Knitting Archives - Parkrose Permaculture

Tea and a Visitor

One of my kids’ favorite rituals is afternoon tea. We used to have a high tea on Thursdays, but as the kids have grown and their needs have changed, we’ve shifted to having a casual afternoon tea any day of the week they want to sit down and have it.

George inevitably wants to have tea every day, whether or not his siblings want to. He loves getting out the china and his favorite mint tea and feeling very grown up.

With our tea, we had the last of the Seckel pears from our tree, and the first of the medlars (well, I enjoyed them. George wasn’t so keen. He did like the pears – I don’t think anyone can resist a pear whose taste matches its nickname,”sugar pear”.)

While George enjoyed his tea, Hal got some snuggle time with our favorite houseguest: Annabelle the Pionus parrot. She is the most sweet-tempered, gentle parrot I’ve ever known (and I’ve known a lot of parrots). She has such a calm demeanor and likes hanging out with the kids, although she seems to prefer Hal to everyone else – which is a good thing, because he absolutely adores her.

One thing I really enjoy about tea-time is that I can sit and knit while George and I chit-chat. Today I finished a remnant hat while we were hanging out. I seem to have lots of small balls of various greys and yellows in worsted weight and have made a few hats with grey and yellow stripes – I really like the combination. I’ve now worked through all my grey odds and ends and George has asked me to make him a cotton hat with red in it, so that’s next on the list for knitting projects. (I also have a shawl on the needles, but I usually like a mindless, easy project to fall back on at the same time, and hats or socks always fit that bill.)

I’ll be back tomorrow for Ginny’s Yarn Along.

Cassis Shawlette

The Cassis Shawlette is off the needles and blocked. I made a few alterations to the pattern and am extremely pleased with the results.

The yarn is Malabrigo laceweight I purchased on clearance ages ago and can’t remember the colorway. It knits up very nicely, and I love the fuzzy halo and loft in the finished piece. The yarn is extremely soft and great to work with. I used about 3/4 of one skein for the shawlette and may make some baby booties with the remnants.

Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along today, where we share what we’re knitting and reading. This weekend I’ll be reffing a men’s derby tournament in Eugene, so today I’m trying to get caught up on house chores and snuggle time with the kids. I haven’t had much time to read, except for an hour before the kids got up this morning. I read a little further in Robert Harrison’s Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition.

Looking forward to catching up on everyone else’s posts in the Yarn Along when I get back Sunday night.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A Morning Indoors

Hal is at ReWild’s Nature Immersion program on Fridays. It’s the highlight of his week. He gets to run around outside all day, learn primitive skills, and engage in loads of imaginative play with his friends. He comes home tired, filthy, and very, very happy.

It’s not just a benefit for him: In a house with lots of kids, sending just one kid off for the day has lots of perks. It not only provides him with adventure apart from his siblings, but it also reduces the conflict, mess, noise, etc in the house by a significant portion. And considering that resolving sibling conflict normally comprises the bulk of my “parenting” lately, Friday is a day I’ve been looking forward to, as well. I get so much accomplished on Fridays, all while having a quiet, peaceful morning.

I got a loaf of sesame-spelt bread baked early this morning. It has 2 cups of unbleached flour, and 1 cup of spelt, so it takes longer to rise, but it gets some loft eventually. It is much less dense than an all-spelt bread, with the nutty flavor of the spelt still coming through.

While the bread was rising, I worked on a pair of top-down mix-n-match socks I started ages ago. I’m down to the toe on the last sock, and then I can block them! (Joining Ginny’s Yarn Along. These are 100% wool yarn my sister-in-law gave me some time ago. They’re leftovers from another project she did, so I’m not sure of the brand.)

While I’m knitting this morning, George has been alternating between working on a puzzle and playing with items on the nature shelf. He loves to look at the agates and limpet shells we collected at the beach last month, and added some hazelnuts from the backyard.

It seems that everywhere you look in the kitchen, there are medlars strewn about. The kids and I keep bringing them in as they fall from the tree. They need to sit on the counter for a few weeks to soften and be edible. I can’t wait to eat them: they taste intensely of autumn to me. (See my new video about growing and eating medlars here.)

This weekend is packed with derby. I’m officiating four bouts, in three days, as well as a few scrimmages. But next weekend I’m taking the weekend off to work on fall garden clean-up and transition some of the front yard garden from annuals to perennials. The plan is to add two new pawpaw trees, another pomegranate, and a “Nikita’s Gift” persimmon amongst the shrubs and herbaceous perennials I established the last two years. Finding derby-life balance is hard for me, especially as autumn in the garden is still a busy time, but I’m looking forward to a crazy derby weekend starting today and a permaculture weekend next weekend.

