Category Archives: life

yo.

Posted on by
10

Yep. That was the problem. I accidentally yarn-overed at the start of a lace row, when I wasn’t supposed to. And then, in my uncaffeinated stupor, I proceeded to attempt to account for the fact that my stitch count was off, all the way through each section. I know better than to do that, at least when I’ve had my coffee.

I realize that to the untrained eye, these pictures look pretty much like what I posted yesterday. The knitter, however, will notice a key difference: yesterday’s photo has lots of extra yarn in it, suggesting the un-knitting that has just occurred; today’s photos have no such excess yardage, suggesting that things are moving along as intended. And they are. I re-knit the offending row — AFTER a full cup of coffee.

And now I’m off to campus. But since it’s Friday, I’ll leave you with a dose of sweetness:

I thought Friday would never get here. Happy weekend!

windows. (also, potatoes.)

Posted on by
3

Just now trying to catch my breath after a whirlwind weekend — and it seems fitting to post a few photos from the part of Saturday that felt like a chance to relax for a brief moment. These glimpses out the window onto one of many courtyards capture a bit of what it felt like to be back there, ten years after I first arrived. Just as beautiful, but a bit further away. Light filtered through window panes?

I’m still looking for the pause button these days. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by work and life, and trying to find time to knit.

This seems a bit heavy for Tuesday morning, so I’ll leave you with a photo of the twice-baked potatoes I was craving after Sunday afternoon’s long drive home.

Yum. More soon.

“one day i’ll be a better writer…”*

Posted on by
5

We saw Sharon Van Etten and the Bowerbirds at a neat bar near the water this week. Sharon Van Etten (pictured in the crappy photo from my phone, above) is worth checking out, if you’ve never encountered her music. What you see is what you get up there — a girl and a guitar — but man, can she write a song. And her voice — soft, clear, haunting. Check out a video of her at SXSW here.

I also recommend the Bowerbirds. Who doesn’t love a band with an accordion, a snare drum, and a homemade xylophone? Check out their tiny desk concert at NPR here.

So, some fun stuff (read: late nights) this week, but also lots of work. Which made for a very tired rooster. Thursday night I made a big pot of cauliflower soup, and while it was simmering, I slathered peach butter made by my friend K. on slices of beer bread. Yum.

And today, when I got home from campus, I curled up on the couch, watched Bones, and made progress on windschief hat numero dos, out of malabrigo in verdeazul, for B. Malabrigo is the perfect yarn to knit with on a cold and rainy day. Planning an evening of soup, knitting, and maybe a movie. I’ll get back to the pile of books tomorrow. Happy weekend, folks, and thanks for all of the sweet blogiversary wishes.

*This is a line is from “Much More Than That” by Sharon Van Etten.

picking (eating) apples.

Posted on by
9

My account of our epic Sunday continues.

What began as a quick stop at an apple orchard for an apple cider doughnut or two turned into an hour or so of frolicking amidst the apple trees, some apple picking, lots of apple eating, and of course, two courses of the aforementioned doughnuts. (Two to start, two before leaving. I have no pictures of this part. They were just too good (and warm!) not to eat immediately.

A corridor of mutsus.

Macouns, clearly.

Us, eating apples.

Sigh. Hello, autumn.

Um, I want that one.

cake for breakfast.

Posted on by
8

Nope, not birthday cake. Just cake leftover from saturday night.

We watched a movie last night, which means I got some dedicated knitting time. My windschief hat is flying, and I am absolutely in love with the way this yarn is knitting up. The depth of color! The stitch definition! Discuss.

And here’s one more shot of Boh and the birthday boy, because today is the day. Aren’t they sweet?

sundays are for birthday brunches.

Posted on by
7

The boy is celebrating a birthday this week, so yesterday we headed west, one lake over, for a special birthday brunch. On my plate: poached eggs on top of sausage smoked in house and grilled focaccia bread, with incredible rosemary roasted potatoes. And a glass of organic local grape juice. On B’s plate: focaccia french toast with raspberry puree, rosemary roasted potatoes, and a link of a different homemade, in-house smoked sausage. And a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. And coffee.

B, looking serious. Also, a jazz band! They did a blues-y cover of Springsteen’s Hungry Heart. Swoon.

The view from the porch of the cafe — looking out towards the lake.

And here we are. (I share these here even though clearly I have much to learn in the taking-attractive-photos-of-yourself-with-your-arm-outstretched department. I also have a perpetual problem with closing my eyes during photos.)

And here’s the beginning of my windschief hat. I am very excited about this. Time to start thinking about making dinner after a very long Monday on campus.

tomatillo, -illo, illo.

