{this moment}

Joining in with Soulemama today...
In her words: "{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

my shalom

 (thank you to Dan for the photos!)

This post has been a long time in the making. I first fell in love with the Shalom cardigan after seeing Soulemama's post last year. I had never knit a sweater, but felt inspired to try, and loved the simple beauty and the fact that there were no seams on this one. (And the pattern is free! Found here). So I jumped in last fall, and finished in the spring. It sat waiting in a drawer through the summer until last week, when the chilly weather prompted me to bring it out to block (and wear!). I didn't make notes as I was knitting, unfortunately, and can't remember exactly what I did. But my gauge was a bit bigger than the pattern called for. This was ok with me, as I wanted a slightly larger size. I also left out the waist decreases. All this led to a fit that's bigger and more boxy than I had hoped for, but I think it falls into the "good enough" category. It is certainly warm and cozy enough for wearing, if not perfectly fitted. I love it's name--Shalom. Invokes a prayer-shawl quality, which suits it well. (Speaking of shawls, I've just been noticing all the beautiful criss-cross ones on the women of Larkrise lately--love them!)

A few specifics--I used Cascade Yarns 128 Chunky and US 10.5 circular needle. Full Ravelry notes here.

Wishing you all a Shalom-filled October! 

For more knitting inspiration, visit yarn-along at Small Things.

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?

{this moment}

Joining in with Soulemama today...
In her words: "{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

a special vest

I thought I'd do something a little different for the yarn along theme this week by sharing a piece made by my late mother. Recently when I was back "home" at my dad's house, I came upon some wonderful knitted treasures. My mom was an avid spinner and knitter, and a skilled keeper of sheep. Over the years she bred her flock to bring out the softest wool and a whole palette of natural colors.

This vest is one I don't remember seeing my mom wear, and it has been tucked away in a drawer for years. But isn't it beautiful? The yarn is hand-spun from one of the brown sheep. I love all the texture in the different patterns. The edging on the collar was a little funny when I found it, but after a gentle washing, it settled down nicely. 

 

Now that the weather is getting chilly, I've been reaching for this vest and finding so much warmth and comfort as I put it on. It fits just right, and knowing that my mom's hands cared for the sheep from which this wool was sheered, spun that wool, and knit each stitch gives me a deep sense of connection with her. Many years ago, toward the end of my mother's life, she expressed the desire to leave a legacy. What better way to do that than through these beautiful handcrafted clothes, and the values of self-sufficiency, industry and patience they represent?

For more yarn-along inspiration, visit Small Things.

catching up

 It's been a little while since I've posted here. The funny thing about blogging is that it can become a bit of a compulsion. When I first started this blog, I found it to be a wonderful exercise in taking time to see the world around me, and to share those visions with friends. But lately I realized I was getting caught in the trap of wanting to photograph and document everything, rather than appreciating the beauty fully in the present moment. So I took a break from documenting, and it has been refreshing. I do still love this crazy medium of self-expression called the blog, though. And it has been such a fun way to connect with lovely people across the world, so I couldn't stay away for too long. Here are a few of the happenings 'round here since I've been away...

 We harvested our winter squash, and what a satisfying job it was! Our very first success with this wonderful crop. This was our giant butternut that I felt sure was at least 10 lbs (weighed in at a mere 5 lbs--guess I'm not that great at estimating weight!). I think I will turn it into a soup tonight. Any favorite butternut soup recipes out there?

 I've been branching out with the backyard tea herbs--mint, lavender, coriander, and calendula all make lovely additions.

 Finally blocked my Shalom sweater that I finished this spring when it was too warm to wear it. Hopefully more pictures coming soon!

 Trying my hand at creating kimchi for the first time. Leah over at the Adventure Learning Company has a wonderful tutorial here.  I used the daikon radishes we planted in late summer, and garlic from the garden, along with cabbage, onion, and carrots from the farmer's market (and ginger from very far away). I have my fingers crossed that I gave those lactobacilli the proper environment to thrive--we'll see in a few days.

And I'm very excited about finally tackling the task of making lotion. I have been slowly working away at finding natural, low-cost alternatives to artificial chemical-laden body-care products, and I think this one is a success. I took inspiration from Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health and from Amanda Soule's new book The Rhythm of Family, tweaked the recipe to use what I had on hand, and was amazed when it actually worked! The best part is that all the ingredients are basically edible--water, cocoa butter, beeswax, olive oil, vitamin E, a few drops of essential oil, and a few herbs from the garden. So satisfying!

Wishing you all a lovely autumn!

pizza four hands

We make pizza around here quite often--it's a great way to use up whatever veggies are in season. And if you have a little time and a lot of patience, it's also a great way to incorporate the eager hands of little ones into the art and work of the kitchen.  There was a time when making a pizza felt intimidating to me, so I thought I'd share how we do it in hopes of inspiring another hopeful but hesitant family to give it a try.

We start out by making the dough--a much loved project of the resident two year old. So squishy and messy and it smells good, too! Our current recipe of choice is the calzone crust in Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. Very simple, quick, and tasty. You could also buy a pre-made crust if you're short on time. (We often make a double batch and freeze half after rising--makes for a very quick second meal.)

After the dough has risen for an hour, we oil a pan and roll or stretch the dough to fit. We have a round pan now, but used to use a jelly-roll style pan--it doesn't really matter. Then we spread on a bit of sauce, which can be store-bought or home made. This week the pizza sauce I had planned to use had been sitting in the fridge a little too long and was topped with a good inch of mold. The only other tomato sauce in the house was still in this form:

We weren't feeling quite ambitious enough to turn these beauties into sauce before dinner, so instead we used left over fresh salsa I made the day before. It turned out just fine. And this goes to show how creative you can be with a pizza. It is a very forgiving medium. You could also use pesto or just a little olive oil.

Now for the real creativity--toppings! Our absolute favorite right now is the pizza pepper we grew for the first time this year (seed was from Territorial). They're a little bigger than a jalapeno and don't have the fire. Nice and thick walled, and just the right size for slicing.

For this pizza, we also added some chopped chard (stems and all) and black olives (from a can). The salsa had garlic and green onions from the garden. This is a good time to add fresh or dried herbs, especially basil or oregano.

 Now you're ready to top the pizza with a little cheese (we use mozzarella and Parmesan most often, but again, you can use anything you like and have on hand), pop it in a 400 degree F oven, bake for about 20 minutes till golden and bubbly, and...

You're ready to eat! I have to be honest and say that although my toddler thoroughly enjoyed making this pizza, she wouldn't eat it (more for mom and dad!). If you have picky eaters, it may help to let them decide what toppings they want on their portion--but again--this is the beauty of making it together! From the kneading of the dough, to the varied colors and shapes of the toppings, to the bits of shredded cheese snatched while mom isn't looking, the making of a pizza offers so many teachable moments and opportunities to connect with my little one. It really is worth the effort.