• September Garden

    I haven’t done a garden update in ages! Things are starting to wind down, but the beans (green, purple and scarlet runner) that we planted in July are coming in really well. Something’s eating the scarlet runner leaves, but otherwise it looks like they’re doing great! I love the tiny beans.

    beans!

    garden september 4

    The tomatoes did moderately well this year. We did get a few big ones, which was really satisfying, and quite a few cherry tomatoes. More are coming, too.

    garden september 4

    garden september 4

    Varieties: ivory pear (they’re more light yellow), riesenstraube, the big ones are Cherokee Purple. The ones on the little plate on the right are still ripening in the window, the ones on the left are ready to eat! The riesenstraubes have a cute little point on the bottom.

    tomatoes!

    The eggplants grew surprisingly well considering the cool summer. We’ve gotten 1 white one and 3 small purple ones so far, with a few more still growing.

    garden september 4

    The chard I planted in with the peppers is still growing, I love the way it looks. I think I might try to grow some indoors this winter.

    chard

    The peppers just don’t stop! I’ve pickled some, and there’ll definitely be enough for another pint.

    garden september 4

    Overall it hasn’t been a particularly awesome nor terrible growing season, though I’m sure all the plants would have liked some more heat. There’s more to learn about gardening every year. I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t really expect yields like someone with a big in-ground garden gets!

  • Wool and the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool

    Wool and the Gang recently wrote me asking if I would like to try and review some of their yarn! I chose Crazy Sexy Wool. This yarn was sent to me for free, but all opinions are my own. I will not receive compensation for links in this review.

    wool and the gang yarn

    wool and the gang yarn

    Crazy Sexy Wool is a Peruvian wool, super bulky, with 87 yards per 200g ball – they’re huge! I rarely knit with such bulky yarns, but they do appeal to me – the chunkiness of the stitches, the thickness of the fabric, the speed! For the curious, this yarn is 5 wpi.

    I’ve decided to knit a simple cushion cover, knit diagonally like a washcloth, on 10mm needles. The yarn is a nicely spun single, which holds together well (no breaking) but it’s a touch splitty on these Denise needles. I’d suggest using a blunter needle if you have them.

    wool and the gang yarn

    The colours I chose are “zoot suit blue” and “sand trooper beige”. The blue is really lovely and rich, and the beige is just the kind of neutral, warm colour I crave in the fall. A fall jacket made from this yarn would be amazing.

    wool and the gang yarn

    Wool and the Gang has a pretty awesome story and mandate, to produce high-quality fashion (both yarns and finished products) that is made sustainably. They have quite a few items that you can choose to buy finished, or instead purchase a kit with everything you need! It’s a great way to get people thinking about where their clothes are coming from, and I think the high-fashion tone of the brand helps reach people who might otherwise think of knitting as stodgy.

    Plus, Natalie works there! Hi Natalie!

    Thanks to Wool and the Gang for giving me the opportunity to try out your yarn! What are you planning to make with bulky yarn this fall?

  • happy yarn

    It’s a grey, oppressively humid day out today for the first day of school. I had a back-to-school anxiety dream where I hadn’t attended a class and didn’t take the final, but it was the only remaining credit I needed to graduate! I haven’t been in school for awhile now, so that wasn’t very pleasant.

    Luckily I have this pretty yarn on my desk to cheer things up.

    pretty gradient yarn

    pretty gradient yarn

    It’s 85% polwarth wool, 15% silk from woolgatherings – and as I was finishing it up, I ordered more fibre! This roving came space-dyed, but I decided to separate out the colours to spin as a single gradient. Then I chain-plied, because I love chain plying! This yarn goes from light pink through peachy pink, fuchsia, purple, navy, and ends up at an ocean-off-the-coast-of-Hawaii turquoise.

    pretty gradient yarn

    It’s a nice big skein, 315 yards of maybe sport weight. I’m thinking of adding a shop page to the website here, where I can put up a few skeins of handspun for sale. I’ll never be a production spinner, but I would love to see some of this yarn I’ve been making go to loving homes!

    Now I’m off to the mall (at least it’s indoors) because I have a wedding to go to this weekend, and the dress I thought I’d wear isn’t really doing it for me. Plus I need a new bag. Maybe shoes. It’s a good excuse, right?