SpiderWomanKnits

at rhinebeck

Mama got a brand new apron! I have been coveting this very apron for months now. In the town of Rhinebeck there is an old-thyme five and dime called Stickles Variety. Ever since my first trip to Rhinebeck B.K. (before knitting) I fell in love with this store. They have everything in there and of course, it appeals to my love of old fashioned things. The owner and her daughter started selling their handmade wares there as well which makes Stickles even more awesome. Handmade + old thyme goodies = Happy SpiderWomanKnits. Anyhow, we have family in Rhinebeck so the last time we visited I fell in love with an apron just like this in the store but passed it up and have regretted it ever since. How happy I was to see that they were sharing a booth at Rhinebeck this year! I scooped it up right away. You can find the most lovely box bags at Go Monkey and she also makes the sweetest pillow ticking pj pants you have ever seen. It is her mom, Pig and Company, who makes these lovely aprons along with lots of other sewn goodies as well.

And there was yarn to be had too. Just one scrumptious hank from Foxhill Fiber that I haven't stopped petting since it came home with me.It moves from room to room with me.

I had SO much fun at Rhinebeck this year. Leah and I went down together on Friday night, crashed at my family's house and then hit the fair just as the gates opened on Saturday morning. What an experience that was. We felt the tide surge, by 10:30 am the fair was packed. It was just lovely, we ate, we lingered, we basked, we looked and then looked again, we sat, we met people (Hi Lily!), we planned for next year and then we left. My only two regrets this year were not waiting on the Sanguine Gryphon line (slapping forehead) and not staying another day. Next year, I don't want to miss the Ravelry party either.

'Rhinebecks', for me, have always been a challenge. My first time doesn't count b/c it was all so overwhelming as a new knitter. Then, every year after has been marked by pregnancy (morning sickness + Rhinebeck = not happy SpiderWomanKnits), towing kids around, nursing babies on freezing benches, and then last year was the clincher since I was not only nursing baby Vaughn but I was on crutches the whole time! Ugh. I really needed this trip this year and now I am going to start planning and saving for my first Maryland Sheep and Wool in May. I always leave fiber festivals feeling so filled up with love and inspiration. It feels like a family reunion of sorts. Since I got home I haven't been able to stop knitting. I'll have lots to show and share soon!

so, my tuesday was pretty awesome

Greg and I hired a sitter (for the first time ever!) and went to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Holy Crow, they were amazing! Really. If you ever have the chance to see them live do not pass it up. I have been to a lot of concerts but none quite like this one. I won't even try to describe it (helpful, I know). Ok, I'll try. It's sort of hippie love vibe meets baptist revival but on a spaceship. See, I told you I shouldn't even try.

I can finally hear again. Greg and I were front row center. It was so exciting to see a band that we love so much but also to just get out together since it happens so rarely. It didn't hurt that they sing 'our song' either. 

I hope your weekend is as fun as our Tuesday night was this week! 

ooxx,

Spidey

life long dreams

All my life I have wanted to bathe my babies outside in a galvanized tub during a hot summer. Why did it take me this long? I 'thrift' practically everything but have never come across a galvanized tub before that I thought fit the bill. Plus who knows what people used it for? Gross. So I marched down to the feed store and picked up shiny new one that we can ding up with our own memories of summer.

I 'enriched' the water with some Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap which is, by far, the best way to end a hot summer day. If you haven't soaked in a peppermint bath on a summer evening, by golly, it's time to start! If I am not up to a bath at night I always wash my feet with it before bed. It really cools you down and feels so refreshing. Just don't get it in your eyes ;)

P.S. Kimba Update

First, let me say that each and every comment from my last post has meant more to our family than you can imagine. Thank you so much. Kimba seems to be doing well. He's still not gaining a lot of weight though. He'll be going back to the vet (a different one), yet again, to see what's going on and to check to make sure he's worm free. He's behaving just like a kitten should and has taken to sleeping on top of my lap top. He and our old cat Obie have single paw-edly wrecked our kitchen chairs which are woven straw. So, he's doing just fine. Sleeping soundly right next to his sweetie Simonne as I type this. All the warm wishes you are sending are doing wonders! Keep 'em coming.

