A Little of This and That....

Remember this tree...

Well I have finally found, through copious amounts of Internet research, that this is the Callistemon pallidus, or Lemon Bottlebrush. It's suppose to be a shrub but someone has made this beauty into a small tree. It's native to Oueensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. The deciding factor on this, instead of the Eucalyptus Obliqua or Stringybark, was the height: only 6 to 10 feet instead of the Eucalyptus tree that reaches heights of 300 ft. and  the fact that Eucalyptus trees got a really bad name here in the 1991 Oakland Firestorm when groves of the non native tree burned so violently in the strong winds that day. I can't imagine the city would let anyone plant another Eucalyptus again, anywhere, in the Bay Area. The Bottlebrush also has the same seed capsules and the fuzzy white flowers.
I want to thank everyone for giving me lots of information to take with me on my search for the "mystery tree". I'm so glad that I found out what it was. It's my conclusion that the Aussies really know trees. Everyone who gave me an idea about what this tree might be were from Australia. Thanks to Roslyn, Pauline and Kate. You are not only loyal followers at Over Good Ground but very smart as well.
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I don't know about all of you but, compared to last Saturday, I'm feeling almost religious about being well again.  At my age getting better after being so sick is a sign that there is an all-merciful angel of good health out there somewhere who facilitates getting well. I know that's a bit over the top for Farmlady but I'm sure I saw an angel floating about on my ceiling one night. Maybe, maybe not.... could have just been a vision of  Vicks vaporub and Chicken soup flowing  together with the bedtime Benadryl. I will never quite know but it's great to feel good again.
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I have started knitting and I love it. When I was a young thing I thought that knitting was for old ladies that sat a lot. Well, now that I'm an "old lady" I have a better perspective on this. So, I have become a Yarn-nista, or "old person who doesn't sit much but when she does has knitting in hand". I bought some books and needles and , "oh my gosh" beautiful yarn, took to the Internet for video lessons and have become an obsessed, dedicated knitter. I'm just learning, so I have bought a few books. Then I started watching these great videos on the Internet. I spend about an hour in the evening watching, and re-watching, how to do one new stitch or how to change a color, etc....

I started with the basics. I'm making dishcloths. I gave this one to my sister. I like them because I can learn the different stitches and how to cast on and bind off. They don't take too much time and they are useful.

This Sugar'n Cream yarn by Lily is pure cotton and wonderful for these small washcloths. Each wrapper has a free pattern on the label which is really helpful.

I'm making this scarf out of two different yarns; the ends are Lion Brand Homespun 416 Coral Reef mixed with Lion Brand Fun Fur color # 208. and then the middle is just the Homespun 416 yarn. It's beautiful and glamorous. I think I make a mistake last night when I was watching TV in bad lighting and getting tired.

There's a little space that seems to be missing a stitch. I don't know why. It's too late to go back and see what I did so I guess I will just have to wear this scarf myself. What a pity.

This is really fun. This is the same Sugar'n Cream yarn in solid colors.....Again, it's great practice for stitches and for changing color.

I tried "bobbles" in the green section but I don't care for them. They just look like I really messed up my stitches. But, there are all kinds of "bobbles" that you can add to your knitting so I will try some different ones and maybe one will look like I intended to put them there. Look at these colors. They're so bright and wonderful.

And to end this odyssey, I want to show you the beautiful wool roving (Bernat) that will be a pillow. I love the softness of the wool. Roving is not like yarn. It can be pulled apart and so you have to be careful when you're knitting it but this will be FELTED after I get through making the knitted piece. Wet felting is a process that makes wool into a strong fabric. It's quite a project and I will leave the specifics for another post but I can't wait to try it.
Hope you're having a pleasant weekend and may the Angel of Good Health reside on your ceiling all Winter.