Well, so far I haven't killed anything. My seeds are now sprouting seedlings. The garlic is thriving and I will probably transplant it and a few others later this week. I really need to take pictures to document my progress. I was planning to possibly plant my cukes earlier than recommended, since we had several days of very high heat. I'm talking in the mid to uppers 80s. But Friday it rained and really lowered the temps into the mid 60, with about 40-50 degrees at night. I can't wait until it is time to plant the other things I am planning to.
I intend to plant bush tomatoes; hopefully Hatcher's will have Tumbler tomatoes, which are specifically developed to grow in containers. I am considering buying a pole designed to go in the ground to hold plants. That way they would get plenty of sunlight. I will also need a trellis for my cukes. The carrot seeds I bought are for a small variety called fingering, so I think a 12" pot would work just fine.
I went to the local Family Dollar and they sell very nice looking plastic pots for $2.00 apiece. I plan to put the herbs on the steps of my apartment. It faces east, so hopefully that will be enough light. If not, I will move them to the backyard. My main problem there is that (1 they are not as accessible and (2 the downstairs neighbor might not like it if I use the back stairs, since they go to her apartment. That is one issue I don't know how to deal with: the backyard is open to both apartment and I hope that she will not take my veggies without asking. Still, they aren't even planted yet, so I will worry about that if and when it comes up.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
New Hobby (I'm Insane)
So, despite money troubles, working my behind off at two full time jobs and already being obsessed with knitting, I have decided to try a new hobby: container gardening. In container gardening, instead of your plants being in the ground, everything is in pots. I intend to plant veggies and herbs instead of flowers and have already started with six different ones: garlic, sweet basil, oregano, cilantro, chives and parsley. I also intend to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and peppers later on in the summer, when it is warmer.
One thing that I hope will help is there is a large greenhouse in Ohio, Hatcher's Greenhouse, that recently bought a smaller one that is very close to my apartment. I spoke Saturday with the owner, who is a very nice lady and was very helpful, even though they are not actually open for about two more weeks. She even gave me a huge pot to use for my cucumbers when I plant them and some good advice. They also sell large bags of soil and fertilizer for much less then the local Walmart or Lowe's. Plus the fertilizer is organic.
I planted my herbs last Wednesday, the 14th and since most are not supposed to sprout for 7 to 14 days, I was not expecting much to happen yet. Well on Saturday, I was delighted to find that one of my garlic cloves was showing a tiny spike above the soil. Yesterday morning, before going to work, it was about an inch tall and the other two (I put three in the same pot and will soon need a bigger one) had emerged as well. There was nothing else visible in the other five pots. I opened the blinds so the sun could get in later (they are on a small dresser in my bedroom, which has an west facing window) and when I got home from work at 4 pm, I was amazed. The first of the garlic to emerge was almost an inch taller, the other two were about an inch each and teeny, tiny furls of green are visible in two of the other pots, the basil and the oregano.
At about 5:30 I decided to walk to a nearby Family Dollar and see if they had any pots and how much they were. They had several and while I don't plan on getting any until Saturday, it is nice to know that they have some and that they are fairly cheap. There were several that were 10” for $2.00 apiece. I will probably head there on Saturday and buy six or seven of them. When I got home, I looked at my pots again, and a new spike had emerged from the Chives. Still nothing in the last two, but hopefully, in the next few days if the weather cooperates and stays sunny. It has been very rainy and cloudy the last few days, which might have something to do with it.
I have never had much luck with plants before, but I discovered something that might help: looking at my tiny, green points and knowing that they are there because I planted and watered them is a lot like the pride I feel when I have finished a knitted item. The sense of “I made this” and also the knowledge that it won't always go right, that I will screw up. But, as with my knitting, there is the possibility of a due over, that I can try again until I get it right. Last week I was working on a sweater and was a good ways up, two inches of ribbing and four inches of the pattern, when I realized that my gauge was wrong and that it was coming out much to big. I ended up frogging and restarting. And it is possible to do that with my plants.
