WIP Wednesday

I have two sweaters on and off the needles this Wednesday.  It's very exciting!  At least it's exciting for a knitting nerd.  A couple weeks ago I showed my Beer Sweater in progress.  Today it has a completed back and one a a half completed side panels.  As you can see to the lower right there is a hole left in the fabric for a pocket.  I am so very excited for a sweater with a pockets.  By next week I hope there will be a sleeve to show too.

 This is my Bayside Pullover.  I started it early in the year but didn't quite manage to finish before summer took hold.  Summer came on strong and early here this year.  This sweater sat for the last few months with just the bottom ribbing to go.  I finally got it off the needles last weekend when we had a cool and rainy day.  Ends needs to be woven and blocking needs to be done.  Looking forward to a new sweater for my wardrobe! 

The yarn used was Knitted Wit single ply fingering for those interested.  This sweater is definitely an accomplishment.  My first pullover and it was knit in fingering on size 4 needles.  That's a lot of stockinette, people!

I loved this pattern.  It is such a classic design, simple and gently fitted with just a little bit of flair with the raglan cables running down the side.  Totally my style.

Extra Looong Weekend

I had a nice extended vacation weekend with some time spent camping by a lake, kayaking with a very scared little dog, concert-going, gardening, knitting and canning!  I took a knitting project along for camping.  It's always a great time to get some work done, sitting around the fire or lounging by the lake.  I pulled out my needles and pattern the first morning and discovered to my dismay that the next row of instructions called for a larger size needle.  So sad, so very sad.  I did not get any knitting done on my trip.  Most of what would have been time my hands were occupied with wool, turned into time my hands were occupied with beer or snacks.  Whoops!  I had a great time though and I just had to push my self-imposed deadline for this project down another week.  So it goes.

After we returned from camping I did some much needed work in the garden.  It had been pretty neglected for a couple weeks with back to back company and out of town trips.  I cleaned up a few things, transplanted some of my winter garden starts including, cauliflower, cabbage and cold hearty lettuce.  I'm trying out some new lettuce varieties that I am pretty excited about and I planted January King cabbage for the first time too.  I have never had great success with cabbage, but these guys look like winners!  We'll see come January...

I worked through our backlog of tomatoes too, getting another 6 pints of salsa in the larder and another batch of plain tomato sauce for the freezer.  I keep trying to make enough tomato sauce to can, but I never have enough tomatoes ripe all at the same time.  I have 4 bags in the freezer now, which will serve us all the same, but it sure is convenient to be able to grab a can off the shelf instead of having to plan ahead and thaw a freezer bag.  So it goes.

I also finished knitting what was supposed to have been my Spring sweater earlier this year.  I didn't quite finish it before the weather turned warm and I put it on hold over the summer.  It's off the needles now and just needs blocking.  It's making me look forward to the first blustery day so I can wear it!  Pictures will come tomorrow for WIP Wednesday!

The Listmaker.

It is that time of year.  Tomatoes are coming off the plants in pounds and there are simply not enough hours in the day to deal with it.  It is also the time of year for summertime vacations and camping.  This is a bad combination.  This week I have suddenly found myself in a bit of a pickle  (Thankfully the majority of my cucumbers failed this year so I don't also have pounds of pickles to deal with too. ).  I am heading up to beautiful Mt. Hood tomorrow, but I also have Roma tomatoes that are threatening to take over my kitchen.  Enter The Listmaker. 

I love lists.  I hear a lot of people say this.  The satisfaction of being able to cross something off the list is better than the satisfaction of actually having done the thing.  I have crazy lists going right now.  A list of things in the house I need to pack, a list of things to buy at the grocery store, a list of meals to eat while camping, a list of to dos before I leave.  These multiple lists have culminated into a calendar list to keep me organized.  I have broken everything down from my various other lists into steps and given myself agendas for my lunch breaks, after work time and before work time for the next couple days.  As soon as I start to feel overwhelmed with things to do and thoughts going in circles, I stop.  I get out my list and see what is next on it and I do that thing and I don't think about anything else.  Nothing is going to get done if I'm just worrying.

On the list last night was to prep all my ripe tomatoes.  I peeled and cored about 50 Romas and then simmered them, blended them and cooked them down into a sauce.  I have another small batch of Roma sauce I made late last week waiting in the fridge.  Tonight I will combine both batches, boil and can in the pressure canner. 

