The bee talk, new knitting, Friday lunch and Mutts

The bee lecture I mentioned yesterday,  was a Zoom presentation from Rutgers (state University), a slide show of bee habitats and needs.  

The target audience was home gardeners wanting to provide for bees and recognize their nests or holes so as not to accidentally mistake them for yellow jackets, or the reverse.  

It was short and packed with useful information.

I was interested in the bees which have niche food needs, wanting one species of plant only. The hibiscus is one such plant. So maybe I did a good thing when I planted mine. 

While I listened, more talking than slideshow, I tried my hand at remembering continental knitting. 

I got some cotton yarn, can't handle wool in the allergy season, and decided to knit the sock design that starts with a square patch toe. You then pick up all four sides for the foot, having calculated how many stitches for the patch, your foot requirement divided by four.

This is why I started working with stitches on four needles instead of my usual three, just seemed simpler for the distribution. 

This makes a comfortable seamless flexible toe, great for the Sock 'n Glove Ministry clients. 

I'll change the stitch distribution to a triangle when I get to the heel, moving one needlesworth onto another one to have the heel ready to go with 26 stitches on one needle, leaving the other two needles with 13 stitches each. 

I did get along pretty well with the yarn in my left hand, picking rather than throwing. But I quickly ran into a hitch because of my left ring finger which seizes up. You can see the tendon struggling to cross the knuckle at the base of the finger. It doesn't hurt but it's hard to keep a steady tension when that finger suddenly jams. And the left hand is the working one with this approach.

I think I need to get it attended to. I've had other things to think about up to now, but now knitting is hard because of it. I can do the throwing method because the other hand does the work, but the left hand is still tricky.

Anyway I learned a thing or two more about bees and knitting, not bad. And I hope physical therapy can help the finger. I'm not up for surgery right now.

And lunch was very good. Roasted diced yellow potatoes with breaded hake, handful of cilantro.

There are two more pieces of fish, breaded,ready to go for two more quick meals. And boiled potatoes ready for quick roasting.  

The remaining batter and panko are also in their dishes, in the fridge ready for the planned crunchy tofu katsu sticks.  So the food will be fast but not leftovers. It practically cooks itself.

And, as a commenter said, it's so nice to cook for yourself. No pressure other than hunger!

Happy day everyone,  enjoy your day. This about sums up mine

Daffodils, creeping Jenny and bees

The season is moving forward in the daffodil community. Early daffodils have faded, mid season are just past their prime and the lovely late delicate daffodils are budding ready to open.

Here you'll see late daffodils in bud and the red tulips Gary planted starting to open. This has been a great year for bulbs.

And the next visitor, after the hairy bittercress has been around for a few days, is a favorite of mine, which showed up a couple of years ago. I think maybe this creeping Jenny hitched a ride on another plant. 

In some places it's an invasive nuisance but here it's a plant I like to see, which will form a carpet around the pachysandra, sometimes climbing right over it, and there will be small yellow flowers.

On the occasional warm day, bees are already out and about, and thanks to Chris, I'm reading a great book about all kinds of bees 

It's a serious study, but written in a way that total beginners on the bee scene can follow and learn. I know we have a few local species, and this year I plan to learn and identify more, as soon as they show up.

So that's where I am today, later I'll catch Textiles and Tea, and show you human made structures.

The crocheted piece so far is a monument to determination rather than art, but I'm learning with each stitch, so it counts. My story and I'm stickin to it.

Note to self 

Sez Ted