Brilliant Colors

I feel as if I can breath again. As much as Sock Summit was an incredible experience, I'm somewhat relieve to return to life with less excitement. For instance, I went to Knit Night for the first time in three or four weeks tonight. It was quiet, and I wasn't stressed about whether or not I was going to have enough time to get everything done.

I'm sharing pictures from my simple pursuits of the last few days. Watching the tomatoes grow. Tough business. This little dwarf determinate threw out long branches toward the bottom, but pretty much didn't go up at all. The plant next to it is spindly and overly tall by comparison, and I think I should be feeding them more. The third pot over has a volunteer, which I find exciting just because it found its way there without my help. My fourth pot on the porch has pumpkins that my son planted. They're flowering, but I really can't picture actual fruits. My four little pots are a poor substitute for a real garden, but somehow that doesn't reduce the pleasure in watching things grow.

I have been using my plants to get a better idea of how my camera works. Today, though, the camera was doing something I really don't think it was supposed to. Is there ever a good time for technology to go screwy? The answer is obviously "no way sucka" and so I'm hoping a solution will present itself or the problem will just disappear. (This is me wishing out loud for a few less things to be on my plate)

Two years ago, I started the Lizard Ridge blanket from Knitty. It seemed genius at the time, but that probably describes half a million other hair-brained schemes of mine. In the intervening time, I've expanded the project by adding a pattern repeat to the individual squares. I started that right away, so no do-overs necessary. I then thought it would better accommodate the expanded length of each square if I arranged them in rows and columns of five, adding another square to the original 24. Then I noticed my first square, done all those months ago, was significantly smaller than the rest. Oops, felted potholder. Ravelry, in a swift move of brilliance and deplorable accuracy, showed me how blankets with this many colors looked a bit jumble-y, so I added a crocheted border in black to set off each pane like stained glass. Almost 26 squares later, I'm so close to finished I can taste it. What will I agonize over when I finally finish this monster?