However, whenever I get into a new hobby or interest, I really get obsessed with it and tend to go way overboard, which usually ends up biting me in the rear when I get in over my head. So, I am going to take this very carefully. I am keeping a journal about what I am doing and how my actions affect the plants. That way, if I mess up, I will hopefully have an idea of why or can ask someone what I did wrong. On that note, I think that I will be a frequent visitor at Hatcher's. So here goes. Wish me luck!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Maryland Sheep and Wool Fri and Sat
Warning: This is a very picture heavy post.
In December of 2010, I decided to attend this year's annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in West Friendship, MD. The MDSW is one of the largest sheep and wool festivals on the East Coast. It is always held the first weekend in May. I ended up having a blast.
I was getting ready for the festival for several weeks before hand, buying food and supplies. I borrowed my dad's pickup truck and slept in the bed. The night before I left for Maryland, I spent the night at my grandmother's, because they lived in the direction I was going. At 7:30, I got on the road. Almost the entire trip was on various interstates; specifically: I-64, I-79, I-68 and I-70. It was an eight hour drive, and since I was by myself, I used a variety of different things to keep it from being boring, mostly listening to music and audiobooks on my Ipod.
Even though I only stopped three times on the way, twice to use the restroom and get a Maryland state map, and once to eat lunch, I didn't reach the campground were I would be staying until 3:30. The campground I was staying at was called Patapsco Valley State Park. There were several other people from Ravelry staying there, including Lucinda and Joe from New York, and Mike and Ruth from Pennsylvania.
I spent most of the afternoon fighting to keep my campfire lit. They sold wood at the campground, but it was green and difficult to keep lit. I ended up hunting the ground around my site and was able to find several pieces of wood that had been trimmed from the trees around my site. With them, I was able to get enough heat to roast a few hot dogs and make s'mores. However, when it came time to roast the hot dogs, I discovered I had forgotten both a can opener and a pot for the sauce, so ended up having my dogs with just ketchup.
After I ate, I wandered around the campground for a while. Half the people there were for the festival and many of those were on Ravelry. I met and spoke to the people around me, and found a few more. While talking to a few ladies who were all there together, we noticed that it was starting to look like it might rain and I headed back to my site. Because I was sleeping in the bed, I had very limited space in the bed of the truck, so put the remaining wood, and the cooler and plastic bin in the cab. I climbed in the truck at around 8:30, just as the rain started. It was soon to dark to read without the flashlight and I didn't want to use up the batteries, so at first I listened to music on my Ipod. I then decided that the rain was nicer and was soon asleep.
The next day, I got up at 7:30 in order to get to the festival early and get a good spot in the line for the t-shirts. That early, the traffic was not that bad, and I was parked and heading for the gate by 8:45. I got in line and ended up talking to a very nice lady named Patty who asked me about the sock I was knitting. She was knitting a hat for her mother for Mother's Day, and was unsure of how to use DPNs. I was able to answer her question easily and chatted with her and her husband as the line moved.
I was using a food saver bag with Marshall University on the side and was spotted by another knitter from Huntington. I ended up telling her about the local guild and invited her the next meeting. There were a few other guild members there, but I didn't see any of them. After I got my t-shirt, I headed out to check out the rest of the festival. The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and sunny and the fairgrounds were fairly crowded. This is the view from the top of the hill:
I started at the far end of the festival. MDSW has grown so much that this year there was an entirely new section at the bottom of the hill, by the sheep dog demos. I ended up buying an oz of CVM fiber. I then decided to concentrate mostly on fiber, to find as many different breeds as possible and play with them to see which I liked best.
After a quick stop for a lambburger from the boy scouts, I headed for the main barn. I ended buying a BFL grab bag from Bullen's Wullens, totalling 4 oz and was given a free CD spindle kit when I traded them several ones for a ten.
