Wednesday, October 22, 2008
CSA Extended Harvest 1: October 22, 2008
We signed up for the extended CSA harvest season! The cost was $125 for 5 weeks. Check out the haul this week. Ten peppers! We still have tomatoes! Tons of greens! Wow! I had no idea the fall harvest includes so much. Even Chloe was impressed and had to check out the haul. I'm going to have to think of a clever way to process and store this week's veggies. There's no way our half will be finished by the time we get next week's "stash".
Thursday, October 16, 2008
dinner alone
Sometimes dinner alone can be a wonderful thing.
I just got home from a walk with a friend. The evening was gorgeous - cool but humid (rain threatening!) with a lot of wind, so the clouds were moving quickly and making beautiful colors in the sky as the sun set. There were plenty of leaves crunching under our feet and beautiful colors to admire on the tree. Have I mentioned that love the fall?
Anyway, I just sat down to I some delicious salad greens and arugula from Red Wiggler drizzled with balsamic vinegar, sour dough bread that I made this afternoon with olive oil for dipping, wine, water, and (of course!) my knitting. Ahhhhhhh. And tomorrow's Friday.
I just got home from a walk with a friend. The evening was gorgeous - cool but humid (rain threatening!) with a lot of wind, so the clouds were moving quickly and making beautiful colors in the sky as the sun set. There were plenty of leaves crunching under our feet and beautiful colors to admire on the tree. Have I mentioned that love the fall?
Anyway, I just sat down to I some delicious salad greens and arugula from Red Wiggler drizzled with balsamic vinegar, sour dough bread that I made this afternoon with olive oil for dipping, wine, water, and (of course!) my knitting. Ahhhhhhh. And tomorrow's Friday.
FO: Hemlock Ring Blanket
This blanket was addictive. Once I started, I could not put it down. I guess that's why I got the knitting done in a week! The binding off took 2 evenings and almost 4 hours, but that's another story. I am so excited to give gift to my grandparents on the 25th for their 50th anniversary.
Pattern: The Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade Ecowool (color 8061)
Yardage: 1.75 skeins = 836.5 yards
Needles: Size 10 (part of my trusty Denise set!)
Here's the beauty blocking....
And here it is on display in the living room.
Pattern: The Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade Ecowool (color 8061)
Yardage: 1.75 skeins = 836.5 yards
Needles: Size 10 (part of my trusty Denise set!)
Here's the beauty blocking....
And here it is on display in the living room.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
birthday weekend!
Happy birthday to me! Yet another reason I love October is that I get to celebrate my birthday. I wanted to showcase my beautiful gift (thanks, sweetie!): a silk Della Q circular and dpn needle organizer. It's already been put to good use. I even put my new extra set of Denise cables (another gift!) in the organizer.
Also, in knitting related gifts, I received a Lantern Moon sheep tape measure! Love it! I'm so fortunate to have a loved ones that support my knitting habit!
And that was just Friday!
Saturday afternoon I cruised the Colorfest with some girlfriends. The festival was very crowded, but I did manage to find a gem: a beautiful Cindy Kay bag. Now I can finally stop using my work bag as a knitting bag! My Della Q bag fits in the bag perfectly!
Saturday evening I found myself among the crowd at the US v. Cuba World Cup qualifying match. The US won 6-1. The crowd and atmosphere were phemonmial! We lucked out because our seats we in the back of the section with all of the, how should I put it, "rowdy" fans. My dedeček (grandfather), a life long soccer fan, told me that he never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would see an international match in the US. He was like a kid in a candy store, jumping up and down with the young folks in the crowd. Here he is, just before the game started, helping hold up the USA soccer logo flag with his cane. :)
I also started a new scarf project. Nothing special in terms of the pattern (just garter stitch with hopefully enough left over for a fringe at the ends), but the yarn is quite special. It's called "Shoalwater Bay Natural Dyed" and was a souvenir from our vacation to the Pacific Northwest this summer. I bought the skein at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. The olivy-brown earthy colorway reminds me of the picturesque hikes we took during our trip. This is the first official souvenir yarn I ever purchased and I can now see the appeal!! What a great way to remember a trip!And the birthday weekend is not over yet... tomorrow is a holiday, so no work for me! Yay!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
CSA Harvest 18: October 8, 2008 (and what a day!)
