long time coming...

I started these socks for AK last April, and they've been abandoned many times in favour of the lure of new and shiny (okay, rarely shiny - which is too bad, come to think of it) projects. But finally this past week I managed to finish them up. Squishy cables in buttery soft Malabrigo, I hope they will keep his toes warm as we finish off the winter - and for many winters to come! I do love a handknit sock, but I must admit all those tiny stitches can be spirit-killing sometimes. Thankfully, the end result is usually worth it. Are you knitting anything these days?

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The rain was heavy today, but it finally let up just enough this afternoon to head out for a walk, in good timing with the low tide. I wandered the sand and rocks, watched spouts of seawater shoot high when i stepped beside clam holes, marvelled at massive clusters of ochre stars, and stalked a great blue heron. on my way home I stopped for my first stinging nettle harvest of the year, just as hail set in. A fresh bagful of spring greens accompanied me home, and I'm thinking a quiche is in order. Please come back tomorrow for some photos.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

sunday meander...

I'm sure the last thing you want to hear is more complaining, but I'm feeling a little disgruntled today. I hope you'll bear with me. We have a friend visiting from out of town and he and AK have headed up to the mountain today to enjoy the snow. But I got left at home this morning, due to a relapse in a back injury that has left me not moving much. This is day three and I'm still waiting for some signs of improvement.

Nonetheless, I can sit well enough, and so if I can organize myself to get all my materials within reach, I have a good excuse to stay put and work on some projects. There is a green sea turtle started, and I'm hoping to cut out a second so that I might have two finished by next weekend. On stitching breaks I am knitting a row or two on AK's sorely neglected (but 3/4 done!) socks, and I've got a hand stitched skirt in progress too. If I can't be sliding down sparkling snow with mountain peaks surrounding me, at least I can be cozy on the couch with stitching in my hands and a little sun filtering gently through the window behind me.

Last week I finally finished off another project that has been a long time coming. Sometime in the fall I started knitting on a cardigan in squishy Cascade Eco Wool. Halfway through I began to develop doubts about it, but I pushed on. When it was finished I knew as soon as I pulled it on that it was not going to work. Even the ever-diplomatic man had to admit that the shape was just not fitting me properly. Nuts. Knowing I could so easily tuck it in a corner and avoid it, I decided to suck it up and frog it immediately, then start again. Thankfully, the second go turned out much better and I've added another cozy handknit cardigan to the slowly growing collection. This is a simple shape inspired by Aidez, which I have knit before, along with a vest variation. What can I say, the shape works for me. This version though was a considerable departure from the original pattern, really only using the general raglan idea and some of the shaping. This cardigan is knit in the round from the bottom up, and joined with the sleeves (also in the round) to finish the yoke, with the cabled collar wrapping around to the back (there are also cables up each arm, which is hard to see in the photos). I then knit pockets directly onto the front, so that when finished, I managed to make it so I only had to sew in the ends and close up the small opening under each arm. There is certainly a place for seams, but I think the fit on this came out very well without. I also did only 3/4 sleeves, partially because I end up folding up my cuffs often through the general tasks of my day, and partially because I was unsure if I would have enough yarn. I used two balls of Eco Wool, with only a small portion left over, so there definitely wouldn't have been enough for full length sleeves.

What are you up to this weekend? Are you knitting or making anything you want to share? Leave a link in the comments and I'll be sure to check it out.

making / gifting...

You've likely decided by now that I don't craft much anymore. This is partly true - I seem to have a very tenuous grasp on inspiration and motivation these days. But I'm working on it: a little winter bird has taken shape this past week and should be ready for the shop this weekend, once I have a chance to photograph it in some proper light. I am glad we are over the hump, so to speak, and returning to longer days, but so far daylight is a rare commodity. I would even venture that the sun didn't come up at all yesterday, a swirling wet squall of a day. Hopefully there will be more pieces taking shape soon too.

But! Back to the point of this post. There was some crafting in those dark December days, right before that gift-centric holiday. The last minute scurrying and bustling that makes one's fingers ache, when family members request handmade gifts without always recognizing that these things take time. But as I find it hard to say to no to a family member who actually, really, wants a handmade gift, a few things came together just in time for the big day. Two quick wooly toques for the nephews, spruced up with knitted ears for fox (for the one who likes orange) and wolf (for the littlest one who is less decided about favourite colours). A cabled toque in superwash for my other sister, the one who can't be trusted with proper washing of woolens (she knows it's true!).

And an experiment of sorts; prototypes, if you will. Inspired by other braided yarn necklaces and woven pieces I have seen online, I decided to make a few of my own to give. These pieces are woven in varying strands of cotton and wool, to add texture and dimension. Lastly I bound the blue one with a piece of navy leather, and the purple with a strip of naturally dyed silk. I may try playing around with these a bit more, trying naturally dyed yarn, longer and fewer strands, and so on. I'd definitely like to make one for myself but who knows, something may even end up in the shop. :)

Did you do any holiday gift crafting this past year?

dip dye...

'Tis the season for knitting. We are still being blessed with loads of sunshine and relatively warm weather - October 1st and I'm still wearing my Birks! - but there is a bit of a nip in the mornings and evenings, and the shortening daylight makes me want to wrap myself in wool. A while back a friend gifted me with two large skeins of squishy grey wool. It wasn't enough for a sweater, but a big plush cowl seemed a good fit to wrap myself on these cold in the morning/warm in the afternoon days. I kept things simple in the knitting, just seed stitch round and round until I ran out of yarn. But I had a little plan in mind to add some interest - dip dyeing! I made up a little dyepot of logwood (with a touch of iron) and dipped half the cowl in for a few minutes, repeating a few times. It created a subtle shift, light grey changing over to a darker grey-blue, but I like it.

While I was at it I tried dipping a couple shirts. The striped one worked out better than the other - you might think your shirt is clean but hidden grease stains will show up poorly when dyeing. Oops.

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I've always been obsessed with the weather - I keep track of it on a neurotic sort of level. The last couple months of sunshine have been great, but I'll be honest and say that it's been a bit boring too. I'm longing for a bit of wildness in the weather. Our old house was also very sheltered, which meant even when a storm was howling we could barely tell. But tonight I'm sitting in my living room and listening to the wind stir up around the house, gusting through the leaves outside. I love it. The sunny days are continuing to stick around, but it's good to get a little preview of winter storms.

tweed n' cables...

Very suitable for fall, non? AK's actually been wearing this toque for a few weeks now, but this was my first chance to photograph it. He's been off guiding on the ocean and in the mountains, putting the hat through its paces. I'm happy to see it is holding up very well, and despite the extremely cushy, soft wool, does not seem to be pilling so far. Always a good thing.

Ravelry

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There was some fun dyeing experiments this weekend - including some attempts at dip dyeing. Will share shortly. Also, thanks to those who snapped up the natural dye fabric packs in the shop. I didn't end up getting any more in there with all the packing and running around. I've decided actually that I'm going to close up the shop for the week. Between finishing packing, heading out of town for work a few days this week, and then the final move next weekend, I think it's probably my best bet to curb my stress level wherever I can. Thanks for understanding.

Now I think it's a good idea to get in a quick walk before the sun slips below the hills. Sunset is just shortly after seven these days...wow. But at least the sun is out today - it will seem much darker once the grey days become a lot more common.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

instagram sunday...

Last night the wind came through in big, shuddering gusts, and this morning the lawn was dotted with autumn confetti, the first array of many fallen leaves to come. Today woke up grey, with a steady breeze and rain this afternoon. Nootka trip aside, I haven't seen any significant rain in our valley for a couple months, so I was glad to see it come. We'll need a bit more if there is to be hope of any mushrooms soon. It felt like a good day to get some things done around the house, and the informality of my iPhone felt like a good way to capture it.

>>The results of these dye jars was revealed, rich dark purples. They look quite dark in the photo as the fabrics were all still wet - they are drying somewhat lighter.

>> A tiny sockeye salmon took shape in linen, a meal for a planned beast yet to come to life.

>> I got some more ripe plums off the tree, in the hopes of collecting enough to make wine again this year. I also picked a lot more blackberries this weekend for the same purpose. The freezers are getting awfully full - a visit with my mom yesterday just made that worse, as I came back home loaded with other veggies, apples, herbs, plus half a sockeye and some prawns.

>> The house smells delicious after making some chocolate chip quinoa cookies, a favourite of mine. I'm following those up with some large pattypan squashes stuffed with an autumnal mixture of quinoa, mushrooms, apples & walnuts. I hardly ever get ambitious with my dinners when AK is away, but at least I'll have something good to eat for a few days in a row now.

>> With my new interest in fly fishing, it felt appropriate to do a little reading by the master, who incidentally did much of his angling on the banks of my hometown river.

