Monthly Archives: October 2014

Blog Tour: Tempest by Holli Yeoh

Tempest E-book Cover - FrontTEMPEST just came out, and I’m so pleased to be a part of the blog tour!

Holli graciously agreed to answer questions for my stop on the blog tour.  (Hint: Read to the bottom to see how to enter for a chance to win a PDF copy of TEMPEST).

Steph: A collection like this seems like such a huge undertaking. How long did it take you from concept to final product?

Holli: We managed to produce the book in just under 11 months. We had a hard deadline because we wanted to release the book at Knit City, Vanocuver’s “Modern Fibre Event.” Last year after Knit City I approached Felicia about collaborating on a book. It was really the perfect time for both of us. I was ready to work on a cohesive collection and Felicia was looking for a project she could focus on but leave lots of time for her new role as a mother. We complimented one another wonderfully with our different skills aside from knitwear design and hand dyeing. For instance, I enjoy working with test knitters, sample knitters, tech and copy editors and Felicia brought her business experience and graphic design skills to the table.

Now that you’ve done one, would you do another?

Absolutely! It was such an exhilarating experience working on this project. It was so exciting seeing all my design ideas come to light and turn out how I had planned them. Now the idea of working on one-off designs seems somewhat flat in comparison!

I love how you explore a stitch pattern and its variations (Watermark, First Beach, Second Beach, even Procella) in different colorways and fiber blends. Was this planned at the outset or did it grow from one pattern? (I know I sometimes fall in love with a stitch pattern and want to interpret in different ways in different projects.)

When I was in art college, during our critiques my jewellery instructor always said our designs were fine, “Now go make 10 more that build off of this first one.” She wasn’t referring to working a production line, rather she wanted us to push ourselves and our concepts further. It’s the later designs in that progression that are the really great ones and they work well as a collection. It’s not often I get a chance to work in this manner where I explore an idea to its fullest. Six of the designs in the book began from a simple stitch pattern that I pushed and pulled, stretched and compressed while I explored it (Seaswell and Third Beach as well as the ones you found!).

Exploring the stitch pattern was neither a plan from the outset not did it grow from one design. After my initial meeting with Felicia about working on a book together I began swatching and designing. I explored all sorts of ideas and pulled together probably 30 or more design proposals. One of the themes was based on that stitch pattern. Then we had a meeting and discussed the design ideas and pulled together the beginning of the collection. After that I designed a few more pieces to complement the collection and round it out.

I noticed that you started off designing with a big focus on kid’s garments, but Tempest doesn’t have any; will we be seeing a slew of self published children’s patterns now the book’s out, or is your focus changing?

I began with kids’ garments because I was a new mother and a little single-minded at the time! Once I began it was hard to break away from children’s sweaters. They are small and quick. I had easy access to models. It’s what people expected of me. For the past few years though, I’ve been freelance designing adult garments for books and magazines. I’ll continue to do both but I’ll probably focus more on adults.

What’s next? Anything else on the horizon you’d care to talk about (or can talk about)?

I’ve designed a couple of pieces for other publications that haven’t yet been published. I’ll continue to submit ideas to books and magazines. I find I’m most productive when someone else sets the deadline. Although I have to wait to fit into their timeline. Right now I’m waiting to hear back about some designs I’ve submitted. And I’m always swatching and thinking of new ideas.

Thank you, Holli, for taking the time to answer questions!
 
Would you like to a chance to win your own digital copy? Leave on a comment on this post by midnight PST November 3rd with your favorite design from the book.

Friday, Oct 17 :  Violently Domestic
Monday, Oct 20:  Tricksy Knitter
Saturday, Oct 25:  Wise Hilda Knits
Monday, Oct 27:  Sunset Cat Designs (you’re here!)
Saturday, Nov 1:  Knitting at Large
Monday, Nov 3:  Very Shannon
Saturday, Nov 8:  Sheep & Stitch
Monday, Nov 10:  Heather Zoppetti Designs
Saturday, Nov15:  Sheep to Shawl
Monday, Nov 17:  Shannon Okey
Saturday, Nov 22:  Confessions of a Yarn Addict
Monday, Nov 24:  Happy Stitches
Saturday, Nov 28:  Knit Social Event Company
Monday, Dec 1:  Miso Crafty Knits

Visit tempestknit.com to learn more, watch video tutorials, chat in the discussion forums, and to share your finished objects.  Learn more about Holli at her website, holliyeoh.com.  Check out all the gorgeous yarn from Felicia at sweetgeorgiayarns.com. Purchase the print version here and the e-book here.

