Summer Afternoons

I love summer afternoons. Being perpetually cold-blooded, I especially enjoy the summer heat, and I also love the scent of newly mown grass, the hum of cicadas, and the shimmering sunlight filtered through overhead leaves. 

Although the season seems languid, I've been as busy as the honeybees buzzing over my lavender plants, in my case attending wool shows and knitting conferences, swatching for new designs, working on huge home projects and enjoying the fruits of our gardening labors. 
 

 

 

The lavender shown in the main photo at the top of the post was glorious this year, although waning a little by the time I managed to get my camera out to the garden. My  plant is a piece from a large lavender shrub that grew in my grandmother's garden for at least 50 years before she passed away. I have very fond childhood memories of working by her side in her garden and drying and pressing the flowers we grew there to make collages, cards and other artwork. 

My grandmother's lavender shrub is now in my care and I'm propagating it to spread baby plants around to my siblings and cousins in the hopes that the plants will help the memory of my grandmother's amazing creative gift to live on. 

Although I knit a bit more slowly in summer, I still love it no matter the season. I've been swatching up oodles of new ideas, I've finished knitting the project in Malabrigo Silky Merino shown in my last post, and I'm nearly finished with my crochet jacket (photos one of these days). We've had gorgeous weather this year for the most part and I plan to make the most of the rest of the season. I hope you've been enjoying your summer and stitching some nice things as well. 

I'll be posting soon about the interesting wool shows I've attended in the past year, including my last trip to Taos. Until then, thanks for stopping by my studio today. Peace, blessings and happy stitching to you!

"Summer afternoon—

summer afternoon; 

to me those have always 

been the two most 

beautiful words in 

the English language."

~Henry James

A note on lavender for those who have inquired: In general lavender is not especially long-lived but certain varieties readily self-sow or multiply themselves through a process called layering. The plant shown above is really a descendant of my grandmother's original lavender plant. However, with a vigorous variety such as mine, you often won't be able to easily see where the old plant has died back from the center and new offshoots have come up! I've no idea what variety this plant is but it has survived decades of brutally cold winters in my grandmother's northern home with no fuss or  attention. Lavender in general requires full sun, well-drained soil and warmth but some varieties will tolerate winter given consistent snow cover.

Garden Matters & (shhh...) Crochet

Full spring has arrived all at once, along with the liquid gold blossoms of forsythia. 
 

The colors of these photos have not been enhanced, the blooms really are this brilliant!

   

The ground has finally warmed and dried out enough to allow for gardening, albeit somewhat later than usual. I've been pulling weeds, cleaning out debris and planting the vegetable bed with kale, lettuces, radicchio, snow peas, onions and radishes. Tomatoes and peppers must wait until the soil warms more thoroughly, they're usually in by June.

The little bit of green on the right is lemon thyme and the green shoots in the background are chives, both plants that overwinter beautifully here in our US zone 6 climate. 

Since the completion of my Greyhaven hat pattern (currently being test knit by my trusty team of intrepid knitters: Josefina, Laurie, Julia, Kim, Paula, Connie and Cheryl), I've taken some time to do a little crocheting. 

The photos above and at the top of the post show my current project, a lacy cardigan worked in grayish-natural color silk and wool blend yarn from Drops, called Silke-Tweed, that's been in my stash for years. 

The negative attitude many knitters exhibit towards the C-word (crochet) bemuses me as this lovely art form is simply another interesting way to combine beauty and utility through fiber. Although I don't perhaps love crochet nearly as much as I do knitting, I enjoy this alternative yarn technique for a change of pace.

At present I'm also swatching ideas for my next knitting projects now that the hat pattern is about ready. Look for the hat release announcement here very soon.

Thanks for stopping by today, peace, blessings and happy stitching to you!

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

Someone, please pass me the smelling salts, because I about fainted dead away when I saw the response to my new pattern, the Bosc Hat. THANK YOU to everyone for the kind comments, and for making this pattern the #1 hottest pattern on Ravelry.com (holy mackerel!) for all day yesterday.

