it’s a James world…

Posted on Posted in food and garden, projects

…and Anne’s just livn’ in it.


(flower of the day: grifola frondosa).

Hello, this is James, Anne’s nephew and I’m visiting for the weekend.



Anne’s preparing a vegetarian lasagna tonight and we spent the morning cooking together with me teaching her a thing or two about the kitchen.


(right; this is james showing me how do sniff like a real chef)

For example, she found this group of mushrooms by a roadside and was determined to eat them immediately to gain what she believed to be “supernatural powers” over plant life. I told her that this didn’tsound scientifically accurate, but she insisted.

So, Anne Hanson ate this 4 pound mushroom in one sitting on the side of the road.

. . . ok, enough of that (just for being a wiseguy, i put that photo in . . . he’s objecting, but too bad).

i actually found the mushroom growing against one of the garden beds. if you take a step back, it looks like this:

this mushroom is somewhat legendary . . when we first moved into our home, our neighbors explained that we would see these things growing all over in the fall, and to keep an eye out for them, because they are delicious. so i have been. for like 5 years.

and then earlier this week when i was cutting basil, i literally bumped into the start of one at the edge of the bed. finally. in just a few days, it has tripled in size, too.

so this weekend, we are cutting it and eating it (but not tonight). we’ll sauté it and eat with the homemade pasta we’re also making. i’ll keep you updated.

tonight we are having a birthday feast. it’s david’s and beckie’s birthday once again, and we are celebrating. i spent all day yesterday shopping for, and then getting the parts ready

so that dinner will just need to be assembled and put in the oven/on the table later tonight.
we’re heading out so to a “wine and wool gathering” soon, and i’m hoping i can restrain james from getting drunk and learning to knit; we don’t need him coveting my stash.

i actually do have a serious post about swatching for lace projects to write, but it’s really hard to focus when you’re keeping an eye on a 12-year-old.

so i think for now i’ll do the easy thing and show you some yarn.
this is kim’s new lightweight sock yarn

in her famous tupelo honey colorway. GUESS what kim wants me to design with it??

A 4 pound mushroom?

34 thoughts on “it’s a James world…

  1. Happy Birthday, David!
    That yarn looks gorgeous-I have been drooling over their site ever since you started showing their yarn!
    I finally started a bee shawl last week, and I am just loving it-thanks for the amazing pattern

  2. Hi, James! Nice post. I’m glad you’re there to keep Anne in line. She’s out of control, you know?! Nice-looking mushroom. I never saw any like that when I lived in Ohio. Are you sure it’s EDIBLE? Yeah, well, good luck with that. I would just saute it in butter and eat the whole thing myself. Aunt Anne is my mentor. You should learn to knit from her. She’s the best.
    Happy Birthday, David! You’re a great model!

  3. Oh my god woman, are you sure you can it that thing? please double check, your PJM.

    Your James looks almost as cute as my Nir 🙂 but you confused me, who taught whom what in that kitchen session?

    Have a great birthday celebration, Mazal tov Beckie and David!

  4. P.S. Anne, is your refrigerator really that clean??? Please, tell me it really isn’t!! How do you have time to do all you do, and yet, your refrigerator doesn’t have one speck of anything on its pristine shelves. Did you go to the appliance store to take that picture?

  5. Ooooooh, so much gorgeousness! Food and knitting, I’m drooling onto my keyboard. I can’t wait to see what wonders you come up with for that yarn.

    Happy birthday, David!

  6. We JUST got back from the Wine and Wool festival. Next year we’ll budget in more time for it– we didn’t do any of the fun things like corn mazes and helicopter rides.

    How neat that you have a nephew visiting! And that you have a giant amount of mushrooms to eat. Yum. Have a great time tonight!

  7. the mushrooms look delicious. Love the sock yarn, it is a great Colour. Espresso coffee pot, woman after my own heart. We have espresso coffee too. After living in Italy for a while I don’t really like any other coffee. Happy birthday David and Beckie. Hope James enjoys the rest of his stay and you all enjoy the celebrations.

  8. Bee socks!!

    Happy Birthday to David and Beckie!

    There’s no way that boy is 12 years old… seriously? 12?
    So how do you know when a ‘shroom is edible? We’be been getting quite a few locally and i was wondering about that.
    Enjoy your wonderful meal! 🙂

  9. a 4 lb mushroom is a dream come true! i love fungus!
    that’s a pretty new sock yarn … i’ll have to follow the link and covet it even more =)
    i bet dinner is/was delicious! happy birthdays to the lucky ones 🙂

  10. Happy Birthday David… hmm, there is mysterious lack of reference to YOU eating any of those mushrooms… Are you sure they’re safe Anne?
    Love Kim’s new colorway. She’s the bomb!

  11. Wow…..now that’s a mushroom! I adore mushrooms, but I am afraid to eat any that I pick, for it only takes one….

    I bet yours were yummy though!

  12. I have been following Leena’s blog Riihivilla, and now when I look at mushrooms I wonder what color they would dye yarn.

    The fixings for your dinner look yummy. Have a happy celebration.

    Happy birthday, David!

  13. I’m not entirely sure that eating mushrooms that randomly sprout in the yard is such a good idea–especially ones that look like that! I just dug something that looked like that off the dead roots of a tree I had cut down a few years ago. It weighed about five pounds. Maybe I should have sauteed it in butter, instead of tossing it in the trash?

  14. Happy b-day to David and Becky 🙂 Hope you’re having a fun time with your nephew, looks like you’ve already been up to mischief! I love mushrooms lots, but I’m not with the others on the looks of that one–sorry but it’s kinda homely LOL! I’d eat it though, once chopped up and sauteed in buttah! YUMM-O!

  15. Did you check with the neighbors to verify that the beautiful mushroom is the one they meant? We have a few “volunteer” mushrooms around our place, but I’m pretty sure that they’re Amanitas (Death Caps), so I just dig them up and throw them into the trash. They are so attractive, I don’t want to leave them growing in the HOA common area!

  16. ooh – all those mushrooms look so good!!! (mushroom LOVER here!)

    that new yarn has a great sheen to it. I bet you’ll come up with something great!

  17. What kind of mushroom is that, by the way? I’m not normally too big on mushrooms by themselves, but I know they can add a nice bit of texture and flavour to foods, and I’m actually curious as to different kinds and different flavours.

  18. Okay Anne, I’m glad you interjected in there…. I was getting just a LITTLE concerned during James’ talk of magical mushrooms!!! (and I’m gonna be spending a week with this woman????) hahaha!!! Hope David’s 41st was everything he hoped!

  19. Such a fabulous colorway! I bought a skein of the laceweight version, and it is to die for.

    Is that mushroom really safe to eat? It looks kind of scary. 😉

    And happy birthday to David! (and Beckie!) Hooray! 🙂

  20. Hi Anne,
    The mushroom looks great – – lucky you! I was wondering how do you have your pot lids hung on your kitchen wall? They look great and lids do seem to multiple, so I thought I’d give this a shot in my kitchen. Thanks! Rosalia

  21. Happy Birthday David!!!

    Wow that is one large mushroom. That is enough for many meals for sure.

    Oooo that is some lovely yarn.

  22. Happy Belated Birthday to David! Those mushrooms are humongous. The Tupelo Honey yarn is mighty delicious too! Bee socks, perhaps? 😉

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