Plant Parenthood: Sheet Mulching

From what I understand, organic gardening is really all about the quality of the soil, and when it comes to our garden, the soil is our biggest challenge.  Clay soil abounds in urban gardens in this county and our yard is no exception.  The dirt is heavy, mostly lifeless, and full of large-ish rocks and walnut shells from the Black Walnut tree in our yard.  Black Walnuts are an amazing thing to have at your disposal, if you have the motivation to harvest them and crack them open, but after struggling with our tomatoes, we found out that walnut shells contain juglone, which is poisonous to tomatoes and many other plants.  The largest concentrations of the toxic substance are in the nut hulls, roots, and buds, so even though our garden is not directly under the tree, our plants are still susceptible because the squirrels carry those walnuts around everywhere and like to drop them into the garden for safe keeping (jerks).

Pesky black walnut hulls.

Plant Parenthood: Seed Starting Recipe

While growing food is not necessarily an art, there are few things more creative.  The simple fact that growing food involves nurturing life from humble beginnings - a tiny seed into a strong, fruitful plant - makes it an inherently creative endeavor.

This act of bringing something to life out of very little is a common thread throughout the topics I explore in this blog.  Knitting, repurposing clothing, recycled art, composting, gardening and baking are the same way: The raw ingredients you start with are not as useful on their own, but require creative input and a little bit of imagination to become something wonderful.  Growing food strikes a similar node in my creative impulse, and I think this is what I find exciting and empowering about making things.

Of course, in order to have a successful garden you can't start with nothing.  Luckily we've had a couple of growing seasons to get some practice with our garden.  Our neighbors started a little garden plot in the backyard of the house our apartment is in, and while they still lived here, we helped with weeding and planting and trying to keep the fat, greedy (but really f-ing cute) groundhogs who live next door out of the garden.

We had limited success last year since I was working on the farm and was home only on weekends through the growing season, and was usually too exhausted to do anything but eat and . . . sit.  But this year, we're making a more concerted effort to really see our backyard vegetable garden flourish.  The first step was to get an early start and the best way to do that? . . . start seeds indoors!

Marian Mobius Cowl

This is one piece I'm having a hard time parting with.  The yarn is so soft and the color is so dynamic that I just want to cuddle it non-stop until the end of my days.  But since it was made for such a dear friend, I will cut the cord and send it to her.  It just means I'll have to cuddle her instead when I trek out to Boston to visit her (which is the superior alternative, for sure!)

Everything about making this cowl was an absolute TREAT!  I bought the yarn at this adorable shop in Chicago called Sister Arts Studio.  Finding it was a true discovery.  My cousin and I spent most of the weekend aimlessly wandering around Chicago re-exploring the city, and at this point in the day we were lost and hungry and feeling annoyed after taking a wrong turn and walking 5 blocks in the wrong direction.  We happened upon a welcoming looking window across the street and crossed to take a peak inside thinking for sure we'd only be able to look since everything around it was closed.

Recycled T-shirt Purse

Holy scrap fabric, Batman!  This weekend was super crafty.

This surge of crafty super-power was fueled by my happening upon Lee Meredith's website, or should I say sites because she has several dedicated to her various pursuits (an ADD crafty friend. . .I'm not alone in the world).  I was so inspired that I went a little crazy. . .I made 3 purses (as per Lee's Recycled T-shirt Purse Tutorial), one tank top, re-vamped a boring cardigan, and started a knitting project.

Here are some photos of the purses I made with her tutorial:

They make nice bags to carry around a knitting project.

If you think that sounds like a full load, check out her website, do stuff, which includes her knits, up-cycled clothes, paper and fabric art, jewelry, photography, hand-spun yarn, and a plethora of aesthetically inspired small projects.  If it weren't for the fact that she probably doesn't live in Michigan (and that I'd be a super creep for suggesting it) I think we could be BFFs!