Wintah!

Yep, winter is definitely coming. I knew it yesterday. Well, actually, I knew it all along but yesterday was just too easy for an early November day. Balmy, warm temps, ample sunshine, and a cool breeze that made the dried leaves in the front yard rattle as they blew along the lawn until they were smashed into a building or seized upon by a playful kitty in the grass. Then, this morning, winter put her hand(you know, that gentle but firm grip she has) on my shoulder and squeezed ever so tightly. It started like this - just a spit of fine white powder falling blissfully on the ground and magically evaporating and all was well. Only, such a change gets the sheep all riled up and those who are inclined to misbehave (cough - the merinos - cough) set out to find a way out of the fence. It seems they determined the fence was the cause of the snow. So, Things 1,2 and 3 and I had to round them up and tuck them into the barn until they eat lots of hay and calm down and regain their senses. The hay part works wonders in that process. It seems to have the same effect that a good glass of merlot has on me...mmmm....ahhhhh....there, now, everything will be all right. They are now sleeping in the barn. I guess they've decided that's just about all the excitement they need for the day - LOL.

Before that bit of excitement - which, I must say, is significantly amped up in adrenaline now that we are not 1 mile off the road but on a major route and the way they found out was roadside - wahhhhh!, I was going to come here and show you my FO. I know, and FO! Miracles never cease:) I finally finished those Lindsay socks from Cookie's book and I absolutely love them. Of course I do - they are intended to be a gift for someone. Urgh! Nonetheless, the pattern is awesome. Super easy stitch pattern that you memorize in a snap and happily knit away on your socks yet you still get this fancy stitch work. I'm so into that! They fit like they were made just for me - Cinderella complex much? so I just know they will be a big hit for a certain gold loving girl this coming Christmas. The yarn, by the way, is our Super wash Sock Yarn in the 'Gold Dust Woman' colorway. I'm in love with all kinds of hand-dyed sock yarns but for a pattern like this one, there was no contest - a good semi-solid did the trick.

I couldn't let my poor sock project bag sit alone and empty too long and the November mystery sock for the SKA Sockdown features mosaic knitting so I was instantly hooked. Since I had the honor of taking Barbara Walker's mosaic knitting class at Sock Summit, I've been meaning to knit some mosaic socks but just haven't gotten around to it yet so this KAL was just the inspiration I needed. I coupled two of my Super wash Sock Yarn colorways - "Chai" and "Emerald Lake" and I love the colorplay that is resulting. I'm all done with this clue and desperately wanting the next one to come out.

Here's my handsome boy as the day comes to a close. He finds the camera silly and fascinating. I walk out to the porch and he immediately comes over to say hello....until the flash, at which point he turns and walks the other way - shaking his mane and tail to let me know just how silly he thinks I am - LOL.

LOST AT SEA....

That's kind of how the last few months have been going - just tossing back and forth with the waves, thinking you spot a bit of land ahead and paddling like mad only to discover you've still got a way to go - LOL. I've been meaning to surface and breath for a while but keep putting it off because I have just too much neat stuff to show you. So, I'm biting the bullet. Conquering the beast, so to speak. Jumping in head first - tackling all the stuff I've been holding off on posting thinking, "I can't blog today, I need more time so I can show them (insert name of billionty things I wanted to show you here) - here we go....

There was the annual fun at one of our favorite events, the Common Ground Fair. It was a great year - Saturday boasting gorgeous sunny weather and lots of interesting things to captivate the interest of just about everyone in the family. I, of course, headed straight over to the fleece tent. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking - she has a whole herd of sheep - what on earth does she go to the fleece tent for? Well, I do have my reasons. Hmmmm.....let me think....uh...well, it usually starts as a trek out of the booth to go to the 'ladies' room....which happens to be past the fleece tent so there's virtually NO WAY to avoid the tent other than walking around it on the outside and thereby never seeing the yummy stuffs inside. I mean, that would just be crazy! Also, it was that there was this seductive voice (which I later found was hidden in this bag of prize winning gorgeous buttery yummy crimpy beyond imagination and utterly luscious merino fleece) that just made me need to be there. I completely lost control and bought it right away. In my defense, did you notice that gorgeous clean crimpy goodness? Well, if you couldn't see it, let's move that pile of ribbons out of the way so you can really pet it's buttery sweetness with your eyes....see? You know you would have done it, too - LOL.

