yarn along: halloween edition

Happy Halloween!

Knitting: I made a couple of these sweet little pumpkins for some young friends with October birthdays--they're the perfect size for a little hand to hold onto. And I finally finished a hat for the babe. I'm not entirely happy with it, and I think he will outgrow it soon, which is ok, because I really want to make one of these now.

Reading: Still working on Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, and various kid craft and activity books, trying to come up with things to keep the little ones occupied on these rainy days. Our rain is just the normal run-of-the-mill fall weather, and we're keeping all of you on the opposite coast in our thoughts, sending continued wishes for safety.

Joining with Ginny for yarn along...

just a little bit of knitting

 

It's amazing how my knitting time has shrunk to nearly nothing in the last few months. I suppose that's not unusual with a new baby in the house. But this new baby needs a warm hat ASAP, so I've been trying to work a few stitches here and there over the last few days. I'm using a strand of luxurious Debbie Bliss Andes (silk/alpaca) for softness, and a strand of Brown Sheep Lanaloft for sturdiness, held together in a simple improvised pattern that I hope will roughly match his head circumference. In the mean time he gets to wear his big sister's hand-me-down pink striped hat, which I suppose isn't so bad--I don't think he minds too much!

Reading time hasn't disappeared as completely as the knitting--still able to read a few pages after the preschooler has gone to bed, while the little one is nursing, or while walking him to sleep. I recently finished Kristin Lavransdatter with a combination of relief and grief over it's ending. Normally I would have been intimidated by its 1000+ pages, but the mountainous Norwegian setting, the quality of the writing, and the meaty drama (melodrama even?) kept me engrossed. It really is a beautiful and expansive book, if a bit dark and distressing at times. The author gets at the heart of universal human experience, or maybe more specifically the experience of women--birthing a child, nursing an infant, loving a father, a husband, a son, keeping vigil over a dying person.

I'm now on to a very different kind of book, (though interestingly, also written in the 1920's)--To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. My husband gave me this book several years ago and I gave up on it after the first few pages. This time around I am still struggling, but determined to finish it. The subtlety, the sentences that last a whole page, the stream of consciousness writing are all rather difficult for my sleep-deprived, oft distracted brain. It's good mental exercise, though, right?

p.s.--

That pebble vest is working out just right for our little fella. He wears it nearly every day to keep warm in our drafty house. It fits over his head without any fuss, and the lack of buttons eases my anxiety over choking hazards, so I think I'll stick with this "in the round" version if I knit it again (and I'm sure I will!).

Joining Ginny for yarn along

finished

It's been a good week for knitting. Really enjoyed that Pebble in the round, and jotted down a few notes to remember what I did for next time.  I think this might be a new favorite go-to baby gift--quick, easy, cute, and practical, too.

Also got that bowl felted, finished knitting another one, and cast on for a third. More good gifts. I think the one skein of yarn I bought (Brown Sheep bulky Lanaloft) will make four or five of them. Love the way this yarn felts up.

And as a contrast to the bulky yarn and big needles, I decided to start another pair of baby socks with size 0 needles--a lot like knitting with toothpicks--and some leftover very soft and fine merino wool. They feel delicate and lovely and appropriate for a tiny person fresh to this earth. Maybe they'll convince this babe in my belly to finally make his exit.

Reading another Alexander McCall Smith book--The Sunday Philosophy Club. I enjoy his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series so much, I thought I'd try one of his other series. Only one chapter in, but so far so good. Also really enjoying Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.  Such a unique book--an instruction manual for cooking, but also for living, and looking at life. Her outlook is refreshing, and truly marked by economy and grace. We had her lentil salad with basic vinaigrette this weekend, to round out a simple garden feast of sauteed summer squash, new potatoes with chives, and lettuce salad. It was a meal to celebrate.

Joining with yarn along...

yarn along

After finishing the bowl (still in need of felting) I decided to cast on for another Pebble vest, smaller than the last one, sans buttons, and knit in the round. So far enjoying it thoroughly. Just the thing for a distracted pregnant lady to pick up for a few minutes here and there. Hopefully it will fit our soon-to-be arriving little man come autumn.

