Quiet weekend

It was a fairly quiet weekend around the homestead.  Cooler temperatures and lovely sun. 

My hubby and I went to town on Saturday to pick up some more bags of potting mix/soil for use in the garden this summer. We priced out a few things but didn't purchase.  Stuff we were looking at wasn't on sale. 

I did, however, pick up some more seeds.  I think I have a sickness for the "cheapies" now.  I've had such good success with them the last few years. 

When I was going through my seed collection on Friday, and making notes of when to start the seeds, I discovered I was out of Zinnia seeds.  I *love* Zinnias in the garden.  I also noticed my marigold seeds were low in supply.  I love marigolds, too.  They remind me of my mother-in-law.  It was something we used to have in the flower garden when I lived in town and she and I both took turns purchasing them. 

Some of the flower youtube channels I've been watching talk about Straw and Stock flowers, so I thought I'd pick up a packet of those, since they were only 10 cents. 

The sweet peas are something new.  And broccoli, just because. 

I am very nearly on the cusp of being able to start planting seeds that need to be started at 12 weeks before last anticipated frost. Though, I will say, I probably could have started a few things already. 

Over the last week I joined a few gardening Facebook groups and people are all over the place, of course, in their seed starting. I wanted to find out when other soilblockers were starting seeds, and find other Zone 3b gardeners, and see when they are starting their seeds.  Seeds seem to be sprouting early for me and I should keep that in mind and be prepared to tend to some of these starts outside and possibly uppotting. 

A good example of growing wicked fast would be my broccoli plants. 

It doesn't look like broccoli to me. 

It's so dang tall. 

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it.  Let it keep going?  Toss it out? Everything else in that tray is growing at a slower, sturdier rate. This tray was never put on a heat mat. I guess the plants really like the soil? 

These photos are from Feb. 23.  There is one plant for every different pepper now.  

Poinsettia pepper seeds are a few years old. I'm not surprised they are taking their sweet time. 

Lumbre (XXX-Hot) from my sister-in-law.

Carolina Reapers in the front.  I think those seeds came from MIGardener.  What a difference in germination from the last ones I planted. My first Carolina Reaper seeds were ordered from Baker Creek. 

Another photo from Feb. 23 of the broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

My lettuce greens. In another day or so I should be able to harvest them. This photo is also from Feb. 23. 

I'm wondering about this lettuce. I'm trying to decide if the lettuce should be bigger.  I'm also wondering about some parts of the lettuce leaves, too. They look dried out. I have been giving fertilizer.  Too much light? I know it's not heat!  Whenever I do decide to harvest them, I will enjoy them. 

I feel like I'm saying "I'm" a lot in this post.  Anywho, I'm wondering if I should start taking quick video clips of the seedlings now, rather than photos.  Or, maybe a combo of both things? 

Other this things weekend involved throwing Furby out. 

Not really throwing her out. She needed to be out in the sun, I though. 

I know she doesn't look too happy in this photo, but I assure you she was enjoying the sun.  She was leaning on her side. Her feathers were super warm when I picked her up. 

Speaking of Furby and her shenanigans.  *ahem* 

My husband and I noticed that she perks up when some music plays.  We thought we'd test this and tried playing "Purple Rain" for her.  I didn't get my phone out in time to record her stand up and move over so she could get closer to the music. 

A WIP was pulled out of hibernation, as well. The February Month to Month by Stitching with the Housewives. The lettering was worked on and I'm really close to getting the F done. 

Does anyone else have problems Classic Colorworks twisting and knotting up on them? It's so frustrating. 

Currently we are experiencing some crappy weather. 

It starting raining this morning and has gradually changed to snow.  

Fat, heavy snow flakes that will go over the ice and make travel horrible. 

Furby June does not approve. 

Works in Progress Wednesday #3 for 2023

 It has been a hot minute since I last posted a works in progress post.  Just shy of a month. 

Working on my projects has slowed down dramatically. My hands. I do so much work with my hands that I need to give them a break. 

First up is my crochet blanket

Project Name: Inspired by Joy

Started: Dec. 26, 2022

Finished: 

Designer/Source: The Crochet Crowd

Yarn:

Color A - Red Heart - White

Color B - Caron One Pound - Rose 

Color C - Caron Jumbo - Rosewood

Colors: white and rose colors with hints of green.

Required Amount: I purchased two skeins of each color

Needle/Hook Size: 5.5 mm /  I/9

Gauge: beats me ; pattern calls for 13 dc x 6 rows = 4″ [10 cm]

Made For: Myself, maybe

Dye Lots: Will find that out later.

