Dragon's Orchid Garden

I collect bookmarks.  I knit bookmarks.  I design knitted bookmarks.  I use bookmarks.  My little metal dpns (double pointed needles, usually used for knitting socks) are constantly in my hands.  My latest bookmark design is called 'crocus pocus'.  The pattern for it is available on Ravelry .  It's just a buck. I've knitted 6 of these so far, given away a couple.  The third one in the picture has a big old mistake.  Can you spot it?  The one on the right was knitted on #3 dpns, instead of 2s, so it's a little bigger.  The finished size is about 2 1/4 by 6 1/2 inches without the tassel.  The pattern consists of two simple lace charts and is a wonderful way to learn lace knitting and reading charts, which is essential for knitters who would like to tackle more involved lace projects like shawls. Blocking lace is easy and necessary.  Just wet the bookmark and stake it out with blocking pins.  Use lots of them...

This bookmark pattern was the most challenging so far.  I've done 6 others.  One of the challenging parts was remembering that I'm knitting most of it in a reverse stockingnette stitch, so that purls are in the front and knit stitches are the wrong side.  This makes the rib stitches that make up the stem of the flower and the ribs in the leaves really stand out.  The back side looks nice, too.  Another challenging part of this pattern was learning the correct way to YO or yarn over between knit and purl stitches.  If you don't do it the correct way, your yarn holes will close up.  The finished pattern can be found on Ravelry for free. One more challenge was translating the chart from my pencil and graph paper to a table with knitting symbols in Pages.  By now, I'm getting almost as good at typing in knitting symbols as I am at typing letters!  I got lots of practice with this one. The pattern is adapted from one in the book, The Essentia...

The temperatures have been yo-yoing for the past month, causing us to move plants, cover plants, bring them indoors, then move them out again.  A few plants really like the cooler and even cold temperatures. From Blogger Pictures This is Brsdm. Golden Gamine 'White Knight', purchased at Louis DelFavero's in the summer. From Blogger Pictures The tiny blooms of this 'mystery orchid' (we have quite a few that have lost their markers, the squirrels take them), is an oncidium, I think.  It's full of little flowers and has a faint sweet scent. From Blogger Pictures Double White Angel Trumpets   made it through the cold as we covered them with a frame and sheets.  We have quite a few different kinds of bromeliads, gingers, heliconias, and ferns.  The newest addition to our ferns comes from my friend, Penny Titus.  She brought me a starter Rabbit's Foot Fern, and gave me instructions on how to get it to root .  I can't wait for fronds!  W...

I want to leave the shiny stuff up, but the rule (my rule) says it has to come down New Year's Day (or the day after if it's Sunday and I don't feel like doing it Saturday).  One last look before it all goes in the closet. Outside and in back by the pond, and the wreath I made. From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures Inside, our little tree, which will go outside for a while with some peanut butter pinecones for the birds and squirrels: From Blogger Pictures The fireplace mantel with the collection of Hallmark Harley-Davidson ornaments: From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures After cleaning out all of my knitting project bags, and deciding that I'm going to start fresh this year, I started another lace bookmark design and will probably post that this week.  Then I get to tackle the book my friends Jimi & Leon got me for xmas, Knitted Lace Designs of Herbert Neibling.  That was the nicest surpr...

I'll have to knit one of these to keep for myself one day.  I'm giving them all away.  Here's a new lace bookmark design.  I call it (actually, Wayne thought of the title) "Leaf me alone, I'm reading".  We stopped by Fiber Art, Inc . last Saturday and I bought 3 more balls of Mini Mochi in different colorways.  I've got enough now to knit 30 or so more bookmarks.  The pattern for "Leaf me alone" is here . I'm accumulating quite an assortment of bookmarks of all kinds.  The Ephemera Society of America posts an article on the history of bookmarks .  Yet another collection.  Add it to the dragons (I will post about them, eventually), orchids, skulls...can't leave out the knitting yarn, needles, and patterns (those seem to multiply like breeding rabbits!).  I have bookmarks in two books I'm reading now: Aimee Bender's  The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake , and  The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Four . ...

Purple 4 x 4 diamonds in a mohair/nylon blend sock yarn.  I'm nearing the end of one ball of Mini Mochi sock yarn.  I've got another one, though!   Fiber Art, Inc. has a sale on and I'm heading there for more.  I've knitted 9 bookmarks out of one ball.  You can find the charted pattern for this bookmark  here . From knitting From knitting From knitting