But I do have some pictures of flowers from the garden, my kitties and new adventures in knitting. First flowers from the garden.
and next the kitties..........
This is Leila, my last remaining travelling cat from South Africa. She is now ten years and still misses her older 'brother' Merlin. As we felt she needed a kitty companion we acquired Bella, a shelter special who has turned out to be quite a character.
She is now one year old and full of the joys of life. Amazing how love and care has changed a little kitty that hid away from humans at the shelter
My experimenting with lace knitting continues. I did spend considerable time on the internet looking for suitable lace patterns. I found lots of patterns but most were for edgings and just not deep enough to make into a skirt for a dress. This one is very pretty but when knitted up it is just way too long and I will have to keep it for one of my larger bears. Rather reminds me of those strange knitted dresses my mother wore which never keep their shape and stretched with wear, rather like the bathing suit my Aunt knitted for me. It ended up by my knees on the one and only occasion I wore it.
Several years ago I knitted a cardi with a lace pattern and in my usual fashion I kept some ten small pieces of paper clipped together with the pattern which after all this time make no sense whatsoever. It does need a good laundering as it is somewhat dusty after keeping a bear warm on a shelf for some time.
The lace pattern is from an old Hamlyn knitting book. This time I was a little more careful with the instructions and hopefully I will be able to make this dress again. There will of course have to be some changes. I designed the bodice in two sections with the idea that I would fasten it on the shoulders with a button. I then decided that little sleeves would look nice rather forgetting that this particular bear has a large head and well, putting the dress on the bear was somewhat difficult. Never to be removed! It is a little too long which is also something to change next time and the threaded ribbon did not really help as bears do not have a waistline. A little crochet flower finished it off nicely.
Finally for the green gardening update. We have two cherry trees in the garden, both gifts to my husband for a past birthday and as we rent this house, they are grown in pots. Both totally different varieties, this year they produced a small quantity of cherries. The weather this summer has been unusual and rather humid, whether this responsible for the bugs in the garden I am not sure but the one tree was so infested with aphid that it was causing a deformity in the leaves. I removed all the leaves and sprayed the tree with lots of soapy water. Neither of these worked and I ordered some ladybug larvae on line. The arrived in a tiny plastic box and as they were so very small that a sneeze would have blown them into the next county, l placed the open box carefully in a fork of the tree and hoped for the best. Amazing results, there is not a single little aphid left on the tree and the new leaves are looking good. There is no sign of any ladybirds either but I am thrilled that I did not have to resort to toxic sprays in the garden.
I love books and last year after much thought I acquired a Kindle. My time for reading is late at night when I finally fall into bed and I love this little e-book reader as it is light and easy to use. The downside is that e-books are not inexpensive and sometimes actually more costly than the printed books. Don't quite figure that out. I have taken advantage of some of the specials offered and as a result have read some rather strange and in some cases, totally dreadful books. Perhaps that is why I am so far ahead with my reading challenge this year, less of the weighty 'tomes' I am inclined to read.
Pictures of the on line show bears next time.
Books
are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most
accessible and
wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.
~Charles W. Eliot
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