Today was a good great fabulous day! Let me count the ways:
1. Traffic wasn't too bad this morning. I started a new Laura Lippman audio book called Another Thing to Fall on the way to work this morning. I'm excited because this one seems to take place in Baltimore. The book I finished over the weekend (In Big Trouble) was set primarily in Austin. Good book, but one of the big appeals of Lippman's books is the Baltimore setting, so I was a little disappointed.
2. Work was relatively quite. And I found out my promotion paperwork is being processed.
3. Today was the first day I practiced yoga at work since a run in with my appendix on June 16. The only reason I remember the exact date is because it was Father's Day and instead of me visiting my dad for a backyard cookout on Sunday afternoon, he was visiting me in the hospital on Monday morning. But I digress. With a 4 week recovery, followed by a 2.5 week vacation, followed by late Wednesday morning meetings, I have not been to yoga in almost 4 months. It's a shame, really. The classes are lead by a co-worker who is just a fabulous teacher. And the classes are only $9 a pop. And the classes are held 50 feet away from my office. Anyway, I've continued with my practice at home for the last 2 months, but it felt great to be back with the class today. I felt great after our practice: my muscles felt longer, my posture was improved, my mood was lifted!
4. I left work right after yoga practice to get some blocking pins for the hemlock ring blanket and some milk from my favorite grocery store. I sampled some delicious fair trade coffee and headed up to Red Wiggler for our last CSA harvest pick-up.
5. Wow! Look at the amazing harvest this week! This alone would have been exciting enough to make my day fabulous! This week's full share was HUGE, including green tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, pumpkins, butternut squash, kale, turnips, radishes, beets, salad greens, arugula, apples, peppers, eggplant, gourds and garlic. The apples and pumpkins made me giddy with delight! My fall favorites!
Check out the spikey gourd. How pretty!
6. I went for a run after I got home from Red Wiggler. My leg muscles were still feeling nice and long from my earlier yoga practice, so I had a great run! Sub-nine-minute miles for the first time since before the appendectomy! Rocky was a little winded from the pace, but happy to be out and about.
7. To top it off, today was my "ideal" weather day. Overcast and crisp. A high of about 68 degrees. Have I mentioned that I love October?
8. I finished knitting the hemlock ring blanket today! Blocking and pictures to come!
===============================
Oh, also, a blog I meant to post on Sunday:
This weekend was busy busy! By Sunday evening, I didn't feel much like blogging. But I did capture of a few of things I whipped up in the kitchen.
First up, a mild curry with peppers, okra, and bok choy. A dash of garam masala at the end for a little kick of flavor. I've been eating this for lunches this week with with a wild rice/brown rice mixture. Delicious! I even had a co-worker ask for the recipe as I was heating this up in the kitchen on Tuesday.
And then, beer bread! This mix was a gift from last Christmas. So easy (open mix, add beer, bake) and delicious! I expected a lot of unpronounceable ingredients in the bread mix, but I was pleasantly surprised to find just a few items (flour, baking soda, salt, etc.) on the label. We ate the last of the bread this evening with eggs, breakfast sausage, greens, tomatoes, bananas, and cheese. Breakfast for dinner is a favorite in this house!
1. Traffic wasn't too bad this morning. I started a new Laura Lippman audio book called Another Thing to Fall on the way to work this morning. I'm excited because this one seems to take place in Baltimore. The book I finished over the weekend (In Big Trouble) was set primarily in Austin. Good book, but one of the big appeals of Lippman's books is the Baltimore setting, so I was a little disappointed.
2. Work was relatively quite. And I found out my promotion paperwork is being processed.
3. Today was the first day I practiced yoga at work since a run in with my appendix on June 16. The only reason I remember the exact date is because it was Father's Day and instead of me visiting my dad for a backyard cookout on Sunday afternoon, he was visiting me in the hospital on Monday morning. But I digress. With a 4 week recovery, followed by a 2.5 week vacation, followed by late Wednesday morning meetings, I have not been to yoga in almost 4 months. It's a shame, really. The classes are lead by a co-worker who is just a fabulous teacher. And the classes are only $9 a pop. And the classes are held 50 feet away from my office. Anyway, I've continued with my practice at home for the last 2 months, but it felt great to be back with the class today. I felt great after our practice: my muscles felt longer, my posture was improved, my mood was lifted!
