LoraHughes

LoraHughes, 7 months ago to gardening

We lost the gravel battle, cuz the landlord says it's cheaper. Killing the = cost effective. In this section, he moved the gravel, put down new membrane, then put back the dirty gravel. Within 2 weeks, there was new grass. At 3 weeks, the grass is 4" tall. When I stick my finger into the gravel, the first digit is coated in dirt. He tried to charge the last tenant for the existent shoddy landscaping. We're thinking about putting heathers & lavenders in to save our deposit. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 3 months ago to gardening

Buds on the crooked cherry. Few years ago, it self seeded up the middle of choisa. The current main trunk grew parallel to the ground, then sent up a vertical branch for sun. When rescued, it grew in a Z shape until last year, when it self pruned the once vertical sun seeking branch. It lost more than half its height for this less crooked structure, but seems to be very healthy. Lovely, lovely little tree. @gardening #gardening

Outside daytime. Same tree from further back which shows a stumpy main trunk half as tall as the side branches are wide. The soil at the base of the tree is covered in heart shaped cyclamen leaves which are variegated in shades of green.

LoraHughes, 4 months ago to knitting

These started as the dog walker's Xmas socks but turned out too ugly for her, which means I get a new pair of very warm, weirdo socks. #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 3 months ago to knitting

Been making socks for decades & only once or twice have I twisted the cast on. Still, I never trust I've done it right. I wait for the ribbing to jump up and scream that it's twisted. Every. Time. And I'm the type of knitter who never met a pattern she wouldn't change, who always thinks there's a better way, who suddenly throws in a rogue yarn, who basically isn't afraid to make mistakes & undo. But give me a circular cast on & I lose my cool. #knitting @knitting

Same location, the knitting is now joined & on a circular needle, the double pointed needles lying next to it.

LoraHughes, 5 months ago to gardening

More buds on the winter clematis. Don't think they bloom until January, & I really can't wait. #gardening @gardening

Another view of buds.
A third group of buds.

LoraHughes, 11 months ago to gardening

The sanguisorba were so much pinker last year. Am I being impatient? #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 9 months ago to gardening

Any idea what this is? Lovely foliage & a bud starting on it. Wondered if it's form seed I scattered or something the birds brought in. @gardening #gardening

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to knitting

Really wanted to start Jennifer Beale's Duntara but only had one yarn in my stash that was similar compo to the MC (I needed 5 CCs). It was multi-coloured, so in it goes. Between this adulteration & the Jennifer Beale potato sack, the Knitting Police are going to show up & take all my Jennifer Beale patterns away. What Duntara is supposed to look like => https://knitjbealedesigns.com/patterns/p/duntara #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to wildlife

It's FreeCycle Day, which takes special courage. While I'm MIA, enjoy a hedgehog thread. Many nites the hog isn't on film, is filmed coming but not going, or vice versa. Thot his route changed & last night's different camera angle proved it. The area to the right of him used to be flower bed until my landlord objected. With it & other beds gone, it looks like the hog keeps to the shrubs. A well trimmed lawn has little benefit to a planet on fire. #HedgeHog #WildLife #gardening 1/4 @gardening

Garden at night. Hedgehog seen from rear, pushed through some grass to move past the water bowl & under a shrub.

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to knitting

Reached the lace hem on this top, which is only 8 rows deep. At row 5, realised there's a mistake that means those 5 rows have to be ripped out. Only 5 rows, but when so close to binding off . . . #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 25 days ago to gardening

The hedgehog method of getting rid of your competition. In other videos (not attached), the winning male stopped to eat, both when dispatching his rival & when courting the female. He lost interest in her after only a few minutes -the defeated male had spent over an hour wooing her.

2 more videos to follow, but this is my fav. 1/3 #gardening @gardening

Outside at night, hedgehog feeding station. 3 hedgehogs are gathered, nose to nose, on the left of the video, the female huffing at the 2 males. One of the males curls up when the other male shoves him, so the shoving male rolls the curled up male away. A tawny owl calls in the background.

LoraHughes, 2 months ago to knitting

Birthday booty. I don't usually fork out for hand dyed yarn, so this was exciting. @knitting #knitting

LoraHughes, 9 months ago to gardening

I saw a post yesterday about how wild & woolly the Russian sage was in that area. Here's my slender little flower stem. This little guy survived last year's drought, -4 degree winter temps, & a very dry spring. I've very happy with it. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to knitting

So've swatched & blocked the linen on 2 needle sizes. Moving ever closer to my first linen project. @knitting #knitting

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to knitting

After the potato sack debacle, want to start a new project but there's not the yarn in my stash for the pattern I want to do. Have an approximate for another pattern & the swatch of the 2 yarns together made me feel quite calm. So am going to wing it again, guaranteeing that calm feeling won't last long.
#knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 8 months ago to gardening

Look what I found on the pavement outside my house. It looks like an elephant hawk moth. I watched it for a while & it didn't seem to like what was growing there, so I moved it into my garden. Checked later on the web & it says they like willow herb, which is in the garden. Have a good life, big guy. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to animals

The dogs watching their fun boxes getting put together. Mlle DoodleFace would like a sneak peak, if you please. #DogsOfMastodon

Same scene with the doodle now by the man, poking her nose into his work while he laughs.

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to gardening

Let me show off my pearls (achillea the pearl). #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 10 months ago to knitting

The Twillingate tank top is blocked & ready to wear. The potato sack has all its i cords grafted & bits woven, so is next up to be blocked. Both Jennifer Beale patterns. Will probably do them again, but amend them as well, becuz - my brain. #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 9 months ago to gardening

This may be the last day lily as well. These were here when we moved in. I've really enjoyed them. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 5 months ago to knitting

First sock ready to kitchener. #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 11 months ago to gardening

Nigella seed pod. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 8 days ago to gardening

When we moved in last autumn, an old rose grew up the holly (left trunk), along with brambles & sycamore maple saplings. Red rose hips dotted the holly, thick rose branches hung down to grab anyone close. Love this year's new growth, so thinned most of it out, leaving 2 old stalks, as well as the mature sycamore (right trunk), since I'm not a lumber jack. Hoping the new growth will skirt the trunks while the rose hips do what they did last year. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 13 days ago to gardening

Nearly there. Sometime today, I wager. #gardening @gardening

Outside, daytime. Same iris but with one petal on the left at about 10 o'clock.
Outside, daytime. Same flower seen from other side. The first petal is now horizontally open & its opposite is just starting. The smaller mauve centre petals are still closed.
Outside, daytime. Same flower with both dark purple petals open horizontally showing the smaller mauve petals verticalloy open.

LoraHughes, 9 days ago to gardening

This crittur, which I think is a bee fly, was sniffing around my seed pots, for some reason, literally putting its head to the compost as if sniffing, then moving to the next pot. #gardening @gardening #bugs