by Kat | Aug 17, 2016 | General, Making
I really wanted to get my Pincha done yesterday, but a friend called and I was encouraged to take a Yarn Shop Detour. We wanted to visit Natural Stitches before they close in September and since it is not far from Yarns by Design, we stopped there too! There was lots of good conversation and a fantastic lunch, but not much knitting got done! There was some minor stash enhancement, including some fun yarn to knit a hat for a certain special little girl! It was a fun detour for the day, however, today I am back on track with just one last feather to finish on my Pincha.
I got the loveliest surprise in the mail yesterday, an incredibly thoughtful gift from a Twitter friend – Thank you so much, Jean!
On the reading front, I will finish with To Kill a Mockingbird this week, and my last book for a Bingo Cover All is Knitlandia, which I think will be the perfect way to finish my summer reading.
I am listening to The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen and I am enjoying it tremendously!
Linking up with Ginny and the Yarn Along today.
How is your summer knitting and reading going?
by Kat | Aug 16, 2016 | General, Words
Hello, 10 on Tuesday fans! Carole, our fearless leader, is having a bit of a vacay this week, but I thought it would be the perfect time to share some ideas for preserving the best tastes of the season to enjoy when summer is gone!
Now, you may notice that tomatoes kind of steal the show, however, there is a reason for that. I am in the TOMATO OVERLOAD ZONE.
Note to self, there is no reason to plant more than one Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato next year. (What on earth was I thinking planting 4!!)
- I am seeing some plums in the markets right now and Plum Butter is so good on toast, or in yogurt with a bit of granola, or swirled through vanilla ice cream (you could make your own, but really store bought is just fine!) and (P.S. The cardamom is such a great addition to the butter!)
- This recipe calls for apricots, but it is so perfect with peaches. It is so good on English Muffins and stirred into yogurt.
- I think that in a few weeks, when the temperatures have cooled off a bit again, you will find good radishes in the markets again and nothing tastes better than Pickled Radishes. Really, I love them and they are a welcome addition to Happy Hour!
- Cucumbers are everywhere at the markets right now, and this Quick Sweet Pickle recipe is my favorite!
- Now, let’s get to the tomato recipes; shall we? I love to have jars of Tomato Basil Sauce in the pantry, and I think I will try this one this year!
- Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes are such incredible pops of flavor. They are so easy to do and they last a long time in the refrigerator. I have made one batch, and will be making another soon! (P.S. I cut them in half before roasting)
- Homemade Rotel-Style Tomatoes are so good!
- This recipe for Lazy Cherry Tomato Salsa looks so good!
- Now for the Tomato Jams – I have not made this before, but these recipes look so amazing! And, see above – 4 Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato Plants means I have Cherry Tomatoes in bulk!! I found two versions, and I will be trying both; Tomato Jam and Golden Cherry Tomato and Ginger Jam.
There you have it, Gentle Reader, summer in a jar for you to enjoy when summer is just a fond memory! What is your favorite way to preserve the season’s bounty?
by Kat | Aug 15, 2016 | General, In This Moment
The weather seems to be in a holding pattern – hot, humid, with intermittent and at times heavy rain showers. There was not much time outdoors this weekend. This remains the forecast for the week, and though I am not thrilled to admit it – I am really ready for a change in the weather. Cooler would be nice, less humid even better! And, it would make it enjoyable to sit outdoors…just sayin’.
A quiet Friday night to usher in the weekend seemed like the perfect plan. It was indoors – the air-conditioned indoors!
There was Olympics monitoring, coupled with some knitting and some spinning (also indoors).
There was some reading – I am about halfway through To Kill A Mockingbird. And I started a new audiobook – The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen, and it is so GOOD!
We have also arrived at the Season of Tomatoes. All things tomatoes. All the time tomatoes. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomatoes.
It is also that time of the year when the garden beds and the lawn are both looking a little tired and worn out. However, these photos from a couple of weeks ago are going to tide me over in January, February, and March when there is no color and it is bitterly cold out. The best thing ever was this little bag of seeds we planted this year. They have provided an almost non-stop, 4′ tall, wall of color and I am so happy to report that we have seen hundreds of bees this year. There is nothing better than watching them move from flower to flower to flower. I have only seen one monarch this year, which is horribly sad – however, there have been a variety of other butterflies on the Butterfly Bush as well as some very large bees!
There you have the Cliff Notes of my weekend, Gentle Reader. How was your weekend?
by Kat | Aug 12, 2016 | General
This installment of the Sheepspot Fiber Club is a lovely Shetland top and, I have been doing some sampling to see what it can do and it is interesting what I am learning, thus far.
