Autumn Beach: The Inspiration

The beach is our happy place. 

Take a cranky day filled with tantrums and tears that nothing but nothing won't fix.  Whisk that day away to the beach (and fast!), get those toddler toes in the sand, feel and hear the rhythm of the pounding waves, the seagulls overhead.  It fixes all. 

Summer or Winter, it doesn't matter.  We'll be there.  On the sand in our bathing suits or walking the water's edge with scarves wrapped tightly around our noses.  My favorite time is Autumn (followed closely by spring).  It's cooled just enough so the sun feels lovely and not baking, and the beach-goers have all gone home or to school or work or wherever they go.  Likely we'll have the beach to ourselves.  So we go.  We build sand castles and enjoy the quiet solace of an Autumn beach.  We take our meals with a bit of sand and the last bits of Vitamin D.  Collect seashells, stick our toes in the water, and as Autumn creeps on, we pull on our woollies for just a few more days at the beach.

The Autumn beach is our happy place.

I've thoroughly enjoyed designing this collection inspired by my favorite place.  The textures, colors and stitch patterns all remind me of those walks down the shore - and the pieces are exactly the ones you'll need while doing just that.

I can't wait to share it with you next week.

Almond Coconut Bars {Recipe}

Every once in a while a healthy recipe comes along that you simply can't believe is healthy.  Yes, these.  The delicious natural (high-calorie) bars that helped get me through the early months of nursing.  (When your appetite is so wild that you wake in at 3am of gnawing hunger.  If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. 

These bars are by no means low calorie, but they're full of healthy fats and proteins, and though they'll curb your sweet tooth craving, they have no added sugar.  (Just the sugars naturally occurring in dates.)  And they're so easy peasy to make.  Just four ingredients in the food processor.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup almonds

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 1/4 cup dates

To make:

Pour almonds and coconut into the food processor and pulse until crumbled.  (How fine or chunky you like them is a matter of preference, and you'll find yours after making them a few times.)  Add dates and coconut oil, pulse until everything comes together and dates are well chopped.

Place in a 9x14 inch baking dish, patting down to make sure the mixture sticks together.  Place in the fridge until firm, then cut and enjoy! 

I cut these up and then keep a container of the bars in the fridge as they tend to droop if they get too warm.  With less coconut oil, you may not have to keep them in the fridge, but I like the flavor and nutrients it adds.  If you do choose to do less oil, you may want to up the dates in order to make the bars stick together well.

Try them out and report back! 

The Sun Sets on Another Summer

August has this way about it, doesn't it?  The mad dash to fit in the last bits of summer, sand and sun.  A reckless sprint toward the finish line, while simultaneously gearing up for the start of new rhythms.  It's been no exception round these parts; I've had multiple projects in the works, deadlines, photo shoots, and small children to juggle.  But as the end of summer approached, and I realized we hadn't been away all summer, we took a last minute vacation.   (Right on the heels of a vomiting ER visit I might add.  Everyone is fine.) 

Vacation!  It was a good one.  Filled with family, lots of beach time and the perfect evening cook out on the beach on our last night.  Returning to real life has been.... well... ugh.  Despite the rather unceremonious return to real life, I'm looking forward to school starting for one of my little's, and very much looking forward to getting into a routine again. 

Most of all, I am looking forward to sharing my very first collection of patterns that I'll be releasing in just a few short weeks.  I've been working on this project for months and I just cannot wait to share it. 

In the meantime, I'm hoping that things will become a little bit more regular around this blog of mine.  And that those temperatures start to dip - just a little bit! - so I can wrap my favorite shawls around my shoulders again. 

What kind of knitter would I be if I wasn't totally looking forward to Autumn?

