Spinning Sister

With my knitting progressing at a snail's pace, and my true knitting mojo yet to return, I figured I'd showcase Naomi's spinning. She has really come a long way, and learned quite a bit. Her little wheel, bought a few years back from a friend of mine's mother for a song, has no brand name but is quite a workhorse.

This year, at Maryland Sheep and Wool, she actually bought some roving. Beautiful, light blue Merino. She finished spinning up the 8 ounce bag the other night.

It's so squishy soft. She is making it into a two ply and I can't wait to knit something for her with it! Something next to skin for sure. It is too soft to use for just anything.

We also picked up our CSA shipment yesterday. It seems like when we hit late summer and early fall, the deliveries get huge. Yesterday was no exception. My refrigerator is now bursting!

So as not to post without a cute puppy picture, here is Ace sporting his new goggles. He's ready to swim now!

Happy Happy

Finally! Some knitting progress to show!! The Noro stripey socks have reached the halfway point.

So far so good. This comes up to about 1" below the back of my knee. I have not done the ribbing yet as I'd like to see how much yarn I have left after it's mate is knit. I think I have enough yarn for a few inches of ribbing, but if not, I'd like to make both ribbings match in a contrasting yarn. The skein had a bit more purple in it than I had planned. I actually took out one entire repeat of purple as both balls came to purple at the same time. When purples collide!

The garden has really been blooming lately. Things are ripening at a blistering pace. Last night, I finally picked my cauliflower. I can't believe I grew it!

It's good sized too - bigger than a normal grocery store head. The three little tomatoes came off a plant that I had given up for dead. When I checked on it last night, it still looked pretty pitiful - only a few leaves at the top and a bit "floppy". But, these beautiful tomatoes were hanging off their vine! There are also some new baby tomatoes forming as well. I'm not sure how this plant is doing it, but obviously it is a fighter!

The tomatoes on my other plants are just getting bigger and bigger. All of these I grew from seed. Cherry and pear tomato seeds. Yeah right. Something got mixed up somewhere.

This plant is covered with tomatoes all this size or larger. I have another out in the garden that has pretty much taken over and is ginormous. It too is covered with huge tomatoes. So much for minis this year!

The brussel sprouts are also doing well. These are in the container with the above tomatoes, but I have another few 'sprout plants down in the garden and they are a bit further along. I have read they taste better and not to harvest them until after a frost, so they still have a while to go.

I'm actually thinking I may not need the CSA next year! The containers have worked out much better than I ever could have imagined, and I can fit a few more on the deck and even a few on the stairs leading down to the yard. After seeing how well everything is doing, I'm already formulating my seed list for next year!

We did pick up our CSA delivery on Tuesday and it was huge.

I'm thrilled we got more blueberries, and the corn is super sweet. I still have some stuff from last week that I need to eat, so I'm glad that everything seems to last a week or two (maybe because it is picked the day we get it and is local).

With the long weekend coming up, Tucker and I are off to our traditional three day Labor Day weekend trial in Granby, Massachusetts. We've been doing it every year since I started agility, and it is pretty much my favorite trial site. It has huge fields for playing frisbee or ball, and hiking trails with ponds for swimming. I'm hoping that being at home this weekend will bode better for our success at the trial!

So Close

Weaving in the ends on the Phyllo pullover! I really can't believe it's this close to done. I do have a few rounds more on the neck, but I'm trying to figure out how many extra rounds to do so it will be a "normal" neck and not a boatneck. I tried it on and the neck is really wide, so I'd like to do a few more decrease rounds and tighten it up a bit. I do love the fit though. I'm weaving in the ends now because I got majorly tangled in them when I tried it on. With not knowing how many decrease rounds I'll need, there will be lots of on and off in the near future and I don't want to have to deal with all those ends. I did find one boo-boo in the chart, but I think I can duplicate stitch a fix for it.

Summer is in full swing and the garden is really taking off. The tomatoes are starting to fill up the plants - I've been running around every night watering and staking to keep them from flopping on the ground with the weight of the fruit. The Roma plant has the most so far.

I hope they all don't ripen at once - it would be nice to savor them over time. I did pick my first one the other night though, along with a few other things that needed picking. My first little harvest!

And a colorful one at that. Jalepenos, Snap peas (the last of them - they didn't do well this year) a beautiful orange tomato as well as the Roma and a Hansel Eggplant. I fully admit I bought this variety of eggplant because of the name - all I could think of was Owen Wilson in Zoolander. I giggle every time I look at the plant. It is quite the producer though. There are about 10 or so more eggplants in various sizes all over the plant.

