a little redder today . . . brought to you by tomato cam.
something tells me we’ll be eating “green salad with tomato wedge” later on.

it’s been really dreary and cold here all week with lots of rain—it hardly feels like any july i ever remember. we’ve had to look really hard to find some bright spots, but there are a few

one of my favorite garden delights this year has been watching this pot of gold chard develop—i don’t have a great history growing multi-colored greens (well, or any greens, actually); they just never seemed to take in our plot before. the bright lights chard i tried to grow for two years didn’t even germinate. but this year both the red and the yellow chard have thrived and added some joyful color to the mix.

of course, the knitting always offers some color and this week we’ve had a particularly strong dose of it. pompa came off the needles the other day and i blocked it on wednesday

all pinned out along the floor, it looked just like a parade of flags. the pearl bison yarn washed up so beautifully and was a dream to thread and stretch to a nice size (11 by 48)

and it dried very quickly, even with so much dampness in the air. i love the particular red that this is—it’s clear and bright, but not too-too, you know?

we’re all set to release this pattern except for some nice modeling shots. hopefully, we’ll get that done over the weekend—david has been too busy the last couple of days doing something with rental equipment to take pictures

i’m getting a floor, i’m getting a floor!
seriously, i never thought i’d say that in quite that way . . .
yes, we are getting closer and closer to finished workroom space every day now. this floor and this wall coating are a thing of the past. there is all new wiring (i won’t even tell you the wiring situation we found inside the walls, shudder).

and best of all—a new cedar closet

big and deep enough to be the future home of the knitspot yarn stash and shawl collection. now my personal stash can have its little closet back to itself. can i show you more? i hate to flaunt it, but david even made upper cabinets over the closet for the bigger boxes of stuff i don’t need to trip over access as often.

they’ll hold a couple of stacks of those under-the-bed boxes easily. we had this kind of cabinet in our new jersey home and i loved them.

the plaster is all done; it just needs the final buffing and coating. after that, i think he just needs to trim and finish the floor and install the wall cabinets along the other side.
he’s been busy, alright.

last evening amanda came over to listen to some banging block the artichaut shawl sample she knit for chris’s sock summit booth.

we put the shawl on to soak and knit for an hour or so

i worked on nightingale and added another repeat to the length. she worked on her edging for the lerwick lace shawl (amanda loves really thin yarn and really complicated lace).

then we pulled the shawl out of the water and started threading.

see the artichokes?? amanda’s knitting is SO beautiful—the edges were nice and stretchy and easy to thread; it was a complete joy to do. it’s still nice to have two people on hand to block this one, though—it requires a really good stretching to reach it’s true, light-as-air potential.

and of course, it wants to dry right away, even as you’re threading it.
we got it blocked very quickly, however and gave it a good spray—by this morning it was ready to come off the wires (after a few photos).

sigh.

we had to chuckle though . . . amanda brought back the leftover yarn

and i think there’s enough here to make another shawl. keep in mind that i had one skein, which i knit my large shawl from. then i passed it to her and she knit a petite shawl. and we still have this much left over. who knows, we may turn it into something else; maybe a rectangle at some point?

after amanda left i sat down with my maze sweater to get reacquainted—it’s been way too long. too many secrets in between us . . .

i was sorta dreading this moment because i thought i’d be lost as to where i was int eh pattern, but no—i found my spot right away and managed to get all the way to the neck bindoff before it was time to join david for some relaxing movie-watching.

anyhow, after all the knitting i’ve been doing with little yarn, the progress i made in just an hour or so seemed astounding. i think i’ll be able to get lots done on this in the next couple of weeks, yay. and you know, fall feels like it’s just around the corner (oh right, that’s because summer is never going to come).

everything is blooming and producing on time (if not early) but man, the weather has not been warm at all. the hostas are a sea of blossoms right now and the bees are gorging so well on the nectar they can hardly stay afloat—they end up looking terribly drunk with it and this cracks me up no end.

you can see how dim and wet it is; but like i said, it doesn’t seem to be hurting anything either.

