Capturing the Moon

It has been difficult capturing the moon in a photo this past week.

It isn't my photography skills but the skies have not been cooperating. It has been particularly cloudy and rainy all week.

Right now for Halloween morning it is raining again. But the weather forecast does show that the rain is supposed to move out of our area for when the Trick or Treaters are out and about.

However towards the beginning of the week I did get some good photos as the moon came peeking through the trees at the back of the garden.

I used various settings on my camera to capture the moon in these images, but I can never remember what setting I used when I upload to the computer.

Hoping the skies are clear for tonight.
Wishing all the Trick or Treaters a safe and fun filled spooktacular Halloween.

Remember that in my part of the world the clocks change back one hour on November 1. So you will get an extra hour of sleep after your Halloween celebrations.

Labels: sky, moon

Did you ever try condo knitting?

Condo knitting ... have you ever tried it?

I came across this term while blog reading and had to try it for myself.

You knit with 2 different sized needles and it seems the further apart in size they are the more interesting the finished item turns out.  It gives garter stitch a whole new look.

 

I used a size 10mm and a size 3.5 mm and some yarn left over from a scarf project a couple of years ago.  You knit one row with the larger needle and then one row with the smaller needle.  Your finished product has a mesh effect look to it.  Varying the sizes of the needles with give a different effect.

I discovered that condo knitting was quite popular in the 1970's.  Why not experiment with different sized needles and different textures of yarn.  You will be pleased with how it turns out.

I knitted a scarf with the yarn I had.  Cast on 13 stitches on the smaller needle and then knit the next row with the larger needle.  Keep alternating the needles every row till you run out of yarn.

Labels: knitting, scarves

When-sday Memories from May 2007

Welcome to When-sday Memories.
The day for showcasing some of my past garden posts.
When were they previously posted ...  way back when, but not necessarily on a Wednesday!

When it is a rainy fall day and the garden is looking dreary, that's when it is time to remember spring and even the dandelions

The When-sday Memory for today was originally posted on May 6, 2007.


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 We have had some lovely warm weather over the past week and so many plants are coming into bloom, budding, or blooming this week for Green Thumb Sunday.

I am really pleased to see blooms on this bleeding heart. It was a bare root a few weeks ago when I potted it up inside. I haven't even planted it into the permanent spot in the garden yet.

The tulips are finally in bud and many have a little bit of colour showing. This one and the others in the clump will be blooming soon.

The violets are growing everywhere ... in the lawns, under the deck, in the paths, and even in the gardens. They self seed rapidly and I never know where they will pop up next.

The mini iris have a multitude of buds and many of them are beginning to open.

The pansies and violas continue to give a wonderful display of blooms.

And how could I forget the dandelion or dent de lion in French. I just love the way they look before opening into their bright cheery yellow faces. Dandelions are good for the soil and good for your health. They attract good bugs to your garden ... like ladybugs. Dandelion leaves are edible in salads, sap from the roots is an herbal remedy for warts and birds will eat the seeds. The roots can be roasted into a type of coffee, and the flowers can be made into dandelion wine. Dandelions can predict weather ... fully open is a sunny day, closed is a rainy, dull day.

I know many gardeners feel the need to eradicate dandelions with pesticides but there are other ways to rid your lawn of them. But sometimes it does seem that the more you dig them the faster they grow.

My Bird Collection

It's that time of year when the birds are flocking together and flying south to warmer climates.  We have birds leaving our area for the south, like the hummingbirds and orioles, but we also have birds arriving from the far north that stay all winter long.  The juncos and nuthatches are back, the flickers and white capped sparrows are passing through, the robin is still here but will be leaving soon.

But these birds stay with us all year round.  They are permanent residents in our home.Seeing them all year round reminds me of the antics the real birds get up to in the months they visit the garden.



These are just a few I have put together into a mosaic/collage for Mosaic Monday.  They sit perched on top of bookshelves, mantles and planters.  They hang from door handles or are poked into houseplants. Many are perched on my collection of birdhouses.

Mosaic Monday was created by The Little Red House. You are encouraged to create and share a mosaic/collage of some photos. Why don't you stop by and see what some other participants have created. Then try creating a mosaic photo of your own and join in the fun.

Labels:  collections, Mosaic Monday

Sunday Favourite - organizing needles and hooks

It's time to revisit a post from the past for this weeks Sunday's Favourite.

Happy to Design created a way to share some favourites from the past.