Summertime Routines

Summer seems to be slow moving and yet whipping by all at once.  It seems like we haven't done anything at all and suddenly it's August!  One of those times in the year, I suppose, when everybody's energies are placed on finding ways to cool off and be outside, which keeps us busy and away from our work and routines.  With my boy out of school for the summer and my girl growing out of her two nap a day schedule, I'm finding very little child free time to get anything but the most pressing priorities done.  Usually in this order: food, work, sleep.  Life is constantly changing with young children, - as soon as you find a rhythm that sort of works, one of them goes and changes a nap, starts walking, or finds an entirely new and annoying way to be.... 3.  (If you've experienced 3 before, enough said.)  So I fully expect that we'll figure out a working summer time routine by Sept.  And perhaps then I'll find more time for things like blogging and sleeping.  Or not, since we'll be working on our new Autumn routine.

Though I haven't found much time to be here blogging, I have been working on a whole slew of new designs (when both my children deign to fall asleep at the same time for 5 minutes).  It's going to be good, I can't wait to share it with you.  Don't miss a minute: sign up for my e-letter to find out first when it's released! 

(And in case you're wondering, that photo up above is about all that amounted for June & July of the garden series that I had planned to do each month all summer long.  Ah well.  We've been busy eating watermelon at the beach, and that's much more important.)

In a year

Oh it's amazing how things can change in a year.  I snapped the lower picture the other day and couldn't help but compare it to a year ago (above).  It's been a hard one.  So, so hard.  I remember, frequently, how hard I thought life was when I was Mama to one.  And then I had another and it brought me to my knees.  But personal time and self care aside - look at these two?  They're amazing.  And even though they drive me crazy every single day and I just want some space for crying out loud, and some adult conversation, please!  Here it is, that moment where everyone's happy and it seems like we might all make it through the day. 

Recent Portraits

Otto: Discovered that he has direct access to pester our new neighbors through the window if he pulls his learning tower to the window and they are outside doing yard work.  Luckily they are ever so patient. / Was very hesitant to get his face painted - waiting until the fair was closing down - and then so sad when we told him it would have to be washed off before bedtime. /  Watering, er... the garden. / Apparently summer is the time for facepaint and facepaint struggles.

Lilo: Loved my parents piano / and also frozen blueberries / and also the kitchen cupboards / that toothy grin, which is always on her face, just melts my heart.

Life has been busy this summer, and I find myself thankful for how far we've all come from last summer, but ya know?  It isn't really less exhausting.  But at least we're having more fun.

The City Garden

The earth beneath our feet is poison.  The green it sends up into the world, inedible.  It saddens me, the way we humans have a way of destroying the very thing that sustains us.  Tanneries, foundries, lead paint and several city wide fires are to blame for our soil's misfortune.

Growing food in the city is like being at sea with no fresh water or playing the children's game hot lava, but with plants. 

So you do what you can.  There are ways to remove the contaminants: grow sunflowers and spinach, which pulls the lead from the soil at the expense of themselves.  What then you do with the toxic plant waste I've no idea.  Or, as we have done, import soil, build and collect containers.  Find as many surfaces as you can spare to put them.  Squeeze them in between cars, in your postage stamp yard, on your miniature deck, and when all else fails, on the rooftops.  Tell your dear flock, I'm sorry dears, I'd love free range eggs and happy chickens, but we'll all be contaminated, so in the coop you stay.  Here's a few treats. 

If you're one of the lucky ones, whose soil is only moderately contaminated, like us, you might even get to plant some fruit trees and bushes.

So you do with making do.  You squeeze what you can out of your desecrated tenth of an acre.  And in the moments when you get frustrated with city gardening you read the inspiring words of others. 

You hold onto the good moments in the city.  The quiet ones.  The ones in which you receive gardening advice from a Vietnamese or Sudanese neighbor who once farmed in their home country.  The ones in which a like minded urban chicken raiser knocks on your door for urban chicken coop advice.  The ones when some passerby tells you their children had never seen a chicken, until they walked past your yard.  The ones when you give said child the opportunity to look inside the coop, spy the eggs, and take them home.  The ones in which your Somali neighbor child/self appointed chicken raising assistant finds one of your chickens, dead, and experiences a little bit of the circle of life.  The ones in which his little sister, the self appointed mint eater, asks you, for the tenth time in a day, Can I have a mint?

