Tuesday tidbits
A little bit of this and a little bit of that in this post. First of all,Knitty Kat made my Cloverleaf Zigzag Socks! (Free .pdf pattern here.)
Don’t they look lovely? I like them even better in that blue-purple Koigu colourway than in the pink one I used to make the originals, and now I think I will make another pair in the fall. If anyone else makes these (or any of the other patterns) please let me know!
Last week there was a minor commotion in the small garden patch outside my parents’ living room window around 11 pm. So we looked out and these were in bloom:
They’re "Brahma Kamal" (Brahma’s Lotus), which bloom rarely, and only at night for one night. I think they’re actually part of the sunflower family, even though they bloom for the moon, as it were. We all stood around them and oohed and aahed and clicked away. Then all my neighbours came in to see them again on my computer and we oohed some more.
They all preened for us, except for one which was camera-shy, and bloomed quietly the next night. The last time I’d seen a Brahmakamal bloom was nearly two decades ago, so I was quite kicked to see them this time.
socks looks cool!
and thanks for the flowers’ photos. We had them in Pune, and its been ages since I saw them bloom too. Enjoy your stay at home
M
Lovely all around.
Lovely socks and those lotus flowers are gorgeous!
Great socks, Knitty Kat.
And ooh, the flowers are lovely! One night a year? Nature is so freaking cool sometimes.
I’m glad that you got to see the flowers bloom. That’s so special! The socks are cute, too.
I’m impressed by the night photography–mine usually ends up blurry!
They’re lovely, the socks are lovely, Kiri’s lovely (and I rather think might be the same basic lace pattern as in the scarf I just made for my landlady).
And, going back (sorry, I needed to wait for fast internet to really see all the pictures!) the mangos… mouthwatering!
Does Brahma Kamal bear fruit after blooming? I looked up the name and it seems it is in the Cereus species.
It seems very similar to Pitahaya (also spelled pitaya) from Central America, which is a night-blooming white flower in the Hylocereus species. The fruit has an intense magenta soft flesh spotted with black seeds, it is absolutely stunning, and it has a mild but good taste. The outside looks like a grenade or turtle shell with tinges of red or orange. Recently I have seen it marketed in the US under the name “Dragon Fruit” for $12.00/pound !! I have heard that there are also white and yellow varieties.
As a child in southern Calif, one night at my grandparents, my grandfather woke me up to take me out to see this special flower that was blooming that night.
I very much enjoy the slices of life and knitting you are posting, thank you!
The socks look terrific! I’m still planning to knit myself some, it’s all a matter of time. And the blooming lotus is spectacular!
So that’s what this plant is . . . cool! Looks exactly like the plants that mother has. Right here in US. Don’t know where her father got these, but she was able to propogate these and now she has several pots of this plants and right now these are residing outside. During the cold season she brings these inside, of course. And once in a while one of the plants puts out a bloom like this.
How cool! I’m so glad that you caught the blooming of the flowers, that certainly is special.
Thanks for the mention of the socks. The pattern really was fabulous and I have to say easy to use. I’ve just noticed your Eyeshade pattern which is something I’ve been looking for. I’ll let you know!
Thanks Desi!
How beautiful those flowers are. I have the night bloomer and some others. They are called Epiphyllum here in the U.S., also “Orchid Cactus”. The night blooming ones are fragrant, attract moths for pollenation, and are one of the original breeding plant for the Hybrids. I used to have about a hundred Eppies.
Here’s a link to all the cactus blooms this year, eppies and others.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91876692@N00/sets/72157600257556252/