Giveaway!

Here it is! The moment you've been waiting for! I have two giveaways this week. The first is a button necklace made of vintage buttons and hemp yarn. I wear mine every day and even forget I'm wearing it! The hemp is very soft. It's not scratchy like garden twine.
The second is a cable knit cuff. It's about an inch wide and is made from corn yarn, which is also incredibly soft. The texture is somewhere between cotton and bamboo. It is held together by a vintage button. I love mine!

To win one of my goodies, just post something you're thankful for, and which one you want in the comments. If that doesn't work for you, you can e-mail me at knitchick605 (at) yahoo (dot) com, facebook me, or find me in person and tell me. If you're reading this and kind of sort of know me, or are an aquaintance of mine, or only know of me from seeing me around campus or elsewhere, don't be afraid to ask! I'd love to meet you!

You have until Saturday, December 5th at midnight to enter. Go!

EDIT: Okay, everyone. Wednesday is almost over and I'd love to give these away! No one has commented yet. Just think, if you are the only one who enters, you'll win!

Found: Mittens

Last week Friday, a friend (the same one who gave me the mushrooms) found some wonderful mittens in the rack under his desk. The mittens had been sitting there for a long time. They were too small for his hands so he gave them to me! They are THE warmest mittens I have ever, ever worn. I love them. They are the type of mittens made from an old sweater and even have a liner. Yes, warm, warm, mittens.

Because they are so huge on me, I named them "bear paws" and wanted to make them look a little more like their name implies. So, as Lisa would have done, I got some felt. I cut out five round shapes, one big shape for the palm and four smaller shapes for the "fingers," traced them, and cut out two of each one.

Then I sewed the felt shapes to the mitten using a big fat needle and some wool yarn.

These will be put to good use once it starts snowing here. Each day that passes is colder than the next. Snow is coming. I can smell it!

~egk

Oak Leaves

I'm always picking up pieces of nature. A blue jay feather from the sidewalk. A chestnut from the tree by the bus stop. A milkweed pod from the ecosystem preserve. I love finding things that are out of the ordinary, like this oak leaf for example.Walking through the ecosystem preserve a few days ago, I kept my eyes on the ground. Oak leaves were the predominant ones there, but not all were the same. There were at least four varieties, all with leaves that looked "oak-y." I saw leaves that had thin, pointed lobes, some with fat, rounded lobes, and everything in between. That's when I found the one above. All of the oak leaves made me think of a blog I just started following, The Oak Leaves. Check it out! She makes beautiful terrariums and loves moss as much as I do. This is how I stumbled upon The Oak Leaves in the first place.

Here on my dresser, you can see more of my collections. The magnet is holding up a spore print. In the glass jar are chestnuts, a turkey feather, a raven feather, and three species of oaks. Each species has a little bit of a different shape and each a different color: red, yellow, and brown. They are nestled around my jewelry box that was my great-grandma's, a tea bag rest, and an owl brooch.

These are on top of my desk. Each feather is special. Each rock, each pebble.

These little mushrooms are a new addition. A friend made them for a project and gave them to me when he was done. Aren't they cute?

The cold has finally settled upon Grand Rapids. I bundled up today and enjoyed it a little... I hope you are all keeping warm!

~egk

psst! The giveaway is happening next week! Check back soon!

Tragedy of the Tree

Our landlord has been pretty great. He has been showing up every weekend for the last couple of weeks to do work on the house: putting in the railing on our new back steps, raking leaves. Yesterday, he came to chop down vines that had been strangling the treeline that separates our yard from the back of our neighbor's house. Or at least that's what I thought. I found out this morning that he cut down the tree outside my window. I cried. I took a walk.

The tree was a catalpa. It acted as a screen between my window and the area behind the party store next to our house. It also kept my room cool in the summer because this window faced south. It was a very pretty tree and had lots of seed pods hanging all over it. If you've never seen a catalpa before, you might think you have stumbed upon a tree that grew green beans. When I got home from the walk, I looked at the plants growing in a windowsill. In one pot was an apple tree I planted two years ago simply to see if the seed would grow. Two years later, it has a good strong "trunk" and about eight leaves.

By now, I thought, it must be outgrowing the pot. When I pulled it out of its pot, I found a very long twisty root!

I thought she deserved a place here at my first house so I planted it right next to the dead tree at one end of the garden. I hope she likes her new home.

The garden. I'm getting very excited. Friday, I tried to pull some of the vines out to give the compost pile some room and to let my (now dead) tree breathe. They were sufficating it.

My tools: a hoe, a shovel, a rake, and old rusty. Old rusty is a wheelbarrow that came with the house and I thought he needed a name because of all the help he's been.

This little path leads from the back garden to the side garden and is right next to the compost pile. I enjoy repurposing old bricks I dig up in the garden.

I know winter is just around the corner, and I'm almost looking forward to the cold weather, but I can't wait until spring gets here and the garden is in full swing. Hope you are enjoying the weekend.