While you may dream of wide open acres of clean soil for your garden, your poultry and more importantly, your children, you'll miss these moments someday.  These are moments that cannot be had on the wide open and sometimes solitary acres.  These are reserved for the city homesteaders only.

Some day in the future when I'm standing in the big (and unpolluted) garden with my son, sighing over what the wildlife has done to my garden, I'll miss them.  I'll think about all my past neighbors, their advice, their glee, their support, and their young voices asking Can I have a mint?

So for now, when I grow weary of leaded ground and small spaces, I remind myself of the things I love about city gardening.  I am blessed with a wonderful and diverse community, the friendliest and kindest of neighbors.  A safe place to raise my child and grow food, if only a little bit and mostly in containers.  (Free from violence, war and famine, something our neighbors have not always had.)

Polluted soil and all, we are blessed. 

Quick Pickles

With our garden starting to pick up, we're starting to think about refrigerator pickles!  Quick pickles- or refrigerator pickles are totally scrumptious, and super easy to make.  There is no canning necessary, because you keep them in the refrigerator until eating, but they retain the added bonus of preserving bits of your harvest for a few more weeks.  They are great for those things (read: zucchini) that you simply can't eat all of before it will go bad.  But they're also good just because.  They are an excellent addition to salads, salsas, over stir fried veggies, in tacos, over fresh greens, and so much more.  And did I mention- they're simple to make?  I almost never follow a recipe (though I highly recommend this book for a more exotic quick pickle) and typically just use what I have on hand.  All you need is: vegetables, vinegar, water, salt, herbs & spices. 

Choosing your ingredients:

Vegetables

Cucumber pickles are always yummy, but other things are delicious pickled too.  And quick pickling is a great option for those things that may not can well, or for things you have an abundance of.  Among the many things you can quick pickle are onions, cabbage, beets, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, corn, peppers, tomatoes, turnips, radishes, winter squash, cucumbers and even fruit (which I've sadly never done.)  Though this kind of pickling still requires refrigeration, it does extend a vegetables shelf life for weeks- I've even kept some in the fridge for several months, depending on what it is and how much salt and vinegar you use (both help preserve the food.)

Vinegar

White vinegar does the trick, and we keep a gallon jug on hand for just such occasions as the quick pickle.  But any kind of vinegar will work: cider, red wine, white wine, umi plum, rice, balsamic... you get the picture.  Experiment!

Water

Typically I mix my vinegar somewhere in between a 1:1 ratio to 2:1 ratio with water (vinegar:water).  While I usually use water, you can also use any kind of juice (orange juice and citrus juice is great) and even liquor.  Some of my favorite zucchini pickles used tequila in the brine, and they were fabulous.

Salt

I usually use kosher salt, but you can also use pickling salt- or experiment with different kinds of salt, such as smoked salt or pink salt.  The salt helps preserve, but you can add less if you'll be eating them soon.  You can also add sugar instead of or in combination with salt.  You can experiment here too by using table sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, etc.

Herbs & spices

Naturally, my favorite flavor to add to quick pickles is garlic and dill.  But there are so many options, that this is where you can really perfect and personalize your own recipe.  Garlic, ginger, bay leaves, pepper, anise, cinnamon, celery, turmeric, mustard, hot chiles, onion, fennel, citrus zest- the list goes on and on and on!  It's particularly fun to make a Latin inspired quick pickle to go on tacos, or an Asian inspired pickle to go on rice.  Guests are always impressed when you have a home made pickle to complete the meal.

Once you've picked out your ingredients, the rest is easy.  Slice or dice your veggies.  Some people prefer to cook their beets before pickling, but any vegetable can be used raw, and I always use raw veggies.  Put them in a jar with their spices.  I heat the liquid ingredients (vinegar & water) on the stove with the salt- or sugar if you're using it- just enough to dissolve the granules.  Then I pour over the veggies, cover and put in the fridge.  They can be eaten in a few hours, but for most things I let them sit over night. 

They'll keep for quite a while, but I'm sure they won't last that long in your fridge.  They sure don't in ours!  I'd love to hear what your favorite combinations are!

