More Desert

Okay, I realize that this isn't supposed to be a desert blog, but indulge me -- it's my sandbox.

Ina asked in the comments to "Spring is Springing" if the ferny foliage behind the bird of paradise is from the bird itself. Here's the pic:
Yes, indeed, the ferny foliage belongs to the bird of paradise. It's a woody shrub or tree, and like many trees native to the Sonoran (I've never lived in any other desert, so I don't know about them) it has tiny leaves in these fern-like configurations which make the trees look very airy. So there must be some advantage in this climate to having lots of small leaves rather than a few large ones. Another thing I'm sure must have some adaptive advantage is the bearing of leguminous (?) seeds. The bird of paradise, mesquite, palo verde, ironwood and a number of other viney/shrubby things all bear seeds in pods like beans or peas.

In knitting news, I have about 8" of the back of Isabella done. No pics, sorry. I also received a shipment from Kollage to start test knitting another pair of socks for Anastasia. This one is a ribbed pattern rather than lace (probably good given my recent issues with lace). No pics there, either.

Until I have something more exciting to say....

Phew!

The in-laws are gone, and Tucson is once again ours. Goodness what a trying week. I have debated with myself whether or not I wanted to post about it, and I've decided I would rather my blog stay a (mostly) positive place. So, suffice it to say that we're glad they're back in Rhode Island, and that Tucson was sufficiently "different" (and therefore, in FIL's mind, BAD) that they will likely NOT be considering it as a new retirement destination.

To distract you from the fact that there's no real knitting to report on (alligator scarf IS done, but I haven't photo'd it yet), I'll just share yet more pictures of the desert.

The morning of day 1 of the visit was spent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, one of our favorite places in Tucson (well, it, like us, is actually in Marana, I think). It's not really a museum, not really a zoo, not really a botanical garden, not really a wild animal park, but it has aspects of all of them and is internationally renowned in those circles. Anyhoo, some views of the day (oh, since all these are on Flickr, clicking on them will get you to the larger version):
A crown(ed?) saguaro that sits outside the entrance of the Museum. This is a small and not very spectacular specimen (for a great one, see here), but it is an interesting view of an odd mutation.

A "century plant" (agave) -- well, two really -- sending up its one flower. Agaves grow for many years (though probably not the 100 that gives them their nickname), storing up large quantities of sugar in their hearts; then, in one spectacular season, they send up these enormous blooms and then die. This one (on the left) is near or over 10' tall, but was only a nubbin when we moved here last October. The one on the right probably bloomed last year.

This little guy came out to say hi while we were sitting in the shade outside the hummingbird enclosure. I especially like how he was kind enough to sit in a spot of sunshine for his closeup.

I am especially proud of this photo, snapped just as the parrot turned his head. The museum (in addition to a hummingbird enclosure) has a walk-in aviary where you can get up close and personal with a lot of birds (and mice, and tarantulas). That's where this guy lives.

Daddy bighorn is always willing to pose for photos. By the time we got to this enclosure, the rest of the family was hiding in the shade -- hard to photograph.

This little squirrel just appeared at our feet as we were investigating the agave garden:
More agaves doing their once-in-a-lifetime blooming.

I call this guy "Buddha Prairie Dog". He was sharing his enclosure with the rest of the prairie dog family and this guy:
That's a roadrunner (beep! beep!).

Back at home now -- a couple days before the ILs arrived. This is one agitated Mommy and Daddy quail. Why?

Some horrible human was taking pictures of their babies. This one you might want to click on to go to Flickr where I've added notes showing where the (very well camouflaged) babies are (there are 5 of them).

Just a few pics, eh? I promise that now that life is somewhat back to normal, I will try to post regularly again. First up, finished photos of the alligator scarf.

Oh, and in exciting news, I've picked up some more sample/test knitting assignments. M's senior pastor thinks it's quite cool that I can get paid to knit.

Toodles!

Happy Feet and More

The socks I've decided to re-dub Happy Feet are moving along. Felt like I stalled on them for a while, but last evening got the heel turned and a big chunk of the leg done. The heel is a garter-stitch short-row heel for a very critical design purpose: I didn't feel like purling.

Gratuitous close-up of said heel. I love how the garter stitch makes the holes vanish.

Now to keep K2P2 until I run out of yarn -- then make another to match. Still not sure where these'll end up. They're a little big for my feet which gives them a wider potential for gift giving (it's a wool sock yarn, and this is Tucson, so they're not going to get a lot of wear if they stay here). I've got some ideas, though, of who'd really like them, especially the bright colors.

In finished object news:

Pattern: Skull Charms Reusable Swiffer Cover
Yarn: Peaches 'n Creme #1 (White) and #173 (Spring Meadows) -- probably the equivalent of about 1/2 ball each.
Needle: #7 Brittany Walnut
Mods: Since I was making this one for my Wet Jet, I did three complete pattern repeats rather than the 2.5 called for in the pattern.

You can always use more cleaning supplies, and when I finished the Horseshoe Lace Socks and the Baby Sweater, I was at a small loss for what to do. When in doubt, knit a dishcloth (or, in this case, a Swiffer cover).