There is a delicate balance here.  I could easily go list-Nazi over here and stress myself out to the point of breakdown or I could use the list as a guide and assistance in getting as much done as I possibly can while still taking care of myself.  I woke up this morning and had a stiff body.  I had things on The List to do this morning, but I had to take my self-care first.  I rolled out my mat and did a very short yoga practice.  Just enough to loosen myself and prepare for the day.  This meant I left my house this morning with a sink full of dirty dishes, but in the grand scheme my physical and mental comfort trump the dirty dishes.  I know I probably won't get everything done on The List before I leave and I know that I will return from my trip with some rotten tomatoes in the garden that missed their window, but you can't forget to leave time for leisure.  If you aren't enjoying some quiet, slow time, then what is all this work for in the first place?  Doing things the slow and deliberate way, like growing and canning your own tomatoes for winter, can give you are a real sense of perspective and appreciation, but you have to be willing to let go every once in a while and actually enjoy the slowness of life. 

Preparing for a Special Guest

Today a guest is arriving at our home.  We don't often host people so it's a special occasion when we do.  My cousin is coming to visit and I am very excited.  I took the time this morning to wake up early and make some zucchini bread in preparation for company.  It seemed like a good excuse for some high-calorie breakfast treats and also I haven't made any zucchini bread yet this summer.

One of the big reasons I love to practice doing things the slow way is because it gives me time to reflect.  While I was adding my cinnamon and mixing my batter I had time to think about my cousin and put some love into my loaf of bread.  We grew up in different cities, but saw each other often.  She is one year older than me and we both have brothers, but no sisters.  She ended up filling the big sister role in many ways.  I think it was probably better this way, as sisters often go through petty argument phases and lots of drama.  Since we didn't have to live with each other we got to skip the bickering and just got to have the good, fun parts.

I had a lot of gratitude this morning that I was able to wake up with the sun and make something delicious (and use up some zucchini!) and feel love while I did it.  Some store-bought pastries would have fit the bill on paper, "quick breakfast snacks for company", but it would not have allowed me the time to reflect on a lifelong relationship.  For that I am grateful.  And I can't wait to eat some!  Yum!

The Beer Sweater

I love to knit sweaters.  They take a long time but I feel they are oh so worth it.  My general rule before I start knitting a sweater is that I must have been coveting the pattern for at least 4-6 months before I purchase the materials for it.  It's going to take me at least that long to knit it and I don't want to get bored halfway through.  I had been looking at Ysolda Teague's Pumpkin Ale cardigan since the pattern was published last fall.  It kept creeping back into my mind and I would occasionally look at other people's versions of Pumpkin Ale on Ravelry.  I finally took the plunge and ordered the yarn for my birthday this spring.  I've been knitting up my version of Pumpkin Ale in the colorway Hoppy Blonde by Hazel Knits (I had been coveting this yarn and colorway for at least 6 months too!).  With the names of both I just had to put them together and get The Beer Sweater.  I will most definitely be wearing it to an Oktoberfest celebration this fall.

This photo is a little outdated, I am now halfway through the sides as well, but this gives an idea of the lovely cable patterns that work up the back.  The side panels are knit in stockinette so the cables don't overpower (and once you get through the back the knitting goes much faster!).  I'll try to make this a regular entry - WIP Wednesdays!  For you non-knitters, that's "work in progress". 

It's a Pleaseure to Meet You

Oh, hello there.  My name’s Liz, what’s yours?  I see you have found my new Internet stomping ground, Lizzie Lovegarden.  I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband and a menagerie of pets.  We both harbor a love of nature, quiet and solitude and we have an eye on a future to move to some small acreage and build a sustainable home with a homestead mentality.  

I’m a gardener, knitter, yogi, baker and probably a few other things too.  I am thoroughly obsessed with all of the above and consider myself a student for life on all accounts.  As it turns out, being obsessed with things, reading about them and doing them in all your free time leaves you with some valuable knowledge.  Even though I will always be learning I want to share my knowledge with others.  Come along, I’m sure we have something to teach each other.  I want to share with you my experience gardening in the Maritime Northwest.  I hope I have some helpful tips for knitting.  I’d love to impart some knowledge of yoga.  I might even share a recipe every once in a while.  All thrown in with a healthy dose of frugality and finding purpose and gratitude in life.  I hope to see you around!