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Recent Portraits

Joining in with Jodi, taking a portrait of each of my children, each week in 2015.  (And posting when I can.)

Otto: Tree climber, looking so big to me sometimes/ he should have been an Aquarius, because the boy is ALWAYS game for a swim, no matter the temperature or lack of swim suit/ moments later he toppled head first, and in those moments, he's still my baby/ cheeky and silly and starting to be equal parts curious and annoyed with the camera

Lilo: she's so perfect to me/ waves of nostalgia and emotion wash over me as she does the same things her brother did & does, and I have the same picture to prove it/ such an adventurous little climber and mover these days/ oh the attitude she's developed!

Things are busy here with school being out, Otto home full time for the summer, and knitting design deadlines!  But where I was nervous about all three of us being home all summer together, now that it's here it feels like a nice change of pace and I'm glad Otto's home with us.  We've already had one fantastic beach day and I'm looking forward to more. 

Knitting deadlines and busy children, so excuse me if this space is fairly quiet over the coming weeks!  I'll try to pull up some posts from my blogger archives for your reading pleasure.

One Year (the second time)

All week I've been trying to put into words how I'm feeling as my baby girl turns one today.  My littlest, probably my last.  I keep starting and restarting, tossing aside the words that don't do justice to the raw ball of emotions that's been making me tear up, sob even, every time I think over this past year. I can't seem to find the eloquence or grace to put into words the ups and downs of it all, this year that's been so much more intense than the first time around.

It's been a rough one.  So much harder than I would have, could have ever imagined.  While all those well meaning folks stop to look at my two beautiful children, telling me, "Enjoy every minute," (a phrase that will hit you like a gut punch when you've had a morning like mine) I've been holding onto words of honesty from a dear friend. 

The year her second was born, she said, was the hardest year of her life.  And while I don't want to dwell or wallow, I've held onto that friend's honest words like a lifeline.

I'm feeling so many things all at once, and my head and heart are whirling around so fast I can't stay grounded.

Sadness.  That I didn't (couldn't) savor more of the moments.  That I didn't get more time to just hold her.  That I didn't get more time to just read to him, cuddled on my lap as he turned from two to three.  That maybe that might be the last time I get to hold my own tiny sleepy human on my chest, that maybe that's the last time I'll nurse a tiny nursling.

Worried.  That it won't get easier.  That life is always just going to be this hard.  That I'm thinking about the future too much, wishing for easier, instead of being right here, enjoying who they are right now. 

Relieved.  That we've made it through the one year mark.  That life still happened, though not quite as usual.  We ate.  We worked.  We played.  We were angry, sad and happy, often all at the same time. 

Wishful.  For more patience.  For more balance.  For more sleep.  To feel a little bit more human and a little less mom all the time.

Tired.  Just, so tired.  Levels of exhaustion and burn out that I didn't even know a human could function at.  And in desperate need of some self care.

But most importantly, grateful.  That I've got two healthy awesome kids.  An incredible giving husband who carries the burden of supporting us financially and comes home with endless amounts of patience for our two children. 

When I look back over this past year, this is mostly what I see.  A frazzled mom trying to keep it all together, yes, that too, but mostly my beautiful, amazing children.  And oh, how their grown-ness makes me weep. 

Things will be easier, someday.  Someday we won't have so many money worries and we'll have the freedom to go for a trip, a drive, to a yoga class, or *gasp* have a movie marathon and some good solid knitting time.  And then we'll see some young parent in the grocery store and tell them that it all goes by so fast.  Which is to say, God, what I wouldn't give to hold my baby one more time. 

Today, I'm holding on tight to my babies.  The one who made her entrance into the world one year ago today, and the one whose world was rocked on that day, and every day since. 

Lilo's Birth Story was shared over at The Ma Books this week.  The link is HERE if you care to read.

