it's really not-so-rugged

My latest knitting project is the Not-So-Rugged scarf from the book Knitting With Balls. I'm using Kid Merino mohair 'Espresso' from Crystal Palace yarns as well as Cinnabar from Louisa Harding yarns. I'm loving how this is turning out! I've already decided to make another one for a friend. This is also my first time working with mohair, and I'm really enjoying it. I think I'll have to make a mohair lace scarf for my mom for Christmas. You really can't start to early :)

more planting fun

I planted the seeds and bulbs that I bought yesterday. I planted 4 Stargazer lilies in 1 gallon nursery pots, so that I could start growing them and decide where I'm planting them later. I also thought they would be easy to move if we had a frost. I planted a flat of Jewel Mix nasturtium in fiber pots and a 6" pot of Sequoia beans. These are the purple beans which turn green when you cook them. I planted similar ones before and grew them up a tee pee stick trellis in a pot, however after I planted these ones I noticed that they are a bush bean. A little change of plans, but I'll make it work.

Last weekend Dan and I visited the Morton Arboretum. It was beautiful and very tranquil as we hiked through the preserve. We were able to snap a few nice photos too!

Oh, here's my bleeding heart that just awoke a few weeks ago. I'm so proud!

first plantings

Today I planted some 'Straight Eight' cucumber seeds and Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia Alata) seeds in peat pots. I plan to transplant these together into planters on the back patio and train them to crawl up a trellis. Because I have so little gardening space I'm trying to combine veggies into my potted plants. I have a couple of beds that I'm allowed to plant in, but I'm afraid of all of the fertilizers that the lawn people use and the run-off from the roof. So, no vegetables or herbs in those beds. I also planted 5 Harvest Yellow Cannas. There were supposed to be 4 in the bag, but I got a bonus! I'll transplant these into the flower beds once they mature some.

I stopped by the hardware store to get a rake and ended up with more seeds and bulbs. Well, I had to walk right past them to get to the rakes! Seriously, who designed that store? Anyway, I'll be planting those in the next day or so. I love spring!