I'm sure that for many of the wonderful designers out there whose work I greatly admire, having their design on the top 20 patterns list is a ho-hum, all-in-a-day's-work kind of thing, but for me it was very exciting. 

And for those of you who've asked about the photo, well, this one was rather difficult, but the final shot of the gold hat was the result of me running back and forth from the camera to the exact pose spot 68 times while trying to maintain composure, hold completely still, not gasp for breath, and not mess up my hair (a monumental task in itself).

With the Christmas holiday upon us, I also wanted to share just a few seasonal ideas, like this rosemary tree. 

I've had this little tree for about 5 years now, having purchased it at the grocery store for only a few dollars thinking that even if it died, the dried herbs themselves would be worth the price.

But not only has it not died, it's grown about double in size and my husband has decreed that I am no longer allowed to pot it up larger lest it become too mammoth to be moved indoors for winter. Since he is the one who carries it in, to grow in a south-facing window with the aid of additional grow lights, I had to agree. :)  

The tiny glass bell ornaments are part of my favorite collection of vintage ornament shapes from the 1920's-1950's. They are just the right size for my little tree.

We also have a regular tree in the living room, complete with lights.

As a long-time sewing enthusiast, I have a small assortment of vintage household and sewing tools from my grandmothers, like the old folding yardsticks shown here. These jointed sticks are easily bent into fun shapes such as a star, shown single in the photo at the top of the post, or layered as seen below.

 

I love rooting around in drawers to see what I can 'find' to make use of without purchasing anything new.

Boxwood or other greenery is easily formed into a simple wreath and can be tied with a scrap of ribbon or as here, a length of burlap. 

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, I loved this local store display of plain white candles in unmatched glass containers, although the contemporary glass menorah/ hanukiah is quite lovely too.

The mirror placed underneath multiplies the effect of the candles and glass. This is such a pretty tabletop idea for anyone at anytime of the year.

I hope you find a few inspiring ideas here, I'm planning to do my wrapping and baking today and tomorrow, and will try to squeeze in another post before Sunday - we'll see. Happy knitting everyone!

Knitting on the 'Net & a Savory Summer Recipe

I read recently that knitting is the single largest interest group represented on the Internet.  Along with Knitty.com, Ravelry.com is, of course, the biggie for knitters, crocheters and fiber enthusiasts of every stripe, but Facebook, Twitter, and thousands of blogs and podcasts help promote this activity.

Ravelry members can search for the newest and hottest patterns (check out the photo above with my Sothia pattern in the top 10 for all of the last month - squeee!!), including photos of thousands of projects knitted from those patterns and knitters' comments about them, and find information about yarn, yarn shops, fiber festivals, knitting, crochet and spinning techniques, and much more.

An excellent story that's been all over the knitting Internet since it ran in the July 6th, 2011 issue of Slate.com, outlines the merits of Ravelry, and compares it to community-based giant Facebook.

An invitation to participate in the beta testing phase of the new Google+ community recently came my way and I have a feeling it too will eventually have success as a community for knitters. 

Thanks very much to Gill and to Hal for sending me links.

I love using Ravelry but haven't gotten nearly as involved on Facebook.  Quite frankly, I simply don't have the extra time to devote to being involved in more online activities more than I already am.  I'd rather be knitting!  However, I can see how people will enjoy and benefit from different aspects of internet knitting tools and groups.

And then there's Twitter.  I don't really have all that much to say, but I did finally break down and sign up for a Twitter account after a friend invited me to take a Twitter seminar with her.

In the past few days I've, surprisingly, enjoyed reading updates from accounts I 'follow', including knitting tips, yarn shop updates, and blog and podcast announcements, like those from favorite podcasters Stash and Burn, The Knitmore Girls, and the Knitting Pipeline (more detail on these and other shows in an upcoming post).

A lot of seemingly random thoughts and, shall I say, 'quirky' and somewhat amusing tweets shouting out about knitting tweeters' recent activities, the bodily functions of their children, and what their hotel room smells like, are also frequently posted.  

