Experimenting With Pot (Gardening)

There really hasn't been much to report on here that's been blog worthy.

No, I take that back, there has been a lot of stuff going on, but the kind of stuff you don't blog about lest it come back to bite you in the ass later.  I know that's vague, but it's really not sensational.

I have been puttering around in the old pot garden though.

Last year when my favorite Mommy came to visit us (and an itty bitty Baby Sister) we went to the Presby Iris Gardens in Montclair.  The irises were in full bloom and gorgeous.  The day we went they were having their annual plant sale.

For sale they had some miniature irises.

I couldn't resist.  I bought a "Forever Blue" variety and a really deep purple "black" dwarf variety.

And this weekend--almost exactly a year since Mom left to go back home to Alaska, my irises have bloomed!





The black one's not quite open yet, but by tomorrow it should be fully bloomed.

I freaking love these things!  They wintered beautifully in their pots (I was a little worried!) and the blue one especially has really seemed to take off this year.

I've got my other pot-crops outside already too--potatoes, beans, radishes (white and red), carrots, green onion, peas and garlic (in the same pot!  GASP!), kale, a cabbage sprout that may or may not make it (damn starlings!), and some assorted flowers from the annual school flower fundraiser at Chunky's school--some impatiens, marigolds and begonias.

Still to plant I have my squash, cucumber, pumpkin, toy choi, oregano and basil.  Those will be planted either next weekend or the weekend after.

And then, after reading Alisha's post singing the joys of quinoa...I had a lame epiphany of sorts.  

I've had quinoa before, and it's good.  But there's the whole quinoa-guilt thing.  I already kill Bangladeshis buying cheap clothes, do I want to add ruining the lives of Bolivian farmers?  

Why not grow my own?



Ok, so growing a pot of quinoa, wheat and barley isn't going to feed my family for a winter--but for less than $10 and some dirt and some water, I get to try my hand at growing something I've never grown before.

That's kind of how I view pot gardening--yes, if you REALLY go gangbusters and fill your yard with pots, you can produce a lot of food, but I look at it as test driving what I'll be able to grow in the ground someday when we have our own home and don't live in a termite infested house within mere walking distance of a Superfund site.  (I wish those last two statements were humorous exaggerations!)

My Dirty Secret

I'm sure THAT blog title will get a lot of hits on the internets.

But I'm coming out to you today.

Hi, my name is Bezzie, and I have become addicted to professional wrestling.

I blame Chunky. For whatever reason, he started watching it (did you know it's on three nights a week??) and even though I would sit surfing away on the computer when he watched it, I slowly became sucked into the lame, yet highly entertaining, storylines.

As many of you won't know (although I know I share this addiction with a certain other knitter whom I won't out on my blog...hahahahaha!) Wrestlemania--one of the big showcase (and pay-per-view) events took place the second Sunday of this month.

And it took place at Metlife (i.e. Meadowland) Stadium just a scant 15 miles or so from where we live.

Perhaps I looked into buying tickets for Chunky and one of his parental units to attend. Alas, I did not have $800 to spare for the cheap seats (is it any wonder Linda McMahon can run for office so many times after losing again and again?).

So we settled for the pay-per-view...which is a whole 'nother story in itself.

One thing I've learned about professional wrestling is that beside it's fan base of mostly prepubescent boys, a lot of grown men watch it.

Basement Neighbor is a devotee.

And then, at work one day as I was doing what I do at work--I overheard a conversation between a couple of attorneys in the cube behind me.

It ends up that the son of one of the named partners at my firm Schiester, Shafter, Conniver & Dodge -- Conniver Jr. -- is a BIG wrestling fan. It also helps that his cousin I guess writes for the organization's website and his father even hired an ex-wrestler to work at the restaurant they own on the first floor of our building. (I always thought that guy seemed HUGE!)

Anyway, the Monday after Wrestlemania, Conniver Jr. stopped by my desk and he presented me with something for Chunky (because I had to tell him that Chunky loved, and subsequently got me sucked into wrestling).

But before I show you what he gave Chunky there's a bit of a back story as to what I've put in the picture with it.

You see, before Wrestlemania, Conniver Jr. brought me into his sister's office to ask me to identify a textile that his grandmother had made for his sister.  (Apparently I come off as the crafty-type to people...hmm...who knew?)

It was a giant needlepoint picture of some law books and the scales of justice. Apparently, she made one for him and his sister when they graduated law school.

He said he wanted to flip the tables and make one for his grandma as a joke. But then got a little discouraged when I told him that it would have take ME months to complete such an intricate piece of needlepoint like the one he asked me to identify.

I joked that I would make him something for his Grandma that he could pass off as his own.

And so when he gave me the thing for Chunky (and these things cost $9! What a racket!) I told him I REALLY owed him the Grandma needlepoint.



