madison cube garden

I live in a house with a ridiculously huge backyard. The yard is fenced in, and even has a separate, fenced-off area that I'm pretty sure was used to keep animals of some kind. Well, ever since I've moved in those of us in the house have talked about planting a garden out back ... and my newish housemates actually did it! Check it out!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The fenced in area, finally cleaned up!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="They marked off the different plants with string, all professional-like."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Potted plants left behind by previous tennants were salvaged and put in the garden area as well."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The lawn furniture fit in perfectly, making it a lovely little place to retreat."][/caption]

I had absolutely nothing to do with this garden; it was all the housemates. But they did an amazing job and I can't wait to have homegrown veggies to cook with!

As long as I'm here I have quite a bit of knitting to report on.

1. I finished my Napoleon vest:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Napoleon"][/caption]


I never got around to taking a picture other than that one, late at night in my room just after I finished putting it together. I've worn it a few times and I always get nice compliments. The Hillside Linen ended up being a nice choice; it's light and breathable, and after a quick tumble in the dryer it softened up wonderfully. It's a bit on the warm side, but not too much.

2. Soft Linen Shawl:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Soft Linen Shawl"][/caption]


I really just wanted an excuse to knit this pattern, which I thought was gorgeous due to its simplicity. It knit up super quickly. I used the Classic Elite Soft Linen, which was amazing to knit with. This will be used as a birthday gift for a family member.

3. Grrr:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Grrr"][/caption]


Knitty's Grrr, a pattern for a co-worker at the yarn shop that is having a baby at some point in December. We had a baby shower last week with the ladies at the shop. It was nice to get out and spend time with them outside of the store! I used Mission Falls 1824 cotton, which really looks fantastic for this pattern. The texture of the cotton adds a lot of interest to the loops that make the mane.

4–6. Turn a Square:
I decided to make one for my dad for his upcoming birthday, but my gauge is always a bit on the tight side so it ended up too small.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Turn a Square 1"][/caption]

It fits me perfectly but I think it'd be too snug for him. So I decided to keep it and make another one on bigger needles.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Turn a Square 2"][/caption]

I kind of fell in love with this one. The blues and greens are fantastic. Alas, it heads off to Dad later this week. After making two I thought, what the hell, I'll make another one! These first two are both made with Cascade 220 and the same skein of Noro Silk Garden.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Turn a Square 3"][/caption]

For this last one I used Cascade 220 and some crappy acrylic stuff from JoAnn Fabrics. I actually kind of like it. The color changes are a bit too slow, though. I wish I would have made it back to the red at some point in the striping.


7. Quincy:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Quincy"][/caption]


This is a hat from Jared Flood's pattern booklet through Classic Elite. I used some Araucania Azapa, which is a fantastic yarn. The hat stretched out a bit too much while blocking, though ... mostly due to my cat Ronnie getting a hold of it and dragging it around the house. SIGH. Stupid cats. I'll probably make another one of these soon. I really love the twist (which you can't really see in the picture unfortunately).

8. Zoe:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Zoe"][/caption]


While I was test-knitting this pattern I made another version, half for the test-knitting and half to do some stash-busting. The yarn is a bit too busy for me, but I like the way the ruffle turned out this time around.

So there you have it. Lots of knitting and a pretty garden. Now if only school was as pleasant ...
ek

p.s. Beatles Rockband is AMAZING.
p.p.s. Beatles Remastered Stereo Set is also amazing.
p.p.p.s. Futurama Complete Collection: i haz it. Nothing like a life-sized Bender head in my living room.