early spring hike

redbud

K and I recently took a weekend getaway. We holed up in a cabin in central Kentucky, read, knitted, played games, and watched college basketball. We planned to have some lazy, do-nothing days, but the weather was so warm that we couldn't help going for a short hike. We hiked to the top of Natural Bridge, which isn't too strenuous, but is rather steep. The views from the top make it worth it, though. We also saw plenty of early spring wildflowers. 

Virginia bluebells

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The time away from everyday life felt wonderful.  

Where do you go for a weekend getaway?

weekend snippets + menu: city and country edition

Pink Palace on St. James Court

So it's Tuesday and I'm still basking in the glow of my incredibly full weekend. I wish the events had been spread over many weekends so I could have spent more time enjoying each experience instead of rushing around and exhausting myself. Oh well, happy exhaustion isn't too bad, is it?

We had friends from out of town staying with us, so we got to show them around and play tourists in our own town. We strolled around Old Louisville to take in the Victorian architecture and the local color (haha--I'm talking about you, Pink Palace!). 

Then we drove downtown where our new German friend made himself right at home with the World's Largest Baseball Bat. We also spotted the 21c's bejeweled limo. 

Hood and bumper

(A sidenote: I am dying to stay at the 21c. I don't usually go in for fancy-schmancy hotels or restaurants, but I'll totally make an exception for the 21c. I think a free night in exchange for a glowing review on this little craft blog is completely fair. 21c people, contact me!).

I squeezed in some knitting time in my spare moments. This thick green sock is the one I'm knitting for class. The worsted weight yarn and chunky needles make it easier and quicker than the sock weight version I've been working on. Knitting class has been so much fun! So far I've had two sock classes--in the first we learned to cast on and knit the leg and in the second we learned how to make the heel. In the final class we'll do the toe and finish the sock! That's right, after three classes I will have precisely one sock. 

Maple tea

As if all the running around town weren't enough, Mom, Julie, K, and I headed to the Sugarbush Festival to gorge ourselves on local maple syrup. After stuffing ourselves with syrup-drenched waffles and maple tea, we decided to partake in the woodsy activities. Julie threw tomahawks and we both took up a saw to cut our own slice of wood. We are such city girls. The festival continues next weekend, so if you're in the Southern Indiana area, check it out.

What moments are you savoring from this weekend?

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Weekly Menu

Sunday: Veggie burgers, mashed potatoes, salad

Monday/Tuesday: Tomato and Mushroom Soup with lime, quesadillas

Wednesday: U of L game night/excuse to eat nachos for dinner

Thursday/Friday: Vegetable Lo Mein

weekend snippets + menu: february warmth

shadows mean sunshine

This weekend was full. I want to linger over it a little longer and take in each moment. There were so many good ones. Warm weather. Walking with K. Knitting class. Family game night with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Reading in bed in the afternoon. Cups of tea. 

Sunday night with K. We spread a quilt out on the living room floor, played cards, ate caramel apple pie, and listened to bluegrass music on the radio. Maybe this should be a new Sunday night ritual.

tiny pinecones

the best homework ever--reading in bed on a sunday afternoon

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What moments from your weekend do you want to linger over?

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Weekly Menu

Sunday: Leftover Thai food

Monday and Tuesday: Indonesian Sweet Potato and Cabbage Soup

Wednesday and Thursday: Chana Masala

Friday: Out with friends

Saturday: Work Potluck

Bread of the Week: Naan

Ha. Well, I just realized how boring this week's menu is. We are cooking only twice and eating out lots. I'll try to make next week more exciting. Have a good week!

Winter Walk Mittens

The first days back after a break are always so hard. I'm trying not to moan too much. 

Today will be good. I can feel it. This morning started off with a cup of tea and cinnamon hickory nut bread pudding. Later I'll get to take a freezing cold brisk walk to the bus stop. The best part about the commute is that I'm going to wear my Winter Walk Mittens, which are incredibly cozy and sweet. 

