The Dead Zone – “It’s alive!”

April 1, 2012 at 9:48 am (DIY, Gardening)
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Last weekend, Tom & I did a lot of gardening to add some life to the dead zone.  I built the planters from y previous post.  I think the came out pretty good!

I am so excited, some of the plants that I was sure died last year are coming back.  I the top right corner of the picture above are Geraniums!  They died off completely last year, but the Geraniums in another area of the courtyard stayed green all winter, so I was sure these were goners.  But there they are! Last year my mother-in-law wanted to get rid of some ferns (score- free plants).  They turned brown and dies after the transplantation, but they are popping up this spring!

 

Here is the work on the planters.  They are both constructed with 2×6′s and 2×2′s.

For the larger planter, we cut 6 pieces of  2×6′s at 5′ each, 6 pieces at 2′ and four pieces of the 2×2 at 16″ for the inner corners.

For each of the smaller planter, we cut 4 pieces of  2×6′s at 2,5′ each, 4 pieces at 1,5′ and four pieces of the 2×2 at 10.5″ for the inner corners.

A little stain goes a long way!  I love the color :)

We cut holes in the back of the planter to run a soak house through the planter so no watering will be required.  I filled the planters with some bulbs that like shade, I hope they come up soon.

I also got new stones for a path back to the bird feeder by the planters.

Heidi likes gardening, it means she gets to hang out outside all day!

 

Today, I am planing on adding some more dirt to the planters (there has been some settling), planing more seeds on the roof, and plant morning glory seeds along the fence.  If I get the time, I have more stones for a path back to the hose.  It would be nice not to have to walk through the plants and dirt every time you need to get the hose!

I will have re-post when all the planters are up!

 

 

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The Dead Zone

March 17, 2012 at 11:33 am (DIY, Gardening, Nature)
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Our courtyard has an area I call “The Dead Zone”.  It is a large area were nothing has grown since the building did tuck pointing 2 1/2 years ago.

Another problem with this area is inconstant watering.  So I am planning on getting some soak hoses with a timer, luckily, the current house is just around that right corner!  I have some plans for this area that I hope to complete this spring. I think added some planter boxes can add some height and interest to this spot.  My husband needed a visual ot make my palns more clear, so I created this in paintbrush on my Mac (sorry, it is not very good, I am no graphic designer!)

I also need to update the path on the side, I am hoping to get some thicker stones…maybe read to go with the bricks of the building. :)

I need to look into some more shade friendly plants, but I  planning on using periwinkle as ground cover for some large brown areas..

The area used to be filled with ivy, which looked great, but it keeps climbing the building and causing damage.  But periwinkle not only does not climb, but has some nice flowers all spring and summer long!!

 

I know I have not picked up my knitting needles in some time…today is so nice outside.  There were cardinals, robins and starlings everywhere! I took a ton of flower pictures!Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!!!!!

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Beautification Commitee

March 11, 2012 at 4:27 pm (DIY, Gardening, Nature)
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We live in a condo in a building that was converted to condos in the ’90s.  It used to be a very old factory so it has some great exposed brick walls and high ceilings with think beams.  Last year we started a beautification committee to try to get some of the community areas looking a little better.   We have a very shady courtyard in front of the building and a rooftop deck with a grill.  The roof only had one old plastic picnic table that was starting to bow and a grill and some plastic chairs that you would have to bungee to the railing so the wind would not move them around.  Last year, my husband and I focused on the roof top.  We build some slated benches, an planter bench.

 

 

 

All of the plans for these benches are from the book

Big Book of Home How-To (Better Homes & Gardens (Paperback))Big Book of Home How-To (Better Homes & Gardens by Better Homes and Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

We added a picnic table and recycled the old picnic table. We took the old picnic table apart and replaced the plastic with wood.  We repainted the metal and stained all the wood.  I love the result.

Here is the before for the rooftop last year

and the after:

 

 

In the courtyard, I tried planting some free plants I was able to get and bought some 50% off bulbs.  He bulbs were on sale, because it was the end of the season and most of these bulbs did not come up.  We also have a big problem with too much shade in the courtyard.

