I've been avoiding writing this post for a while, even though I have been thinking about it since before Christmas. Christmas, by the way, was really great. A few shots from our week that we took off:
Handmade swift--a great present that I've been enjoying immensely!
Lobster Pot Pie....Mmmmmm, soooooo goood.
Oysters, eggs and grits--breakfast of champions!
Every New Year I like to look back at all of my finished knitting projects and achieved goals and make a plan for completion of some more. Glancing back at 2010, I really didn't KNIT much. Which in the end, was a surprise to me, and something of a disappointment. I suppose the default notion that I always have needles in my hand isn't quite as accurate as I thought. The projects that I did complete, however, have already gotten a lot of use, and the windowed wardrobe in our bedroom where I store handknit objects is happily becoming a bit fuller.
I did learn to spin in 2010, and that was a very happy accomplishment.
(Thanks to Mick for leading me to the mosaic maker!)
Spinning is amazing. I can't believe that it had never occurred to me before to engage in this most fantastic craft. Salmaan gifted me with a gorgeous wheel for my birthday, and it has taken off from there. Few things are more relaxing than sitting at the wheel. The mind wanders in a manner that for me is such a mental and emotional release. I joined a couple of fiber clubs, and now have more fiber than I can expect to knit even in this coming year. I love it when you have a braid of something beautiful, and you have no idea what it's going to look like all plied up. It's an exciting thing.
A couple of resolutions important to me last year were not realized. I did not learn to sew, I only cleaned my car once, and there are numerous patterns that I never cast on for. However, I think the big stuff...the important stuff that I wanted to address and change, did in fact happen.
As for what's important now, there are quite a few things. I've started a rigorous workout routine, and have started to eat better. Losing weight is a goal that both of us have, and getting active has been so worthwhile, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. I think our financial motto as a couple this year is to eat out less, and save more. I want to concentrate on cooking more seasonally. As an individual, I'm just trying to take care of myself in general, and that has meant sticking up for myself more, and so far, I feel great about it. I need to curb my yarn/fiber spending habits and knit out of the stash this year. A recent cleaning/organizing of my yarn study has yielded quite a bit of beautiful yarn and fiber that I had forgotten about. And until I get some projects off the needles, there's no need to add to the stash.
About the study--I'd like to share some pictures with you of how it has evolved from this, to this:
First there came the paint--we switched it up from the purpley-blue grey (which actually ended up feeling pretty cold to me) to a warm almond color.
I'm pretty proud of the paint job. I even did the ceiling, and ALL of the moulding, which was quite a task. In the end it turned out to look so crisp and fresh--definitely worth it!
The next task was filling the room with things that would inspire me, and make it a warm, personal space. Both the Hay bale and House Mountain paintings were huge purchases for us, involving a lot of disciplined saving. Both of us adore them, and make a point to enjoy them every day. The window boxes were on sale purchases from a couple of years ago, and I had no idea what I should do with them. Then one day, it occurred to me that they were meant to be filled with yarn.
The last few weekends have been spent organizing the closet and armoire with all things fibery. As that isn't completed yet, the doors are closed in this view, but it's a beautiful piece.
Perhaps my favorite wall--that's an antique spinning wheel, a last minute bid on ebay landed that on the wall. The cubbies are full of all my favorite skeins--reminders of all the projects in store.
I have to say something about this, as it's one of my favorite things in the study at the moment. Like a lot of you, I really enjoy trolling around etsy when I'm looking for inspiration, or just want to kill 5-10 minutes. A few months ago, I stumbled upon this shop, and fell in love with her work. Not only that, but when it arrived, everything was packaged with such care and creativity, I felt like I hadn't even paid for it--it was like receiving a gift! Check her out, for yourself or others--you won't be disappointed!
Work is going well, albeit busily. I am going to be taking on some new responsibilities this year, and am excited about that. Salmaan and I are going to take some weekends away, and try not to let ourselves get worn out with work. On that note, by the end of the summer, I'm hoping to share with you some very exciting news regarding Salmaan's career, but more on that later.
As for right now, it's time for some veggie soup, and a little bit of housecleaning. Happy Sunday!
This is my favorite thing I have ever knit for hubby.