Off the needles…pale blues.

Thrifted yarn and easy patterns = two finished shawlettes.

I think this yarn is alpaca. It’s two shades done in stripes to get enough to make a shawlette. The knitting is easy, mindless, meditative.

This yarn is a wool/alpaca blend. Simple feather n fan style shawlette. Wish there had been more to make a larger shawl. I’m just about done with a larger autumnal shawl in worsted brown and purple with a feather n fan border, and will post pics when I get it finished (maybe next week?)

This one is a birthday present for my mom next week (Shh! Don’t tell!). I used to dislike feather n fan patterns and favor more delicate, intricate lacework. But with four busy kids, and needing to put my work down frequently, I have learned to appreciate a simple, predictable pattern.

I’ll be in Salem tomorrow reffing a derby bout, but will be back Sunday with a new recipe.

Blessings on your weekend!

Snow Day Knitting

Joining Small Things for the Yarn Along today. We’ve had what my eldest calls “knitting weather” the last few days – it’s been icy, and you just want to hide under a blanket and knit, knit, knit.

The last few days we’ve had snow, followed by ice and more ice which made the roads undriveable. The kids initially did a lot of sledding and playing outside until the falling snow turned to ice and everything became a dangerously slippery mess.

The backyard garden isn’t much to look at, but I put out some seed for the birds and within minutes a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos had landed to fill their bellies.

The chickens hid inside their coop most of the day, but the ducks seemed to really enjoy the snow. Even when the weather turned to freezing rain and their feathers were coated in ice, they stayed outside, looking contented.

Much like the chickens, I spent the bulk of my time staying out of the weather. Afterall, it was “knitting weather”.

I finished knitting a few pairs of mitts, women’s S/M for my Etsy Store.

At the cuff, they will get needle-felted designs, but I’m still working out exactly how I’ll decorate them. If you have suggestions, I’d love to hear them!

Back tomorrow with more crafting from winter break.

Hats and History Lessons

Joining Small Things this morning for her Yarn Along. I’ve been knitting up a storm in preparation for craft bazaars later in the month, but took a break from those projects to make a little hat, on request, for Bea. I have an abundance of odds and ends of grey wool, and she requested a grey hat with a sunshine on it, so it seemed like a perfect chance to use up those little balls of wool.

Bea is very interested in pre-Civil War history and instead of reading while I knitted and needle-felted her hat, we watched The Abolitionists on American Experience’s website.

I finished the hat before the end of the documentary, so for the last part of it, I put labels on the latest batch of salves and lip balm. I reformulated the salves a bit to make them more shelf-stable in cold weather, updated the labels, and can’t wait to get them packaged for the upcoming craft bazaars at The Portland Village School and Bee Thinking.

For now, it’s back to finishing knitting projects for the bazaars, spreading mulch in the garden, and thinking ahead to the menu for Thanksgiving.

October handwork

It has been a long time since I’ve joined The Yarn Along, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy knitting. The children slept in this morning, and I made some progress on fingerless mitts (the WIP ones are for Bea’s upcoming 11th birthday. I will needle-felt designs on them when I’m finished.

The Yarn Along is about what we’re knitting and reading. I’m not currently reading any novels (because lately I’m up typing book chapters late at night while the kids are in bed, instead of reading), but a whole bag full of books we ordered just came in at the library. George is fascinated with camping and bison, so we have several books about both right now.

When Hal finished his Explode The Code lesson, the boys worked on polishing play kitchen utensils with our homemade beeswax-orange oil wood polish while I read to them.

Just like his mama, sometimes it is hard for Hal to sit still and focus on one activity unless his hands are occupied with a task. He does not know how to knit yet, and simple handwork projects like this one appeal to him.

I hope you have a restful and regenerative weekend.

Autumn Gifts

I’ve been busy the last few days making things for loved ones. I have lots more to share, but am behind on uploading and editing photos. So, for now, a few pictures of the gifts We’ve been making this week.

Above: A little indoor fairy garden as an early birthday present for Bea, who maintains the fairy garden outside in the yard, and is always sad to see it go dormant over the winter. Now she’ll have her own little garden to tend to right in the windowsill.

I have an abundance of beets, and my dad really loves beet salad. George helped me make him this one with candied nuts, bleu cheese, and a balsamic dressing.

