochet work took on a different level of meditation this past week when I cast on a wrap of Rowan Chunky Print yarn while in the waiting area of the University of Washington surgery center. I used the largest hook in my possession and a Japanese pattern to divert my attention from what was impending. A couple of weeks earlier, on the day that my computer died, my radiologist called and said that the stereotactic biopsy showed an atypical condition that required that it be explored further through surgery. The entire questionable area was to be removed along with its margins. This news came as such a surprise since I had thought a few days earlier that I was told that both of my biopsies (I had a sonogram guided one too) were benign, but in fact I was only informed about the sonogram one. So right when I really needed to research as much as I could my computer would not respond. Thankfully I had bought a computer for my daughter, which I'm using now. I was told to schedule the surgery and asked which doctor I wanted to see. I had no idea. Fortunately they scheduled me with the director of the Women's Health Center at the SCCA. I am still shocked at my luck in slipping into the best care in the region. Last summer we went to a great informational presentation from various researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center about their latest research. The researcher for breast cancer mentioned that she would highly recommend having routine mammograms at the SCCA since they have the best diagnostics in the region. I didn't know that you could go there for routine mammograms but I did know their reputation for excellence. So I went there for my regular mammo and they found a mass and increased calcifications from previous mammos and recommended the two types of biopsies. Those were not too much fun. I've tried to learn as much as possible to be an informed patient. Okay, so back to the waiting area before surgery... earlier that morning I had my wire localization and mentioned that I was allergic to adhesives yet they taped me up anyway and said that the tape wouldn't be on for very long before my surgery. But when I arrived at UWMC they said that my surgery was not at 10:30 as originally scheduled but at 2:00 pm. As I settled in with the thought of hours in the waiting area my chest began to burn and itch and I became very hot for the state of inflammation from the tape. To try to enter into a calming state I worked on my crochet and made great progress over the hours in that spot. But just as I was about to rip off my shirt and tape right then and there in the waiting area I was called back to the pre-surgery area and asked to have the tape removed immediately. It's not great to be in a state of agitation before surgery. But my crochet came to my rescue after the tape was removed and helped to calm me with chains and double crochet stitches. It didn't matter whatsoever that I would discover errors in my pattern and I would have to rip back to redo because I had lots of time to waste away. I only had one ball of yarn and I made the most of it, ripping and redoing many times without frustration. Ordinarily I would be mad at myself for making mistakes and having to correct them, but not that day. I welcomed the mistakes and the opportunity to create more stitches with the limited yarn that I brought with me. A nurse asked if I were crocheting for a last minute gift or to divert my mind away from surgery. Yes, I was selfish and was doing it solely for my own needs. Ultimately I ran out of yarn and had to stop, but by that time it was close to surgery time, fortunately. So now I'm just trying to work off the effects of anesthesia. I was told by a nurse that at my age it could take up to a week to wear off. And I'm waiting. Waiting for the pathology report. I know it will be good news so I'm not too stressed out. But I have to acknowledge that sense of fright that mingles amongst the thoughts. I'm just glad that the surgery is over. My crochet wrap turned out beautifully even though I had to modify the pattern since I ran out of yarn. I used a large mother of pearl button for the closure that is the perfect color to go with the yarn. I can't post photos since my computer is dead and my daughter wouldn't appreciate me uploading photos onto her computer. More on this drama later.

Finished

Fall color scarf
Koigu yarn

New on the Needles

Baktus scarf
Koigu Painters Palette Premium Merino yarn

着・春夏

This is my first Japanese sweater pattern :

Bolero（ボレロ） by Yumiko Kawaji (川路 ゆみこ)
It only took me a month to make.
The yarn is Louet Euroflax fine/sport, a lovely linen.

着・春夏 = spring + summer wear

Ripe at Last!

This is the first year of abundant large fruit on the 20th Century Asian pear tree. The tree and it's neighbor, a Liberty apple, are the grateful recipients of plenty of summer water thanks to the dahlias planted in front of them this year, and so their fruit is spectacular. I've been trying the pears for weeks now, but they have been crisp and juicy but very bland on the taste. Not Today! I bit into a large golden beauty and at last the sweetness of summer jumped onto my taste buds. This has to be one of the most luxurious of the home grown fruits. The texture is so happy between the teeth. Both fruit trees are loaded with fruit and I'm surprised the branches haven't broken under the weight of it all. I'll have to go take some photos of this glory of late summer. Thank you trees for your offerings! Fresh fruit from the back yard. Life is good!

froggie

There have been lots of sweet little tree frogs enjoying my flower garden this year.
I talk to them while I'm watering.
The other day I found a large snake in the highest reaches of the dahlias and wondered if he had been feasting on these little guys.
A very large rat was seen eating our blueberries last week, which has probably happened lots of times before, but I had never seen it, and it just made me feel so deflated about enjoying berries straight from the garden. They better stay away from my vegetables! Fortunately our cat has been putting a dent in the mousie population around here lately. It makes me wonder if I should get more cats!

Best in Show

Rembrandt

My itsy bitsy dahlia Rembrandt, which measures a wee 1" across, was named Best in Show for Novice, in our county's annual dahlia show last weekend. I visit this show every year since I'm always at the Fairgrounds anyway for some 4-H activity or another, but this year I decided to enter the show for the first time. I won lots of section championships (for peony, anemone,Rembrandt ball, + collarette types of dahlias) for novice submissions. Novice is characterized as someone who has not exhibited before and does not sell their dahlias. I was cajoled into clerking at the show, which turned out to be fun and quite educational. Plant people are so nice and fun to be around. The surprising thing was that when I picked up my ribbons the next day I was awarded prize money! Delightfully it was enough for my yearly manure delivery, which I use primarily for my dahlias.Purple Queen Beans are coming on strong now. We will be eating them every day for quite some time, only to be sick and tired of them by the time they stop producing. This is a fantastic year for basil, it's so lush and vigorous. Last night I made pesto . There are a few tomatoes but I'm waiting for some significant ripening. I tried a new cucumber this year and I won't be going back to growing lemon cukes again after the sweet juicy crunch of the latest variety. It's fantastic!The Morning Glory has topped out it's support and is searching for something to grab onto. If someone stands nearby I fear they will be entwined in no time. That thing must grow a foot a day.