My sister told me these mittens make my hands look endearingly like little kid hands. Ok, I added in the "endearingly" part. I don't care. I'm a mitten person. Don't get me wrong, I'll wear gloves and stand up straight and pay bills like an adult when I have to. But when I can get away with it, I always choose mittens. My hands stay warmer when my fingers all hang out together. Plus, mittens are great to use as extra pockets. In undergrad I had a penchant for stowing away cafeteria food to snack on later, so when my pockets were full of biscuits (true story, those biscuit crumbs never washed out all the way) I would keep candy in the ends of my mittens. I loved having Skittles in my mittens to eat during class. I guess mittens really do bring out the kid in me. 

I'm convinced everybody should make a pair of these Friendship mittens, which are available to download for free. They crochet up quickly and have a really simple construction. There are lots of sizes to choose from and two options of yarn weight. I chose the lightweight version using fingering weight yarn to match my Winter Walk hat. I'm already thinking about making another (slightly bigger) pair. I need more room for candy.

Details

Name: Winter Walk Mittens

Pattern: Friendship Mittens (available for free from Shepherds Crook)

Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss in Porcini

Hook: E (3.5 mm)

Made for: Me

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Are you a mitten or glove person? 

Winter Walk Hat

This morning K and I took a winter walk. I (appropriately) wore my new Winter Walk hat. We made a point of taking a different route from our usual one. I love walking down streets I've never seen before. 

I scouted out good photo shoot locations, finally settling on this stone wall. Getting shots of my new hat was harder than I expected because I had to hold my breath and attempt to smile at the same time. It was so cold that my breath was steaming and my nose was running, which makes for some pretty glamorous photos. 

I used Lisa Naskrent's Stone Path hat pattern. It's amazing! Two different cable patterns plus popcorn stitches made this really fun to crochet. I think the brim is pretty genius because it duplicates the stitches of the hat, making it look like one continuous design. This is actually the very first crochet pattern I've bought. I usually just use free patterns because there are lots of good ones out there, but I loved this hat. It is definitely worth paying for! However, you can try it out for free. It's part of a free ebook download from Crochet Me.

Details

Name: Winter Walk Hat

Pattern: Stone Path Hat

Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss in Porcini (a blend of wool and silk that is warm and soft)

Hook: E (3.5 mm)

Made for: Me

A note on the color:

I picked out the pattern for this hat a long time ago then spent ages fretting over what color yarn to use. At first I thought yellow, since it's my favorite color and so cheery in winter. Then I wore a yellow scarf to work one day. A coworker complimented it, saying she loved the color combination of the Kelly green and bright yellow--it reminded her of corn. She meant this comment in the nicest way, but I cringed. I imagined myself with a yellow hat and green coat. I'd look like a giant ear of corn that had escaped from an elementary school Thanksgiving play. Not quite the sophisticated look I was going for. The soft brown makes me look less like a vegetable (at least I think so).

A winter walk

Imagine quiet. Cold cold quiet. It's broken with the rhythmic crunch of your footsteps over the icy yard. Stop and look at the small details. The frost on an oak leaf.

Ice sculptures on seeds.

A woodpile in the sun dripping with melted ice.

A cabin for gnomes built by your sister out of twigs, mud, and pine needles. 

Breathe in gulps of frozen air. Breathe out clouds of steam.

Welcome Winter.

weekly wanderings: joe ley antiques

this week k and i, along with his parents, spent some time meandering around a huge antique store downtown. joe ley antiques has four floors packed with old stuff. it was a pleasure to browse, and i know we'll return to scour the massive record collection in the basement. 

i really enjoy finding collections of things already put together, like these vintage tennis racquets. 

this is one of several staircases that were lined with books. it made my bibliophile heart race.

wooden shoe forms piled in a barrel. 

and finally, the feet that carried us through more than two acres of antiques. whew...

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where did you wander this week?

weekly wanderings: madison, indiana

this past week my mom, sister, and i took a day trip to madison, indiana, which is less than an hour's drive away from louisville. madison is a small river town where the three of us have had lots of adventures. 