I spun my first samples on my Schacht Matchless using the largest whorl I have (10.5:1) and I slowed my treadling way down and I increased my take up. My single ended up with about 3 TPI (twists per inch), my twist angle is 65-degrees, but I think that might be a bit too much twist. I’d like it at about 2 TPI, but I don’t think I can do that on my wheel with the whorl I have. I just am not certain I can treadle any slower! (The bottom skeinlet is the singles yarn)
I then spun up a sample that I plied. I did not change the whorl or my treadling for the singles, although I spun them a bit finer and decreased my take up significantly. I plied the yarn with a 40-degree twist angle and 3 TPI. I like this yarn very much before finishing. (The top skeinlet is the plied yarn) It is very interesting how different the two samples are in color as well.
I then sampled using spindles.
I spun the same amount of fiber on my Ann Grout Acorn Spindle – my goal was to create a low twist single. I got much better and more controlled results using a spindle – 1.5 TPI, a 25-degree twist angle, and it is a cohesive yarn. I have yet to wash and set the yarn, but I will full it a bit to help it stay together. (The skeinlet on the left is the singles yarn)
I spun a much finer single on my Jenkins Kuchulu Turkish Spindle. I wound the singles off into a plying ball and plied them on the same spindle. My twist angle was 50 degrees in the plied yarn and I got 4.5 TPI before finishing.
Now, here is the shocker – I like the yarns spun on the spindle much more than I like the yarns spun on my Matchless. I know. I am stunned!
My next step will be to finish the yarns and knit up swatches. I will be interested to see what my thoughts are once I have done that.
Stay tuned, swatches will be next Friday’s post!
Now for some linkage to usher in the weekend:
That’s all I have this week, Gentle Reader. May your weekend be much cooler than it is forecast to be here!
by Kat | Aug 11, 2016 | General, Making
I have two fantastic finished objects that just might be the perfect things to help me when summer withdrawals start happening about mid-October!
First up – Tales from the Isle of Purbeck. This was a MKAL that I was late to join, but join I did. I spent some time thinking about what would I like to knit this with and I settled upon a truly spectacular yarn; ElsaWool fingering weight, woolen spun Cormo. Now if you have not tried any of Elsa’s products – you need to. Really. The wool is from Elsa’s own sheep and it is expertly crafted into the softest, yummiest yarn. She sells both woolen spun and worsted spun yarns, as well as knit garments. And, the sheep pictures are lovely! Add to this the incredible service you get from Elsa herself, it is an experience not to be missed. If wool “makes you itch” you need to try some of ElsaWool, you won’t be disappointed – it is baby soft! I also love this brown with my Indigo Linen Dress No. 2! The pattern is really very simple and once I had the flow of it, it went very quickly. I did a partial repeat of chart 3 to increase the size. And, I really love the Icelandic bind off. If you wanted a light, but warm shawl for the fall, this might be just what you are looking for!
The finishing did not stop there, I also finished up Nahant. It really did not take much time, thanks to the Lava Field on Netflix! I had been moving right along on this until it got too big to be good “travel knitting”. The yarn is some vintage Yarn Hollow BFL that I spun up some time ago. I had two bumps of fiber that were in similar colorways, as I recall. Anyways, I spun up each bump and then plied them together. There are times when the colorways match harmoniously, and times when they barber pole together. I really like how this turned out – and it is LONG. I can wrap it twice around my neck and still have scarf hanging down. Plus, the colors remind me of the changing leaves.
I am left looking at my basket of WIP’s wondering what will I pull out next. There is something so gratifying about getting something done quickly. And, crossing another item off the list is always a bonus. Pincha, I think this means you are up next! With the temperature in the 90’s and the humidity so high it feels like a sauna outdoors, staying in the air-conditioned house is not hard.
What are you finishing this week?
by Kat | Aug 10, 2016 | General, Making
I am closing in on a cover all for Summer Book Bingo, which absolutely astounds me! Twenty-five books in ninety-nine days is LOTS of reading (and listening!)
I finished listening to David Sedaris read Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and it was wonderful! I started listening to my choice for my square “From the Harvard Classics 5-foot shelf” – She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (Thanks, Kym!) I am enjoying it tremendously! It is witty and humorous and read “play like” with a cast of voices. This gave me another bingo!
Second Bingo Down:
- My Kitchen Year
- Written in my Heart’s Own Blood
- The Book Thief
- Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls
- The Redbreast
I began knitting my Cladonia and while I am not very far – I am so happy with my yarn choices! Right now it is easy and almost mindless knitting, however I want to make the shawl a bit bigger than the pattern calls for, so I will need to do some knitting math – the kind in which you use an actual pencil and paper! I have tried to puzzle it out in my head, but I fear that this is beyond my mental skills. Better to use some actual calculations and make sure I am correct!
I have to admit; this is one most enjoyable summers I have had in a long time – I am so thankful to Carole for sharing BOTNS Bingo! This has amped up my reading significantly! I have read books I did not think I would like and found them incredibly enjoyable! Add to that getting a slew of unfinished knitting done has made me feel so accomplished! I finished two items this week and will share them with you all tomorrow!
As usual, I am linking up with Ginny’s Yarn Along, where you will find amazing inspiration for both books and knits!
How about you, Gentle Reader? Are you feeling accomplished this summer?
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