First Blossoms

Hello,

Due to the impending rain, we had to do an emergency fix on our shed roof. Passing by our almond tree I noticed this:

First blossoms: 22 February 2009

And looking at an old hay bale next to the shed, I discovered these:

Hay Bale mushrooms

These mushrooms are only a few inches tall, but somehow look like they belong into an enchanted forest.

If you haven't seen the movie Coraline yet, you really should go - it is excellent! But don't bother watching it in 3D - it really does not add to the story, I found it rather distracts from it a bit.

In knitting news: I've started the Funnelneck Sweater from the Big Girl Knits book:

Whichway Funnelneck - start of Cable section (center front)

I was unable to get the gauge right - I could manage the 16 stitches per 4 inch, but the number of rows would be way off. Usually I can get gauge by moving up 1 mm from the recommended needle size, but not here ... I knitted about 6 different swatches, and finally decided to use 5 mm needles which would make the sweater a bit smaller than the L size which is too big for me anyway. I'll know more after knitting the whole front.

Finally, I came across an interesting link via a Ravelry friend. If you know a disabled or chronically ill person and sometimes wonder why they are tired all the time or cannot do even small, simple things, because they "don't look sick", read this Spoon Theory - it is an eye-opener.

Till next time.