Posted on by
6

Pronounced incorrectly, the word “tomatillo” calls to mind a certain pop song (circa 2007). Not exactly my preferred genre, but the suggestion of said song does make me smile, if only because the memory a particularly enthusiastic ’round the campfire acoustic version takes over in my brain and makes me think of my time in the Southwest. What else makes me think of the Southwest? Tomatillos. (-illos, -illos…)

And now I have to tell you about a new blog that I’ve read cover to cover since I came across it on Friday morning: local kitchen. Kaela makes everything from salsa and mustard to jams and booze-y preserves, and it is all beautifully photographed and thoughtfully described. Swoon. My adventures in blog-reading on Friday evening may have prompted me to print out a slew of ideas for my kitchen binder. And then I had to retire my kitchen binder and transfer everything to a bigger 3-ring set up. That’s how great Kaela’s blog is. Local Kitchen was a timely find — here I was, with a kitchen counter COVERED in farm produce, and without a good idea for what all of that deliciousness was going to become.

First up, Kaela’s Salsa Verde. Tomatillos, green peppers, hot peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro…yum. I might make another batch this week.

Next? Cherry Tomato Confit, also from Local Kitchen. The boy and I went to the farm on Saturday to pick more produce before the season’s first frost, and several of the cherry tomatoes were literally splitting as we picked them — bursting with juice and flavor. I took a pint of these and slow-roasted them in the oven, turning them into Cherry Tomato Confit, and now there is a tiny 4 oz. jar in the fridge filled with the powerful flavors of sweet tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic, and olive oil. On pasta? On pizza? Straight out of the jar?

I also harvested several big handfuls of mint to hang to dry in the kitchen (also something I learned from Local Kitchen). I love these pictures so much. Something about the vibrant greens.

And that isn’t even the whole of my Local Kitchen-inspired weekend adventures. Yesterday I may have been saying aloud (to anyone who would listen), “I don’t want to be a grad student right now. I just want to play in the kitchen.” Sigh.

And I do actually very much want to be a grad student. I’d just really like to press pause on life for a week in order to focus on preparing my kitchen for winter.

More produce, and even some spinning next time!

good/bad.

Posted on by
10

Good: yesterday I received a box of ice cream. Of Jeni’s ice cream. In the mail. Complete with a love note and special effects (fog from the enclosed block of dry ice). The friend who sent this rocks far more than I do. And the ice cream? It is fabulous. We savored several small bites of the salty caramel last night after dinner. I will not even attempt to describe the fullness of the flavors that combined to make me incredibly happy.

Bad: The dent the resulted from my poor choice of a three-point turn location. This occurred about 15 minutes after I discovered the box of ice cream on the front porch. There is a tree on my street that I love. It stands on the next block, so Boh and I walk by it all the time. It is tall, sturdy, and has a bulbous, knotty, interesting trunk. I never noticed (until yesterday, anyway) that one of the round, knotty bumps sticking out of the trunk hangs out just a bit over the curb. And when I, in a hurry to make a meeting, left without my phone, I pulled a quick three-point turn to head back to my apartment. Problem was, I chose to do so right at this tree. And as you can see, when I backed up (still on the road, mind you), a bulbous portion of the trunk made a bit of an impression below my rear window and to the side of my spare tire. The whole thing is sort of ridiculous. Somehow I managed to position myself so that the bulbous part of the tree was exactly where I couldn’t see it. Super lame that I’ll need to put some extra money into my car, but in the grand scheme of things, I don’t think I could have avoided this (or now, reproduce this)  if I tried. Plus, ice cream makes everything better.

Thanks for listening. After I went outside this morning to take a picture of yesterday’s dent, I dug out my handspun eternity scarf. It was cold this morning, so I wore this doubled up on my walk to campus, and then wore it in a big loop once I was inside. I love this, and wear it all the time. I really should cast on another…

reflection.

Posted on by
6

I put something new on the wheel yesterday. I have another bump of alpaca to spin for my friend, but I thought it might be nice to switch up fibers first — sort of a wheel palate cleanser, if you will. This is SCF bfl top in the Reflection colorway — the July 2010 club fiber, and the colors are so vibrant — very autumnal, with bursts of blue and purple. This will be a gift, and I am already excited about it — the colors strike me as just right for the knitter I have in mind.

I haven’t hit my stride yet in terms of this semester, and I’m hoping to get closer to a routine that works for (all of) me, and soon. I’ve been stressed out, tired, and rather cranky these last few weeks, and the knitting/spinning I’ve been doing has consistently made things feel just a little bit more manageable. I need to remember that.

perfect.

Posted on by
3

This arrived in the mail on Wednesday accompanied by a note that said, “When I saw the logo on the mug, I immediately thought, Rooster needs to have this!” This dear, dear friend (and non-knitter) knows me well. And apparently has been visiting MD S&W with his family for years. (Thanks, Champ.)

No new knitting or spinning progress to report. I was out of town again this weekend for some super productive meetings, and I am scrambling to feel ready for the semester, which begins on Wednesday. I have, however, been queuing and ogling patterns and projects on ravelry, which is something I do when I feel like I don’t have time to actually knit and spin. Hoping to make time on this rainy Sunday for something woolly.

I made another batch of granola this morning — something I do almost weekly — and thought to snap a picture. Also, last week’s sunflower is starting to droop.

I still think she’s lovely. And that’s what I’ve got for you today. More soon!