>> I'm making some progress on a simple moss stitch cowl in plush grey wool. but i have a little twist planned after the knitting is complete.

Wishing you a good end to the weekend, a smile for the week ahead.

a sunday in september...

Today felt quiet. AK and I have been puttering about at home, only a moderate variation on yesterday, and the day before. These last few days of holiday after our trip have had no real obligations, which has been just perfect for settling back in. Welcome to September, folks.

As usual there are some projects on the go, the shortening days making my crafting tendencies switch into high gear. Does anyone else feel like there are more projects on the "make" list than shall ever be accomplished? I could blame the internet, but I suspect it's just the fault of my over-active brain.

Yesterday on my river walk I gathered salal and oregon grape berries which I simmered into a dye liquid this morning. Last year I did oregon grape and salal separately, but I didn't find many salal berries this time so elected to just throw them together. The larger jar has this mixture; in the smaller jar I added the leftover berry mash to some logwood exhaust and simmered it a little longer.

With the days getting a bit cooler, AK *needs* a new toque, especially as he gets ready for some outdoor work this month. Some cables are taking shape in a dark green tweed, perfect for fall.

And I am slowly making progress on a completely hand stitched skirt in grey cotton jersey. It's a little bit Alabama Chanin, with a shape inspired by Eileen Fisher, and a generous dose of my own west coast skew thrown in. It may even get a dip in the dye pot before I'm done, if I keep ogling India Flint's work.

What projects are you working on?

grey summer?

just in time for summer's arrival, and the 30 degree heat, i finished up this wool toque. the pattern is golden autumn by lucy sweetland, but because of the dismal start to summer we had been having - not to mention the lovely grey merino - i named it my 'grey summer'. but since then, gorgeous sunny days have set in, with no immediate end in sight. this means that this toque will slip to the backburner for awhile, but i think it will be just the thing once the days start to crisp up a bit again come autumn. full details can be found on ravelry.

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are you enjoying beautiful weather too, or having a few grey days here and there? the haze that was taking over the landscape (supposedly from wildfires in siberia!) has lifted a bit today and beautiful blue skies are back again in time for the weekend. i'm hoping to get myself up to my elbows in strawberries as the local organic farm, and get out for some paddling. what are your weekend plans?

in progress...

that title could probably describe a lot of things in my life right now, or just my life in general, but i feel it particularly describes how i'm feeling about crafting these days. nothing is flowing especially well, and my inspiration feels just out of reach. i feel like i've been giving you this story for a while now. sorry if you're tired of it. but that's okay, it'll come. or it won't. at this time i think i'm okay with that ebb and flow. i'm never gonna call myself an artist - i'm just a girl who makes things once in a while, when the mood strikes me. and when it doesn't, well, i've got other things to do.

all that said, there are a few things on the go around here:
>> this continued rainy weather has me playing with wool a fair bit. right now i'm working on this golden autumn hat pattern, although i'm calling mine 'grey summer' for obvious reasons.
>> i did a bit of logwood dyeing last week. i got a variety of purples on cotton, linen and silk - the darkest near black on the silk. i attempted a bit of shibori folding on the piece of linen, which was previously dyed lightly with madder. and the big piece of cotton gauze i'm hoping to make into a dress.
>> finally finished up a humpback whale for a custom order. it is closer to the older style of my humpbacks than the more recent ones i have done - i think i like them both ways.
>> and a custom request for some ochre stars on a rock led me to make a second one (in front in the photo) that went into the shop today.
>> speaking of the shop, you can now find the crab & fish and deer & owl sets from my collaboration with Abby Glassenberg.

are you making anything these days?

a lighter layer...

a little while back i was thinking that an in-between layer would be nice. you know, something for those still chilly spring mornings, or to throw on on cool summer evenings outside. something to carry me into fall as the air begins to crisp up again. something to add an extra layer to warm my core on brisk winter beach walks. okay, actually i've been thinking about a vest for awhile, years if the truth be told. i even knit one once, but the finished shape was completely not what i had hoped and the wool was reused on another project. that seemed the problem with a lot of vest patterns - too boxy, too short, too ugly, to be honest.

after the success of my aidez last fall, i had been thinking i would probably like to knit the pattern again sometime, maybe with a different stitch pattern to switch up the look a bit. then this spring i stumbled upon this aidez and things clicked. that knitter actually plans to add the sleeves at some time, but in my case this seemed like just the sort of vest i was looking for. i had some worsted grey wool that had been sitting in my knits basket for far too long and knew it would work well for the project. i mixed up the stitch pattern a bit, most noticeably using the leaf lace pattern from baudelaire (here's my original sock version of this pattern).

in moments stolen here and there, and a concentrated push to finish this past weekend that left my weak wrist groaning a bit, this vest came together fairly easily. i think it will fit the in-between bill that i was hoping for, and even as summer weather has crept in this past week a good layer is still an important outfit anchor.

for full details, please see ravelry.

