random fall notes

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, book reviews/events, designing, food and garden

butternutSquash11_17

it’s been a very random week, but now that my november club installment has been delivered, i’m feeling suddenly calmer and less frenetic. funny how that goes. all of my secret knitting is now out of the bag, so unless you want to stay surprised—SPOILER ALERT—you can see some of my recent knitting projects here, here, and here. i want to knit at least one of them in two naturals . . . maybe two shades of confection sport or stone soup DK.

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turkeys on the run; i saw them when i was out running myself on sunday. i felt like i could relate so much as they zig-zagged across that lawn, haha. thing have been so hectic and busy around here since september 1st that i’m actually looking forward to the long car ride to NYS next week (we’re going to visit my family for TG).

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so i’m spending a bit of spare brain space thinking about the things i need to cook and bring for the holiday. bake sale items for a fundraiser here in canton on sunday and some kind of side dish using butternut squash (probably not soup; it’s too filling to have before a big dinner). i’ve got to pick loads of greens for several households—i’m very grateful everyone wants some; it pains me to see them die of frost when we can’t use them all. david has covered them with light plastic sheeting to make sure they live at least until TG.

i love this new cookbook, deep run roots, by vivian howard, my current chef hero; while i’m not living in my home town, i can relate to a lot of things she talks about. i might even have mentioned her book in a previous post because i am enjoying it so much. i keep it by my place at the table, then open it randomly to read a bit after lunch or dinner. i think it has more stories and background about eastern north carolina cooking than it does recipes, but there are tons of those too (divided by ingredient, which i also like because it is easier to compare). and they are mostly pretty simple and very healthy. even the dishes that contain bacon and pork use the meats mostly as a condiment; i like that.

anyway, with thanksgiving coming, it’s been an inspiration.

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last friday night i made some time to cook the vegetable terrine from our september club chapter; this was our first course dish.

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it takes a bit of prep, but it’s easy enough to make two at once which is what i did; we had have so much eggplant and peppers to use from the end of the garden. and even after using a bunch of them here i still have a couple of big bagfuls in the fridge. fortunately they keep very well—amazingly well, in fact (if i said how long, you’d never eat a meal at my house). which always makes us wonder how dang long the ones in the store are sitting around, because they don’t keep more than a few days after purchase.

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layers of eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and potato held together with eggs and cheese. once it cools a bit it is sliceable . . .

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and makes a perfectly satisfying meal along with this months recipe, which is a hearty main course soup. we ate the last of it for supper this evening, mmmm.

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i’m glad i made that second one—as soon as we get back from the thanksgiving break we’ll be getting to work on photography for the next ensemble; the days will be busy and the house filled with people and they will be hungry.

herringweaveBody11_17

speaking of ensemble, i am nearing completion of my herringweave cardigan in kent DK (color driftwood, an incredibly complex gray/brown, like abalone). i can never get over how schmoooshy this fabric feels; it would go a lot faster if i didn’t stop to squish it at the end of every row, haha.

since i last wrote i finished up the right front piece and seamed the shoulders, then added the button/neck band so i could calculate that for the pattern, which i submitted to the text editor and is almost done now! time to think about buttons . . .

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i started a sleeve right away but it’s been a busy week getting my chapter written and laid out, so my progress was a bit slow. still, i am just about done and will start the second one immediately. if at all possible i’d like to have this sweater completed before i leave for albany on tuesday. thankfully all that will be required is to block the sleeves, stitch them in, and close up the side and underarm seams (fingers crossed; wish me luck!).

if i’m smart, i won’t dilly dally around doing desk work tomorrow, hehe. besides, i could really use some concentrated knitting time mentally speaking.

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but it’s a tough call—our friend amina offered to knit the sample blanket derived from the dock and cabin cardigan design and with the pattern almost ready to send her, that’s calling to me too; i don’t want to hold her up. i know i’ll work on that a little bit at least.

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last night was knit night and for the first time in a while, it was just barb and me. she is also working on a herringweave sweater but she brought her hypoteneuse along to show me. she’s made it wider to be a baby blanket for a friend and she bought the yarn at rhinebeck. she got the idea of striping it from erica betz, who is knitting a hypoteneuse wrap for emily using better breakfast worsted in milk and honey and biscotti.

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speaking of erica, today she and i went to a luncheon where i spoke about our company and the kind of yarns that we make. everyone was so kind and SO interested—they asked a lot of good questions and those who knit promised to come by the shop some time.

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it’s important to people in our community to know about small businesses that buy supplies, services, bring income to our area. this town (and our whole state actually) was in the throes of some serious economic setbacks when we moved here and while things are a little better now, they will only continue to improve if people support productive enterprises that are engaged in healthy business practices.

