Well, Ina's been talking about them for ages. They were highlighted in the Star-Ledger the other day. And they are having a special, Memorial Day/80th Anniversary combo celebration this weekend. So, today, Mom and I went.
The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, in Montclair NJ.
Over 800 irises and 400 daylilies. Lots of smiling (and occasionally sneezing) people. Lots of cameras. Lots of celebratory artwork by local school kids. Plenty of (slightly hazy) sunshine.
And, really, did I mention the 1200+ flowers? Really, I feel kind of badly that I only took 95 pictures.
Here are some for you to enjoy. (Oh, and there will be some knitting content to follow the flower pics--just so you know. If you're not interested in the flowers, there still will be some other stuff to talk about at the end.)
And, yes, I know that's a lot of pictures. But they were really, really pretty flowers! Can you tell how glad I am that we went?
Now, the other reason we went to Montclair today was to visit the yarn shops. The usual two, Modern Yarn and Stix-n-Stitches. Really, you know, I like both these stores, and often end up getting yarn in both of them . . . but not today.
Today, I was looking specifically for lace yarn for that beautiful shawl I showed you the other day, and well, not everything fit the bill. I have yarn at home that I seriously considered--not least of which is the Claudia Hand-Painted Silk I bought in February (the plum-colored skein all the way on the left in the picture in the link). It mostly scans as a solid color but it does have variations, and I think this shawl would look best in a solid. I considered some of the Punta del Este Mericash cashmere/merino that MY had in stock (and was recently reviewed at Knitters Review)--and it's luscious stuff, but none of the colors called to me for THIS particular shawl. (Note that you can see some of that in that linked photo as well.)
So, I ended up with Jaggerspun Zephyr in the Curry colorway. It's a lovely, golden terra cotta kind of color. Pale enough to show the lace stitches well, and yet not boring . . . actually, come to think of it, and looking at it across the room, it almost perfectly matches the color of my dresser . . .
I also bought a skein of Baruffa Cashwool in the Bordeaux colorway. Not only is this one of the loveliest shades of red ever, and incredibly soft merino, but it was a bargain. What do I mean by "bargain?" 100 grams of weight, at 1350 meters (1460 yards) . . . for only $14. That's like 1.4 cents a yard. And did I mention it's incredibly soft and beautiful and I adore the color? There was absolutely no way that yarn wasn't going to come home with me.
Now, the hard part--deciding which of the two would be the better choice for that shawl . . .
And, the best part? I agreed with myself that I could start that shawl as soon as I finish the sleeves for my Celtic Icon . . . after that, I need to stitch everything together before I can finish the hood, and I figure that that means I can count the knitting part as mostly done once the sleeves are done . . . and they're getting close. The alternative "deal" is that I can start the shawl on Monday. (What's more American than starting a Japanese shawl on Memorial Day, huh? Um, don't answer that. Because really, all that matters there is that I won't be at work on Monday.) But either way . . . a new project is right around the corner. I can't tell you how excited that makes me!
Those iris photos are glorious!! You ought to print and mat some of them for sure!
Posted by: Marcia Cooke | May 26, 2007 at 07:39 PM
Iris pics look like excellent reference for some fair isle piece! Happy holiday!
Posted by: Nancy J | May 26, 2007 at 08:13 PM
What gorgeous flowers!! Hee hee - sneaky way to finagle in a new project.
Posted by: Chris | May 27, 2007 at 12:41 AM
Gorgeous flowers! Absolutely amazing. I can't really feel bad for you that you have to decide between to lovely yarns to knit another lovely shawl. I'm sure your gut will choose the right one.
Posted by: Stephanie | May 27, 2007 at 11:04 AM
Gorgeous pictures. The Iris was my dad's favorite flower, and seeing them always makes me think of him. Thank you for posting these.
Posted by: becky | May 27, 2007 at 03:15 PM
Wow - I never knew about that Iris garden and I lived pretty close to Montclair when I lived in NJ. Thanks for sharing the gorgeous flower pics with us. Happy Memorial Day!
Posted by: Jennifer | May 28, 2007 at 07:11 AM
Those gardens are absolutely awesome...I hate that we live so far from them!!! I wish that I had a passion for something as you do for knitting...I enjoy reading about your various projects! I just donated many of my 'unfinished' crochet ones to Goodwill. I forgot to mention before that I so enjoy the photos of your dog...he reminds me of our precious Coco...she had the same curly q hair ;)
Posted by: Danielle | May 28, 2007 at 09:18 AM
Absolutely beautiful photos! I miss my garden! I love the curry color. I think it will make a beautiful shawl.
Posted by: deb | May 28, 2007 at 05:24 PM
I love Irises. They would be a good inspiration for a yarn dyer. What great colorways irsies would be. I'm looking forward to seeing your shawl as grows froma wee thing to an actual shawl!
Posted by: Kim | May 29, 2007 at 11:34 AM
The Presby Iris Gardens are the largest (I believe) in the world. It is an amazing collection. We are just learning about gardening and I would love to add some irises in the back.
Posted by: Monica | May 29, 2007 at 09:04 PM
Teehee, I suppose I do blather on about Presby (not without cause). Thanks for the links. I'm glad you finally made it - and on such an auspicious day, too!
Posted by: Ina | May 30, 2007 at 08:35 AM
those irises are stunning. they and tulips are my favorite spring flowers, mostly because my grandmother grew both of them. i need to plant some this fall!
Posted by: minnie | May 30, 2007 at 11:41 PM
This is definitely a spot I want to visit....absolutely stunning! Great photos!
I like the cashwool...that bordeaux is such a rich color :-)
Posted by: Kim | July 06, 2007 at 10:13 PM