Late spring garden...

This Sunday, where normally there is a crafty YOP post,  gardener me is popping in with a progress report on growing things. 

It's been a great spring here for gardening - better than I was prepared for in March and early April.  I wish I had planted peas earlier this spring so we'd have gotten more.  As is, I planted peas in April, and now in the middle of June, with temps in the 80's they are slowing down to the point where I'm trying to decide when to cut them down and plant something summer-loving in their place.

I only planted two trellises worth (above).  My thought process in April, not really knowing if I was too late planting peas, was that I'd plant this many and if they produced enough, I'd practice blanching and freezing some to see how they fared.  Well, I was so excited to see peas, I just started picking them and eating them, and now, all of a sudden, the plants are slowing down and I may have missed the opportunity to do a trial run on processing them.

So...  my very loose plan now is to plant some more peas later in the summer and hope for enough peas come autumn to process.  But we'll see if I have the gumption for that when/if I see winter any winter squash on vines healthily sprawling. I didn't have success with winter squash last year, so this is another test.  If I don't grow autumn peas, there will be next spring to try again.  

Three kinds of green bean plants are thriving so far.  I labeled them at the time of planting, but some of the popsicle stick labels have disappeared and any that remain are pretty badly faded.  So, I'm discovering what some of them are as they start to produce.

While I've been picking peas, and harvesting garlic scapes (more on that in another post), next in line are Dragon Tongue beans (above).  While their purple speckles are fun, these beans evidently turn a yellow-green when cooked.  

I failed to read the seed packet or the online description when I ordered Dragon Tongue seeds, and I only just realized today that these are bush beans. The trellis I planted them around is completely unnecessary, and frankly a bit in the way of future picking.  I also planted a couple of cucumber plants on the other side of the trellis and they are just about ready to start climbing.  Since it's supposed to rain tonight, I'm leaving it all "as is" for another day or two and I think I'm going to pull the trellis out, and maybe transplant the cucumbers and plant more in a different spot - maybe where the peas are currently.

The sweet corn (above) is doing pretty well (planted in two square patches).  I'm trying to stay hopeful that racoons don't make a meal of it before we can.

Last week I planted some winter squash seeds amongst the corn, thinking that if corn is harvested (by us or racoons) in late July/early August, the squash will have room to spread out the rest of the summer and fall.  I kind of regret devoting nearly a third of the garden to experimenting with sweet corn, and now winter squash, but it is what it is now.  I don't plan to interfere anymore - unless it's to plant more squash seeds if I think the space can handle more once I see them sprouting.

Moving on (and trying to ignore all the grass I need to take a hoe to)...

On the south side of the corn, where there's plenty of sunshine, I'm experimenting growing sweet potatoes (above).  If I remember correctly, this was a total impulse move when I found the sweet potato starts on clearance a few weeks ago. I thought for sure I came home with five good sweet potato starts left in a 6-pack, but within a week of planting I only had four.  Do critters eat these?  It seems odd that four are there looking perfectly wonderful and one just disappeared.

Behind the corn, on the right side of the hose (above) are three mounds of zucchini and yellow squash.  

Everywhere (above) that there is a wooden stake, there is a tomato plant.  Twelve Romas meander across the garden.  I like to imagine I was being creative with my planting layout, rather than just looking for anywhere to stick them in the ground.

Kentucky Wonder Green Beans (above)

and

Kajari Melons (below)

They don't look like much yet, but I'm excited to see what these Kajari melons look and taste like in person.  But, if you're curious here's a video:

And near the Kajari melons are some Blauhilde beans.  More beans that grow one color and turn green when cooked.  I can't wait 'till those start showing up!  And I have some pepper plants.  I think they're called Big Bertha.  I couldn't resist - again, on clearance at a local greenhouse.

And below is normally my favorite view of the garden where I can sit and put my feet up for a bit.  It's not so pretty at the moment, as the spot (bottom center) where I've reserved for the butternut squash to grow into is in serious need of weeding.

And somewhere in there, near the tomato plants are a couple of okra plants.  I failed to label them, but I think I found them sprouted yesterday. I need to put a tomato cage around them so I don't step on them. Those were a 100% spontaneous decision after watching a video of someone growing okra, and shortly after seeing seeds discounted at Tractor Supply.

Oh!  And I almost forgot!  The garlic is close to picking time!

