I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can

I’m not prone to impulsive behavior. To the contrary, I typically procrastinate until the time for action has passed. This weekend, however, I did two impulsive things.

First, I cast on a new sock for my Sockapalooza Pal.

Yup, this is sock #3. The wine is there to help ease the pain.

The second impulsive thing I did was book a flight back East for . . . . Rhinebeck.
The airfare was shockingly inexpensive and I can weave in a trip to Boston for my mother’s 80th birthday. Anyone else going??

First, a huge thanks to everyone who answered my plea to identify the magenta flower in my garden. Michelle left a comment identifying both the Rose Campion plant (and the asparagus stalk) before the ink was even dry on my post. Aaaahhh, the amazing power of the Internet. Instead of wondering about that plant for close to 20 years, I should have just asked you guys!

Michelle also pointed out that Rose Campion is a prolific self-seeder. Um, that I knew — as evidenced by this photo of just a teeny tiny corner of the brick base of my gazebo:

And in case anyone was wondering, Sweet Peas also self-sow.

But enough about seeds and flowers, you probably stopped by to learn whether I frogged the ill-fated Unst sock. In a word, no. But Unst is not out of the woods yet. I just need a little more time to ponder the issue.

Of course, the failure to frog means I started yet another sock for my Sockapalooza Pal.

Will this one meet my stringent quality control tests? Only time will tell.

Except for closing the toe, the first of the two Unst socks is finished.

Trouble is, there’s no way it’s going to fit my Sockapalooza Pal’s foot. It fits mine perfectly and my Pal’s foot is quite a bit larger. I’m trying to decide whether to frog this perfectly good sock and start over with a slightly altered Unst pattern, or toss this sock in the single-sock, WIP pile and start over with a new pattern and different yarn. *sigh*

While I’m pondering my options, here are more garden photos.

Marianne (who has the same name/same spelling as my sister) wanted to know the name of the reddish-orange flower in a photo I posted last week. It’s called Geum Chiloense (Grecian Rose) and here’s a close-up:

I have another of this same plant with yellow flowers which hasn’t flowered yet since it’s in a more shady spot.

A nickel to anyone who can guess what this ginormous plant is (click on the photo to increase its size):

Trust me, it’s not a sapling.  Maybe this photo will help you identify it:

And while I have your attention, does anyone know the name of the magenta-colored flowers in the photo? I bought a single plant years ago because my mother had them in her garden when I was a kid. But I’ve never known the name. Can you solve the mystery????