And maybe, if I'm actually being honest with myself, that isn't really saying something. And by that, I just mean to acknowledge that he isn't often the recipient of handknits. It isn't because he doesn't want them, and it isn't because I don't desire to knit for him--I do. He just isn't really a hat guy, or a scarf guy, or a mitten guy, and basically when you're married to someone who has a standing internal temperature of Hell Fire...well...they don't really need keeping warm.
But then, every so often, you find the perfect pattern, which is then followed by the perfect yarn, with JUST the right amount of soft cozy warmth that also breathes, and voila! A match made in heaven.
He's happy in it. And that thrills me.
I picked up the pattern (Hat on a Mission) when we stopped at Knitting Addiction in Kill Devil Hills on our way home from Manteo back in October. I picked up quite a few things while there--mostly gifted to me by Salmaan. He loved the sample hat of the pattern, and we picked up the recommended yarn. Well, I knit that for him, but it turned out too big, so that will be gifted to someone else here soon.
I used the same pattern for this hat, but on smaller needles--#5's for the brim, #6's for the body. Two skeins of Koigu Kersti Crepe Merino that we picked up in Purl Soho--a last minute grab before I had to hop in line or lose my place. Sometimes impulse buys are the best!
A wine stain is not normally something anyone would be happy about. This is the exception.
Back in August I took the plunge and joined a few fiber clubs. At the end of last month I got my first shipment from Hedgehog Fibres--a braid of silk/merino (that I'm still a little too intimidated to try), and a braid of this beautiful purple merino.
I've been quite drawn to purple lately--I think it has definitely become my favorite color. I immediately put this on the wheel, and was surprised by how different it was from anything else I've spun before. Her fiber is very, very soft. I mean, almost indescribably soft--the fibers draft past one another with buttery smoothness like nothing else I have experienced. That being said, I found it a bit difficult to spin. I had many breaks spinning this fiber, and it has been a while since that has happened to me with any consistency. I was going for a heavy worsted, and pleasantly, that's exactly what I achieved. After a few more goes, I think I might be able to get the hang of this ratio/gauge game.
A couple of neat tools that Salmaan put into my stocking for Christmas should help with that.
When I first sat down to begin plying this yarn, I actually caught myself smiling because of how good the two strands felt as they slipped through my fingers. After a good long soak, I hung it to dry, and even when damp it felt different from other merino I've spun. Weird, yeah? In any event, the result was this skein of 99 yards of heavy worsted two-ply.
A little disappointed with the yardage, I dug through the stash to see if it contained anything in a similar gauge that might work well as a contrast color. Enter: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Velvet Grapes. Honestly, this yarn has been hiding in the stash probably since Christmas 2007. Next to one another, I saw a match made in heaven.
Normally I have a difficult time deciding what my handspun wants to be. This skein, however, spoke loud and proud (and maybe even a little attitudenally)--"Um, hellooooo?!?! A cowl, yeah? I ain't askin'....I'm tellin'." So I cast on for a Gloria Cowl--revised. I cast on 97 stitches on #8's, and just knit knit knit (sometimes isn't that just EXACTLY what we need?), fading the Malabrigo in and then out. I decreased evenly along the cowl (I think) five times, ending with a bind off of 87 stiches. It's huge. And incredibly snuggly. And warmer than any cowl that's ever been knit. Yes, I said EVER!
In an homage to the theme of the cowl, while I was knitting we watched a movie about vino on our Netflix instant queu; Bottleshock. And of course, we enjoyed some vino ourselves in the process. Hmmm, toasty.
A note on the movie--if you enjoy wine, and want to learn a little about the history of winemaking in the Napa Valley, give it a gander. It was really good, and while based on a true story, is definitely a drama. And if nothing else, Alan Rickman is in it. that's reason enough to watch it.
Btw, that pin that I'm wearing? LOVE. I purchased it on Etsy, from this shop. It's just the right size, and here's the key--it's LIGHTWEIGHT. Most of the shawl pins I've come across, while really nice to look at, are way too heavy. They weigh down the fabric, and end up distorting the drape you've normally worked so hard to achieve. I gave one to my Mom for her birthday present this year--every knitter needs a shawl pin!
As mentioned previously, last weekend I took Salmaan to NYC as his big Christmas present. We both needed a change of scenery, and a friend suggested this as the perfect holiday getaway--and he was right.
