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behind the scenes

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

awww, the fringe tree is in bloom; isn’t it sweet? and it’s nice and breezy this week so the fringes shiver and shake all day, sending the scent straight onto the office windows, mmm.

this isn’t the best photo of my asparagus, but we’ve been picking some every day and eating it every few days when we have collected a big enough bunch to make something.

like this pasta with sautéed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and black olives—my favorite. there’s no recipe; just sauté all that stuff with garlic and oil and put it on cooked pasta. it takes about thirty minutes, tops, perfect for hot weather meals.

it’s been a super-busy week around here since my last post—LOTS of knitting and another chapter of BNK done and dusted. we shipped a very interesting yarn this month which was really inspiring to design with (more about the yarn near the end of this post!). so much so that in addition to (spoiler alert!) the originally planned design, i snuck in a last-minute extra option, which i then had to knit with just a week to go before publication. so that’s why i was absent most of last week.

in fact, when i finally came up for air i found all manner of goodies waiting for me—more asparagus, which i cut yesterday and grilled for dinner last night with salmon. also, tender little swiss chard that sprang up all over the garden beds, which i picked this morning while it was still cool. we’ll sauté that with a few more stalks of asparagus and a handful of mushrooms to fill some omelets for dinner. mm-mmm.

the best part is, we didn’t have to do a thing to get that stuff; it all came back from last year, haha.

oh, and another thing that happened last weekend was that anne marie visited and the spinners came over for a party. we ordered in a full array of indian dishes

we opened wine and proceeded to carry on and make a LOT of noise for a few hours, haha. mister knitspot even joined us to eat, brave soul.

linda and beckie came, too; it was a lot of fun.

barb brought her bloch ness test knit, which she made up in our breakfast blend DK (which we are working on restocking). it only has one button now, but the rest are on the way—she got them custom made from buttonalia on etsy. there are some really cute choices there for useg with natural yarn colors.

naturally susan had to try it on as well and it does look great on her.

especially from the back, i think. anne marie is knitting a sample for us in our new romney/merino blend and once she’s done, we’ll release the pattern.

we just got word yesterday that our full order of romney/merino DK is ready to ship, which got me ALL excited. i am counting the days til it gets here, but with a holiday weekend looming, i’m not optimistic that we’ll see it before next tuesday. but you ever know . . .

anyway, it was really fun to have everyone together again; one thing i love about us is that we make sure to meet up a couple of times a year. one of these days we’re going to have to go to anne marie’s—maybe for maryland S&W next may . . .

like i said, once my secret knitting for the month was off the needles, i was itchy to get my hands on something completely different and get to work on some smaller projects i can knit in public; i’m going to be traveling a lot in june and i was completely out of public knitting to take along.

i’ve been thinking that it’s time to get a lightweight lace scarf going; something to add to my little nothings collection in a stitch pattern i can memorize easily, to drag around in my purse for impromtu knitting opportunities. and i wanted something with some color . . .

this exquisite lace silk/merino blend from indigo moon is just the ticket; a smooth, lustrous multi-ply lace weight in the most heavenly blue—the color of a late evening sky. i heart it.

it’s been in my stash for a couple of years, waiting for the right project. i just want to knit with this color, so i’m swatching to find the perfect motif to show it off and still experimenting.

then i started a random pair of socks in the new yarn we’ll be offering in our shop very soon. this is our “ghillie” 3-ply sock/fingering yarn, spun from 100% cheviot wool. cheviot is a soft but tough wool fiber used traditionally to make hardwearing scottish tweed and twill cloth as well as for knitting kilt hose.

we shipped ghillie to our BNK club this month to great acclaim from our members and are now preparing it for general release this friday. haha, of course, i’m hoping to have a sock ready to use in the store listing photos. think i can manage it? did i foil myself from the start by making it david-size instead of anne-size??

i dunno, it’s pretty smooth knitting; i could do it .  .

actually, i started the sock in the pattern we shipped with the club, but then realized my mistake—if i knit that design for a store listing, we won’t be able to sell the pattern with the yarn. DUH (the fine points of marketing present a big learning curve for me).

fortunately, i realized my mistake right away and ripped out the start of that first cuff to begin something new—a sock based on the strömming cap pattern. i’m excited; this pattern has been on my list for a while and now i have a very good reason to start it.

cheviot is such an interesting wool—it’s a fine, soft, springy fiber that is nevertheless sometimes classified as longwool because it also has a longer staple, is resilient and durable, and resists felting. and as you can see from the photo, it can have a some lustre. it makes a light fabric with a kind of crunchy hand (which sometimes masks its softness) and offers incredibly crisp stitch definition. when you wash it, the yarn brightens even more and blooms to make a smooth, cohesive surface.

(washed on the left, unwashed on the right)

i’ve enjoyed knitting with it a LOT. this yarn would work well for many of my long list of sock patterns—and with father’s day right around the corner, you might be looking for ideas. it’d also be great for many of my friend cookie‘s patterns, perfect for showing off all those twist-stitch motifs she’s so fond of. and if you know anyone who loves knitting kilt hose, this is the yarn for them.

we gave our club members first crack at our supply, so we are already sold out of the oversized (600 yards) skeins but have regular 4-ounce skeins (450 yards) left that will go on sale friday in our online yarn shop. and since it looks like this one is going to be popular, we are already working on a re-order of both small and large skeins.

speaking of socks, prodded by our dear friend helen, i made time the week before last to finally write up another pattern idea i’d had for a while, this one based on the squish me cap design (haha, i guess i like my socks to match my hats)

helen’s got one pair of socks done and our other friend, carol is knitting a pair here on this side of the pond in our own breakfast blend fingering (color espresso, mm), which i’ll be able to use for photography. for carol’s pair, we decided to dispense with the ribbed cuff and bring the main texture all the way to the top (as in the original cap design). the pattern will include options for both.

the pattern is all written and proofed; we just need to gather samples and do photography, yay; i’m back in the sock business for real. i even have an idea for a third pattern i want o write up very soon.

phew—lots of news! i actually have more knitting news to share, but i think i’ll save that for thursday; why drown you now and starve you later? especially when i have so much calling me on my desk. so why don’t we reconvene in a couple of days’ time to see what else is going on at chez knitspot (and maybe see some sock progress, eh?)

Posted in designing, food and garden, lace/shawls, projects, yarn and dyeing | 5 Comments »

spring in my step

Saturday, May 4th, 2013

it’s high spring here now—the difference between this weekend and two weeks ago is amazing. the flowering trees are at their absolute peak right now and this year, they are thick with blooms like i’ve never seen before. our lilac, for instance

stops me in my tracks every time i see it. haha, most of its flowers, however are out of reach; it’s very tall (which makes it an excellent screen for the backside of that commercial building).

underneath it’s cool and shady and a haven for bunnies, ferns, and hostas.

i ran in an event in another town this morning and the whole burg was full of cherry trees in bloom—astounding.
(no photos, sorry; i was on my own today—it was way too early a start time for mister knitspot to attend, haha.)

it’s redbud season here as well and there are gorgeous specimens at every turn in canton; it’s a popular decorative tree in our area. i want one so badly, but the longest side of our property faces west, providing no shelter for them form the wind; they tend not to thrive in our situation. we planted one a couple of years ago anyway and it has struggled, producing leaves and flowers only on its lower half.

david’s tulips are in full bloom now—i think he got every one of the types i circled in the fall catalogs and it’s been a progression of tulip fireworks all week long.

BAM!

BAM!

bam-BAM!

ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bam-BAM!

a funny checkerboard fritillaria

and sweet yellow jonquils.

we’ve had the windows thrown wide open every day and the scents are enchanting. those fresh flower smells wafting in the window are one of the nicest things about working at home.

and look—it’s the rising of the fiddleheads; i’m so glad i caught them at it this afternoon. another day and i might have missed it. the hostas nearby are beginning to unfurl their leaves—they’ve gone from little nubbins emerging to leafing out in just a few days.

and along with those, the lily of the valley, which are poised to open their little bells any moment.

and last but not least, those amusing little may apple plants, with thier gnomelike shapes. last week there wasn’t a sign of them and this week, i was lucky to catch these last few before they raise their foliage umbrellas.

spring came late and slow but now it’s moving fast with the new warmth, as temperatures rise into the 70s most days.

it’s great running and biking weather, too. i hope it stays like this for a while . . .

while it’s hard not to let spring fever get the best of my days, i’m actually getting lots of work done right now, because i get to stay home for  awhile; i won’t be going away again til the end of may.

i still have lots of secret projects on the needles as well as on the drawing board, but at least i can sneak in one or two that can be public. actually, VERY soon you’ll get to see one of my favorite secret projects of late—i think on monday, actually. i still have several under wraps, but that’s always going to be the case as long as we have a club going.

meanwhile, i finished my sculling infinity scarf and blocked it—i love it. and my dear friend candy finished her sample in oatmeal at just about the same time

which went into the blocking bath about two minutes after it arrived here, so that when we take photos on monday, we can include both.

i had thought i’d release the pattern last friday, but when it became possible to have it in two colors for the release, i waited. and monday is going to be the release of that secret project i mentioned (which i’m almost certain you’ll like), so now i think we’ll wait til NEXT monday to release sculling.

i’m starting to feel a little less panicky about what i have to get done this month, but i’m being careful not to get too distracted from my to-do list—there is still a full calendar of must-do projects for the next few weeks.

that said, i did wind up my briar rose sea pearl so that i could cast on when i was ready to treat myself to a new project just for me. if i get two more patterns written up and one of them on the needles by the end of tomorrow, i can work on the charts i need to cast the sweater on.

i’m not that optimistic about finishing those two pattens, but you never know; it could happen.

i also spent some time this week on blocking those items i mentioned the other day—i did the two cowls and a secret project during the week and then today, i blocked the gnarled oak woods wrap that phoebe knit for us with our romney merino special.

wow, the sheen on this yarn is incredible.

just look at the beautiful shading and patina on those leaf shapes. sigh.

as soon as i can get photos for the pattern cover (it’s a special edition pattern, just for this yarn), we’ll be able to list these kits.

our production version of this yarn will be released along with the bloch ness sweater, which should be pretty soon—i know it seems like its taking forever, but we want to have a couple of samples and make sure the pattern works for several yarns and sizes.

i hear david packing up boxes in the other room, preparing for the renovation, which is due to begin on june 10th. there is a lot to pack up; probably a lot of it will go out the door too, thank goodness.

we are biking regularly now and i’m enjoying warm weather runs again, yay. i ran my first 10K this morning and placed 3rd in my age group (someone took a photo but it’s too blurry). i was a little mad at myself because at the VERY end, i suddenly felt breathless/wheezy and had to slow down a notch, allowing someone to pass, resulting in her taking second in our age group, haha.

overall, i didn’t do my best time, except for one mile that was a personal record; i still run faster at home on my own. but my time was good and i was encouraged; i can see where i could use some work to get more evenly paced. gotta figure out how . . .

have a great rest of the weekend; see you monday.

 

Posted in designing, food and garden, lace/shawls, projects | 16 Comments »

i brake for flowers

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

our flowers and trees here at home have been quite slow coming into bloom this year—which is probably good, since the blossoms last a little longer when it’s cool. last year, everything came and went in a big bang, with hardly time to enjoy it.

getting out and about on my bike over the last few weeks, i’ve been monitoring the budding out process of my favorite neighborhood speciman tree—a gorgeous cherry that spreads out wide to create a feature in its corner spot. last thursday, it had a few reluctant flowers open to test the air and as i drove off friday morning to PA, i wondered if i’d miss its peak bloom this year.

then when the weekend turned out so frosty, i feared it would lose all its flowers and buds to the cold, so i was anxious on monday morning to see what shape it was in.

wow—not bad, eh? it was a day of stellar weather as i set out on my bike and i caught the tree in what can only be described as the absolute peak of perfection—every single flower was wide open and yet, not a petal to be seen on the ground.

by the next day when i ran under it, they were coming down in showers.

our own apple tree is finally showing some leaf action; i hope it blooms nicely this year; last year we had just a few flowers, though we did have more apples than ever.

but listen, before i go any further, someone whispered a message in my ear that she wants me to pass on to you

my friend katherine delores would like to thank those of you who visited her blog the other day and hopes that you—and any favorite pets you know—will continue to do so.

darlings, she’s got loads of deLICiousness to share . . . so please stay tuned; you never know when chocolate cake will appear.
(and also, she excuses herself for being caught on camera in such a frightfully undone state, but there you have it—the paparazzi are absolutely relentless when it comes to celebrities)

and now back to nature . . .

yes, we’ve had some beautiful days in the last week, filled with that emollient spring light—the kind you feel you could hold in your hands.

everything is the yard is coming to life—daffodils and jonquils popping up all over

hyacinth spread across the lawn in a carpet—david’s springtime orchestration of bulbs is coming to a crescendo this week.

here’s a new daffodil  that i’m calling “fancy pants”

and the first tulips of the year are making their appearance. hundreds more are due to open one color after another in a rollout that should go on for another week or two.

just the other day i finally found some hosta nubs coming up, about an inch or so high. no may apple yet, but the solomon’s seal is poking out too

so tiny yet it could easily be missed, except i am so desperate to find any signs of life out there, that i end up checking daily.

