fall treats

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, designing, food and garden

dockCabinFrontA09_27

still needs a few final touches, but it’s done! i have to press the last couple of seams and then a long, soapy bath, plus buttons, but it’s almost there. more about that in a few minutes . . .

vegTerrineIng09_27

now that fall is truly here—it turned much cooler on sunday and has stayed that way; it really feels like we won’t have hot weather again—the garden has slowed down accordingly. i’m still picking stuff every day, but now it is a manageable basket of mixed things, enough for supper or a pot of something i can freeze.

vegTerrineBake09_27

on sunday i used that bunch of produce to make the vegetable terrine we featured in the most recent chapter of our pairings club (Sold Out). with every single vegetable ingredient available in our garden (six or eight i think!) except mushrooms, i couldn’t wait to make delicious dish, which we haven’t eaten in a while.

vegTerrine09_27

it’s sort of a cross between a terrine and a frittata. layers of grilled eggplant, tomato, onion, pepper, zucchini, potato, and mushroom, and mozzarella, with egg mixture poured in and all around, then baked.

it’s so yummy right out of the oven, but even better the next day. and sliced into slabs, it makes wonderful sandwiches, like the kind i used to buy at my favorite italian deli in brooklyn.

vegTodaysHaulA09_27

i skipped picking yesterday because i was busy and it was rainy most of the day, but today i got out there first thing and picked another basketful, this time a slightly different combination.

vegTodaysHaul09_27

looks like a fresh batch of ratatouille, eh? and david’s favorite dish, hmm.

when i’m done with this post, i’ll get right on that . . .

tomatoesRipening09_27

maybe i’ll even get on top of this batch of ripening tomatoes i’ve been ignoring. the nice thing about the romas is that they can sit for quite a while, just getting better; they don’t spoil as easily as the big juicy heirlooms do. the heirlooms are nice for ratatouille tho—big flavor, lots of juice; they don’t thicken as quickly.

we still have lots of great veggies to choose from for stir fries, soups, pasta, and many other dishes, but i think this is my last chance to make ratatouille, being that we have only one zucchini and one yellow squash left.

what i need is to come up with a plan for all that kale we have out there . . .

dockCabinFront09_27

ok, NOW we can talk about the sweater—i love it! it still needs a bath but so far it fits great, maybe even a little better than the old one. although seriously, the new one is as exact a replica as you could ask for.

dockCabinOldNew09_27

as it turned out, i even knit the same number of repeats of everything to get the same measurements, nearly to the row (i wasn’t trying for that level of exactness; it just happened).

dockCabinBackA09_27

this is an oversized, dropped shoulder design, so the fit is quite loose through the body and armholes, etc. But i was careful about the fit at the neck and shoulders; one of the downsides of the old one was that the neck was a bit too wide which made it slip around on my shoulders. this one feels much more stable, like i could move around in it and not have to constantly adjust.

dockCabinBack09_27

so happy this is done, just in time to wear it a lot.

laceCardiBack09_27

meanwhile i’ve been moving right along on my lace cardigan; the back piece is done (it’s SO so nice to work on a project that flies off the needles!) and i’ve added it to the pile of pieces waiting to be blocked.

laceCardiPieces09_27

just one more skinny sleeve piece to go, yay! which i’ve cast on and knit about the first six or seven inches of. once it’s done, i’ll fire up the iron and steam block the pieces, then seam and give it a bath. the finishing work on it is fairly minimal; just the seams and some simple garter stitch bands all around.

laceCardiSleeve09_27

i’m thinking glass buttons will be lovely down the front; normally i would have sent a swatch away to my friend sarina asking her to make a set but as it happens, we have some pink and brown ones from her in the shop already—perfect! and if they don’t work, i think i also have some clear glass ones with bubbles inside that would also be pretty.

i’ll be done with this before we leave for our weekend in athens, OH; i just realized i need to get another project on the needles quick.

i’ve been working along on finalizing our lace scarf book while knitting in between wherever i find time and have sorta had my head in the sand; i had no idea i was almost out of projects. not to worry, there is a long list of things i can start, as long as i can cobble together a working pattern.

twillPullSideSeam08_18

i’m thinking that the skirt to match the twill pullover/cardigan should be next—mindless enough knitting for the road, and quick, too.

twillPulloverSketch06_26

the skirt will be especially cute worn with the cardigan, which i think barb is going to knit? or someone . . .

littleNothingSwatches09_27

speaking of the book, it will be ready very soon! our whole team is focused on it right now—i’m finalizing text and layout, david is shooting photos, hannah is working on cover illustration and social media, erica is working on creating kits, store listings, and social media, test knitters are finishing up samples, ronni is doing the last round of reviews on the patterns, anne marie is editing and correcting my text, and doug is ready with a smile whenever someone needs one.

still not sure when the exact release date will be but it’s soon—well before rhinebeck anyway . . .

athensShow10_11

this weekend, erica and i will travel back to athens, OH for the athens area fiber faire—this is a wonderful little event and we’d love to see you there! we will be well stocked with all of our yarns, a good time to come and shop in a relaxed atmosphere before the rhinebeck crowds deplete our inventory!

not only will we have a booth, but i’ll be teaching yarn voyage class on saturday afternoon 10/1—if you’ve been wanting to take this class, it’s a great opportunity; only $30 for a three-hour class, supplemented by the athen community arts, parks, & recreation.

athensKnitTeachA10_11

we are both VERY much hoping that our friend, little anne, will stop by to visit us and hopefully bring her knitting. word has it that after learning to knit in our booth last year, she has bee working away at it and improving steadily.

i think we may also be packing a little preview trunk show of the scarf samples and possibly a few single-copy patterns of repurchase?? ok, i made that up, but i bet erica will go for it when i talk to her tomorrow.

i think that’s all i have for today—hopefully i’ll have time for one more post before we leave, but if not, i’ll see you when i get back.

vegTodaysHaulB09_27

i dont’ plan these things, they just happen . . .

20 thoughts on “fall treats

  1. Such beautiful produce! That last photo would make a beautiful poster on the wall! (well maybe I’m the only one entranced by lively veggies– but I don’t think so)

  2. That’s a lovely sweater! As for your abundance of kale, I highly recommend Smitten Kitchen’s Kale & Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata. We make it often, and it’s a favorite. I’ve never put the dill in it, due to never having any. 🙂

  3. Sigh…now I need to knit BOTH the new sweaters. They look so cozy (although today we’ve havng a relapse into high summer, but that won’t last).

    And my goodness, your veggie still life art is just that…true art!

  4. Veggies from your garden are always yummy….can’t wait in the skirt. Of course there are so many sweaters to be knitted too. After the skirt will be the sweater Cherie knit I think. It looks great on her. Then there’s all those lovely scarves….will be busy knitting.

  5. love the dock and cabin sweater. is it fingering weight? i have a stone soup stash that would be perfect if so….

  6. I really love the cable around the button band. Very nice touch. Your garden is producing better than mine is. Now to work on our fall/winter garden

  7. I really want to make a cardigan vest with your twill pattern. Hope you will publish the pattern soon!

  8. Sure love the “new” cardigan to replace your old one. Hope you are planning on publishing that pattern! It seems to be just what I am looking for right now. Thanks in advance for it!

  9. Will your “Pairings Club” recipes go into general release someday, along with the knitting patterns? That terrine looks delicious . .

  10. When will we see the name and be shown the availability of the cable-cardigan pattern? It would make a lovely Christmas present —

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