enchanted places

In October we went to Door County for a few days. We were hiking in Newport State Park, and came across these amazing rock formations. It was like being in an enchanted forest. Whyboy collected ferns in case we ran into any dinosaurs. Mostly we enjoyed the quiet space, together.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas to all!!

I hope you enjoyed a joyous day with family and friends.

down to the wire...

Mittens for Eloise (Stormy Sea BFL)

Remember in October I posted about my Dad's scarf, and how maybe this year would be different, maybe this year I would not be knitting like a maniac at the last minute? Well....I would have been done, really I would have, but I decided that I needed to knit from handspun this year (yes, I know there is a knitting store worth of commercial yarn stashed around my house).

A hat for my friend's son (Blue Ring Octopus Mernio)

A scarf for my Mom, in 'Dingo' polwarth.

Mittens for Susan ('Sari' Enchanted Knoll farm raised roving).

Maine Morning Mitts for my sister (Shetland /bamboo in Banksia from The Thylacine). She saw a picture of me wearing mine and asked...er, demanded a pair. Yes, she is spoiled.

A Ribbed Beanie for Jacob (Shetland roving from Baby Long Legs)

Now, I need to get back to knitting...2 neck warmers to finish and maybe a hat. Next year will be different......really!

handspun socktober

The Snobby Spinner's group in ravelry was having an informal "Handspun Socktober" SAL/KAL for the month of October. I started with this beautiful BFL combed top, 'Prism' from Freckle Face Fibers.


Spun it up as a heavy fingering/sport 2 ply:

Cast on 52 stitches for toe-up socks, 2 at a time, using David's Toe-up Cookbook on ravelry. I used green Dale Heilo for the toes and heels, because I wasn't sure of my yardage and I liked how the green brought out the other colors.

Knit along rather happily, loving how the yarn surprised me along the way. This was perfect baseball knitting (we will not discuss the heartbreak of Boston's early exit). Bound off using Elizabeth Zimmerman's 'sewn bind-off' from Knitting without Tears. I finished on November 2nd...but I was watching the October Classic, so that is close enough for me.

and now some spinning....

Having a rainy fall has given me more time at the wheel.

Alpaca silk in 'Deep Blue Sea' dyed by Gale's Art; 2 ply fingering weight. I can't even begin to describe how lovely this fiber is...it was a dream to spin.

'Deep Blue Sea' from Gale's Art. This time in BFL (a mix of light and dark fibers), low twist worsted singles.....so soft and yummy. I love how the same colorway looks unique in different fibers.

I participated in a swap on ravelry in the Southern Cross Fibre group, and Babylonglegs, my swap partner sent me some shetland roving she dyed. I spun it as a 2ply bulky weight yarn.

This is 'Prism', BFL dyed by Freckle Face Fibers, spun for socks as part of Handspun Socktober in the Snobby Spinners group on ravlery.

Last, but not least...my favorite of the bunch. 'Angelfish' merino, Southern Cross Fibre, October 2009 club. Navajo plied, dk weight. I am in love with the colors. It is a very soft, bouncy, sproingy yarn.

Now I need to get some knitting done!

a scarf for dad

I got a head start on my Christmas knitting....

I started with my Koala handspun (Polwarth combed top, dyed by David at Southern Cross Fibre):

I realized it was the perfect yarn for a scarf for my dad. He has lovely hazel eyes, and the colors of yarn are muted, like him.I used the One Row Handspun Scarf pattern from the Yarn Harlot. Maybe I won't be half crazed trying to finish gifts this year....maybe, this will be the year.

I also cast on a scarf for me in my Adelaide handspun (Merino, dyed by David at SCF). Originally I tried the My So Called Scarf pattern, but wasn't happy with the look of it, so I frogged it. I cast on Two Weeknights with Warrick, and am loving the easy rhythm of knitting this.

fall scenes

We've had a pretty rainy fall, so far. Fall is my favorite season, so a rainy fall really bums me out. There have been small glimpses of fall, I'll share a few with you:

Apples...my favorite part of fall. I love all the different varieties, especially the Macouns. The first Moonglow pears are a fall treat worth waiting for.
We visited a pumpkin patch...Whyboy found a lumpy pumpkin, which he said looked really 'scary'!
We have enjoyed hiking in the fall sunshine...a rare sight this year.

On the knitting front, I started some toe up socks from my handspun for 'Handspun Socktober" in the Snobby Spinners group on ravelry.

eat local

This week is the Wisconsin Eat Local Challenge. Why eat local? I eat local to support a sustainable local economy, to decrease the distance my food has traveled, and because I feel more connected to my food if I know where it came from. Eating locally allows me to be connected to the seasons. I get excited when asparagus makes it appearance in the spring, long for tomato sandwiches, wait patiently for fall apples, and cozy up with winter squash when the weather gets cold.

Now that it is fall we will be grilling less, so I figured we would do one last hurrah on Saturday: Grilled grass fed beef, salad greens with feta and raspberries, and roasted potatoes and onions. We washed it down with a bottle of wine, while sitting on the deck listening to baseball. Good-bye summer we will see you next year. I'll be waiting for the tomatoes.

The weather turned cold on Sunday. Making me think about comfort food. The last of the corn was at market, so I made a lovely corn chowder. I also bought peppers for stuffed peppers, and beets for roasting.

I encourage you to get out and experience some local food this week. Visit a Farmer's Market, local farm stand, or orchard and sample what is in season in your area.

end of summer

My friends and I took our annual trip to G's cottage in Door County. There was much laughter, singing (Bohemian Rhapsody was a favorite), knitting and eating. We enjoyed coffee by the water (her cottage is on Lake Michigan), both mornings. We went hiking at Whitefish Dunes State Park, and Cave Point. What a way to spend the last weekend of summer, the weather was glorious!!

I have been in a serious spinning phase.

'Dingo' Polwarth, spun from fiber dyed by David at Southern Cross Fibers. Navajo plied, light worsted weight. I love the colors.

Alpaca Merino, dyed by Jen at Laughing Rat Fibers. 'House Finch' colorway, she over dyed brown merino, the depth of color is lovely. Fingering weight, 2 ply. I gave this to my friend Kate, just because it reminded me of her.

'Adelaide' merino, from David at Southern Cross Fibers. 2ply worsted/dk-ish. I am knitting this into a lovely scarf for myself.

grammie rosie

I am missing my grammie today. She passed away 4 years ago, and I miss her, almost daily. What I miss most is how she made me feel. I always felt special to her. She was always interested in what I was doing; who I was becoming. As a child, I was always at her house. As I grew older, our relationship evolved. I lived close to her until I moved away from Maine. We spent many hours together. She would tell me stories of her life, we would look at old photos, and we would talk. I knew most of her friends, and she most of mine. Strange, I don't know hardly any of my friends grandparents. People enjoyed being around her. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile let you know how happy she was to see you. I miss those eyes.

Often she and I would go shopping. She was always up for an outing. She enjoyed sitting in the mall, while I shopped. When I would return, I would almost always find her chatting away with someone..."well they just started talking to me" she would say. When I was in college (OT school), another student, who I had never met, made it a point to tell me that she met grammie a church retreat, and how much she enjoyed meeting her.

She was always willing to go on an adventure and try new things. She loved sushi and Thai food (both of which she tried in her 80's). In the summer she would go camping with us, and rarely turned down a chance to travel. Her motto was "I'm 80, who is going to tell me no"

She turned 90 the summer before she died. She fell and broke her hip, while making her bed. She came through the surgery fine. I called her to talk, the night after her surgery. We were joking about me not making my bed, and how she was too nosey to die....that she would be around till she was at least 100. She laughed, and then said "no, it's ok, I'll go when it is my time." The next day she had a heart attack and died. I am grateful she didn't suffer and remained fairly independent till the end. Her mind was sharp, and spirit was young.



To celebrate her 'Joie De Vivre', I'll leave you with this happy yarn, colorful like my grammie. Stormy Sea, dyed by Gale's Art, 250 yards of worsted weight, 2ply. Destined to be mittens for my niece and my friend's daughter:

sheep dreams

Ever since reading The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett in college, I have wanted sheep. More specifically, I have wanted a farm on the coast of Maine with sheep. It is the stuff of my day dreams. When I decided on this dream, I wasn't knitting or spinning. It was in that time between childhood and adulthood. I don't know why this idea was so appealing to me at that time in my life. Was it foreshadowing my future fiber pursuits?

Since I can't pack-up and move to a farm in Maine just yet, I love to going to fiber festivals to hang-out with sheep. This weekend was the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. Whyboy, PK, and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon there. We toured the barns petting sheep. Whyboy was determined to find the Jacob ram we saw last year. My favorites were the Bluefaced Leicesters. They had such sweet faces, and loved being scratched behind the ears. Plus, their fiber is one of my favorites to spin.