Pattern: Well, it started out as the Made With Love Baby Sweater, but it ended up being more my own top-down baby sweater.
Yarn: Peaches 'n Creme #173 (Spring Meadows)
Needle: 24" Addi Turbo #7
Mods: Changes made from the Made With Love pattern: no hearts; seed stitch borders; added a few stitches to make up for gauge difference

This sweater is very cute, and I do hope that the family likes it. It's a little bigger than newborn size, so it should still fit in the fall when it starts getting cool in the Pacific Northwest. I also really like the buttons:

Bibs also have buttons:



Not sure what's next. Thought I might just focus on getting a substantial portion of the Dr. Who Scarf done (Ravelry link); also thought I might swatch for Isabella. We'll see what happens.

Of course, my new consulting gig is keeping me somewhat busy (I don't think it breaks any confidentiality to say I had no idea there were so many web sites where you could book a hotel room in Paris) as I learn the ropes. And the church's web site is proving to be a bit of a challenge (specifically getting a podcast of the weekly services up and running). Alas, it keeps me off the street.

I leave you today with some glimpses of spring in the desert:
[Note to my father: that's a tree behind the rose bush.] The unusual pink rose on one side of our driveway. The colors are beautiful, but the bloosoms are unlike any roses I've seen:
See the one in the lower left of the pic? It's an almost completely flat single layer of petals. I do love the color of these.

This is the rose on the other side of the driveway. That part sticking up at top, I swear it wasn't there last week. This one was a late bloomer (it didn't even have buds when the other one started blooming), but it's making up for that in sheer quantity. Not only is it covered with blooms, but it's also still covered with buds. Color is much deeper than shown here -- a really beautiful rosy burgundy. And the blooms are very robust:

And finally, this "I haven't a clue what it is" tree which grows just outside our front door was covered with honeybees this morning:

Okay, so it's probably not the smartest thing to do in Arizona, getting that close to a honeybee (and I WAS that close, these pics are taken with a very old 2.3 megapixel Olympus -- no fancy lenses or attachments here), but since none of them seemed to get agitated -- and the house hasn't come under attack in the last hour -- I'm guessing these ladies are not africanized.

Spring Fever!

Today we packed snacks, water, sunblock, hats, a camera and the dog into the car and headed to Picacho Peak State Park for the day. It was glorious (sunny, temps in the mid-70s), and the poppies are in bloom, so the mountain was gorgeous.

Just some views of the day:





That last pic is of the "skeleton" of a saguaro cactus (yes, they're trees, and their internal structure is wood). That lumpy thing on the front is the remains of a bird's nest:

When the woodpecker (often a Gila woodpecker or a gilded flicker) is building its nest, it first drills down into the soft flesh of the cactus. Then it leaves for a while, during which time the cactus heals over the wound by creating a nice solid nest for the bird. Then he returns to find a mate and raise a family. When the cactus dies and the soft flesh all rots away, you're left with the wooden skeleton and the bird nests.

Oh, the woodpecker will usually only stay in the nest for a season or two before something else (another bird, a snake, whatever) takes over.

And Pupper would like to tell you that he climbed a mountain and everyone at the park thought he was just adorable. Here is is enjoying a well-deserved rest in the shade:

Really, our ancient, arthritic dog bounded up the hill (no, not the high peak, just a lower overlook) like a puppy. Down was a little more cautious, but, then again, it was for the Mommies, too.

Progress continues on the newly-discovered Tucson Ribbed T. Am anxious to finish and wear it (if it still fits). But now I'm off to rest a bit. After spending the entire weekend in bed with what we feared was the flu when I woke up with incredible joint pain at 2:30 Saturday morning -- but I never had a fever, and today I've just got a lingering sore throat and a bit of exhaustion -- I don't think I should push it too much.

PS. Last night we got tickets to next Monday afternoon's ST game between the Rockies and the D'backs. Second row behind first base. We're looking forward to it.

What the....? (and some forgotten FOs)

So, I live in the desert. Yes, the desert, where it rains a few inches a year, the landscape is mostly sand and rock, and the water in my betta's bowl needs to be topped off every two days. That desert.

Then why, I have to ask, did I find this in my backyard?!

Yep -- that's a dandelion. And it's not alone:

But, I'm not going to dwell on it (nor am I inclined to use the weed killer the owners left in the garage). For now, I'll just pout, knowing that come the heat of summer, they'll be GONE.

And now, some FOs I'd forgotten about.


Circus Monkeys!
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta #15, 1 ball
Needles: US 1, 2.25mm 40" circular -- magic loop style
Mods: The same as the ones I made on Jennifer's Monkeys: no purls in the pattern; slip stitch heel; and who knows what else, since I stopped reading the pattern after the first repeat. Oh, and I did just an ordinary 1x1 rib rather than the twisted rib the pattern calls for.

These were finished on the drive out, and I've worn them a lot since. Shortly after we got here I found a pair of flourescent peach (you'll have to trust me on the color) Ked-like sneaks that match these socks perfectly.

And yet another Baby Surprise:

Pattern: Baby Surprise by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino DK, 3 balls
Needle: The same Susanne Ebony #6 that I've used on all of my Baby Surprises.

I made this one just because. Yep, just wanted to make a Baby Surprise (I love this pattern). So, if anyone knows someone who needs one....

Mitts Off My Lunch!

Sitting there, knitting and minding my own business this morning, I hear a loud THUD into the family room window. Looking out to see if the birdie is okay, I see this:



No, the poor dove is most definitely NOT okay. He's lunch. That's a sharp-shinned hawk (an adult, even though he's very small) with one of the plethora of doves who hang out in our yard. He was kind enough to stay there while I ran for the camera.

This is the mark left on the window by the dove as it tried to escape: