Tomorrow is the big day: DD heads east to her first year of college. And pressing questions remain unanswered:  Will she make her bed even once over the next four years? Will she get along with her roommate? Will she do laundry more than once a month, or only when she runs out of clean underwear (and turning it inside out to get another day’s wear out of it doesn’t count!)  And more important issues: Will she make lifelong friendships? Will the intellectual lightbulb switch on the way it finally did her senior year of high school? Will her higher education help her decide what she wants to do with her life?

But enough about DD. What about me? How will I cope without her, my only child? Will I be one of those nauseating “helicopter” parents we’ve all read about? (No) Will I be able to delay my high-fives and gleeful “empty nester” happy dance until after we leave her on campus at the end of move-in day? Will I be able to contain my tears of maternal sorrow until she is just a waving speck in the rear view mirror as we drive away from the campus? Stay tuned.

I know for sure that Shadow will miss her, but not as much as I will…

All I have to do is go out of town for a few days, and the harvest happens – behind my back, as it were. In about five minutes this morning, I was able to fill a basket with assorted deliciousness.

Finally, enough ripe tomatillos to make salsa verde – which I made for the first time last summer and quickly determined it was my new favorite condiment. Finally, enough ripe tomatoes to make a caprese salad, and still have some left over for bagels and lox this weekend. Finally, enough zucchini go throw on the grill and have plenty for everybody.

Right before leaving town, I peeled and diced a grand total of 14 pounds of peaches and 8 pounds of Satsuma plums, put them in freezer bags, and tossed them into the freezer to be dealt with in a variety of delectable ways upon my return. I came home to discover there are still probably 10 pounds of peaches remaining on the tree AND the Bartlett pears are ready to pick. There were several dozen on the ground when I went outside this morning, and right this minute I am heading outside to pick more before they can drop off the tree. No rest for the wicked.

Like to knit lace projects? Find yourself in need of a simple garment that covers just enough but not too much? You’re in luck! I’ve added a new pattern to my store, available both here and on Ravelry. Here’s a close-up of the lace stitch:

Say hello to the Molokini Shrug! It’s just the thing to wear over your sun dress into that restaurant where the air conditioning is always going full blast.

It’s the perfect antidote to a hot summer day that cools down unexpectedly when the sun goes down, and you find yourself wishing for a little something to wear around your shoulders.

The Molokini Shrug is so named for two reasons: during our trip to Maui earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of snorkeling in water that was as clear a blue as this Sundara Yarn Aran Silky Merino. This was water so clean that it felt luxuriously soft against the skin – as does this yarn. And, our snorkeling adventure took place in the shadow of the Molokini atoll, where the zigzag peaks were strikingly similar to this lace pattern.

For my sample, I used not quite two skeins of the ASM. But even the largest pattern size calls for only four skeins, so this is a quick-knit project that won’t break the bank. You can read more about the pattern here.

Between putting the finishing touches on my book manuscript, making enough peach jam to tide over a nationwide peach famine, and working on more new knits, I’m a bit knackered. Plus, I washed several of my winter sweaters in Kookaburra Wool Wash the other day, and that got me thinking about how we care for our precious knits, both those we make ourselves and those we buy in stores.

During a low point in my life, I was a manager at a Banana Republic store. It was not easy coping as a single parent with a small child while juggling a full-time job with a retailer that was distinctly UN-family-friendly (I still feel guilty about the night I had to work ALL night rolling out a new season’s clothes, and had to put my then-4-year-old to sleep on a pile of clothing in a corner while chaos reigned all around her. Though in retrospect, she thought it was a grand adventure.). That’s probably why I lasted only a year. But what a year it was.

I still remember some of the people who returned garments in various states of seriously-messed-up but expected a full refund anyway, even if it was obvious that they had spilled/incorrectly washed/torn/shredded the garment in question. In the days of “The Customer Is Always Right,” we were instructed to accept returns no matter how heinous what their condition. I think BR has since changed that policy.

One customer in particular stands out in my memory. She marched up to the counter and dumped the contents of her (not) BR bag onto the surface. There were three lightweight summer sweaters, made of a silk and cotton blend, and I remembered them from earlier in the season. Much earlier. Way past the standard “30 days and we’ll gladly refund your money” period when it’s acceptable to have a change of heart about a purchase.

Not only were these sweaters well past their born-on date, but they were, in a word, disasters. Stretched out of shape, terribly faded, and so pilled they appeared to have been chewed on.
“These sweaters are NOT the quality I expect from Banana Republic!” the customer declaimed.

Unable to lift my eyes from the warped and wrinkled mess on the counter, I asked her what had happened to them.

She threw her shoulders back and fixed me with a Look as if to say it – whatever “it” was – was all my fault. “Well! I took them to Europe with me this summer. I was traveling for a month, and I planned to wear them all the time.” (And obviously this is exactly what she had done – they looked as if she had slept in them, and perhaps even wore them into the shower.) “I washed them out in the hotel sinks every night, and you know what? They didn’t hold up as well as I expect something from this store to hold up. I mean, just look at them!”

But at that moment I had torn my gaze away from her mesmerizing foaming-at-the-mouth indignation and was looking at the label in one of the sweaters, which stated in bold, easily read text: DRY CLEAN ONLY. So, had she dry cleaned them? Apparently not. I gently pointed this out to her, whereupon her voice escalated. “These sweaters are a mess, and I want a refund!”

I caught the eye of the other manager, who had overheard much of our conversation. She joined us and Crazy Sweater Customer launched into her sad tale all over again. The other manager sighed. She pointed to the label and gently said, “The label clearly says ‘Dry Clean Only.'” But her heart wasn’t in it, and the customer could tell. This was the olden days, after all, when a customer could return a garment even if she had used it as an impromptu diaper for her new baby (OK, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration…).

Now, I take to heart the edict “Thou shall not wring out your hand-washed sweaters,” as well as “Thou shalt not rub, twist, or otherwise mangle your sweaters unless you want them felted.” I use a special product for washing my knits. Although I confess to having some cashmere sweaters with labels that advise DRY CLEAN ONLY, I know from years of experience that a VERY gentle hand washing makes them even softer than they started out, and that they can be reshaped on a towel or drying rack with no ill effect. But I do it all very carefully.

Long story short, we took the sweaters back, wretched as they were, and gave Crazy Sweater Customer her money back. I don’t think BR does this kind of thing anymore. I wonder if they’ve ever gotten more family-friendly?

I know, I know. Not a lot of knitting content lately. But today your patience is rewarded. I finally completed the French Child’s Socks from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks, and I LOVE them. So cozy and comfortable. My tootsies will be toasty this coming winter (which right now seems an awfully long way off…).

These photos do absolutely no justice to Sundara’s Sock yarn in Basil Over Buttercup. The green shades are rich and grassy, with hints of straw and, yes, buttercup.

Although I’m still on a quest for the right buttons for this baby sweater, otherwise the Viking Baby Ensemble is complete. The (to my eye) very Viking-reminiscent Baby Thorpe hat was the work of half an evening, although I suspect the newborn is going to have to grow into it… it seems a bit large to me for an infant.

Some may recognize the Blue Moon Fiber Arts “Twisted” yarn in the colorway In the Navy, from a sweater I made for DH last year. I had quite a bit of that lovely yarn left over from his project, and it seemed perfect for a baby boy sweater and hat combination. He won’t be born until August, so I’ll have to be patient – but I can’t wait to see the little guy wearing it!

A friend came over today and helped me turn this:

into quite a bit of this:

Three different flavor combinations, to be exact: Peach-Ginger Marmalade, Tropical Peach Jam (with flaked coconut), and plain Peach Jam with both yellow and white peaches. Plenty to share, and plenty for us to enjoy.

And yet there are still plenty more of these both in baskets and still on the tree. I have a feeling my peach jam-making days are not yet over for the season.

