It is still in the experimental stages – Kris and I constructed this box back in April and it still needs some tweaks (specifically when it comes to even distribution of water) but we are getting some nice looking greens growing from it, so it seems to be working on a pretty basic level!  Here’s how we did it:

Kris bought some boards and constructed this case – about 5 feet tall and 2.5 wide – and divided it into three sections.  The backing was left open, but with wooden slats placed about 2 inches apart.  The dividers were placed in at an angle to keep the soil from coming out, and a hole was cut in the middle to insert this wire mesh tube through the middle the case.  The hole is also cut in the top of the case.  We lined the sections with coconut husk fiber and then inserted this mesh tube.  The tube was then filled with river rocks.

A top soil and compost mixture filled in to each section.

Another layer of the coconut husk fiber to cover the soil.  With a razor, we cut small holes into the fiber to insert the seedlings / seeds. 

 Landscape fabric was stapled on top of the frame, and wooden slats were screwed into the frame .  We cut holes in the fabric to match the holes beneath in the cocout fiber.

Seedlings inserted!  then we propped up the frame, and secured it to the fence.  No soil spills!

The seedlings were started indoors awhile before, and we just transplanted them into the vertical frame.  We used the same salad green mixture that we put in the adjacent bed.  The hope is that the plants will grow out and then up, filling in the blank spaces with greens.  We are planning some additional planting in this bed so that we can have a staggered harvest (Kris and I love salad!) 

The only thing we have noticed is that the watering tube (filled with river rocks down the center) does not distribute the water as well to the seedlings on the far right and far left.  The water also tends to flow out the back of the frame.  So, some minor tweaks are needed. 

 This concept of the “living wall” is so amazing to me – mixing function and art.  If you are interested, there is LOTS of fodder online:

• Inspiring Vertical Gardens for Small Spaces, Low Impact Living Blog
• Patrick Blanc’s “Vegetal Walls” – true works of art- so beautiful!
• Ping Mag’s Vertical Gardening: The Art of Organic Architecture
• A simpler and more accessible approach to vertical garden using flower boxes

I want to take this idea and RUN with it…

We tend to focus so much on our edible gardening, but over the weekend, we planted some ornamentals – I got these foxgloves and corabelles at the nursery.  They are a nice addition to the front yard where we have some gladiolas and lilies preparing to bloom. 

Our yard and our climate seem particularly suited for tomatoes and peppers, and we have had continued success with these plants over the years.  Squash seems to do well for awhile before being attacked by the beetles, and we also have had a decent crop of okra, cucumbers, eggplants, and lots of herbs.  Fortunately, we escaped the tomato blight that caused so much damage… funny thing is that it affected some of our neighbors down the street, but our tomatoes are healthy and abundant (so far).  We plant a number of varieties of tomatoes with pretty much one thing in mind:  making Kris’s amazing salsa recipe.  This year, we had two varieties of heirloom tomatoes, as well as several crops of romas to rely on for the first batch of the salsa.

We spent last weekend in the kitchen, canning three batches of veggies:  the aforementioned salsa, spicy dill pickles (and regular ones too), and some pickled peppers (Habaneros and jalapenos).  As you can see, we like the spicy foods and use these canned goods throughout the winter for all sorts of our favorite recipes like jambalaya, curries, various soups, black bean burgers, etc.  No wasting the veggies here!

Three Christmases ago, I saw an ad in some magazine at the doctor’s office about “Great Gifts for the Man in Your Life” (Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living, I think…)  The #1 gift intrigued me, and I thought that it would be something interesting and unique for the man in my life who likes to spend (nearly) the same amount of time in the kitchen that I do… so, I bought Kris the Cameron Cookware Stainless Steel Stovetop Smoker.  Little did I know, at the time, that this would be one of the best purchases for our culinary exploits!  I also picked up the indoor smoker cookbook, Smokin’, which has a total of TWO vegetable recipes, but it does have a lot of good ideas… The smoker is traditionally thought of for meats, but we have enjoyed so many smoked vegetables over the years. Who said vegans can’t be smokin’ too?