i know this post is getting long, but i haven’t even talked about the socks yet (or the eggplant). and truthfully, i was thinking that maybe i’d take the weekend off in order to get some knitting done. so i’ll give you all i’ve got today and then if i’m not back til monday, you’ll have plenty to look at.

how much do i love this sock?? i do—it’s so vintage-y, and so fun to knit. i can’t wait to have it ready for david to try on. it is really him. i dunno if nate likes it, but i definitely caught david eyeing it the other night.

my dark regatta sock is done, too. beckie is coming over on tuesday night and has agreed once again to do some sock modeling (she doesn’t know it yet, but i’d like her to model pompa as well. maybe i should warn her?). maybe we’ll even get david to join us.

tomorrow we’re going to a friend’s house for the fourth of july holiday and i need to think of something to make. i have LOTS of squash, so maybe something with that? hahaha. i’m hoping to bake a couple of quiches this weekend; we have all manner of greens and squash that would be yummy in them.

yeah, it feels like just yesterday that i put up all those greens in the freezer and now there are at least that many more out there to pick, yikes.

and the eggplant has doubled, at least, since the other day. i even found a nice japanese one that will soon be ready to pick for stir-frying.

it’s grown another inch since i took this picture. i can see already that a produce management plan might be a good idea for the coming weeks.

alright now, i’ve still got one more important thing to finish before today ends—my sock summit handouts. another thing i was dreading, because i thought i would never think of a cohesive to organize my thoughts about sock design.

in fact (and this is VERY unlike me), i’ve been having terrifying sock summit dreams. now, my dream life is very weird and fellini-eque almost all the time, but not usually scary (at least, not to me). but i woke up yelling the other night and that did it—time to get everything done and decorated so i can relax and move on—and knit for heaven’s sake.

but you know what? when i sat down yesterday and started writing, it all came together and i got the big picture of how it should be. now, i just have to create some worksheets get the whole thing proofed. so, time to get crackin’.

have a wonderful independence day and enjoy your weekend.

Filed under: food and garden, lace/shawls, projects
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gnarled oakwoods celebrates our natural woodland environment with its rich, earthy scents, dappled play of light and shadow, and lushly-textured foliage. large lace leaves travel up from the edge, then segue into a winding vine pattern that wraps around the shoulders to fall once again into a deeply-scalloped hem of leaves.

this piece was originally published in the fall 2008 issue of twist collective; it was an exciting honor to be included in the magazine’s premier release.

shown here in wooly wonka fibers celestial artisan alpaca/silk tweed (now discontinued), the wrap would be equally cozy and beautiful in any fingering yarn with a bit of texture (see suggested yarn list on the store pattern page for ideas)

to purchase pattern or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the product page in the knitspot pattern shop.

the original wrap was created in collaboration with my friend anne, whose custom-blended and spun into the gorgeous alpaca/silk tweed was used in the sample shown above.
as with so many shawls, my good friend vanessa (AKA, flamefingers) helped me out by test knitting the piece to prepare for publication last summer. her lovely knitting knitting is always so appreciated by all of us!

Filed under: patterns
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i spotted a little tinge of pink on a few tomatoes today . . . and another little gift of rich, deep purple under the eggplant canopy.

i know the garden always seems to come first in my posts lately (i try to change it up sometimes), but once that headliner photo starts the conversation, that’s what happens—it’s a lot like my life. feel free to scroll down for knitting—no one will know the difference, heh.

i cannot believe it’s already the end of june and time for real vegetables to be growing—where did this month disappear to??
at least it was a good one from TNNA at the beginning to harvesting and many FOs by then end. and more cycling in between, for change. this month i made a big effort to take time for getting out on my bike and it’s paying off—i already feel more energetic and at the same time, less anxious.

it’s a challenge though, with a busy business and the garden season in full swing. i won’t say that i make it out there every day, but i’m averaging 4-5 times per week now. next, i’d like to add back my weight raining; i always loved that and it has such great mental and physical health benefits.

i didn’t take flower photos today because the vegetable patch was offering so much eye candy. the lettuces are big and crisp and colorful right now (thanks to the cool weather with a good mix of sun and rain)—perfect for delicious caesars or other dinner salads.

