More Hints of Spring

 

It snowed yesterday, all day.   It snowed 2 days ago as well.  It snowed every day this week  but Tuesday.  So far it's not snowing today either.  The fields and gardens were covered in snow this morning.  Thankfully most of it has melted and there are just a few patches left.  There is snow in our driveway too, which is odd as it is a sheltered nook.

We're supposed to keep our snow tires on until the middle of April and its springs like this which make us appreciate them.  It's supposed to be spring, and the cold weather and snows suggest it's not quite there yet.

I found these crocuses hidden by an old barrel that had been used as a planter eons ago.  Usually it's hidden by lilacs, mallows and an as of yet unidentified fuchsia perennial so I don't really notice it.  There is a lilac growing out of it, so it's going to be difficult to remove the old barrel until it completely falls apart.  Still this little patch of crocuses was a joy to see.

I was also surprised by  this tiny patch of Glory of the Snow blooming.  Two days ago it was just a few green leaves just starting to show.  With yesterday not even getting above freezing in temperatures, I thought it could be next week until they bloomed.

The squill or Scilla is also starting to bloom.  I love the dark blue of the flowers.  There are so few true blue flowers that I find these special.   They are early bloomers for sure.   The planting instructions suggest that they need well drained soil.  They have volunteered themselves, and moved to the bed in front of the barn and chicken coop, which is where all the snow melt and run off drains in a winter and spring like this.  Hardly well drained, yet still they bloom.

 The ground around the whole place is still soft and boggy in places.  I've worn my wellies more this spring than in ages, just because a) I found a new pair that are acceptable and b) the ground has been soft, wet and squidgy for weeks now and not fun to walk on or wade through, depending on the day.

I've spun 100 g of this gorgeous pink yarn.  My friend A gave it to me and I've decided that I'll make a pair of mitten from it.  It's a colour of pink I really like and mittens will mean I get to wear them for months and months next winter.   I've 2 bobbins of it.  I haven't decided if I want to ply them together, or ply it with another colour.  I'd prefer not have barber pole striping on the yarn though, so I guess that suggests what I should do.

I'd like to knit the mittens in pink and grey, but I only have grey Icelandic on hand right now.  Icelandic is a dual coat, so this one has a very soft, pale grey undercoat and a darker grey outer coat which is fairly harsh.   It's a striking fleece, but I'm not sure I want to deal with it right now as it still needs washing and processing, which seems like a lot of work for a pair of mittens.