Monday, June 29, 2015

Shawl Progress, Photo Bomber and Yard Pix

So.  I was wondering how big my natural white alpaca shawl was getting.  I decided to lay my red shawl on the floor and lay my white one over it to see how far I needed to go.  And guess who thought I'd laid these down for him to enjoy?  You guessed it.. my beloved dog Buddy.  Hello.. ohhh you're da bestest baby ever!


He moved over close to me and I was able to get a shot of the shawls.  Not far to go!  Now.. I need your input.  I have enough of the white to finish the shawl, but not the lace edging.  


Should I go back to the alpaca farm and get another skein of white?  OR.. should I make the lace edge in this wonderful colored alpaca?  Would that look weird?  Or wonderful?  Please give me your input.


I was enjoying the outdoors yesterday and noted that the sedum in this little rock pot was in bloom.


The Streptocarpella is just doing fabulous.. when we got it, it had just finished a bloom and wasn't looking all that great, but with some fertilizer and steady watering it has come back and is gorgeous.


One of our unique colored geraniums is flowering.


Our new geranium is a lovely salmon orange.


The little flowers on my unusual leaved moss roses are divine, shades of orange and magenta flow together.  Very pretty.


We are all enjoying the deck a lot this summer.


The garden flag has brought a lot of color and movement to the back yard, I just love it.  There is my photo bomber again.


The 4th of July rose continues to bloom.  :-)


I am so enjoying the Hollyhocks!  I'd like more colors.


It would be fun to have several colors together.


Kristi potted my Sweet Peas into hanging baskets - which is rather brilliant as the peas can use the hanger part to climb and wrap around - she also added black bamboo stakes for them to grow on.. she harvested a whole pile of black bamboo stakes when she trimmed up our black bamboo stand.


My "Cocks Comb" has done well.. my maternal grandmother had these growing all in a row up next to the brick of the old bank building that she lived in in Oklahoma.  After I downloaded this photo I noticed that it is in the shape of a heart!


I had to show you how much bigger the Brazilian Begonia is getting!


I love how nice the garden looks against the newly mowed forest floor.


The Astilbe is nearing perfection.  


I had one of these in white but it did not thrive where I had it.  It comes in some pretty colors.. I may need to put some others near this one.


Do you want to help me feed the fish?  :-)


We set the Maidenhair Fern into the stream and so far it seems to like it's habitat.  The fun part of these ferns is that they have a black stem.


Dayle's fathers Chinese lantern.. his dad had a tiny fountain in his tiny back yard and when his parents were moved into assisted living Dayle brought this lantern home.  It will forever remind us of his dad.  Dayle has it plugged in so it glows at night.  I love how there is moss on the top of it.


Kristi got another science project for the kids to work on.  It's a jar and they got to decorate the outside, layered sand and rock and then planted seeds on top.  The seeds are chia and wheat and are beginning to sprout.


Buddy got a bath the other day and is looking so shiny and pretty.  Don't tell him I said that.. :-)   


We're still having hot weather.. in the 90s.  But we're keeping cool enough with 2 AC units.  Before we had those we were pretty miserable in this old farm house.  I swim today.. what are you up to?  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

23 comments:

  1. Well, Teresa, don't you have just the cutest little photo bomber?! :) As for the shawl, I'd like it either way, so I am no help with that. I absolutely love hollyhocks, but I have a hard time keeping them nice. Some kind of insect is always chomping away the leaves. :( I did have astilbe, but it never did well here. I am thinking it needs more sun than what it gets here. Thanks for sharing your lovely photos, and enjoy your day! :)

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  2. Love, love, love your photo bomber. Sweet Buddy!

    Oh my all the flowers are just spectacular, bright and so healthy. The Cocks Comb is luminous and those Geraniums gorgeous.

    Keep cool - we Portlanders are tough folks - a little heatwave won't hurt us - not much, anyway.

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  3. Buddy is adorable, he has such a sweet face. Why not try the coloured yarn and see what it looks like, if you don't like it you can pull it back and go fetch some more white. The garden is looking wonderful. We have a predicted heat wave this week but living by the sea we nearly always get wind which is cooling.

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  4. What a sweetheart Buddy is and yes he looks very handsome. I think I would stick with white for the shawl edge although the multicoloured wool is very pretty. Your deck and garden are really thriving. Keep cool we've got a heatwave here too just in time for Wimbledon x

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  5. Your pink astilbe likes your house and the white likes mine... Had both but obviously the pink flew off to enjoy your neck of the woods.
    I love your pergola on the wood deck. so summery with the hanging baskets and other plants surrounding it.