We added some bird houses and bird feeders and a  bird bath as well. I put some old yarn in a suet holder for the birds.

 

 

 

 

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I think the birds are appreciating it!

 

We also had one member find this great sculpture.  I think it looks great.

 

 

We tried adding a path, but the stones are very thin, and it seems to have sunken.

We bought some large planters and filled them with some bight flowers for the summer.  This winter, we but some evergreens in there so there was still some color for the winter.

Today was such a beautiful day (60′s and sunny!!!!!), we bought some flower seeds and painters plastic.  I am hoping this woks so we can save some money on plants for this year. We planted the seeds in the pots on the roof and covered it with the plastic and some painters tape to create a little green house.  We see what happens!

 

This year, we need to do some replanting in the pot on the roof and in the courtyard.  I also would like to find some more shade appropriate plants.  I am also planning on adding a soak hose a with a  water timer for the largest area of the courtyard.  The hose would not have to cross the sidewalk here. and this area is looking really bad because we did some tuck pointing that killed everything.  We know refer to this area as “the dead zone”.  I am really hoping I an fix this.  I will have to post more when I have more definite plans for this year.

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Project Yarnway – Back to the drawing board

March 7, 2012 at 11:01 am (DIY, Knitting, My Designs, Project Yarnway)
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I loved my original idea for my Project Yarnway – Night at the Opera challenge, but when I started working with the beads and thread, it was not coming out they way I wanted.  The beads are really a pain to work with and I was planning on using a lot.  So I am making some serious revisions to the design. Sorry, I had a red pen, but this should be black!

I found a purse form (YEAH!)

and got some shiny silver fabric and different yarn that has some shimmer to it.  My new plan is to cover the plastic purse for both sides with the fabric and knit the same shape in an eyelet diamond stitch with some beads included.

 

The stitch should look like this in black with some beads included.

I love the large beads I got and I am hoping I can sew these one over the closure.  Still have to figure that part out.

I hope this new design works better!

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The Island

March 4, 2012 at 12:10 pm (DIY, Island, Nature)
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Last June, I got married.  One month later, we bought a small island in the Rock River in Illinois.  We both love camping, boating, fishing and the outdoors so this little property seemed like a perfect fit for us. And it is so nice to get out of the city on the weekends.  This island is only a 2-2.5 hour drive from home.  The island is long and skinny, but has 7.5 acres.  :)   Tom wants to name the island Elizabeth Anne Island (after me) which is fitting.  The island next door is Margret Fuller Island.

The south end of the island overlooks the dam.  What a great view.

The north end of the island is shallow and you can walk across to another island that is owned by the state.  There is also a fallen tree and a  beaver dam between the two islands.

Here is the secret back entrance to the beaver’s house.

 

The island has lots of trees, but only silver maple and black walnut.

Most of the trees have holes in them….I love that.  I want to add little doors!

 

And a lot of the island is just mud or stinging needles where ever there is shade ….that plant seems to thrive on the island  :(   Those plants are MEAN…you brush against them and you are suddenly So itchy!!!

The west side of the island gets a little more sun, so there there was a lot of plants and bushes (and stinging needles) that were over 4 feet tall.  So I cut a path so you can now walk the whole island.

The island has been left to nature for about 40 years from what we were told, so the trees are huge and there is a lot of garbage and sticks that have washed up onto the island over the years.

There was a shed of some kind on the island once, the remains of it were still there. A tree fell on it!

The island does have some raccoons, we have seen the tracks.  They seem to be digging up some clams. to eat and they leave the shells laying around.

 

An island does pose certain challenges. There is not power or bathroom (yet).  We also know that there must have been power of some mind on the island once, because there are two old refrigerators still on the island near the shed remains.  We were also told the island floods every spring, so building any cabin is also a problem.  But we have so many ideas for this place.

So last year, we built a dock using these plans

 

 

and a picnic table from a kit

and we started clearing some of the old garbage and sticks and planted some grass that can survive in deep shade. We are really hoping the grass may take over a little an push out some of the stinging needles.  At least on the area we tent in!  We also added a solar power motion detection light by the dock.  It comes on as soon as you walk out on to the dock at night.

This year we are planting some different types of trees an adding some shade friendly plants like hostas.  For construction, we want to  build an outhouse, an outdoor shower and either a yurt or a tree house.

 

I think we are leaning toward the tree house so it would be up high and out of the flood plain. Tom found some building plans for little houses/cabins that are made out of pallets.  The site shows these can be completed in a few days!  So far I think this is our favorite of all the cabin ideas.  Build a platform in the trees like any tree house, then use pallets to build the tree house up quickly.

 

 

Here are some more great pictures from the island form last year.

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Frustration

February 27, 2012 at 6:13 pm (Knitting, Project Yarnway)

I finally got around to making a small swatch for my Project Yarnway challenge.  It did not go as planned.  :(   I am have a difficult time figuring out how to use the larger beads unless I sew them on later and the small beads just did not sit well in the knitted swatch.  I have never knitted with beads before and I had no idea what a pain in the %*& that is.  I am torn….keep on trying, change the stitch, get actual yarn that not embroidery floss so it goes or little faster or scrap the whole idea…..

Maybe I just have cabin fever.  I am SO sick of winter already.  It just has been so cold the past few weeks, but the flowers are starting to come up and I have been seeing some of the seasonal birds like the cardinals, robins and finches are back.  I have winter.  Can’t wait for the summer….I’ll have to post about my little island next time…..

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Slow Progress (Lack of Motivation?)

February 21, 2012 at 5:03 pm (Uncategorized)

I feel I have been working on these gloves way to long…I started back in January and I am still not finished with one.  Close but not quite.  In my defense, I have had to make a LOT of adjustments to the pattern,  my husband’s hands are as wide as the pattern, but not as long.  The original pattern looks a lot like what I have done below, but the waste yarn is there to add a cap to the gloves.

With the cap it looks like, I still need to add a cap for the thumb:

I also need to get started on my Project Yarnway challenge project, but I know what a mess that will be as soon as I open up all those beads!!!!  On the bright side, there are already flowers coming up.  I can’t believe it.  I has not gotten out of the 40′s on the good days….but here is the proof!

It is making me dream of summer…I can’t wait until it is warm enough to put hte dock back out and sit by the water in the sun.  :)

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Treads & Tracks Scarf – New Free Pattern

February 10, 2012 at 11:36 am (Free Patterns, Knitting, My Designs)
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I finally finished making this scarf and writing the pattern.  I got a hat from Gap that I love, but I could not find any gloves or scarf to match.  At Windy Knitty I found some wool that MountainTop Crestone by Classic Elite Yarns is also very warm!  I started with the gloves, an adaptation of Treads, which you can see in the picture above or on my post Seriously Warm Gloves.  I create a pattern fro a scarf to match the gloves and I am pretty pleased with the results.

You can also  find the pattern at Raverly, or download the pattern here.

Treads & Tracks

Materials:

8 Skein of Classic Elite MountainTop Crestone

US size 8 needles

Gauge:

19 stitches and 25 rows = 4”x4”

Lateral Braid:

M1 add that stitch back to the left needle.  * Knit into the back of the second stitch, knit into the front of the first stitch on the left needle. Remove the two stitches from the left needle and then add the last stitch on the right needle back to the left needle.  Repeat from * to the last stitch.  Move the last stitch to the right needle and pull the second to last stitch over the last as in a BO.

Directions

CO 62 stitches using the long tail cast.