Lastly, I finished and blocked a shawl for a friend who is going through a difficult time right now. It’s a prayer shawl, made in 100% Brown Sheep wool.

More soon. Hope your weekend is filled with good things.

Eve of Autumn

Today we said goodbye to summer and anticipate the impending arrival of autumn. It has been warm and sunny during the day, but the crispness of fall has definitely made itself felt in the air.

We’ve been pulling out pants (only to discover George has outgrown every pair that fit this spring) and mittens and vests and rain jackets. The kitchen has been really chilly in the mornings, and it gives me an excuse to bake: I’ve made bread two days in a row, and have plans to get up before the children to bake banana bread for breakfast tomorrow.

Speaking of mornings, The Hudson’s Golden Gem apples are ready right in time to welcome in fall. I’ve been eating one off the tree every morning with my coffee, and Ruth and George have been enjoying them with dinner.

The young tree sits right outside our front door, planted in a polyculture with rhubarb, comfrey, clove currant, Egyptian walking onions, blood sorrel, rosemary, English lavender, bearded iris, calendula, and Oregon iris. Around the perimeter – in an area amended with pine needles – are highbush blueberry and lowbush blueberry and red currant. This weekend I also added a Haku Botan pomegranate – prized for being very dwarf, cold hardy, and producing double-ruffled white flowers which set into white fruit.

If you need another apple to add to the family garden, the Hudson’s Golden Gem is an excellent choice. The fruit is yellow and heavily russeted – nothing much to look at. But the flesh is creamy white, and very crisp, but with an exceptionally buttery quality – not grainy or gritty or mealy at all. The flavor is a good balance of sweet and acid with undertones of butter and hazelnuts. It’s an apple that children and adults can both enjoy very much.

To mark the shift of seasons, we had mint tea this afternoon and burnt a little myrrh in the hour or so before dinner. In studying ancient Egypt, the children had become interested in what myrrh actually smelled like (we’d burned frankincense at Christmas before). I had to order a few things from Mountain Rose Herbs, and included myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) and sweet myrrh (Commiphora opoponax), which have markedly different scents. They arrived in plenty of time to test them out today.

You can’t simply light myrrh unless you want it to smell, well, burnt. (It’s like the difference between a great cup of coffee and a scorched cup that’s sat in the pot with the burner on – they’re both coffee, but one is the right way to appreciate it, and the other is a waste of coffee.) Instead (a video tutorial is here), light a disc of charcoal, place it in salt or sand, sprinkle it with more salt (to form a buffer layer between the charcoal and the myrrh), and then place a very small piece of resin on top. It will slowly melt and darken, trailing up a wisp of intensely fragrant smoke as it does so. Two tiny half-pea sized pieces were enough to fill the whole house with the soothing aroma.

While the kids drank their tea and made dragons before dinner, I finished a few pairs of children’s’ mitts. I’m working on stocking up handmade goods to open a little Etsy store before Thanksgiving. Something about the chill in the air, the winding down of the garden, the early-setting-sun that makes fiber-folk want to knit and spin in earnest. So the turn of the season seems like a good time to get things finished up and get that Etsy store open.

Hope to be back later in the week with some of our unschooly activities and setting the fall Nature Table.

Blessings on your family as you settle into the rhythms of the new season.

January Sunshine

Joining Ginny’s Yarn Along today with some sunny yellow sock knitting. Â In the short, grey days of January, I often find myself picking bright, cheery yarn with which to knit. Â It adds a little sunshine to the day.

The yarn is my old standby – Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted mill end secondsÂ – an 85% wool, 15% mohair yarn which is very durable and felts nicely while you wear it – making it ideal for socks and mittensÂ and soakers. Â The colorway isÂ Prairie Goldenrod, and I bought several skeins a while back because I knew it would be good for many kinds of projects.

The kids and I have enjoyed thumbing through this book together. Â We missed our annual October camping trip because I was still recovering from my broken ankle and not able to hike. Â We are contemplating a spring camping/backpacking trip, so camping books keep coming home with us from the library.

While I work on the socks (an easy pattern on size 5’s for thick, warm socks), and the kids built with Legos, we watched this documentary on caribou. Â The kids and I have been on a bit of an Alaska/Yukon kick for a while, and we’d love to take a family trip there someday. Â I backpacked around Alaska when I was 16, but no one else in the family has been, and I’d love to show them the Tongass rainforest, the Mendenhall Glacier and climb Mt. Marathon again. Â But most of all, I’d like go birdwatching and salmon fishing with the kids. Â Maybe someday, but for now we enjoy reading books and watching documentaries on the subject and are content.

