it’s not over yet

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, projects

flower of the day: queen of siam basil
i know i should keep these nipped back but at this point they are so gorgeous i can’t bear to cut them. and the bees really seem to dig them.

it’s gotten quite cold here in ohio, particularly at night. the heat has been going on during the day, even though we have the thermostat set at just 64 degrees. i’ve been wearing mitts while working at the computer—my hands are already cold, but these help a lot.

david has been cleaning the windows and making sure the storms are tightly in place. i’ve been gathering stuff from the garden because it seems we will get a frost any night now (i’m a gambler about that; i like to leave everything on the vine til the last second). i thought for sure it would be last night, so yesterday i took in all the pink and green tomatoes.

but not yet. when i woke up today it looked as if some parts of the yard got nipped a little, but not the vegetable patch

while waiting for the chill to wear off this morning, i worked in the kitchen for a while, roasting eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers to use later in the week.
yesterday i picked all the spinach and washed that up for another meal.
the delicate lettuces are still bright and healthy—we’ll eat those fresh-picked til the frost kills them. we have herbs (which i really need to bring in and freeze)

and this funny thing . . . i call this my emperor eggplant—it doesn’t seem to notice that it’s not wearing clothes. its leaves shriveled and dropped off weeks and weeks ago, but

it still has something to offer and dammit, it’s going to work it—a new little white globe came out just in the last couple of days.

this morning i spread out layers of newspaper paper on my dad’s old pool table to set up the indoor tomato ripening process

i’ve got quite haul here, and if they all ripen up as beautifully as they did last year using this method, i’ll be thrilled.

according to my blog dates, i am doing this about a month earlier this year (the weather last fall was freakishly warm into november). and the ripening time under newspapers took about 3-4 weeks. so hopefully, those reddish ones will all be ripe before i leave for rhinebeck, and the green ones will hold off til after i return (wouldn’t that work out just peachy?).

so yeah, things are winding down out there. it’s a little sad, but i’m also glad that the extra work will be over—it’s time to start knitting for winter. we need all manner of warm things to wear and give over the next months, and my thoughts are turning to making mitts, hats, scarves, and sweaters (and lace!), and away from puttering around in the chilly outdoors.

i am roaring along on my sweater (excuse the bad color in this photo)

the other night i went to a friend’s house to knit and got it to the underarms. after i got home i started the left yoke.

i finished that last night and started on the back yoke. i think i’ll be able to finish the whole body piece by tonight. then i can start the sleeves, yay.
you can see here that i’m continuing the cable detail alongside the armhole.

i’ve done this on t-shaped and raglan yokes before but never on a curved armhole. but i really wanted that detail here to define the edge next to the sleeve and since the cable is narrow, i figured it would be pliable enough to wrap around the lower curve. so far so good—it pulls a tiny bit but not enough to wrinkle, and i think i’ll be able to mold it nicely when i steam block it.

yesterday was a great day for mail, too

i got a new book—congratulations stephanie, i can’t wait to read it. i think i’ll put it in my suitcase for traveling with; short essays are the perfect thing for wait times and reading in bed at night. and if i’m lucky, maybe i’ll be able to get it signed at rhinebeck.

now as much as i respect and love stephanie, i have to say that the book was not the best thing that came in the mail, and i just KNOW she’ll understand if she sees this. because this is the best thing ever.

now you know i knit a lot of socks, right? i knit them for david and me and for my brother and for friends. but looking back, i can’t remember anyone ever knitting socks for me (and why would they—don’t i have enough already??). however, as you know, it is always nice to be knit for, particularly if you knit yourself.

and this week, i (yes, me!) received a gift of knitted socks. beautiful knitted socks. socks i do not deserve, but am thrilled to own.

in june, as part of the big-ass MS giveaway on cluadia’s blog, i won a pair of custom handknit socks offered by Fluffy Knitter Deb. how cool is that?

and this week they arrived—perfect timing; i just started wearing wool socks again the other day.
take a gander at that gorgeous stitchwork, will ya? i would never knit socks like this for myself—which makes them even more special than they already are. i love the color, a nice terra cotta, and one i didn’t have that will look spectacular with jeans or nice slacks.

deb wrote and asked me for a sock wishlist as to what type of heel i like and what length i find comfortable, and she didn’t even laugh a little (to my face) when i explained about the pointy-toe shaping i use (although i have at least one supposedly good friend who finds my pointy feet hilarious).

she’d never heard of that before but she got it exactly spot-on

own socks for heavens sake)

thank you deb; this is truly a gift i will treasure always.

so yes, it’s not over yet. but almost

31 thoughts on “it’s not over yet

  1. Oh nice! I have to join swaps to get anything hand knitted for me…otherwise I have to do it myself…

  2. I need to deal with my basil before it gets frozen too. I was too lazy to do it yesterday. I did bring in all my tomats though.
    I would love to get a pair of handknit socks! I make tons for other people and never get any 🙁

  3. You’re right: your Queen of Siam basil is gorgeous with the flowers!
    Those socks are really sweet! With all the effort you put in supporting that cause and encouraging people to go and donate, you totally deserve them.