The Buttonmakers: An Interview with Wooly Moss Roots

Today I'm re-posting an interview with Taryn from Wooly Moss Roots (from my blogger site).  I've long been a blog reader & follower of hers, and admire her honesty with words and down to earth nature.  Recently though, I've also had the pleasure of working with Wooly Moss Roots Buttons- you'll see them on my Calthulus Scarf (pictured above), Lupinus Cardigan, and Baler Cardigan.  I'm so enchanted by their beautiful handmade buttons that I asked Taryn to share a bit more about them. 

Bea: How did you get started down the road of button making?

Taryn: That's a very good question. I think one day we were at the local market where we sell our art and my husband Jeff said that he wanted to make some buttons. He's always made all sorts of things- from wooden journals and signs to small, intricately carved jewelry. It seemed only natural to add another pursuit to his woodworking creations. After having some of his handmade buttons in our booth, we got really great feedback. People were loving his buttons, so over time he just kept making more. Eventually we opened up a second Etsy Shop (www.woolymossroots.etsy.com) to give them a new home because they were taking over. Now that I knit so much, I'm pretty delighted to have a husband that makes such gorgeous and special buttons for my projects!

Bea: Where do you and Jeff find inspiration for the work you do?

Taryn: For Jeff I would say that he is inspired by the wood that he works with. You should see him out in his workshop when he slices wood, with wide eyes, saying “Hey, honey! Whoa, you gotta come see this one!” He really loves and appreciates beautiful woods and I'd say that he has passed that love on to me as well. We're blessed to live in a place (Oregon) with so many beautiful woods to choose from.

Something that really inspires me is seeing the projects that people make with our buttons. I can't begin to say how much I love that. It's amazing how some special buttons can really “make” a project. I also love looking through patterns on Ravelry that I want to knit and then dreaming up the perfect buttons for the projects.

Bea: I am quite captivated by your buttons. There is something about having a handmade button grace your hand knit that seems perfect. After all, we spend a lot of time on hand knits, having something equally special only adds to the beauty of the finished object. Could you tell me more about the process each individual button goes through?

Taryn: Thank you Beatrice, I'm in love with the buttons that Jeff makes too. With all he puts into them, it always feels wonderful to have them so appreciated. 

The process starts with the wood. Some of the woods are from our own property. In that case, we need to let the wood cure before we can use it. Some woods we get reclaimed from other artist friends who give us leftover bits and pieces. When the wood is ready to work, Jeff slices them how thick he wants them and cuts out the shape he wants. Then he gets busy at his sanding machine. He sands each and every button by hand. He has to be really paying attention to what he's doing so he doesn't sand his fingers! These days he usually sands them on three grits to shape them and to get them really smoothed and polished. After that he brings them in the house for me to admire. I wash them in the kitchen sink to be sure to get all the wet wood dust off of them. Then we dry them off with a towel and let them dry for a few days (he sands them with a wet sander.) Some he adds woodburned designs to. After that he puts quite a few coats of oil on them to moisturize the wood and bring out the natural luster and brilliance in the grain. Then he polishes them. Then he usually brings them to me to mark the buttonholes. Then he drills them. Then we tie them on cards. And that's the part where our customers come in, and create beautiful projects to use our buttons on.

(By the way, you can see pictures and more details of the process in this post:

http://woolymossroots.blogspot.com/2014/02/buttons-from-start-to-finish-guest-post.html)

Bea: I have to ask- from one working at home creative mother to another- how do you do it? Is there a rhythm or balance to your days, or do your business/creative endeavors coexist somehow within your family life?

Taryn: The process changes as our son Bracken grows. When he was littler, I did all the marking of buttons and tying buttons on cards while he napped each day. These days I can actually do that when he is awake and hanging around. He is three (four in October) and likes to help tie buttons on cards for awhile (before he gets bored.) These days I reserve his nap time for my computer time. That's my one period of time to myself every day and there's always so much computer work to get done. I don't have time for it all, honestly, and sometimes it takes me longer than I'd like to reply to e-mails. During my computer time I write my blog, post new items in the shop, and respond to customers. When our local market is in full swing and our garden needs lots of watering, I don't get as many new items posted online. But if I keep plugging away over time than we eventually have a full shop! I try to be really efficient with the time I have. My husband Jeff is so productive that I have a hard time keeping up with him sometimes. 