As with any fiber festival the was fiber...lots of fiber. I got to meet Gale of Gale's Art in person. Her booth was a riot of color and texture. I indulged just a bit, and fell head over heels for her alpaca silk roving. I usually avoid silk, because of the smell, which aggravates my allergies. Gale's silk had none of the nasty smell. I have been spinning it without difficulty. It is gorgeous and shimmers in the sun as I spin. I caught up with friends, who were vending. Jeanette (Sun Valley Fibers) from my knitting group was there selling her lovely yarns. At the end of the day there was ice cream, Whyboy needed a reward. Today, I went back, and took a plying class. It really helped me with the concept of a balanced yarn.

cold hands

My hands are almost always cold. Last week when the morning temps dipped into the 40's (did mention it was August?), I realized: I am a knitter....I can knit warmth for my hands. I didn't really want to drag out my mittens, I mean it was August...I didn't want to look like a total dork. I decided on fingerless mitts (ok, I still look like a dork). For yarn I chose handspun, 'Cherry Pie', a corrie-cross dyed by Gale's Art. I spun the yarn as singles, using a woolen draw and low twist, fulling them slightly in the finishing. I followed Amy King's instructions, for fulling singles, in Spin Control. I was afraid I would felt them...but I didn't. The resulting yarn is very soft and slightly fuzzy.

Now I needed a pattern. A quick search on ravelry pulled up the Maine Morning Mitts by Clara Parks from the Knitter's Book of Yarn. How convenient, I own that book! Being a displaced Mainer, knitting Maine Morning Mitts made me smile. The pattern is very easy, and relaxing. It is the perfect end of summer, heading into fall knitting. I finished them up in a few days. Of course, now it has warmed up again, but I know fall is around the corner. Now I am ready.

first day of school

Today was Whyboy's first day of first grade. All I can say is what a difference a year makes. Last year he clung to us, tentatively walking in with his class, looking back to see if we would follow. J was the only parent, who stayed on the playground in the morning, those first few months. Whyboy needed him there, and J needed to be there. Slowly he felt more sure of himself, and found his way on the playground and in the classroom.

Last week when we went to meet his teacher, he announced "I love the smell of school!" Over the year he grew to love school and embrace the community. This morning he threw down his backpack and took off to the playground, looking for friends. He cheerfully greeted his classmates from last year, and was happy that some would be in the same class this year. He walked confidently up the stairs, into first grade with his class, without a look back. My tentative kindergartner had become a confident first grader. I watched him disappear into the building, with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes...I now know why my mom cried every year on the first day of school....Bittersweet. It's going to be a great year.

summer dinners

Last night was a perfect late August night...golden sunshine, a slight breeze. We enjoyed a light dinner on the deck, savoring the evening. Heirloom tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, and olive oil all combine to make a lovely salad, mmm...summer.

The gentle breeze soon became a cool wind, I awoke to a chilly morning. I bundled up and headed up to market for 6:30. The cooler temps had me thinking about comfort food; something warm, hearty. Everywhere I looked, there were eggplants. I decided it would be a good night for eggplant parmesan. The day has been cool and grey, with temps in the 50's, lows into the 40's tonight (did I mention that it is August?). I bought Juilet tomatoes to make the sauce, 2 medium eggplants, basil and fresh mozzarella. When I got home I started the tomato sauce, and sliced and broiled the eggplant. I do a lighter version of eggplant parmesan, adapted from a Deborah Madison recipe. Instead of breading and frying the eggplant, I brush it with oil and broil it (sometimes I grill it). It is then layered in the dish with the cheese, bread crumbs, chopped basil, and sauce. I guess it is more of a gratin. The freshness of the ingredients shines through. It is one of my favorite dishes.

Okra was also at the market. Tomorrow night's supper: Gumbo with chicken and sausage. I love shopping like this. Seeing what is available and designing meals around seasonal produce. I read cookbooks like novels, there is usually one at my bedside. Reading cookbooks has made me a more intuitive cook. Over time you start to see patterns of flavors and combinations. That knowledge, along with a well stocked pantry and local seasonal produce leads to incredible meals. A few of my favorite cookbooks: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison; Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet and Mangoes and Curry Leaves by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

spinning round-up

I have caught the spinning bug. I love spinning out on my deck on a sunny day. Here are my latest yarns: A worsted weight yarn, spun from Briar Rose Fibers BFL in muted purples, greens, pinks and blues. I am thinking of using it in combination with a solid colored yarn for a sweater for me.

Blue Ring Octopus. This is spun from Merino Lambkins roving from Enchanted Knoll I love spinning this roving, it is so soft. Destined to become a hat for Whyboy. He likes to wear the yarn around his neck.

Saffron Bouquet, SW BFL, from Fluff Fibers. Spun worsted, sport weight. This yarn feels very silky, will make some lovely socks for someone.

