What I've been knitting, part 1

So you may be wondering what's been on my needles these last few months. I've been lucky enough to knit some samples for some of my favourite knitterly peeps.

First up, two pieces for Brooklyn Tweed's latest collection: BT Men.

Quay is a beautiful cabled scarf designed by Jared Flood.

The other sample I made was Fort, a great everyday pullover also designed by Jared.

You can read more about this classic sweater and what inspired the design here.

The rest of the Men's collection is just as gorgeous. My husband is eyeing Redford, and I would love to sink my teeth into a version of Timberline for me, making it a bit longer for a perfect forest-rambling sweater.

(As always, thank you to Brooklyn Tweed for giving me this wonderful opportunity, as well as letting me use their gorgeous photos.)

When in Rome

Oh my, is it August already? The last few months have been a blur. I certainly didn't mean to be away from blogland this long. I've missed you!

This has been a lovely summer. We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary by taking a romantic trip to Rome. We rented an apartment for 3 weeks and basically did as the Romans do!

Super-sized wonders

The streets of Trastevere, where we stayed

The room where John Keats spent the last months of his life, near the Spanish Steps

Jasmine grows everywhere, filling the air with a heavenly scent

Our quiet street, in Trastevere

Roman funerary inscriptions outside Santa Maria in Trastevere

The cafe where I had my morning cappuccino

Dwarfed by a massive bougainvillea

Evening in beautiful Trastevere

It's hard not to fall in love with Rome, especially when you really have the time to settle in and go beyond the obvious tourist attractions. Of course we did all the touristy things too, and they were amazing (the Pantheon and the Vatican museum being the highlights for me), but what was even better was rambling with no plans, letting serendipity be our guide.

The light!

More dramatic skies

The Pantheon

Angels everywhere

Eating like kings (or should I say Emperors)

I could definitely live here.

Making a wish

Legend has it that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi fountain, you will come back to Rome. Let's hope it works!!! Arrivederci bella Roma!

Primavera

This weekend I put flowers in every corner of the house.

The smell is so intoxicating.















I'm enchanted by this spring.

A new little shawl to ward the cool evening air off my shoulders.

More spring leaves

 

A few of you wanted to know what that bright yellow knit on my couch was. It's the Woodland Shawl started many many moons ago. The stunning yarn is Malabrigo Lace in Frank Ochre (swoon) gifted to me by wonderful Heather. I had seen this gorgeous version and wanted one exactly like it. I'm trying to finish it in time for a fabulous escape my husband and I will be taking this summer. I can't wait to tell you more....

Have a good week!

Spring leaves

Happy Spring! Doesn't it feel good to feel warm sunshine and smell that tender green spring smell?

I recently went on a plant walk with Amber Westfall, a gifted teacher who specializes in foraging wild edible foods. I highly recommend her walks and workshops if you're in the Ottawa area. Did you know that a surprising number of wonderful foodstuff is available on your doorstep? We visited a local urban park and unearthed many edible goodies, such as garlic mustard, maple blossoms and stinging nettle.



It inspired me to hunt down my own wild edibles. I found a huge patch of nettles just off of one of my favourite bike paths. And both garlic mustard (which I have been battling for years, as it's an invasive weed) and maple are right in my backyard.

Harvesting mindfully, I gathered enough nettles to make a wonderful spring tonic soup. Nettles are extremely nutritious and have many medicinal uses. Of course, gloves are a very good idea when harvesting nettles!



Spring nettle soup
4-6 cups of tender spring nettles
2 onions, chopped
6 cups of broth (I especially love using nourishing bone broth)
4-6 potatoes, cubed
6 cloves of garlic, minced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

Sauté the onion and garlic in a generous glug of olive oil. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and nettles. Lower heat to a low simmer. Cook till the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and finish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice.

I also pulled up some garlic mustard from my flower beds and made a yummy pesto:



Garlic mustard pesto
Large bunch of tender spring garlic mustard
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts*
1/2 cup of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in your food processor or blender and mix till it gets creamy and lush.

* You can easily substitute with more economical nuts or seeds, but I do love the rich creamy taste of pine nuts here. Just be sure that your pine nuts are not from China, or else you could get an unpleasant case of pine mouth. I speak from experience here. Not fun!



It's so nourishing to eat seasonally and locally.



Makes me very excited for what's to come:  raspberries, wild strawberries, wild roses to make this cake, burdock roots, black walnuts, crab apples....

I've been reading a wonderful book on growing, foraging and cooking wild foods. Whole Larder Love is a beautiful book with tons of wonderful recipes.



Food for the body and soul. Have a wonderful, wild weekend!

Handmade clothes

It's really satisfying making your own clothes. I love the way my new sweater and dress turned out.

Tova dress, by Jenny Gordy, in Liberty Tana Lawn in the "Kitty Grace" pattern
Stranger cardigan, designed by Michiyo, in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, in Fossil

Wouldn't it be dreamy to create an entire handmade wardrobe? I don't think I'd have time to pull that off, but I'm definitely going to make more!

(Thank you  for the sweet comments about my interview with Vibeke. I so enjoyed doing it. Also, I wanted to give a shout-out to Megan, I totally remember you and your lovely blog! I often wondered about you. Glad to hear you still knit! xoxo)

To keep you warm

Are things snowy in your part of the world? Here, we're in the midst of a delightful little snowstorm. In case you're looking for something to keep you warm, here are two lovely pieces I knit for the latest winter collection from Brooklyn Tweed:

Altair, by Jared Flood

I think this sweet hat would be a great starter project for someone wanting to try their hand at fair-isle.

Kirkwood, by Julie Hoover

Love the combo of the waffle background and the plump cables on this beautiful scarf.

This weekend I'm:
- Working on another sample, while listening to the majestic new Grizzly Bear record
- Catching up on sleep (had waaaay too much fun in NYC)
- Starting a new book we picked up at the Strand
- Meeting up with some of my best girls to knit and chat
- I'll also try to take some photos of my new cardi, as well as a Tova dress I finished in time for our trip, in some long-hoarded Liberty

What are you up to this weekend? If you have a few minutes to spare, and you'd like to read a little interview with me, head over to Vibeke's gorgeous blog

(as always, thank you to Jared for letting me use his photos)