P.S.S. Sorry for the sporadic summer posting. I hope, this summer, you are making some of your dreams come true too! oooxxx

picnic in a concrete parking lot

So we went to NJ this past weekend. We were there to celebrate a big milestone birthday for Greg's mother. (Don't worry Nana, I won't tell anyone which milestone.) Greg planned a lovely surprise party for her with the help of his dad. Nana is loved by so many, especially by us. I feel terrible that I didn't take any pictures of the 'surprise' moment! But trust me, she was surprised. It was great fun and we had the party in their favorite Chinese Buffet. Jorn impressed everyone with his selection of squid, seaweed salad, shrimp, sushi and basically anything he might never have tried before. My kids eat anything and everything. It's delightful! 

It's our tradition that on the drive back home to Vermont that we stop at IKEA! I wonder who came up with that tradition...hmmm. After the Goodwill, Ikea is my all time favorite store. I am not a shopper but I can spend a whole day in the marketplace of Ikea. So, imagine our disappointment when we pulled into the  parking lot and found the store closed. Closed?! In my humble opinion Ikea should never, ever, ever close. Ever. Don't you agree? But we were in NJ and it was Sunday so I guess we should have thought that through.

But we made the best of it! We plopped Simonne in the 'lunch cart', broke out the travel snacks and called it a picnic in the park(ing lot)! After our picnic we each got into carts and raced around the cement pylons. Jorn won each time. Those carts are so darn hard to turn. They have a mind of their own but Jorn became one with the cart.

If there was an 'Ikea is Closed: Heartbreak Competition' we wouldn't have won though. The worst was when a sweet couple from NYC pulled into the parking lot in a rented Zip car pulling a trailer. Ugh. I felt SO bad for them. We were just hoping for some meatballs, lingonberry juice and a yard of fabric or something. Those folks came with big dreams and I would imagine quite a bit of planning was involved in their trip. But both those folks from NYC and us folks from Vermont will have a story to tell for the rest of our lives..."remember when we drove all the way to Ikea and it was closed?"

 {If Greg and I were two broken down old cars we'd be these two}

Have a lovely weekend!

oooxxx

Spidey

the end

dharma beer is chilled. company is on their way.
theories are being fleshed out. i am sad.

we interrupt this blog...

Isn't that covered bridge lovely? I drive over it every day and each time I think, "One of these days I'll stop and take a picture". Well, I finally did it! It only took three years! There are several covered bridges in our town and the surrounding area and their quaintness and nostalgia never wears off. It just doesn't. The kids love going through the bridges each and every time. Gosh, to think we might have driven through this one almost a 1,000 times to get to the grocery store, bring Jorn to school, get to the feed store etc. and each and every time I think to myself, "Ahhh, the covered bridge". I love that.

Would you believe that I haven't been blogging because I have been knitting! *gasp* This is a knitting blog after all isn't it? ;) Hopefully I'll have some projects to share soon. But sitting down to knit again after a hiatus has got me thinking about my stash. I have a lot of yarn. Not nearly as much as some knitters I know but enough for people to comment on it when they visit. "Is this your yarn shop?" Um, no, that's just my yarn. So, how long would it take me to knit all of it? I'm guessing a long, long time. I think I want to face the stash and maybe even Ravel it but just typing that makes me hyperventilate a little bit so we'll see. It's bogging me down though. Does that ever happen to you?

So just like finally stopping to take a picture of that bridge after three years, I finally pulled the 'oldest' yarn from my stash and started knitting with it. It's a bit of a challenge because when I bought the yarn 6 years ago I was a new knitter who had no idea what I was doing and it was purchased on my first ever trip to Webs and it was during their annual sale! Which coincidentally happens to be this weekend. (But I am not going because I am too bogged down by the yarn that I already have, right?) If you have never been to Webs it's like the Northeast Mecca of Yarn. If you go during their annual sale you might actually pass out. Just saying.

Anyhow, back to the yarn. It's nice enough but if I were to come across it in a yarn shop today I would pass it by. So, that's what makes it challenging to knit with. Still despite it not being my first choice in materials today, it is actually filled with the memory of when I bought it. Jorn was maybe 11/2 and I left Greg alone with him for the day which was a big deal for me at the time to go to the sale. I was out with new knitting friends who already had well established 'stashes' and knew what they were doing. The craft itself was so new to me and I remember being utterly mesmerized by all the fibers and colors surrounding me. Trying to make choices about what to buy at the time was mind numbing. I was such a new knitter I couldn't understand buying yarn that you didn't have a project for! Silly me. When I pick up the yarn today I feel nostalgic about it, not covered bridge nostalgic, but something similar in a personal way.