And reading the latest of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books--always enjoyable, charming, light, but with just enough substance to keep me interested.

Joining in with Ginny's yarn along...

baby socks

I'm glad I decided to set aside that soaker and start a new project. Very freeing. These little socks reminded me of how much I like turning heels and decreasing toes. Something so satisfying about watching the shape take form. The pattern is Leftovers baby socks, and I've knit several pairs of these for my own and other babes, always happy with the results. They're great in the winter with boots or moccasin style slippers to keep them on.

I'm still reading Austen's Persuasion, and thoroughly enjoying it.

And what about you? Any yarn or book inspiration coming your way?
Joining in with yarnalong...

a soaker, and other projects

This little soaker has been sitting around for weeks, waiting to be worked on. For some reason I'm just not inspired. Maybe it's the electric blue yarn (Cascade 220) my daughter picked out, or maybe I'm just struggling with the pattern, which, I think, could be a tad more clear. Or maybe I've just been hit with a case of the lazies?  I realized this weekend, though, that this was the perfect opportunity to make like so many of you prolific yarn-alongers and start another project--or maybe two or three more projects! I've always felt that I should finish one before starting another, but as I've explored this wild world of knitting bloggers, it seems that multiple projects on needles is the way to go. So today I cast on a little sock for baby-on-the-way. And I think I might start a hat for him, another little vest; and my 3-yr-old daughter will be needing a new hat for winter, and a sweater, too. Better get to work...

I finished Living the Good Life, by Helen and Scott Nearing. So many of these books I've been reading, written 50-75 yrs ago, speak to issues of food and land and livelihood as if they'd been written today. Interesting stuff. Now, time for a good novel--just started Austen's Persuasion. And I'm so glad to have a book of Mary Oliver's poetry at the bedside again. I'm enjoying this volume--Why I Wake Early--even more than her others. The title poem is lovely.

Happy yarning-along!

a pebble for baby brother

Well, this little pebble vest is officially complete now, after waiting patiently for a good month to receive buttons. I loved this pattern--so fluid and satisfying to knit. And the yarn is lovely--Imperial Yarn (milled from Oregon sheep) worsted in "spring sage." It's soft and lofty, and made for a much bigger vest than planned--more like an 18 month size than the 6 month I was hoping for. But we'll just save it for next year, and in the mean time, maybe I'll cast on for another with less bulky yarn and smaller needles. The second time around, I might leave out all those buttons and just knit it in the round. Buttons on baby clothes always make me nervous about choking, and I wonder if the bulk of the button band might be irritating to baby. It is convenient to be able to put it on without slipping over the head, though. Ravelry notes here.

Reading lately has been a hodgepodge of parenting/child-development/labor prep, and for bed-time--Helen and Scott Nearing's Living The Good Life. I had never read this classic of the self-sufficient, back to the land movement and have really enjoyed it. Lots of practical tidbits as well as food for thought on the personal character and community cooperation required for such a lifestyle. I find myself chuckling affectionately now and then at their eccentricities. Since finishing Middlemarch, I've felt the absence of a really good novel in my life...any suggestions?

And on a completely unrelated note, we ate our first massaged kale salad of the season tonight, with fresh succulent giant leaves of Nero Di Toscana Kale from the garden (we get our seed from here). So delicious and hearty--whenever I eat this salad, I feel that I must be infusing my body with nutritional super-powers, and yet it tastes so good! We had it along side some fabulous nut burgers--both recipes from Feeding the Whole Family, a favorite cookbook of ours. Feeling grateful for the life abounding in the spring garden.

Joining in with Ginny for yarn along...

yarn along: basket, eggs, and a pebble

 

Ah, finally a week of knitting progress. I played copycat to Ginny and made a very quick felted basket and set of Easter eggs just in time for Sunday morning. (Ravelry notes here.) Loved the patterns for both--very simple and satisfying. And they met approval by the littlest resident of the household, which is most important.  I've also been working on the Pebble vest and enjoying this yarn--feels almost like a handspun. 

Does anyone have favorite soaker or longie patterns that really work (i.e. stay on and don't leak)? I've never used wool diaper covers, but would like to try on this coming babe.