I then wandered through the barn until I found the booth I was most interested in: Golding Fiber Tools. I had been coveting a Golding Spindle for several years, but wanted to see and test them before buying one. I soon selected and purchased a Golding Tsunami in cherry wood, weighting 0.75 oz. It spins like a dream and is beautiful to boot, see:
I continued through the main barn, including checking out the items in the fleece sale. I ended up deciding that a raw fleece would have to wait for another year, even though one lady was interested in splitting a lovely gray Romney fleece with me, with about 4 pounds for each of us. I also spent an educational few minutes listening to one of the volunteers talk about the qualities of a good fleece. I continued on and bought a 4 oz braid of BFL from Cloverleaf Farms, colorway Spruce Goose:
After Cloverleaf Farms, I headed on through the main barn. My next purchase was at Shadeyside Farms, were I found about 3-4 oz of a Shetland-Icelandic cross. It is the fiber in the above pictures of my Golding. I then left the main barn and headed for the others. In barn 6 I made two more purchases of 4 oz of Jacob roving from the Jacob Sheep Breeder's Association and over a pound of cleaned, processed Romney for $15.00. I was told by several people that was a good price.
I then wandered through the other two barns. I decided to save the outside vendors in the North and East sections for Sunday. So, I headed to check out the sheep barns. Some people complain about the smell of the sheep, but to me, it smells of county fairs and I find it a comforting smell. In the sheep barns I made my last purchase of the day when I got about 3 oz of black Finn sheep. The lady selling it was very nice and through in a bit extra.
It was now about 5:30 and I was tired, so I decided to head back to the campsite.
This was my home away from home for the weekend:
I cooked dinner (more hot-dogs) and had a bit of show and tell with the other festival-goers in the campground. Some of the Ravelry people had a little get together around a fire-pit, and I didn't go to bed until 10:00. I ended up waking up at 3 am, from the cold and could not get back to sleep until I added a couple blankets my mom had insisted I bring. I texted her in the morning that she was right and got a text back saying I told you so.
The post for Sun and Mon will be posted later, it is getting too big.
In December of 2010, I decided to attend this year's annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in West Friendship, MD. The MDSW is one of the largest sheep and wool festivals on the East Coast. It is always held the first weekend in May. I ended up having a blast.
I was getting ready for the festival for several weeks before hand, buying food and supplies. I borrowed my dad's pickup truck and slept in the bed. The night before I left for Maryland, I spent the night at my grandmother's, because they lived in the direction I was going. At 7:30, I got on the road. Almost the entire trip was on various interstates; specifically: I-64, I-79, I-68 and I-70. It was an eight hour drive, and since I was by myself, I used a variety of different things to keep it from being boring, mostly listening to music and audiobooks on my Ipod.
Even though I only stopped three times on the way, twice to use the restroom and get a Maryland state map, and once to eat lunch, I didn't reach the campground were I would be staying until 3:30. The campground I was staying at was called Patapsco Valley State Park. There were several other people from Ravelry staying there, including Lucinda and Joe from New York, and Mike and Ruth from Pennsylvania.
I spent most of the afternoon fighting to keep my campfire lit. They sold wood at the campground, but it was green and difficult to keep lit. I ended up hunting the ground around my site and was able to find several pieces of wood that had been trimmed from the trees around my site. With them, I was able to get enough heat to roast a few hot dogs and make s'mores. However, when it came time to roast the hot dogs, I discovered I had forgotten both a can opener and a pot for the sauce, so ended up having my dogs with just ketchup.
After I ate, I wandered around the campground for a while. Half the people there were for the festival and many of those were on Ravelry. I met and spoke to the people around me, and found a few more. While talking to a few ladies who were all there together, we noticed that it was starting to look like it might rain and I headed back to my site. Because I was sleeping in the bed, I had very limited space in the bed of the truck, so put the remaining wood, and the cooler and plastic bin in the cab. I climbed in the truck at around 8:30, just as the rain started. It was soon to dark to read without the flashlight and I didn't want to use up the batteries, so at first I listened to music on my Ipod. I then decided that the rain was nicer and was soon asleep.
The next day, I got up at 7:30 in order to get to the festival early and get a good spot in the line for the t-shirts. That early, the traffic was not that bad, and I was parked and heading for the gate by 8:45. I got in line and ended up talking to a very nice lady named Patty who asked me about the sock I was knitting. She was knitting a hat for her mother for Mother's Day, and was unsure of how to use DPNs. I was able to answer her question easily and chatted with her and her husband as the line moved.