Where am I going with this? I don't really know. I guess I want to challenge myself to knit from my stash only I have tried that before and failed miserably. But I get this way. Maybe it's hard to use up the yarn because we attach memory to it? See, this is why I should just be knitting and not blogging right now. I am just rambling on like a crazy lady. Ok, back to knitting!

to do

I have a busy day today. At least I can check one thing off that list already. This doesn't count as the blog post though. We went to the same poultry swap as Jenna this weekend and I can't wait to share our experience and our new farm family members! Later, ok? What's on your to-do list today?

magic

Oh, what a lovely and magical weekend! It is my habit when I wish people a 'Happy Birthday' to want for them a 'magical year'. I don't always know exactly what I mean by that but I mean it anyway. But this week(end) defined it for our family. We just had such a truly wonderful time. Most importantly though, so did Vaughn!

Let's just be clear. Vaughn loves cake. I mean he really, really loves it! I know you are thinking "who doesn't love cake?". Well, in our family there are four people who don't. (I'll give you a hint, it's not me.) To be fair both Jorn and Simonne love cake as a delivery method for frosting. Greg is ambivalent about both. Vaughn on the other hand loves cake in it's entirety. That made me happy because I actually baked two cakes for him not even knowing they would be so well received.

The first was a double layer/double recipe of one of our new(ish) favorite cakes. It's maya*made's one bowl apple cake. I made this one Friday night for Vaughn's actual birthday because everyone should have an actual birthday cake and the leftovers of this one make a perfect indulgent breakfast the next morning! Do yourself a favor and make one. Really. It doesn't hold up well to being stacked in layers though. So don't bother. Just make it like she says and you will be very pleased. 

For the party I made what has now become the famous 'Kitchen Sink Carrot Cake'. Whenever I make this cake people always say it is the best carrot cake they have ever had! This time was no exception and this was the first time I made the cake gluten free! Still, my neighbor actually came down today just to tell me that carrot cake is her favorite and that this was the best one she's had. Honestly the cake couldn't be any simpler. It's from one of my favorite but now sadly out of print books The Book of Birthdays. This book is such a gem. It's a little coffee table book about birthdays that is filled with the most wonderful vintage illustrations, birthday quotes, astrological facts, old party games, historical birthday facts and recipes. I have had my copy for years and it comes out for every celebration. Can a book be charming? If it can this is the most charming book ever! If you are lucky enough to come across a copy in a used book store don't hesitate a moment.

In my last post I mentioned that I wish I could have had you all over for some cake. Since I couldn't I'd like to share the carrot cake recipe with you! Bake one and have a bite for Vaughn and our brood! (My mods are in parenthesis.)

Crunchy Carrot Cake from The Book of Birthdays

4 eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 sticks of butter, melted

1/2 cup orange juice

2 cups flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free AP mix)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 2/3 cups of grated carrot

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 can vanilla icing (but I use this recipe which gets rave reviews all the time, we don't do cans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat eggs in a large bowl, gradually adding brown sugar, melted butter and orange juice. In a separate and larger bowl, stir flour, baking powder, and spices together. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir. Last add grated carrot, chocolate chips, raisins and walnuts and mix together. Grease and lightly flour a tube pan. (I double the recipe and make a huge four layer cake because, why not?!) 

Pour batter into tube pan and bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. If desired, when cool, spread on vanilla icing. (I decrease my baking time to about 30 minutes because I use 9" round cake pans)

Enjoy!

Go here if you want to see Vaughn blow his birthday candle out for himself. Be warned! No babies were injured during the making of this video ;) 

But wait! This post goes on!

Besides cake there was also a lot of family to add some magic to the day! Two of my sisters came up for the party (a three hour drive) and it is always so much fun to see them. We have a very unique family. Both my mother and father have been married a few times so I have lots of brothers and sisters, technically half or step. But each time we gather I learn so much about myself and my family. I am the baby of the bunch by 11 years! This time I found out that my paternal grandmother, who died before I was born, always wore an apron. How about that? That apron isn't a fashion statement in the picture, I just always wear aprons. It was a great gift to have my sisters here to celebrate Vaughn's birthday with us and he just adores them. 

