[Bonnie7591]

Thanks for starting a new LP, Barbara. Great photos. Hawaii is such a beautiful place & such a bonus you got to spend time with your good friend. We went about 10 yrs ago for 11 days to Honolulu & Maui. We hope to go again & see the other islands

 

[Bonnie7591]

One or more new people! Who knows what we'll have this set of 100 (+/- 50 pages). :sm23: :sm23: :sm23:

I've been there several times at the old apartment...no A/C. Swamp cooler method on the shadiest sides of the house where possible is the first possible solution I can recommend. I feel for you!
I gave this link before...but I wouldn't mind a selection sent to my new address for this/next year: http://www.rareseeds.com/summer-savory/
...under $2 for 300 seed

Maybe not available THIS year as supply may have been used up...but keep checking the Rareseeds website for other selections! PM me if you get the seeds so I might have some?

Bonnie7591 and tamarque --> You might want to at least look at the Rareseeds website for the Okra...if you care to. It grows better ground-based/larger planter than I currently have available. I know I need a larger planter for my Heirloom tomatoes next year. I can always move the planters to the North side if they don't improve at the South side. :sm24:

If okra grows in zones 4-10, I sure can't grow it???? We are zone 2

 

[Bonnie7591]

http://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/okra/
30 varieties offered by Rareseeds! Now I'm a bit hungry for some fried okra with hot sauce/cayenne!

#20 thread (I hope), #11 needle/hook, and it's 4.25 inches. :sm24:

Very pretty doily

 

[Bonnie7591]

Welcome Mossstitch and Lizmossstitch !! just check your emails you should get a new notice each day.. we can be pretty chatty at times so checking in even if just to read and give a thumbs up will help you stay on top of the subject!! it can jump around too .. LOL We all love lace.. and several times a year several of us will do a pattern together.. that is always fun! but not necessary..
Lizmossstitch did I read that right.. the class didn't want you to use stitch markers??? I'd of done it anyway.. I couldn't knit lace with out them.. LOL

Barbara thank you for getting us started.. I spent the morning in Tricias LP and now to catch up in here... Your hubby sounds like a very adventurous guy... that is good for you.. never a dull moment :sm01: and it is wonderful that you have such a good friend... my best friend and I can get on the phone and talk for hours.. I like the addition of wine to the conversation.. LOL we'd talk until the early morning.. LOL

I also use ,plots of marker when I knit any complicated pattern, wouldn't try without them

 

[Bonnie7591]

That is how my Mother felt about cotton!! I guess during the depression and years after recovering from the depression every hand needed to help get the family's back on their feet!! I'm not sure where she picked the cotton but I can see the pain in her face as she would talk about it... rubbing her fingers each time..
With my Dad's side of the family coming from Oklahoma we were raised with fried Okra and love it!! no recipe was ever handed down.. you just watched and learned.. same with the biscuits.

Sounds like your family cooked like my mom. I asked how to make pastry & was told to add lard to the flour until it " felt right"???? Like i would know what that was. I eventually found a recipe with measurements & that works well for me.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Welcome to the LP... this is a great place to get your WIP's finished up and to learn some new things along the way.. It seems that we are a international group so there is always someone on in here.. :sm01:

Karen thank you so much for the recourse links to the seeds... I don't normally order them from mail order but this year was pitiful with the selections I was able to find.. Plus I like a little more info on a seed besides what the packet says!! I am going into all 3 of them as soon as I sign off here...
And that is another beautiful doily... you do them quite fast too!!

I always mail order my garden seeds from T & T seeds in Winnipeg. In recent years there are more seeds available in stores here but often not the varieties that will mature before frosts.also I find the packages I order have more in them for the price than the commercially marketed ones.

 

[Bonnie7591]

You didn't catch the spineless variety offered! I'm well aware of the prickliness of the majority of Okra. With the sunlight offered by our Northern neighbor I thought she'd try a crop of the spineless Okra for soups, etc.