I was using a food saver bag with Marshall University on the side and was spotted by another knitter from Huntington. I ended up telling her about the local guild and invited her the next meeting. There were a few other guild members there, but I didn't see any of them. After I got my t-shirt, I headed out to check out the rest of the festival. The weather was perfect, 70 degrees and sunny and the fairgrounds were fairly crowded. This is the view from the top of the hill:
I started at the far end of the festival. MDSW has grown so much that this year there was an entirely new section at the bottom of the hill, by the sheep dog demos. I ended up buying an oz of CVM fiber. I then decided to concentrate mostly on fiber, to find as many different breeds as possible and play with them to see which I liked best.
After a quick stop for a lambburger from the boy scouts, I headed for the main barn. I ended buying a BFL grab bag from Bullen's Wullens, totalling 4 oz and was given a free CD spindle kit when I traded them several ones for a ten.
I then wandered through the barn until I found the booth I was most interested in: Golding Fiber Tools. I had been coveting a Golding Spindle for several years, but wanted to see and test them before buying one. I soon selected and purchased a Golding Tsunami in cherry wood, weighting 0.75 oz. It spins like a dream and is beautiful to boot, see:
I continued through the main barn, including checking out the items in the fleece sale. I ended up deciding that a raw fleece would have to wait for another year, even though one lady was interested in splitting a lovely gray Romney fleece with me, with about 4 pounds for each of us. I also spent an educational few minutes listening to one of the volunteers talk about the qualities of a good fleece. I continued on and bought a 4 oz braid of BFL from Cloverleaf Farms, colorway Spruce Goose:
After Cloverleaf Farms, I headed on through the main barn. My next purchase was at Shadeyside Farms, were I found about 3-4 oz of a Shetland-Icelandic cross. It is the fiber in the above pictures of my Golding. I then left the main barn and headed for the others. In barn 6 I made two more purchases of 4 oz of Jacob roving from the Jacob Sheep Breeder's Association and over a pound of cleaned, processed Romney for $15.00. I was told by several people that was a good price.
I then wandered through the other two barns. I decided to save the outside vendors in the North and East sections for Sunday. So, I headed to check out the sheep barns. Some people complain about the smell of the sheep, but to me, it smells of county fairs and I find it a comforting smell. In the sheep barns I made my last purchase of the day when I got about 3 oz of black Finn sheep. The lady selling it was very nice and through in a bit extra.
It was now about 5:30 and I was tired, so I decided to head back to the campsite.
This was my home away from home for the weekend:
I cooked dinner (more hot-dogs) and had a bit of show and tell with the other festival-goers in the campground. Some of the Ravelry people had a little get together around a fire-pit, and I didn't go to bed until 10:00. I ended up waking up at 3 am, from the cold and could not get back to sleep until I added a couple blankets my mom had insisted I bring. I texted her in the morning that she was right and got a text back saying I told you so.
The post for Sun and Mon will be posted later, it is getting too big.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Late Christmas post
Ok, Christmas come and (long) gone and I still have not posted all the projects I made, so here you go. (Just a warning, a few of these were taken on my camera phone, so they are not the greatest.)
Then, my brother asked me to make him some fingerless mitts after he saw a pair that I made for myself, so here they are:
Then both of my nieces got teddy bears (and Airianna's was literally finished Christmas Eve.) This is Airianna.
And this is Kira and her mom Kristen.
Then my nephew, Hunter got a scarf.
My mom got a pair of socks:
First off, Mamaw Rose's Clapotis shawl. She loved it and used it Christmas night after I gave it to her. 
Then, my brother asked me to make him some fingerless mitts after he saw a pair that I made for myself, so here they are:Then both of my nieces got teddy bears (and Airianna's was literally finished Christmas Eve.) This is Airianna.And this is Kira and her mom Kristen.Then my nephew, Hunter got a scarf.
