31 Days to Branch Out: Day 18

Hopefully you understand now how to follow a knitting pattern. The next step is to actually knit something! So, here is something useful and adorable! McLaughlin Designs: Cowl/Headwrap

Today in the Garden, tiny spaces can be fruitful also! Check out THIS really cool idea for an herb garden on your counter! Really great if you live in an apartment and only have window boxes!





Branch Out and Be Creative!

31 Days to Branch Out: Day 17

So, now that you have some kind of grasp on how to work the needles, the next natural step would be how to follow a knitting pattern so you can make something more than a scarf! So, since I didn't know a thing about how to read a pattern I looked it up and found this! It seems pretty easy to follow. Since knitting is so far away from where I started (scrapbooking) it's taking me a little longer to learn than other crafts. Maybe in December we can come back to knitting and focus some undivided attention to it.

Yesterday we learned how to prepare our gardens for both the raised versions and in ground versions. Today I wanted to touch a bit on composting. We eat a lot of food in our house which means we have a lot of waste! Egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels and scraps are all outstanding materials to add. The benefits of composting here in Texas are pretty fantastic. Especially if your backyard is anything like mine and consists of pure rock. Yay south Texas... Anyway, adding it to your soil or your potting soil that you've purchased will loosen clay soils and help sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants.  So, I know where all of our scraps will be heading now! Have fun!

Photo Credit: Young House Love: Compost Post :)

Branch out and be creative!!

31 Days to Branch Out: Day 16

So, last night I totally didn't realize it was Saturday thus starting a new hobby week. So, I've been going back and forth on what I should do: Knitting/Crochet or Gardening. I don't know that gardening is a craft but it's a pretty popular hobby and one that I'm interested in starting so I think I'm going to do both. (Next week is reserved for Holiday kid activities). So starting today I'll post things about how to knit and how to prepare a raised garden bed! Have fun!

The Knit Stitch Video!
Note: when I started knitting, I picked a lovely grey yarn and got the needles that it suggested on the paper wrapping. I started with a straight scarf so I could get the rhythm down and then introduced patterns. Check out this link for a getting started in knitting detail that will help you get your bearings.

This amazing website called Sprout Robot lets you enter your zipcode and tells you what plant you should plant and when. Like a digital Farmers Almanac. It also has some pretty great illustrated tutorials on how to do just about everything in the garden. Below, you'll find the pictures on how to do a raised garden bed. It's terribly simple!

also, below that, potting soil basics!

Click HERE to see their website and how to do a bed if you don't want it raised...ya know, like ones directly in the ground...**REQUIRES DIGGING** :)

Plus, their little Sprout Robot is adorable!

Branch out and Be Creative!