I despise these bushes, they are the last two of them we have and they are havens for snakes, spiders, mice, wasps, and all sorts of nasty things. People grow them a lot here, as they provide some greenery and they require almost no water. My plan is to pull these last two out, replace them with elderberry bushes, Russian sage, and another plant with purple flowers which is also drought tolerant, but I can't remember the name. Rich doesn't want us to plant any pampas or blood grass because of how it spreads. Anyway, I found its only really good use, as it did provide support for the book and knitting. However, we're pretty sure that is where the baby rattle snake emerged from that we found, when heading to the gate to take the pictures! First one we've seen on our property since we moved and I called it. Fight or flight set in even before I identified it. I knew something was different about it, I started at the head and my eyes traveled down the body to the little, baby, black, rattle. Rich was saying it was a bull snake and coming toward it while I said, "No, this looks like it might be a ..." and its head pulled in and the rattle came up and shook at us. There was a handy brick in the weeds next to the gate, which Rich used to kill it, and the cats came and crowded around the corpse until one vanquished and ran off with the spoils.

I have made quite a bit of progress on my Equinox test. I've knit almost nothing else in the last week. I do have some work done on a gift for Jerome's birthday, and I will need to take a break to work on birthday presents for Mariam, but I think I could be finished with Equinox in a couple/three weeks.

I do have three new patterns available for sale: Laetare, April (there is a separate entry for the hat, but you purchase the pattern as a set). I have a freebie to offer as well, the April burp cloth, which coordinates with the preemie set I have for sale. (It makes a great swatch of the stitch pattern, too!) I have a few other designs nearly at the ready for sale or download, so in the next few months there should be some more added to my stores. My really exciting news is that Saint Catherine of Alexandria was accepted into the book being published next year. I have a variation made as well. When the book is published, I will also be selling the pattern separately.

I'm still looking for test knitters for my design, so if anyone is interested in testing Cirrus, please e-mail me with Cirrus Test in the subject line using an e-mail address you check on a regular basis. My plan is to have this available in five sizes, XS, S, M, L, XL, approximately to fit a bust of 34", 36", 38", 40", and 42", and I'd like at least one tester for each size. I anticipate having the pattern available to test in late August or early September (I've been delayed).

Still reading Christ in His Saints and The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things. I've made a dent in the Jane Austen book so that I am almost finished, and I have a little ways to go on Fr. Reardon's book.

Labels: Books, Design, Free Patterns, Homemaking, Homesteading, House, Knitting, Patterns, Yarn Along