four totally random and completely unconnected Friday fotos

We're on kid watch again - this is very pregnant 'India' from next door who is due today. Her babies have the same father as my Ruby and Rowan and PND's Bella. Her sister Scarlett [ the one with white patches ] is due soon too. Their babies will have Ms Bella as both half sister [ same daddy] and aunt [ she has the same mum as India and Scarlett ]
Ruby and Rowan will, of course, also be half sisters to the new arrivals.
Confuzzled yet ?


Bear says thankyou for the well wishes and he's feeling fine now apart from the indignity of the shaved tummy and nether regions.

The Waxlip Orchids [Glossodia major] are out now. I wouldn't say 'in profusion' exactly, but enough that they're not too hard to find despite being about the size of a thumbnail

Nadie's Bripples are coming along nicely.


According to the yardage quoted on the pattern, my one ball should have been plenty, but when I weighed the finished sock and the remaining yarn, the sock was a couple of grams heavier.
Ever tried to duplicate a dye lot in one-of-a-king hand painted yarn?
No?
Well, I have.
I know which colours I used but it's all about getting the depth of colour right as well as the proportion of each of the shades.
Hank #2 was the right proportions but a little too dark, hank#3 was the right depth of colour but with perhaps a little less of the cyclamen in it. I was beginning to feel a bit like Goldilocks.
"This one is toooooo cold
This one is toooooo hot ...."

Given that it'll probably only be used for the toes, I'm going to go ahead with hank #3, choose the most likely section and see if there's a visible difference. ..if there is ... well, all is not lost ... I can undo the toes on both and knit them in a co-ordinating navy. Not that I've dyed the navy yet, but I figure that's got to be easier than endless attempts to exactly duplicate the balance of colours in the first lot... and navy toes would look quite acceptable.