After that, there was much craziness about the farm and some shop stuff and some spinning and knitting and - oh - I can't believe I didn't tell you that I got to take an afternoon class at a LYS with LUCY NEATBY. Yeah! A class on trims and bobbles and little whats-its that you can put on your knitting to make it look just as crazy as you are. What a perfect concept for me, non? There was some colorwork and trims. This one is a poor student - totally unblocked and shoved into the bottom of my knitting back, which it didn't deserve but I will blame that on the cruel lack of coffee I'd had that day. We finished the class with many laughs and this little trick - holey knitting! I cannot tell you how tickled I get with holey knitting. I mean, it's got the batman and robin thing all over it and being a child of the 70's, I am totally willing to giggle about that alone. Then, it's got the whole 'conquering conformity and fear and freeing your inner rebel' aspect to it. You know, what do you learn to fear above all else when you first learn to knit? Those darned holes that just seem to be determined to pop up in your first sweater in a very unflattering spot, or in the hat you made that keeps you warm except for that one tiny hole over your ear that lets a draft through and makes you crazy. Or, gasp, the sock that has so many of your lovely stitches poured into it only to have a silly hole in the gusset or something. Oh, woe! Do we learn to shiver at the mention of holes. Lucy, as you may well already know, it all about breaking up the fear monster and letting the knitting happen in spite of the conventional wisdom that says, 'this is the way it's done'. Holey knitting, I think I totally like it!

I'm sure I'm leaving too many things out but that is what happens when you put something off thinking you'll do it better if you wait until the 'perfect' moment to do it just right. Boy, oh boy am I hearing that message loud and clear in my world right now - how about you? There has been some knitting, though. I finished this lovely little shawl last week. It's a simple garter stitch heart shaped shawl - my own creation and a totally 'organic' knit meaning I was too lazy to write down the recipe so - sighs - I guess I'll have to make it again:) It's so hard to be me.... The garter stitch section is from my handspun gypsy batts and the lacey bottom is from handspun roving in the Marie Laveau colorway. It was a beautiful shawl and I loved it much but it came off the needles in curious coincidence with a time that was utterly painful and devastating in someone else's life so I took that as a sign that they were really made for each other. I'm hoping it's bringing her some comfort through the storms.

So, how have you been?

Then there's the spinning......

I learned a long time ago that trying to mask my feelings was tricky business. I'm just one of those people that, well, you can pretty much tell what I'm thinking or, more aptly, when I'm not (which is slightly more common). My expressions just tend to pin-point EXACTLY how I'm reacting on the inside and reflect them on the outside. It's no big deal, really, as I also tend not to be a person who cares to hide my feelings/thoughts/ideas anyway but, one does have to admit that there are advantages to not having certain people in certain instances know exactly what you are thinking at that certain moment. That's where my unmasked all the time problem really gets me. LOL. But, I am getting better at some control over it - only there's always the spinning.

Spinning, for me, is like breathing. It is the thing I do to feel better regardless of where I am on that spectrum to begin with. Already thrilled to pieces? Spin. You will hit an orgasmic level of happy fumes that will keep you smiling much longer than otherwise. See here, just look at this yarn, for instance. You can tell that this spin brought me MUCH joy. The Gold Dust Woman on the right is about 320 yds of sport wgt bliss in a 3.2 oz skein and the Titania on the left is a 300 yd, also sport wgt. pillow of merino/corrie/cotswold cross bliss with silk and happy stuffs all crammed in there. Woot. That's some glass running over with happy right there!

Not so thrilled but feeling like you'd maybe tear yourself into a 1,000 pieces and scream like a wild beast? Spinning calms me right down when I might otherwise be thrown into some raving/raging pool of unhappiness. It gives me quiet, peaceful moments to reflect on things, come to terms with the things I cannot influence with my super-human (or not, heh!) powers, and gain a fresh perspective/tactic on how to move forward to a better solution. Purple is always good for that - a color that makes you feel strong and at peace with yourself and all that's going on around you. For a darker mood, there's the black. This was a blend of my Araucana/Phoenix rovings - so it resulted in this oober decadent black/red/green shiny stuff that feels pillow soft and makes me want to give it a boyfriend name and keep it next to me forever. I suspect the huscreature would complain but, meh, he'd probably get over it.