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in other news, a friend's uncle gifted her a wooden rowboat that he built. she generously decided to share ownership with A and i. it helps that i'm the only one with a vehicle with a tow hitch, and we have a spot to store it here. so expect some boating/fishing/crabbing adventures this summer as we explore further afield with our new little orange boat. exciting! i have very fond memories of rowing around in the little rowboat we had when i was a kid. this one's a fair bit bigger (about 15') but that just means more room for friends (and crabs!).

wordless wednesday

Untitled, originally uploaded by fog and swell.

nearly winter...

Amanda said it so well the other day: "it's the curse of the december blogger - so much going on, nothing I can tell you about." that is definitely a lot of the situation around here, many projects on the go but not much to be shared.







this morning i stayed in bed a bit late after A left early for work, finishing up the last pages of my book so i could return it to the library on time today. after finally getting up i felt a bit foggy and unfocused so i headed out for a walk in the nearby woods. the cold air helped clear my head as i listened to the gurgling creek and the calls of ravens and chickadees in the canopy. i thought too i had picked out the lonesome hoots of an owl far off in the trees, but now i wonder if it was just the imitations of the trickster raven amongst their amazing repertoire of noises. the woods are shouldering that in between of autumn and winter, not quite one or the other. i am hoping the snow in the forecast for next week will actually appear, and give us a bit of winter blanket before the holidays.

now tucked in for a bit at home, wrapped in a cozy shawl and working away at a last minute custom order plus the seemingly not shrinking gift list. a cup of tea seems in order, and plugging in of the indoor christmas lights for a bit of sparkle and glow. i feel like i'm fighting a bit of something, so it seems like a perfect night to make the 30-clove garlic soup from the current issue of whole living (sorry, the recipe doesn't seem to be posted online). that and some crusty bread, maybe a glass of wine, sounds like a perfect evening with my man.

hope you're having a cozy weekend too.

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p.s. i can't get this lovely new song from first aid kit out my head. love it.

more time amongst the trees...

don't let these photos, with sun dappled light through the trees, fool you: we had a very wet weekend. the wind howled long and hard for the first time this season, blowing down trees and leaving more than a few of us in the dark for at least a few hours yesterday (some for much longer). and the rain was occasionally epic, pouring down in monsoon sheets for long periods at a time. but in between, here and there, a bit of blue sky would appear, and a few shining sunny moments with it. like any good islander, we took advantage of these little windows as best we could.

mainly, we were hunting for chanterelles again. that would be the main premise by which i can get A to come out for a walk with me, anyway. but we all know i love to tramp through the bush with my camera handy, seeing what i can see. there were tiny mushrooms aplenty, and there are sometimes other curiosities. above are fragments of a deer skull, part of the jaw and top of the head (i believe that one pointed area at the top of the skull is where the antler attaches). they were in odd broken pieces, with no other signs of the animal left. allows time for wondering what carried them there, away from the other bones. treasures of the forest.

and you might think, with A "focused on the task" - as he put it - while i am flitting about with camera, getting distracted by light and plants and whatnot, that he would bring home a lot more mushrooms than i. we each had our own bag this time, since we tend to wander in separate directions, always within earshot but not always sight. and when done he knotted up his bag quite separate from mine, wanting to head home and weigh them to see who had been working harder. i will somewhat smugly report that i had the heavier bag, by just a hair.



but the man had other things to make him happy this weekend, just in to head out into some of that wet and wind yesterday afternoon. a new toque to keep off the chill, in cosy soft merino. colourwork is not always my favourite, and i will be the one to notice where it puckers despite a good blocking, but still i'd count it as a success.