This weekend I completed part/chart 3.  Finally.  I've got 12 rows left to go, or thereabouts. 

I spent hours on it on Sunday, while watching Louisiana Law. Then decided to go one row in on part 4.  Then I had to call it quits. Crocheting that intently just trashed my hands. 

My last progress photo

Next is my vanilla sock.

Project Name: Vanilla socks

Started: Jan. 7, 2023

Finished: 

Designer/Source: My own pattern

Yarn: Patons Kroy sock yarn

Colorway: Mexicala stripes

Colors: oranges, red, purples and a smatter of blue and white

Required Amount: Two skeins of sock yarn. 100 grams

Needle/Hook Size: U.S. 1 (2.25 mm)

Gauge: beats me

Made For: Myself

Dye Lots: WL238520

I've made quite a bit of progress on this sock. 

I did something different when I picked up the gusset stitches and you can see them on the outside of the sock. 

This shot shows the progress markers from the last time I shared progress. 

Yes, I knit my socks inside out.  That is what I am most comfortable with. 

My next project is something that has been languishing for a while. 

Project Name: Stars and Stripes

Started: July 16, 2022

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Eszter Marjanovic of SubRosa Design Pattern out of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher

Fabric: 14 Count Aida by Zweigart, in "toast."
Pattern originally called for 36 count linen, in a light mocha color

Floss: I'm using the called-for colors in DMC

Stitch count: 74 x 122

Size: Too lazy to do the math right now

Needle Size: size 26

I had to make some mods to the project. I should have had the aida going the other way. There was no room for the border. Once I realized this I put the project in a time out until I wanted to decide what to do for a border. 

Bummer because I really liked the original border. 

I decided to go with a simple border all around.  I will turn this into a pillow.  The photo above shows the fabric I pulled from stash to make the back of the pillow.  Pillows aren't hard.  it's just a matter of me getting in to the craft room and taking care of it. 

Next is my snowflake. 

Project Name: #723 Snowflake

Started: Jan. 1, 2023

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Tiny Cross Stitches

Fabric: Aida cloth 14 count Hobby Lobby Zweigart. Aida has silver threads running through it. 

DMC floss in called for colors

747 ; 964 ; 995 ; 996 ; 3756 ; 3761 ; 3843 ; 3846 ; B5200

Colors: blues

Needle Size: 26

Made For: Myself. Maybe. I haven't decided yet if I want to give this away. 

I'm still trying to get the sparkles to show in a photo.  Can you see them? 

Last progress photo. 

A couple weeks ago I started a small quilt project.  It's a quilt pattern I received in a a Fat Quarter Shop sew sampler box last year. 

Project Name: Daydreams lap quilt

Started: Feb. 5, 2023

Finished: 

Designer/Source: Fat Quarter Shop

Fabric: Beautiful Day collection by Corey Yoder

Made For: Myself. 

I'm making the lap quilt size. 

I haven't made it very far in the fabric cutting. It's a start. 

I have grand plans of hanging it up in my bedroom. 

Finally, we have my sweet Furby June. 

Now that I consider her a work in progress.  Though I suppose she could be. She's currently hanging out with the hubby, listening to Everlong by the Foo Fighters.

I know I've mentioned that she's been behaving different the last little bit.  She looks out her window a lot. 

I'm pretty sure a squirrel comes and cruises by every day.  Maybe that is what she's looking for. 

Here's when she heard the camera click.  "Are you taking my picture?"

She doesn't have much of a view.  Currently she sees the wood wagon and a snow bank. Well, some snow falling, too. 

She definitely has a charmed life.  

Peppers!

 This was a pretty quiet weekend. Not much going on.  Nice weather. My husband and I spent some time outside, and running to Menards, checking on garden stuff and picking up some more potting soil. 

I checked on the seeds.

 and I spotted a bit of green in the pepper tray.  Some of the Big Jim Pepper seeds sprouted. 

And a few more ... 

I feel like I can relax just a little bit now. Peppers are sprouting. A bhut pepper and a habanero are up.  A jalapeno or two. 

I guess this side of the tray needs a bit more time. 

The nice thing about starting them this early is that I still have some time if they fail to sprout. 

Grow little peppers, grow. 

My other tray seems to be doing well, too.  The broccoli is growing big! 

A few of these seedlings are starting to get their first true leaves.  I don't think I have had seeds grow this fast before.  My husband commented that he doesn't recall seeds sprouting so fast for us.  I may have to do a bit of reading and see how soon I can have broccoli in the ground. 

