good knitting, good looking, good eats

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, lace/shawls, projects

i put these nasturtiums in around the bottom of the bee balm pretty late in the season (sometime in july), but they are blooming, yay. i don’t have many sunny places for them to grow, but this spot is perfect; they took right off, once i got them in the dirt.

i cut the bee balm back after it bloomed in june (?), and now it’s blooming again and more plants are coming up around it. i’m glad i put it in a container; it would spread everywhere if not.

oh, it’s been really nice to be home, cooking and taking care of the garden again—and by the time you read this, i’ll be back on the road again, can you believe it? i’m just a rolling stone . . .

i just couldn’t turn down an impromptu invitation to tag along with my friends debby and robin to austin texas, where i’ll be visiting my brother’s family. some of you might remember that i flew along with them two years ago and had so much fun in my first small aircraft flight. plus, i really miss my family—the kids have probably grown a foot since i saw them last.

(i’ll be there from wednesday night through sunday night; if you live in austin, let me know if there’s a knit night or event i shouldn’t miss during that time!)

so let me update you on all the hands-on activity i’ve been up to since i got back.
saturday i spent some time cleaning up in the garden, pulling weeds, pruning those crazy-wild heirloom tomatoes (positively suessian, i tell you), picking lots (more on that later), and planting beet seeds.

yeah, i was so enthusiastic about the green beans that germinated just before i left for london, but as it turned out, those few were the only ones that came up, arggh. so when i got back, i decided i’d put more beets in—i think there’s time for them to grow before the frost; root vegetables usually do well into the fall. i enjoyed eating them enough that i’m ok with growing them just for me.

look—the eggplant are finally blooming, too. it’s been a real mystery about those this year; eggplant usually do quite well for us. and they are healthy alright, but man, the plants just sat there being small for weeks after they went in the ground. then, all of a sudden about two weeks ago, they bolted upward and now they are huge and covered with flowers. i don’t care, as long as i get a few eggplant to make ratatouille. it’s just interesting and different every year, you know?

(i really meant to start off with the knitting today, but once i showed that flower, it was all about the garden; scroll down if you’d rather look at some yarn!)

the okra is coming in faster now and i’ve been picking a few more each day. over the weekend i used the first small batch (a few days’ worth) in a curry with greens, tomatoes, squash, and peppers. now i’ll be able to put them up in bags in the freezer as the take is a little more plentiful.

in the far background, you can see the greens and leeks (which are waist-high now). i put up four more bags of greens on sunday morning and made a quiche with some as well, using up some more baby squash and a bunch of fresh red scallions (seriously, if you can grow these, do it; you’ll never go back to store-bought). i also cooked up the two acorn squash i picked to puree and freeze for later use. i topped off the weekend with a fresh tomato marinara for fish pasta, with generous handfuls of just-picked basil and oregano.

are you hungry yet?
i’m making myself hungry just typing this.

and wow, do we have tomatoes. our plants are looking VERY good for once—usually by this time in august, no matter how well they’ve been doing, they are beset by tomato woes, such as blight or bugs. but (knock wood) this year they are surviving pretty well. i have nipped off a few yellowing branches, but not many; we don’t have bugs at all—a first for us. keeping them pruned has really increased the production of fruit, i think. and beautiful fruit it has been—no black spots or cracks, no misshapen fruit

(well, except for these cherokees, but that’s normal for them).
i’m so impressed with how well they are doing—beautiful, plum-shaped romas, pumpkin-plump costolutos, and BIG, bulging cherokee purples. they are luscious too, with thick flesh and running with juice. (hmm, tomato prøn, who knew??).

i have a big bowlful of cherry tomatoes waiting now to be dried in the oven; i hope i have time for that tonight.

and then there are these yellow stuffers—these are new for me and i’m totally intrigued. they look and feel exactly like yellow peppers—they are very lightweight with firm flesh, which i assume is because they are mostly hollow (i haven’t cut into one yet).

i didn’t really expect much out of this plant, but it’s absolutely covered with fruit that is ripening daily. i’m wondering how many different kinds of stuffed tomatoes i can make for the freezer (and what vegetarian fillings i can stuff them with). i’ll have to do some research on it. always something new . . .

i think now i’ve got all of the garden news out of my system—on to the knitting. i’ve really missed writing about my knitting; i didn’t realize how much i depend on that til these last three weeks went by without sharing.

i spent a lot of my knitting time in london on my secret project. it’s a big project, but the knitting is fairly easy and i wanted to bang it out. between my plane trip and a few knitting sessions this week, i’ve got it all done now except for the finishing work. yay. now i can move on.

you already know i got my orange luciole done—i knit all of the beginning part while chatting with friends or between classes and then hunkered down on the hem section when i was alone in my room at night. this turned out to be a good strategy; by the time i arrived back home, i had a finished shawlette.

once i was past the easier sections of that one, i toted my briar rose les abeilles around to work on while socializing.

this is my third one, so it’s fairly mindless. i got about halfway through the hem section and there it has stayed, but i’ll definitely pack it along on this trip, where mindless knitting will be the best thing (did i mention that my brother and SIL have seven children?? so yeah, mindless knitting . . .)

and then there is my pea vines shawlette in woolen rabbit pandora. i cast on just before leaving home and worked the first few rows. it felt like i worked on it a lot in london, at night when i was alone—but once i was home, i saw there wasn’t much accomplished. it must be the long rows at the start, or that the beginning part of the pattern requires some attention because it was new to me. or maybe those nupps were slowing me down . . .

because once i was home, where it was quiet and i could focus, things moved along a lot faster. all at once, i was moving through those long rows like they were nothing (don’t tell . . . but i took a break from my secret project for two nights because i got so absorbed in this. you are sworn to secrecy)

soon enough, it looked like this

and you can get a much better feel for where this one is going now—a tangle of pea vines all around the hem, growing up toward the neck. then it turns to stockinette with a vertical pattern that looks a bit like that twig fencing used to train the vines. hopefully, it will all look more delicate and lyrical once it’s blocked.
isn’t this spring garden colorway de-LISH??

my nupps are shaping up; i’ve tried them every which way and you know what?? no one way is any better than any other way! how about that? each one has something about it that i like and don’t like.

we pretty much held the nupp-making world summit over dinner on our last night in london—everyone weighed in with their favorite, guaranteed-to-succeed method of nupping and i tried each one that we discussed, right here in this piece. some are smaller, some are larger, some face left and some face right, some even pop to the back, sorta. they’re all different and none of them is perfect. i think i’m ok with that.

i did actually put my mitt kit to work, but only barely (and now i have to face my niece in person, with no mitts to show for myself—yet). the problem was that i chose to knit mitts that need a bit more attention than i could afford them, most days.

i did start this very pretty little blue-lavender mitt as well as one other that i’ll show you another time. can you guess which pattern i’m using? i figured i should take the mitt kit along with me to texas; i might actually get something done there.

i still have to pack my bag and pick out which projects to take. the pea vines is almost done; i should be able to finish that up during the plane ride down there. les abeilles would also be a good choice. definitely the mitt kit. and i think i’ll also bring the sunna sweater project. i never did touch that one in london, but i’m totally ready to start it now. i may even cast on a sleeve or a front tonight, to make sure it’s on the needles before i go.

this time, i’m taking my computer for sure—not only do i want to be sure i can get online, but i have patterns to work on as well and i’ll need my full kit. so i should be able to blog without any problem, as long as the kids allow it (maybe i can rope them in to writing their own posts).

so long ohio, hellooo austin!

44 thoughts on “good knitting, good looking, good eats

  1. I’ve never seen okra grow -that is very interesting. We also, have had a wonderful tomato year in Minnesota. This is the first year for me with no blossom end rot and other ailments. Just nice juicy tomatoes. I have also taken to leaving bags of cucumbers on my neighbors’ doorsteps. They know it’s me. I’m the only one with a garden.

    ps. I cast on for my Luciole and I’m merrily knitting along. Lace is a clumsy art for me – I am amazed you walked around Knit Nation, socializing and knitting wraps. You have got to be pretty darn talented.

    ENJOY AUSTIN!!!

  2. So much – pretty – in one blog post! 🙂 Have a great time in Austin. (Hook’em Horns! My alma mater. . .)

  3. oops – forgot – I also just finished my Spiralucious and it’s absolutely gorgeous! I will most definitely be making this again.

  4. popping up again (i made the comment about your irtfa’a shawl making you look like a sorceress 🙂 to say that i enjoy your garden photos and have a suggestion for your okra bounty (okra is a pretty common staple in the south, where I live)- pickled okra! if you can’t pickle them, fried okra is pretty good (slice, dip in milk or buttermilk, roll in cornmeal and fry them). I’m working on perfecting my three-day okra pickles and if you’d like the recipe, let me know.

    also, picking the okra just before they get really, really big will help them produce more okra. and if your okra gets too big and fibrous (i.e. not as soft when you press them), you can dry them and use the seeds for next year’s crop.

  5. So much lusciousness! I love the yellow peppers. My peppers are still teeny tiny, and my eggplant, while healthy, remains stubbornly blossom-less. I will have to try red scallions – I had not heard of them.

    Love the pea vines shawl. I’m impressed that you can knit lace while chatting and walking – a special skill!

  6. I’m in central PA and my eggplants were really late, too. Out of 4 plants I now have 2 eggplants about 3″ long & 5 more blossoms. Sigh…..
    namaste

  7. That pea vines shawl is awesome! I can’t wait to see what it looks like blocked out.

    Your garden is beautiful – while I come for the knitting, I stay for the veggies 🙂

  8. I ate a tomato sandwich (made from a large Cherokee Purple tomato) while reading your post. You are so right about the juice – it was going everywhere while I ate!

    I’m really looking forward to seeing your pea vines shawlette. Love the green!

  9. Stuff those stuffers with some quinoa “dirty rice” type dish. I am so uber jealous of your garden…one of these days, when I have a yard…or room for a garden bed…I’m tellin’ ya.. 🙂

  10. Hi Anne,
    You’re welcome to come and knit with us at my shop The Knitting Nest on Thursday night – we’re open until 9 and we have lots of fun! We also have a couple of groups that meet on Saturday and a men’s group you can crash on Sunday afternoons at 2! I hope you enjoy your trip to Austin! Feel free to email me or call the store if you need directions!

  11. So much vegetable goodness!! If you haven’t, please try roasting some of that gorgeous okra (whole, olive oil/sea salt, 450º oven until it’s browned) – best treat ever. Your tomatoes are spectacular!

    Love love love the pea vines, although I’ll probably sub beads for the nupps.

  12. mmm gorgeous colors, both food and yarns! pea vines looks so glorious, but can one knit it without the nupps? i am a total failure at those nupps.
    and on top of it, my balcony cherry tomatoes, after a fast track start, look so pathetic right now.

  13. What a great read! Can’t wait to see the pea vines shawlette. Have fun while you’re in TX.

  14. Wow, your veggies are amaziing!!

    The Knitting Nest is a great place to knit and visit. I will be there on Thursday night to knit and hang out. We would love to meet you!

    I hope you enjoy your visit to Austin!!

  15. The Knitting Nest in Austin is the perfect place to sit, knit, and visit. The owner Stacy has couches and a large table in her store and we would just LOVE to meet you!

    ; )

  16. When I read that your brother and SIL have 7 children I had an immediate flash to The Sound of Music and conversation with Maria and the Reverend Mother before she leaves to be a governess – “Seven children? . . Don’t you like children, Maria?. .. Yes, but seven??” And yes, I have seen this movie entirely too many times!

  17. mmmm Nasturtiums! One of my faves and I flat forgot to plant them this year. Bummer!

    Love the pea vines shawl – that is going to be stunning!

  18. Those tomatoes look delicious. I’ve never seen the purple cherokee ones before – I shall look out for them next summer. Last year we dried tomatoes in the oven too, and also froze some in quarters – they made delicious soup. Have a great trip and enjoy your mindless knitting!

  19. Your garden is amazing Anne! And who knew you could write tomato pron…hehehe… Have a great time in Austin! Looks like you’ll have plenty of gorgeous knits to work on (but those mitts….love that yarn! Can’t wait to see what they’ve become!).

  20. Just want to chime in and reiterate the invitation to the Knitting Nest on Thursday night–you’d be so welcome there. (We were actually in touch with one another around this time last year, when I used the lace motif from your Fernfrost scarf as the edging for my Agatha sweater, but I’ve never had the chance to meet you in person and thank you for inspiring me!)

  21. Hehe, seems like I get to know a lot of new english plant names. Our Kapuzinerkresse, how we call your nasturtium (it translates to something like “capuchins cress”) is already dying away while the tomatoes just begin to ripen. I hope the Wühlmäuse (vole, or “grubbing mice”) don’t nibble off too much of the roots.

  22. Hello, Anne: A whole group of us that teach at the Knitting Nest have been buzzing about this post of yours. We hope you can come visit the store on Thursday evening, when a number of us will be there. It’s a very cozy store — includes a giant, square sectional sofa and adorable terriers.

  23. I’m so envious: the squirrels keep eating our tomatoes. Boo hoo. Send me yours please.

    LOVE ALL YOUR NEW PATTERNS! I’m onto yet another Knitspot pattern binge…

  24. The garden looks luscious, and I LOVE the pea vines! Can’t wait to see the finished shawlette!

  25. Have to comment – I love your garden as much as I love your knitting! I’ve had a doe and her twin fawns in my garden this year, so I have almost nothing to show for my spring effort. No peas, no lettuce, only a few beans, the limas are gone, the tomatoes are marginal because of the low calcium in the soil. The lone eggplant I planted survived the deer and has been sitting there looking at me since late May when it went in. It’s finally flowering for me too, at long last. Is it this strange, impossibly hot Ohio summer?

  26. BOUGAINVILLEA!! It’s bougainvillea ISN’T IT?!

    I purchased it a while back with the intention of making mitts! Haven’t gotten around to it, but it will be so much more awesome if my guess is correct and you will working out all the details ;D

  27. Hi Anne,
    I love your blog…really enjoy knitting your patterns also. I have a ball of gold silk that is crying out to be a large shawl and need to look again at the website..

    For stuffing, I use kamut, wheat berries, barley, quinoa, black, brown and red rice, with wild rice and lentils. Some like kamut and wheat berries need to be soaked overnight and all need to be cooked for different times but cook them like pasta- al dente then mix with slightly cooked veggies like broccoli, shaved carrots and shallots and your preferred seasonings. Stuff and cook….this combo freezes well even with the cheese. Full of protien, fiber and flavour.

  28. As always, knitting and garden are beautiful.

    I have a vague memory that you once upon a time mentioned where it was you read about how to prune your tomatoes. Any chance you could share the link if you did actually post that? It’s too late for my tomatoes this year, but there’s always next year!

    Thanks

  29. Wow, red okra? Never seen that before. Does it taste different than green?

    Also: what is that beautiful blue yarn?

  30. Have a great trip to Austin! Do you ever put nasturtiums on your salads? They are quite yummy and peppery!

  31. Would that yummy lavender mitt be Leafprints by any chance? One of my faves!

    Cheers, Barbie O.

  32. Love your garden & those okras look so good. My eggplants kept flowering but no fruits. I am so disappointed everytime I see the flowers dropped off. Have a good trip.

  33. Beautiful garden! Our tomatoes are pretty puny this year…I think the heat has stunted them somehow. And the zucchini are history. Thank goodness there’s knitting to console me – and pictures of lovely lace shawls in progress. 🙂

  34. I am envious of your bountiful garden. I have found some delicious recipes at smittensitchen.com.

  35. Your garden and all of its veggies looks amazing, Anne. But where’s the bunny? Hope the heat hasn’t gotten to him.

    Love seeing all of the pictures. And especially love your pea vines shawl in the making. Another winner! It’s definitely been an Anne Hanson summer here. All the projects I’ve been working on are from your patterns. I’m having a ball. You really have spoiled me with your clear directions and charts.

    Hope you enjoy your Austin trip. You are one traveling woman!

  36. What an amazing veggie harvest! We live over on the east coast of England Norfolk) and our tomatoes are just ripening. We’ve had three or four so far, even though they are grown under glass in a greenhouse. We also have an allotment and last night ate black French beans (they really are completely black), white carrots ( as carrots originally were) and golden chard. All were absolutely delicious. I’ve made up nine jars of blackcurrant jam too, from bushes at the bottom of the garde. There’s nothing like hiomegrown! I really like the pea vines shawl. I look forward to seeing the finished item. Enjoy your trip! Ros

  37. i’m really liking the pea vines shawlette – and now i guess i have my answer as to the best way to make nupps – there is none!

    i just had beets for the first time the other night, and i have to say, i actually liked them. although i still can’t get over the feeling that the whole deep-magenta pink color feels a bit artificial…

  38. Ooh! Look at those pea vines — I absolutely adore the way that’s looking!! Chomping at the bit to see how it turns out…

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