Daffodils, Cottons, and Gray Skies

Although it's not very nice out today, I do have the windows open, and it's not raining, at least not yet. Today doesn't compare with the nice weather we had on Wednesday and Thursday, but given that I don't have to wear winter gear, I'll take it.

Speaking of weather, everyone seems to be under it. My son came home from college last night complaining of scratchy throat and congestion; one of my other sons was sick earlier in the week; I don't feel great, and several of the nurses on my floor were out sick. Hmmm. I did feel well enough this morning to make a quick trip to my new favorite shop, the Quilt Barn in Allentown. I know, I know, this is supposed to be a knitting blog, but we don't have a yarn shop nearby. Thank God for ebay, at least yarn-wise. I have a few yards of jet-black (not just black, mind you!), like the Amish use for their wonderful quilts, and I was been kicking around ideas for it. I have in mind a quilt using triangles made of various colors set on black, and a quilt using forty stars, all different solid colors, set on black, sort of like this: In case you didn't notice, that star is not sewn yet, just folded to get a general idea of what it will look like. The colors didn't come out true, either. It's much more of a deep teal, and the background is a deep black, not the navy it looks like here. I think the other picture shows the true colors much better. And b ecause this is primarily a knitting blog, yes, I have been knitting. I have 13 squares of the gray afghan finished, and last night I knitted 5 inches of the sleeve from Audrey. That project is moving right along, and I will work on it some more tonight.

And, yes, for anyone who is wondering, there is a difference in black colors. The lady at the quilt shop showed me black, and jet-black together, and the jet-black was clearly much darker, and showed up both bright and pastel solids much nicer. Live and learn, I guess. I never would have thought it made that much of a difference.

Spring seems to have sprung around here, as attested by the next few pictures.My Ice Follies daffodils, which are my favorite daffodil
ever, a sea of Dutch crocus, and my very lush and healthy Hellebore, which started blooming well before our last bout of ice, sleet, and freezing rain. It came through that mess very well, even though it was frozen to the ground at one point.

My Saturday sky picture was taken through the branches of my tempermental Lilac bush. Some years I get flowers, more often than not, I don't. Will this be a blooming or non-blooming year? Stay tuned.