Summertime....

It's been so hot here! I don't like the humidity. I'm a super complainer!!!!! Our house doesn't have central air so it's hard to get cooled off when not in a pool or at the beach. So what did I do? I turned my oven on and baked and cooked. Oops. Totally worth it though! I made these two recipes and they were delicious!!!!!!!! I served the tomatoes and cheese on crostini and it was heaven on bread. The Lemon Shortcakes with Basil Berries was delicious too. I highly recommend both! And homemade whipped cream is always a good idea.

Here's a collection of photos from the past few days :) Hope you're not melting!!!!

 

Keeping it Simple

My brain hasn't been able to knit anything complicated lately. Maybe it's summer, maybe it's a busy work load, maybe it's life. Whatever it is, I'm embracing it and knitting some super simple knits.

I finished up this cute garter stitch hat. I used an alpaca wool blend and will sell it in the farm store when we open back up in September. It's perfect for a toddler or adult with a smaller head.

Last night I casted on a Purl Soho Farmhouse Dishtowel. Using some leftover cotton from washcloths, this is a fun and easy knit. Just enough to keep your brain occupied without any difficult stitches. I think these will make perfect gifts to go along with fresh baked bread, homemade jam, a cookbook, wooden spoon, homemade soap...the possibilities! Might be some good Christmas knitting for the summer.

Are you knitting anything these days? Would love hear what is on your needles.

 

Knit, Read, Repeat (and some beekeeping)

I enjoyed some quiet time at the beach over the weekend. I took a break from my summer rom com books and started reading Knife River, a debut novel (my favorite!) that was just published. I also casted on another pair of socks. I still can't believe I'm hooked on sock knitting. For years I didn't like knitting them. I was 100% a sweater girl. I still have a sweater on the needles at all times but the sock is just so portable and easy to pick up. This one is knit with Blackmore Sycamore yarn (cuffs and toes) and Spun Right Round for the main sock yarn. 

And let's talk bee keeping. My dad has bees on the farm and my youngest has taken a big interest. He loves to follow my dad around and help him with farm work. My dad ordered a beekeeper suit and Chase is loving it. Makes me so happy to see them work together. 

Hope you're having a nice week so far. Stay cool! The heat wave is on its way to the Jersey Shore....

 

Happy Father's

 

Hoping all the dads out there had a wonderful Father's Day! We're lucky to have the best of the best as our dad. 

I knit a lot :)

I look at my pictures to post and there's not much variety! I knit a lot..... like a lot, a lot. I finished up the tank for Lauren, a hat to sell at the farm and started some socks. 

Knitting, reading, gardens, movies, knitting lessons, concerts, walks, working, animals, sunshine, rainbows. June....

 

Hello June

We are only 4 days into June and already it's been beautiful and productive. I started the first day of June with a new book and the beach. It was a picture perfect beach day. Sunny, warm, breeze and calm. I needed that. Work has been very busy and it was nice to just sit and read for hours.

I killed my sourdough starter. Ugh. My fault. Just ignored it again. So I started another one this morning. Without my starter, I googled some bread recipes and came across this one on the King Arthur Site. It's a No-Knead Crusty White Bread recipe. I baked mine in the dutch oven similar to how I bake my sourdough. It was good...but not the same. Chase votes for my sourdough over this one. But it was delicious and easy. I saved some leftover dough in the fridge and baked the rest this morning. It makes the house smell so good.

My son is going to France with his girlfriend and her family in a few weeks. I was scrolling Pinterest and found a pretty knitted tank. My little knitted tank days are LONG gone but I thought she would look adorable in one. I had the idea to knit her one for France and my son agreed. He thought she would love it. After narrowing down some patterns, he picked the one he thought she would like best. I'm knitting the Vanilla Lace tank by DROPS. Oh DROPS...your patterns are head scratchers for sure. They're free (yay) but I have to make sense of them every time and almost rewrite before I knit. I don't suggest these for beginners! The knitting isn't hard, but the instructions are wacky!

I'm almost finished with the Colton Gentry book. I loved the first half. The second half is ok. Almost done. I plan on reading The Little Paris Bookshop next because it seems like the perfect France knitting pairing!

Are you reading or knitting anything so far in June? Would love to hear what you're up to.