Redbud Tree and Etsy Knitters

My favorite tree in my garden this time of year is an Eastern Redbud tree. Like almost all the plants in my garden, it was planted by the previous owner. In this particular case, it was a gift from her son Henry to replace a beloved oak tree that had died.



The rest of the year, its green leaves and short stature allows it to blend into the garden unnoticed. One almost forgets it is there. I am always pleasantly surprised when it blooms.



In honor of its Spring beauty, I picked out items handmade by Etsy Knitters that featured purple blossoms in their designs.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

Look at all the talented "Mary's" we have at EtsyKnitters!!!

Gardening on the mind...

This week's theme, chosen by Knitted Gems, is "Garden." What a perfect theme for the weather we are having here in Maine this week! We are finally seeing the last few piles of snow melt off and we even experienced a 75 degree day this past week. Such a relief from the difficult winter we had!

I've been looking at my small flower bed, thinking how much it needs my attention. When I spotted this item "The Vegetable Garden Hip Pouch" from The Spinning Hand, I thought, "What a great idea!"

"This is one of my first designs, from when I was still mainly a cross-stitcher and had just begun to discover the possibilities of knitting. A good, strong yarn in garter stitch lends itself well to embroidery, especially in earthy tones of Paternayan wool. A young lady might decide to use this bag as a carrying case for Peter Rabbit or the Velveteen Rabbit. It’s also fresh enough for those of us who are a wee bit older than that." ~ the Spinning Hand

She learned to knit in 2001, from her great-aunt, but didn't learn to purl until 2003! Since then she's been quite addicted to knitting. You can tell from all the beautiful items in her shop that she has certainly learned her craft. Take a moment to visit The Spinning Hand !