I just started re-reading Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution after finishing From the Land and Back--what a great read. Has me thinking about community, simplicity, sustainability, and the value of useful, satisfying, physical work. About how our modern culture got to where it is now, and wondering whether/how it's possible to change the course we're on. Topics I think a lot about...and this book articulates many of my thoughts so well, and provides a historical context for them. I've seen a few good movies relating to these topics over the past few months--

Learning from Ladakh

Alone in the Wilderness

The Amish

Maybe one day soon I'll be ready to do a post to articulate all the thoughts swirling around in my head on these topics...for now, happy knitting!

Joining with Ginny for Yarn Along

Easter booties

 

I finally finished these little pink Saartje booties and sent them off to the Easter babe for whom they were intended. I also decided to try the Pebble vest, and have knit a few rows. The yarn is rather bulky and the gauge is larger than called for. I do want a larger vest, but I'm a little worried it will be way to big to fit our babe in the proper season...ah well--one nice thing about baby knitting is that if it doesn't fit now, it may fit later, and if not later, then there's another babe somewhere who can wear it. 

I've been reading a lovely book that has been on our shelf for a while, inherited from my in-laws, called From the Land and Back: What life was like on a family farm and how technology changed it, by Curtis Stadtfeld. It looks like it may be out of print now, but I think it discusses a topic that is still, or again, timely and compelling for many young folks interested in traditional skills and local food/goods. The author's writing is honest and poetic, a pleasure to read. Definitely worth searching for at your library.

Joining in with Yarn Along today...

first yarn-along of spring

I've been remiss in my knitting lately. Somehow I just can't convince myself to finish the last few stitches and seaming on these little Saartje booties. And I've got this wonderful locally grown yarn in the color "spring sage" calling out to be used, but I can't decide on the pattern. I'm thinking of something to keep a 3-6 month-ish babe warm next fall...a little vest would be nice--maybe a Colin, or a Pebble? Any votes?

Reading-wise, I finally finished Middlemarch, and I am sad to part with it. Such a good good good book. I love the last paragraph so much--"...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts, and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life and rest in unvisited tombs."

I have a stack of child development/parenting books to work through now. Positive Discipline, Your Three Year Old, and You Are Your Child's First Teacher. We're going through some significant developmental changes in our house, with a toddler becoming a preschooler, and I've found these books to be quite helpful. And for my own personal development, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. (Oh, did I forget to mention that 3-6 month-ish babe in the first paragraph would be our little babe?)

Joining up with Ginny for yarn along...

snap pea for my sweet pea

It's official. I absolutely loved knitting this cardigan. (Ravelry notes here). The yarn (Quince and Co.'s Lark in snap pea) is a dream--light but durable, stretchy but strong. We'll see how it holds up to the wear and tear of a wiggly preschooler. The pattern was just the thing I needed--so simple and fluid, with only one set of needles, no seems to sew, no little extra steps to slow things down. Just knitting. It only took me a week, which for this pokey knitter is quite quick indeed. Thus, it was finished in time to be a real birthday sweater for my little sweet pea. (Though it turned out to be big enough that it might fit her better on her next birthday!) No pictures of the model today, though, as she always takes a while to warm up to a new article of clothing. She has allowed me to help her try it on (twice!), and she kept it on for nearly a whole minute, which is quite a success. I attribute that to the cupcake buttons, a sweet little find at the fabulous Stash. I was privileged to visit this beautiful shop while I was in town for the Oregon Small Farms Conference over the weekend, and it was such a treat to meet its gracious owner Sonia, whom I had previously only known via blogland.

The bookshelf hasn't changed much in the last few weeks--still happily working my way through Middlemarch. The farm conference got me thinking about a few permaculture-themed books I'd like to look at-- Gaia's Garden, The Woodland Way,  and Farmers of Forty Centuries. And I'd like to revisit the work of Masanobu Fukuoka and Wendell Berry. My husband also inspired me to check out Paul Stamets' Mycelium Running:How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, after listening to this podcast.

