Athena Dreams

Swatches, Swatches, where's the Sun for my Swatches

Well, since the dark and stormy skies that arrived on Monday are not cooperating with me in taking photos of my swatching efforts, I give you some swatches of lovelies from my winter garden taken this past sunny weekend.

It's still such a lovely and miraculous thing to have not just green things, but little flowers popping up in my winter garden. Growing up and living in much much colder climates before moving to the bay area, makes me so appreciate all this green.

As soon as the sun arrives back in my neighborhood, photo shoot will commence, for now, hope the flowers make you smile as much as I did this weekend.

And Here We Are at Autumn

I had wanted to mark the turn of the page to Autumn with starting a sweater for the fall and winter. The choice has been made (long ago) and for those of you who followed me through my swatching and my colour foraging, you know it will be the Poetry Cardigan of long ago discussions. Aah, but which cardigan: there were 2 discussed ad nauseum...

It will be the Peony Cardigan number one, or the one on page 136 in the Poetry in Stitches book.

But the weekend ended up filled with a wedding to attend, walks to go on in the cool(ish) Bay area-starting to change weather, and colours to read about and projects to tie the loose ends up on . . .

. . . changing leaves to walk through, home made vegetable soup left to simmer on the stove and make the house smell all warm and cozy and delicious.

Have I mentioned that I love the beginning of Fall, probably many many times, but I always love to say it again...

and there's my newly growing friendship with orange, another thing to celebrate about the beginnings of fall.

Happy Equinox! May the changing fall air invigorate and inspire you all!

Can I Distract You with Some Flowers?

I am sewing endless little cotton squares together. There really is no point in taking more photos of these endless little squares of colour, no point in showing my "progress", or even discussing which square colour combos I like the best... Babette is the only thing I am working on, and until she is done, there's just really not much to be said about her, or any of the other lovely projects I should be starting for Holiday presents. This is all in the name of finishing a project. Finishing a project completely. No dangly thread. No more items thrown into the basket of other items that need blocking. A finished project is a lengthy process, for me, it seems.

The Rudbeckia in my garden this year, has been, in one word, stunning. I have tried it before in different spots, with marginal results, and this year I put it in the garden just off the front porch, my thinking being that maybe it just wanted to be seen more than once or twice a day, and wanted to be seen by more than just myself and Mr Athena. The mailman even commented on my "pretty golden flowers" and I am thinking he is not the gardening type, and thus it is rather impressive that he noticed them at all. I think I finally found the right spot for them.

And they are lovely and golden. The photo looks like there was a flash or some back lighting, but there wasn't, and I think the yellow caste on the leaves, is all due to the "lovely golden flowers".

And just beside the Rudbeckia is my gorgeous Japanese Anemone in Pink. I have many white ones in the back, I love both the white and the pink. And in years past I bought starters that SAID they were pink, but then in September, they bloomed white. It's on one level terribly disappointing, and on another, a lovely thing. On the disapponting side, I tend and water them all year, they put out the most beautifully rich green foliage for, oh I'd say about 7 months, and then at the very very end of the blooming season they start to bloom, and I am expecting pink, and I got another white. And it is a lovely thing, in that the large gathering of white anemone's in the back (right outside our bedroom window) are amassing in army like proportions, and when it is a full moon during the months of September and October, I go to sleep to the glow of the white flowers.

So, onward to more sewing of squares... Babette is waiting... she is a task mistress.

Sunshine and a Little Flower

I think there is a quote out in the world that is attributed to Hans Christian Anderson [the sweet fairy tale writer] that goes something like: “Everyone deserves sunshine and a little flower.” A grand sentiment, a sound sentiment, and today I made it a real thing and took myslf out into the garden for some clean up, some planting, and some joy.

.:pink jasmine:.

I am still catching up on work projects, I am still insanely behind on making deadlines, and I have been working far too much to get caught up, and it does not make for a happy girl. So today I gave myself some sunshine and a little flower.

.:purple iris:.

.:yellow daylily:.

.:mallow:.

.:snapdragon:.

.:rose bud with aphids already visiting:.

.:lavender:.

.:Lobelia newly planted:.

.:callabrachoa, perhaps spelled incorrectly:.

The breeze feels like heaven, the sun is just the perfect temperature, my hands are dirty, and my neck is sweaty, and life couldn't be better at the moment.

I am not thinking about work still to be done, or taxes yet to be organized for the accountant, or food shopping that needs to happen, or various and sundry other must do things.

.:welcome buddha:.

Welcome Spring . . .

and wipe my dirty feet. . .

with wishes for a happy spring weekend, some sunshine, and a little flower for all.