[little pink houses for you and me]

when julie and i were kids, mom would sometimes take us to spend weekend mornings at clifty falls state park. we'd go on little hikes, look at the waterfalls, and play in the nature center. in the afternoon we'd head to nearby madison. we'd get ice cream and roam the quiet downtown streets, stopping in antique stores and occasionally seeing a movie at the old theater. 

[old school fabric shop]

once the theater was playing some came running, starring frank sinatra, dean martin, and shirley maclaine, which was filmed in madison back in 1958. i talked my mom and sister into driving up to see it, but i ended up sleeping through the whole movie. what can i say? i was a teenager, and i had my nights and days mixed up. 

[bottles of essential oil concoctions to cure your ills]

each time i go to madison i remember all the times that have come before. i love the feeling of familiarity, of fun times had and still being had. it's a place where the magic of my childhood still seems to linger.

[architectural detail]

[bathtub cactus]

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do you have a place you go that instantly transports you back to childhood?

weekly wanderings: a little bit wild

[the rainbow house]*

i absolutely love my neighborhood. it's eclectic. it's fun and funky and is home to a great mix of people. there are many restaurants within walking distance--falafel, sushi, barbecue, tacos, indian, sandwiches, and pizza galore. we've got coffee shops, parks, bookstores, and a great library. it's a neighborhood where walking and biking are the best ways to get around and an afternoon's entertainment can be found sitting outside and people-watching. 

it's the kind of neighborhood where you never know what you're going to find around the next corner. 

like the rainbow house. 

the wild mix of colors always makes me happy, but i think the crepe myrtle blooms really add to the revelry. 

whenever i pass by the rainbow house, i can't help but try to imagine who lives here. i'd like to be friends with them. 

i also love the wildness of the tall grasses in front and the way the rough wooden siding contrasts with the colorful facade. 

nearby, i spotted this monkey hanging in a tree. he's even got all of his...um...monkey parts. it cracks me up.

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what's your neighborhood like? i'd love to hear what things are like where you live!

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*the rainbow house is what i call this place. i have no idea if it has an official name. 

weekly wanderings: morning on the dock

one morning last week i found myself alone on a dock at the lake with a cup of coffee. the water was still and quiet. the birds were awake and chirping, and the fish were nibbling my toes. it was a wonderful way to start the day.

breakfast time

shore view

treasures from the beach--i'm pretty sure the second object is an unripe persimmon

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i won't lie. it felt very nice to be away from the computer last week. i enjoyed not having the pressure of coming up with new blog posts. i liked being able to just go and not have to worry about when i'd have time to blog. life felt very full and calm. that said, i missed this space. i missed writing and hearing from all of you. have any of you felt this push and pull, the love and hate of blogging? how do you strike a healthy balance?

weekly wanderings: i went down to the river to play

oh i just love holiday weekends! there's always so much to do and so many people to see. this past weekend was no exception. i took my camera along to a welcome back party for my aunt donna and uncle earl. they've lived away from louisville for 30 years but are now coming back home for good. the party was held at my uncle's brother's house down by the ohio river. it was a beautiful place to spend the day and catch up with family.

spotting boats by the river. i couldn't resist this goofy one of my sister julie acting like such a serious scout. that's my uncle denny on the right...he catches up on what i've been doing by reading my blog every friday. *hi uncle denny! thanks for reading!*

we played in this shady grove. well, i chatted. other people played cornhole, badminton, and jumped on the trampoline. k and my uncle denny were the undefeated cornhole champs. i'm so proud.

we were close to the sailing club, so i walked down to get a better look. 

apparently the club was having a meeting. lots of boats were in attendance. 

dinner was a shrimp boil with lots of vegetables and some mussels and clams, too. 

and we got to watch an apricot sunset over the river. after the sunset bonfires popped up along the riverbanks. it was such a beautiful, magical night.

i hope you had a lovely weekend, too!