I've replied to a few tweets, figuring that most people who tweet to their large interest groups using a worldwide, totally public forum, are happy that someone is reading their posts, and have connected already with several really nice, interesting knitters and knitting-writers. I'm still learning the ropes, and don't know how much time I will really have for it, but again, I can see the benefits for many.

Tweeting by me will probably happen only sporadically, but should prove occasionally useful in sharing small bits of knitting information, announcing new blog posts and pattern info., or keeping my friends and family up on my doings.  I promise to not tweet about bodily functions.

Don't forget about my 'blogiversary' free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway coming up this month!  

Comments on any post through July 21st, 2011 qualify for entry, full rules are outlined in this post.

The garden is growing like crazy now that the warm weather has arrived.  I picked a huge basket of snap peas, any others lingering at this point will be left to harvest for next year's seed.

 

My husband has been working on a rose arbor we designed for the climbing New Dawn rose we planted last year.

I've harvested masses of garlic already, currently drying in the sun awaiting braiding for storage and gift-giving.

The herbs are beyond profuse.  Chives, parsley, cilantro, onions, rosemary and thyme are all so vigorous I've been clipping, mincing and drying the extras almost daily, so I decided to concoct a recipe to make use of as much as possible. 

I hope you enjoy this deliciously simple appetizer made from fresh chèvre goat cheese crusted with dried herbs. I fell in love with this cheese on a trip to France a while ago, and always look for opportunities to use it.  If you do not care for the strong flavor of, or do not have, goat cheese available, substitute any semi-soft cheese of your choice.

Many combinations of your favorite herbs work well for this recipe, so you might like to experiment by adding a little crushed red pepper, chipotle pepper, wasabi or horseradish powder, dried, minced sweet bell peppers, or anything else that strikes your fancy. The mixture may be used right away or stored, tightly covered, for up to three months.  After that, many herbs lose their potency. 

Try serving this cheese as an appetizer with crackers, toast points or celery sticks, or topping Portabello/a mushrooms caps with herbed cheese slices and broiling for a few minutes.  It also makes a delicious omelet filling.

Truknit's Savory Herb Crusted Chèvre

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black peppercorns

1/4tsp. coarsely ground green peppercorns

1/4 tsp. coarse salt (I use sea salt), to taste
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried, minced garlic, or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, to taste 

1/2 tsp. cilantro
1 tsp. shallots

2 tsp. chives

2 tsp. parsley

4-6 oz. roll fresh chèvre goat cheese

Directions:

In a small bowl thoroughly mix dry ingredients.  

Spread herb mixture onto a piece of waxed paper or large plate, roll fresh cheese over the mixture until it is thoroughly coated.  Coat the ends of the roll if desired.  Pat loose herbs onto any bare spots on the cheese.

Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Bon appétit! 

Lilacs and Love

Although not everyone has a biological child, everyone on earth had a mother, and today is the day we celebrate motherhood and mothering-love in the US in the form of "Mother's Day."  

To my mom, sisters, mother-in-law, friends with kids, beloved moms-of-my-heart, and to all the women with biological offspring, adopted little ones, fur-babies, beloved nieces, nephews and family members that are as loved as children, children of the heart, and even students, I wish you a very happy Mother's Day!  

This day of celebration usually falls right around when my lilac hedges are in full bloom, so I thought it would be nice to share some of these gorgeous flowers today as my Mother's Day card to everyone, along with a little update on my knitting at the end of the post.

The true 'lilac' varieties with a bluish cast are my favorites, and almost done blooming in my yard.

The mauve-pink lilacs are plentiful and pretty also.  

White lilacs are exquisite in both form and scent. 

Elsewhere in my garden, the little snap pea vines got a late start, but are making great gains against a backdrop of garlic. 

And it looks like we will eventually have some strawberries of our own.  

I haven't been writing here as much as I'd like lately, in part because I haven't been knitting as much as I'd like due to various life issues; however, I did finish FOUR (Yay!!!) knitting projects and a few crochet items and I'm hoping to start posting about those in upcoming days.  Thanks for reading, and I'll be back soon with photos and details of my knitting projects and soon-to-be-released pattern updates. 