More soon, including late-winter gardening (Yes, there IS gardening to be done in January!).

Winter White Knitting

As is the Wednesday ritual: linking up with Ginny’s Yarn Along and the KCCO.

The past few days, I’ve been re-readingÂ The Ultimate Guide to Homesteading, and pouring over the plans inÂ Build Your Own Barrel Oven.

A barrel oven seems like a very, very cool project for an outdoor oven, but after reading the construction details and seeing how one operates, I think we will stick with our original plan to build a simple cob wood-fired bread oven next summer.

I finished a little wool soaker for a friend having a baby. Â It made for a nice break from the Christmas knitting projects, and baby garments are my favorite thing to knit.

The winter-white wool yarn is from the thrift store, so I don’t know the brand. Â I suspect it has a little mohair in it, and it is quite soft and warm.

More soon: Â this afternoon the kids and I are making pfeffernusse cookies and I hope to share our recipe later in the week.

Christmastide Yarn Along

I’ve been enjoying this bookÂ in the quiet of the early morning. Â The prayers and passages are perfect for that time of day, while I knit a few rounds of a simple pattern and contemplate the season in which we are immersed. Â

The simple knitting that has kept my hands occupied while my mind is engaged with the reflections of Christmastide has been a pair of uncomplicated red mitts.Â Â The mitts above are a pattern I have enjoyed making many times before. Â These are for a gift exchange, and will get gussied up with a bit of needle-felting before they are delivered to their recipient.

Red always seems like a good color for mittens. Â My favorite mittens as a kid were a pair of red wool ones my grandmother knit long before I was born. Â She ran out of wool before completing the last thumb, so it is a different shade – I always loved the quirkiness of that turkey red thumb against the vermillion of the rest.

The children continue to read and re-read the large stack of library books piled up in the sunroom. Â Hal, age 6, has really enjoyedÂ An Orange for Frankie. Â The pictures are lovely, and the story is one he likes to hear over and over.

We picked up two big bags of satsumas this week, and I’ve kept a bowl of them out on the table for the kids to enjoy whenever they wish – it has already been refilled a few times.

After readingÂ And Orange for Frankie, Hal and I read up on the tradition of giving citrus at the holidays – something we have in such abundance was once a cherished luxury. Â St. Nicholas brings the children each a stocking on Christmas morning, and always leaves a tangerine in the toe – in Christmases past, it would have been the most treasured part, discovered last in the end of the stocking.

We were sure to really pause and savor the satsumas we snacked on as we read An Orange for Frankie one more time. Â Hal also asked if we could makeÂ candied orange peels again – something we haven’t done in a long time. Â I think that sounds like a very good idea.

Joining Ginny for the weekly Yarn Along, and also Frontier Dreams’ KCCO.

Grey Stripes and Good Books

Slowly, slowly, we are beginning to decorate for Christmas. Â Advent candles and readings at dinner…working with Grandpa on a new homemadeÂ Advent SpiralÂ (because we currently use a little birthday ring from my preschool years in Germany)…Christmas toys appearing in corners of the house where the boys are sure to find and play with them.

…and Christmas knitting continues in earnest. Â George is growing like a weed and needs new hats. Â While watching a documentary or two late at night, I knit up a little stocking cap for him (no pattern, just wingin’ it). Â It is a study in grey, using leftoverÂ Kilcarra of DonegalÂ tweedy yarn, andÂ Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride WorstedÂ I’ve had in my yarn dresser for years. Â George is really into wolves at the moment, and I am deliberating adding some ears to the top of the hat.

In order to get library books in time for the correct season, I place holds on them 3 or 4 weeks ahead of time. We discovered years ago that if we wait to visit the library for books right when we need them, they will all be checked out. Â Ordering well in advance is very important not only for seasonal books, but also to make sure we get homeschooling resources in a timely manner – and we have a home educator’s library card so we can place a hold on 40 items at a time.

This week, more than 20 winter books came in for us, and we have been pouring through them. Â Right now, most are Arctic and winterÂ nature books,andÂ Waldorf-y books, but a whole stack of Christmas/Nativity-themed holds should be in at the library later this week. Â With the darkness descending by 4:30 in the afternoon, we have plenty of quiet time to read through every book we’ve checked out.

Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along today.