Many of us have been blogging for years and we have published some really great posts. It would be so nice to share them again! There are always new visitors to blogs and they haven't always read the posts from way back when. So her idea is to choose a favourite post, and then repost it for all to see and enjoy again.
Stop by her blog and perhaps you will be tempted to join in.
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Today's post was originally posted on August 20, 2008.

Today I completed a project that I've had on my list for ages.

It was a rainy day (finally) so it was the perfect day to sew instead of work in the garden.
I've been wanting a new holder for all my knitting needles. The one I have been using is old and really didn't have enough spots for all the needles.

I made my holder using felt that was about 92 cm. wide (36 in.) and about 50 cm. deep (20 in.). Fold up the bottom part about 18 cm. (7 in.). I sewed lines to make narrow pockets to hold the needles. Some were about 2.5 cm. (1 in.) wide and some were about 1.25 cm. (1/2 in.) wide.

In the above photo you can see all the pockets that I made to accommodate the needles that I have - from thickest to thinest and from tallest to shortest.

Here is the knitting needle holder rolled and tied with some thin ribbon. This is a great way to store all those needles. It will tuck into my knitting bag and I'll always know where the right size needles are.

Another day, another holder ... this one is for my crochet hooks. I used to keep them all in a zip lock bag and whenever I started a project I had to sort through them all to find the ones I needed. No more! Look at this simple project to make.

I used 2 strips of felt, one was 36 cm. wide by about 18 cm. high. The second was about 36 cm. wide by about 10 cm. high. The first job was to stitch the two pieces together along the sides and bottom. Then I stitched thin pockets along the length of the piece. Some of the pockets were about 2 cm. wide and the rest were just over 1.25 cm wide. This allows for the different thickness of the hooks. You can adjust the sizes to fit the hooks that you have. I did add a few extra pockets just in case I get tempted to buy some more hooks.

Here is the crochet hook holder all rolled up and tied with ribbon. Now it slips easily into the pocket on my knitting/crochet bag. The hooks are all stored neatly and that will makes me a happy hooker!

This holder can be made to hold all sorts of different things ... like coloured pencils, crayons, markers, cutlery, wrenches, screwdrivers, and more. Let your imagination go, and think up another use for these holders.

Labels: revisit, accessories for needles and hooks,

Flaunting my Christmas Cactus Plant

For Friday's flower I'm flaunting my Christmas Cactus.

Just look at it!
There are so many buds on it already. The last time it bloomed was last March.

It is time to start looking after it. All summer long it has sat on the china cupboard, getting its daily does of sun and some water now and then. The buds are forming on just about every stem of the plant.

This plant is also referred to as a Holiday cactus or Schlumbergera. It can bloom for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.

It is a native plant from the rain forests of Brazil and grows on trees rather than in the ground. If you originally purchased your plant close to Christmas, the growers adjusted the growing conditions to force it to bloom then and that is why we call it the Christmas cactus. The plant typically blooms from late Fall to late winter.

Water the plant to keep the soil moist and keep it in indirect sunlight. When buds are forming fertilize every couple of weeks. Cool, dry conditions with shorter days encourage blooming. It is best not to move the plant while it is in bloom as this can cause the buds to fall off. The plant does not like drafts, nor heat blowing on it.

I didn't think I would have any blooms to flaunt for awhile. But the Christmas Cactus is proving me wrong.

Thanks for taking time to visit today.

Proud Canadian Blogger

I heard it from Joy, who heard it from Jen, who asked Lori to create a proud Canadian blogger badge to display on our blogs. So naturally I hopped right over there and requested my very own badge.

If you ask Lori she will send you the badge with your province name on it.

And now you can say you heard it from me!

For those chilly days

I was ready for those first frosty mornings we recently had in mid October. In between knitting hats, mittens and baby sweaters I had knitted a pair of fingerless mittens for myself.

These knitted up fairly quickly in a 3k 2p rib pattern, which can be found at Knitpicks.com
I used a Bernat Sox yarn 100 gram ball of yarn and I've got plenty left over to knit another pair - perhaps for a gift, or I could make a nice scarf to go with them.

I love the extra length on the arms as it really keeps me warm under the sleeves of my coat.

In my job I always need my fingers free to tie up shoelaces, zip zippers or button buttons. In extremely cold weather I can wear a regular pair of mittens over the top and when I take them off to help a little person my hand stays fairly warm as only my fingers are exposed to the cold. Hm-m-m maybe I should use that extra yarn to knit a matching pair of regular mittens.

For Little Pumpkin

The Crafty Side of me has been busy making some baby bonnets. Our new granddaughter is due in just a week.

