Alpaca and a Wok

This is the time of year when I spend a lot of time outside with whatever little green thing I'm trying to grow this year. I like plants. I think I get that from my mom, who in turn got that from my grandfather. I keep thinking each year that I don't want to bother with all of the fuss of a garden, but even having a tiny little yard hasn't stopped my urge to grow stuff.

Today was the day when I notice that things are suddenly bearing fruit... or vegetables in this case. It's like my eyes suddenly gain focus... I was fiddling with the peas, trying to get them to grip onto the mesh we'd set up for them to grow on, and, ta da! My eyes lit upon these:

Rascal was unimpressed. It's a rough time to be black and furry.

I usually don't bother with a lot of ornamental plants, unless they're perennials that I can sink into the ground and leave to their own devices. I do have a couple of houseplants that are the type that do well even if I forget to water them. This year, I tried something really different for me: an arrangement in a wok!

I found this used wok at the vintage store I visited in Coombs a couple of weeks ago. I walked around the store with it, dithering about whether or not I should give it a home because I wasn't really sure I'd have any use for it. It was so pretty, and I knew I didn't want to cook with it. After several laps around the shop, stopping every few steps and turning it over and over in my hands, my friend put me out of my misery, and suggested I might put plants in it. That was enough to twist my arm to bring it home. A Google search and a trip to the local plant nursery later, I came up with this:

It's a little willy nilly in there, but we'll see how it grows.

And well, what else do you make when the sun is shining and the temperature rises? An alpaca scarf, naturally!

I'm making this from a free pattern from Patons. I plan to eventually loop it together to make a cowl, but I'm kind of resisting thinking about putting it on, with the weather being as warm as it has been. In my defense, I started this thing when it was cold and rainy out. I'm determined to stick it out and finish it, no matter what the weather does. I'm loving how soft it is, and how nicely each colour blends into each other. Add that it's gift yarn from my friend, Linette, and it's all kinds of special... if somewhat weather inappropriate.

It's supposed to rain a bit this week, so that might give me some good knitting time on the couch to work on this thing. I've got someone making sure it's still nice and comfy for me. It's a ruff life, man...