Mossy Cottage Knits

Whistle While You Work!

I was recently voted Employee of the Quarter at my job, an amusing story unto itself which, alas, I cannot post publicly. Suffice it to say, K refers to my place of employment as the “Island of the Misfit Toys.” Oh, the stories I am itching to tell...

When you are voted Employee of the Quarter, your photo is taken so it can be displayed above the name plaque (oooooooooo, coooooooool!). Earlier this week I was given the stack of photos from the photo shoot (a lot less glamorous than it sounds: an employee with a battered camera; an atrium; a dusty, creaky, state-issue office chair to pose on; and me, with grey roots showing). As I thumbed through the stack to select which one I wanted to use, something about them seemed familiar. Eventually I realized that during the course of the shoot, I had managed to take on the aspect of every one of the Seven Dwarves: Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Grumpy, Doc (I look slightly bitchy in this one although I think, really, I was just trying to suppress a yawn), and finally, after an entire role of film, Happy.

Knitting Knews
I’m about three-quarters of the way through the front of the Oat Couture sweater. Here’s a photo of an earlier stage which, through a wrinkle in the space/time continuum, is going to end up being an accurate depiction because, I’m frogging* right now and will eventually end up right back where the picture shows!

This really is a wonderful, fun pattern. I’d recommend it to anyone just starting out knitting. (I know: If it’s so easy, why am I frogging? Hey, it’s not for nothing I picked the 18-month size!)

*For my non-knitting readers, in knitting lingo, “frogging” is when you undo your knitting by pulling the yarn out. Pulling --> ripping --> rip --> rip it --> ribbit --> frog sound --> frog. See? (Another method for undoing knitting is to "tink." Two points to you if you can figure out the etymology and meaning of that term!)

Dye Garden Dyegest
The marigolds are all in bloom. In fact, if I were to lop off all the blossoms now I’d have quite the handful...and some very naked marigold plants and a POP (Pissed-Off Partner). The sunflowers, which started coming up about a week and a half ago, now look like a row of tiny green linebackers. While we twiddle our thumbs and wait for things to move along, here’s a photo of the beautiful blue birdbath in place. It quite sparkles in the sunshine! A very good buy.

I just noticed you can see some of the sunflower bambini in the picture. If you look in the dirt just to the right and to the left of the birdbath stand, you can see two little green soldiers. The other plants in the picture are asters (for fall color, not dyeing), the marigolds, coreopsis (the bushy green things) and hollyhocks.

Posted by Ryan at May 16, 2003 08:33 AM