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June 22, 2011

Who'd 'ave thunk?

Who would have thought that this silly little sockette would be able to create such a fuss?  First I cast on a couple of extra stitches than I normally would for a stockinette sock.  It was okay, because I was going to knit the foot as a ribbed sock, but I didn't.  I used the wrong ribbing pattern and everything... so rip.. I had to rip it right back and cast on a second time.   This time I got it right, knew I was going to do plain stockinette.  I got to the heel flap and even marked down my rows so I could make sure it was right.   I turned the heel, picked up the gusset stitches and started the decreases.  Something looked wrong though and ended up ripping it back to the gusset stitches and starting them all over again...  I was wrong though.  After about an inch of knitting, I realized that the sock still looked wrong.  It was too small.   I counted the rows on the heel flap and sure enough, I'd marked down that I'd knitted more rows there than I had.  That's a new mistake for me, 'cause I've never done that one before!    Rip.... back to the heel flap.   It's all good now though.  I've added the extra few rows, turned the heel and finished the gusset.   It should be plain knitting until I get to the toe! 

Today in the garden, I ripped out the Arugula, Spinach and Radishes which were going to seed.  We've had lots of salads with the first two, but nary a radish this year.   Imagine my surprise when I dug them up and sure enough, there were finally radishes.. a few only, but enough to make a nice salad for dinner tonight.   I've still got lettuces growing, leaf lettuce mixture and romaine, which has actually headed up this year.  I've replanted Arugula and summer heat tolerant lettuces. 

Then I noticed that the first waterlily of the season has blossomed.  It's not quite fully open yet, but it's pretty.

Two winters ago, I tried winter sowing for the first time.   Of the two containers I planted, one seed germinated.  It was an Elecampane.   I grew this plant only because it is mentioned in medieval cookery books and in a few places about dyeing.   I'd never seen an Elecampane plant before and had only seen a photo of the flowers.   I planted the one lone seedling and it just sort of survived the summer.  I half expected it not to come back this spring.  It did, first with one small leaf, then two.   Today there are a number of leaves coming up as well and I have hope that I might actually get a flower head.   However, I was totally unprepared for the size of the foliage.  The leaves are huge, massive things which make me wonder if I've planted this poor plant in the wrong place.  None of the photos I've seen since show any of the elephantine leaves of this plant!  

The little pink flowers are Goutweed..  I've been trying to get rid of the nasty thing for two years now.   I swear the darned stuff in invincible!

1 comment:

  1. argh, elecampane.... I had several seedlings, they all thrived and I made the mistake of planting them all - in one flowerbed! 2 years later nothing but those giant plants grew, because they outshaded everything:(( it took me several years to remove all root parts bar one - and every year I ended up with those gigantic leaves/plants again. the flowers look a bit like measly sunflowers and the dyeing - well, let's just say that there are enough yellow dyeing plants around, so that there's no need to keep more than one plant:)) they are medicinal plants though, if I am not mistaken useful with coughs? the water lily though - gorgeous, I wish I had some of those! will I ever get my pond done???
    good luck with the sock - it can only get better, eh?:))

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