Crocheting Summer Baby Blanket

Photo: Crocheted Summer Baby Blanket

I am crocheting a light, lacey crib blanket this summer.  I have been taking my time doing a little here and there, and I can see this becoming a regular thing because I find it so relaxing.

I am almost done with my first ball of LION BRAND Babysoft yarn in Pink Lemon, and I am about half way done with my project so I will probably end up using one or two more balls of yarn to create a 27" x 38" crib blanket with decorative edging.

For you crocheters or soon-to-be crocheters who like this pattern just look up the "Snapdragon Snitch" pattern from 63 Easy to Crochet Pattern Stitches : Combine Stitches to Make Throws, Pillows, Totes & More (Leisure Arts 3916), ISBN 1-60140-209-0.  It is one of my favorite crochet pattern books, and it only cost about $5.  Not only are the patterns beautiful, but the author also does a great job explaining how to create basic stitches and provides clear directions on how to create these patterns.  

Fennel Seeds Ripening

Photo: Fennel Seeds Ripening

The fennel seeds are ripening.  Hopefully, this time I can harvest a good amount of fennel seeds before the birds make a snack out of them.  I am going to use the seeds to flavor meats and possibly make fennel tea.

Drought brings back memories of 1988 crop losses

Article Written By Christine Stebbins  | Reuters 

Just one year ago Jeff Scates saw the worst flooding on his southern Illinois farmland since 1937. Today, Scates is watching his corn fields shrivel from the driest season in 24 years.

"We've gone from one extreme to the other, from being flooded on three-quarters of the farm now to a drought," said Scates, 42, who with his family members farms 15,000 acres of corn, soybeans and other crops along the Kentucky-Indiana border where the Ohio and Wabash Rivers meet.

Scates said his corn is still in better shape than many fields of his neighbors, who farm sandier soils that do not retain moisture. Moisture is needed to develop a strong root system to sustain plants in the hottest months of July and August.

He says this growing season is reminiscent of the summer of 1988, when the central Corn Belt had significant crop losses. Field conditions were hot and dry early this spring, similar to what happened 24 years ago when local crops, especially corn, were disseminated by lack of summer rains.

"Clearly it's one of these nasty droughts. If it doesn't surpass 1988, it certainly is going to rival it or be among the so-called great droughts we've had in the past 30 years," said Bob Nielsen, extension agronomist at Purdue University, who recalled his time as a crop advisor in 1988 to Indiana farmers....


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