It was a quick but jam-packed trip. We left on Saturday morning (and met a very nice ER doc who was on our same flight, and he recommended some Flonase for my incessant 4-week long cough. I've been using it now for 5 days, and it's working! Thanks, Rob!) and flew into JFK around noon. By 2:00 we were checked into our absolutely beautiful hotel room (who gets to say those words when referencing accommodations in NYC that often?) and were starving. One of the staff at the front desk recommended Sarge's, just a few blocks away, for an authentic NYC delicatessen experience.
It was a good suggestion. It was packed, and there were lots of things on the menu that we had heard of in movies, but had never tasted. We were in a hurry to get down to Purl Soho before it closed, and knew we wanted something quick and satisfying, so we didn't venture far away from our comfort zones. The sandwiches at Sarge's are....well, monstrous. We couldn't believe the sammies coming out of the kitchen were just ONE ORDER, but they were! After noshing on the pickles and coleslaw they had brought out upon seating us, we decided on a combo of turkey and roast beef. It came with slaw and russian dressing, and was friggin' fantastic.
It was the first time I had tasted rye bread in at least 10 years...and dang...we've been missing out! With the roast beast being so rare, Salmaan felt like he had died and gone to heaven. Definitely a fork and knife deal--definitely good.
From there we hopped on the subway down to Soho (I LOVE it down there--the foot traffic was twice was it was on Park Avenue, and everyone had bags from numerous shops--you really felt the Christmas spirit down there!)
We both enjoyed the way the evening light was glinting off the cobblestone streets. Managed to nab this shot in between traffic lights.
And then, it happened. We finally made it to 459 Broome Street, and I heard angels singing!
Purl Soho. The mecca of all things beautifully handknit and handcrafted. I love their blog--can you tell? Salmaan was wonderful, knowing that I wanted two hands free he took the camera and melted into the (sizeable) crowd inside.
I love the way the store was put together, most of the yarns were arranged first by weight, and then by color. Of course, I did come with certain things in mind--mostly Shelter by Jared Flood, as Purl is the only NYC retailer of this yarn at the moment. I found some (though not as much as I had hoped) and Salmaan very kindly purchased it for me for a Christmas gift, along with a few choice needles and a couple of skeins of Koigu.
It was only fitting to wear my Turn a Square hat on this most momentous adventure. Probably one of the neatest parts of visiting this famous shop was people-watching, and just generally listening to the conversations of other patrons. I wasn't eavesdropping, promise. You're smooshed so close with other people it's hard not to become a PART of their conversations!
To my right there was a husband almost as sweet as Salmaan. He kept urging his wife to take her time, and to just find something that made her feel creative, and express herself! Too cute. Then there was the lady with absolute ARM FULLS of cascade yarn, in every gauge, but each bunch was in sweater quantities. One of the employees patiently explained to a customer why knitting in the round created stockinette stitch, and when the girl kept looking at her blankly, promptly took a pair of dpns and cast on to demonstrate.
My happiest finds were of course the Shelter (for which I am still pattern-surfing), and some absolutely beautiful koigu kersti crepe merino, which I had seen Kirsten Kapur use a few times on Through the Loops, but had never tried. It is really gorgeous stuff--a joy to knit with.
It was a great visit, and I'm so happy to be able to say I've been there! More on Day #1 (an amazing dinner and Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall) later. For now, it's snowing outside, my tummy is full of Lobster Pot Pie, and my knitting is calling.
It has been a while! Let me catch you up on what's been going on around here...mostly focusing on the weekends, as that is when we have the most fun.
The past few weekends have been really wonderful in a lot of ways. There has been some sleeping in, and coming downstairs to the fire going, with the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the air. (Salmaan always rises before I do).
Two weeks ago on a Saturday morning Salmaan was lounging on the couch with a pile of new cookbooks looking pleased as punch. He treated us to 7 new tomes full of inspiration, and after a nice fluffy omelette full of ham, cheese, and assorted veggies, we cuddled up on the couch and read for hours, taking notes and sharing things that excited us along the way. And you know where we're going from here, yeah?
First up, a wonderful new way to use up leftover roast chicken (which we always seem to have a lot of, week after week). These quesadillas quite frankly rocked. We dressed them up with a dollop of sour cream, some ribboned romaine dressed with lime juice, and a bit of salsa. Mmm.