Quite possibly my most favorite yarn to date. Midnight. Polwarth combed top Dyed by David at Southern Cross Fibre, Navajo plied, worsted weight. I am planning on using it for a pair of Fiddlehead Mittens for me. I love spinning Polwarth, and David's color sense is amazing!

Now back to the wheel....

up north

Frogs. Frogs were the theme for our recent trip 'Up North'. On the 6 hour drive up, I knit away on my Tadpole socks. The pattern is easily memorized and I love knitting with the yarn. We stayed at the Garmisch Inn, a beautiful resort on a lake, near Cable, WI.

Cable is a great place to visit. We enjoyed breakfast at the Brick House Cafe (ok...we ended up eating breakfast there everyday, very yummy). Had pizza at the Rivers Eatery. We went for a bike ride on the Wild River Trail, a CAMBA trail. The single track portion of the ride was a bit of a challenge, but we got to go over a really cool bridge. We swam in the lake...it has been a cool summer in Wisconsin, the water was cold!! We spent a lot of time hunting for frogs along the river. Whyboy loved catching frogs. He declared himself an expert 'frog catcher', and told everyone we met about his frog catching technique. J and Whyboy did some fishing...no bites. One day, we drove to Bayfield, WI and caught the ferry over to Madeline Island. Whyboy played along the Lake Superior shoreline at Big Bay state park, while J and I soaked up the sun. Mostly, we just slowed down for a few days and enjoyed just 'hanging out'.

On our first morning, I sat out on the balcony, enjoying the view, drinking coffee, and knitting away on PK's socks (which I am trying to finish by September). For most of the trip I knit away on these socks. On the last night, I realized that that I mis-counted for the gusset, and would need to frog back to the heel flap....well, at least I had 6 hours of knitting on the ride home.

blackberrries

In front of my meme's house, there was a blackberry bramble. Meme was my father's grandmother. She spoke French and a few words of English. We would pick berries in the morning, and she would make crepes. Her crepes are legendary in our family, they are the standard by which all other crepes are judged. She expected us to eat at least 2. We would fill them with fresh blackberries, a bit of brown sugar, and drizzle maple syrup over the top. If we would slow down in our eating meme would tap our plate with her fork "mange, tout, tout" ("eat, all, all"). I think of her in the summer, when I eat blackberries in my morning yogurt.

learning to knit

I don't remember learning to knit. I know I learned as a child, and I know my Grammie Rosie taught me. What I don't remember is the actual moment I learned to use sticks and string to make a loop, pull yarn through, and make a stitch. I vaguely remember red 'Red Heart' yarn and aluminum knitting needles. My grammie also taught me to crochet. As a child I remember making 'granny squares' and 'book worm' book marks, I don't crochet anymore. I don't remember knitting anything, except a small misshapen red square.

I got bitten by the knitting bug when I was in OT school. I remember my mom at that time sitting down and refreshing my memory on how to make the loops, pull yarn through and make stitches. I made hats, mittens, socks, knitting on and off for years. When I was pregnant with my son, I was placed on bed rest. With nothing to do (daytime tv was not an option, and I couldn't focus to read), I picked up my knitting. I haven't put it down since.

Knitting, not only provides me with entertainment and a creative outlet, it connects me to my past. Both of my grandmothers knit, my mom still knits. My Grammie Rosie knit basic things, afghans, hats and mittens. In her later years, she mostly knit dish cloths (one of which is pictured above). Every Christmas she would give them as gifts. I can't bear to use the one above, it was the last one she made me before she died. I try to remember her teaching me to knit and crochet, but the memory remains fuzzy. When you're a kid, you don't know that moment will be important one day. She still sits with me when I knit. When I am trying to tell myself that the mistake I made 3 rows back, which I think I can live with because "no one will know it is there"...She tells me, "but, you will know it is there" is always her response. She is right, I fix the mistake and go on. I tell her: "Thank-you grammie, for giving me this gift. Like so many of the things you gave me it came from your heart." Unlike so many material things/gifts that are cast off, I still have knitting to bring me joy, comfort, and connection.

On the knitting front, I have been sock crazy. I currently have 3 pairs in various stages of completion, and am thinking about casting on another pair in some of the 'Bearfoot' I picked-up last week. They are the perfect summer project, portable and small. Our summer has been pretty cool (I am not complaining, I hate hot, humid weather), so I have not had to put away the knitting. My last order from the Loopy Ewe put me in 'Loopy Groupie' status, with lots of cool stuff included in the package. I generally try to shop at my LYSs, but TLE has lots of great independent dyers, that I can't find here, and their customer service is great.
Here are my Mini Mochi socks, heel is turned and I am on the home stretch: