i have been knitting, wrapping, cooking, and writing patterns at breakneck speed, in order to have it all done by tonight (HA!).
we leave for albany in the morning and the only thing i want to have left to do for christmas is knitting—that, i don’t mind doing right up til the last minute.
so far, so good . . .
yesterday, as soon as the coffee was on the stove, i bundled up and went out to the garden to pull some roots for soup. i wanted to make a cheery carrot soup for our monday knitting class christmas party. and yes, that is snow on the ground in the background; it snowed lightly all day saturday. it’s gone now, but it was pretty while it lasted.
back inside i flipped on my audiobook and set to work cleaning the vegetables, which always look so much better once they’ve had a good scrub.
i cook this soup differently, depending on the season—in winter, i roast the vegetables with heavier spices and garlic; in summer, i sauté them with just parsley, pepper, and salt, maybe a pinch of mint or rosemary. that way, if i want to eat it at a cooler temperature, the flavor is brighter.
either way, the zest and juice of two or three oranges goes in to braise the vegetables.
yesterday i roasted them first to get the sugars going, then added them to the mirepoix of leeks, garlic, and scallions.
toss them with the sauteéd stuff and add stock, let everything simmer til the vegetables are very soft.
put it all through the food processor, adjust the seasoning, and
wah-LA: carrot soup.
you can eat it just like this—it has plenty of body as is—or add some milk (soy milk works very well), cream, pureéd rice, or whipped potato (i got that pureéd rice hint from a sarah raven book and i like it a lot).
i garnish it with slivers of scallion tops and orange zest; bright green peas or shaved radicchio would also be pretty festive—go crazy.
speaking of crazy, we are still riding our bikes a few times a week, with a special effort to ride for our grocery shopping and errands close to home. it’s getting a bit chilly out there, however, so the hunt has begun for warmer stuff to wear.
david found these brilliant bern helmets that are very lightweight, but much less ventilated (most of your body heat escapes through your head; if you can contain it, you’ll stay lots warmer).
but the best part about them
has to be the cozy helmet liner. my new helmet arrived the other day and i couldn’t love it more—it’s SO cute! the fabric has a great waffle texture on the outside and—wait for it—faux fur on the inside. i just know that those who ride bikes out there are wiggling in your seats with joy, just thinking about how cozy that feels. go get ’em.
i have a bunch of knitting to share, but i’ve gotta do it fast, so bear with me.
tabata earband and mitts (pattern coming soon!) for my niece mary in delicious fearless fibers DK MCN luxury in colorway earthenware. this yarn has a very different character than the spirit trail holda that i used for the first set, but i love it just as well.
it’s got a nice bouncy twist for great recovery, with a softly polished outer surface offers a cozy sheen. the stitch snuggle right up against each other to block the wind and cold,
making beautiful stockinette music together (and you know what a sucker i am for a lovely stockinette surface). and these pieces aren’t even blocked yet, wow (good thing; i might will have to skip that step in order to send them out tomorrow).
and speaking of spirit trail holda, just take a gander at these adult mitts. is that surface they sexy or what? and yet again, unbocked. but these will get a nice bath, since they are staying here with me, hehehe.
the ear warmer is done as well, but i dont’ have a photo and now i really have to run.
i will be back later, hopefully with a pattern release, but if not, i’ll see you in a couple of days, when i’ve landed in albany.
21 thoughts on “crazed, but cheerful”
The carrot soup looks yummy! And thanks for sharing your knitting with us – the surface of those Spirit Trail Holda mitts is sexy, great colour! Have a good journey and looking forward to your pattern release!
The photo of the sliced scallions (and leeks?) is so cool! They look like little green eyes.
Wishing you safe travels!
Beautiful purple mitts! I love that they’re simple but the cuff is just a little detailed in contrast.
You always have the best looking vegetable dishes. Makes me think about digging up some of the unproductive grass & planting something to eat. Your knits are lovely too.
Have a safe drive & a merry Christmas.
Can’t wait for the earwarmer pattern – it may bail me out at the last minute!
Love the helmet! Reminds me of one I saw a while ago called a ‘nutcase’?? or something like that.
Good luck on the home stretch!
It’s definitely soup season–we had soup last night with little pasta, kale and some tiny meatballs. It was even better leftover for lunch today. Love that purple yarn-it is so rich looking. Safe travels to Albany!
I’m betting it smells reaaaaalllly good at your house today!! Have a safe trip to your family’s house!!
The purple finger-less mittens are beautiful…could you please tell me how long they are in inches. I would like to make my daughters a pair.
Renee
A Knitters Notebook
I love the soup. Soups and hot stews are great during cold weather. Your headband mitt set is awesome. I love stuff like that. Bad hairday no problem I just put on a handmade headband.
The soup looks so yummy. I love having soups in winter especially the creamy ones.
Looking forward to the release of the Tabata earband pattern, Anne…my latest hair cut has left me with significant ear exposure!
I am wishing you and David a safe journey, and a joyful, restful holiday with your family.
yummmm, all the veggies look yummy!! I hope you and David have a great trip to albany and that your family is all well. I’m looking forward to that ear band pattern – got a skein of yarn just waiting for it!
That helmet would be perfect for my husband! He rides his bike to work every day, 6 or 7 k. I have to go helmet hunting!
Those purple mitts are fab! If I lived nearer to you, you’d have to have them sewn onto elastic through your coat sleeves or else I think they’d end up coming home with me!!! Safe travels.
Anne – your soup preparation and pictures take soup to a whole new level. Thanks so much for sharing and enlightening us on the different seasons/ways to make a yummy soup. I’m definitely going to give it a try. Happy holidays to you and David.
Merry and blessed Christmas, Anne! Love following your blog, even though I have been a bit quiet lately. Enjoy your holiday, and I’ll look forward to that pattern.
Love the knitting – as always – gorgeous. Any audio books that you can recommend? Merry Christmas.
My dad’s still biking to work (well, he walked Monday because it was slippery) and bundling up well. I made him a pair of Hot Waffles mitts this fall that he could wear under his gloves–he likes them because they cover his wrist between coat and gloves which is were he always gets cold. Hasn’t said anything about his head, but I think he wears a hat under his helmet.
Safe travels and Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with family.
Delicious – both the fibers and the soup!
Thanks for sharing your day with us amidst the holiday rush! I haven’t ever had carrot soup, but yours looks divine! Have a safe trip to Albany and Happy Holidays!
Wah-LA! A very nice post. Love the purple mitts. . . .
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