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  6. Interesting! For your shawl, I would stick with the white, but Mama has a good idea. You could give the colored ruffle a try and if you don't like it, frog it and go get another skein of the white. Your flowers are so pretty and I think Kristi had a brilliant idea with the sweet peas! I hope they climb the bamboo. I am catching up on reading my UK Country Living magazines and am going to try to tackle my fall shawl this afternoon and see if I can pick up on the pattern and finish it. I am thinking about swimming and hope to swim on Wednesday. Have a good swim today! xx

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  7. Wow, your deck is absolutely gorgeous. I'd be spending a lot of time there too I think. And how sweet your little doggie is. Your hostas are still looking perfect, I do so love lots and lots of green. I hope you had a good swim. I did a ridiculous amount of chasing round our little town today, chores and things at the school. Otherwise I got almost nothing done! CJ xx

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  8. That 4th of July rose is spectacular! And I love Sweet Peas. Can't believe that Brazilian Begonia has gotten so big so fast. It is gorgeous.

    Judy

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  9. LOVE that first picture of Buddy! So cute! Now about that shawl...if you are going for "classic" with the cream (which I love!), then I'd get another skein of the cream and keep it classic. It will be pretty no matter what you choose. It just depends on the look you are going for. I think the multi-color yarn will make it a little quirky and cool. My taste is the pure classic on this one. I loved looking through the pictures of your yard!

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  10. As always I loved the tour of your yard. My thoughts on the shawl? You have the colored yarn so it wouldn't hurt to try that for the edging. If you don't like it, crochet is easy to rip out and you can get more cream. All you lose is a little time. Buddy looks like he's happy to be where ever you are. He's so cute.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  11. I like the variegated yarn, but it might be a bit overpowering on the shawl unless you know that it will match one of your outfits. It would be a shame to spoil your hardwork with an edging you aren't happy with. A white one would probably match everything.

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  12. Teresa, your posts are always so interesting and filled with so many wonderful photos. I am a visual person, so I love me some pictures, LOL. Your yard and deck is so colorful and magnificent . . . like visiting a botanical gardens. As for your shawl . . . I think that the colored boarder would be lovely, but it would certainly limit what you can wear it with. A white shawl will go with everything. Will you have it done to take on your trip?

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  13. Teresa, if I were you I'd get another ball of the white to finish your shawl. Its looking beautiful by the way. Your deck looks very inviting and as always your garden so lush and pretty.

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  14. Buddy is so cute. He reminded me that when we had a dog (he died three years ago in August), he would lie down immediately on anything I ever laid out on the floor. It could be a dropcloth for painting, a blanket I was working on, a newspaper, anything. He was always looking for some kind of mat to lie on. Your shawl looks great. I think having an all-white shawl is a nice idea. Your flowers look great. The whole farm has burst into high summer. I hope you're having a good week so far.

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  15. I love the varigated color yarn but I don't think it wants to be lace edging....I vote for cream. Was the shawl blocked before you compared it with the other one. If it hasn't been blocked then it may be almost the right size to start the edging. I don't know if that would leave you with enough yarn to complete it without buying more....its a thought.
    I love that you know the names of all your flowers.

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  16. I would vote for doing the lace edging in white. I just think that the yarn is so incredible I can't imagine it any other way...besides I am crazy about white shawls:) Buddy is beyond adorable! His personality just shines through in the photos you post of him. Couldn't get see all your photos (as usual I used up all our monthly full speed Internet before the month ended--LOL). I'll try to take a peek at them later on my smartphone...
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  17. Ooh, how gorgeous is your Buddy and he looks very handsome after his bath too ;-) I love your deck Teresa...it looks so pretty with all your pots and baskets x I think maybe the natural white for your border...it's a difficult one and either way it's beautiful!
    Hope you're having a good week and keep cool!
    Susan x

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  18. I love my Maidenhead fern..a former client gave me his before he moved..the thin thin unfurlings are magical..
    your doggie is so well groomed:).Lovely clics..and that cute project:)

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  19. Everything in your garden is so beautiful!!! You and Kristie have done so well!!! You have very green fingers. Your shawl looks lovely, I think that the contrast yarn for the edging would be very nice and would compliment the colour of the main part of the shawl very well! xx

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  20. I imagine the lit lantern at night being extra peaceful! I love your green thumb magic. The pup is too dang cute. Nothing like a freshly bathed puppy. I'm thinking of frogging my poncho oh dear

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  21. Jingles does the same thing when I lay crochet out on the floor. That Buddy sure is a handsome fella. Your garden is absolutely gorgeous and I think I could live out on the deck. So pretty. So wonderful to be surrounded by grass and trees and so much color. I think I would go with the contrast color for the edging of your white shawl. I love that type of look. Especially on blankets that are plain and have a colorful border. Get it started and see how you like it -- if it doesn't seem right, you can always get the white and start over. Happy July!

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  22. Buddy has to be the cutest photo bomber ever!

    Your shawl, would it be more versatile if you edged it in white, you'd have more options re. what to wear it with I'd have thought.

    And wow, your garden is looking stunning!

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  23. I was thinking white for the edging of your shawl until someone said "ruffle"! I think a fabulously ruffley ruffle in the mad colours would be amazing! Or then again stick with white so you can have a reason to buy yatn :)
    Jill

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