Greg's parents were here which is always wonderful! Nana has the job of post cake wash up which she is the best at! She spent her working life as a nurse in the maternity ward of a huge city hospital so no one can wash a baby as quickly or thoroughly as Nana! It's just not possible. 

There were lots of gifts that Vaughn is enjoying when he gets to play with them. Simonne and Jorn are enjoying them too ;) They were great at helping him unwrap which he hasn't quite gotten the hang of yet.  Handmade gift round up soon!

Jorn went into an enormous gift bag which was a real highlight for him. It's not something they see much of here. My poor, deprived children have their gifts wrapped in vintage paper (the same one all the time since I have a huge ream of what I think is the coolest vintage paper I have ever seen) or handmade wrappings! ;) But don't underestimate the sheer entertainment value of enormous gift bags especially when they tip over!

 

There were sweet and conflicting moments when Greg and I wondered if this would be the last first birthday party we might have. We are not planners, so you never know. Still, we had to soak that all in.

It was such a lovely time made even more so by all the wonderful and heartfelt birthday wishes Vaughn received here! I would sneak away during the week to check the blog and each and every comment put the hugest smile on my face. I'm going to go back and read through them now. Thank you, deeply and truly.

The weekend ended with a family trip to a Poultry Swap! And while Greg and I may not know if we'll add to our human family, our farm family just got bigger by three new members! I'll introduce you to them soon.

In the meantime I hope your weekend was filled with magic and that your week will be too!

oooxxx

Spidey

{sorry couldn't resist one more gratuitous Birthday Boy picture}

on this day last year

{one of my favorite 'newborn' pictures of Vaughn}

On this day, last year, we were driving up bumpy roads trying to induce labor. I was two weeks overdue with my third child. Two days later he was born. That last post before Vaughn was born was so appropriately titled though, 'Bumpy Roads'. My pregnancy with him was the longest, bumpiest road ever. Shortly after we found out we were expecting (surprise!) Greg lost his job. Not long after that I got really sick and had to be rushed to the ER. They sent me home with some laxatives and a diagnosis of 'constipation'. Guess what it was? My appendix had ruptured! But it would be two more months, living with excruciating pain, before it was diagnosed and removed. Luckily it had abscessed to stop the infection from spreading. But the pain didn't even match my worry and concern for my unborn child. I was SO frightened. I don't think I let out a single breath until he was born. I didn't see how such a fragile being could survive let alone thrive in such conditions of physical and emotional stress. It was a tough year.

I haven't talked about it here but we almost lost it all. The house, the farm. We did lose our car. Some friends and some family. My pregnancies with Jorn and Simonne were filled with introspection and joy. My pregnancy with Vaughn was a blur of sickness and worry.

But then he came. So tiny, so perfect, so loud (he has the loudest cry that is more scream than cry) and with him all the worry and the sadness melted away for all of us. We picked ourselves up and kept on going. Looking back it's amazing to see where we are now. There is so much happiness, joy, vitality and productivity it's hard to believe only a year has passed.

But a year it has been, or will be, on the 30th. We are getting ready to celebrate Vaughn's first birthday with family on Saturday. And we have so much to celebrate! Things are good. Vaughn is amazing! Truly wise (he knows about this world), an amazing sense of humor for a 1 year old, so lighthearted and fun to be around and has a dimple filled smile that crushes the ladies already. So, I'll be a bit quiet here until next week as there is much to be done. His birthday crown is made but I have a handmade gift I want to complete which is a bit out of my comfort and skill zone so we'll see. Cross your fingers for me!

Until then, I just want to say thank you. Greg and I were talking about how much has changed for us over the past year. We don't want to saddle Vaughn with any of the circumstances that led up to and surrounded his birth but it's hard not to think of it as a marker for real change in our family. This blog has been a place for me to retreat and look at things through a positive eye during that time. Your comments and emails mean so very much and over the past year have brought me so much comfort and joy. The connections we make here, while at times surreal, are real and meaningful. Some of you were reading when we celebrated Vaughn's birth last year and some of you are new to this space (welcome!). I have had the chance to meet some of you in person over the past year and furthered some friendships by email and even snail mail! I deeply appreciate everything that writing this blog brings, including you! I wish I could have you all over for a slice of cake to celebrate with us!

So now, let the partying begin! See you next week!

oooxxx,

Spidey

{that smile stops me in my tracks no matter what!}