What are you knitting and reading this week?
Linking up with Ginny at Small Things for yarn along...

feeling optimistic

We had a good weekend. My husband stayed home all day with my daughter to give me the opportunity to attend the Oregon Small Farms Conference. And oh, am I inspired! How fabulous to be surrounded by people who spend their time with hands in the soil, backs under the sun (or rain as it may be) and minds in contemplation of the miracle of growing things. The conference is primarily geared toward farmers, but is also open to mere aspirers and interested community members such as myself. It's encouraging to see so many people undertaking the challenge of growing food in a small, sustainable manner, and making it work financially. 

The keynote speaker was Kristin Kimball,the author of A Dirty Life. She and her husband have a farm in New York that provides a full diet, year round CSA to about 200 members, with the goal of supplanting the grocery store. Her speaking was just as engaging as her writing, and the scale of what her family is undertaking is truly daunting and revolutionary (or just old-fashioned, I guess).  And I love the way she looks at farming through a poet's eyes.

I also heard a presentation on incorporating permaculture principles into the small farm by Don Tipping, who owns Seven Seeds Farm in Southern Oregon. He and his family grow food for a CSA cooperative, and open-pollinated seed for other farmers and gardeners.

Don spoke about the importance of observing nature, of noticing her patterns, and working with those patterns in our endeavors to grow food and support our human culture. I love patterns...how nature repeats design elements in organisms, objects and systems from the microscopic to the cosmic.

He also spoke about the need for a "social permaculture" in which we cultivate healthy, sustainable relationships within our communities. What good is sustainable agriculture if our loved ones are neglected or overworked in pursuit of this goal? Will our children find our way of farming compelling? Will they embrace it themselves when they are grown, or will they toss it aside in favor of ease and convenience?

Whenever I hear stories of people who are actually doing something I only dream of doing, I find myself wondering what it is in their outlook and attitude that makes this possible. Have they been merely lucky in accidents of birth and circumstance, opportunities in education, or connections with the right people? Sometimes. But more often these people who are living their dreams have a certain resiliency of spirit, an incredible work ethic, a buoyancy that keeps them afloat amidst trial and adversity. 

Kristin Kimball cited a quote from Wendell Berry's Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front: "Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." 

Yes, I think that's what my soul needs to hear right now, and to remember each day...

snap pea spring cardigan

The much anticipated Quince and Co. yarn (Lark, in snap pea) arrived in the mail last week and the color was so inspiring that I started in immediately on my daughter's spring cardigan (pattern is In Threes, which I'm loving!). This has been such a quick and satisfying knit--the yarn is lovely (though my true test is how badly it pills once it's worn--any experience with the Lark yarn in that regard?) and the pattern straight forward and fluid. If I'm lucky, it might even be ready for a certain someone's birthday at the end of the month. I'd love to find some cute buttons--any favorite button sources out there?

I'm sharing another children's book this week, for I am still reading Middlemarch, and probably will be for quite some time. (Poor Dorothea--Casaubon just died, and proved to be as self-absorbed and dreadful in his death as in his living...) We checked out Valentine from the library simply because of the holiday theme, and found it to be such a treasure of a book. It's about a little girl who cares for a newborn lamb (and makes Valentine cookies) while she spends the day with her grandmother. Very poignant in the depiction of relationships between the girl and her mother and grandmother, and the range of emotions she feels as the lamb progresses from vulnerable and cold to warm and content.

Joining in with Ginny for yarn along...

yarn along: sweet and gentle

I was on such a roll with the Saartje booties last week that I decided to cast on for another pretty pink pair (so many babies being born around here lately!) while I await the arrival of yarn for a spring cardigan for my daughter. It's my first time ordering yarn from Quince and Co., and I'm excited to try it (the lark, in snap pea).

We've been reading and listening to Over in the Meadow, which we found at the library after my daughter fell in love with the song. I had never heard it before, but my husband grew up with it and recently started playing it on the guitar for my daughter. It's such a lovely melody, and Mae Robertson, the artist who sings so sweetly and gently on the CD accompanying this edition of the book, makes me feel that all is right with the world. Just the thing when you need four and a half minutes of peace and solace.

Visit Ginny at Yarn along for more reading and knitting inspiration!