Early Nights and Elf Cowls

Although I’m originally an Air Force brat, and have lived all over, the Pacific Northwest has been my home for over a decade. Â I cannot imagine living anywhere else. Â There is so much to fall in love with here, especially for folks like us, who are undeterred by rain and love the outdoors. Â There is one aspect of life in Portland that is rough for us: Â the 4:30PM sunset this time of year. It is always a struggle to keep occupied and productive in those long dark evening hours.

The last few evenings, we have enjoyed watchingÂ Tales from the Green Valley on YouTube. Â It is a BBC show in which archaeologists and historians recreate a year on a farm in 1620. Â While we watched, I’ve finished a little project: Â This is the Little Green Elf CowlÂ pattern, using leftover Berroco Lustra (a wool/Tencel blend) given to me by a friend. Â I have been thinking of knitting a few for Christmas gifts, but wanted to test-knit it first. Â This pattern was a fun, easy, and satisfying. Â I like the finished result – different than the average cowl pattern with its edging of diamonds.Â I ended up only doing 12 repeats of the edging – not 14 as the pattern calls for – and still found it plenty loose. Â Despite picking up fewer stitches for the top portion, it was almost too loose for my liking, and if I make another, the top will be done in smaller needles, or perhaps with fewer stitches. This time, I did a traditional bind-off, but it isn’t elastic enough, so next time I will use a shawl bind-off.

Joining the Yarn Along, and KCCO today.

Archangel

The forecast for today is miserable – snow, freezing rain. Â In anticipation, we finished winterizing the garden and got the garlic crop planted and mulched (weeks and weeks later than normal). Â The duck house and chicken coop have been mucked and loads of fresh straw added, since the birds are not yet acclimated to the cold weather just now coming our way. Â With the outdoor chores done, we can keep to the house knowing everything is taken care of outside.

I got a pot of white bean soup going first thing so I wouldn’t have to worry about dinner this afternoon. Â As usual – no recipe, just using up what we have: to the soaked beans, we added 2 ham hocks, a finely chopped sauteed onion, 6 cloves of fermented garlic, La Ratte fingerling potatoes Â (above) and Nantes carrots dug from the garden on Monday, andÂ Fordhook GiantÂ Swiss Chard plucked this morning (and cut up very finely so the kids will eat it).

I also threw in a handful of finely chopped golden raisins – they melt into the broth and add not only vitamins, but a subtle sweetness that complements the salty ham and adds complexity to the dish. Â Later, Ruth will start a pot of brown rice and we’ll call that good for dinner. Â Simple, nourishing, and perfect for a snowy day.

While the kids are making a Lego explosion all over the living room, we’re finishing our book on CD and I’m hoping to cast on this beauty (a lace-weight adaptation of this pattern). Â It’s been a long time since I’ve knit a shawl for myself, and I am already ahead on my Christmas knitting (thanks to all the time off my feet with that broken ankle), so I thought a small project just for myself might be okay. Â The yarn is Malabrigo Lace, in the colorway Archangel –Â found on deep clearance online (with free shipping!). Â Fingers crossed it will be finished in time to wear for Thanksgiving dinner.

Little Mitts – Free Pattern

Â As promised, I’ve written up my very simple pattern for children’s fingerless mitts to share with you. Â But more on that later in this post. Â First, Ginny’s Yarn AlongÂ and the KCCO:

Â The children and I are re-listening toÂ Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Â Hard to believe it’s been four years since the last time we listened to it. Â We are all enjoying it just as much as the first time. Bea got a new whittling book for her birthday, and we have been reading through it together. Â Her grandparents also got her leather finger guards, and we have ordered a set of special carving knives to go along with her whittling knife. She loves whittling like I love knitting – it is good to see her find some handwork she really enjoys.

In between more complicated pieces, I like simple knitting projects to give my hands and mind a break. Â I just finished two shawls and needed a simple knit to fill the void.

Here in the rainy Pacific Northwest, traditional mittens aren’t always the most practical – they get they get soaked and muddy. Â The children wear their fingerless loves much more frequently. Â This year they’ve all asked for new pairs for Christmas, so it was time to get knitting.

I love knitting these because it takes two hours to make a set – so a quick knit during busy gift-knitting season. Â And using up odds and ends of yarn from previous projects is always a bonus. Â Here’s the pattern:

Simple Mitts for Little Hands:

Materials:

Yarn: Worsted or heavy-worsted weight yarn (such as Manos del Uruguay Maxima , or Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted). You can get three or more pairs from one ball.

Needles: Size 7 or 8 US double-pointed needles.