Rib Start

Row 1 (RS): S1 K1 *P2 K2 rep from *

Row 2 (WS): S1 P1 *K2 P2 rep from *

Row 3 (RS): S1 K1 *P2 K2 rep from *

Diagonal Section:

Row 1 (RS): S1 K1 P1 *P2 K2, rep from * to the last three stitches. P1 K2

Row 2 (WS): S1 P1 K1 *K1, P2, K1, rep from * to the last three stitches. K1 P2

Row 3 (RS): ): S1 K1 P1 *K2 P2, rep from * to the last three stitches. P1 K2

Row 4 (WS): S1 P1 K1 *P1 K2 P1, rep from * to the last three stitches. K1 P2

Repeat these 4 rows 7 more times.  (32 total rows)

Stockinet Section:

Row 1 (RS): S1 K1 P1 K to the last three stitches. P1 K2

Row 2 (WS): S1 P1 K1 P to the last three stitches. K1 P2

Row 3 (RS): S1 K1 P1 work in Lateral Braid to the last 3 stitches. P1 K2

Repeat Rows 1-2 (starting and ending with row 2) 19 times.

Repeat Row 3.

Repeat Row 2.

Work diagonal section followed by Stockinet Section 6 more times.

Work one more diagonal section.

Rib End

Row 1 (RS): S1 K1 *P2 K2 rep from *

Row 2 (WS): S1 P1 *K2 P2 rep from *

Row 3 (RS): S1 K1 *P2 K2 rep from *

BO.

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Project Yarnway – A Night at the Opera

February 8, 2012 at 10:47 am (Knitting, My Designs, Project Yarnway)
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For this challenge designers must create some thing that is for a night at the opera or that is inspired by an opera.  The piece must be multicolored, include a new stitch (one you have never used) and include “furbelows”.

Each designer has 3 months to complete the challenge and all photos are due before the end of April 2012.  The challenge began 2/1/2012.

I am making a handbag for a night at the opera that is inspired by and old 1920’s bag my Grandma used to have.  The bag was beaded and very loosely netted.  You would but a silk handkerchief in as lining, and that way you could make the bag match any dress.

I finally got to the store for supplies for my night bag.  I got some great beads – some are larger & magnetic for the top of the bag, it should keep the bag closed and I hope qualifies as furbelows.  I got embroidery floss and hemp string…need to play around with them.  It think I still need to pick up some very small black beads to twill be carried through out the bag.


I am planning on copying the stitch from this old market bag I bought at Whole Foods (that is now starting to fall apart).  I think it is just many cords then knit them together, take them apart….but it is something I have never done before!

 

The store I went to does not have any fabric, so I still need materials for the lining.  I may end up doing exactly what grandma’s bag did; you would use a silk handkerchief as the lining.  But I am afraid that would not have very clean lines if I do that.  I am hoping to using some small buttons at the top of the bag to attach the lining, but I hope that does not prevent the magnetic beads form doing their thing.  I am so glad there are three months for this challenge, I have never tried anything like this before and it is going to take a lot of trial and error!

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Spring is just around the corner?

February 5, 2012 at 11:58 am (Knitting, My Designs)
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I could not believe it, it is the beginning of February and the spring flowers are already starting to pop up!  We have had a very mild winter.  I just hope we don’t get a big freeze now….I am not sure what that would do to all the bulbs that have come up.

I’ve almost finished my scarf, I was really hoping I would be able to finish it this weekend.  But it is nearly done 6 out of 8 balls completed!!  I really like the way this came out.  I designed this scarf to go with he gloves I made in my previous post.  I am planning on writing up this pattern after it is finished and post it here.

I am also trying to get started on some gloves f0r my husband.  He loved how warm the gloves I made for my self were and wanted some for himself.  I am having to make a lot of adjustments to the pattern, his  hands are as wide as the pattern is for, but much shorter…

Project Yarnway has started again as well, with some changes: challenges now last 3 months, not one.  The current challenge is Night at the Opera.  I am planning creating a hand bag that is knitted and beaded and is similar to an old flapper bag my grandma used to have.  This bag was so cool.  It was beaded and netted and you would put and handkerchief in it for the lining.  That way you could just change the handkerchief and you have a bag that matches any outfit! I have not gotten around to sketching yet. The challenge as says we must use a new stitch and it must be multicolor.  I am hoping the lining counts as multicolor…..need to do some research into stitches before I start sketching.

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