Proof that the universe has a fine sense of humour: just as my yarnthusiasm returns, I damage my hand by over-eager wool-tugging between DPNs. Yeah thanks, universe – feel free to stop chuckling now. It’s quite ouchy, but I’ve switched to knitting continental-style in order to give my right hand a break.
I’ve been working on this new design for way too many weeks. When this thing is done, it’ll be… I dunno, maybe twenty thousand stitches or so? But m-a-n-y times that number have gone into the process of getting it right. I’ve knitted in the woods (see above), I’ve knitted in the garden:-
I’ve knitted beside a lock on the canal:-
I’ll stop there before this gets too Dr Seuss-ish. (‘And I would knit this on a train, and I would knit this in the rain, and I would knit this up a tree, and I would knit in ecstasy’…)
I’ve just about learned to accept that the knitting-ripping-knitting-ripping is an inescapable part of the design process, instead of viewing it as a pointless waste of time. It’s the ripping back of inadequate work that leads to the reknitting of half-decent work. Yikes, sorry for sounding insufferable.
Anyway, as is increasingly often the case, some wildlife has turned up to stomp all over this blog post. Robyn-the-robin hasn’t been seen for quite a few weeks ( š ) But please allow me to introduce Juniper:-
She’s a young fledgling blackbird who’s been hanging around our garden, slowly figuring out that humans can be useful providers of friendly words and nutritionally-appropriate snacks. She hasn’t yet fed from my hand, but I’m hoping that we’re close to that stage, and one of the twinnage is completely in love with her quirky ways.
She’s been pinching my first ever crop of blueberries from the bush before I can get to them, but it’s difficult to be cross with someone this cute.
Oh, and there’s been a little bit of crochet, too! As part of our bid to make the garden as wildlife-friendly as possible, the Stoic Spouse cut a hedgehog hole in the side gate. A sign was required, for the benefit of local wildlife:-
The very next day, hedgehog poo was spotted in the back garden. And a few days after that, I wandered outside at bedtime to see THIS!
Isn’t he/she beautiful? There was a great deal of snuffling around in the grass under the bird-feeder, followed by some concerted exploration amongst the reeds beside the pond. With luck, s/he will be devouring all the slugs and garden pests. <3
Anyway, back to the yarn, if the local wildlife will permit…
I have never seen a hedge hog in real life… what an amazing thing to have visit your backyard.
They’re getting much more rare. š
So enjoy your blog and seeing the different knitting that you do plus all the nature pictures.
Can explain why so many blogs are using such light type face when it is easier to read a darker type for us older readers?
I agree, Cathy, I like black text too. From a 57 year old with eye issues!
Eek, sorry. Next time I write a post, I’ll see whether I can do anything about this. At the moment I just use the default option, but I wonder whether I can change that. Thank you both for alerting me to the problem.
We often get hedgehogs in our garden and used to have blackbirds pinch the cat biscuits when we fed the cats outside. Unfortunately there was a tragedy and now we feed the cats inside. Of course, that means no more visits from the blackbird family, although we do expect to hear the birds say ‘miaow’ any day now from the hedge!
Yikes, that tragedy must have been… messy. Your blackbirds do sound cute.
You take the most wonderful nature photos!
Thank you! I’m learning… slowly.
Juniper is beautiful as is your spiny piggy friend. The first time a hedgehog appeared in my garden, the dogs and I were beside ourselves (they may have had a different agenda to me). All I wanted to do was make the place as hedgehog friendly as possible. We have yet to see one down here on the south coast, but the neighbour has one, so fingers crossed. Love the dragonfly with the crinkly wings.
Fingers crossed that you have more hoggy visitors soon.
As always, you/your blog melts my heart…such a delight to see and to read about – your yarn-y creations and your attitude toward life is so refreshing. I love the hedgehog signage – I’m sure it made the little creature feel a warm welcome! Thanks for all of it.
You must be sick of me saying this every time, but thank you for such a generous comment.
Love your crocheted hedgehog sign. Being in Canada. I have a whole range of different creatures in my back yard. They include squirrels, deer and raccoons.
