LoraHughes

LoraHughes, 2 days ago to gardening

These are the best. #gardening @gardening

11 second video. Outside, daytime. Close up of 2 honey garlic flower clusters. The one on the left has its florets mostly open. They are on long stems & face downward in 4 petalled bells. The petals are green at the base, then fade to purple & yellow at the rounded tips. The cluster on the right is all closed buds which stand upright. A bumble bee emerges from one of the open florets & goes inside another, totally covered by the petals. It comes out of that one, checks the others & flies off to the left. Its buz is faintly heard. The background is a cement drive with a border of gravel.

LoraHughes, 12 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

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

LoraHughes, 16 days ago to gardening

First nachtvlinder flowers fully open. If you look closely, you can see the bit of blue in the centres. Such a lovely salvia, purported to help reduce black spot on roses when underplated, & smells like lemon when you brush your hands over it. One of those plants I always have to have. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 17 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, 21 days ago to animals

If you're going to do it, throw you whole self into it. #DogsOfMastodon

LoraHughes, 26 days ago to gardening

Camassia. @gardening #gardening

Outside, daytime. Same pot of camassia taken from slightly further back so that about 5 bud clusters are available. Other pots on gravel in the background.
Outside, daytime. A closer photo of 3 camassia, mostly green with some blue starting to show. The front 2 bud clusters are tilted in sync to the right. Out of focus gravel garden in background.

LoraHughes, 29 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, 1 month ago to animals

We're not ready yet. #CatsOfMastodon

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to animals

Yes, Saga, we have to put your toys away so I can do the floors. #DogsOfMastodon

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, 1 month ago to gardening

#gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to gardening

First foxtail has made an appearance. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to knitting

The Larch Peds are getting a test drive today. Wish them luck! #knitting @knitting

Inside daytime. Natural light. Same pair of socks now on a person's feet.

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to gardening

I lifted the grapevine & brought it with us last autumn. It lived. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to knitting

So here I sit, smug in the knowledge that by Larch Peds sock #3, I've mastered the tricky Lola's Pickup Line gusset method.

Then I notice I'm knitting on the wrong needle. What a marooooooooon. #knitting @knitting

(The longer, green needle with the new stitches on it is connected to the pickup line & definitely not the one I should be knitting onto. The needle I should be using is the other green one just under the stitch counter.)

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to gardening

The fig tree's back! Hope to get figs this year. Last year's drought knocked it for a loop. But hey, that's some gorgeous foliage it's got going there, so it's nice to have around even w/o the fruit.

Optimism is a gardener's best friend & worst enemy. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to knitting

I was going to wait until this sock was done before posting yet another photo of it, but I really love this yarn. Larch Peds socks. #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to wildlife

Hello, Hog. #WildLife #HedgeHog

Outside at night. Camera faces a wooden hedgehog feeder with stakes in front to keep the cats & fox out. It backs up against a wooden porch with the brick house wall to the left, a large planter to the right with foliage hanging over the edge. A hedgehog moves from the left over to the feeder, then to the area beside it. The hedgehog turns, comes straight up to the camera & gives it a big sniff.

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to knitting

1st Larch Ped finished. Not overly pleased with the cuff, so rather than make the 2nd in the pair, will try adjustments on a new pair. #knitting @knitting

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to knitting

O yes, way easier than picking up stitches for the arch. Larch Peds by Laura Nelkin.
(Actually, I think the 3rd needle positioning works quite well.)
#knitting @knitting

Same item, another positioning of the various needles which looks even more complicated.
A third arrangement of needles with both circulars hanging dowards & the double pointed being used horizontally.

LoraHughes, 1 month ago to knitting

Progress on the Larch Peds last night. 1st, ribbed heel lining. 2nd, outer heel in a light blue. 3rd, ribbed lining turned inside of outer heel. Today I knit them together.
Glad for the tutorial video link in the pattern. Knew something was wrong with outer heel short rows & couldn't figure it out. Watching the video, I realised I got my A & B stitch markers mixed up.
Very excited about this pattern. My son, who is the recipient, can't wait to see how they turn out.
#knitting @knitting

Inside at night, artificial light. The knitting now sits on top of a silver coloured laptop. The single line of variegated knitting is now several rows deep in stockinette stitch, more rows on one side, as short rows have been knitted.
Inside at night, artificial light. The turquoise ribbing has now been folded inside the lighter blue stockinette, leaving 2 rows of turquoise at the top of the knitting. The short rows mean the knitting, which is the back of a short sock, is higher on one side than the other.

LoraHughes, 2 months ago to gardening

1st herb robert of the season. I'd never seen these before moving to the UK & immediately fell in love w/both the flower & foliage. What's not to love, right? They do take the run of the place, so I can only let them bloom for so long before time to address that issue. Like dandelions, so many folk view them as weeds, so they're one of my many well loved vices. Dandelions, of course, are another. #gardening @gardening

LoraHughes, 2 months ago to random

Happy St Paddy's.

LoraHughes, 2 months ago to knitting

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