The Land of Wool and Honey

Who Knew?

Evidence of knitting--on the first day of a new month.

 

A Month of Food

Oh, hey there.  You probably came here for the knitting.  Well.  Shoot.  Because with any spare time I've had (and who am I kidding?  it's January--there's been boatloads of spare time), I've been cooking--and baking almost exclusively.

(photo taken by Kenna McDonald)

Over the past two weeks, I've made Honey Lime Curd, Pomegranate Blood Orange Granitas, Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake (twice!), Peanut Pineapple Soup (sounds weird but will change.  Your.  LIFE.), shepherd's pie, kale chips, hummus, Chicken Curry Soup, Pomegranate-Honey Glazed Pork Chops and the ubiquitous Taco Bar. 

February will be the month for knitting. 

It has to be.  My jeans are getting tight.

Smoke and Mirrors

Behold!  The first finished object of 2012!

It's okay.  Roll your eyes.  (I can't see you.)

Project:  Plain Olde Vanilla Socks (my own simpleton pattern), made infinitely more exciting by Faux Fair Isle Sock Yarn.  Just one more deceptive yet quintessential tool in a knitter's secret arsenal.  (Well.  Shoot.  Technically, it's no longer a secret.)

Started: Yikes...sometime in 2008?  I'd rather not say.

Finished: January 19th, 2012.  

Yarn: Online SuperSocke, ball band discarded long, long ago.

Needles: Sox Stix in Rosewood, US 1 (2.25 mm).

Size: US 7 1/2 to fit my mom--they were her birthday present (last Friday, the 13th).

Somehow, I feel a bit lighter now that these socks are finally finished.  Not only have I fulfilled my daughterly obligation to knit at least one pair of socks for my mother every year, but I freed up one more pair of needles. 

2012, you're looking up.

{this moment} kicking back

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soule Mama.

Weekending

 

 

 

I spent this weekend:

: hanging onto the last of Christmas by my fingernails.  Since that photo was taken, at least fifteen more bulbs have burnt out.  Time to take the tree down, perhaps?

: whipping up an impromtu stir fry with my youngest sissy.  Some of our favorite local brew may have made an appearance. 

: stitching away, both at home and at work.  On the knitting needles?  This gorgeous sweater.  (I'm starting in on the hip increasing.  Yay!)  On the hoop?  This whimsical sampler.  (Still.  But on a positive note, I'm on the "V".)   

: celebrating a mini-anniversary.  One year ago Saturday, we started our "Saturday Stitch" at Wool & Honey.  Every Saturday morning from 9 to 11, you'll find a cheerful group sprawled on couches and chairs at the back of the shop (and a certain group huddled around the caffeination station!), complete with spinning wheels, knitting needles and breakfasty treats.  Love, love, LOVE starting my weekends like this.  (Even if I'm the one who most needs a liquid kickstart.  Ahem.)

: dutifully cheering on the Lions with the fam.  There were words.  Angry words. 

: playing with my newest favorite toy, my new iPhone 4s.  (Thank you, Santa!)  I would be lying if I said I lusted after this phone for the better part of a year for more than just the Hipstamatic app.

: making enough cream of tomato soup to last me an entire winter.  Well, not really enough (is there such a thing as too much comfort food?!?), but the recipe dirtied enough dishes to last me an entire lifetime.

: breakfasting at my favorite restaurant with my favorite husband.   One of these days, I'll get a new favorite.  Until then, bring on the romesco! 

How was your weekend?

 

 

Declaring My Intentions

2011 ended with a riotous bang, even if you could only hear silence here on the blog.  My baby brother in-law got married on Saturday afternoon and we rocked it.  All.  Weekend.  Long.  Want to have the best New Year's Eve you've ever had?  Force one of your sibs to get married, accept graciously an invitation to stand up in the wedding party, rent the Crazy Train (yup, the big one) to take you (and 50 of your closest friends) to the reception and after an entire evening of hugging the beejezus out of your extended family, dancing like maniacs, taking advantage of a very (very!) well-stocked bar and snapping a bajillion pictures in a photobooth with a viking hat on your head, strut on down to the nearest downtown for a little after-after party. 