My happiest find this week in the garden? My Brussel Sprouts are actually sprouting! You can see them in the crook of every leaf at the base. Pretty exciting in my little garden world!

We also picked up our CSA delivery this week. More blueberries!

I used a couple of the scallions already, and man they were strong. I have never had any that onion-y before. I plan on making more crispy kale also, but in smaller batches - it doesn't store at all.

It's almost Friday, thank goodness!

Gray Days

It's been a strange week. It started out blazingly hot and extremely humid. The temperatures have now cooled down a bit, but it has been raining for the past few days. Nice for the garden, no so nice for everything else. I'm expecting the grass to grow about ten feet and the garden to explode the minute the sun comes out. We've been getting some great thunderstorms too - those really seem to make everything grow faster too. Luckily, none of the dogs have issues with thunderstorms. They all sleep through them.

Week five of the CSA delivered some great things.

I'm really excited about the corn. Picked fresh that day, I have an ear with me for lunch today. Also some of the yellow beans. I admit I've never tried them before - I've always had just plain green beans. The zucchini is humongous! I think I can probably get three zucchini breads out of it! (I know what I'm doing this weekend!)

My knitting has progressed also, but it looks pretty much the same. I'm accomplishing about 4 rounds a night on the Phyllo pullover. Halfway through the chart now. Slowly but surely! The mitten is also just about done. One or maybe two lunch sessions should finish it up. So, no new pictures of those. I do have some yarny pictures though.

My sister's handspun! She bought this alpaca a few years back at the Maryland festival. It was pretty inexpensive as the staple was pretty short and it wasn't labeled as the best for handspinning. She did it though and managed to spin up quite a few singles on bobbins. She just started plying it last week and it looks wonderful!

Now we just need to figure out what to make with it. She hasn't finished plying yet, and this skein is barely a dent in the singles she has. This skein alone has about 200 yards!

What would a post be without some doggie shots. Ace's new favorite thing is frisbee. He's getting really good at catching.

Veggies!

Week three of our CSA and the supply of organic, local veggies continues.

(click through for more)

More Rainbow Chard, Cabbage, Summer Squash, Japanese Cabbage, Zucchini in several varieties (heirloom and Eight Ball), parsley and basil (fresh pesto tonight!), carrots and lettuce. Not shown is the quart of blueberries we got. They have been frozen for consumption when I don't have 13 pounds of them in the fridge.

The most unusual item - a pair of Siamese Twin summer squash.

They must have been a bit close together when they started growing!

I've already used up the Japanese Cabbage in a modification of this amazing, delicious salad. I pretty much used the dressing recipe and the salad part was whatever I had in the fridge. Yum. I also added some sprouts that I grew myself (thanks Sarah!!) - more on that later.

Mitten #1 is just about done, and work on the yoke of the Phyllo pullover continues.....

A Bit O'The Green

Actually, a lot of green! CSA delivery #2!

(click through for all the particulars)

Tons of green goodies this week. A HUGE bunch of basil (we used some last night), more lettuce and some great scallions. Rumor is, next week carrots and blueberries!

With all the zucchini and summer squash we've been getting, I've been trying to look for some new ways to use it. This week, we made grilled vegetable soft tacos. They were pretty tasty!

A bit of shredded cheddar along with Portobello mushrooms and some grilled red onions - I could eat pounds of squash! The grilling really brings out the flavor. I also tossed them in olive oil and tons of fresh cilantro before grilling.

The garden is really taking off. Pretty much everything has flowers on it!

Everything from Brussel Sprouts to Snap Peas. I planted a few new things this year - cauliflower and brussel sprouts! They are doing really well.

The broccoli too, has really taken off.

Seems like the thunderstorms we've had over the past few nights have really helped! My biggest surprise though, is all the container gardens on the deck.

I have three pots like this, brimming full of plants with tons of flowers on them. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs and even more brussel sprouts inhabit them. I wasn't sure if they'd like being packed in there like that, but they seem to enjoy the company!

My biggest triumph, however, is this little guy.