All that to say, that the smoker is an integral part of the salsa preparation.

All varieties of tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden – loaded into the smoker with hickory wood chips.  It takes about twenty or thirty minutes to get the right flavor.  This step is SO worth it.

For years, we used store-bought chipotles, but once we got the smoker, we made our own!

… Cilantro + Onions + Garlic + mix of spices and vinegar …

I would share a recipe if I had one, but this is all living in Kris’s head.  He has perfected this over the years. We do a whole little taste test each year and discuss whether it needs more or less of certain ingredients.  Perhaps I can get him to write it out one day soon.  This year’s batch seems to be one of the best so far – the tomatoes were not too watery and they had a delicious flavor.

Long winter with summery fresh food!

5 pints of salsa
4 pints pickled peppers
3 qt dill pickles

It was quite a productive and rewarding day.  …and there are already more tomatoes ripening on the vine.  A second batch (maybe even a third) is quite possible.

With fall right around the corner, I am already thinking about more harvesting and more preserves… apple butter?  some more peach jam?  … gosh, I love this season…

This past week, I had to seize on the unique and truly extraordinary mood that struck me – one that comes about as rare as a blue moon – to clean, organize, and arrange my home.  Yes, yes.  I know.  I organize, categorize, and arrange for a living - but at home is a different story all together.

It was precipitated by a long-held hope for a new dining room set.  Before we were married (~2000), Kris and I were very fortunate to find a very nice (and affordable) used dining room set in the classified section.  We didn’t have a house yet (ahem, we were still in college) but we liked this enough to get it, and luckily, we were able to store it in Kris’s parents’ house until we bought our house in December 2001.  The set served us well for many years, and it was quite nice – but the time came when we (okay, I) wanted something smaller and simpler – easier to get around, and more suited to our style.

I believe that if you have the space, you will fill it with things that you don’t need and will never use.  So, I cut down my space – specifically in the china cabinet – and filled a dozen bags and boxes with “said” things and made the long overdue trip to the thrift store.  What catharsis! 

Capturing this moment on film proves that it happened – before the table is piled with books, knits, random paperwork.  Or can I attempt to keep it this way? 

The funny thing is, once you start organizing (at least, once I start) it is hard to stop.  Striking while the iron is hot, and all of that stuff.  So, I rolled with it.  Next on to the pantry! 

I buy lots of items in bulk – it just makes sense with our diet, and in theory, it is supposed to reduce the amount of paper and plastic waste.  That is, if you don’t let all the plastic bags that you used to transport your grains to you home take over your pantry… but now…

I maintained while I contained!  And look how pretty the lentils and wild rice are in these glass jars!  (They were at Target and were reasonably priced. They had three sizes available.)  And the real plus is that I asked the cashier at my market, and I can take these containers in to the market for refills – they will weigh them beforehand and I can fill it, and they will charge me the difference.  Saving plastic bags and the hassle!  Perfect!  Filling these containers with my grains, seeds, legumes, nuts, and dried fruit brought a great sense of contentment.  I gazed lovingly inside my pantry for a good 20 minutes after filling them up.  *sigh*

…and when you are on that train, you don’t get off…

Next up, my crafty bookshelf. Oy.  A mess indeed.  Major cleanup was necessary. 

I have to say that I really do love the way that the knitting community supports these amazingly talented people within our ranks, and that there is such a market for great patterns that can be downloaded immediately after purchase as a PDF.  It is beautifully convenient.  The not-so-convenient part is the hole in the technology though… I don’t like to print off this pattern and  use more energy and paper – but it is also not too convenient (or comfortable) to knit in front of my computer so that I can look at a pattern.  I guess a laptop is the best way to solve this problem… does anyone else deal with this? 