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anyway . . . people ARE impressed and enthusiastic once they know how we fit in to the food chain here and that we intend to keep it going. we handed out a lot of information and showed off the scarves from my new lace lessons book.

this opportunity also gave me a chance to talk about one of our favorite company projects, our december red scarf fund drive, which is on track to kick off very soon—on cyber monday, november 28th to be exact.

we will once again offer a special red scarf pattern, designed especially for this fundraiser and once again it will be a quasi mystery KAL, with me knitting along with you. AND we will also once again have a new, exclusive, red festivus yarn to offer for more fundraising fun. i’m just priming the pump here, so to speak; i’m hoping to start my sample during my trip. i’ve got a few ideas but need to pull them all together. as usual, you will see it evolve in real time, haha.

those who have been following this event for several years know that our previous scholarship recipient, brandy has graduated and the last i heard was spending a year in in italy for museum studies. our new scholarship recipient is jelissa, who lives in NYC and attends the fashion institute of technology. we are so thrilled that she works in a field so closely related to what we do and look forward to introducing her in person during december.

well, i think that’s all i have for now, but i’ll be back soon as i’ve got a little more spare time this weekend than i did last! enjoy your friday . . .

16 thoughts on “random fall notes

  1. Love the spoiler photos from this month’s club. Look forward to the red scarf pattern and getting to know Jelissa. It’s a great thing that you do.

  2. What a treat it would be to come to knit night! Maybe some day, driving back from hiking in the West, I’ll find myself a little south in Ohio and think, Oh, I could stop at Knitspot. Sigh.

  3. Anne, love all the knits! Question about Deep Run Roots…are most of the recipes Gluten Free? I’m looking for a good one for my daughter who has Celiac Disease and I believe you eat GF. Thanks for your insight!

  4. I always love looking at the veggies and being inspired to cook after seeing them. Can’t wait to start knitting the red scarf again this year and hearing more about Jelissa.

  5. Everything looks so good! And, despite my bazillion projects on the needles, I’m looking forward to the red scarf KAL and to hearing more about Jelissa, who’s going to school right in my nabe!

  6. Hi Anne, I always love your posts. The food, the knitting, the activities current and upcoming. I love it all!

  7. Giada DiLaurentas makes a risotto from a winter squash thatis delicious and filling (with cinnamon and cayenne). And for the greens, have you thought about chopping and freezing for smoothies and soups? Works best for kale or spinach, maybe not for the most tender ones.

  8. Love, love, love the herringweave sweater! You have so many irons in the fire. I hope your Thanksgiving travel is a relaxing respite from everything except knitting!

  9. You are an excellent “primer” for the knitting well! I still have Festivus yarn, yet I want more!

  10. I’m so looking forward to this year’s red scarf kit, as always. And you make that vegetable terrine look so yummy. I need to settle down and try it now that our travel schedule has calmed down. Have a wonderful visit with the family next week!

  11. The terrine has become one of my favorite meals. Thanks to you and Katharine. I love the colors of Barb’s Hypoteneuse! Lastly, I dearly love your red scarf fundraiser and am looking forward to this years yarn and pattern!

    Happy (Early) Thanksgiving!!

  12. That Herringweave is so gorgeous- and would make a fabulous vest as well, would it not? New Red festivus!? Hooray! Thank you for keeping our hearts (and now stomachs!) full, and our hands busy!

  13. How can those of us who aren’t members of the club get that terrine recipe? It looks so delicious, like a vegetable quiche without crusts. I tried googling “vegetable terrine”, but every recipe I found was some sort of aspic – gelatin, but no eggs or cheese. Not like yours at all!

  14. Coincidentally, just before I read your post yesterday, I had been forced by the weather to get out my serious winter clothing as the weird warmth of November in Minnesota finally left yesterday with a blustery cold snowy day. The mainstays of my “real winter ” wardrobe include two sweaters made from Kent DK, as well as the scarf/shawl “Double Happiness” (I am planning to add buttons to one end of it this year so it can double (again) as a cowl)

    So I was thinking of you when i read that post, and I wanted to say once again how much I appreciate your role, and the role of other small independent businesses and retailers, in helping to bring back my home community (even though I no longer live there). Besides the documented importance of small business to the economy, I think people often forget how it is independent retail, and local products that bring individuality and character to a community. We have learned that malls come and go, and so do the big boxes, but it takes people just like you and David and your staff to create a community, and I am so glad you have chosen to do it there, and for what you have done for Canton and for northeastern OH.

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