4. I left work right after yoga practice to get some blocking pins for the hemlock ring blanket and some milk from my favorite grocery store. I sampled some delicious fair trade coffee and headed up to Red Wiggler for our last CSA harvest pick-up.
5. Wow! Look at the amazing harvest this week! This alone would have been exciting enough to make my day fabulous! This week's full share was HUGE, including green tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, pumpkins, butternut squash, kale, turnips, radishes, beets, salad greens, arugula, apples, peppers, eggplant, gourds and garlic. The apples and pumpkins made me giddy with delight! My fall favorites!
Check out the spikey gourd. How pretty!
6. I went for a run after I got home from Red Wiggler. My leg muscles were still feeling nice and long from my earlier yoga practice, so I had a great run! Sub-nine-minute miles for the first time since before the appendectomy! Rocky was a little winded from the pace, but happy to be out and about.
7. To top it off, today was my "ideal" weather day. Overcast and crisp. A high of about 68 degrees. Have I mentioned that I love October?
8. I finished knitting the hemlock ring blanket today! Blocking and pictures to come!
===============================
Oh, also, a blog I meant to post on Sunday:
This weekend was busy busy! By Sunday evening, I didn't feel much like blogging. But I did capture of a few of things I whipped up in the kitchen.
First up, a mild curry with peppers, okra, and bok choy. A dash of garam masala at the end for a little kick of flavor. I've been eating this for lunches this week with with a wild rice/brown rice mixture. Delicious! I even had a co-worker ask for the recipe as I was heating this up in the kitchen on Tuesday.
And then, beer bread! This mix was a gift from last Christmas. So easy (open mix, add beer, bake) and delicious! I expected a lot of unpronounceable ingredients in the bread mix, but I was pleasantly surprised to find just a few items (flour, baking soda, salt, etc.) on the label. We ate the last of the bread this evening with eggs, breakfast sausage, greens, tomatoes, bananas, and cheese. Breakfast for dinner is a favorite in this house!
new stash!
I have been busy with baby knits over the past few months. Just when I thought the baby boom was over, it looks like more friends have decided to procreate. So, more baby knits are in my future. I wanted to try a new yarn for my next baby knit. I was dreaming of a very soft natural fiber, no cotton content and not 100% wool. I also wanted some subtle variegation in the yarn for interest.
I found a perfect match! This is Sheep Shop Yarn Company's "Sheep 3 Yarn" in various shades of muted green. The fiber content is 70% wool and 30% silk. I can't wait to knit it up. It's so soft to the touch.
Now, the question is which pattern to choose. I'm thinking about another February baby sweater or a baby surprise jacket or a raglan style (top-down) baby sweater like the baby delight sweater... decisions, decisions!
I found a perfect match! This is Sheep Shop Yarn Company's "Sheep 3 Yarn" in various shades of muted green. The fiber content is 70% wool and 30% silk. I can't wait to knit it up. It's so soft to the touch.
Now, the question is which pattern to choose. I'm thinking about another February baby sweater or a baby surprise jacket or a raglan style (top-down) baby sweater like the baby delight sweater... decisions, decisions!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
CSA Harvest 17: October 1, 2008
It's October! I LOVE October! Happy October, one and all! And what a great way to start my favorite month than with a truckload of local veggies!
Here's the full share for this week. The gourds are beautiful! And I'm excited to roast the butternut squash. Yay! I can't believe we are still getting tomatoes. Oh, and I got a little bonus: some okra to try. We'll see how that turns out.
I picked a bunch of basil from the pick-your-own garden today. That plus my own stash of basil (from my on-my-deck-and-in-big-clay-pots garden), yielded a lovely batch of pesto this afternoon!
In knitting news, I FINALLY put the buttons on my Ellin mekko and wrapped it up for shipping! The parents are going with a lady bug theme in the little one's room, so I knew these buttons were perfect when I saw them.
Here's the full share for this week. The gourds are beautiful! And I'm excited to roast the butternut squash. Yay! I can't believe we are still getting tomatoes. Oh, and I got a little bonus: some okra to try. We'll see how that turns out.
I picked a bunch of basil from the pick-your-own garden today. That plus my own stash of basil (from my on-my-deck-and-in-big-clay-pots garden), yielded a lovely batch of pesto this afternoon!
In knitting news, I FINALLY put the buttons on my Ellin mekko and wrapped it up for shipping! The parents are going with a lady bug theme in the little one's room, so I knew these buttons were perfect when I saw them.
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