By far this is my greatest achievement

While I really wanted to win the Trifecta and get three five-mile days in a row, today just wasn’t meant to be. My feet were a bit too soar (and blistered) to attempt it. Instead I worked on designing something new, more on that at a future date.

I also packed and headed north for a Cat Show. Here’s hoping our Nessa Rose can strut her stuff tomorrow and win over some judges.

Before I left Mr. Chipmunks son came for a visit. Of course the peanuts were a too tempting to pass up on. I know it wasn’t Mr. Chipmunk since this one was very small with a relatively short tail. Oh and by the way a little something happened today, something of minimal

importance…I finished the IVY LEAGUE VEST!!!

As you can see I have many many ends to sew in. Logan (my parent's big guy) thought the ends smelt funny. The yarn definately has a smell to it, which I notice if I leave the vest in a bag. It's a nice fresh smell so it's fine with me. Logan wasn't so sure.

I’ll have to model it after blocking. Right now the armhole ribbing is curling up and needs some convincing to lay flat. I’m also not sure what to do with the steeks. Should I just ignore them or am I supposed to tack them down or cut them off? By far this is my greatest achievement.

Mr. Chipmunk and I are cohabitating

Last fall there was a momentous event. An event which caused me to be immobile for 3 days, do you recall, the gardening overhaul? Last October Mum and I spent 10 hours ripping out the gardens, adding 5 bags of soil, building a perimeter to protect the garden from the lawn mowers, and redesigning the plant layout. It was excruciating (my that’s a big word) and felt anticlimactic since nothing would grow until this spring. During the excavation I was mindful of the fact that a certain chipmunk had been residing in the front center of the garden. By mindful I mean that we did not plant anything over his hole although we did cover it with soil and mulch. The next morning he’d dug out and I was happy I hadn’t scared him off. My mother warned me that he’d feast all winter on the new bulbs we’d just spent so long planting and arranging.

Fast forward to last night when I rushed home so I could sit in the back yard and knit. It was nice and sunny and I thought a good opportunity to check on the gardens. My mothers warning about the chipmunk echoed through my mind. But I had been diligent about feeding him peanuts all fall and then again this spring when the snow over his hole had melted. Hopefully he’d left my bulbs alone. I am happy to report I have a few small purple flowers but I can see that the tulips, lilies, and daffodils are all about 4” of green, right on the cusp of blossoms. With all of the growth in the garden I’d say it worked, the bulbs are all there, and Mr. Chipmunk and I have successful coexisted in the garden.

And yes, I’ve knit my mile. It’s amazing how much yarn you can burn through when you’re motivated to knit mice. Ok more like obsessed to knit mice. I feel like a mouse freak. April’s total yardage is 2,067 yards or 1.2 miles.