the very first few lily of the valley sprang as well—the ones nearest the foundation where it’s a little warmer.

and my climbing hydrangea is leafing out—it’s going to be wonderfully bushy this year.

but i think one of my favorite spring sights this week is this

swiss chard coming back from last year. and not just one, either

nearly the whole patch is making a comeback. after the awfully hot and dry summer we had last year—most unfriendly for greens—this cool, rainy spring is just what they love.

i know they won’t last and they may not even get much past the height they are now, but i’m still thrilled to see them. i’ll be happy if we get a few fresh leaves for an omelet out of it.

parsnip tops are greening up too, which kris told me is the sign to get them out of the ground—once they start growing, they turn to wood at the core.

last friday when i was packing to go away, i noticed a robin madly working to refresh the nest that has become a fixture near the ceiling of our front porch—used for three or four years running now.

i first noticed her from the kitchen window, poking around in the garden, selecting choice pieces of straw and longer grasses and guessed what she was up to. when i ran around to peek out the washroom window that looks onto the porch, sure enough she was swooping in to add them to that nest, though she moved too quickly to get a picture.

haha, when i got home on sunday, the nest was another level higher (which totally cracks me up).

and by tuesday, she was sitting in her tower, keeping something warm, but it’s too high to see how many. usually the first clutch is three or four. so i guess we should look for a hatching then in about two or two and a half weeks time?

while i was out for that long bike ride on monday, i took the route that goes past the swan ponds to see what was up over there; i like to report swan progress to my nephew amad in las vegas when i write him. isn’t that willow tree pretty with its new bright green leaf sprouts?

on one side of the road, the black swans are, as usual, standing at the ready to be as unfriendly as possible to whomever takes an interest in their pond.

while on the other side, the white swans are too busy getting their nest ready to threaten just anyone—yet. when they have babies, that will change.

i went to the water’s edge to get a closer look, disturbing what seemed like dozens of turtles, who went hurtling into the water for a getaway with some pretty entertaining diving and swimming moves.

well then the swans took interest and swam over, to see what the racket was all about.

they don’t have babies quite yet so they are still showing off, hoping to get a bit of bread out of it when visitors come to the pond.

they careened back and forth in front of me, but i had nothing to offer; i got back on my bike and headed home to get ready for class.

it’s still crazy weather here though. that day was a gorgeous nearly seventy degrees and tuesday was even warmer; i wore a sleeveless running top and got some color. but then yesterday temperatures plunged to the low 40s and this morning there is a heavy layer of frost and i don’t think it’s much higher that 32 right now. crazy pants, right?

i have a new pattern to release tomorrow, for the infinity scarf i showed you the other day—the perfect thing for these wild swings in the weather. in our breakfast blend fingering yarn, it’s soft and cozy when doubled; light and airy when loosened.

once it was blocked, i decided to change the name because the texture made it look much more like beach sand than fluff.

so now it is tidal sands. we did a nice photo shoot the other day and it’s all set to go—look for that tomorrow morning.

we are madly working away on replacing our supplies of breakfast blend yarns; artisan yarns take some time to make and we are testing some new colors as well. i promise, it will be worth the wait!

ok then, time for me to start my work day; back tomorrow with that pattern.

Posted in food and garden, projects | 9 Comments »

up, down, all around

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

hello! i’m finally back from what feels like a too-long absence—wow, the time sure flies when i’m moving about and have a deadline as well. between my teaching date, tax time, and the club chapter deadline, i feel i’ve been running to catch up for days. but i think today i may have finally gained even ground.

(ha—only to leave again on friday for a quick couple of teaching days at kathy’s kreations weekend retreat in ligonier, PA)

anyway, what a lovely weekend it was in solomon’s island, MD for the reston SnB retreat. it was mostly sunny, temperate, and with all that good company, a real pleasure to be there. they are a little bit ahead of us in their blooming period, so i was treated to daffodils, tulips, camellias, and hyacinth coming up everywhere. even a few cherry blossoms here and there, though not full bloom.

the main attraction is the water view, which i find compelling no matter what the orientation or weather. i was once again treated to staying in a water-facing room at the house where the retreat happens. on friday i worked on my chapter at the desk facing the water, privy to every nuanced change in scenery as the day cycled through a grayish dawn and into an even grayer rainy morning.

it stopped long enough around 1 pm for me to go for a nice run up the peninsula and back; i got showered on a bit but not drenched and it felt great to stretch and get my legs moving. back at my desk i worked on my chapter some more until the weekend guests started to arrive.

