my current projects

outside - i repotted a lovely little tree outside our rumpus window, a potted courtyard tree that the previous owners left as it had totally grown out of its pot and had sent big roots out the bottom and under the brick paving.
it's a pretty little thing, delicate and slender and very flowery (imagine the prettiness of its dryad!), so i didn't want to lose it. it went deciduous for the winter and i thought it had finally carked it. but lately it had put out promising little buds, so i thought i'd better save it while the time was right.

so i lifted the bricks from around its base, removed the paving sand, shattered the pot with a hammer (this was fun), marvelled at how big the roots were which had burst out from the confines of the small pot.. then made a high collar from edging plastic, added lots of yummy new garden soil, mulched it,.. and now it's sitting tucked in the comfiest snuggest high bed, sitting in clover (figuratively, although clover is an excellent nitrogen fixed green-manure).

i did the same thing to a big climbing rose in our driveway bed; then made its whole area into a new raised bed by carting 14 bluestone blocks from a secret stash i'd discovered in our courtyard.. (those things is heaVY!) and popped in some new nursery-bought plants - passionfruit, blueberry, bare-rooted blackberry, and ornamental pear tree (for shade and prettiness). and dumped in a trailerload of new soil.
i have big hopes for my new plants....

next is 2 barerooted plum trees (greengage and king billy) and an apple tree (fuji), and barerooted raspberry plants which i planted last month but should redo in a raised mound.
also seedlings in the vegie bed i made, onions and shallots and broccolini (there's already new strawberries and parsley and garlic and baby spinach).

i have big hopes, but not a terribly good prognosis. when it comes to plants, i do lots of reading, but i hope and dream more than i execute or understand..
so i've given them good soil and water.. mother earth will have to help me out now.

(hehee, dandan says: "cxxxv fvd55")

Knitting projects..
i finished the loveliest raglan jumper for dan; the body is this beautiful handspun variegated dyes yarn (Noro!) in blues and purples with the odd rust and green hue; the sleeves are very dark purple.
i finished it (quite an achievement!), but the neckline was too big, a bit off-shouldery. he wore it anyway, goddammit, but needed a scarf to protect his necky bits.
so anyway i popped it back on the needles to add a textured shawl collar. it's almost there! fun times...

and for myself (heck i deserve it), a bright red shrug in bamboo yarn; maybe short sleeves, maybe elbow length, i haven't decided yet. it would have matched my previous black hair; here's hoping it goes with this brown.

and i bought 2 big skeins of pure cashmere online ($36 for 150g!), a lush thick aran yarn; one pure black, one dark heathery grey; either one will go into my next scarf project - a lush fat overly fringey neck wrap with a badass button/badge.