It’s not all boots, all the time. But, come on — how cute!

Berry Stitched

Pebbled & Primped

Up next… some actual knitting content!

Good night. It’s been a while hasn’t it? Sorry for the insanely boring blog as of late. Isn’t Summer supposed to be laid back, easy, slower paced? Summer has had me by the throat so it goes without saying that I couldn’t be more thrilled that Fall is just around the corner…..

It’s a Fall thing indeed – this boot obsession of mine.

Gilgarran Boots – Be still my boot loving heart.

Fall accessory knitting has also begun -

Deluxe Lace Stitch Cowl  from SweaterBabe. While I love this, I’m thinking it needs to be tweaked a bit.

With the above mentioned modifications I’m hoping for something that, at the very least, slightly resembles this little number from the latest Garnet Hill catalog. It’s a fine line between a cute little capelet and an ‘all sorts of wrong’ poncho. It comes down to proportion I think. As long as you have a base layer(s) that gives a you a long visual line (say all one color underneath – black, grey, brown, etc.) with the capelet on top it would be really cute. Also, I think it’s imperative that the capelet isn’t too long, that it stops just above the smallest part of your waist (you know, accentuate the smallest part of your figure). What do you guys think? Any ideas? As a knitter and hand-dyer of yarn, it just seems wrong to go out and buy one…..

Speaking of Fall accessory knitting, I have a couple of fantastic suggestions to share with you tomorrow. Thea (the design whiz behind Babycocktails) has come up with two adorable patterns featuring Plucky yarn – not only are the patterns super cute, they are free!

So tell me, what do you most look forward to about the Fall? Is it the kids being back in school? The weather cooling off? The knitting, of course the knitting! The food? Leaves? Hayrides? To me, it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Good news!!! Primo is making its debut in an update tomorrow, Thursday, July 22 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. I’ll be listing a nice little amount of Primo – the new custom Plucky blend (75.20.5 Merino Cashmere Nylon) as well as some really fun sweater quantities and other cashmere goodies as well as more fingering weights.

Have a great day and hope to see you there!

Henley – Primo

Feeling The Fall – Primo

Honey Wilkes – Primo

Sterling – Primo

Just like clockwork, every Wednesday, around 3:30ish in the afternoon I make a quick get-away and head to the farmer’s market. How I love that place. Only there, in a small-town farmer’s market, can I find old friends of my grandparent’s (the Riverview Drive grandparent’s) and hear “You’re one of the Kooistra girls aren’t you! How have you been honey!?” Puts a smile on my face just thinking about it. Almost, but not quite, like a little visit from with grandma and grandpa. I miss them.

Anyway, what’s not to love about a fist full of flowers, some plump berries and fresh spinach and feta bread (and peanut butter cookies for Shelbie). Oh, and Sam loves the fresh dog treats I bring him. It’s a highlight of the week for all of us.

Speaking of Sam, the little pistol thinks the new coffee table rug is for him. Guess I can see how he’d be confused, I mean it goes so well with his coloring.

Plucky Merino SW Worsted – Sassy Sangria

Another Wandering The Moor. Shelbs has absconded with the other one. I totally saw that one coming. Speaking of Shelbie…. look who has her very own etsy site!

And, if you’d love to be entertained… do check out her flickr stream as well. I may be biased, but there are some fantastically artsy photos to be seen. Enjoy!

Also known as Farmer’s Market Wednesday!

My other favorite day? Any day that has a knitted FO to show, that’s what!

Wandering The Moor

And, I wanted to share a good recipe that was suggested after this post. Doesn’t this sound great?! Thanks LJo of MadieBandMe what a great suggestion!

Los Barrios by Diana Barrios Trevino

Chicken Chipotle
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon salt
8 oz package cream cheese..room temp
1 cup milk
2 canned chipotle chiles
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Place chicken breasts, onion, garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of salt in large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325. Grease 9×13 baking dish. Combine the cream cheese, milk, chiles, and salt and pepper in a blender and blend well. Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish, Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinke with the paprika. Bake for 20 minutes.

YUM!

Things are beyond green in our neck of the woods – it almost feels like we’re living in Sherwood Forest. So, it’s fitting that I just finished a Wandering the Moor shawl in Plucky Merino Lite. It’s blocking as I type – pictures to come soon. Already, I’m dreaming of another shawl in the Plucky MCN Lite (especially since Shelbie’s made it pretty clear she wants another scarf/shawl – she’s very persuasive) maybe something a little more vibrant, or broody. Depending on how much coffee I’ve consumed, that is.

It’s time for an update! Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9th, beginning early-ish in the morning, continuing through the entire day. The update will feature a nice variety of items, including more repeatable sweater listings. I’m finding it to be a nice way to ensure people are getting enough for larger projects. Over the next several weeks I hope to be adding at least three more repeatble colors… just a little FYI.

Blocking. It never ceases to amaze me.