My mom got a pair of socks:
And my Mamaw Mary also got a scarf:
I also knit about seven or eight dishcloths, but I am not posting all the pictures of they here, so if you really want to see them, check out my photostream at Flickr.com: WVrambler
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Pics and Progress
Well, the Christmas knitting is almost complete and here are the pictures of the finished projects that I have.
Then there is Mamaw Mary's scarf. I found the scarf I made her a few years ago in the utility room, so I guess she has been wearing it, but she said that is itches and I can not blame her; I knit it out of Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool, before I started going to LYS and not just shopping at the chain craft store.
My nephew, Hunter, is also getting a scarf. He has an olive green coat with orange detailing, so I am hoping this matches okay.
Mamaw Rose's Clapotis (the shawl is finished, but final pic will be her wearing it):
Then there is Mamaw Mary's scarf. I found the scarf I made her a few years ago in the utility room, so I guess she has been wearing it, but she said that is itches and I can not blame her; I knit it out of Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool, before I started going to LYS and not just shopping at the chain craft store.
My nephew, Hunter, is also getting a scarf. He has an olive green coat with orange detailing, so I am hoping this matches okay. And the last for today is a pair of fingerless mitts for my older brother, Bruce. They aren't finished yet, but should be by the end of the week. I am about 5 rows from the end, and then have to knit the mate, but it only took me from Monday evening until today to do the first. I am seriously think of making a pair for Mommy and a pair for myself also.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Progress Report
Okay, the move is over, except for some stuff at Mamaw Mary's but that is stuff that I can do without for the moment. The entire weekend was dedicated to work and moving. I went to work on Sat. made a quick run form storage to the apartment. Then went home and tried to sleep for a few hours. Tried is the key word there. My neighbor has a pit bull in his yard that belongs to his daughter, and I swear, that dog never shuts up! I gave up on sleeping after about two hours and worked on some knitting instead.
Then work Sunday night and let me tell you, a twelve hour midnight shift after no sleep is no fun. I then collected my older brother Bruce and we went to meet my uncle Chris for the moving. My dad had let me borrow his truck and Chris also had a truck, so it only took us two trips. It was a bit of a hassle to move the love seat in (the hazard of living upstairs). But they got it in and now I just need to unpack. I didn't realize I owned so many books. That is what the majority of the boxes held. I will be looking into donating some of them. The Kenova Public Library would probably like some, their budget was cut this past year.
There are still boxes all over the living room, the furniture needs rearranged and my bed is currently in pieces, but I started staying there Sunday evening. I was planning on staying at Mamaw's, but Mike's dog started up again, and it was a question of going to the apartment, or killing the stupid dog! So, I packed up some clothes and crashed on the mattress on the floor. It is so much easier to go to and from work form within town instead of having to drive 45 minutes one way! Though, I managed to spook Bruce and his family, and he spooked me. They can hear when I go up the stairs and he thought I was still at work when I can in. I was in the middle of taking out my contacts when the doorbell rang, and it is loud. It is an actual bell, rung by a clapper in the hall. I almost put one of my eyes out! So, I explained to Bruce that I get off work at midnight during the week.
Also, I have finished another Christmas gift. Mamaw Mary's cable scarf is finished. I literally finished it in on of my classes. Due to the fact that I didn't have any yarn other than kitchen cotton (it is still all at Mamaw's), I hunted Ravelry for a free dishcloth pattern. I will probably give it to someone out at Heritage Farm. Pics to be posted once I take them.
Then work Sunday night and let me tell you, a twelve hour midnight shift after no sleep is no fun. I then collected my older brother Bruce and we went to meet my uncle Chris for the moving. My dad had let me borrow his truck and Chris also had a truck, so it only took us two trips. It was a bit of a hassle to move the love seat in (the hazard of living upstairs). But they got it in and now I just need to unpack. I didn't realize I owned so many books. That is what the majority of the boxes held. I will be looking into donating some of them. The Kenova Public Library would probably like some, their budget was cut this past year.