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i'm not sure if it is the change in weather, or just overwork, but my hands and joints are aching a lot lately from stitching and knitting. so i'm feeling a bit slowed in my work, even as i try to fill up the shop as (hopefully) folks begin to have holiday shopping on the mind. please let me know at fogandswell[at]gmail[dot]com if there is something you are hoping to see soon, but otherwise i hope you'll forgive me while i wait for the ibuprofen to kick in! :)

golden autumn...

we are not quite into woolen layers weather yet, i don't think, but i know what i'll be wearing when we get there! late this week, when i probably should have been doing so many other things, i finished up the last stitches of my aidez cardigan and then forced myself through the seaming. i was a little concerned it might be too snug, but after blocking it it seems to fit well. if i were to do it again, i'd probably try to add a few stitches in the biceps, 'cause apparently i've got such huge pipes - ha! i feel like i've ended up with several cardigans that are quite slouchy and shapeless - which have their place - so i'm quite happy to have one a bit more fitted now. full details can be found on the ravelry page (link above), but a few here: knit from squishy soft cascade eco+. this is my first try with this wool and i love it. awesome stuff. i actually have an entire skein and a bit more left, so i'm debating what to do with it. i'd love to make a squishy hat, although somehow i'm always reluctant to have two different pieces out of the same yarn, even if i have no plans to wear them anywhere near each other. we'll see - maybe i will knit something for someone else!

ETA: i almost forgot to say - the wool & wood brooch i am wearing is from the very talented Lisa at lil fish studios. when i ordered it a little while back and it arrived in the mail, i knew right away it would be perfect with this cardigan, that i had only just started on at the time. check out her work if you are not familiar with it - all of it stunning!



our walk on the river today was nice, even if i was a bit disappointed not to spot any mushrooms. the forest floor was very busy with slugs though, all sorts and sizes. has got me thinking i need to stitch up some more. the original banana slug resides with my friend Em, and i got to see it again last week. i don't have a real inclination to touch any of the slugs i see in the forest, but i do find them quite fascinating, and i really liked making the first one.

the trail today was also "decorated" quite well with many piles of bear scat. we did spot a couple of bears (maybe just the same one twice), but they were on the other side of the river, where it was nice to be able to watch them but be slightly less concerned about them being a danger to us. and of course there were lots of fish. i think in years past we have gone a few weeks later, where the fish are really coming in droves, and the *ahem* fragrance of them is strong in the air as many have already spawned and died, or been dragged into the woods for eating. there was very little of that today though, which made it a more fresh air walk - ha. i'll share a few pics later this week.

now back to cooking dinner. i wish i could share more shots of the food i make, but the near lack of natural light in my kitchen combined with the general late hour i usually make dinner precludes that most of the time. so i'll share a few links instead:
• last night i made a batch of one of my favourite soups, this kicked up coconut split pea soup, which we ate with this oat soda bread i had made in the morning.
• and tonight i'm making pizza x 2. no real recipe to point you to, but one has cottage cheese, assorted peppers (spicy & sweet), a few 'shrooms, tomato and hot calebrese and is baked my usual way on the pizza stone. the second uses some magic sauce with spinach, mushrooms, garlic and bacon and i'm trying out cooking it in my cast iron pan thanks to an idea i spotted on pinterest.
hmmm, the above shows that i am distinctly settling in to winter hibernation mode, and my waistline is going with the rest of me. nuts. best get back out to hiking through the bush in search of mushrooms!

scenes from the weekend...

• am now finished two out of three of my pieces for plush you! in seattle. now for the hardest one...
• A and i went paddleboarding on the river yesterday evening. the tide was high and we headed up river away from the wind, where the water gets very clear when the surface isn't ruffled, watching for salmon swimming upstream and the sea creatures that are quite willing to chase them. curious to look down below your board and see a fish 'swimming' sideways, only to realize that is because it is in the mouth of a seal. said seal popped up above the surface looking very pleased with the fat salmon in its mouth.
• baked this easy little bread from 101 cookbooks. just as the name says, it was easy, and also delicious.
• baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. except different. that is to say this recipe has been in the family forever, and i get pretty free with the substitutions, so they are never the same twice.
• did some early recon on a nearby forest trail, assessing the mushroom possibilities. i don't know that it has too many prospects for that, but i did pick a bunch of oregon grape berries for dyeing - i'll keep you posted once the jar stews for a few days.
• still plugging away at my aidez cardigan. it's nearly there, almost. i think i have to rip back a bit on one of the sleeves, which is disgruntling, but i am nearly done the body to a point where i will split off for the armholes.

how was your weekend? i hope anyone on the east coast is safe and warm after irene stormed through. i do not mean to downplay the seriousness of the storm or the damage many folks suffered, but it did almost have me wishing for a rainy day around here. we'll have many of those soon enough though.

wishing you a good start to your week!