Once those come out, in another week or so, I'll weed the strawberry patch, fertilize it, mulch it with more straw, and let it grow.

It's hard to believe today is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year!  And it's doubly hard to believe we're now headed toward the days getting shorter, and my countdown to autumn begins.  Okay...  I don't really start counting down to fall the first day of summer, but I do look forward to it.

Happy Summer!

Yes, I'm still making doilies...

I seem to be in a phase again where I can't summon the discipline to blog regularly, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening.

In fact, blog fodder is stacking up for when I'm more in the mood to write, but for today, since this is a Year of Projects post, you get crafty me.

I'm still crocheting doilies, albeit somewhat slowly at the moment.

I finished another "Easy Doily" in a pretty spring green:

And Doily # 18 from the book, 99 Little Doilies:

This 5-inch doily I'm calling Flower Star

(made in the color, Ciel)

Tomorrow I'm planning on attending a "Tea" that a friend is hosting.  Now, I don't take a hostess gift everywhere I'm invited, but I know the host of this gathering is going to a lot of effort.  She didn't accept my initial offer to bring something to contribute to the Tea, and I didn't get around to offering again, soooo I'm planning on taking her a hostess gift.

She has lots of blue in her decorating, and when I was at her home recently, it occurred to me the light blue doily (below) that I made a month ago, would look great with her color scheme. And late this week, finishing the smaller Flower Star, I thought it would make a nice accompaniment.  Even if she's not a doily person, I'm thinking she'll appreciate the idea that doilies fit perfectly with a Tea. 

The only problem in doing this is, I will have to remake the lighter blue one. I've liked the way it looks in my china cabinet tucked partially under a blue and white tea cup and saucer, hanging over the edge of the shelf. 

Hold on... 

...

...

... 

Oh yes...  

While this smaller, more open doily doesn't show up as well on the shelf as the denser one above, I think the darker blue (Ciel) looks better with the dishes:

Okay!  On second thought, I may be making the pineapple doily in this darker blue!

~~~~~

At the end of June, this Year of Project blogging thing wraps up another year, and we'll begin a new YOP year on the first Sunday of July.  I mention this just in case there might be a reader here who'd like to join in.  Some YOPpers do a January-December YOP year, but quite a few of us stay true to the original vision of a July-June year.  I have to say, I LOVE starting something new in July. 

Anyway, if you'd like to join in, you need to have a free Ravelry membership, and then join our group.  And it would be a good idea if you crochet, knit, spin, weave, tat... because fiber arts are the reason Ravelry exists.  But, to be sure, lots of other crafts pop up on YOPper's blogs, in addition to our fiber crafts.  Most of us are multicraftual and we enjoy the inspiration provided by the variety of creative pursuits.

Check us out; join in if you like!

Is it really easy? Why, yes it is!

For this week's Year of Projects update, I have another smallish doily (about 9 1/2 inches across) completed.  It's humbly called, Easy Doily.

It's a pretty thing, made with size 10 crochet cotton in the color, Boysenberry.

While, one might think it doesn't stand out too well on the wooden table top above, the above picture shows its true color.  Photographing these colorful doilies can be an interesting experience.  The pictures above and below are both taken within minutes of each other in the same room, right next to windows that were letting in the same natural light, but look at how different the same color looks on different backgrounds!

Yes!  This is the same doily (and flower) on an off-white table:

There's nothing wrong with the color in the second picture if the thread was truly burgundy.  It doesn't look burgundy to the eye when on such a light surface, but it photographs that way.  Even the daylily is a different shade in the second picture.  The only editing I did (other than cropping) was to edit the tint a tiny bit to appear less "yellowed".  I think it's an issue with my computer, as my photos often look slightly yellow to me until I publish them.  And then they look fine.  

I may be back soon with this same doily made in another color.  It is such an easy and pleasant one to make. I made this one in 2018 (in the same color) and gave it away to a young lady named Yuko, whom I had really only just begun tutoring in ESL.  She was heading back home to Japan, and I thought three doilies would be easy enough for her to pack up amongst her belongings. It's kind of fun to imagine some doilies of mine decorating a tiny spot, or even just tucked inside a drawer, on the other side of the world.  The other two doilies I gave Yuko were Winter's Breath (the heavily-picoted version in my last post), and Summer Splendor - which I'm itching to do again as I seem to have given all I've made away.

Limited time offer (limited to me being in a doily-making mood):  If any of my friends or family are reading this and would like a gift of a doily, let me know!  I'd love more excuses for crocheting these.  I'm a little hesitant to give them away willy-nilly as I know they are not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I am thrilled to give away a handmade doily that I know will find a happy home.  

Doily fun...

Having given away a number of the doilies I've made in recent years, I'm remaking some of them. Maybe to give away again.  Or maybe to keep.

Most of the doilies I've given away have been enjoyable patterns I didn't think I'd mind crocheting again.

So this past week, I decided to make one I'd made three times before (and have given away three times).  In my Ravelry notes on the doily called Winter's Breath, I've commented consistently that it's an easy pattern. 

Perfect!

It does look easy, doesn't it?

Let me put it this way...  if you are a doily maker, I think you'd recognize this as a fairly simple doily pattern.

Except, if you're a crocheter, you might notice it has a lot of picots.  Picots are pretty, but they can be a pain.  So I was surprised that in the brief notes I recorded each time I made this pattern, I only commented that it was "easy", "nice pattern", "easy to follow", never once mentioning the picots.

And other Ravelers had made similar comments - even those who mentioned the picots.

Feeling slightly skeptical, I shrugged and thought maybe, for some reason, the picots aren't a pain in this pattern.  I plunged in.

On my fourth making of this doily, I hereby declare the picots are most definitely a pain.  And this time I noted in my personal Ravelry notes the difficulties I had.

Not only was making each of those picots a pain, on the round following the picot rounds, one has to crochet into about half of the picots made. 

Maybe I crochet more tightly these days (especially, with thread).  I don't know.   I only know it was something of a pain to create all those picots, and it was a royal pain for me this time to crochet into those little picots.  

That said, the pattern itself is fairly easy.  And quick.  So I decided to make it one more time, and where there were picots, I instead crocheted a chain-1 (to crochet into on the following round - instead of having to crochet into picots). It was definitely much quicker to make.  And it appeared to work just fine.

Whatcha think:

It's a tad less frou-frou, but it's basically the same. 

I think.

It does ruffle a bit on some of the outer scallops, but a harder blocking ought to resolve that. 