Maybe I can get them to grow if I start them in the house next spring. I like to try one new thing every year. This year was Romanesco cauliflower. The slugs got into some but I had one really nice but small head so far, it looks strange but quite pretty, tastes like regular cauliflower to me.
For those not familiar with it
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli

 

[Bonnie7591]

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-418518-1.html

Did you all see this lovely Shetland Piece this morning. It is from one of Elizabeth Lovick's books...There are two books with almost the exact title...one is The Magic of Shetland Lace Knitting and the other is "Magical Shetland Lace Knitting" This Christening gown is from the "Magical"...title...unfortunatley not the one I own. Just thought you might want to take a look. I might look to see if my library has this second book.

WOw! That will definitely come a family heirloom

 

[Bonnie7591]

Barbara, thanks for sharing your great photos.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Sue, lovely photos. Enjoy your vacation.

Janetlee, you sure made that yarn look much nicer, very pretty.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Very nice.

Have any of you seen it? In Wal Mart there were hanks of white yarn and different dyes. Too high for me to reach so I don't know the content of the yarn. It looked like it might be sport/baby weight and there were primary and secondary colors of dye.

I've seen those here, the yarn is cotton in the ones I saw. I would really like to try dying yarn but already hav too much stash. There were several different yarn weights there.
The kit was $20

 

[Bonnie7591]

The current WIP- Waiting for Rain with the left overs from the Oatmeal Gansey- it will be nice and warm. I am afraid I am still working from the written instructions. I have come down with a heavy head cold - brain not functioning properly.

Looks great, Julie.
Sorry you've got a cold, hope you're better soon.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Ann, lovely shawl, such a pretty color.
Bev, thanks for sharing the great photos from Hawaii, such a pretty place.
DeEtta, great that you managed to pack the tablecloth & get it off to the fair, I'm sure there will be some ribbons come home with it.
Yes, it was me who posted the quilt. I think it will be quite an easy one to do.

I went picking wild blueberries today, they taste so good but sure aren't a joy to pick, crawling in the bush in hands & knees isn't fun when you aren't young???? I may try to pick another pailful in the morning & then can the whole bunch. The wild ones are much smaller than those in the store but have so much more taste.
Well, must get off here & off to bed.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Bonnie, when I lived in England we lived near to where the wild blueberries grew. DH used to use child labour and they loved it :sm24: :sm23:

???? My boys were not too willing, if they went, they ate all they picked & then complained that I wasn't ready to go home????

 

[Bonnie7591]

So many commented on my shawl so I shall do a communal very many thanks for your kind words .
Norma ...naughty DH using child labour .????Set the bees on him .
I picked bilberries ,sometimes called winberries ,as a teen as DF loved them in pies .Thought there would be some near you Norma .
Hope your knitting does well DeEtta .Trouble with some of these things is if the judge knows an entrant you have no chance .

M not familiar with bilberries, I looked them up & althought it says they are a different specie they sure look like Saskatoon berries.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Tanya -- didn't see the message earlier but saw where you tried to leave one -- it was late at night that's for sure. My challenge is that I don't recognize a lot of people now when they go by on their horses and I'm far enough off the road that I can't see brands. So last night after venting, I picked up the phone and called one of the two possible groups -- of course, I called the wrong one, but the young man I talked to said he would pass on the message. So maybe today they will come and try and find their critters. Unfortunately, I'll be in town (its a Mom visit day) so what will happen is that if they show up at all, I won't be here to tell them anything, they'll look around casually, and then leave. Nothing will have been resolved. It seems that the prevailing attitude is that a few will always be lost when you have large herds and it isn't worth the effort to deal with it. Like I said ealier, rather cavalier.

Enough of that. I can't change it and unless I'm prepared to keep my driveway gate always closed, it will continue to happen.

On a brighter note, I've been playing around with a pattern that I stumbled across for using up scrap yarn. Basically it is a log cabin quilt design done in garter stitch. Thought this might be a good way to use up some more of that Caron Simply Soft that I want to purge from my stash.