Gauge: Not crucial. Fits ages 1-3 (ages 4-7).

Make Two:

CO 26 (28) sts. ÂJoin in round.

Work in K1,P1 rib for 16 (18) rounds

K around for 2 (3) rounds.

Work thumb as follows:

R1: K1fb, K1fb, K around

R2, 4, and 6: K around

R3: K1fb, K2, K1fb, K around

R5: K1fb, K4, K1fb

R 7: K1fb, K6, K1fb

Small size – R8: BO 8 sts, K around.

(Larger size: R8: K around

R9: K1fb, K8, K1fb

R10: BO 10 sts, K around.)

Knit 6(8) rounds. BO Loosely. Weave in ends.

The pattern on Ravelry.

Little Mitts, Little Hands

Strep throat and a chest cold swept through the family this week, so we have done little else besides snuggle and attempt to get well. Â New “Triple Crown” thornless blackberries are waiting to be planted in the garden, the grapes and raspberries need to be pruned back for the winter. Â However, nearly every item on this week’s “to-do” list this week has been abandoned in favor of long waits – for throat cultures at the urgent care, and antibiotics at the pharmacy.

I cannot sit still without some handwork to keep me occupied. Â All of the waiting for medical appointments and snuggling with sleeping feverish children has afforded ample time to knit. Â And knit, and knit. Â I worked up a new, very simple children’s fingerless mitt pattern (the children always request mittens or some such for Christmas). Â They are a quick knit – taking only about two hours to complete, and a great use of leftover worsted-weight yarn.

A few images from our week, although there isn’t much:

On this morning’s trudge down to the chicken run to feed the poultry, I was struck by the beauty of the half-pruned Concord grapes on the chicken coop. Â We lack the showy maple trees of the Midwest, but the grapes never fail to bring some autumn color to the garden.

When George has felt like playing this week, he has been rediscovering the block basket. Â In the early morning, when the other children are still asleep, he asks if he can go play blocks.

These mitts will be a Christmas gift for George – he loves anything TARDIS blue, and a friend gave me some incredibly soft Manos del Uruguay yarn, which knit up beautifully.

I think the kinks are ironed out, and will share the finished pattern (in toddler/preschool and elementary sizes) in time for next week’sÂ Yarn Along. Â Be sure to check back this weekend for more from the garden, and next Wednesday for the fingerless mitt pattern.

Yarn Along: Annis

Joining Ginny’s Yarn Along this week.

Knitting: I’m finishing up the Annis ShawlÂ in Brown Sheep Nature Spun fingering weight yarn. Â The yarn was purchased several years ago on clearance, but I had never found the Â right pattern for it until I recently came across “Annis” on Ravelry.

Reading: Just finished re-readingÂ How To Make A Forest Garden by Patrick Whitefield. Â Every time I thumb through it, I glean something new to apply to our landscape.

On a whim I snaggedÂ On Such a Full Sea,Â by Chang-Rae Lee from the library “Best Picks” shelf. Â It is a Dystopian post-apocalyptic novel, and while I am only two chapters in, I must say that the writing is light years better than other novels I have read lately from the same genre. Â The prose is absolutely gorgeous – rich and vivid, and yet not in any way combersome. Â Not surprising, considering Lee has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

The rain today is dreadful, so much of the day was dedicated to play and craft projects in the living room, reading and mathematics, and all the sibling squabbles that come from being confined indoors.

Wishing you a peaceful rest of the week.

Hop Blossoms and Dragonfly Wings

A few pictures from the last two days:

The boys helped me pick hops this afternoon, which we will dry for tea. Â Usually, we pick them for brewing beer, but I’m told a few blossoms steeped in hot water with a little honey makes a very soothing bedtime tea, so we are going to try it this winter.

Baking sesame-oat and shredded-wheat spelt breads yesterday so the kids could have a snack before derby scrimmage.

My ankle swells very quickly, and I spent a lot of time with my foot propped up, reading to the children and knitting Christmas presents. Â Dragonfly WingsÂ is off the needles, but still needs to be blocked. Â I enjoyed this pattern very much – it was easy and quick to knit. Â Looking forward to see how it blocks up.

Before the weather gets too cold and the comfrey dies back, I have begun collecting the leaves to dry, in order to make a batch of comfrey-rosemary salve.

More soon, including a recipe for the comfrey salve.

Snowy Yarn Along

George peered out the window this morning and asked, “Where all my snow go?” Â Winter’s brief visit has ended, leaving us a landscape of sodden ground and emerging daffodils.

