Now it's really spring, even if it snows again. These are the sweet-scented French violets, in bloom already. When my parents moved to the house they live in now, they discovered that the side of the hill outside the house was covered with these in the spring, so many violets that you could smell them on the wind. It was heavenly.

Last year, at my house, I realized I'd finally matched that hillside. For years, every spring, I've been splitting up clumps of violets and planting them all over my lawn. Tru-Green would have a heart attack, but as long as it's green and withstands mowing, I let any old thing grow there. Last year when the violets came into bloom, I walked down the driveway to get the mail, and as I walked back up, I turned my head and realized all I could see was purple violet flowers. And I could smell them on the breeze. (Now if they could just cover up the smell when the upwind field gets manured, I would feel I had enough violets!)

I've been knitting on the cotton-candy socks. I like the moving ribs. They make it easy to tell how many rows I've knitted without counting or running a contrasting yarn in. After I finish this repeat of K3 P1 rib, I'm going to switch to K2 P2 rib in the same pattern. This will give me about an inch or so of K2 P2 on the instep, and then after the heel I'll continue in moving-rib for the cuff on all four needles.

I do like knitting socks and other round items on four needles instead of three, now that I've tried it. The biggest reason: no ladders!
Here is the bottom of one sock and the side where the ribbing meets the bottom of the other. No ladders! The only catch is coming up with nine needles of the same size, since I like to knit both socks at once and avoid "Second Sock Syndrome".