All along I have been calling her Little Pumpkin as she is due so close to Halloween. So of course I had to knit a pumpkin hat for her.

With some orange yarn I had left over from making a stuffed pumpkin I used the pattern I found at this site. The only thing I did different was to make three little curls (vines) on the top.

The next bonnet I made was a simple crochet hat. I found the pattern at this site. Again I did a bit of a change for the brim and added a ruffle. I used some yarn remaining from the round ripple afghan I made for her.

Both of the patterns worked up very quickly in an evening.

I can't wait to see her wearing the bonnets.

Labels: knitting, crochet, granddaughter, hats, The Crafty Side

Peanut Snacks

It's that time of year when the hummingbird and oriole feeder have to be put away, as those gorgeous birds have left our area for warmer climates.

In the cooler months when I'm not outside so much the camera is usually set up by the back kitchen door with a good view of the gardens and the bird feeders.

Here are some photos of the bluejay that I captured


The feeders have been replaced with suet and peanut feeders so we can watch the antics of the bluejays, woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches enjoy some snacks.

We have three suet feeders so into one of the basket feeders with the smallest holes I put a lot of peanuts. The bluejays love peanuts and usually get their snacks from the mailbox feeder. They love whole peanuts and will take them, perch somewhere and crack them open. By putting the peanuts into the feeder it makes it a little more challenging for them to get the nuts out.

The jay squawks loudly upon discovering another source of peanuts.

Hm-m-m I wonder if I can get these out?

Let's s get a bit closer.

Then he hops right down onto the basket for a much closer look.


Then he looks right up at me with a "what are you looking at" stare.
After that look he went on to enjoy some peanuts before other bluejays arrived to check out the feeder.

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.


Labels: bluejays, through my lens, garden critters, Camera Critters

Blooms for mid October

It's GBBD or Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for October.

I still have some plants, both perennial and annual in bloom. But I have a feeling this will be the last month I'll be participating till next spring.

The annual straw flowers are still putting on a wonderful show of blooms despite the three or four very frosty nights we have had.

One of my favourite perennial plants is coreopsis, which will bloom non stop from late spring right up till the heavy frosts. I've got one out in bloom and a couple more buds that just might open up in the next day or so.

The sedum is in its glory at this time of the year and I have several large clumps throughout the gardens. Each one seems to be a different shade of burgandy.

I was just outside snapping a few photos and it is getting very chilly out there. Plus it sure does get dark quickly at this time of the year.

The anemones have been phenomenal this year and they are still blooming.

The rudbekia is blooming in a couple of spots in the garden.

The pink mums are putting on a lovely show, as always.

Why not stop over at May Dreams Gardens and see what other bloggers have in bloom.
Better still, why don't you join in the fun of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day or GBBD. I'd love to come for a virtual stroll around your garden and see what is blooming.

Labels: GBBD

Getting Ready for Bed

Here in south eastern Ontario, Canada, it's that time of year to get the gardens ready for bed and the long winter rest till next spring.

The list of chores seems endless .... taking in the garden decorations, putting away garden furniture, cutting down plants, planting bulbs, digging some root plants, clearing out annuals, emptying pots, raking leaves, cutting the grass for the last time, and more.

We tackled these jobs over a few weekends then the list doesn't seem so daunting.

The canna that were planted in tubs are so much easier to dig this year. I just tip the pot out into a larger container, break away the dirt to reveal the lovely new rhizomes for next year.

Here are some of the roots that will be stored away in a cool, dark place until next spring. They are all packed in crates and put into the well room under the stairs.

The Peruvian daffodils have to be dug, trimmed and stored for winter.

A new selection of spring bulbs have been planted. I planted more daffodils this year so that I won't be tempting those pesky squirrels to eat my tulips.

The garden furniture, ornaments, large pots, tubs, garden flags, watering cans, hosepipes, garden tools and umbrellas are packed away on one side of the garage. They will be safe from winter winds and freezing temperatures that bring ice and snow until next spring.

We had another hard frost last night so I'm glad I made the decision to pull the last of the annuals on the weekend.

Labels: Fall, The Gardener Side

Spring Bulbs for 2sDay

It's 2sDay - the day when I post photos of things that come in twos.

2Day I have some photos of the spring bulbs I've been planting ... in rows of 2's!


The bulbs are mainly daffodils this year... double cheerfulness daffodil, double ice king daffodil and some lily flowering mix tulips.

So even though gardening season is finished for this year. I'm looking forward to spring and seeing these bulbs bloom.

Labels: 2sDay, spring bulbs