Life Birds!

Skip and I have done quite a bit of birding these last couple of days. Yesterday we went to the Celery Fields and we saw lots of species but my lifebird of the day was the limpkin.

The expert birder at the boardwalk had a spotting scope. I was able to take a photo of the resident bald eagle that was up in a tree about 1/2 mile away.

We also got a wonderful display from an osprey of his hover and dive manoeuvre as he obtained his breakfast. Here he is in mid-hover.

Today we got up bright and early to head down to Oscar Scherer State Park where we were assured we'd see the endemic Florida Scrub Jay. As we walked along the recommended path, we encountered a disgruntled couple who hadn't seen anything of note on their walk this morning. About a minute after they passed us, a scrub jay landed on the path about 10 feet ahead of Skip. After I composed myself, I started taking pictures.

He did not seem to be concerned about us and hopped around on the ground near us for several minutes. Then he flew up to give some food to what we assumed was his spouse.

Then he flew to another tree and gathered some nesting material, possibly Spanish moss, and took it over to where they had been sitting.

A little while later, I heard a bird in a bush right beside the path and when I looked over I spotted a bird with a black head and back and burnt orange sides. The fellow who joined us on our walk confirmed from my description that is was the Eastern Towhee. Another life bird for me! I didn't get a photo but this is what they look like.

Photo by Greg Lasley

Stuck

I had to abandon my magical thinking and just accept that there was not enough yarn to complete the second of the Intertwined socks.

 I don't quite know what I'll do. I have a few options:

• knit to the end of the yarn, unravel the grafted toe of the first sock and knit until they're even and finish the toes in a different yarn
• frog the feet and heels of both socks to the end of 3 repeats (I did 3.5 repeats on both) on the legs and reknit the heels, feet and toes of both
• shorten the cuffs of both socks, finish off the top of the shortened cuff and use the reclaimed yarn to finish the toe of the second sock
• frog both socks and re-knit using other yarn with lots of yardage

If they were just stocking stitch socks, I`d have no qualms about cutting and grafting but they`re replete with twisted stitches on a reverse stocking stitch background and I don`t know how to graft that - yet.

Speaking of grafting, I`ve signed up for a class at the Knitter`s Frolic with Ann Budd on grafting. I`m good with grafting stocking stitch or reverse stocking stitch but she`s going to cover grafting 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 ribbing. Hopefully, after that class I`ll be able to graft any combination of knits and purls.

I started the Bobble Sheep Pillow today. The coloured yarn is the provisional cast on. It was tricky to do without a crochet hook but I improvised.

The 5-stitch bobble stitches (created by K1, yo, K1, yo, K1 into one stitch) are slipped back on the left needle and I did a version of i-cord to finish the bobble. Then to decrease back down to 1 stitch by knitting the first two together, knitting the third stitch, passing the first st over the second, then knitting the last two bobble sts together. Then transfer the two resulting stitches back onto the left needle and pass the second over the first (middle of the original 5 sts). Then I knit the stitch through the back of the stitch and continue on.

It`s kinda tedious but way less annoying than constant turning would have been.

Skip and I have another little car trip coming up so I`m hoping I`ll be able to continue working on the Bobble Sheep Pillow project in the car. BTW, I`m using Lion Brand Fisherman`s Wool for the bobbly sheep part and am hoping one 8 oz. skein will be enough.

FOs

I finished the cross-stitch piece yesterday. There's a little star charm for the snowman's hat.

I also finished the hat inspired by the Inspira Cowl.  

 I improvised the decreases keeping the look of the corrugated rib.

Blogging Break

Skip and I were away last week. We visited friends in Estero near Fort Myers for a couple of days. Then we visited other friends who are vacationing on Sanibel Island.

Last Thursday we returned to Sarasota to attended a Spring Training game between the Orioles and the Blue Jays. The Ed Smith Stadium is only a couple of kilometres from where we are staying. It is a lovely new ball park. The Jays lost 11 - 10.

I turned the heel on the second Intertwined sock. I'm kind of nervous that I might not have enough yarn left to finish it. I am doing my best 'magical thinking' in hopes that there will be enough.

Last night I started this little cross-stitch project. It's a Lizzie Kate Flip-It that I bought a couple of years ago.

I'm also finishing up the hat I knit to match the Inspira Cowl. I'm not sure how I'll finish the crown but an hour of working on it will finish it up.

Skip and I attended a talk yesterday at the public library on the Florida Scrub Jay - a bird endemic to Florida. That is, it is only found here. 

 It is also one of only 15 bird species endemic to North America.  They are endangered as their habitat is swallowed up by developments and their predators (snakes, feral cats, hawks, etc.). We hope to go to one of its usual haunts to catch a glimpse. There are only 1500 families of scrub jays left in Florida. To quote Wikipedia: "Florida Scrub Jays are one of the few  cooperative breeding birds in North America. Fledgling Florida Scrub Jays remain in their parents' habitat for several years and help to rear their young, watch for predators (such as Short-tailed or Accipiter hawks), and defend territory against neighboring Florida Scrub Jay family groups."

It's a rainy day here in paradise today so we're being lazy, watching Papal election updates, catching up on correspondence and blogging. I hope to do some more work on my little cross-stitch project.

Intertwined Sock

The first sock is done

and the second is OTN with 2/3 of the leg done.

I had already turned the heel before I realized I had made a mistake in the pattern (I must have skipped a few rows) but unless I had mentioned it I venture to guess most of you would not have noticed. I do mention it, though, not because I like pointing out my failings but I don't want the designer, my BFF Maureen Foulds, to think I think it's perfect.

this cable pattern hugs the foot nicely but keeps it roomy around the width.

The only other modification I made was during the decreases for the toe. After I decreased every other round to 32 sts, I continued decreasing until I had only 12 sts left, then grafted the 6 sole sts with the 6 instep sts.

The second sock is perfect so far.

"Let's Twist Again"

I started "Intertwined Socks" designed by my BFF Mo (Maureen Foulds) a couple of days ago. I had thrown a ball of mystery sock yarn into my suitcase when I was packing for my holiday. The ball band is long gone but I think it was Cherry Tree Hill yarn that I purchased years ago.

I didn't print the pattern out before I left Canada and don't have access to a printer here so I just uploaded the .pdf onto my iPhone and have been using the phone to keep track of where I am on the chart.

Yesterday, I attended a Sit 'n Knit group that meets weekly at the local public library. They were all taken with the beautiful sock I was knitting.

We all loved how Maureen designed the ribbing to grow into the 'cables'.

The pattern calls for a slip stitch heel (sl1, K1) but I prefer the off-set slip stitch heel called 'Eye of Partridge' ( Mo and I sing it to "Eye of the Tiger" - LOL).

The panels of twisted stitches meet on the sides of the socks and additional reverse stocking stitches can be added to custom-size the leg.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Pictorial)

Yesterday Skip and I toured the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. It is one of the most comprehensive collections of orchids as well as other sub-tropical plants.

We saw lots of different trees, plants and flowers. Unfortunately, I left my good camera at the condo so these are shots I took with my iPhone.

The gardens are on the shore of Sarasota Bay. Here's a popular lookout view near the gazebo where many weddings are performed.

Here is a bunch of non-orchids.

Anthurium

Some type of Bromeliad in bloom

Blanket flower - gailliarda

 There was a very nice koi pond with fish up to 18" (45cm)  long.

The silk cotton Bombax tree had these large, red blooms that were about 7" in diameter.

The rest of these are various types of orchids, most of which were growing in a big conservatory or the greenhouse/gift shop.

 

 

 

 

Lady Slipper

Some type of 4-leaf clover