  4. What great socks! A lovely thing to receive in the mail.

    Mmmm fresh tomatoes in a few weeks still. That would be something. Oh fall. I’m STARTING to be okay with the cold weather. I can’t bear to start wearing wool socks yet though. I just don’t want to let go of summer.

  5. Fluffy Knitter Deb! From Sock Knitters Anonymous on Ravelry! I think that pattern is Little Pumpkins which is so right for you because of your gardening. Way cool!

  6. Now that really *is* a wonderful package to receive in the mail! And that book is going to be perfect for your trip (I’m loving my copy, and am stretching it out by reading it in little snatches). The sweater looks great, and the timing seems good for Rhinebeck 🙂

  7. Ooh, that sweater is coming along really nicely. I’m liking the weather too – I’ve been wanting some nice cool knitting weather (as in, it feels like it’s time to knit a sweater).

  8. Love the socks! What pattern is that??

    I too leave my veggies on the plant until the last minute. I did harvest a bunch of green tomatoes today as I knew because of their weight and the stems were now brown and withering, they’d fall and get bruised up or worse, rot. I have a Black Knight to match your White Emperor eggplant 🙂

  9. Fabulous socks- lucky you! great pattern and what a perfect fit! You know, it is truly a gift for another knitter to make US something – how lovely.

    and I am going to be laughing for awhile tonight about the emperor eggplant….. hilarious. 🙂

  10. Oh! I have a couple of pairs of those Deb-handknit socks, and they are just divine. She does such beautiful work, doesn’t she?!

  11. You are right to leave the Thai basil to the bees. They need the extra nectar this time of year and you are preserving it better than you could any other way by knitting it up into that sweater!

  12. You always have so much to show us on your blog, each time you post. I appreciate that. I know it’s not easy to come up with material each time, but you do a wonderful job. The sweater is beautiful, and I can’t wait to see it in all of its glory. The socks you received are great! I heard someone say on one of the news channels, that “the difference between a pat on the back and a kick in the butt is about six inches.” You always stay in the upper region, and I appreciate it.

  13. You are a lucky gal. Fluffy Knitter Deb does some VERY nice work! (And isn’t there something decadant about hand-knit socks you yourself put in zero time on?)

  14. I’m in Michigan (not too far from you) and we’ve been having a lot of cold weather too. Earlier this week it actually dipped down to 39 degrees. I’m so glad I’m not allergic to wool and that I’m completely obsessive about knitting scarves! They are coming in very handy!

  15. I should have closed my eyes….Oh boy, your new sweater look very lush!! I’m hoping to see a pattern on this one. I just have to have this sweater!!! I’m hoping you will be publishing your red sweater soon. I’ll be the first one in line. Just wonderful. Your gift of socks is beautiful and I just love the colorway and pattern. Is she taking orders????? 🙂

  16. What great surprises you had in the mail! I love those socks. The colorway & pattern are beautiful. Funny how we never seem to knit for ourselves though. As you know I am also guiltiest charged. That shawl you keep telling me to knit for myself is coming to class & getting started ASAP!!!

  17. wouldn’t that work out just peachy?

    Haha, nice one. Too bad there aren’t any suitable tomato puns out there. 😉

  18. What a wonderful mail day – a good book AND fab-you-lous socks, handknit socks, as a gift. How much better could it get?? (Okay – a bit of chocolate wouldn’t hurt!)

    Your sweater is coming along nicely. Will the pattern be coming along, too? pleasepleaseohplease!

    Emporer eggplant – teeheehee! A sense of humor is a wonderful thing.

  19. We call those wedge-shaped toes in our household. We all have very distinct left and right feet. Commercial socks are given port and starboard bits of red/green embroidery floss at the toe so they mold over time into comfy wedges.

    Lucky bees. I will think of your basil as I knit a Siam flower-colored Honeybee Stole for a friend.

  20. As I suspected when the random number generator picked you for this prize that the shoemaker’s children have no shoes.

    😉

    That is a great pair of socks!

  21. Holy Cow Anne, when you said they were a perfect, you weren’t kidding!

    I’m especially proud of the big, honkin’ P-Man hair hanging off your toe – that’s the free bonus with each pair of socks 🙂

    They look GREAT, enjoy them for many winters to come!

  22. The socks are just perfect, love the pattern and the colour.
    Have you ever calculated how many lbs of tomatoes you picked this year? Just thought it would be interesting.

    BTW I’ve pointy toes too and they get some comments sometimes, so you’re not alone!!

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