While we were snowed in for four brief days, I baked – and my voracious mob of children consumed – four loaves of bread, endless desserts, and two 9×13 dishes of oatmeal applesauce cake. Â The original gluten-free recipe can be found here, but due the flurry of baking and our inability to get to a grocery, I was forced to rework the recipe around the contents of my pantry. Â The resulting changes yielded a moist, chewy, delicious dessert as good or better than the original, so I thought I would share the altered recipe here:

Make-Do Oatmeal Applesauce Snack Cake

In a small sauce pan, combine:

1 C whole milk

1 1/2 C applesauceÂ

1 heaping C rolled oats (NOT steel-cut)

Cook together on med-low heat, until oats are cooked thoroughly. Â Allow to cool to room temp.

While the oat mixture cooks, use a stand mixer with paddle attachment to cream:

1/4 C unsalted butter

1/4 C hazelnut oil (or other mild-flavored oil)

3/4 C sugar (I used natural unrefined sugar)

1/4 C maple syrup

1 C dark brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

AddÂ 2 large eggs (I used duck eggs), one at a time, and beating thoroughly between each addition.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients:

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C spelt flour (you can use an additional 1/2 C whole wheat if you don’t have spelt flour)

2 tbsp flaxseed meal

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

pinch of clove

With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Â Fold in cooled applesauce mixture. Â Pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish, sprinkle with natural sugar. Â Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out relatively clean. Â Cake will be moist and gooey. Â

In the midst of cabin fever, worked on lots of craft projects. Â Between outings in the snow, I accomplished a fair amount of knitting, while the kids went through a ream of construction paper. Â The living room was strewn with paper snippets, duct tape, crayons, stickers, and creative energy. Â Ruth was cranking out Valentine’s, Bea built a blue paper TARDIS, and Hal and George created a giant stack of doodles.

Sandra’s SlouchyÂ Beret (above) was a fast, easy project – perfect for knitting while watching Dr. Who with the family. Â It is made from scraps of yarn, and completed in a few hours. Â The beret is currently blocking (a necessary step), and I’ve already cast on another quick-knit.

Sharing with Ginny’s Yarn Along today. Â I hope to be back before the weekend with some gardening posts, as we redesign some beds, add perennials, and begin seed starting for the 2014 garden year!!

Midwinter Sunshine

Off the needles: Â A simple pair of mitts for a gift exchange, to which I added a little needle-felted embellishment.

Ruth painted a cheery sun on the card and we sewed a drawstring gift bag to round out the gift, and packaged it up. Â It was sent it on its way across the country, where it will bring a fellow Grinnellian some Christmas cheer.

To bring our own family a bit of sunshine in midwinter, a batch of sunny bright marmalade was in order. Â I was planning on plain old orange, but when I managed to get my hands on a bowl full of calamondins this week, I knew they were destined for marmalade perfection. Â Calamondins are petite, seedy and extremely sour citrus. Â However, jam connoisseurs (like Bea, who absolutely relishes marmalade) consider marmalade made with these little oranges to be the finest around.

Calamondins have a slightly smoky, musky – almost black currant – undertone that lends a subtle complexity to the finished jam. Â The peel melts in as it cooks, providing texture and flavor, without any detracting chunkiness or bitterness. Â If you are lucky enough to be able to source calamondins, the flavor is well worth the extra effort of seeding and slicing dozens of miniature oranges. Â If not, you can substitute satsuma tangerines for sweeter finished product, or Meyer lemons for an extra tart marmalade. Â Here is my recipe:

Calamondin Marmalade for Bea

Calamondins (see substitutions above), halved, seeded, and sliced paper thin, to equal 3 cups of pulp + peel (about 40 fruits)

2 1/4 cups water (or 3/4 cup water for every cup of citrus pulp)

White sugar

Directions:

-In a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pan, combine pulp and water. Â On medium heat, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Â Remove from heat and allow to cool. Â (You can do this the night before and refrigerate it.)

-Prep all your canning equipment. Â Bring hot water bath canner full of water up to a boil. Â Sterilize jars, heat lids and rings.

-Measure pulp. Â It should equal 4 cups (give or take). Â In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine sugar and pulp in a 1:1 ratio (add 1 cup of white sugar for every cup of pulp). Â Bring to a boil, and cook until jelly point (22oF) is reached. Â (Alternately, you use the spoon methodÂ to determine when the jam is finished.).

