No finished objects this week. I haven’t been feeling well, and haven’t even been knitting very much. I’m better today, and spent the morning in the garden. I planted several soapwort plants. Also known as Bouncing Bet, I love their happy pink flowers. I used to make my own shampoo with soapwort, and that is my plan. Hopefully the critters will leave them alone. I planted them in different places, in an attempt to confuse and outsmart whatever it is that is digging up my plants. (Commence John Belushi swat team maneuvers.)
Mama Wren has been looking after her eggs in our felt caravan birdhouse. This couple was trying to make a nest in the porch eave on top of a hook, silly birds. So we moved the birdhouse over and they got the hint. I think this must be the same wrens that made a nest in the dryer vent last year.
We moved their nest, which we found out later we were not supposed to do, to a coiled recycled silk birdhouse. They did use it last year and I enjoyed hearing the babies cheeping away in there. That nest is empty now, so I’m going to clean the birdhouse out and try to find a place for it next year.
The soil along the back of the garden wall is mostly clay. I can’t get anything to grow back there, so I’ve moved some daylilies. I think they should do nicely there, and I’m seeing that others are hapazome printing with daylily flowers. I will give it a try today.
My dye plants are doing mostly ok. Only one Hopi Black Sunflower is still alive, but it has two stalks, so I’m praying for flowers and seeds for next year. The Black Hollyhocks are looking good, but still small. They are biennial and won’t flower until next year. Always a favorite, the calendula are starting to flower now. The indigo and madder are healthy but little. And I learned I can eco print with borage flowers. I love the little blue flowers, and they reseed themselves, so I have a few starting to bud now. The tansy is ready to flower and I should be able to dye with them this year.
I replanted flax in the same spot and it’s doing well. I will try processing it into linen one more time. Here’s hoping I ret it and don’t rot it, like I did last year.
I hid okra in the flax. Shock and awe!
In other news, gluten-free sourdough starter is taking over my life. I will start keeping it in the fridge during the week. I made some gluten-free sourdough muffins with it yesterday, and boy were they good with butter and marmalade! Bob is going to make sourdough pizza crust today.
Bleautiful yarn heading back home today!
Snakes & Cranes 
Fun bird and plant update! I have several Hopi sunflowers that have come up – assuming they continue on and don’t get eaten by the woodrats, I’ll be glad to send you seeds for next year if you need them!
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That would be wonderful! I’ll let you know in the fall. Thank you!
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So awesome……I will have to try the starter….
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Your garden looks fan and fingers crossed for thw linen this time😊
Some lively colours for dying ❤
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Your dye garden is so interesting, and I enjoyed seeing those sweet bird houses! Hope you are feeling much better this weekend.
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Thanks Kathy!
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Did I just spend a lot of time comparing your plant photos to the plants in my dye garden to see if what is coming up are plants instead of weeds? Yes. That yarn is stunning. I love reading about your garden.
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That blue yarn is stunning – more about it, please?
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A friend had some white silk and kid mohair she wanted dyed blue. I dyed them in the ball for a mottled effect with low impact acid dyes. The aqua dye exhausted faster than expected, so I added a little of another blue. They turned out really well.
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Sure did!
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Your garden is doing just wonderful! Love that you’re hiding the okra amongst other things – hopefully the critters don’t find it 🙂 You have so many interesting things in your dye garden! Thanks for the tour 🙂
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Forgot to say – yay for your gf sourdough starter! Also, your bird houses are just adorable, and I’m so glad you have a bird family in residence 🙂
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Me too! It’s taken them a couple of years.
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The blues in your dyed yarn are gorgeous. The garden is really coming on.
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Your flowers look great! And the birdhouse with mama wren peeking out is so cute. I know what you mean about sourdough starter taking over. Mine has lived in the fridge now for a couple of years because otherwise it would have taken over my kitchen. (I started playing with sourdough near the end of 2020.) Sourdough pizza crust is one of my absolute favorite uses for it.
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The sourdough pizza crust is so good!
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It really is! I’ve been practicing my pizza making for the past couple of years now, and the sourdough crust is my favorite of the crusts I’ve tried.
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