Saartje Bootees and Inspiration

Could it be that I've finally found my way out of this lingering creative funk? I hope the completion of these little Saartje bootees is a sign of more productivity to come.  I do know that I'm starting to feel inspired to create again. The bootees definitely helped. As did my recent wool pillow project. Once I can get a little momentum going, it seems easier to keep the creative juices flowing. And now I am beginning to dream of projects again!

Have you seen all the fabulous patterns offered by Kelborne Woolens? And most of them free! I definitely want to make this hiker's waistcoat when it's time for a "me" project again. (And did you see the coupon for a free Fibre Company PDF pattern over at Soulemama last Saturday? What a great gift! I chose Perrin).

In keeping with the theme of creativity, I've been flipping through Living Out Loud  and finding it fun and inspiring. And still reveling in Middlemarch for my longer term reading relationship. I've been looking for good Valentine's Day books to read with my 3 year old daughter. Any suggestions? We checked out The Day it Rained Hearts from the library and found it quite charming.

Hope this week finds you feeling inspired and hopeful about the future!
Joining up with Ginny's Yarnalong...

yarn along: out of the fog

The gray winter rains have brought me quite a case of the doldrums, and a state of creative inertia and mental sluggishness seems to have settled in with the fog. So it was with great relief that I finally found the resolve to pick up the knitting needles again today, after a trip to the yarn shop to find something suitable for a pair of Saartje bootees. I knit a pair of these for a friend's Christmas babe, and they really are the cutest thing ever. Even my husband couldn't stop commenting on how darling they were. So I thought I'd knit another pair for a February babe on the way.

And as an antidote to the mental sluggishness, I've started reading Middlemarch. I was worried that I might get bogged down by the 800 pages, but oh what a wonderful book--I have a hard time closing it each night before bed. (Great article about it in the New Yorker last year). George Eliot was a woman of such keen insight into human character and society. Highly highly recommend!

Visit yarn along for more knitting and reading inspiration...

heirloom garden, heirloom knits

With the completion of anniversary knitting last week, I'm on to sweet baby knits for several babes due to arrive by Christmas. These are the Stay-On Baby Booties from Knitting for Baby. I've heard they really do stay on...we shall put them to the test! I love knitting a pattern that has been around for generations, to feel connected to all the mothers and grandmothers and aunties who made these for there special babes years ago. Heirloom indeed!

Also heirloom--my reading of late--The Heirloom Life Gardener, by Jere and Emilee Gettle. I'm actually stealing this book from my husband (I gave it to him as a birthday gift and couldn't keep my hands off it). It's written by the founders of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, and besides being beautiful and inspiring, is full of useful information about growing, preparing, and saving seed from all kinds of lovely heirloom vegetable varieties. I have to say I'm in awe of the accomplishments of these seed-saving prodigies--Jere was born a year after me, and by the time he was seventeen, had already started his seed company. And what have I done in that time? Ah well, we do the best we can with what we're given, right? I do so love stories about people who find success and make a difference by following their passions.

If you're a gardener and would like some heirloom flower seeds of your own, be sure to enter my little give-away!

 Hop on over to Small Things for more yarn along inspiration!

twining trees, twining lives

We had a big anniversary and a big birthday here last weekend, so lots of warmth and celebration to revel in. A month or so ago I came upon this lovely post by Heidi with her own beautiful twining trees panel and fell in love with the design. (Original pattern here.)  I couldn't have found a more perfect anniversary gift. It's a pattern that requires full attention, which is difficult with a toddler in the house. But it was a good challenge for me--felt like a puzzle, and exercised parts of my brain that have been neglected of late.

I actually ended up making two, as the yarn I chose for the first one turned out to mask the design. The yarn I used in the second piece was in the form of several tiny bits left over from my mom's spinning days. Every time I use my mom's yarn, I feel such a connection to her. I heard an interview recently (can't remember who it was now) in which it was said that creating something by hand is one of the best gifts you can give your children. I've found that to be so true in my life. Holding an object created by my late mother's hands somehow gives a tangible heft to my memories of her. Bridges the "then" with the "now."

