Sonata:
While I was off on my hols. , Summer seems to have vanished and winter's looming again . Since I only live a five minute bike ride from a well-stocked supermarket , I don't really need to line the cave with strings of berries and salted haunches of wild boar but somehow the prospect of a Fresian winter does turn one's mind to the laying in of plentiful supplies .
Besides which , I've just watched Les dèlices du petit
monde , a documentary about Erminio and Attilia who live in the Val d 'Aoste and have been married for over fifty years .
They share a passion for the traditional mountain cooking and the film follows them through the year gathering wild oregano , filling bins in their barn with potatoes and chestnuts , picking juniper berries and making huge mounds of polenta or risotto with the tips of young nettles and rabbit slowly stewed with mustard .
Given that I don't live in the Alps with a huge wood oven , I made Harira instead
with lots of chickpeas , lentils , paprika and cinnamon and settled down this afternoon to knit a tension square for my "apprentice piece" . Not the Mad Men cardi but one from a much simpler Emu pattern using a second big bag of passed-on mohair , thicker than the peacock
greeny-blue and a slightly brighter shade
( The '80s are back with a vengeance , have you noticed ? It makes one feel rather old watching all the young girls at vintage fairs leaping on garments one has worn quite recently ! ) . The wool feels beautifully warm and even I should be able to knit it up fairly quickly . Should this go well , who knows ? I can see retirement transforming me ...
14 comments:
It's cooling down here ever so slightly. I miss that nip in the air though, that reminder that frost is on the way and we'd better prepare!
Your Harira looks divine, drool.
And what a gorgeous colour that mohair is!
I don't know what Harira is. It looks like bean soup, so I would like it.
I want to sit in a cozy chair and knit an afghan. I don't WANT an afghan, and I doubt anybody I know wants an afghan, but I want to knit one!
That color IS dreamy!
Though the temperature in the day is still rather warm, the morning and evening are definitely cooler and darker...we are discussing wood fires and where to get free wood from.
Harira.. sounds good.
Actually, I'm a bit indignant at the re-emergence of the 80s fluorescent. My ten year old seems to think I need to have the intricacies of wearing such a colour explained to me. Little does she know.
I have to say I like 80s baggy jumpers. Great for relaxing in and forgiving... love the new yarn, looking forward to seeing the finished article.
So am I !!
Soup and jumpers. These have both been on my mind too, and storing potatoes in the cellar. And yes, there is a Tesco Extra across the main road but I feel such a failure when I go there...
Love the colour of that yarn. Looks like you'll be knitting a button band. I'm useless at those, they've always ended up too short,too long or lumpy, so any tips would be appreciated. Soups have been on the menu rather a lot here, too.
Retirement? Whose retirement?
You appear to remain busy at all times. Will you be opening a shop for old-fashioned jumpers? Could be a hit.
That harira looks good. I MUST collect conkers each year - even though there is nothing edible or even useful to do with them ...
It's when you go to museums and see things you not only remember but still use ...
That soup looks MARVY... I really must pick up some yarn soon, get back into crocheting stuff for people who don't need it. Winter is coming!
That soup looks MARVY... I really must pick up some yarn soon, get back into crocheting stuff for people who don't need it. Winter is coming!
I saw some Highland cattle two days ago and thought of your mention of them for their color. :-)
I haven't had Harira since I was in Morocco during Ramadan when I was invited to a local family home to partake of it. Delicious.
Is Mohair making a comeback? I have lots of the yarn in my garage...
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