seasons

The air is changing.

It is crisp and has just a whisper of moisture in it.

The days are noticably shorter.

I hear that Pumpkin Spice Lattes will soon return...a marker of the return of autumn, indeed.

I'm not ready to to say "good-bye" to summer just yet...

...almost, but not today.

To the attentive eye,
each movement of the year has it's own beauty,
and in the fame field it beholds, every hour,
a picture which was never seen before
and which shall never be seen again.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Slip Jig pattern design by IrishgirlieKnits for RSC is knit in STR 'rare gem'

monday yellows

Hello, good morning! Did you have a good weekend!? The last week or so were pretty busy at work, so it was nice to hang out at home! It seemed like a pretty full weekend...they always go by too fast, don't they?

Some knitting was accomplished. Remember the Squid socks?

The leg is done, heel flap completed, and the gussets decreased...It's amazing the power of coffee over breakfast...well...maybe two breakfasts and a disc of Mad Men season 3!!

As Summer into Autumn slips
And yet we sooner say
"The Summer" than "the Autumn,"
lest we turn the sun away...
~Emily Dickinson

Squid sock pattern by Nikki Burns in Hazel Knits 'stick o' butter' artisan sock yarn

leaving trails

I hope you're looking forward to a fun and adventure filled weekend! xo

Do not go where the path may lead,
instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

firecracker

Good morning!! That's quite a "sunrise" isn't it?!

Yep...something new. These will be the "my heart beets 4U" socks designed by Anne for the RSC July kit. The yarn is STR light in 'Firecracker', part of the club kit so it's not available just yet.

No beets in the pantry for the photoshoot this week, but I've been walking and picking blackberries the last few nights...much yummier than beets!!

Happy Friday-eve!!

wordless wednesday

just desserts

Mr. NK whipped up some Blueberry Peach cobbler last week!

We used freshly picked blueberries from our lone dwarf bush, which puts out the biggest sweetest fruit ever!

I was inspired here. I even printed out the recipe from Smitten Kitchen,

but alas, Mr. NK beat me to the baking of it. As he's an Alton Brown fan, he ended up using his recipe.

He was the cook, I can't complain!! And it was delish!

I made the whipped cream, which you can tell is similar to my love of a picot edge in its propensity to be photographed!! I added lemon zest, just cause it felt like the right thing to do. Yum.

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
~Craig Claiborne

friday's flowers: a prologue

The summer is ending...I'm a dyed in the wool autumn girl, but even I am not ready for its departure. Sigh.

If you've been reading for awhile, you know that I do a big FF post of images from my mom's garden entitled 'Babette's garden'. This is my favorite post of the year to shoot and to write about, but it I'm not quite ready for the full post, so I thought I'd give you a prologue.

An "appetizer" if you will...

I'm almost done shooting...she has some new things this year, and I want to give them a wee bit more time to ripen...

...I hope you'll hang around for the main course!! It should be served up soon.

In the mean time, happy Friday! I have weekend duty at work, knitting and catching up from a very busy two weeks at work.

What about you? Any fun plans you'd like to share with us?

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! xo

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.
~Hanna Rion

summer savory

I had dubbed this pair of Slip Jig socks 'summer savory' as the color of this STR rare gem yarn just struck me as being summery with its pops of lavender, yet the greens and golds were distinctively herbal...and savory.

So, how appropriate to be able to "accessorize" this post with some savory herbs and baby onions we purchased at the local farmers market!

Again, the picot is taking center stage.

These little onions were the cutest. I'm not sure I'm done playing with them yet. They are too photogenic for words!

I'm about to start the heel flap...but progress photos might have to wait a wee bit until the secret knitting is further along...

I'm not sure what to regale you with next week re: knitting...but I'm sure I can think of something...I better knit up a thinking-cap fast! LOL!! :)

Hey, guess what? It's Friday-eve...I hope you're having a great one!

The true harvest of my life is intangible
a little star dust caught,
a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.
~Henry David Thoreau

Slip Jig pattern design by IrishgirlieKnits for RSC is knit in STR 'rare gem'

wordless wednesday

of berries and picots

It's secret knitting time again. But I'm ready for it, at least for this week I'll have some knitting to show for myself!

The Blackberry Bramble socks are coming along. I finally memorized the pattern so that I can knit on autopilot, which means in the car at stop lights or while "parked" in traffic.

There are so many berries growing all along our walking road right now! And the air smells so good with their sweet scent.

Mr. NK picked some for dessert! Yum!

Back to the socks! I've finished the heel flap, turned the heel and am working on my gusset decreases.
But for me, all the action is at the picot edge! But you knew that already!

I hope Tuesday treats you well!

Nothing is more memorable than a smell.
One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting,
yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains...
~Diane Ackerman

Blackberry Bramble sock pattern by IrishgirlieKnits in STR medium yarn in 'Mist'

chillin' out at chez nk

We're supposed to hit the century mark today...i.e. it's going to be sizzling hot.

What do you do to ward off the heat?

Hit the beach?

Maybe travel somewhere

green, cool

and wet?

Or do you reminisce about winters gone by and wish for their return, if even for the moment?

Me? I hit the photoarchives and pull out anything that inspires knitting, hot cocoa (with whip) and layer upon layer of clothing!

Happy Monday!!

The poetry of the earth is never dead.
~John Keats

Water fall images were from a photo field trip to Elowah Falls in May 2010.

friday's flowers: market day

Manzanita has a farmer's market on Friday evenings. This was our first visit to the market...it's the hot spot on Friday night to be sure!

We were totally smitten with the garlic, both photographically and taste, and took home quite a bit for cooking and planting!

There was face painting for the kids...too cute!

We picked up some kale and veggies for dinner that evening...yum!

We had a fabulous visit with Dana and her husband over the garlic. Dana has a wonderful blog over at The Go Lightly Gourmet. Go check her out, she's got some delicious sounding recipes for garlic and other goodies, as well!

There were so many cute little bouquets all around...

As it's Friday's Flowers, I'll let this darling little munchkin with the flower in her bright red hair end the post and send you off into the weekend with a shout of joy!!

I hope you have a great one! xo

Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.
~Helen Keller