I received my copy from the author.  All opinions etc are my own.

How To Spend A Perfect Fall Day

What do you to to enjoy the perfect combination of a Sunday afternoon, gorgeous weather, and beautiful leaves?

Hopefully your friends have their annul fall get-together/birthday party like ours do!

10.26.14a

Lisa and Will’s farm is seriously scenic and the ideal setting for a fall party.  We sat under these picturesque trees by a fire and feasted on fresh oysters, apple cider, sausages with sauerkraut, and pumpkin muffins.

10.26.14b

10.26.14c

Our friend Tanya drove up as well, which made the day even more special.

10.26.14d

Check out the log stools!  I’d really like to do this at our place; Paul’s not convinced (in other words, too much work for him right now).  They made fantastic seating for today, though!

10.26.14e

Oona and Neve wore themselves out running around the farm with all of the other kids, playing on the hammock, and in that awesome hay fort.

Meanwhile, look at the leaves!!!!

10.26.14f

Then there’s the pond…….I’m rather smitten with Lisa’s pond right now.

10.26.14g

I mean, really.

I’m not sure it’s actually possible to get more “fall” than we did today.

10.26.14h

Look at this lovely little road next to the gorgeous pond.  Now imagine walking down it, leaves crunching underfoot, the smell of a wood fire hanging in the air, while you sip your apple cider.

See?

FALL!

10.26.14i

Today I am feeling so very fortunate for days like today.

Here’s so many, many more.

 

 


Tagged: Farm, food, Seasons

Autumn Sundown …

DSC_0288

Martha’s Vineyard


Cafe Flowers …

100_7132

100_7131

- by Joan -


NJ Here And There …

Chester, New Jersey

My creation

Morristown, New Jersey

My creation


Tired Wagon In Black & White …

101_3261

- by Joan -


Old Barn In Black & White …

100_7335

 

- by Joan -


Yarn Snapshot: Zealana Air Laceweight

zealana small ball

While I was in the midst of the final designs for The Wild West: Lace 2, I received this lovely little ball of Zealana Air for review.  Though I had other yarn earmarked for the Pygmy Owl stole, I swatched the initial stitch pattern (much modified for the final pattern, most notably the center yo, s2kp, yo being removed) with the Zealana. Scroll down to see unblocked and blocked pics (not at the same scale) of the swatch.

What’s in it? a blend of cashmere,  brushtail possum down, and mulberry silk.  It’s heavenly soft, as you can imagine, with a soft halo and a subtle sheen.  Worked into lace, it has a lovely drape.  Do note it’s not very elastic; just take that into account for project and stitch pattern choices.

I really enjoyed working with it, and would love to do a design in it — a small lace shawl, probably, to take advantage of the lightweight warmth.

Zealana Air retails at $28 per 25g / 191 yd ball.  Pattern support on the website includes several mitts, shawlettes, and a hat kit.

unblocked zealana

zealana blockedI received my sample from StitchCraft Marketing. All opinions are my own.

zealana meggie

For a Friend

btt button

If someone you know has just published a book—do you feel obliged to buy a copy? Even if it’s not the kind of book you’d normally read?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!


Stuffed and Roasted Pumpkin

You know, there are times when- in spite of all your good intentions and planning- outside event conspire to bite you in the ass.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. I had planned to make and serve my new recipe for Stuffed and Roasted Pumpkin on Tuesday, and then blog about it on Wednesday. But Tuesday got a way from me a bit and by the time I started preparing my mise en place together, it became obvious that it was too dark in my tiny kitchen to take photographs with natural light. FOILED!

I decided to put the project off a day so that we could have good pictures for the blog. And woke up Wednesday morning to a gloomy gray, cloud-covered sky. That lasted the whole damned day. FOILED AGAIN! This time, I decided to soldier on.