You have way cooler wildlife than we do!
Sorry to hear about your injury. Honestly, the way most people think about knitting, if they think about it at all, they’d never realise the injury potential.
I have a touch of arthritis in my right elbow, which plays up when I knit too long. Too long? How can anyone knit too long, or too much?
I, too, have spent the past year mistressing Continental style knitting. Knit is fine, and a lot easier with one of those tiny ‘knit a sock’ circulars. Purl ‘still needs work’. Currently knitting entrelac, so have taught myself to purl L-R so I don’t have to keep turning the work. But that has to be done English style. Fortunately the arthritis is in a quiescent phase. Long may it continue.
Interesting (but I’m sorry that you’re having to mistress new methods in order to avoid pain). Long may the quiescent phase continue.
Sending you healing energy for your hand, Phil. x
Thank you! My hand appreciates it.
Too funny that I’m reading this as I tink out for the THIRD time part of a top I’m hoping to finish before summer is over. I will get this right! Love your wildlife pictures. Hedgehogs don’t live in the wild here in Manitoba, Canada. I have had skunks foraging underneath my birdfeeder in the dead of night though. I didn’t have a phone or camera at hand & I had to turn off the light because it was lining up to spray at me when I as soon as I disturbed it by turning on the porch light.
Skunks?! Skunks are beautiful! (Though I can understand your efforts to avoid being sprayed.) I really hope its fourth time successful for your top.
Loving your work as always. I’m currently tinking back another 6 rows of my shawl, every time I have the pattern in my head I inadvertently add some apparently random decreases, which then show themselves about 8 rows later, so I feel your pain. I’m trying to remind myself that it’s just opportunities to knit more, but my brain isn’t fooled. Juniper is delightful, hope to see her eating out of your hand shortly!
Eek, may the shawl-in-progress give you no further grief. (I hope to hand-feed Juniper soon.)
I hesitate to mention this in case it leads you to spend money but… One of the best presents I ever bought himself is the wildlife camera we use in our garden. The hedgehogs ???? come regularly for the food we leave in their bespoke feeding house (made by himself to stop the ???? and ???? eatting the food ) and we get so much pleasure when we sit down to watch the footage we have captured each week. We move the camera around the garden and have been amazed and amused by their antics during their nighttime visits as their encounters with each other aren’t always what we had imagined them to be.
You’re a bad influence! I’ve long been tempted by one of those cameras – or possibly a nest box cam to watch baby birds. I’m glad that yours has been such a success. (I do worry about rats getting any meaty food that we put out for the hedgehogs. We’ve had some problems with rats in the past.)
Such a cute crocheted hedgehog, Phil and obviously worked as a great welcome sign for the real thing….who is also very cute. Hope your hand heals quickly.
Love this -especially the Dr Seuss quote! We have resident hedgehogs and I leave drinking water out for them in a shallow tray every night!
I love your writing style and the references to Dr. Seuss. Thanks for sharing photos.
So sorry to hear about the knitting injury but as someone who regularly manages to put holes in her fingers when knitting socks, I feel your pain ????. Am quite intrigued by the tantalising glimpses of your new creation and look forward to seeing the completed work. Your wildlife photos are delightful and am quite envious that you got a photo of a hedgehog. We have them in our garden but only seem to see them when they have died! (That terrible year when the pond was invaded by thick, green blanket weed and the hedgehogs kept falling in and downing! Shudder!!) Keep posting!! ????
You are so lucky to be visited by hedgehogs in your garden, where I live we have far too many badgers and therefore no hedgehogs. I have only seen a hedgehog once and that was back in the 80s when I lived in Cornwall and it was going round and round in circles in my back garden, possibly a mating ritual? Love the blog by the way.
I will NEVER find your writing nor you to be insufferable!
I hope your hand fixes soon. Meanwhile enjoying your posts about dragon flies, etc just as much as the yarnarisms (?!) What a great photo of a dragon fly – I saw one this week too, but as I fiddled getting the camera ready it flew away. I shall just remember the great fly past and temporary settlement on a lily pad – can’t share!