That following Sunday morning I woke up at 4:30, and couldn't get back to sleep, thinking about how much stuff I wanted to make. By 5:30 I gave up, and Salmaan and I made a batch of Curtis Stone's homemade Granola (which was fantastic--just go a little less on the initial baking time).
Homemade chicken soup was finished up and packaged away in the freezer for a day either of us has a cold and needs some comfort, and then we made a delicious brunch, consisting of poached egg inside of a crisped proscuitto cup on top of sauteed spinach and a toasted whole wheat bagel (also from Curtis Stone's cookbook).
It was our first time poaching eggs, and it turned out nicely. If we ever open a B&B, this is going on the breakfast menu for sure. For dinner we made Jamie Oliver's Mushroom Risotto.
Yes, yes, I gave risotto another try! We made this on Halloween night, and the risotto itself was quite delicious. The specialty grilled mushrooms on the top? Surprisingly not delicious. Not sure if it was the total lack of fat (oh butter, how I missed you), or too much citrus (he advises to dress the grilled shrooms with lemon juice and herbs), but it wasn't workin' for me. The base recipe, however, I would definitely make again, and butter up some bellas or shiitakes for the big garnish.
This past weekend both of us were feeling under the weather. In fact, we've both been fighting off a cold for about a week now. Instead of taking the chicken soup out of the freezer, we tried a new recipe--Tyler Florence's chicken tortellini soup. SO GOOD, and just what we needed.
I pulled this out of the freezer last night, and it hit the spot for a quick and soothing dinner.
We've had a couple of friends over on the weeknights lately, and that has lead us to some new recipes that we will try again. Ina's new book just came out, and I made her turkey meatballs.
Very good. Her new book is a bit repetitive--not a ton of new ideas, really. But I like Ina and her sensibility, so it's fun just to read through it.
The next to last weekend in October, my parents came to visit us. They stayed the weekend, and we had a fantastic time. Saturday we went to the Powhatan Festival of the Grape, and sampled some tasty Virginia Wine.
Despite my ageeb looking face in this photograph, I really was enjoying myself...especially when we visited our favorite virginia winery--Horton.
Love this shot of my parents.
They really helped us with a lot of stuff around the house that weekend, including a raised bed that I'm very excited about:
Dad and Salmaan busted this out in only a few hours. The garden really went to hell this past summer (partly the terribly hot weather/water restrictions, partly my waning interest, partly the fact that the squirrels and chipmunks stole most of my yield), so it was time to scale back. I'm going to be using this solely has an herb garden, and we're going to seed the rest of the garden area with grass seed. We also took out the blackberry bushes, as I think I was only able to get about 15 berries all season, and they honestly weren't very good. Come Christmas-time (and my "extra" paycheck), we're going to sign up for a local CSA. I mean, have you seen the Rooster's blog? I've been inspired, and want to give this a go.
Dad and Salmaan fixed some of our gates, too.
We may have put them to work, but we fed them well. Salmaan grilled up a beautiful beef tenderloin.
The dogs had a fantastic time, too. They couldn't have enjoyed the extra attention more.
As you can see, JJ is getting bigger every day. It's so cool to see the changes. His fur has gotten longer and CURLY, which is adorable, and his personality is really starting to be apparent--he dotes on River constantly.
And that's pretty much what's been going on at Chez K. A fair amount of knitting has been accomplished as well, but that is for another post. I'm off from work today, hence the time to write--and hopefully posted about some FO's!
The last six weeks have been a busy and stressful time for both of us. It can be hard when you fall into a routine like that to step of out of it and come back to yourself. To remember how to exist and experience at a more balanced and reasonable pace. I don't think we're there yet, but last weekend sure did help.
We took off on Saturday morning down to Manteo, N.C. The drive was surprisingly short--only about 3.5 hours, maybe a little more. Being so deeply anchored to the mountains, I sometimes forget that we are very conveniently located to the sea. We broke up the drive down to Manteo a bit by stopping for lunch at the Blue Pointe in Duck, N.C. We've always had good food experiences there, and last weekend was no exception. Two glasses of wine, a one-day special roast beef sandwich with fries and a crab cake sandwich with house made potato salad made for a very good midday meal. I was itching to see the waves after that, so we ducked into one of the beach-side neighborhoods and said hello to the ocean. I literally felt my blood pressure slow with the first crashing wave. Blissful.
