Fruition - Rare Treats And Spring Things

It is indescribably pleasing to nurture an orange tree, watching it flower and fruit, then seeing those fruits grow and develop from green to yellow, finally to delicious, deep orange. Most thrilling of all is the experience of picking an orange from that tree, breaking it open, and enjoying its sweetness right there under the tree as the juice runs down your arm making your hands and face sticky and delicious-smelling. It is an exerience that everyone should get the opportunity to have - picking home-grown fruits and vegetables - green beans, cherries, apples, radishes, and especially TOMATOES - and eating them right there in the garden before they can even make it to the kitchen.
No - you shouldn't do this if you spray your garden to rid it of pests (and unfortunately good bugs too), but try it some time. Don't spray your garden one year - be brave enough to grow some food for yourself that is not perfect and pretty. Share a little bit with the critters (and neighbors) that come around; anyone who has ever grown a garden knows that there is more than enough to give away when any given crop is ripening madly.
Wipe the dirt off a few of the things you have picked and taste them - NOW - before you leave the garden. Especially do it when you are sweaty and tired and fulfilled with your garden work for the day. If your hair is hanging into your face and dirt and sweat streak your arms, the garden doesn't care. And the satisfaction of your little snack will taste better for it. The sweet flavor of your work and love is packed into these tidbits of sustenance. That, to me, is the real meaning of the word fruition, and you will never be the same once you have experienced it.
Peace.

Waiting for Intervention - Divine or Otherwise

This has been a wacky month at the house. Aside from charming husband bingeing on work, many of the household appliances/mechanical things have turned on us. The joys of home ownership are currently limited to looking outside - indoors looks like a chore list to me.

Our beloved furnace which normally keeps me toasty while I knit has declined to do so. I fought it back by going down and having a little talk with it - and wiggling the connections. Whew - another 40-degree night last night. The parts will eventually have to be replaced, but not today.

The broiler in the oven quit wanting to broil. Oh, well - we don't broil that much anyway.

Oddly, the problem that bothers me most is the disloyalty of the dishwasher. One of the springs that makes the door open and close with some dignity went SPROING the other day. Now the door to the dishwasher leaps open at the speed of light, making a huge sound and scaring the hell out of me (and the cat - who runs for cover as if he is being chased by wild dingos). This must be fixed soon because I am clearly not going to remember to open the door gently - it will crash down every time, rattling both dishes and my nerves.

Oh yeah - back to this intervention thing. I have been knitting this lovely hat called "Claudia" by MJ Kim. It has 122 stitches around with many rows of trellis cabling - much more than I have ever done before. Yikes! I have knit and ripped more rows than this thing will ever have and am still working the first 5 rows of cabling. I'll get it. Sooner or later. Much, much later seems likely.

So we're headed next door to dinner now. The hat is on the couch. I'll check it when I return (as I always do) to see if the knitting fairy has come and finished the trellis cables. Hell, if Santa Claus or Al Gore wants to finish the damn thing I'd be beholden. Aaah, who am I kidding? The dishwasher fairy, broiler fairy, and furnace fairy are all laying down on the job - I'm sure the knitting fairy is out in the alley smoking a cigarette and having a drink with them.

A Crafty Trick To Go With Knitting

I've been crafting creatively for years. The guys in the local hardware stores are puzzled by the things I buy and my plans for the stuff. They do seem to enjoy the pursuit of just the right piece of hardware or tool, the use of which will be perverted by a woman (ugh) - just don't understand it. Usually I get the "that's just WRONG" look.

When Alex's purse was almost done, a magnetic catch seemed to be the right way to complete the functionality, but I couldn't find a way to put it into an unlined felted purse. (probably my own searching incompetence) So - a new method was created, and it seems pretty good. A trip to the craft store was all it took this time (hardware guys breathe a sigh of relief). I promised my local yarn store friends that I would put the instructions, with photos, on the web - so here they are.

Magnetic Snap Installation Instructions in PDF form: Click here

Our Valentine's Day Anniversary - the good, the bad, and the ugly

OK, so we got married on Valentine's Day. There was a good reason - maybe great. I like a little attention on Valentine's Day. He HATES Valentine's Day and (had I not made my wishes known - in no uncertain terms - he would not ever have celebrated it at all). On New Year's Eve 18 years ago, the waiter gave me a fortune cookie after a delicious Chinese dinner. The fortune inside said "K, I love you, will you marry me?" and without spending any time keeping M hanging, I said yes. I also set the date - Valentine's Day. I told him that he never had to even think about Valentine's Day again, just celebrate our anniversary. So here we are - with a knitted & embroidered fortune cookie for him, celebrating our anniversary.

The bad news about having a romantic holiday for an anniversary is that we NEVER EVER EVER go out on that date. There is not a darn thing romantic and fun about fine restaurants with extra tables crammed in, bad service, and slipshod food due to the zillions of other people celebrating. We stay home and enjoy each other's company and go out some other time. The event too big to be contained within just one day.

Purple Felted Clogs

PurpleFeltedClogs4
Originally uploaded by TangleGirl

It is impossible to really enjoy the deliciousness of my newly felted clogs through this photo. The colors are rich; the fabric is soft and snuggly; they are an unalloyed good. Well, almost. They are still damp enough from the felting process that they make my feetses cold, so I can't wear them yet.
Today is Sunday - our farmers' market day and (drum roll) the Super Bowl. Being football watchers and foodies of a large caliber, this is one of the big annual holidays for my husband and me. It is our day to make an enormous sandwich (a muffaletta this year), buy a large quantity of deliciously unhealthy junk food, and sit on the couch watching TV drinking wine. I wish my decadent clogs were ready to join us!

Obscenity and degradation - felting without a top-loading washer *

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The unknown knitter *

The unknown knitter
Originally uploaded by TangleGirl

In my 'jammies doin' the freakin' I-cord thing. It was great to finish the purse body for Alex (niece) but then there were the 9 feet of I-cord to make. Yeah boy - I am the world's slowest I-cord maker. The niece may get the purse by the time she is 20 (she's 14 now).
"This is the cord that never ends, it just goes on and on, my friends. I once started knitting it, not knowing what it was, now I'll be knitting it forever - that's because it is the cord that never ends, it just goes on and on, my friends. I once started knitting it, not knowing what it was, now I'll be knitting it forever - that's because it is the cord that never ends....." Ad infinitum.

* This is a reference to the Unknown Comic from the gong show - if you are too young to remember that, just let it go. You'll never "get" a lot of my comments in this blog.