On the reading front, we've been drowning in books lately. Too many good ones to choose from. Simplicity Parenting finally came available for me at the library, and I definitely agree with all the positive reviews. Kathy recently wrote a post on the author's concept of "soul fever" that I really appreciated. But my favorite bedtime reading is still James Herriot (on to All things Bright and Beautiful now). My husband has been enamored with the book Teaming with Microbes  (mumbling words like actinomycetes and mycorrhizae under his breath as he reads). It truly is fascinating to learn about the incredible life and synergy and activity taking place in the soil (when that soil is not rendered lifeless with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and tilling). And my daughter is enjoying a random library find--Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin. It does a fabulous job of capturing the personality of different instruments, and the writing itself has a musical quality to it. Lots of counting, rhyming, and tongue twisting, too ("the flute, that slender silver sliver").

I also discovered an interesting series on our public broadcasting station called Craft in America. The first episode, with a profile of woodworker Sam Maloof, was particularly inspiring. It articulates so well the value that crafts-people find in doing their craft, in creating objects of beauty to use in daily life. I believe art is valuable for art's sake, but the concept of craft--of combining beauty with usefulness--has always resonated with the pragmatist in me.

Do visit Ginny at Small Things for more reading and stitching inspiration!

a cable hat

For yarn along this week I'm pulling another project from the archives. I wanted to share the finished raglan sweater for my daughter, but she has strong opinions about clothes (and everything else!) and has so far refused to put it on. We'll give it a little more time and see if we can't get a little photo shoot once she warms up to it. In the mean time, there's this...


...my first project with cables. I very regrettably lost my favorite hand-knit hat in the park last spring and needed a replacement quickly. So I found this pattern and used some of the hand-spun yarn I still have from my mom's spinning days. It's course and bulky and you can feel the lanolin in it--perfect for repelling rain and snow. The pattern is a great introduction to cables--I'd definitely recommend it.

I finally finished All Creatures Great and Small, after savoring it chapter by chapter over several weeks. Such perfect bed-time reading and I'm missing it so. (Just put the next book in the series on hold at the library!) But many more books are calling out to be read--right now my shelf is full of various herb references, reflecting my growing interest in all things herbal. I have to say I'm still looking for a favorite volume or author in this area...any suggestions?

Looking forward to more knitting and reading inspiration at Ginny's Yarn Along...

farewell tomatoes, and a bit of writing inspiration

I spent some time out in the rain this weekend harvesting the last of the tomatoes and peppers. Most of the remaining fruit was rotting and slug laden, (the chickens had a tasty snack!) but there were a few left to salvage.

There were just enough tomatoes to make a batch for drying.  The dehydrator is running now, filling the house with tomato-ee aroma. By morning, (about 12 hours) they'll be all dried and ready for storage.  They're great for quiche, polenta, and anything that calls for sun-dried tomatoes.

 I also saved a few green tomatoes to ripen inside.

The tomato plants are piled high waiting to be chopped and added to the compost bin.

And inside, we've been inspired by Kathy's post about vision and values and purpose and collaging. I had forgotten all about making collages, and thought cutting up magazines might be a fun mother-daughter project. I bought my daughter some scissors for very little hands, and she loves cutting magazine pages into little bits (with some help and supervision still at this point). I saved the glue and Mod Podge for nap time, though, and made myself a happy little inspirational collage.

When I was a kid, my most frequent answer to the what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up question was, "a writer." I wrote daily in a journal for years, but with marriage and motherhood, that habit slipped away. Lately, though, the urge to get words down on paper has been sneaking back, and it seemed worthwhile to listen to that desire and give it a little attention. So I checked out one of my favorite books on writing, Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott, bought a sketchbook at the 50% off sale at Michael's, and added a personal touch with the cover collage--just like high school and college days. Now I have a blank journal all ready to be filled with dreams and observations, thoughts and ponderings. We'll see if this bit of attention will help to nurture that tiny writing spark into a nice warming fire. And next on the writing book re-read list are Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg, and On Writing Well, by William Zinsser.

What about you? Do you have old ambitions you'd like to give a little attention? Have you found inspiration to pursue an old dream?