From there we headed to the B&B we had booked just a couple weeks prior--the Cameron House Inn. It's located just a couple of blocks from the waterfront. It's a beautifully restored bungalow--we stayed in the Creef room. After checking in we sauntered down the street to browse through the shops--to our surprise, almost everything closed at 5:00. We laughed because it felt like being back in Lexington, where I'm from, and where Salmaan went to college. We made a few purchases, including some yarn and stoneware buttons at Kimbeeba yarn shop, pictured below. Here I was introduced to Mirasol yarns for the first time, and was really impressed! Salmaan gifted me with 6 skeins of silky merino (blue and red) and 2 skeins of some DK weight superwash (which I plan to knit into a mowl for him for Christmas). The owner was incredibly friendly, inviting us to come back for her "death by chocolate" knitting night at 8:00. We didn't go, but appreciated the sincerity of her invitation.
That night we ate a very good meal at the 1587 Restaurant, located in the Tranquil House Inn on the waterfront. We walked back to the Inn, and rocked away together in front of the outdoor fireplace--the Inn was fully booked, but we had the whole area to ourselves.
Sunday morning we awoke early, poured some coffee, and relaxed on the cushioned front porch swing while we waited for breakfast to be laid out. Salmaan got some reading done, and I enjoyed watching the locals walk to church as I knit.
I brought many projects down, but the one I concentrated on was my Winter Sunrise Ulmus, which has been languishing now for over a year. I was determined to complete it, and I did this past week--FO photos to follow soon! I love the leaf motif border, even if it did take a whole lot of time to finish.
Sunday after breakfast we hit the Tanger Outlet mall. And let me tell you, we made a killing. I haven't shopped for casual clothing in probably 3 years, and I had forgotten how fun it is! Salmaan came home with some much needed staples as well. In the late afternoon we drove back in to Manteo for lunch at the Full Moon Cafe--it was fair. We then returned to the outlets for one last spurt, and I was thrilled to find some jeans and slacks at the J.Crew outlet. Does anyone else have a difficult time finding good jeans and pants? I think it's one of the most stressful things...I haven't purchased a pair since my first year of law school, and I didn't miss the disappointment of trying on numerous pairs of jeans that just didn't work. However, the thrill of finding ones that did made it all worth it.
One of the innkeepers had told us about a beach that we could visit that wouldn't be crowded, so we left the stores to seek it out. It was BEAUTIFUL. We watched the sun set over the dunes and gazed at the purple tinted wave caps as dusk fell. Sadly, I didn't have my camera, but I brought it with us on Monday morning, as we decided to spend our last hours soaking up the sun. One of the nicest parts about this beach was the well appointed bathhouse--well maintained by the Park Service. It was perfect for us because after we checked out on Monday, we still got to get cleaned up and changed before going home.
We got there early, around 9:00, and were the first people on the beach. It remained that way until about two hours later--I think both of us really enjoyed the solitude--it was so peaceful.
The variety and quantity of shells along the beach was incredible, and we spent most of the morning just walking along the edge of the waves, shell hunting.
I couldn't believe it was October, the weather was so perfect and beautiful. We even got in for a quick dip right before leaving, and the water felt great.
I think there are few things more relaxing than shell hunting. The night before I had found a few oyster shells that had holes worn away in their center by wind, water, and time. I fell in love with their iridescent simplicity, and picked up as many as I could on Monday.
I have big plans for these. This weekend I soaked them in a bath of 1:1 bleach water, and they have been rinsed and are now drying. I think some beautiful thread, mineral oil, and a little creativity will make this a unique and eye-catching Christmas garland. That, or it'll be one hot mess. Either way it's a token of our trip, and that's reason enough, yeah? I'll let you know how it turns out...
Salmaan had his hand at the camera that morning on the beach, and he came back with some pretty stunning photos. I have to admit, it was difficult to leave that beach. Salmaan, in his infinite understanding, gave me just the pick-me-up that I needed on our way home. We stopped at the Knitting Addiction (which has a WONDERFUL new location!) and he treated me to a few more thoughtful goodies. If you're ever in that area, you must stop by, the stop owner is awesome, and there's just a great energy there.
So, we had a really nice getaway. I'm hoping we can make this into a yearly tradition--the beach in October--who knew?!
With so many larger projects on the needles (some over *ahem* a year old), I wanted a quickie project.
