knitting shenanigans

Last week my cousin was posting about knitting on her blog, which got me thinking about when I learned how to knit.
That was a long time ago, and I have fallen out of practice.
In fact, I never really graduated beyond washcloths and scarves. >_>
This is frustrating to remember, because I have so many things I would much rather knit than buy.
Like socks.
And washcloths and scarves, I guess, but since I already know how to make those...
Anyway, I purchased some yarn, a new set of size 10 needles (because I cannot figure out where my other ones ended up), and a little book for beginner knitters. The book is the best, because it actually has photos, and tells me how to decipher other knitting patterns. Win!

Saturday was a cold, dreary, and rainy day, so I situated myself on the couch with my new knitting things, a cup of coffee, and the television remote. Tarzan was on, so I watched that while I set about relearning how to knit.

After watching Tarzan, the Titanic mini-series, and the Royal Wedding, I had succeeded in completing a lovely little scarf for my sister Heidi! She loves blue and brown together, and there happened to be a skein of yarn that was these two colors, so it worked out perfectly. I hope she likes it. :)

[gardening post no.1]

It may be a tad early to be planting much here in Wisconsin, but I thought I'd at least start a few herbs. In the past, I have always managed to kill what I try to grow when it comes to herbs, but I think that has to do with forgetting about them...
Hopefully, now that I have my own house, my memory will work better.
Or something of that sort.

Anyway.

Do you know what is an excellent use for old coffee cans?
Poking holes in the bottom of them and using them as pots!
Considering my husband and I drink a lot of coffee, I'm pretty sure I'm saving myself some money.

Just use a screwdriver and a hammer to pound some well-spaced holes into the bottom of the cans for drainage!

I have three other cute pots that I bought at Kmart the other day, so I used those, as well. I had six coffee cans, but I only used three of them for right now. I didn't have quite enough potting soil, plus I didn't want to plant everything and then, well...kill them. Blah.

So I planted the seeds of six herbs out of the many that I purchased.

Here is what I planted:

• Spearmint
• Stevia
• Cilantro
• Oregano
• Sweet Basil
• Cress

I have plenty of others to try out, but I had to start somewhere.

They all need full sun, so the deck is a great place for them. I'll have to bring them inside at night still, but hopefully not for long.

This is my favorite pot:

I planted the spearmint in here, since of course I'll probably use it to make tea. :)

Also, I adore my pink metal watering can.

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Like I said, I sincerely hope and pray that these herbs grow well. I probably ought to invest in a "growing light" to put them (and other plants) under when I bring them inside, since there really isn't a place in the house that gets full sunlight other than in the late afternoon.

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"I never had any other desire so strong, and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master at last of a small house and a large Garden."  ~Abraham Cowley, The Garden, 1666

[we only watch British television and old movies now]

Hi, long time no see.
Last time I signed into Blogger, I read the announcement about the design change that was coming for the "Dashboard" part of it. Now I find that it has changed and I DON'T LIKE IT ONE BIT.
It's more confusing than it was before.
Oh hey, kind of like Facebook.
Sigh.

Never mind that.
I'm almost serious about the title of this post. There's not much American television I like anyway, though there are a few shows I love, like Once Upon a Time, Switched at Birth, and Bones. Other than that, we tend to watch Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Keeping Up Appearances, Mr. Bean, and other shows like that
Of course, one cannot forget the always stunning Masterpiece Theatre, especially the Classic part. Downton Abbey is my favorite, and last night I watched part one of Birdsong, which takes place before and during WWI. It was absolutely excellent, though I'm not sure how I feel about Eddie Redmayne playing Lieutenant Stephen Raysford . He always looks vacant and it's kind of weird. Clemence Poesy, who played Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter, is wonderful as the French woman Wraysford has an affair with. So far, having seen part one, I can say this is definitely not for younger viewers, as there is some graphic war violence and sexual scenes, and I would imagine next week's episode will be the same way. The make of this film might bother some people, because it appears to move through the scenes rather fast, with very little dialogue at some points, and an almost exclusively piano soundtrack, but it made me think somewhat of Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel The Age of Innocence. Something about the aura, I guess.
Other than that, I tend to watch a lot of Turner Classic Movies. Rarely have I watched something on there that I didn't like. It's probably my favorite channel.

I'd tell you what I'm reading, but that would infringe upon what I wrote on my book blog earlier today!

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Since Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind, I haven't done much gardening yet, though my purple tulips that I planted last fall look beautiful! I might mow the grass this afternoon, too, but I want to pick the myriad dandelion heads first. Maybe. I have a recipe for Dandelion Wine and I feel like trying it. Though I don't have all the ingredients yet, so maybe mowing will have to wait.

I have a lot of empty coffee cans that I am going to turn into pots for the herbs I'm going to plant, and I bought three cutesy pots yesterday, once of which is a huge teacup. I think I'll plant the chamomile in there!

My vegetable garden needs a lot of work...I can't even see the dirt for all the weeds. Eugh. Not looking forward to tackling that. Thankfully, I have plenty of time, since I don't want to plant my veggies for another month yet.

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I had intended to include photos with this post, but perhaps I'll add them later, since I haven't actually taken any yet. Oops.

I hope April has treated you well. After all,

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
- - - T. S. Eliot "The Waste Land"