-Citrus is high in pectin, so be careful not to overcook, or you will have unpleasant sheets of rubbery pectin in the finished product. Â Remove jam from the heat, and stir once a minute for four minutes (this distributes the peel, so it does not all float to the top of each jar). Â After four to five minutes, the jam can be jarred up.

-Pour marmalade into hot sterilized jars, add lids and secure rings. Â Process 1/2 pints in a hot water bath canner for five minutes.

And to bring a little cheer to your midwinter as we turn back to the sun, a few lines from one of our favorite books of poetry -Â A Visit To William Blake’s InnÂ by Nancy Willard – and its delightful Marmalade Man:

The man in the marmalade hat
bustled through all the rooms,
and calling for dusters and brooms
he trundled the guests from their beds,
badgers and hedgehogs and moles.
Winter is over, my loves, he said.
Come away from your hollows and holes.

December Afternoon

Knitting a few rows on some Toasty mitts ,

Daily checks on fermenting veggies. Â Jalapeno Purple kraut all finished and getting jarred up for gifts. Â Plain sauerkraut coming along nicely. Â It will be ready to serve with Christmas dinner. (The weight goes back on top when I’m done checking, so all cabbage is submerged below the brine.)

Vying for space in front of the heater vent to thaw frozen fingers and toes,

Enjoying the ever-rotating display of Christmas decorations the children arrange and rearrange as they play with them.

Back tomorrow with a recipe for the coming Solstice, and some more knitted gifts.

Permie Book + New Socks

Taking a break from a busy day to quickly join the Yarn Along. Â I have a penchant forÂ permaculture books, and something about reading up on landscape design and permaculture theory just pairs well with knitting. Â This morning IÂ finishedÂ The Resilient Farm and HomesteadÂ while casting on a pair of socks.

The book is well-written and not-t00-technical. Â It is geared toward those folks with property, and/or those new to the ideas of resilience and permaculture homesteading. Â Â While I may not have enough land for sheep and goats and a duck pond, the book still had a lot to offer, and it was nice to day dream while reading through it.

Here is the cuff of what will be stripey socks in beige, plum and dove grey, cast-on with 5s for a quick knit. Â I snagged a bag of Lamb’s Pride worsted at a garage sale last weekend. Â I couldn’t resist when it was such a good deal, and folks like me (with chilly feet!) can never have enough pairs of thick wool socks in the winter.

I’ve been cooking up lots of good things in the kitchen, and will be back tomorrow with one of my favorite summer recipes.

As always, looking forward to reading up on the other knitters in the Yarn Along later tonight while kiddos are in bed (and I crank out a few more inches on these socks.)

Rejoining the Yarn Along

A little early morning, bleary-eyed knitting with my early-riser.

He was up long before his siblings, so we snuggled in bed as he sifted through a jar of buttons (one of his favorite past-times), and I chugged coffee and finished a few inches on this little project:

Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along this morning, and Nicole for her KCCO. Â I am in-between books at the moment, but have been a tad-bit obsessed with watching Wrapunzel’s tutorials while I knit.

Looking forward to visiting the other knitters in the Yarn Along after the kids are in bed tonight.

Yarn Along for a New Year

Glad to be joining Ginny this morning, as she restarts her Yarn Along for 2013.

Today is our first day back to homeschooling after winter break. This year, in an attempt to better meet our children’s educational and emotional needs, we’ve made some changes to the way we “do homeschool”.Â From the outside, I think most observers would still label us “unschoolers”, and sometimes I would agree, but sometimes we need some more structure.Â That is the beauty of educating at home – styles, focus, areas of interest, can all ebb and flow in order to best facilitate joyful and natural learning.Â

A friend, who is having a similar journey with unschooling/homeschooling, connected us Melissa’s blog- Here in the Bonny Glen.Â Her concept of “Tidal Homeschooling” describes where we are at, and what works for our family.

I rose early this morning, long before the three big kids.Â Sitting in the front room, drinking my coffee and thumbing through books, I am trying to finish a pair of fingerless mitts for Ruth, who turns ten tomorrow.Â She specially requested them (she has a raspberry colored pair she has nearly worn out).

George woke a few minutes after me, and has been reading library books along with me, and gleefully scattering his granola…

Well, off to get a pot of oatmeal going before the three other children wake, and then tend to the poultry chores in the absolutely frigid weather.Â Then, after breakfast, we have a busy day of science experiments and math puzzles lined up.Â Looking forward to reading the other knitter’s in the Yarn Along while Geroge naps and the big kids listen to a book on CD this afternoon.