Love the yarn--Unplanned Peacock Studios super squishy superwash DK merino. Colorway Amazon. Have a little less than half a skein left, it'll be put to good use sometime.
The pattern is Windschief by Stephen West, and it was a pleasure to knit--very simple and well-written. I can see more of these in my knitting future. Used #7's for the body, #6's for the twisted rib brim.
Feeling a little overwhelmed this weekend. This past week the biggest case of my career to date came to conclusion, and I was pleased with the result. That being said, it feels strange for it to be over, as I've been working on it for about the last three months, and the last couple weekends have been spent either working on it at home or at the office. Emotionally, I'm kind of feeling like, "now what?".
River is sick, as well. Thursday we came home from work to an incredible amount of diarrhea in the living room (that we just furnished) and upstairs was dotted with piles of vomit (also in a newly furnished room). Making any sort of mess in the house is VERY unusual for her--it's been years since she's had a mistake, so of course we were concerned. We have been watching her closely, feeding her broth to keep her hydrated, and keeping her under quarantine of sorts in a fenced off area of the kitchen. Last night she was looking particularly glum, so we made an early morning vet appointment this morning, as it didn't seem to be resolving itself. She woke up with a swollen face, and Salmaan rushed her to the vet. The swelling seems to be a separate issue, she's gotten a steroid shot for that. Right now, meds for nausea and diarrhea, and no food until tonight (poor thing hasn't really eaten in 24 hours). They haven't completely ruled out a foreign body, so we're going to be keeping a close eye on her today and tomorrow. Cross your fingers she just ate something that disagreed with her?
We're not upset about the mess, of course. I'm only concerned because next weekend, my in-laws are coming to visit for the first time EVER, and the last thing I'd like for them to see are big poo stains in the rooms we were so excited to visit in. We are vigilantly treating the areas, but my prognosis at this point is guarded.
Stress over the last three months resulted in a fair amount of "retail therapy"--which, as you knitters know, means YARN, and you spinners know, means FIBER. I have sweater yarn (really, really beautiful sweater yarn) coming out the wazoo, and joined a few fiber clubs. Hoping to fill some of that emotional void with fibery things this weekend--working on my Treeline Cardigan a bit, and trying not to succumb to any more startitis.
Off to get focused on getting back into the normal routine, nurse our baby back to health, and welcome in the first harbingers of fall (sweater knitting, and is there bouef bourguignon in our very near future?). Happy Fall!
Time is a funny thing. Recently, more than ever, I have become aware of how relative our perception of each passing day can be, and how that perception can affect mood, outlook, and productivity.
I have no idea where June went.
In an effort to avoid wishing July away in the same mind blowing fashion, we've been filling our days and weekends with tasks and people to look forward to. Motivation to stay in the moment, and enjoy the summer that we'll wish we had embraced more fully once the chill wind of January burns our cheeks again.
We had an amazing Fourth of July weekend. Our wonderful wedding photographer, Fran, invited us to come down with the dogs for a visit. She and Roger live on 30 beautifully rolling acres in the Shenandoah Valley, just outside of Brownsburg, Virginia. Their house sits atop a hill, and through nearly every window, you catch a view of farmland and the Blue Ridge Mountains, their color muted by the hazy heat, but still as comforting as ever.
We arrived in our own time late Saturday afternoon, enjoying the winding country lanes and the splashes of red from wine berries hanging from overladen branches lining Dutch Hollow Road. Those same wine berries (actually a species of wild asian raspberries) cover Fran and Roger's property, and I spent a couple of hours on Sunday morning picking them to enjoy at a later date.
Saturday evening Fran put out a spread of cheese, crackers, and various other tasty things, and we sat in front of the house while the sun set across the valley, listening to the quiet music of a Rockbridge County evening.
She cooked an incredible organic chicken, which we enjoyed with salad and fresh corn on the cob. Afterwards we shared some of the blackberry/blueberry galette that I had made that morning (blackberries from my backyard garden patch--yay!)
The wine did flow, and once the sun had set, we took our beverages back out to the yard, watching the stars come out and shoot across a sky that felt like it was only an arms length overhead. We had planned to stay for just one night, but our hosts graciously asked us to spend another, and we were happy to oblige. I think it's probably the only time that my tendency to overpack has actually paid off.