~egk

Almond

What a glorious morning, here in Grand Rapids! I love to wake up to my bedroom illuminated by the bright sun, something we don't get a lot of here! I climbed out of bed this morning (yes, climbed... remember my loft?), flipped on the water heater, and made oatmeal like I do every morning. That's when I saw it, hiding behind the brown sugar: almond extract. Hmmmm I thought with a big smile on my face. Being dutch, I love my almond. Many dutch pastries have almond in them including two of my favorites, banket and boterkoek. I've been enjoying cinnamon oatmeal for the last couple of days and thought it would make an interesting change. It was pretty good! I kind of poured a bit too much in and my tongue is zinging a little right now, but I think I liked it.

Almond Oatmeal

1/2 c. old-fashioned oats (NOT the quick kind, cheater!)
1/2 c. boiling water

spoonful of brown sugar

splash of milk

1/8 t. almond extract

(handful of raisins, optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together. I put raisins in mine to cut the almond taste, but if made correctly, I don't think they'll be needed.

Good morning friends!

~egk

EDIT: I have since tried this recipe and it was very good. The almond complemented the oats very nicely and raisins weren't needed, but if you want them by all means thow some in! I'm not kidding about the 1/8 t. however. I would make that the maximum amount of almond you put in. It's very potent!

Tea, Cookies, and Chickens

Today was odd. It started well with cinnamon oatmeal, a mug of hot chocolate, and a brisk bike ride to school. The trouble started when I was presenting my part of a group presentation. Basically, I freaked out, left the classroom, and walked to a place on campus I knew would make me feel better: the greenhouse. I inspected the tiny seeds on the undersides of ferns. I touched the pointy spines of all sorts of cacti. I admired the diversity of life. I breathed in the fresh, humid air of the greenhouse and wondered how all of the living things in the pots that surrounded me could all fall under a kingdom called 'plantae' when they were all so unique. I was glad to be out of the classroom full of expectant eyes waiting for my next words.

On my bike ride home, I stopped at Marie Catrib's, my favorite little cafe anywhere. I stepped in and was recognized by a waiter. How good it is be recognized in a place I love so much. I picked out a cookie, then realized I forgot money. I apologized and said I'd be back shortly. "Would you like to take the cookie with you for the walk back?" Those words. What comforting words. I accepted the offer, and returned with money and a book. Instead of taking off after paying, I sat down, enjoyed the cookie with a cup of tea, and dove into my book. When I was finished, he looked me in the eye and said sincerely, "You have a good day. Would you like a cup of tea to go?" How did he know?

Grand Rapids. I was meant to be here. I love my neighborhood. I love how friendly people on the street are. I love knowing people in shops by name, and that they know my name. Please, go have yourself a cup of tea now and enjoy every sip.

~egk

P.S. Here's a little story of a neighbor living a few blocks away from me. It's good to know that I'm not the only one in the neighborhood wanting to keep a few chickens in my backyard! Make sure you watch the tribute video.

The Garden

I took a walk in the nature preserve today... Do you see my little friend in the next picture? If not, click it for a larger view. :)
I spent a lot of time outside on this lovely warm weekend and I hope you all were able to do the same! Sunday afternoon, my housemate and I finally broke ground for our great big vegetable garden next year. We dug up a part of our yard and turned over the grass that was there. This is just the beginning. The soil will need a lot of work involving lots of compost and weeding in the spring.
our compost pile

I bought a book from my local bookstore that will be a wonderful resource to me once spring rolls around. A few weeks ago, however, I planted 10 garlic cloves. The book said that garlic needs a good root system to produce large heads and that late fall is a good time to plant. I hope I didn't plant too early!

Being in the gardening and earthkeeping mindset, I'm revisiting one of my favorite writers (and role models), Wendell Berry. If you've never heard of him, he's written many novels, essays, and poems and I think you should get your hands on some of them. Here's one of my favorites:

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something they will call you.
When they want you to die for profit they will call you.

So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Sigh. What an inspiration this is to me. It's my manifesto, too. I'd like to start reading it every morning, and even memorize it. I hope this inspires you as much as it inspires me!

~egk

Happy Halloween!

What a lovely day I've had! The sky was blue (a rare occurance here in West Michigan). I had a good bike ride. I went on a walk down the street with my friend. My terrariums were enjoying the sun too.

My Halloween this year was pretty uneventful, but yet still enjoyable. My friends and I all dressed up, looked for parties, found none, so ended up having a little one of our own. I enjoyed my night. I was an owl. My costume was inspired by the first picture on this post of Lisa's 5 Orange Potatoes blog. Here was my interpretation.

I had a ton of fun making my costume. I actually found a plain mask complete with elastic band on the sidewalk in the afternoon of Halloween! I slipped it in my pocket and later hot glued leaves to it. White glue wasn't drying fast enough and the leaves kept slipping. I also wore a brown turtleneck with my new neckwarmer. I love the colors in it (named 'heirloom tomato' by the people who dyed it) and that I can finally show off some of my hand-spun yarn!

I also safety pinned leaves to the edge of a brown shawl (meant to look like feathers), and safety pinned the shawl to my sweater. These were my wings and I had way too much fun pretending to fly around the neighborhood. I wore one of my favorite skirts with my favorite scarf over the top. The scarf was held together with a new owl brooch that I'm in love with. I received lots of great comments on my costume. I was very proud of it.

In other news, I bought this beautiful wool quilt top today! It's from one of my very favorite stores and it's just down the street. I have great plans for it. I forsee old buttons, maybe some embroidered squares, a little felt, and maybe even a corduroy back.

Happy creating!

~egk