On the needles, on the nightstand: gnomes and goblins

I made this little gnome with some scrap cotton yarn and stuffed him with wool roving that I bought at a local farm. Here is the pattern. He was my first little knitted toy, really, and so much easier than I thought it would be. I will be making many more of these with all of my little scraps. I really want to knit one up in a pretty silvery colored wool to make a Gandalf the Grey.

Early in the morning
When the first cock crowed his warning,
Neat like bees, as sweet and busy,
Laura rose with Lizzie:
Fetched in honey, milked the cows,
Aired and set to rights the house,
Kneaded cakes of whitest wheat,
Cakes for dainty mouths to eat,
Next churned butter, whipped up cream,
Fed their poultry, sat and sewed;
Talked as modest maidens should
Lizzie with an open heart,
Laura in an absent dream,
One content, one sick in part;
One warbling for the mere bright day's delight,
One longing for the night.

-Christina Rossetti

I recently read Rossetti's "Goblin Market," a long poem published in the 1860s. It's about two sisters who live a perfectly simple life until goblins attempt to sell them tempting fruit. It's one of those pieces that I somehow missed reading in college and always meant to pick up. It has been cropping up a lot in my research for the gingerbread paper, so I thought now might be a good time to take a look. Boy, is it good. I know that most say it is about feminism, but as I was reading it I couldn't help think about our current food situation in the U.S. (big shocker, huh? I'm always thinking about it). The sisters lead an idyllic life until the merchants tempt them with abundance and exoticism, altering the sisters forever. I think that parallels can be drawn between this and crop subsidies, GMO seeds, federal regulation, certain seed/poison producers, and what has become of the American diet. I always think of Poptarts. They are so cheap to buy and so easy to get...but what do they provide for you, really? Why can't fresh foods be as accessible and affordable as Poptarts?

I was really struck by some similarities between our current food problems and Rossetti's poem.

Their fruits like honey to the throat,
But poison in the blood

On the needles, on the nightstand: Hunger Games

I've been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and working on a Chinese Waves Dishcloth lately.

First, the book. Oh boy. I know I picked it up because there are only a couple of weeks left in the semester and that means it's time to seriously start procrastinating. I have both heard and observed first hand that this whole series is pretty hard to put down. I got the box-set of the trilogy for Aaron for Christmas and I think he had read them all by New Year's. Sounds like a good bet if you're trying to avoid homework. There is a lot of interesting things happening with food in this book...

I wouldn't say that it's the best series ever. But if you're a teen, it's a whole lot better than Twilight. Last fall, I was thinking of starting a teen book club for this series at the library but it never panned out (hard to find the time to actually read the books to decide if it was something I'd really be into). It would be a great choice for a library club, though. The movie is in the works, I've heard!

On to the knitting: this is my second Chinese Waves Cloth. It's a great pattern, it's fun to knit, and it feels good. It has a tendency to get a bit tight on the needles, but that makes for a good cloth. I'll be making more of these, for sure.

Pickled Ramps

My first canning experiment of the season was also my first attempt at pickling. I decided to try this recipe for pickled ramps to use up the rest of our bucketful. We have yet to taste them, but the recipe was easy-peasy and it gave me a chance to get out my canner, which I admit I was a little too excited to do. Canning is fun, though. Now that I have been properly guided through a couple of different canning projects (thanks, grandma!), I have started to do a little bit of canning on my own and it is not so scary as I thought. In fact, it is a blast. I am looking forward to canning all kinds of new stuff this year (even sans-garden) and pickled ramps seem like a good starting point.

Eggplant complete

I finished the eggplant hat. I'm very happy with it. It is way cuter in person, sorry for the bad picture.

I also finished The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball. But not without bawling my eyes out, first. This book was a great way to enjoy another person's passion about farming and also understand how very hard it can be. It's the true story of Kimball's decision to leave her life in the city, take up with a man she hardly knows, and start a complete diet CSA. That means providing everything 100 of your closest neighbors would need food-wise each week, year-round. The idea seems incredibly novel, genius, and daunting. She takes us through her first year and uncovers both the hardships and triumphs that she and her husband encounter. I am so glad that she included bits about animals dying and how she and her husband deal with that aspect of the profession. Likewise, I think that this book really allowed me to get a better idea of what I want in a farm (certainly not a full-diet CSA). Generally, it was a fascinating, quick read and I highly recommend it.

Foraging

It seems so early in the year, but we have been busy outside. I have spent much time doing a bit of foraging lately, in search of wild edibles. Our friend called us up to let us know that the hillside near her house was covered with ripe ramps, a kind of wild leek very popular in West Virginia. So we sped over there and started digging. One bucketful gave us enough to be a little overwhelmed, but we've been eating, preserving and enjoying them all week.

While I was on a roll, I decided to assess the dandelion situation in our yard and pulled quite a few up to use in salads. I'm interested in using the roots, too. Apparently, they make a good tea.

And then there are the violets. Oh, they are gorgeous. Remember this? I'd like to do something with them again this year, but I'm not sure what. They're just too lovely to pass up, though.

On the needles, on the nightstand

Knitting lush, purple cotton in the round to make a little eggplant hat. Pattern details.

I have been doing a lot of reading for school since I got back from MI. Specifically, I am reading a lot of books about food for a paper I am writing on gingerbread in children's literature.

Voracious Children: Who Eats Whom in Children's Literature by Carolyn Daniel is a really fascinating book and I enjoyed reading it as much as I would have if I'd read it outside of school. Lots of discussion about children eating in kids books.

Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History by Sidney W. Mintz was an interesting read, as well. It made me think a lot about current food trends and how something so regionally specific can become a staple in diets across the globe.

And I've started reading The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball for fun. It was a Christmas gift from my mother. So far, it is hard to put down!

On the needles, on the nightstand

I recently knitted my first pair of socks. I tried a heel-less pattern because I wasn't sure I could do a heel. (Here is the Ravelry link to the pattern.) I think that was a wise choice because the pattern was easy and it gave me a chance to get used to sock yarn. However, the socks are a bit tight and not very pretty when stretched on my feet. I couldn't say which yarn it was...whatever the only sock yarn is with some wool content that they sell at the Ben Franklin in Ironwood, MI. I think that my next pair will be with worsted weight yarn, though. Sock yarn is just too darn little.

I also recently (finally) read The Omnivore's Dilemma, by my other husband, Michael Pollan. I've read all of his other books, but I had been saving this one. I think that pretty much everything that can be said about it has been said, but I encourage everyone to read it. If you want to understand where your food comes from and what your options are, read this.

My grandmother helped me make the rug in the above picture. She died when I was in Michigan. I am grateful that I had so much time to tell her how much she has taught me. I tackled much of the socks and the book in her room before she passed.

Morning

I found Matilda like this the other morning. Neither of us had covered her, which means she burrowed into and under the blankets on our bed on her own.

This is how Elf wakes us up almost every morning. Often, a wet nose will find its way under a sleeper's arm and gently nudge until breakfast is served.