The kids also had a wonderful time. Fran and Roger have 5 four legged children of their own--3 of them dogs. While Sophie and Evie weren't really up for a ton of socializing, the newest addition to their pack, Mojo, became fast friends with Jayden about five minutes after we got there.
They rolled around and played pretty much constantly all weekend. It was also a big event because this was the first time we had EVER let the dogs off-lead in an unenclosed environment. We were super anxious about it at first, but after the first few hours, we realized that River loved us enough to come back from her wanderings to check in every 20 minutes or so, and Jayden was so enamored with Mojo he wasn't going to leave her side. River chased two deer, got stained and sticky with wine berries, and was a magnet for pretty much every thorn and burr on the property, but she couldn't have been happier.
Jayden is growing so fast, we can barely keep up.
While is face is still as silky as the finest cashmere, his body hair is starting to get longer and coarser--something I don't recall happening to River until she was much older. He is such a sweet, sweet little gentleman. Always close, and always ready to cuddle.
Fran maintains a lovely garden around the house, and Sunday after berry picking I walked around the property with my camera, attempting to capture as much of the serenity of the day as I could.
This was the only sunflower in the garden, and in this photo I feel like it has its own personality. I half expect it to say aloud, "whatchoo lookin' at?"
There were a ton of butterfly bushes, and I used the telephoto lens to get in as close as I could, with exciting results.
While I'm not usually one for buzzing bees, I couldn't seem to stop trying to capture these little guys as they hummed around me. Their wings are exquisite.
These moth-like guys were also quite abundant.
Sunday night we sat outside again with hors d'oeuvres and beverages, and watched the sun set across the valley.
After a delicious dinner, I rode with Fran down the road to pick up Evie at a neighbor's house. Evie is good friends with the dogs down there, and Fran and her neighbor have quite the unique arrangement--Evie gets dropped off in the mornings (if she doesn't wander down there on her own) when Fran leaves for work, and she picks Evie up to bring her home at the end of the day. They call it Evie's "second family". It was cool out and on the way back up the long winding driveway with the windows down, I heard a loud *ping!* against my glass of wine. I didn't think anything of it until I was back out on the dark porch, and took a sip of grasshopper. Even the bugs were into having a laid back weekend. ;-)
Monday morning we headed back home, sad to leave, but also feeling rejuvenated from the change of pace and hospitality we enjoyed there. Not to mention the fact that the dogs have pretty much slept the last two days straight. We will always think back fondly of the time we spent there, until the next visit! Thank you Fran and Roger!!!
I've been wanting to write for a while, but wasn't able to come up with a coherent theme for everything I wished to share. Finally figured no theme worked just fine, so here we go.
We've been cooking more. Cooking with Ina, mostly. We have *almost* every one of the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks, and we enjoy going through them from time to time, picking out things we normally wouldn't try. Over the last few weeks, there have been epic wins, and epic fails.
Tomato Goat Cheese Tarts: Epic Win.
These were unbelievably delicious, and I was especially proud that they came out looking exactly like the photo in the book. It's somewhat of a finicky recipe in a way--there are a lot of steps, some of which either take a long time (properly caramelizing the onions) or make a mess (rolling out the puff pastry and cutting it), but in the end--SO worth it. While she suggests this could make a great (albeit heavy) appetizer, I disagree. If you're going to go through that much trouble, make it a meal. We had these for lunch last weekend with a nice big salad, and it was perfection.
Spring Risotto: Epic Fail.
Well, alright. Maybe not an EPIC fail, but a fail nonetheless. I don't really GET risotto. I mean, it doesn't fit into any sort of category that makes sense to me. Is it rice? Is it pasta? Neither. Do I like it? Hrm. Do I enjoy watching Chef Ramsey scream about it being improperly prepared on Hell's Kitchen? ("Where's my F*CKING RIS-OT-TOW????") Absolutely. That's pretty much why we decided to give this a go. And now we kind of get why risotto puts Ramsey in such a bad mood.
In the opening paragraph of the recipe, Ina says that after a bad day, she loves to make this meal. She turns the music up, pours a "nice" glass of wine, and starts stirring. Having made this ourselves on a weeknight, when each of us had busy days at the office, I can only conclude two things: either Ina is a sadist, or she is a drunk. That's the only way you can possibly "enjoy" or get through all that stirring.