How about just down right blue and feeling exhausted from being exhausted and wanting to crawl into your bed and sleep but you have kids/jobs/life that means you cannot sleep just now so you find a way to squeeze in a few moments at the wheel when you should be unpacking and spin a while? Ahhhhh.....I understand that, I think. For that, you may have to go hunting for something really warm and spicy to simmer the cockles of your heart and get you smiling again. Well, that and a cup of coffee couldn't hurt, either. Chocolate, of course, it a complete given. This Red Dirt Girl will surely do the trick. We had this roving in the shop two updates ago and it quickly found loving homes. Red Dirt Girl is all about warm, spicy red and russets dancing with each other over a sparkle here and there and just feeling really good. These two worsted wgt skeins weigh (combined) about 5 ozs and total 390 yds. of 2 ply farm-grown loveliness that almost smells like a warm cup of chai.

Or, if you're just spinning to spin because you've got the laundry going, dinner cooking and the kids are keeping you from the computer with barred fangs and drool dripping from their lips because they are in the middle of something SO IMPORTANT and you have the audacity to want to use the computer so you decide, instead, to sneak off and get some spinning fun done - any ole color will do. Something peaceful and graceful and demure like these sparkly fairy dust skeins from the roving we had in the shop a month or so ago. I blended some of them with one strand of plain white fiber to tone down their sparkle and left the two in the rear in their true Fairy Dust state to sparkle the night away. There's about 750 yds. there.

So, clearly, despite my attempts to disguise the fact that moving a farm, settling in family and critters whilst still preparing for shows and keeping the food on the table, and preparing for winter MAY have had a little 'push' factor to my stress buttons, the spinning doth give me away! This is about 10 days worth of spinning and it is also, curiously, my explanation as to why the living room is still decorated with brown cardboard box tables. I mean, can you blame me? What would you do - unpack or spin?

It didn't help that Ms. Boogie sent out her Spunky Club offering of 'Beach Day' just before I left for Sock Summit. I couldn't wait to touch it so I spun it up the night before I left but never did get around to plying it. The other day, determined to unpack and make my living room look like a real room, I started emptying boxes and, somehow, I must have known I would do something so crazy and, therefore, when packing I prepared a 'surprise' in the box of the kids' games, school supplies, etc. of the two 'Beach Day' bobbins. Yaw-hoooo! I squealed and headed off to the wheel to ply them directly. I mean, look at that blend of merino/bamboo/shiny stuffs of beauty! Can you blame me? 250 yards of worsted wgt oozy puffy yarn later, I am thinking mitts for me for the coming fall. Shut up, I know that Fall is really almost already here (especially for those of us up in the wilds of Maine) but please don't tell me that until next week when I've finished picking the cucumbers, canning tomatoes, helping with the Fall shearing (dang, there's that f-word again), and am completely caught up on the laundry, have mopped the floor, and have at least swiped the unclaimed but folded laundry off of the couch. Why is it that when they want a shirt clean - they can walk around guilting you out FOR DAYS that they didn't have their 'lucky' shirt on their big day but when you wash EVERYTHING in the hamper, they will inevitably leave a stack here and there of clothes that they 'claim' are not theirs? Is it some sort of mind game that I just don't get or am I really starting to be haunted by shirts and mis-matched socks?

Now, I know this is going to surprise you but, ahem, in addition to the aforementioned stress relieving spinning - there was a jaunt of retail therapy to sooth the jangled nerves a bit. I fell into my cart over at the Loopy Ewe and I'm so glad I snatched this cutey bag from 3AM Enchantments up when I saw it because it was out of stock the next day. Look at those sweet sheep! I grabbed a few more Hiya Hiya needles, too - but the bag was my happy place for sure. Keri of 3AM Enchantments is a skilled woman who does real magic with her sewing machine. Seriously. The bags are sturdy, beautiful, and expertly constructed. I couldn't resist balling up some of my 'Gold Dust Woman' sock yarn (the 90/10 superwash sock)and casting on some Lindsey socks RIGHT AWAY to welcome the new bag. They are very happy together, as you see....little sheeps bounding all over my project bag just make me squeal, 'tooo cuuuute'!

And, with Fall comes the cold, hard knowledge that the holiday season will soon be upon me. Every year, I make some foolish resolution that I will not gift knit for anyone out of obligation. I tell myself that my knitting is my own and I work on what I like. Until about Dec. 1. Then, I am consumed with guilt that fuels near round-the-clock gift knitting that is doomed to be late at best and likely despised by the time I finish it. So, in breaking that tradition, I am accepting that the notion of gift knitting WILL come over me and trying to embrace it sooner than later and get a head start on it. So, I put this handspun yarn from our 'Tiny Dancer' batts to good use and made it into a simple hat.