~~~~~

With my fifth Winter's Breath doily done, and wanting to make another doily from the book, 99 Little Doilies, I crocheted #90:

I think, inspired by the color, I'm calling this one, Gingham.

The above doilies were all made with Artiste #10 crochet thread in the colors, Dawn Rose, Tropical Pink, and Ice Blue.

~~~~~

And I got fun mail this week!  I am the lucky recipient of some crochet booklets Marsha @ Leftycrafter was getting rid of. 

I'm especially excited by these doily patterns:

 

I gotta say, though...  I'm a bit scared at how large these may end up being.  The designer (Elizabeth Hiddleson) liked to use size 20 and size 30 thread, which just blows my mind.  I've read that I should expect a pattern to grow 20 - 30% if I substitute size 10 thread.   

Also, there are stitches I've never made before.  Like Treble Triple, and Knot Stitch Loop. Also, the abbreviations she used may have been common in the 1960's, but I'm going to be figuring some of them out as I go.

And Elizabeth sure liked triple crochet stitches.  I'm a little concerned about those.  I'm wondering...  do you think I could substitute double crochet for the triple crochet stitches, as long as I'm consistent throughout?  

I may have to just experiment.  If I manage to complete one of these beauties (or even abbreviated versions), you'll see it here!  Thank you again, Marsha!

Granny Goes Large #2 ...

I nearly forgot today was a YOP posting day.  And I even have a finish!  

I'm happy to say I successfully stayed focused (when I had time to crochet) and finished the Granny Goes Large blanket I started last November.  While this blanket grows more slowly the bigger it gets, there is no good reason why this took so long.  To be honest, it was completely ignored for months on end. 

I'm also happy to say, Maureen @ Knitting Is So Fun, that the choice of a gold/yellow border was perfect.  Thank you for weighing in!

I love how this simple pattern makes yarn that's just otherwise hanging out in one's stash look pretty.  Is it crazy to admit I'm tempted to start making another one?  

But doilies are also still calling me.  Having recently given some as gifts, I'm itching to make some of those patterns again too!

Until, next week... May yarn tickle your fingers, and may all your (unwanted) knots come undone.