Now, let me be fair. I probably didn't have the heat on high enough, and so it took about twenty minutes longer for the rice to get tender than it should have. MAYBE. The last time I made risotto was out of the Newlywed Cookbook (which, by the way, is probably the worst collection of recipes I've ever laid eyes on--I actually threw it away, not wanting to subject another to the perils of its pages by donating it), at our old apartment. It was a mushroom risotto, and we went to about 4 different stores to get all the different kinds of specialty mushrooms (fresh and dried) that the recipe called for. It was expensive, and was at a time when we really couldn't afford it. I stirred my flipping butt off with that dish, and when we sat down to eat, it was like we were eating shroomy sand. I may have cried. Hard. And then consoled myself with a "nice" glass of wine. Or four. Anyway, I probably didn't cook it long enough that first time. But two sub par risotto experiences in a row can't be coincidence. It just can't.
In the end, this was edible. There was a lot of citrus in it (lemon juice and lemon zest) and this was a good learning experience--I do not enjoy lemon flavor in savory dishes. For me, it's reminiscent of floor cleanser (like the papaya we had on our honeymoon--it was like Mr. Clean from a tree!), so, all in all, while we won't be making this again, we did learn a few things: Higher heat for risotto--be drunk, feel sadistic, or feel determination that making this meal WILL be an adequate substitute for going to the gym, and no more lemon, thank you very much.
I ended up using the leftover marscapone and about a zillion other cheeses that we had in the fridge for a bangin' mac n cheese this week, but alas, no photos. *sniff* It was good, though!
Last weekend we also pumped these out (a little homage to the Rooster).
We tried the recipe featured in the Feb/March 2010 Fine Cooking Magazine, and "Ahhhhhhhhh" (angels singing) they were fabulous. We did the pork/shrimp filling, and they did not disappoint. There are a ton of these left, sitting patiently in the fridge, and we'll be eating them again soon. While I pan-seared these, I think we'll just boil the others--cut down on the oil.
Last weekend we also met up with my best friend from high school, Andrew, and his lovely wife Heather and their son, Sam.
We've come a long way, yeah?
They're expecting a baby girl this fall, and we're so happy for them! Andrew is going into his internship for med school in August, and we were excited to get to see them before they went back to the midwest. Best of luck with Boards, Andrew!
There have been many requests lately for more pup pictures/updates, so here you are!
The little guy is doing great. We had his 9 week vet visit this past Monday, and everything is A-OK. He's even doing much better this week with the potty training, which is very exciting. Salmaan continues Puppy Kindergarten at home--almost every evening, and has an excellent teaching assistant in River.
Here's a video I took last week of them romping around--JJ is quite tough, and while we were a little worried about how rough and tumble they get, the vet said it was perfectly normal and a great sign.
There's also been some progress on the knitting and spinning front, but that's for another post. For now, it's back to the needles for me! Happy Saturday!
Well, Jbear made it through just fine, and we're well on our way to an established routine. We've having a bit of difficultly in the housebreaking department, but we're sticking to the feeding schedule and know that it will all work out in the end. Every day River acknowledges Jayden more, and this evening they had an old fashioned romp around in the den. This is a shot that I captured yesterday that I LOVE.
In case you're interested (and you're probably not, but I am completely starry-eyed with all things puppers related at the moment), here is where he spends most of his day while we're at work.
Which brings me to the subject line of this post--even with the new routine and extra attention, there's still time for spinning! This is what I'm working on right now--8 oz. of Crown Mountain Farms Polwarth Top, in the Black Sun colorway.
I really love this fiber. It drafts like a dream and is very soft. Check out the gorgeous new CMF colorways, as well--you'll die for them! I'm excited to get this 8 oz. spun up, so I can move on to the next 8 oz. of Polwarth Top in the 12th Planet colorway. After I get a bobbin all spun up--I'll be asking you to weigh in on whether you think I should combine the two colorways for a lively two-ply, or keep them separate. Either way, they'll turn into some celestial handspun...;-) I'm kicking myself a bit because try as I might, I can't seem to find the blog post that inspired this idea--I happened upon it while surfing through Ravelry, and a wonderful spinner had combined two totally separate colorways and the result was inspiring. I'm bad about putting blogs into my Google Reader...note to self--be better.
I'll leave you with a couple of images that I shot for my last photography class, which was this evening. I learned SO MUCH, and even so, have just revealed the tip of the iceberg of all things digital. Can't wait to keep practicing!