Other than that, I've just been sitting around (LOL)...if you can call starting 25 lbs. of cabbage fermenting into kraut, making the daikon radishes in the garden into some yummy kimchee, and canning 2 cases of tomatoes sitting around. Coffee, anyone? Oh god, the dryer buzzer just went off - like it was an answer to that question (insert creepy Halloween music here). The dryer and I are going to have a cup of coffee together - please join us - snork.

The Reality Lobe

I know there's much truth and brilliance in the whole study of the brain but I swear mine is wired a little differently. Read this to mean that I am aware that I am a total nut case and have no real desire/ability to change it. LOL. I think I have a 'sub-section' of the frontal lobe. You know, that's where your ability to do futile things like reasoning, problem solving, planning goes on. It is safe to say that my frontal lobe is on overload - needs new wiring, and may be shooting sparks and puffing thick clouds of black smoke out of it as we speak. I may have missed employing the frontal lobe when planning the last month. Let's see, a cross-country trek with oodles of yarn in tow for a week (aka: Sock Summit), a move of both farm and family (for which I conveniently forgot would include silly, trivial things, really, like PACKING AND UNPACKING). Dang, is that why there are big brown boxes still adorning every room in the house? And, I surely thought I had more power than I really do if I thought I could do both of those things whilst preparing for two more shows, being in the thick of garden canning, and keeping the shop, farm, schooling, and home life reasonably running. Oh, and laundry - because the beast doesn't slow down just because you're running around looking like a deer in the headlights.

It's like that lobe just gets overloaded but never really realizes that is happening. It has no alarm system and sends a message, "Houston, you are taking on too much and are waking up in the middle of the night panicking about all that you forgot to do yesterday and making notes on your bedside table about them for tomorrow - there may be a problem and, alas, it could have a solution!" No, this doesn't happen. And, when the wiring is overloaded, I just keep filling the 'to-do' baskets with a blissful ignorance to the probability factor - how much more CAN you do?

All the while, there is this hidden part of the lobe that is 'storing up' data to confront me with on the day(s) wherein the wiring issue becomes patently clear. Oh, I hate those days. They come on like normal days (thank the powers that be that ALL days begin with coffee or I think maybe I'd just crawl into a cave somewhere and whimper myself to death) but the reality lobe is slowly building juice to cause the most spectacular fireworks show as each and every wire outlet blows. Again, I bow humbly to those who make sure there is coffee in the world. Cream and sugar for those moments, even though I usually take it strong and black - life has to have rewards and simple pleasures, you know?

Among the scattered ruins of the 'plans' and 'ideas' and 'realities', still smoldering from the great appearance of the reality lobe, I do manage to find, again, the things that make me smile, put a little song in my soul, and wipe the memory clean ASAP so I'll have the ignorance+courage+tenacity to go at it all again:) Reality isn't so bad ALL THE TIME. Like this week. I failed miserably at the 'to do' list BUT, I also assumed that meant there was insufficient knitting. Not so. There was this pair of socks that I forgot to show you last week - knit from a new colorway I called 'Red Letter Year'.

You might remember that Thing 1 and I went to see this awesome lady in concert for her (Thing 1's) birthday this year. The show? Errr, it was only TOTALLY AWESOME. But this song, in particular, just about made me scream, laugh, cry, and yell, "Yeah!" over and over again. Okay, I did yell over and over again but, really, can you blame me? So, on the way home from the concert (yes it was dark and yes I was driving but the reality lobe is drained of power right now so - whut?) I slapped some post it notes on the dashboard and started scribbling down the colorway touches to 'Red Letter Year'. Something bold, something that doesn't apologize but humbling acknowledges that life is full of episodes wherein one finds one is 'f....ing up', and something that says that's okay as long as you learn from it, do better next time, and keep some love in your heart all the while.

Then there's this sock in progress project that got a great big happy face and scratch off the 'on-the-needles' list this week. A collaboration of two EKF colorways: Meditation and Johny Jump Ups with a simple quilt stitch worked in on the rows where the color changes. It was super easy - mostly stockinette stitch, and the happy play of stripes and dark purples against light, springy joy just thrilled me beyond what I'm willing to describe or discuss in public. It's the little things, really, that sometimes breathe the magic fairy dust of forgetting the reality lobe explosions and get you back up and running again.

