lis-i-and-thus, the planting season begins

 Nearly every morning, I can look outside in the morning and see our resident rabbit, having a nibble on the front bushes.

Now I can feel less guilty about the pounds and pounds of apples that I picked in early winter, but didn't process, because I thought that our cold garage would keep them fresh.  Excellent rabbit food!

We're having odd weather...bitter freezes and dustings of snow, and then the temperature shoots up into the 50s or even 60s.  Ice forms and cracks in lovely patterns.

Our muskrats reappear on warm days, continually building up their little house, which tends to slump after a thaw.

We are cautiously optimistic that they'll keep our cattails at a manageable level this year!  

Unlike 2021, when I was out in our freezing addition, working on seeding as early as late January, I have only planted one variety this year.  Inside.  In one container.

 

It's Lisianthus, the annoying flower that needs about SIX MONTHS to bloom.  I was rewarded with tiny sprouts after a couple of weeks...

...and they're coming along nicely.  I'm taking a MUCH more measured approach this year.  No house full of demanding seedlings that have differing light, heat, and water needs.  No more running outside with sheets and towels to cover plants because of a sudden, dramatic frost in March.  NOTHING is going in the ground before mid-April (a full month later than 2021), and I'm staggering the planting.  Instead of seeding, for example, 500 snapdragons, which sprout crazily, fall over because it's too much for me to support, and then all die off at the same time...I will plant 150.  Three weeks later, another 150.  Etc., etc.  Succession planting will save my sanity this year, I hope!  

Valentine's Day has come and gone...

...and while I'm still knitting regularly, I'm dipping into some other crafts.  I had the exciting idea to make felt stuffed animals, and vintage-style clothing for them.  But when I got a pattern, I couldn't make heads nor tails of it...literally.

The clothes that looked so darling online...

photo courtesy of little_mochi on Flickr

...turned out to be fiddly and confusing in reality, even in the simplest forms. I tried to make a basic halter dress for an 11" figure.  It was a very simple pattern with just two pieces...

...but the seam allowances were so small and somehow my clumsy fingers couldn't line anything up correctly.

Yikes.

Now, I made myself a skirt in South Carolina...

...but it was with the assistance of a step-by-step online class.  I think I need more training before I tackle these things, so I'll be keeping an eye out at some local sewing shops and checking out online resources.  I know that I can get better with a bit of guidance!

Since physical therapy has really been helping my elbow, I decided to try cutting some fabric for quilting.  I love postage stamp quilts, so named for their tiny piecing.

photo courtesy of Red Pepper Quilts

I have a terrible habit of saving special things for the "right" project, and then never using them, so I forced myself to cut up my beloved Tilda fabric.  It's a UK brand, whimsical with lovely subdued coloring. 

I'm cutting 15 fat quarters (five for each color family) into 1 3/4" strips, with alternative strips of Kona Cotton Snow.  Once a few lines are assembled, I'll cross-cut them into tiny squares.  Each group of squares will make up a block of 16, and then those blocks will be sewn together to make a quilt like the example shown above.  I cut up two fat quarters in this fashion, but I could feel the strain in my elbow, so had to stop.  I'm planning to cut one per day.  There's no hurry.  Then I can assemble and begin to sew again!

Incidentally, today is National Love Your Pet Day.  We've got a pretty chaotic group here!

First, we have Borga, who in her senility runs laps around the house, has to go outside 15 times per day, and whose flatulence is so choking that we have to keep matchbooks in the living room so that we can attempt to cover the smell.  "Borga!!"

Then we have Calliope, who sleeps sweetly sometimes...

...but rules the house with an iron paw, chasing Tabitha whenever she sees her.  We still have our complicated system of baby gates and schedules, but sometimes there's an overlap, so we have to be ready.  Tabitha, mistress of the Upstairs Territory, naps all day on her heated pad, and only wakes when her lowly servant arrives to tempt her palate.

So our pets are keeping us on our toes lately!  We're hoping that (somehow) Calliope will learn to accept Tabitha, especially when warm weather comes, and the open windows will draw Tabitha downstairs.  Meanwhile, we're getting really good at stepping over baby gates.

Have a great week!