Ten On Tuesday

Look at that, I'm posting my 10 on Tuesday actually on Tuesday. Weird.

Anyway, this week the subject is Ten Things On Your "To Do" List. This Spring has swollen my to do list a bit. Here it is:

1. Plant seeds for this year's garden. I always forget to do this and wind up going and getting the veggie plants at the nursery. Not this year.
2. Overhaul the garden area. I have an ambitious plan that involves terracing and stone work. It's a good thing that I have a built in labor force at home to help me implement my big ideas. It's going to be fab!
3. Get a composter. I really want a composter so tha I can turn all that kitchen waste into nice, rich soil for my garden. Good for the environment and good for us.
4. Weed and mulch all the flower beds and fertilize what needs fertilizing.
5. Get new windows for the house. This is a biggie finanacially and practically. We've spoken to so many folks about our windows and it's way past time for us to make a decision. I can't wait to see our 40+ year old windows go. No more condensation inside of them. No more draftiness. No more nastiness in general. Yay!
6. Get moving on our deck. My fingers are crossed that a new deck will follow shortly after the windows. I've wanted it and envisioned it since we bought the house 10 years ago. I'm so ready to get it done.
7. Get my bicycle out. I need to get it checked out and make sure it's ready to ride. I'm not big on walking but I can see myself using my bike to exercise. At least that's the idea.
8. Investigate the stash. Lately stuff has disappeared into my stash and I really need to get a better handle on it. What have I got and where the hell is it all?
9. Finish all those lingering UFO's. This is a reall obsession right now but I'll save that to discuss another day.
10. Firm up our Summer plans. Last year there was no big family vacation but we've got one semi-planned for this year and It's going to be a good one - if I can pull it all together. I really have to get moving on this.

So there's my list. As you might expect it's rather heavy on the Spring stuff. What's on your list?

Riley's Summer Ensemble

I finished another lingering project this weekend.

This is made from a Drops pattern that goes by the thoroughly unimaginative name of B13-17 Dress, bonnet, socks and duck. Thank goodness I wasn't looking to the title to tell me much about the pattern. I would've missed out on a really good one.

The pattern isn't perfect but it wasn't hard to follow at all. My biggest problem with it was that the skirt was deadly dull and boring to knit. It was just a big tube of 3x3 rib with a bit of lace thrown in. Can you imagine how boring it would be without the lace? Oooo I shudder to think.

Anyway, the payoff for all that 3/3 rib knitting was a really sweetly draping skirt that looks pleated thanks to the decreases at the top of the skirt. It flared very gently at the bottom before the crochet edge was added and now, with the edge it's wonderful. This is going to my 4 month old niece who's still not mobile but I imagine that this dress would be great for a toddler who could twirl around in it.

I knit this pattern mostly as written but I deviated in a few details. None of then were major but they do make it mine. The first was that I used more colors. DQ and I chose these three shades of Katia Mississippi 3 and I was a little worried that this would be too patriotic looking but despite the stripiness of the skirt and the eyelets in the top that could be interpreted as stars, I don't get a flag-like feel from this at all. It looks like a tennis dress to me or perhaps the perfect frock for lunch at the country club. My S-I-L is lucky that this won't fit anyone in my house because if it did, I'd keep it for myself and make something else for her. I love this dress just that much.


I intentionally did some of the color changes on purl rows. I really love the way it adds that skinny line of color. It makes the transition from one color to the next a little softer and more fun, like overstitching.

Another change i made was in the crochet edging. On the bottom of the skirt I used the edge specified in the pattern (although I added a foundation row) and it adds a lovely, lacey, finish to the swingy skirt. On the edges of the bodice I elected to deviate from the pattern and used a simple instead. It just seemed like a better fit.

To complete this gift I made a pair of booties. For these I used the same yarn and the pattern for Blue Steps Baby Booties by Regina Willer. To me this pattern was a little unclear in spots but I was able to use the picture and my knitting experience to fill in the blanks. They're very simple and sweet and I just hope they fit.

ECF - Foggy Morning Edition

This is what it looked like when I left my house this morning. The dense fog gave my bland corner of suburbia quite a bit of atmosphere.

Have a great weekend!