Introducing the lace Ziggurati Shrug and matching beret, birthday gifts for an adorable little girl of my acquaintance, who just turned two today. Since she is not available to model for your viewing pleasure, Miss Teddy will have to serve as a stand-in.

Cute as she is, she is not as cute as the intended recipient, whose parents have promised to send me photos of their little darling wearing her gifts ASAP. Given that the temperature went to 97 degrees today, it may be a while before they can persuade her to put on these pure wool items… and I can’t say I blame her! Meanwhile, Miss Teddy to the rescue…

The beret is knitted on DPNs until all the increases have been worked, and then it is transferred to a 16″ circular needle. All ribbing is done on size 6 needles, and the rest on size 8.

The picked-up-and-knitted body ribbing is bound off with a sweet picot edge.

What sartorially stylin’ two-year-old wouldn’t rock this cozy little combination, I ask you?

The yarn is Lorna’s Laces Green Line Worsted 100% Organic Wool in color Mirth, a lovely shade of warm lilac. Both projects together took less than two skeins, making this a great stash-buster or a wonderful way to experiment with a small amount of soft and fabulous yarn.

Definitely not the knitting, but oh, how gorgeous.

(This is what happens when you allow an artichoke to bloom)

Soon, all shall be revealed.

I have no idea, but I can tell you how many it takes to make a double batch of chocolate zucchini bread (A la Chocolate and Zucchini, still my favorite food blog). You need one big, fat one that is too large to eat but absolutely perfect to grate into a chocolate-enriched cake batter.

And just that one big, fat zucchini will yield enough loaves of the cake to share, if you are so inclined. At the moment, I’m feeling generous (let’s spread those calories around…).

I have no idea how many you need to change that lightbulb, but I can tell you how many it takes to make a really good pot of ratatouille…. all seven of the ones in the fridge, balanced out with red, orange, and yellow peppers, onions and garlic, tomatoes, and fresh thyme and basil from the garden.

Mmm… last time I made a pot of brown rice, I froze the leftovers in a Zip-lock baggie. Guess what I’m having for dinner tonight?

Of course, by the end of the summer I’ll be using those overgrown zucchini as lamp bases, baseball bats, dressmaker dummies to model my knitting projects (well, they don’t usually get that big, but I’m making a couple of baby sweaters so you never know.).

Who knew that veterinarians made house calls? I certainly didn’t, until the vet forgot to inspect Shadow’s “sensitive” paw while we were at his office and I knew there would be no way I could get her back into her crate and into the car and back to his office for a follow-up. So he came to us. Shocking.

Shadow is not a cat who could be said to enjoy any aspect of “travel.” Maybe that has something to do with the fact that the only place I ever take her is to the vet, where she invariably gets poked and prodded and usually also injected with some sort of vaccine. Oh, the horror.

Sometimes, crenellation occurs where you least expect it.

This year’s fig harvest will be incredible!!! I just completed my near-daily inspection of the garden’s progress, and realized that our dwarf fig tree is absolutely dripping with baby figs. They won’t be ready to pick for at least a month, but this is the first summer I think there will be enough to make jam as well as plenty to eat out of hand.

Luckily for me Ever So Sadly, my darling daughter – the other fig lover in our household – will probably not be back from her camp counselor duties on the east coast in time to share the bounty.

As you can imagine, I feel just terrible about that. I’m positively wracked with despair at the thought of her deprivation.

Really, I am.

You can tell from the photo below that I am grief-stricken at the thought that my child will not be able to fight me tooth and nail enjoy her fair share of the succulent figs.

I’m dreaming of putting up dozens of jars of jam this summer, and with good reason:

Our trees have heeded the “Be Fruitful” request this year, in spades. I’m already picking Santa Rosa plums, and the Satsumas will be ready to go within the next two weeks. I’ve had to cull twice this year, picking off dozens of tiny unripe specimens to minimize our losses from snapping branches (they get so heavy with ripening fruit that they break under that weight… I could cry every time it happens.).