some of my okra seedlings are doing really well. since i’ve never grown okra, i tried out four types by purchasing sample amounts from victory seeds. i’m really glad i did that because

you can see that the ones to the right of the photo in two rows came up well, but the area to the left has none (so far). so, two types germinated right away and are growing well, but the other two are either sluggish, or they’re not going to make an appearance.

so it was smart to try different ones. the stupid part?? (and you know there is one!) is that i didn’t label which was which, so i don’t really know which types were a success—yet. once i actually see fruit on them, i’ll be able to tell; maybe even once the leaves get bigger. the same thing happened with my greens.

comparing the seedlings to the photos on the store site i’d guess these red-veined ones are either burgundies or aunt hattie’s red. i think the green ones are emeralds, but it’s just as possible they are the dwarf green long pod.

the thing about tagging plants is that between mulching, watering, weeding, and critters, the tags always end up strewn about the garden, nowhere near the plants they belong to, or they fade to an unreadable state pretty quickly. so i get lazy about using them (then wish i hadn’t been). i gotta think up a better system . . .

tonight we’re having a quick dinner of pasta with sauteed squash and some of the tomato sauce i cooked last weekend—it’s great to have those containers of ready-made sauce all set to go; we can customize each dinner with something different, depending on what’s ripe out there.

i’ve been watching the watermelon plants all week because they are finally taking off and growing big—every day i need to re-thread a new long arm around the fence they are growing on. and today i spotted something else among the leaves

the vines are actually covered with tiny melons and a few are pushing ahead of the crowd

does anyone know if i should pinch off some of the smallest fruit to let the bigger ones grow? will it help the alpha melons be even sweeter and better? i don’t know that much about growing good melon . . .

back inside i am nursing a pepper plant that had a run-in with the hose the other day (all my fault—it’s not like the hose attacked it or anything).

and it’s so pretty there on the window sill that i just had to take a picture. i’m hoping it will take root in the water so i can put it back in the garden. normally, i wouldn’t worry about losing one of my 12 or so plants, but i had only three of this “yummy pepper” type and they are my favorite. they ended up in a very vulnerable garden spot and i lost one already to general weakness. this might be a good example of why some gardeners tend to overplant . . .

anyway, i’m really enjoying the graceful spread of its branches in this spot over my sink—it’s even opening some flowers.

speaking of my sink, i finished pompa in class yesterday and it’s off the needles and into the suds as we speak.

my 220-yard skein of fibre isle pearl bison in colorway creamberry went a very respectable distance in this project—my scarf measures about 36 inches before blocking and i’m expecting it will be somewhere around 45-48 inches after stretching by approximately 11 inches wide. we just love getting the most out of smaller skein of luxury yarn.

if i haven’t mentioned the incredible-ness of the yarn lately, let me fill you in—it’s a mix of merino, seacell, cashmere, and bison fibers (both dyed and undyed) that are hand blended into a lofty, springy, fingering weight yarn. the yarn has both a tighter twist and more air which work together to produce a knitted fabric that is squishy-soft, has wonderful stitch definition, and incredible color depth.

tomorrow i’ll show you blocking photos.

my nate sock has seen some action in the last couple of days, too; it now has a heel and part of a foot (oh, the joy of sport yarn for socks). i’m also almost done with my dark regatta sock, but i forgot to take a picture and i’m too lazy to go do it now.

last night after classes i worked on a pattern for a few hours, then went off to knit on my fruit of the vine scarf, adding several repeats of the pattern. remind you of anything?

the stitches even have little fruits, just like the watermelon vines . . .

i’ve spent too much time already talking today, but now, here’s something you’ll really like to end the post, so i must keep going a little longer.

i’ve been egging on my friend kim (sadly blogless) for over a year now to finish a certain project to no avail—she just wasn’t feelin’ excitement of the final stretch, i guess (i even offered to block it for her as an incentive).