Now, should I finish the two sweaters on the needles or cast on another sock project? Hmmmmm.....reaches for the reality lobe switch with an evil grin and shuts it right off.....

All in a Day's Work....

Yesterday I finally got around to the peaches that we got through a local coop - woot! Gorgeous fresh picked peaches - yeah! We are, of course, eating peach everything at the moment. Peaches on yogurt, peach cobbler, peaches just for the heck of it, you know - just peachy all the way around. So, to say we've 'stolen' some peaches from the boxes is a mild understatement (who would tell the truth, really?) But, from the 1.5 bushels I've processed so far, I made 15 jars of peach jam. Yuuuuuum! I just follow the recipe on the sure jell/ball pectin packet. Too many times, I've tried no sugar, low sugar jam approaches and wound up with syrup so I just suck it up and pour the sugar in, moderation being my approach of the moment. I mean, there is alot of sugar in a batch of jam but - how much do you actually eat at a time?

I still have another 1/2 bushel of peaches to go so I'm guessing I'll get another dozen jams made today which will total 27 jars. That may sound like alot but, when spread over the year and accounting for the jars I will 'gift' whenever the mood strikes me - not so much. Since the berries on the old homestead (feels so weird to say that) are sparse at best this year - we likely won't have any blackberry jam so peach will be the jam of our year. If I gift 5-7 jars, that leaves us 1.5 jars a month. That would be fine except the huscreature is a biscuit eating machine and he still weighs 5 lbs. less than when he graduated high school so his logic tells him it's perfectly okay to have lots of butter and jam dripping off of the biscuit. I sear, I smell his breakfast and I gain five pounds. It just isn't fair, I tell you.

The chutney is my favorite. It goes well on anything you want to roast in the oven like potatoes, fish, chicken, etc. It tastes divine on a good steak with some fresh baked bread or, you can marinated some tofu in it and then saute it with the chutney for a sort of blackened, spicy tofu addition to your meal. Very versatile, lots of flavor - that's my way of cooking so we get along just fine. This recipe will make about 5 quart jars of chutney. My canner can hold 6 but I find they are easier to manage when I only put 5 jars in there:

* As note of interest - and because I am a total freak and like to figure this stuff out - 3-4 moderately sized peaches, when skinned and pitted and chopped, equal about 2 cups of peaches. Yes, I counted. Over and over, and the average was consistent within a 1/4 cup margin. I told you, FREAK!



16 cups of peeled, cubed and slightly smashed peaches
1 tbsp of the following: garam masala, cardamon pods, pickling spices
1 teaspoon of the following: pepper flakes, cumin, vanilla extract,cinnamon
Pinch of: ground clove, nutmeg
4.5 cups of sugar
4 cups of apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp fresh minced ginger and garlic
1 onion, chopped fine
fresh cilantro to taste
1 fresh Serrano pepper, diced fine

Cook together on med to high heat, stirring regularly until some of the liquid has evaporated (about 1/2 hour). No need to evaporate ALL of the liquid as the canning process will 'gel' the sugar and peaches somewhat. If you really only like a chutney that is thick and well evaporated, by all means, do so but you will likely only get 3-4 jars from this recipe. Once reduced, pour into sterilized canning jars and water bath them for 35 minutes. They taste great right from the start but, after a few weeks, their flavor really blends together in the jar and it is awesome! Throw your meat/tofu/edamame beans or protein of choice into some and spread it on some rice and you have a one dish meal that is out of this world.

* Second note of interest - I am a glutton for tongue punishment so I always triple the garlic and ginger in mine. Of course, that would make a dinner date with this stuff problematic if your desired attendee is sensitive to garlic breath. Try chewing on some fennel seeds after your meal if this is the case - it will abolish the garlic smell and still allow you to revel in garlic heaven:)

To peel peaches without cursing:

This is a super easy process. Boil some water in a large sauce pot. Drop peaches in until the pot is nearly full but all the peaches can roll around comfortably. Boil for a few minutes - remove them and dramatically (or not but I like to have fun so I make a show of it) plunge them into some cold water in your sink. When you pull them out, the skins slip right off easy peasey. Then, cut them up and remove the pits and they are ready for the canning process:)