Busy Weekend

I was out of the office on Friday and devoted most of the day to working on the pillow covers for the blue bedroom. One done, and the other is close. I've only broken 3 sewing machine needles so far. No wonder I procrastinated on this project for so long!

I did some mending and button sewing. Finally got the buttons on the Baby Surprise Jacket. Not to bore you with one more picture, but here is a proper picture with the buttons. Yeah!

Philip and I took a little time-out in Charleston on Saturday and Sunday to celebrate our anniversary (number 31 - but who's counting?). We enjoyed the "camellia walk" at Middleton Gardens. The guide was very informative and the camellia "trees" were amazing. Some of these camellias were brought to the Middleton's from France and planted in the 1700's. There is also a "new garden" of camellias that was planted in the 1930's. It is like walking through a camellia forest. I had never visited there before. It was worth the trip. In about 2 weeks the azaleas will be in full bloom. I highly recommend a visit if you're a plant-lover.

The picture below shows one of the original four camellias brought from France and planted in the 1700's. The plant was damaged by Hurricane Hugo and has been reduced to about one-third the size it had been.

Below, Philip is standing next to the trunk of one of the very old camellia plants.

Alba Plena, a beautiful white specimen.

We also visited Hyam's Nursery on James Island. (They don't have a website.) This is also a wonderful place to visit (and buy plants) for those who get excited over springtime and planting.

We purchased a wire basket to repot our Staghorn Fern. He has outgrown his little orchid box. These ferns are so peculiar that I didn't quite know what to do with him, so I decided to try a larger basket with a liner. I planted him in a 50/50 mixture of spagnum moss and potting soil. Hope he likes his new home.

We are back home now and I intend to get the other pillow cover finished pronto!! I'm ready to put up the sewing machine for a while - I better get a few new needles, too!

Pink and White Surprise

I am finally finished (minus buttons) with the ever-entertaining Baby Surprise Jacket. This is my second BSJ. I learned a few things with this one. 1) Gauge is VERY important to the size of the finished garmet - surprise! surprise! My gauge was about 7 stitches per inch which yields about a 12month size (my estimate). I will use this for a baby gift. It's a good thing babies grow. 2) I decided to use some striping in this because I realized that I would not have enough yarn to complete the project in the original cream colorway. So, I ordered some pink and placed some stripes - pretty randomly. Alas, I am quite pleased with the result. I joined the KAL at Ravelry and picked up a few good ideas there. 3) Changing colors toward the end of the pattern (where 10 stitches are picked up on each side and "stitches on hold" are brought back into the lineup - about row 101 - will place the new color along the bottom of the sweater and along the button bands.

Here is a picture of the infamous BSJ on the needles. Who could imagine this will be a sweater?

A little further along with the magical "folding" done. Voila!! A sweater!!

The lighting in this final picture is not great. I will try to replace it with a better picture. The colors in the previous pictures is more accurate. Nevertheless, here is the completed BSJ. I had purchased 3 small pearl buttons. They are too small , once again - due to the gauge. I will find some larger ones.

To recap: Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere - size 5 needles.

A Few More Blooms

We are still enjoying some of these camellias as they bloom. The camellia above is Jean Clere! This is a japonica camellia that originated in New Zealand and is named for the wife of its propagator Richard Clere. It has a beautiful full peony form and blooms mid-season.

Above is pictured Emperor of Russia. This one is a japonica that also blooms mid-season. Another beauty that performs well in this climate.

Philip has decided to try his hand at grafting. We have a few of these "mini-greenhouses" around the yard. The grafting procedure is akin to surgery, requiring great care for clean cutting instruments and following tried and true procedures. The new graft is housed in this cylinder and covered with a piece of plexiglass, moss, and a brick! This will stay on for at least 2 months before uncovering to be sure the graft has "taken".

As I understand this, one reason for grafting is to propagate the growth of a beautiful (but perhaps slow-growing) variety on "root stock" from a plant that is more hearty, rapid-growing, and has better tolerance for the growing conditions of the area. Another reason for grafting is to propagate a plant that is not commercially available. A cutting may be taken from a desired species and grafted to produce a new plant.

Update on knitting projects:

The Baby Surprise Jacket and the Christmas Stocking knitting projects are progressing. I am waiting for a little pink cotton cashmere to arive in the mail to add in for stripes in the BSJ. The size is going to be larger than I expected and will require more yarn than I had on hand. I think the pink will be perfect to add a little interest. Will post a picture as soon as we get a little pink going .

Mending

I am so happy to tell you that I got a good progress report from the orthopedic surgeon today. I had more xrays taken and you can see the new bone forming in the fractured area. The ankle parts are still in good alignment. So this is going well. I am to wear the lovely boot for another week and then transition into a much less obtrusive ankle brace. I can wear the ankle brace with shoes . . . AND with the ankle brace . . . I can drive!!!! Definitely, good news!!

After my doctor's appointment, Philip and I had a chance to check out some beautiful old camellia gardens in Savannah. We were so amazed at how old, mature, and beautiful some of these trees are. We came home and admired our own few specimens. This is one called Georgia National Fair. You can see a little cold damage on a few of the petals, but still very pretty.

Another one we found blooming today is one of favorites: Frank Houser variegated. This is a reticulata which has bigger blooms than the japonicas.

I know I need to be working on other knitting projects that are already begging for attention, but I felt the need to have one more item in my baby gift stash. So I found some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmereand cast on Baby Surprise Jacket #2. This is a pretty cream color. This is pattern is always fascinating to watch evolve. Too early to tell much here, but we will disect it as we progress. I'm hoping to find some pretty feminine buttons for the ending.