and just before my trunk show and talk were to begin for the evening, we were treated to a rainbow—for real! you can’t make this stuff up, haha.

after class, everyone browsed through the little yarn and pattern shop we had set up in the dining room for the bare naked wools. it was fun to show everyone all that has been developed just in the year since i saw them last. some of the special new yarns were a big hit, along with breakfast blend fingering for spring accessories. it was a VERY enthusiastic response; i was am pleased that everyone enjoys our yarns so much.

but no worries, we didn’t get cleaned out of everything; we still have some of those specials i showed you last week. david needs to reload the store with the merchandise i brought back, but he’s been a little busy organizing the FIFC 2013 signups, which open to our club members today and for everyone on may 1st (click here to read more)

with the sunset, it grew cold, but we had a nice evening at the house, sharing warm lasagna, salad, dessert, and visiting. later we gathered in the front rooms for knitting with cups of coffee. and because i had gotten up before dawn, i was sleepy by 9:30.

and of course that is a vicious cycle; because i was sleeping by 9:45, i was awake by 3:30 or some such craziness. but that works in my favor when i have a chapter to finish.

also, good for catching photos of the dawn—i was drawn by those cool lights on the dock sheds and snapped a whole series of the sunrise to share with you, running out in my slippers every ten minutes or so to snap one. here goes . . .

(i love this one where i panned right to find that the sky is half black and half dark blue . . .)

as soon as it was light enough, i tied on my runners and headed out the door—it really helps me stay energized throughout the day if i get my exercise in, no matter how early i have to do it.

on the way up the road, i snapped one final picture of the sun up above water. priceless.

saturday was a full day of classes; first we did a beginning lace segment, then followed that up with a lace project class for the afternoon. so intent were we on working that we worked well past the stopping time; marie had to pry us away to go to dinner.

lo and behold, while walking to the crab house, we got to see the sunset over the other side of the island. nice, right?

the focus of the weekend classes was on lace so for sunday, we moved right along into learning about more advanced lace fabrics, techniques, and shaping. the project class was split into beginning and intermediate sections, the first working on isadora and the second working on frillibet. by late sunday afternoon, we had a number of very pretty examples in the works, especially the frillibets; it was nice to see a group of them coming to life, like butterflies, haha.


because i only have one or two projects on the needles that i can knit in public, i lavished all sorts of attention on the infinity scarf i brought with me (the other will get its turn this coming weekend, heh). and look—the darn thing actually grows when i knit on it consistently and for more than half an hour!
whoa. actually i got more than far; i reached the point where the pattern ends and still had yarn left.

curious to know just how far it would go (i’m betting on one more repeat), i continued. cuz you can do that if you like with these cowls and scarves; it’s up to the knitter. i state a size and number of reps in order to define yardage, but seriously, have at it if you want to add or don’t want leftovers (that’s my personal camp).

the texture of this wasn’t very apparent earlier, but now with a larger area of fabric, you can see. it’s kind of an abstract, bumpy openwork which to its credit, is reversible. it took a little while for me to get into the rhythm of doing it, but over the weekend, we totally bonded. and now it’s almost done. with luck, this will be off the needles tonight and maybe i’ll even get photos before i go, so i can release it friday or monday.

it was too late to drive all the way home on sunday after the retreat, so i took the opportunity to stop off overnight and visit with my dear friend—and yours—anne marie. we miss her so much in spinning class, but thankfully we keep in touch regularly because she is one of our awesome proofreaders and also moderator of our bare naked wools group with barb.

we had a nice long knit and chat until late on sunday night and then monday got up early to take in the display of flowering trees and bulbs throughout her beautiful neighborhood. every single cherry tree was at its peak bloom, covered with pink or white flowers. the neighborhood is hilly, with lovely sight lines; the trees are a real accent to the scenery.

even bocce appears to be in awe (though probably just thinking about his next snack)

the morning was drizzly, but it seemed to make the colors of spring even more intense. after a nice hot breakfast and a trip to the amish pretzel shop (david and i are quite addicted; soft pretzels are our favorite midnight snack), i got back on the road and headed for home.

i pulled in late on monday evening and and boy am i glad to be here. all sorts of new things are popping up in the garden outside, but i think i’ll save all that for the next post. it’s time now to get david to release the club chapter and then post the waffle creams sock pattern in our shop. i can hardly believe it’s been a whole year already since we published that chapter.

and i’ve got this cowl to finish; i really REALLY want to get it off the needles today.

Posted in book reviews/events, designing, food and garden, lace/shawls | 10 Comments »

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