Knitting Pattern WIP and Knitscene Summer 2011 Review

It's been tough to get online, on Ravelry or blog lately as I've been crazy busy with several things, including this new knitting pattern project, shown above.

The striped project is one of about four I'm knitting (another one was shown in a previous post), in different combinations of color, yarn, etc. and all in various stages of completion.  I love the process of experimenting with color, texture, shape, proportion, etc.

This WIP version is finished, but not blocked, and I don't consider a project a true 'FO' until it is blocked.   The pattern should be ready for test knitting soon, probably by the end of the month. 

The little bit of warm rain we've had recently has brought a fresh cleanness to the air and the evidence that although the old saying may be "April showers bring May flowers," in our case here in central Ohio, it's April flowers!   This is only the beginning of a spectacular show to come.

This little cutie, Dutchman's Breeches/  Dicentra cucullaria, always reminds me of my grandmother's love for wildflowers and our many times walking together, admiring them.

Anemone/  Thalictrum thalictroides is blooming in abundance in the woods right now.  I loved this double-flowering beauty. 

Sorry for the grainy photos, but the light was very poor and it was windy, thus it was difficult for me to catch the flowers without motion.

Of course, these flowering bulbs from my garden are not wildflowers, but I think they are pretty nonetheless.  I love the gentle fragrance and joyful abandon with which grape hyacinths/ muscari reseed themselves. 

These lemon-hued miniature tulips are sweet and cheerful and make for beautiful photos.  Can you tell I admire Georgia O' Keefe's work?

 

You may have been as excited as I was to hear that Knitscene magazine, a sister publication of Interweave Knits, has just published it's first ever Summer issue, and will now be published four times per year.  I always enjoy reading Knitscene's articles and love it's patterns that emphasize clean, straightforward, fashionable looks.  Congratulations editor Lisa Shroyer and everyone on the staff at Knitscene!

With this great news, I wanted to post a few of my favorites from this auspicious issue.  I always think it interesting to see what patterns end up being the popular ones from any new book or magazine.  

There are a lot of great looks represented here, many of them touching on hot trends for the 2011 season, including stripes, simple shapes, and lace (all patterns and photos, Knitscene.com). 

Amy Christoffers was the featured designer in this issue, and her Windsor Cardi presents an abundant lace look in a restrained silhouette, perfect for dressing up or down. 

A simpler look for those who only want to dabble in lace is the Strafford Tee, another Amy Christoffers pattern.

Courtney Kelley's Starboard Cape is a cute little topper for camis or sundresses.

And summer is always a great time for simple knitting projects to take along with you as you travel, get together with friends, etc., and this issue is packed with examples of that, including some top-down constructions, like Tanis Gray's Lodi Cardigan,

And Hannah Fettig's Sackets Harbor Pullover. 

Of course, there are many more patterns than I can show here, so check them out.

FO - Mohair Shrug

At last!  The room has been painted, the day was a beautiful one and I had a moment to photograph at least one recently finished object - a shrug in Elann's Super Kydd mohair blend.  The yarn is not as soft as I would like, but the knit fabric is light and lofty.

I've made several shrugs of this sort and I find this slightly slouchy, drapey style a nice layer for extra warmth during transitional seasons like spring and fall.  This version is knit in a simple stockinette and eyelet row repeat.

It needs a good blocking, but I really wanted to prove that - Yes! - I am actually knitting these days, LOL...

The air is balmy, the birds are singing and I couldn't let the vernal equinox go by without wishing everyone in the northern hemisphere a 'Happy Spring' with this photo of a crocus from my garden and a quote from English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley - 

And Spring arose on the garden fair, 

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

We are already enjoying tender young chives from the garden,

And the little garlic patch is growing like crazy.  

Pretty soon it will be time for greens and snow peas - yum!

As we enjoy the turning of the season, I want to remember to keep the people of Japan in our hearts, prayers and assistance in whatever way we can.  Each individual, doing something positive in even a small way, collectively, can become a mighty thing.  

Peace, blessings and happy knitting to you!