So, what all of this means is that I have a lot of paper patterns that I have printed off the computer over the years – ideally, I would love to hole punch them and stick them in binders – and maybe that is the next step.  In the meantime, I just arranged them with all of my books and magazines.  The bookshelf allowed enough space for my books that are taller than 9-inches, and enough room for my back issues of Interweave Knits (+ Knitscene), and Vogue Knitting (+ Knit.1 and KnitSimple) and the yarn company pamphlet books from Berroco, Patons, Jo Sharp, Dale of Norway, Classic Elite, Rowan, and Lopi. 

This exercise in organizing my knitting and craft books made me realize that I never need to buy another book or magazine or pattern in my life. I have *plenty* of inspiration from these sources to keep me busy for the rest of my time on this earth… but then I saw Bonne Marie’s new Mondo Cable Cardi… hence the (futile?) attempts in my title to this post.  Yeah, fall is the hardest time for me – and I suspect for many of you too.  These designers sure know how to up the ante for the fall collections – they get me every year.

Of course, there is more to be done – much more!  and I am planning to do so soon - but it sure does feel nice to have some parts cleaned up and out. Simplified and minimized, at least for the time being. 

We weren’t the only ones yearning for some time outside in the sun – the farm opened at 9am, and there was already a full parking lot when we arrived at 9:15am.  Luckily, there were plenty of fields.

So over a two-hour span, we estimate that we picked about 50 lbs. of strawberries yesterday.  We don’t mess around with our fruit – Kris and I are serious pickers  (and I have the sore back and hamstrings to prove it today!)  We eat our fair share in salads, and I make a breakfast smoothie nearly every morning, so these strawberries have already been slated for use!

Most were set aside in the freezer for smoothies and future salads, one flat was juiced in the juicer for sorbets and popsicles, 1.5 flats are currently being dehydrated (planning to make some trail mix or granola), and the rest are in the refrigerator waiting.  I am for a small batch of preserves, as well as some fresh recipes that I have found online – Eunice’s Raw Strawberry Pie – Strawberry Black Pepper Tart for Two – Strawberry Citrus Salad – oh my my, the list goes on.

…just this morning, we whipped up some vegan pancakes and added the delicious strawberries and bananas to the top before dribbling some maple syrup (from last year’s Canada trip!) Perfect Sunday brunch material!

I wish you could all come over and share in the strawberry bounty – our kitchen smells so sweet!

(Kris and I have been on a real cooking/baking kick, so I hope you are ready for lots of fresh veg recipes and photos… they are coming!)

… and oh!  the rewards …

We met an adorable little girl and her father at the blueberry patch.

He asked, “Are you picking the berries for our basket?”

She answered, “Nope, I am snackin’.”

My sentiments exactly.

Most went into the basket, but some went into the mouth.

After picking a six pound bag of blueberries, we headed to the raspberry patch, further down the road.  The farm has so many pick-your-own fields, and now that we know about its location, we will definitely go back.  There were several fruits and vegetables in season this time, but we only had two hours, so we chose blueberries, raspberries, and beets.  (Sweet cherry season ended today, so they were planning a “Cherry Dash” this morning for the last of the fruit on the trees… too bad we missed it!  I have been eating some great cherries from the farmer’s market!)

The raspberries appeared to be overpicked, but upon closer inspection, the best and juiciest berries were deep inside the bush.  So, you put aside all decorum and reach right into the thorny patch for the best berries.  With scratches on our arms and purple stained hands, Kris and I managed to get six pounds of these as well! 

In all, we got some amazing berries and some fresh beets (I pulled them up myself!) for a very reasonable price.  It was great fun to spend the evening outside, meeting new people, and enjoying the fruits of the season. 

…Now I have to figure out what to do with all of these berries! We split up the berries with half in the freezer, and half in the fridge.   Right now, I have visions of muffins, smoothies, crumble cake, sorbet, and some yummy borscht for the beets.  Do you have a favorite berry recipe to share?

The “toe trick” works best with hardcover books, and with simple knitting.  The real skill comes with turning the pages with your feet   Of course, my usual middle road method is knitting while listening to audiobooks, and reading a few books on the side.  Of late, however, I have been reading many a “real” book, almost to the point of devouring them… much like my pre-knitting days when I could polish off a few books a week.