A pepper! I grew this plant from seed. Of all the pepper plants I have, this one in the upside down soda bottle is doing the best. Biggest leaves, most flowers and it has three more teeny tiny peppers forming already. Next year, everyone is going in soda bottles! For some reason I have never been able to get a pepper to bear fruit for me before. I was skeptical this year also. But, I took a chance on the soda bottle thing and it's working like a charm! I'm not sure if is the insulative properties of it - making a mini-greenhouse for the plant, or what, but it is doing much better and is much bigger than the pepper plants from the same batch planted in a pot right next to the hanging bottles. Eventually these should be red sweet peppers. I can't wait!

Like I said - I have actually been knitting. I took the mitten out of hibernation and began the colorwork portion. I'm really liking it!

The colors are nice together, and provide a great subtle contrast. Both yarns (Cherry Tree Hill and Tess) are great to work with, per usual for them. I do love my colorwork!

Colorful Bounty

I know - two posts in two days! Don't fall off your chair! We picked up our CSA delivery for this week, and the colors and variety are just amazing!

(click through for all the details)

I now have two HUGE bunches of cilantro. It is one of my favorite fresh herbs, so I'm going to see what I can find for recipes. The lettuce is abundant along with Kale and Chard. This time, we got Rainbow Chard - isn't it pretty?

It's amazing nature can produce colors like that! With all the greens that we get, steaming with some lemon juice and garlic is getting a bit old. I'm looking for some new ways to use Kale, Collards, Chard, Mustard Greens - all of them. I never really ate them growing up, so there are no "family favorites". Just what I can google and pick up from some food blogs. Please share if you have some good recipes!

On the knitting front, the Spring Forward sock is through the gusset and onto the foot. One minor problem. I don't think it's going to fit my sister. It barely fits me! The leg is fine, but the instep is a bit tight. I may have to knit her another pair and find a recipient with small feet! I'm going to see her this weekend, so I'll have her try it on so far. Her feet are 2 sizes smaller than mine, so just maybe......

Our Fridge Runneth Over

We got our first CSA delivery this week. All organic, grown locally. A great resource to find one, or any type of local produce and products is Local Harvest - just punch in your zip code and all your local options appear!

Lots of goodies this week including strawberries. There is just something about fresh, local strawberries. The flavor is unlike anything you can get in a store! They are intense!

(click through to get all the details)

To supplement the CSA, I planted bunches of other veggies in the garden that we didn't really get last year. Despite the less than ideal amount of sun per day, the tomatoes seem to be doing well.

The second picture is of the Roma tomatoes. One of my favorite kinds. I'm hopeful we will be overrun with giant red orbs soon!

The hanging plants also seem to be enjoying their upside down growing. Both the pepper and tomato (I grew this one from seed so it's a bit behind the others) are getting big and ready to flower soon.

Believe it or not, I have also been knitting! The Phyllo Yoked pullover is now ready to start the lace section. Doing only four rounds of stockinette seemed quick and easy, but with 300+ stitches per round, it goes mighty slow. Plus, I have not had much quality time with the couch lately. Between the garden, training Ace and the new favorite nighttime activity I have hardly sat down at night. The sock, however, has seen some nice progress due to lunch hour knitting.

I really love how this is knitting up. A very nice texture and the wavy pattern is great! With only a few yarn overs per repeat, it is not overly lacey either. The yarn is wonderful stuff. A wool/bamboo/nylon blend, it can be a tad splitty, but it is worth it. The color is beautiful and I love just looking at it when I knit.

Tucker, Ace and I are off to New York this weekend. It should be fun - Ace will get to meet his Aunt Misty (his dad Razz's sister) and cousin Knight (Misty's son). Knight is also the son of Ravin the red dog I trained a year or so ago. It will be like a family reunion!

New Horizions

It's hard to believe the puppies will be five weeks old on Sunday! They are eating real dog food now and not nursing hardly at all (mom likes that!). Their play is getting more rambunctious and rough and they are getting a lot more mobile! Since the weather has been so beautiful, we have been taking them outside for playtime.

They love it. They play with the grass, roll around and seem to really enjoy themselves. It's hard to believe in a few short weeks they will be off to their new homes all over the country!

I managed to cast off the front of the Hoodie last night. I decided on a v-neck finish that splits out from the center of the cable pattern. I think it will look pretty good. I may have to do a single crochet edge to finish it up and smooth out the edging, but I'm going to see how it looks all put together. Now on to the hood! I just started my 11th ball of yarn, and still have 9 left. There are some 1/2 balls hanging off sleeves and the back, so I have more than enough. This yarn was a complete steal when I got it at Webs. It was at the tent sale last year and I only paid around $2/ball plus the discount at the end. Not bad!