The thing about a recipe such as this one is that you don’t really need a recipe. All you really need is the idea– then you can run with it and make it your own.  It’s sort of like Thanksgiving stuffing. You find a version you like and then you tweak it to make it your own.

So here’s my version of a Stuffed and Roasted pumpkin.

headless pumpkin

Step 1: There is really no way around this. You are going to have to cut the top off your pumpkin Jack O’Lantern-style (reserving the lid) and clean it out. There is not much i this world I hate as much as cleaning out pumpkin guts. That feeling of the pumpkin juice drying on your forearms is just too much to be bear.  But it must be bourn, I guess, if you want to eat a stuffed pumpkin. Scrape out all the seeds and stringy stuff- I find it helps to think really hard about something else while you’re doing it.

Rinse the pumpkin inside and out and then pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2: Assemble your stuffing ingredients. You will need bread (preferably day-old) cut into one inch cubes. I use a round Italian loaf from Harris Teeter, La Brea Bakery brand, I think. I actually cubed my bread the night before because the drier your bread is, the most deliciousness it will absorb.

Pretty much everything else is optional, depending on our taste. For this stuffing I used:

IMG_0623

1 large Honey Crisp apples, diced

1/4 pound of gruyere cheese, cubed

6 ounces of pancetta, died and browned

a handful of dried cranberries

four or five sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped

one minced garlic clove

IMG_0624

Throw everything in a large bowl along with your bread crumbs and mix well. I used my hands because, after spending half an hour elbow deep in a pumpkin, I was up for anything.

I DID NOT add salt to the stuffing mixture. There was plenty of salt in the pancetta and the gryuere to season the whole recipe, but I did add a few twists of fresh ground black pepper.

IMG_0627

Step 3: Stuff everything into your pumpkin. You can really cram it in there, sense there are no food safety issues here as there are with stuffing a turkey. Fuller is better.

IMG_0629

Step 4: You’ll need to add some kind of liquid to your stuffing at this point. I used one pint of heavy cream, because that’s what Dorie Greenspan used, and what my friend Sean used when he made a version of this last weekend. Sean referred to the results as a savory bread pudding stuffed in a pumpkin, and that was the result I was going for here. You could also use 1 1/2 -2 cups chicken stock here, or even vegetable stock. You want to add enough liquid to moisten the stuffing very well, but you don’t want it to be soupy.

Step 5: Pop the reserved pumpkin top back on and roast the pumpkin on a baking sheet at 350 for two hours, removing the cap for the last ten minutes to allow a bit of the liquid to evaporate. You wan the pumpkin to be fork-tender but not collapsing when it is done.

Now, by this point in my cooking process, my kitchen was almost completely dark. I couldn’t even get a bad picture with every light in the kitchen on. So I am going to rather shamelessly swipe my friend Sean’s picture of his version of this recipe so you can see what this thing will look like when it comes out of the oven. We used very different kinds of pumpkins but the idea is the same.

Stuffed and Roasted Pumpkin

Now here’s the fun part. Doris Greenspan says that you can either use a big spoon to stir everything together, scraping the pumpkin from the side and mixing it into the pumpkin like I did (delicious but not so pretty) or you can slice the pumpkin the way Sean did. Sean is a braver man than me.

10703817_10153304945194741_2435296504333371456_n

Obviously, Sean’s way makes for a much better presentation. Who could be unimpressed by this?

My friend Susie made another version of this recipe and posted it on her blog.  She is the former editor of the only cooking magazine that matters, Fine Cooking Magazine, and is a much better planner than I, as all her photos are lovely and taken long before sundown. Also, she and I used the same kind of pumpkin– the Long Island Cheese pumpkin, and you should pop over there just to see how mine would have looked if I had been born more organized.

The Stuffed and Roasted pumpkin was absolutely delicious. My family was skeptical until they tasted it– it is positively ambrosial! The combination of the salty pancetta and the sweet apples was sublime. And the gruyere! Oh my Lord, the gruyere!

This would make a great Thanksgiving side dish, although I encourage you to try it at least once before then as a confidence booster.