My cabbage and cauliflower are growing at a more sedate pace.

It's all looking good. My cauliflower germination rate is better than the cabbage. I suppose one benefit to the soil blocking is not feeling bad about a cell being blank. I'll just toss the blocks that don't produce back into the soil tote. 

And I can't forget my lettuce greens. 

Twenty days since I sprinkled these lettuce seeds. In about a week I can start harvesting. Lightly harvesting, I suppose.  Still, though ... I'll have homegrown lettuce in late February. I've never had that before. 

Friday afternoon activities

 I had a little mishap this morning.  I hoped it wasn't going to set the tone for the day. 

My creamer pitcher fell out of the cupboard and landed on my butter dish. 

I've had that butter dish for at least 10 years. Perhaps the universe was telling me it was time to get a new one? 

Then I decided I would make a loaf of bread.  I have a breadmaker I picked up second-hand.  I hit start and I could tell the paddle wasn't moving.  *sigh* I dumped the dough out, knead it by hand and tossed the breakmaker in the garbage.  It will be a while before I decide to get a new one. 

Things could only go up from there, right? 

Well, yeah ... 

This afternoon I decided to make an apple crisp and make a batch of lemon curd. 

I think I missed the boat on the meyer lemons.  I LOVE meyer lemon curd. 

Lemon curd with regular lemons is *almost* just as good. 

Seedling check-in time. 

No peppers yet.  I know, patience.  I have them on a heat mat and it is set to 80 degrees. 

Almost all the broccoli sprouted. The cabbage and cauliflower is about 50 percent germinated. 

Those broccoli babies are so cute!

I lowered the lettuce plants today. 

When I looked at them this morning I noticed some sun scald on a few of the leaves. 

These babies were planted 17 days ago and sprouted about two weeks ago. 

I have two more shelves to fill up.  Well, technically two-and-a-half shelves.  I'm still reading and watching videos about soil blocking. I'm definitely feeling more confident about this seed starting method.

I'm pondering garden plans, still.  Coleous in the planters out front.  A butteryfly garden on the side. ... Morning glories in front of the solar panels. All possibilities are being considered.  Nothing set in stone yet. There is still several feet of snow on the ground. 

This is the first year I seem to be on the ball when it comes to cold stratification. 

I purchased a few new packets of flower seeds that I have struggled with the last several years. 

These are some seeds that I picked up this week.  I'm also going to try growing "fancy" radishes. I've been seeing a LOT about starting leeks and onions at this time of year, so I picked a packet of those up too. 

Poppies, morning glories, four o'clocks and a few other flower seeds are currently sitting in a container out in the garage. I'm going to do a bit more reading before I start these flower seeds.  

The poppies, however, I'd love to be able to start sooner than later.  One of my fondest wishes it to be successful with poppies. 

Snow storm .... blizzard?

 We have had such nice weather this last little bit.  False spring got me!

Last night it rained. This morning it was snowing. Weird weather. 

The driveway was so crappy I decided to keep my son home from school. There was no way he was going to get out the driveway. 

I tried driving his car.  Just backing up and I felt the car sink down in the the slushy, sloppy mess. 

Normally, I'm not one to be bested by weather. However, this stuff was yucky. 

Wind was howling and the snow was going sideways. 

Then, about noon, it stopped and the sun came out. 

Temperatures are supposed to steadily drop for the next few days.  Ice. Fun. ... 

However ... I have happy garden news. 

The first seeds for the garden have sprouted. My broccoli started popping up yesterday. I've been watching them break through the soil blocks and grow through out the day.  I'm not at all obsessed. 

Nothing for my pepper plants yet. I'll feel a lot better about them once I see them start sprouting.

Slowly, this green house is getting filled.

"What is that on top?" you may be wondering. 

Well, that's some lettuce. 

Back in January I spotted this all-in-one growing kit at Menards.  It was on sale for a wicked cheap price and I just had to give it a try. 

February 1 I watered the coco coir and sprinkled the seeds on top. 

On February 3 I saw the first little bits of green. By February 10 I was seeing true leaves.  Fun! 

It's so nice to see some green. 

Supposedly I can take the first harvest in 28 days. 

In the meantime I'm enjoying watching the mixed greens grow. 

The last several days I've been working on my Inspired by joy blanket.  Each side is now more than 120 stitches and takes me a lot longer than I think it should. 

I'm getting close to finishing off my first skein.  I'm so close to being done with the third part of this blanket.  Then *only* two more parts.