Ha ha!  So there you have it. 

It's not needlepoint, it's cross-stitch, and it's nothing fancy...but I think for a $9 cup and a good story, it's worth it. 

I hope Conniver Grandma likes it!

Futzing Around

I bought a new camera this week. Chunky lit a fire under my butt about it when he casually mentioned how it would be a shame if he went on his 5th grade class trip to Philadelphia next month and didn't have a camera.

Never mind that 90% of the pictures from his 4th grade class trip to the Bronx Zoo was just random shots of him and his friends making faces/being dorks.

I went with a Cannon Powershot Elph 110 HS. It got decent reviews on Amazon and wasn't horribly expensive.

Of course when I popped the battery in, I had to test it out with the traditional point and shoot subject matter.

Kids--



Mr. Cool playing on the computer.



Mr. Cheeseball drawing pictures.



Miss Droolsalot, well, drooling.

And of course--



It takes great cat pictures too!!

I'll have to wait a bit to try it out on some knitted/crafted/baked goods!

I Suppose I Should Post

Seeing as April is half over.

I find readership is down now that Google Reader is going belly up.

I find myself forgetting to read my regular blogs as much with it not as easily accessible now.

I suppose I should just bite the bullet and change feed readers already.

In the meantime--enjoy another sweater I have completed for Baby Sister!



Details:

Pattern:  Yooji Kimono Vest

Yarn:  Joann Sensations Tesoro (100% Wool) (Thank you Melissa!)

Needles:  US 7

I'm a sucker for a unique construction which is what drew me to this pattern.  I haven't been able to put it on Baby Sister yet due to the fact that a) it's getting warmer and b) I can't get her to sit still to tie the ties.  

But it was a fun, engaging and simple knit.  

I keep promising myself I'll blog more...but with the aforementioned weather getting warmer, it's hard to concentrate on kicking Dr. Mad Scientist and Chunky off the computer so I can be on.

And it's hard when I can finally go outside and take walks to the park and play with this cute little booger.

The Final Outcome

Since the votes are pretty much split 50/50 for Woodland vs. Pips, I left the decision to Moochie.

He picked Pips.

It's not my best work, but I think she'll look cute in it.



This was a decent pattern.  I would NOT recommend it to a newbie sewer, however.  There were a few things she omitted to mention, one of the pattern pieces was mislabeled (said to cut on a fold when you didn't need to), and pieces to be cut out that you had no idea about until mid-tutorial.  That was kind of annoying.  And apparently the closure is supposed to be assymetrical--which I found irritating and made for the front bodice pieces to be off a bit.

But, it's a free pattern, so really, how can I complain? 

Putting out tutorials on how to sew and make stuff isn't easy work. 

I did modify the pattern by not doing the rick rack, the contrasting hem (because I didn't have enough of a contrasting fabric) and I didn't gather the sleeves to make them fitted.  

I'll try to get some pictures of Little Miss Baby Sister wearing this this week.  She's got some gray and some red leggings that would look cute underneath this. 

Three Day Weekends...

...were made for sewing!

I don't know why, but for me three day weekends mean sewing time!

The office is closed tomorrow for Good Friday (such a weird concept to me to work in the private sector and get this day off--but hey!) so I've got an itch to sew.

I want to make Baby Sister this dress (except minus the bottom contrasting hem and sans-rickrack. I don't really like rickrack.)

But I can't decide what fabric I want to use.

Should I use some Sherbet Pips doggies?



Or some Riley Blake Woodland Tails?



Look! No pink!!

Whattya think?

Second FO of the Year

And it's PINK!  Again.

I'm not really a pink fan, but I am a sucker for this dark pink/electric-y magenta color.



Cute, no?

The details:

Pattern:  Spring Garden Tee

Yarn:  Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool (50% wool/50% cotton)

Needles:  US7

This was a great pattern.  Top down--my favorite.  I really enjoyed the way it came together.  The neck is knit back and forth for quite a while before being joined in the round.  The little ruffly lace sleeves are a nice touch to break up the monotony that can sometimes be an issue with stockinette sweaters.

The only problem?  I knit a size "2" thinking it would fit her since, well, she's 1 years old--and normally size 12 clothing (at least commercial) never fits a baby (at least my chunky monkey children) that is of that age.  It's usually too small.  Stupid me.  Commercial and handmade are obviously different!

So this sweater will probably not fit her until NEXT spring.



Now the question becomes, will I be able to remember to take pictures of her in it next year?

And speaking of pictures--during Baby Sister's birthday "party" my point and shoot camera's flash decided to go belly up.  So now I'm in the market for a moderately priced point-and-shoot camera.

Cell phone cameras are nice for stuff on the go, but I'd like something a bit more real.  So hit me with your favorite point-and-shoot suggestions!