This simple stockinette project is made using the lovely handpsun yarn that my dad bought for me in Santiago, Chile in 2004.  It is a single-ply natural wool, bought from the market.  Complete with little bits and pieces to remind me that this is real.  I love that.  I am using the ever-so-simple Verona pattern that produced my favorite and most-worn knit to date:  the Verona Shawl I made last year. The shawl is my reading project, so, with all of the books that I am reading, I figure it will grow quickly.

I finished the book pictured above last night – I had a hard time putting it down. The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama follows the travels of the Tibetan spiritual/political leader, and provides a more realistic and intimate portrait of the well-known figure.  The author, Pico Iyer, writes in such an engaging way, structuring the book around the life of the Dalai Lama with chapters like “In Public”, “In Practice”, “In Private”.  He has lengthy discussions with his family, his followers, and the man himself.  It was a beautiful book that taught me a lot about the Tibetan struggle, Buddhism, and the human condition.  I definitely recommend it.

Like I said, I have been devouring books… I read these three books while I was in Nova Scotia – long layovers and canceled flights are good for something (well, especially since I left my knitting in my *checked* baggage). The Wild Trees made me wish for a redwood backpacking/camping trip.  The author follows several scientists as they conduct tree canopy research, and invent new ways to scale the tallest of trees.  Michael Pollan’s “oldie but a goodie” The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World was impossible to put down.  I talked about it so much that Kris is now reading it too.  Basing the narrative on four different plants: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes, Pollan studies how these plants actually used humans to propogate themselves.  Interesting little twist, eh?  Such a good book.  The third book, Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It, investigates the bottled water industry and its effects on ecosystems and health.  The author, Elizabeth Royte, travels to the small Maine town where Polar Springs water is actually pumped out of the ground – and because that water is being bottled and sent all over the globe, it is not replenishing the local aquifers.  We learned about this book from the No Impact Man blog, and picked the book up.  Kris finished it quickly, and I started reading it on the plane ride home. 

It definitely has me thinking about water in a new way.

Sure, I have consumed my fair share of bottled water, but even before I read this book, I realized that this industry was having a very real impact – and not for the better.  My main concern was the plastic bottles and how a large majority of them were not being recycled, but rather ending up in a landfill.  After reading the book, I learned that the problem is even deeper than that, effecting other people’s supply of water, and fueling an industry that is not really concerned with the health of their consumers or of our planet (despite everything that their marketing says).  I encourage you to take a look at this book… and to take a look at your own habits.  My Klean Kanteen has been working quite well for me for awhile, and I feel pretty confident in my filtered water out of the tap. 

…I am now listening to two different books, and reading a new one…

I can’t be stopped!

How are you spending your free time on these long summery nights?

…tidbits…

• Today is the deadline to sign up for the Project Spectrum AIR ATC swap! We only have a few participants, and it would be great to have a larger group… sign up now!
• I found a new triathlon that just suits me better – and I am planning to do this one with my sister! I have updated my Training Page with more details…

Funny, because three weeks ago, I was really hoping for a nice big blizzard to finish off the winter. We had a pretty mild winter in Maryland: temperatures were chilly, but snow was sparse. I like seasons to be what they are supposed to be. Winter kind of let me down, and I hope that spring does not pass in the blink of an eye.

Prompted by the promise of warmer temperatures (and perhaps the arrival of the loom that takes space in my office) I have been doing quite a bit of spring cleaning. Kris and I have realized the need to pare down and simplify, and that meant cleaning a lot of things out, and donating them to local charities. After giving away about 200 books to the library, I consolidated my bookshelves, and rearranged my office. The idea of living with less really resonates.

Functional planting is definitely our focus, but we have made some space for the *pretty* too. We recently arranged a indoor dish garden with some cute cacti and succulent plants…

Seeing the green makes me happy.

And for Valentine’s Day a few weeks back, Kris brought home a lovely orchid that just keeps blooming.