I'd like to say I have some kind of trick of some sort, but really I just go and mark some buttons while a meal is cooking or package up some orders quickly before naptime. I just squeeze in business things when I can, amongst daily life.

Bea: Do you have a vision for your product and/or business that you'd share?

Taryn: We'd love to be the “go-to” place for people to purchase buttons for their projects. I have a dream of expanding the line of fabric buttons that I'm currently making for our shop. I want to start offering sustainable fabrics and a much wider variety of choices.

As a small family business, we truly appreciate each and every customer who purchases from us and (as I said before) I delight in seeing people's projects with our buttons. Every time a customer tells me about the project they're making or shares a picture, I feel so grateful I get to be doing something I love- having a part in their creative project. I never knew I would love buttons so much.

Bea: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Taryn: Yes. Thank you for reading this and if you are on Ravelry, we'd love to invite you to join our group here:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/wooly-moss-roots

Thank you for taking the time to share with us Taryn!  (And if you haven't had the pleasure of working with Wooly Moss Buttons yet, you should make it a priority!)

The May Garden

Harvesting: Radishes, Spinach, Arugula, Mizuna, Mustard - greens!

Awaiting: Peas, Mint, Garlic Scapes, Spring Turnips, And more and more greens!

Planting: Lavender, Nasturtium, Herbs (that have died off)- and *almost* tomatoes and the like

Blooming: Lilacs! 

Enjoying: The first bits of the garden making it onto our dinner plate and making the world a whole lot more colorful.

Notes: It used to be that Peter and I knit together and gardened together.  Parenting has a way of sifting activities - so that only the ones most important to you remain.  For me, that's knitting.  For Peter, that's gardening.  So I truly can't take credit for most of the vegetables that come out of the garden these days.  Peter has worked hard and become such a competent gardener, meanwhile, I try to sneak flowers (which Peter only plants if they are companions to his tomatoes) in anywhere I can.  But I am grateful for his hard work that feeds us so well!  Someday it will be a team effort again.

18/52, 19/52 & 20/52

Joining in with Jodi; A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015.

Otto: The moment he finally gives up on testing me and decides to entertain himself / Blueberries and Uncle's sweet shades / Testing his limits and independence.

Lilo: Loves to nibble anything and everything / The thing about being the littlest is that you sometimes don't get a good nap when you could've used one / Exploring everything with fingers and then mouth.

It seems to me that the days are getting harder lately when I had expected them to get easier.  But at least we can be outside, and that is my saving grace.  Thank goodness for the beach, where each of us are always content. 

Haystack Mountain Shawl

This shawl has long been in the making.  The idea came long ago, and I knit two versions of this before I ever even began writing patterns.  The things I love about this shawl are it's traveling rib pattern (not too lacy or fancy, which is truly more my personal style) and the fact that it stays on your shoulders!  Really, no fussing around with this shawl, as it's shape lends itself to staying on when wearing it as a shawl.  And when wearing it 'kercheif' style, it looks equally lovely. 

This shawl was nameless, and recently, when I had to choose a name quickly "Haystack Mountain" popped into my head.  I spent a weekend at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and it is by far one of the most b=magical, beautiful and relaxing places one could spend time creating.  Once I started calling the shawl that, it stuck.  It seemed fitting as the beautiful texture of this lovely green is very reminiscent of the moss covered woods up at Haystack.  I do hope to go back someday.  (And on that day I'll take some pictures so you can see what I mean about the beauty and the luscious moss!)  More details about the pattern:

This shawl begins as a top down triangular shawl, with increases at edges and center back. Then wings are formed by increasing into the ribbed edging, then working the new stitches in the stitch pattern, with their own increases. The shawl continues in the same traveling rib pattern for both body and wings. The construction of this shawl gives it a very ergonomic shape, which is easy to wear and does not slip off the shoulders.