That looks great but I can't imagine how long it will take to knit enough for a blanket, at least for me.
I was gifted a garbage bag full of yarn, my friends aunt died & she doesn't knit, I decided since it was a gift, I would pay it forward. I've been knitting hats & mitts & donating them to the local school for kids who show up without any. This is the 4 th years, so far I've got 4 hats & 6 or of mitts, I'll take them to the school when the snow comes.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Ronnie -- my first thought was to do 9 or 12 blocks. Having done the first block, it turned out to be about 13.5" so a 3x3 would be fine for a small afghan but a 3x4 would probably be better. The original pattern had borders around each block and around the outside of the whole thing and I was thinking of using the pale yellow which I decided to use in all the centers of the blocks. My colors are a bit insipid, but it is what I have and the goal is to use what I have and NOT get more. I can finalize all these thoughts when the time gets closer, but in the meantime it is going actually pretty fast considering. However, having thought this through, I can imagine color combos that would be marvelously striking that I would so much better enjoy -- but again, NO BUYING MORE YARN. I think that has become my mantra -- or at least it should be.

That's supposed to be my mantra as well but I'm not sticking to it too well????
I decided to make a mermaid tail blanket for my niece for Christmas & the package arrived from Mary Maxim on Monday. The pattern s crochets & a little weird so I looked on Ravelry & fund a very simple one that will work with the same yarn so I think that's what I will do. Should be a quick project, I hope.

 

[Bonnie7591]

With a little planning secondary designs can be created. Wave, diamond, and others. It a play of light and dark more than color.
Tradition was the center block was red to represent the hearth.

Some design ideas for lighttdark placement http://www.google.com/search?q=log+cabin+quilt&client=ms-android-uscellular-us&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN5N-z-sbOAhVIax4KHbueDIMQ_AUIBygB&biw=962&bih=601

It's really quite amazing the designs that can be made with log cabin blocks by varying the colors & the placement. Several in my quilt club have made amazing works of art.

 

[Bonnie7591]

Tricia -- It is open range and the critters are what I would call close to "wild." Getting close enough to one to read a brand would be difficult and I'm not sure the young ones have been branded. Not only can I not "keep" what is on my land, I have to pay for any fence damage because out here the law is interpreted that one fences one's property to keep something OUT. Go figure.

In any case, the rancher showed up this morning before I went to town. Was really nice about it (of course, no apologies, but at least a thank you). I explained what I saw and also pointed out to him the gates on the fences and why I suggested that they close my driveway gates when moving cows -- otherwise, there is a straight shot onto Federal lands and heaven only knows how it is fenced. He admitted that a couple of the local 4-H'rs (in the US, i4-H is a youth organization. Each 4-H group is focused on a topic -- for the one I referencee, a kid raises a steer for the county fair. Once it is judged then it is sold at public auction and the kid gets the proceeds), are missing their steers which were moved in the group last Friday -- so the hunt is on to find the missing animals (hence the response to my "heads-up"). In any case, when I left for town, he was roaming around my property and heading for the BLM lands to check for animals. I have no idea if he found anything. So for the moment, case is presumably closed until the next time.

Hope they find the calf & get it reunited with mom. It will be a great loss for the kid if they can't find the 4-H calf, here the proceeds from those calls is often used as an education fund for kids involved in it.

We also have 4H here, a very active beef club. Also horsemanship clubs. When I was young there were also ? Homemaking skills clubs- sewing cooking, crafts etc, I know there isn't one like that here now maybe they are all gone.which is sad.

 

[Bonnie7591]

The wild blueberries here are just about the same size as the ones in the stores. They are really ripening up and are seriously competing with the blackberries and black raspberries. Still a very few salmon berries, huck berries, and a couple of others. A person can find a lot to eat right now in the woods if they know where to look and what to look for.

I pick a lot of wild berries-Saskatoons,wild blueberries, Wild chokecherries, high bush cranberries.,they all have so much more taste than the tame varieties.