We are making grand plans for our outside garden, hoping to plant many vegetables this year, and really explore ways to preserve the harvest. We live in a small house with a small yard, so we have to be creative in order to maximize our space and yield. We are starting some seeds indoors now, and we are planning to keep some plants going throughout the year indoors – primarily herbs that we use in daily meals. We are primarily interested in raising several heirloom varieties of vegetables and fruits in the garden. We have a local farmer/nursery supply that we have enjoyed for several years, and we will be paying him a visit in late April/early May for the seedlings and plants.

Last fall, we started a vermiculture composter – all winter we have contributed our kitchen wastes to the bin, and those little worms are making some great fertilizer for our garden this summer.

In typical fashion, I have been researching and reading up on the gardening and local food movement. Of particular interest are the general books about family farms and living off the land: I am enjoying Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life in audiobook form (while knitting and weaving), and am reading a similar book Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods before bed at night. Next up are Four-Season Harvest and This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader. Many thanks to my friends in various Ravelry groups (Crafty Gardeners, Locavores, Sustainable Table, and Homesteaders) for providing daily information and inspiration!

How are you preparing for the changing season?

Nothing major, just small daily hurdles that are so common in everyone’s life.

However, instead of letting these things accumulate and get me down, I am working hard to keep a positive attitude. Keep a smile on my face. The positive outlook made for a happy week.

And on this Saturday night, I look back and I am grateful for the week’s activities:

• I did yoga everyday – focusing on both asanas and pranayama. It is refreshing and rejuvenating. I am seriously researching yoga teacher training, and this gives me a new excitement and lease on life. I feel that the best way to prepare myself for this is to fully immerse myself in it… so you will probably hear more about this…
• I read three books this week, and I learned something valuable from each of them. Circle of Simplicity, a book written in the early 1990s that spearheaded the “neo”-voluntary simplicity movement; The Long Road Leads to Joy, a beautiful small book about walking, containing poetry, proverbs, and photographs; and a general history of yogic principles and schools in the Hatha Yoga Illustrated. All three were from the library.
• I ate delicious whole foods this week that I prepared with my own hands.
• I exercised everyday; the aforementioned yoga, as well as hiking on Monday, weightlifting on Tuesday, Pilates on Wednesday, row machine on Thursday, and spinning on Friday. Today was a day of rest. Tomorrow is our weekend walk…
• I got a haircut on Wednesday and a bonus head massage from my sweet stylist. Before getting my cut, I had two people tell me that it looked like a certain presidential candidate… guess which one.
• Kris and I went out for brunch today, a change of pace from the home-cooked meals, but also a way to support a new community cafe… it was delicious and lovely. We also had a date tonight to see a movie.
• I knit 8 inches on my sister’s cardigan today. Her birthday is in 16 days. I hope to finish in time!
• I wore my cozy black turtleneck sweater and stayed nice and warm all day – March’s wind definitely came “in as a lion”!

I end this week happy. I will choose to begin the new week with a smile on my face.

),

I had been planning to repurpose the jeans in some way for awhile. Most of the jeans are the ones that I wore before my weight loss, with a few pairs from Kris with holes in the knees and pockets. At first I was thinking about a quilt, but I just have never gotten the real urge to try quilting… so, with my new fascination and love for weaving, I figured the jeans would be a great way to practice rag rug weaving! My used loom came with several rag shuttles, and after reading the aforementioned books, I think the process sounds like a lot of fun. So… I just shredded my jeans. Here’s how I did it

Gathering all of the jeans up, I determined that the best way to repurpose the fabric was to cut in continuous strips. I started the process by cutting off the hem of the jeans. Of course, the hem could be used, but I thought that the double layer of thickness would throw off the texture of the final project. *snip snip*

This process is tough on the hands – especially around the heavy seams, so take frequent breaks to stretch your hands, and expect a little soreness in the morning. Your best bet is to get some strong sharp scissors.

Because the pant legs are tubular, you are going to cut left to right, at a slight diagonal. This will help you maximize the fabric for your strips, and make it one continuous piece. When the cuff (hem) is cut off, make a cut next to the side seam, about 1″ or 4-5cm. From there, begin cutting on the diagonal.