Stitch markers are placed between the stitch pattern and rib sections, and different stitch markers are placed at the center of each pattern section. After working a few rows, you may wish to place a locking stitch marker on the RS of the shawl, as the RS and WS look very similar.

The loose gauge lends the fabric drape, but the knitter can easily substitute a DK or worsted weight yarn for a slightly different fabric.

This pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry HERE.

Bonnie Banks Shawl

The Bonnie Banks Shawl is my personal version of a travel shawl.  Last summer I followed the travels Gudrun, MJ, Lori, Nicole & Claire via Instagram.  Meanwhile I was rocking a newborn and dreaming of traveling again, someday.  (And loving the fact that I was working with some wonderful Shetland yarn at the time.)  It's one of the things I miss most as a mother with two young children- travel.  But I know this time with my kids will fly by, and so I don't mind waiting for those adventures for the moment.  But it doesn't mean I can't knit with those adventures in mind!  This name of this shawl, and it's travel daydreams is two part.

Part one: Do you know the song?  The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond?  Shetland is on my 'someday' list, and when I get there, I'll be visiting those banks for sure.  And, of course, the yarn from which this shawl is knit is Shetland wool!

Part two: This song makes me thing of travel because the first time I learned it I was high up in a tree in Tuscany harvesting olives.  The Brits working on the harvest with me taught me the song and we sang it many times to pass the weeks spent in those trees.  And so the lyrics always make me think of my travels to Tuscany.

More details on the shawl:

I love a good rustic yarn, Lopi and Jamieson & Smith top my list of favorites. So when I saw Clara Parkes’ next single batch yarn was from Shetland, I very impulsively purchased two skeins. While I considered joining in the Hapalong and turning it into a traditional Shetland Hap, none of the patterns I came across seemed quite special enough for this beautiful yarn. So I came up with my own simple shawl inspired by the Shetland Hap. It is a triangular top down shawl, with a simple lace motif and a bit of garter stitch. (And perhaps some day I’ll be just lucky enough to wear it in Shetland!)

I wanted to use up every last yard of this yarn, and so you’ll need to take note in regards to your own yardage. While I used 600 yards, every knitter is different, and so it may be likely that you’ll need closer to 700 to make the very same shawl. If you have a precious 600 yards you are trying to stick to, then consider doing one less repeat of the lace motif, and working the garter stitch border until your shawl is the desired length.

You can purchase the Bonnie Banks Shawl Pattern on Ravelry HERE.

Chive and Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

It is finally spring here in Maine!  (And BOY did we earn this spring after a long hard winter and a spring that took until now to arrive!)  While there isn't much fresh food to be had in our garden yet, those first signs of deliciousness have started popping up.  Namely, chives and fresh eggs!  A taste of things to come.  These biscuits are the perfect accompaniment to our fresh backyard eggs.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup unbleached flour (I pretty much always use King Arthur)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 T unsalted butter

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 egg (for brushing)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt).  Use a pastry cutter, butter knives or forks to cut in butter, working it until butter is pea sized.  Gently stir in milk (don't overmix!)  Fold in chives and cheddar.  Fold the mixture a few times until it holds together.

On a well floured surface, roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with a round 3 inch cookie or biscuit cutter and place onto cookie sheets.  Beat the egg and lightly brush each biscuit.  (It gives it a nice sheen & color.)

Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.

Serve with some chive scrambled eggs (and some fresh greens and radishes if you're already harvesting/finding them) and enjoy!

Lieselotte KAL Wrap Up

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Lieselotte Knit Along!  It's been so fun!  I even took a break from 'work' (design) knitting to knit myself one!  Before jumping into prizes, I just wanted to share some of the finished Lieselotte's that have been finished, photographed and shared on Ravelry:

Top Row: Cathliin; DanaRae19; mrskatherinemott

Middle Row: Yasminh14; lindafederalway

Bottom Row: anaju; stenagergaard;

Thanks to everyone who participated and made the first Thread & Ladle KAL a great success!  I'm already thinking about the next one.  (And if you have any suggestions, do pass them along!)