(This is the part where I don't blather on about how important detox is to me right now.  Blech.) 

The New Year is my favorite way to start over.  I'm excited for a fresh start.  There are so many things I want to do this year and like I always do, I thought I'd share a few with you.  No wild expectations this year--these are intentions, not resolutions nor guidelines nor systems set up to fail.  They're just the steps I'm taking toward living my idea of a well-rounded life.

* Plant a garden.  This is the year.  (Beets, cabbage, kale, cilantro and asparagus are at the very top of the list.)

* Make two quilts this year with my new sewing machine.  I've started in on the first already.

* Make my house my home.  We've been living in it for almost eight years and while I really, really love it, it still feels a bit soul-less.  (I've never actually hung a picture on the wall.  Is that weird?)  Time to repaint the living room,  hang some art, slipcover the couches and cozy in.

* Spend a long weekend in NYC, eating my way through the city with a few friends. 

* Become a better cook.  Recipes to conquer in 2012?  Beef jerky, sauerkraut (hence the cabbage), my great-grandmother's ravioli.

* Take my yoga practice to the next level.  I've been doing Yoga X for years and I love it, but I'm ready to add something new.  My best friend gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas: my choice of five classes at Yen--an inspiring way to start the new year.

* Sweat every day.  (I stole this one from you, Ash.)

* Be productive in my knitting life.  See projects through to completion.

A new sweater I started last Tuesday.  I plan to finish this one before the month is over.  Really.

* Free up the knitting needles.  Time to rip back the projects I don't plan to finish.  There are many.

* Create space.  I easily get bogged down by clutter--physically and metaphorically.  2012 is the year to clean out some closets, file, organize, purge and make room for the things that matter.

* Be happy.

 

What about you, friends?  Any plans--big or small?

Wordless Wednesday: OMG Edition

Thank you, Santa!

Knit-Free Zone

You know how I said a few weeks ago that I was on a finishing spree? 

Spree over.

I'm going to sit down with a little knitting--and some wine--right now.  It'll be the first time this week.   

Deck the halls....

32

 

New Year's 2009.

Happy birthday to the best husband a girl could have.

Love on the Interwebs

I often spend a good chunk of my Sunday evenings trolling around the internet.  Kind of zoning out, looking at pretty things, reading funny stories and pouring over helpful tutorials.  Even though I don't have any knitting to share today, I can still share something with you--my favorites, right now.  

Joanna's blog, which I just discovered about fifteen minutes ago, is most assuredly the jewel of the week.  Design, gift guides, fresh, hip ideas--this is it.

Pinterest is an addiction.  It's also an online inspiration board, complete with links, tutorials, recipes, prices, social networking.  Go there. Now.  Just don't plan on doing anything the rest of the night.  (And if you'd like, you can follow my boards here.) 

I just know if Alicia and I lived in the same town, we'd be friends.  (One could only hope to have a friend as creative, insightful and big-hearted.  Think good thoughts for this woman.  She could use some extra love these days.)

Although a long-standing fave, I'm going to dig around in Amanda's archives--especially the bits about raising bees.  I'm thinking that a few hives might be make an appearance on the farm this spring.

Always good for a laugh.  Be warned: do not read this with your cup of morning coffee unless you feel like spraying it across your computer screen.  (Is it just me, or does every office fight about their shared refrigerator?)

So hip.  So urbane.  So hilarious.    

Why can't I move to Belgium?  Or, rather, if I move there, will my house look like hers?

Best.  Brownies.  Ever.  I plan to pre-order Deb's cookbook the day it's announced.    

* * * * *

That's a good start.  More knitting tomorrow.