Just like your old cut-off jean shorts, the strips are going to be a little raggedy. If you want a cleaner edge without the fray, it may be better to use some other kind of material for your rag base. I have a pile to t-shirts and old cotton “work” shirts” that are next in line for rag rug weaving.

As you work your way up around the pant leg, you can decide how far you want to go. I chose to go up to the hips, where the inseams meet between the legs, and where the back pockets were added. This still leave quite a bit of material – but it is harder to use – and to cut – because of all of the seams. If you want to use all of your scraps, you may look into some other denim crafts. I have seen some versions of pillows and even tote bags and purses that use jeans.

Each leg that I cut yielded a good amount of fabric. I did not count the yardage, but one pant leg made a nice ball! As I cut more, I had many cute little denim rag balls to play with…

Now comes the fun part. I need to choose an appropriate warping yarn. I am planning to use cotton, probably some of the Sinfonia mercerized cotton in the stash. Just need to measure it out and then put it on the loom… I am hoping that the cotton will be strong enough. I have had a few problems with broken warp threads lately… any tips from seasoned weavers out there?

I am hoping to have the same kind of success as Felicia had with her denim rag rug - although my strips are a little larger than hers. My loom should be strong enough to handle the heavy beating that is required to make rugs. (It handled the heavy beating of the weft-faced sampler I did…) I know the previous loom owner used it for rugs (hence the rag shuttles) so I am gonna give it a go!

Of course, rags can be used in a number of ways. Weaving is only one of the many (see the Worsted Witch post about rag weaving). There is a great rag rug in Mason-Dixon Knitting, and a number of ways you could use the recycled materials for knitting, crochet, or braiding. There are a number of helpful books on the subject too – full of ideas and inspirations to reuse and repurpose old, outgrown, or holey clothes.

Some resources:

• DIY Network’s Crochet Rag Rug
• Knit and Crochet Rag Potholders/Hot Pads
• “Rag Rug” article from 1871
• A tutorial about using cotton flat strips for rags

What can be more rewarding than making something new and functional out of something old and raggedy?

…and until I get that warp ready, I will just practice my juggling…

A time to connect with each other, and to connect with nature.

A time to quietly observe the world around us and the changing of the seasons.

A time to just be.

As the calendar ticks by, I find that my desire for the walk changes from week by week: Sometimes, I want a breath of fresh air. I want to get some exercise and burn some calories. I want to improve my mood. I want to wear one of my handknits. I want to meditate and quietly think about things. I want to simply put one foot in front of the other and truly live in the moment. I want to reach a spot that I have never been. Sometimes I have all of these expectations in one single walk.

Kris brings the camera and documents the beautiful natural world. He particularly enjoys capturing the changes of the trees, plants, and bodies of water as the seasons change. Sometimes I take the camera and try to capture the beauty I am seeing.

Each weekend of this month has provided the opportunity for a meaningful walk. We walked through local parks, hiked to a nearby hilltop, and finally, this weekend, we went on a weekend walk a little further from home… well, three actually, one for each day we were there. And the novelty of it was that one walk was deep underground while the other two were a little closer to the clouds!

We spent the long holiday weekend in the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia – about two hours south of our home. We drove down on Friday mid-day and stopped over at a local attraction: Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia.

Our timing was perfect: the snow was fresh and beautiful, and the sun was bright. While the temperatures were cold – below freezing on both days – that did not stop us from getting out and exploring. We found two hiking trails up into the mountains and reserved one for each day, Saturday and Sunday.

These walks may have been my favorite yet. They were a true sensory experience: the smell of pine trees and fresh winds, the aural crunch of the snow and ice under foot, and the monochromatic landscape of white snow blanketing the mountain, and the chilly winds felt against our faces.

The weekend walk ritual has been the highlight of my new year, and we are only three weeks in! I am very excited to discover more places – both near and far – during the weekend walks.

It is amazing how something as simple as a walk can be the best part of the week.

…

Do you have a special ritual that brings you joy?