The second Turret sock progresses slowly but surely. It is my work knitting, so when I get a lunch break I head outside to knit on it. Unfortunately, I have only had a couple of opportunities this week.

I did manage to score a great find and add another book to my collection.

After seeing it on Aija's blog, I called the store where she got it and it was sold out - "We sold the last one the other day!". Sigh. She always gets to them before me! Anyway, I did some 'net hunting and found the book at cover price on Amazon.uk. Even with shipping and the exchange rate, it was no comparison to the used prices! Score!

Fall is supposed to be on it's way, though the forecast is for the low 80's this weekend! We got our second to last CSA delivery this week.

It has been a great experience. Lots of veggies I would never buy on my own, and so many that we could never eat all we got in one week! Next week I guess will be a double order for the final one, so the fridge should be packed to the gills! I'm not looking forward to winter when the produce prices go through the roof and the quality goes way down. I have been managing to stick to my new eating habits though. Even going to a birthday dinner with friends or to the grocery store, it has been very hard to resist all the goodies out there, but I have done it and feel great! The no dairy part has been the hardest. Cheese is my passion. A few ounces a week is all I do right now at the most. Organic Cheddar. Mmmm....

Bountiful Harvest (yes, and puppies!)

Our weekly CSA delivery has just been getting better and better as the season progresses.

They have been keeping me well supplied with salad greens since early June. I have been able to take a HUGE salad to work every day and have never run out. The nice surprises this week - Pattypan Squash and peaches! It is really helping me to eat right when our fridge is busting full of good things.

I finished up both arms on Licorice Whip last night. I have about 3 yards of yarn left. Now, I'm just anxiously awaiting my rescue package from Lolly and have been secretly praying the color will match. There is only about 2" left to do on the body and it is DONE! It will feel really good to finish up a sweater. Getting me geared up for fall. Not that I really have any fall sweater stash to knit from. I have some cotton/linen and some DK weight angora mix, but that is about it. I guess this will push me to finish the Street Smart Hoodie. Yarn will also be found when I frog a past project. Banff was my first sweater. Knit in Tahki Soho Bulky Tweed it is big, itchy and really warm. (see photo evidence here) I am planning on ripping it, but I'm not sure if I even want to make something new out of it. Whatever it is would have to be able to have something worn under it (this is not next to skin yarn!). Any good suggestions?

OK - so what you really came for....

You Asked For It

More puppy pictures! It was great to read all the comments. I think (dare I say) puppies may be more popular than knitting! (I'd have to do some major blog re-vamping!)The little ones are now a day and a half old as of Monday evening when the pictures were taken, and are plumping up. Deuce is doing a great job keeping them clean and well fed.

They are a bunch of little miracles! It's amazing that even only hours old, each had it's own little personality already - the bossy one, the shy one, the always hungry one...

As promised yesterday - knitting!

Naomi's sock (I so need a better name) is about 10 rows into the colorwork. This is going to be a while - the repeat is a whopping 60 rows so I'm just doing one for the leg. Each row takes a while as no repeats means no memorization! It is fun to be doing colorwork again. I did miss it. The colors are working nicely together so far. They do remind me of another pair of socks I made not to long ago. Huh. Note to self - branch out the color choices! I'm not sure if I should have done a column of plain colored stitches between the two colorwork panels (the repeat is 40 stitches wide, I'm doing two repeats). I kind of like all the colorwork mushing together at the sides. The repeat should be invisible on one side where the two repeats meet, and I will make the messy jog side the inside anyway. So far so good, but a long way to go.

Licorice whip is now past the waist and I ended the current ball of yarn I was on. I plan on doing the sleeves next and seeing what yarn I have left. I ended up never increasing back out for the hips. Ashley finished hers so it's spurring me on to get mine done. I decreased down to where I wanted it at the waist and just went straight. The fit seems pretty good. For the sleeves I plan on looking back at the notes on my Houglass Sweater - currently my best fitting shaped sweater.

We also got our weekly CSA delivery yesterday. I just barely finished last weeks supply (eating a lot and giving some away) in time.

Luckily I also started a new diet last week. I have cut out all processed foods, sugars, beef, pork, starches and starchy veggies for now. A cleansing. My body needs it! I was not kind to it this summer, and it deserves to be treated better. A week has passed and I feel really good. All the veggies I have been eating have been organic, I have not eaten anything with anything artificial or that has any kind of preservatives. We only get one body. I'm trying to do it right!