Handknit Sweater Destash

As the closets begin to fill with more and more of our handknit stuff, some things have to go. Virginia is letting go of three fabulous vintage handknit sweaters (from Norway) that have hardly been worn. In fact, in the time that I’ve known her (closing in on 10 years), I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear any of these. They have been carefully stored (in a smoke-free and pet-free environment), are in close-to-new condition, and are for sale in our Etsy shop. Details are all there, including sizes and more photos.

Here is a just glimpse:

Meet Henri

Henri

He likes his bath.

Henri

He likes his tea.

Henri

He’ll talk to you (for hours) about Sartre, de Beauvoir and Camus.

Henri

Yesterday he moved to the big city to live with some friends. Au revoir, Henri! Enjoy your new home.

(Pattern by Rachel Borello. Although, Virginia made the tiny scarf and beret).

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Fairisle Gloves and Beret

Yes, I know there is only one finger left to knit, but the light was fading fast (for a decent photo) and she was was finishing these up to deliver the next day—as a shop model. Pattern by Sarah Dallas from Vintage Knits, and yarn used was Rowan Pure Wool 4-ply.

Pickles

For obvious reasons our gardening plans this season were thwarted. But, we are super fortunate to live close to a great farmers market. So, we’ve been taking advantage of the people who have been able to farm and garden this year, providing us with access to delicious, local produce.

In previous years, we made the market a regular part of our food buying, going once a week. This year, again for obvious reasons, we’ve only been able to go two or three times. Today was one of those times, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. For, you see, we had pickles on our minds, and there were cukes a plenty, dill and garlic, too.

We made a simple, but fantastic recipe last year, but ran out of them about half-way through. This year we hope to not make the same mistake.

Dill Pickles, year 2

Behold, 11 jars filled with over 13 pounds of pickled cucumber goodness. Of course, I should mention that my role in the process was greatly reduced due to low energy (thanks to my slow-to-recover hemoglobin), so I’m very glad Virginia was up to the task of washing, slicing, dicing and canning. (I did help a wee bit, though. I took some pictures.)

Dill Pickles, year 2

As promised, one celebratory beer

My numbers are finally starting to come up (mostly on their own—there’s probably a small bit of Neulasta in my system that is helping out), and I’ve now gone 4 days without needing a transfusion. I don’t know, that to me seems like I’m finally moving out of the side-effects phase of my last chemotherapy treatment. So, last night I decided to “crack open a cold one” courtesy of a gift from my uncle and aunt in Oregon (Thank you! I’m saving the barley wine for when I’m feeling completely 100%).

Celebratory Beer

And, yes, that’s a veggie burger with homemade sweet potato fries in the foreground. Life is indeed returning to normal. So, cheers to that.