Did you see..?

I've just come in from my first attempt at Taming the Beast that is the gardens of Pittsworth Manor. The morning is bright but chill and though my nose is cold the rest of me is made warm by the sight of sprouts and buds. This winter has been especially long.

And so I give you, my dear readers, signs of Spring fresh from SW Ontario.

The lilac has budded:
Some of the 100+ tulips I planted are poking their noses up to greet the sun:
The Complementary Tulips -- which is what I call the ones that were "free" with the house -- are up a good six inches. You can actually see them now since the Offending Cedar met its maker last Fall:
And look! The Imperial Crown Lilies have survived the Great Purge and Planting of 2010. This is a welcome sight, indeed. I was a bit worried about that one.
But yes, the chill and the fact that my hand rake is playing hide-and-go-seek with me this morning has forced me back indoors. Which, of course, offers me ample opportunity to bring you up to speed on what I'm up to these days.

At present I am working fervently on a sock design for the Summer 2011 issue of Sockupied. While this is keeping me quite busy I am really enjoying the socks themselves, and I hope you will, too. More details will follow as they become available.

I'm also pleased to report that Pick Up Sticks is now carrying both my mitten patterns and the Sunday Knits kits to go along with them. This is good news for those among you who prefer to get all your shopping done in one go. Check them out here.

And look what I got a copy of the other night -- it's the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of Vogue Knitting International:
...notable, of course, for this feature:
It's a little surreal, opening a magazine and seeing yourself looking back out at you. Maybe more than a little.

I bought a new rose bush to celebrate. I think she's lovely.
Now I've got to get back to those socks -- they're not going to knit themselves.