A Gardener In Winter

The frost has arrived. Josh is only home on Sundays so we spend last week and this week removing the flowers that either are dead or will be very soon. He just takes the heavy garbage to the dumpster for me. The only things out there now are the Cabbage and the decorations. Soon I'll add a pot for winter branches and our Blue Spruces. But with the frost comes frozen soil. When I've checked the last two days, I couldn't water.

Over the last few years I have been searching for winter hobbies. Last year, I settled on Cooking and Drawing. I added bracelet making with embroidery thread this summer. Recently, I re-learned how to do something, and connected with Dona while doing it.

In a post titled "My Dona" I wrote about the babysitter I had growing up. She died in August of cancer. When she was pregnant with her son, I was 13. She crocheted a blanket for him. At the time, I was just starting to get into jewelry making and asked her to teach me how to crochet. I never could get past the starter row and the first row. But that was in 1993. Thanks to google, I figured out what I was doing wrong.

When you loop the needle under the yarn hole, it becomes wrapped around the needle twice. The step I was skipping was I to take the yarn and wrap it around an additional time. That makes it looped around three times. Below is the website that helped me the most.

https://www.anniescatalog.com/crochet/content.html?cid=&scat_id=368&type_id=S&content_id=1

I still can't make anything that isn't a strait line but that's probably for the best. I would imagine my family would either feel obligated to wear what I make them or simply not wear it at all. It's like with the pictures. Josh and Zach like when I draw them pictures, but they are all over the place and the pages are bent. At a certain point, I'm out of ideas of what to draw. With the jewelry making, they like that I made them bracelets, but I'm the only one wearing them. I'm running out of places to put bracelets on myself. But I don't make enough to sell.

I can make things in a strait line with crochet, but then it becomes more about just doing the action they trying to think of what to make. I don't have to think of ideas. I just grab the needle and go! It's relaxing!

So what does THIS gardener do in winter for hobbies?

Cook: I won't make many new recipes until Zach's older but I like my winter recipes
Make Jewelry: I'll make what I like and, if I make enough maybe do a charity thing at Zach's school.
Draw: I still like drawing my seasonal trees. They will just be for me though.
Crochet: I have always liked it, but until recently was frustrated by it.

With every loop I think about Dona. I have memory flash backs to her doing it. Her blanket was pretty far along in that flash back. She's at the town pool sitting at our regular table. She smiles and laughs as she talks to friends while working. I'll never forget her showing me how to do it. I'll never forget her smile about an inch above the raised partially-done blanket.

I remember my first yarn. It was in a Christmas color pattern. I got a full set of needles but didn't realize which size to use with which type of yarn. I remember being scared after doing the starter row about moving on to the next row. I got it! Now, I can make it as many rows as I want. I can't make a sweater or a hat but Mom might get a yellow table runner/conversation piece out of this!

Zach, my gardening buddy, has tried my hobbies. He was having trouble with making the knots for jewelry making. So I got him some pony beads. He likes making jewelry that way and uses the thread he already has. When I went to get yarn, he wanted some too. He watched me crochet a little but wasn't ready yet. He won't let me take his needle and yarn yet.

Gardeners like working with their hands. Digging into the soil is relaxing. Pruning is relaxing. So much about gardening uses your hands. Look at that list. I keep my hands busy. That's how I relax. Zach is finding other ways to keep his hands busy. He still likes to draw but these days is making "costumes" with paper, tape, scissors, and rubber bands. He also likes helping me cook.

Last year, we tried forcing bulbs. We don't get enough sunlight for that. So we're not doing that this year. The garden will light up with decorations and have Cabbage, Spruces and winter branches. But they don't require care in the winter. A gardener in winter will try anything they can to continue gardening. But ultimately what we all need is busy hands. I have enjoyed these activities and recommend knitting or wood working too.