but then chris stepped in, pleading and begging because it’s knit in briar rose heritage (now discontinued, but similar to josephine) and she wants it for the booth at sock summit.
mission accomplished—kim finished the thing up in just a few days and sent it to me for blocking, which i did yesterday between classes

it stretched out beautifully to the generous size kim was hoping for (about what the pattern states) and all the lace opened up, which only shows off the incredible colors in the yarn even more—it’s an iridescent blend of blues, greens, and plums, overdyed with black

this morning i unpinned it and took some photos on the dress form—it was very dark because of the weather, but i managed to get a few nice ones—which i needed; i don’t have many good photos of this shawl. but now i do . . .

this is a wonderful piece that can be knit up in a feather-light lace mohair for something airy and weightless, or then again, in a warm fingering yarn for a shawl you can cozy into when it’s cold.

i’ve knit three of these in various yarn weights (and types) and each one is my favorite for a different reason.

kim’s yarn is fuzzy and fairly heavy for a shawl, but that’s what makes it a great piece to take to the beach at night or to substitute as a coat in winter.

i have a moth knit in a similar yarn that is probably my most-often-worn shawl—it lays just right on my shoulders and screens out wind like nobody’s business.

the great thing about a triangle shawl pattern is that you can play with yarn, needles, and gauge to achieve all sorts of different effects—there are few limits if you are willing to take a risk.

it’s going to look specTACular on kim, isn’t it? she’ll be getting it back in plenty of time to wear at rhinebeck so we can all admire it there

this pattern is an old favorite—i first knit it for my mom about six years ago, making it up on the needles as i went along. then knit one for a friend’s wedding, three years ago this month and finally put the pattern in writing as my first online pattern offer. and the knitspot pattern shop was born.

.

we had a race to celebrate and to raise some money for a good cause. for three years, i’ve enjoyed watching a fantastic parade of moths go by in classes, blog photos, ravelry photos, and photos that come to me by email; moths on their way to engagements, weddings, christenings, fairs, friends, and family.

but i think i am most touched by this one that my friend knit—all good things in time.

Filed under: designing, food and garden, lace/shawls, projects
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before i talk about anything else, here’s the news we’re all waiting for: the lucky winner of this glorious basket of briar rose yarns and goodies goes to emily!

once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year’s booster campaign for claudia’s ride for MS. and a special thanks to chris at briar rose fibers for providing this delicious incentive to the cause.

what a weekend, whew.
friday feels like a week ago, really. after i wrote my last post, i did indeed head outside to stretch my legs and shake off some of the friday ansty-pants that some of us are prone to.

i decided that since i wanted to spray the next day, i should collect all the produce that was ready for picking and that way, i could let the spray and fertilizer dissipate for a couple of days before i pick again (though it is an organic product made from plant roots, it’s a good idea not to eat it directly, heh)

uh, yeah, there were a few things to gather out there. i pulled up all of the rapini—i estimate about 4-5 pounds from just a 10-foot row (have i mentioned how gratifyingly prolific rapini is??)
then i picked some chard, some zen greens, and quite a bit of bok choy. i also took some more squash in because the plants are so loaded with small ones that i thought it would be a good idea to thin them out. i want a few squash to grow bigger so i can have freezer amounts.

i spent the next couple of hours cleaning and blanching everything, then packing it in bags for the freezer. i ended up with four heavy bags of rapini, two chard, and two of cubed squash, plus a HUGE bag of bok choy and another of fresh chard to eat.

and that’s just the first picking really . . . i think we have enough rapini—i’m not going to plant more. it was good to know that before i headed out to reseed on saturday. i planted more chard instead, since that’s something we like enough to eat every week—we almost can’t have too much of it. the chard i saved out for eating this week is a european variety called erbette, which is a leafy chard that has a buttery, delicate texture and flavor and i very good eating. mmm

yesterday i got the aphid situation under control out there, applied some seaweed fertilizer, and reseeded the areas where i pulled up plants.

i worked at my desk for a little while in the afternoon until david asked me to go out for a bike ride, which was really excellent—perfect weather for a very fast, hard ride to clear the head. nice. when we came back, i made a quick stir-fry

with the bok choy, squash, and peppers from the garden along with shitake mushrooms, shrimp, ginger, etc over soba noodles. that hit the spot.

