Friday night saw a dear friend coming into town to stay with us for the weekend. we met in sixth grade, just after my family made the move from Florida to NJ. so we're in it for the long haul, she and I. going on 23 years of friendship, with all sorts of tales weaving together the memories of all those years. Saturday morning was ballet class for Claire~ papa and I enjoying spending those 20 minutes between dropping her off and picking her up at the coffee shop next door- squeezing in a mini date. but oh, those mini dates are good, good stuff. much needed, too.
home again. finished knitting and then stitching up my cowl, and.... I love it. I am no accomplished knitter. this was the first time I didn't have to google how to cast on and bind off. and I've yet to enter the waters of following patterns with all of the knitterly abbreviations and such. but I am thrilled with this. I made it, I will use it, I will love it. I cast on 52 stitches of this bamboo/wool blend and used seed stitch until it was long enough, then sewed it together with a yarn needle to make a nice and tidy little seam.
Claire asked a while back if I'd make her one, and I did. at night, after she had gone to sleep, I'd work on it. I finished it a few days ago and planned to gift it to her on her upcoming 4th birthday. but I was so excited about my own and she was so happy for me and so I asked her if she wanted hers because 'surprise! it's already done!'. yes, was her answer.
hers is a mix of the yarn I used as well as a purple wool yarn. stockinette stitch with rows of pearl stitches thrown in to make stripes.
papa, meanwhile, was working on some making of his own. a 'sugar shack' of sorts to shield the sap-boiling operation (two older wood stoves working side-by-side, fitted with stovepipe and stainless steel catering pans to hold the sap as it boils and boils and boils away) and us from the cold winds in the boiling-off days to come. no sap flow just yet, but we are closely watching a red maple in our driveway to see when that just right day comes. last year, it was January 18th, so we are ready and waiting.
****about two hours after writing that- it's a flowin', and we're heading out now to tap all nine trees!
Saturday night we all (we three and dear friend) ate together and followed dinner with a viewing of Robin Hood (the old Disney one with the fox) with popcorn and cookies nearby. Sunday morning was sleeping in all around, baked oatmeal for brunch, and some final visiting before saying goodbye for now to Laura.
(and then the tapping, of course!)
we'll be spending a lot of time in this little space tucked in between the woodshed and the garage-that's-not-a-garage. this year it is set up so that we can bring a couple small chairs in there, put up our feet while we sip our hot sap-syrup and milk drinks, and get (somewhat) cozy.
*weekending with amanda
So excited for you all! I've got to read this post to Bea tomorrow. She has lately been pretending we are in the midst of sugaring season. Poor, dear child doesn't fully understand entire meaning of her Texas citizenship yet. Actually, we cracked open your maple syrup this morning. It was delicious on our pancakes. I reminded Bea of where it came from and she of course, was all like, "oh, yes, mom, this taste so wonderful. definitely home-made..." Your cowl is lovely. I'm that kind of knitter too. Yep...the youtube video on casting off, uh huh....Not a fan of patterns as of yet. So your little project might be something I could pull off. Now, what weight of yarn did you use? And needle size? That suppose to make a difference in how many stitches to cast on right? See, I do know a tiny bit. Ha! Have so much fun tapping. Give C a hug from us! 4 years old!! Such a fun year! XO!
ReplyDeleteOh that Bea~ love her! I'm so glad you opened it up and started using it, enjoy!! thank you. size 8 needles. yarn weight? huh. medium/worsted I'm pretty sure. it was called 'Bamboo Ewe' and was made by Stitch Nation. the color I used was lipstick. Claire's leg warmers of years ago were made with the same yarn in twilight. I will give her a big hug- do the same for Bea!
Deletexoxo
tapping already! My dad built a sugar shack but it's pretty swanky to be labeled a shack if you ask me. lovely cowl! So squishy and soft looking :)
ReplyDeleteyes! things start flowing at least 6-8 weeks earlier down here, it seems. we made our first collection today and came away with 18 gallons already, so we're happy.
Deletethank you! I already want to make another one :)
loooove your cowl! and yay! sugar shack and maple syrup goodness :)
ReplyDeletethankyouthankyouthankyou! it was a satisfying project and I want to make another already~
Deletewe are excited. 18 gallons today and last year we collected for almost three weeks, so we just may come out of this with a lot of syrup this year!
I love sugaring season! It is a great way to get out and about in the winter! Most sugarers in vermont won't be tapping until mid february. This is getting me motivated to get my equipment in order! Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteindeed, things happen quite a bit sooner down here! the sugar maples are also few and far between down this way (unless you are a bit north of us and up a bit higher you don't really see them in the woods), so it's been fun to go around the neighborhood seeking them out and chatting with the property owners. we have 9 large trees tapped on a total of 4 different properties. what is your setup?
Deletethanks!