There are still boxes all over the living room, the furniture needs rearranged and my bed is currently in pieces, but I started staying there Sunday evening. I was planning on staying at Mamaw's, but Mike's dog started up again, and it was a question of going to the apartment, or killing the stupid dog! So, I packed up some clothes and crashed on the mattress on the floor. It is so much easier to go to and from work form within town instead of having to drive 45 minutes one way! Though, I managed to spook Bruce and his family, and he spooked me. They can hear when I go up the stairs and he thought I was still at work when I can in. I was in the middle of taking out my contacts when the doorbell rang, and it is loud. It is an actual bell, rung by a clapper in the hall. I almost put one of my eyes out! So, I explained to Bruce that I get off work at midnight during the week.
Also, I have finished another Christmas gift. Mamaw Mary's cable scarf is finished. I literally finished it in on of my classes. Due to the fact that I didn't have any yarn other than kitchen cotton (it is still all at Mamaw's), I hunted Ravelry for a free dishcloth pattern. I will probably give it to someone out at Heritage Farm. Pics to be posted once I take them.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Moving and Christmas Knitting
Since July of 2009, I have been living with my grandmother after moving out of an apartment in Ceredo, WV. I love my Mamaw, but frankly, we do not see eye to eye. She is an utter neat freak, while I see nothing wrong with having things on the floor if there is no other place around my to put them. This mostly includes books, various knitting projects, and occasionally dishes. She tends to freak if everything is not 'in its place'.
So, this week, I took steps to relieve both of us: I rented an apartment. I told my older brother, Bruce that I was looking for a place and he told me that the apartment above his is empty and that the landlord wanted to rent it out to me for less because I was Bruce's sister. We checked it out on Monday and I signed the lease. It is a very nice apartment, a one bedroom, and I also have the attic space for storage. I got the electric on on Tuesday and the water today. I also had to have a fridge put in, but it is now there. Also, the last tenant left a couch behind because the stairs are steep and narrow and he didn't want to deal with moving it out. Now, I just have to deal with moving my stuff in. I am trying to get my Uncle Chris to help with the furniture, so Daddy does not have to. He is 56 and moving the love-seat, and dresser (the largest stuff I own) is hard on him.
Also, it gives me more time for knitting. I am now living within walking distance of Marshall University, and on 25 minutes away from work, as opposed to 45 minutes away. So, it will save me a lot in gas.
And speaking of knitting, I am currently in the middle of knitting Christmas gifts. I have finished one, have two on the needles and am planning several more, although most of them are small enough to finish in a day (I hope). Here is the breakdown for my Christmas knitting:
Mamaw Mary: Twisted Cable Scarf-50%
Mamaw Rose: Clapotis-finished
Bruce (brother): fingerless mitts-planned with yarn in stash
Hunter: scarf-planned with yarn in stash
nieces : Ruby Bear-one 75%, other one planned
everyone else: soap socks-planned
So, this week, I took steps to relieve both of us: I rented an apartment. I told my older brother, Bruce that I was looking for a place and he told me that the apartment above his is empty and that the landlord wanted to rent it out to me for less because I was Bruce's sister. We checked it out on Monday and I signed the lease. It is a very nice apartment, a one bedroom, and I also have the attic space for storage. I got the electric on on Tuesday and the water today. I also had to have a fridge put in, but it is now there. Also, the last tenant left a couch behind because the stairs are steep and narrow and he didn't want to deal with moving it out. Now, I just have to deal with moving my stuff in. I am trying to get my Uncle Chris to help with the furniture, so Daddy does not have to. He is 56 and moving the love-seat, and dresser (the largest stuff I own) is hard on him.
Also, it gives me more time for knitting. I am now living within walking distance of Marshall University, and on 25 minutes away from work, as opposed to 45 minutes away. So, it will save me a lot in gas.
And speaking of knitting, I am currently in the middle of knitting Christmas gifts. I have finished one, have two on the needles and am planning several more, although most of them are small enough to finish in a day (I hope). Here is the breakdown for my Christmas knitting:
Mamaw Mary: Twisted Cable Scarf-50%
Mamaw Rose: Clapotis-finished
Bruce (brother): fingerless mitts-planned with yarn in stash
Hunter: scarf-planned with yarn in stash
nieces : Ruby Bear-one 75%, other one planned
everyone else: soap socks-planned
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