i know—i haven’t mentioned knitting at all yet, but i’m getting there.

i’m making good headway on my dark regatta sock and the pattern is working out well—i think we’ve got it nailed. barbara is enjoying her test knit and even worked her first short-row toe and heel without a hitch (THANK YOU barbara!)

i admit, i’m not getting as much knitting accomplished as i wanted this weekend (for lots of good reasons) but i think i still have time to finish a scarf, at least.

this morning i was supposed to be up bright and early (however, i actually roused myself just in the nick of time, heh) to head out with my spinning class to the woolfest at lake metroparks farmpark in kirtland, OH. this event takes place each year at a working farm which is run by the lake county metroparks commission. when we purchased fleeces at the wooster show in may, jamie from wooly knob fiber mill mentioned that he could have our fleeces done if we’d pick them up at the festival—a road trip was born.

on the way up i worked on pompa and added several repeats to the length; i tried to pick it up again on the way back but opted instead to rest and talk. sometimes, you gotta . . .

we arrived at the park around 10:30 am or so, just a little ahead of a rain shower. the grounds are beautiful there; just past the gate we found ourselves walking through gardens and exhibits featuring park projects. all the way to the main barn where the fiber show was exhibited, we were able to stop and see sheep, alpacas, and lamas.

once inside, the main arena was a-buzz with vendors and attendees, many more than in previous years that i’d gone

the photos aren’t as great as they could be, but they’re passable; i used my iPhone camera for this trip because it’s so easy to slip inside my bag and use on the road.
we met up with some of our favorite vendors

linda bought some of catherine’s classic merino sport to knit up an ondule sweater. linda seems to have done a wonderful job of hiding from the camera all day, so anne marie takes her place in this picture.

we picked up our fiber from wooly knob—scary, isn’t it?? actually, the fiber susan (left) is holding is ALL hers, but the other two bags are two fleeces that are getting split amongst the rest of us, so not too bad. anne marie and i are splitting a blend of brown finn that is perfectly delectable. our stunning, blue-ribbon white coopworth fleece (below, right) which we had blended with some nylon to spin sock yarn turned out very well—we’ll be splitting that one six ways (it’s about ten pound i think).

and yet, i was coveting susan’s gray BFL (left) anyway. this was our second choice for the sock fleece and we waffled over it for some time, but decided on the white one in the end. whereby susan snapped up the gray anyway. you know—to go with the dark brown shetland fleece she bought a day earlier, hahaha.

we discovered a wonderful new-to-us fiber producer from western NY state at the longmeadow farm booth (sorry, there does not appear to be a website). sandy has some seriously beautiful fiber blends available in gorgeous colors and almost all of us succumbed. linda bought a stunning intense rose blend, while barbara opted for ocean blues, and susan for greens.

anne marie and i resisted—she’s on a fiber diet and my workspace can’t take any more until the construction is over. plus, there’s always a next time . . . in fact, sandy will be at the finger lakes fiber show in hemlock, NY in september.

we definitely took some time to watch the animals today, too

i thought this partially-shorn lama looked really interesting (ok, i thought he had a special, showy haircut, but no—just not done).

and for me, no good fair is complete without pigs—i just love ‘em.
we visited the sheep too and were completely smitten with this little finn lamb—about the size of a terrier—just adorable (hand added for scale).

but its sibling was the one that really stole the show for me, giving mama a little hoof love

in the middle of the afternoon, we headed back back to the car via the horse-drawn trolly, trying to figure, i think, how the heck we were going to spin up all that fiber.

good thing it doesn’t go bad . . .
at the end, the horses did a little posing for the camera, just like the nice lady asked them to

how could i not take a picture of that?
well, it’s late now, this post is WAY overdue, and i’ve got knitting to do—i’m going to toddle off and see if i cna stay awake to put some more inches on my scarf.
see you in a couple of days.

Filed under: lace/shawls, events, spinning and fiber, projects
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