Blankets

I mentioned a few posts ago that I got a big donation of yarn. I've pretty much used it up! Two more charity blankets off the needles. 

The first one was the bottom one. It has bands of white/cream separating the colours, and I tried to alternate green and brown. Sometimes I don't settle into an idea until I've knit a bit, so it doesn't always look intentional.  It's 558gr. 

The second one was the darker one on top, because I had a lot of dark greens left. It weighs in at about 485gr.  It ended up a bit smaller. I was going to do a border, but I hate doing that.

What's been keeping me busy was an AQ course (Additional Qualification) for music, Primary and Junior. That ended, and I've gotten to finally play with my new camera. I spent a lot of the time working on the course outside, where I got to know a cardinal couple. 

This is after she chased off a starling. It was fun watching her when she collected twigs for her nest. 

I didn't get good pictures of the baby. The first time they came around, it was mostly beige and very fluffy. The next time it was showing more red. Years ago I kept seeing a cardinal that was half beige, half red. So I think it takes time for the boys to get their full colour.

I really really like this photo. Click on it, and zoom in. He has an alder seed in his beak. 

They brought their baby around, and then they started a new family. Apparently they don't use the same nest each time. There was a couple days that when I went out front (I knew the nest had been in a skyrocket evergreen at the front corner of the house), the mom cardinal was chirping like crazy from the pine tree next to the walkway. I decided to investigate, and found a baby bird perched on the edge of a nest! I ran in for the camera, and came back out to see it flutter down to a lower branch.

Oh, was Momma ever ticked! She spent a long time chirping, hopping from branch to branch, encouraging it to return. The baby went the wrong way around the tree, towards the front, rather than the short trip to it's left. I had to leave. Just then Daddy came back and there was a discussion. I can just imagine Momma telling him the headaches his offspring had given her that afternoon while he was out having fun LOL. 

When I came back, I saw Daddy chirping madly. I looked up and saw a large bird, about the size of a mourning dove (which we used to have in that tree). It wasn't a dove though, because it was sitting upright on the branch and it had a hawk bill! Daddy chased it off and I think every cardinal on the street was chirping loudly! We couldn't find baby, and I haven't seen or heard it since. I don't know if he was a snack for the hawk, which was likely a sharp-shinned hawk.  

We've also had two litters of bunnies since June. Most have scattered, one got eaten and this guy is in trouble if he doesn't stop munching my plants. The pictures of the newborn bunnies are really adorable. It was great to see the progression. This was the first time there was a nest in the grass instead of under the deck.

I've been growing a hops vine in the back yard for the past few summers. This is the first summer it produced hops. I think it's cool that they mimic the lights Rob put up on the fence.

Now, I'm spending most of my time driving kids around. Megan got a job, and is back skating, and has physio, as well as Lucy working, so I'm busy, busy, busy! 

 Yarn In:  1400gr

Yarn Out: 1 043gr + 3730gr = 4773gr

Balance:  3333 gr more OUT than in

Cost:  $0