Ferns, beads, strawberries, yarn

Random fact Tuesday! Video Kill the Radio Star was actually the first video to show on MTV. Ha.

This Saturday we went hiking. There were many birds, several shy chipmunks, one tremendously not-shy deer and ferns. Lots of ferns.

Heading into dusk at Oxbow Regional park

This is for Kristen: Frances the cat is healthy and well and shedding everywhere (as usual). It's been a little cooler lately so she's back to sitting on her peeps, especially when they're trying to sleep.


Sunday I was useless but I did some weeding, so I wouldn't feel like a total blob. This is the finished shot. These are the Great Parking Strip Reno' of 2007's ground cover plants: alpine strawberies (Fragaria Chiloensis, var 'Lipstick'). They seem to be pretty happy so far.
all those offshoots are new

Lately I've just wanted braindead knitting. No thinking, no figuring, no worrying if it will fit, no gauge freakouts. Just the lace and books on tape, thanks. Lump o' lace:

What, you want to see the pattern? Picky, picky. Is this better?
The background is interesting, it alternates K2tog with knit&purl into the same stitch. I haven't seen that in any other pattern. The yarn's Jaggerspun Zephyr in bottle green. (I've been on a serious green kick lately. Faina: green. Silk lace stole: green. And now this. Hmmm.)

The beautiful stitch markers are from the lovely and talented Kristen, and you can own some of your very own if you like. These are the smaller size - the needle I'm using is uh, um. 3.25 mm/US 3? Either that or a 3.5mm. The markers work great. Thank you Kristen!

I did go to the bead show on Saturday. It was overwhelming, like the first time I ever walked into a good yarn store after I started knitting, only even moreso. I've never been to Stitches or a big fiber festival, I imagine it must be like that. Thousands, MILLIONS of beads. I didn't have a lot of time so I skipped mostly of the findings and metal beads completely (sigh). Beads seem like hifi equipment or kitchen gadgetry: if you want to spend the money, there are people who cater to the insanely rich/obsessed.

I got some dyed deep-red pearls to make myself a necklace and um, a few other things. Resistance is always so low when I'm just getting introduced to a new craft. Walking around gawping at all the displays, I had an realization that one of the reasons I took up knitting and crochet was that I wanted an excuse to have and touch yarn. I saw all that gorgeous stuff and even bought a few skeins, but I didn't have a use for it (yes, I admit, I bought yarn before I even knew what to do with it. Go ahead and laugh.) Beads seem to be sucking me in similarly.