Rustic Elegance

I have been participating in a challenge on Ravelry – craft 10 shawls during the year. I have completed six so far, each crocheted from other designers’ patterns. I am truly thrilled that number seven is my own design. My very first. I am, admittedly, just a little bit proud of it. I might not design another this year for the challenge, but no matter.

One skein of Blue Moon SilkMo in the Cloudy with a Chance of colorway
+
a portion of one honking skein of 100% Estonian laceweight wool (a gift from a swap - yeah!)
+
a size M crochet hook 



= my Rustic Elegance Textured Stole!



A back view - it's really warm, and I love the smell of the wool.

The matte bronze-covered buttons continue the rustic feel.

Some #3 Japanese silver-lined gray beads along the upper edge of the  stole
add a touch of elegance, without being out of place.

And, finally, a close-up of the fabric - post stitches and fans.

If someone at the beginning of the year would have told me I would complete 10 shawls, let alone design one of them, I'd have laughed out loud. It happily continues to be an amazingly creative year. 

Mini yarn crawl ... and those little green balls of death

One minute there's Deb underneath
one of the Pike Place Market signs ...

A Ravelry acquaintance, Deb, recently traveled to the PNW, mainly to conduct a class at the Crochet Liberation Front's crochet retreat on Camano Island. However, the visit provided a nifty excuse to go yarn crawling and sightseeing. Love that!

So, on a beautifully sunny fall day, we met up - by recognizing our hand-made crocheted wear. (Ok – so we’re just a little hand-made geeky.) I started the tour at Bad Woman Yarn. This small-ish, just-north-of-downtown shop has been very crochet friendly – and continued to be so during our visit. The shop even had a lovely crocheted scarf on display right in the front of the store – always a good sign.

After petting the yarn, and Deb’s purchase of some locally-made buttons, we hopped on a Metro bus (yeah!) and made our way downtown to So Much Yarn. While Deb was looking for local fiber, she wound up purchasing a ball of Noro Kirameki - it’s a colorful wool blend laceweight yarn that I’m certain will become a lovely shawl. I found buttons that will be perfect for my next shawl (which, as I write this, is about 80% complete).



... and then the next
minute she's been swallowed
up by the crowd.



 Everyone was out at Pike Place Market (as you can see from the photo to the right) – which was our next destination. The Market is all about eyeing the great local flowers, produce and other crafts, as well checking out the flying fishmonger – which we, of course, did. In between traversing the market, we sat down for a much-needed and enjoyable lunch at Lowell's Restaurant and Bar. Man, there is nothing like a good tuna melt, and it’s even better watching the boats come and go from Seattle’s very busy port, all visible from Lowell's strategic market location.



I need to digress for a moment to comment on a certain stall’s brussels sprouts. When did they become something to fear? A little olive oil, crispy bacon, and seasonings are all that’s needed to tame these round bundles of ruffy-goodness. I should note they were right beside the “cute little eggplants.” Really. The stall needs a new copy writer.

After lunch, and a stop at Market Spice Tea (oh, love the smell of cinnamon, orange and clove), we made a quick swing to Fran's to sample the cadillac of chocolates. Don’t get me started on the dark chocolate caramels with sea salt. Just one person’s opinion.

Finally, we made our way up to the Elliott Bay Book Company – in their new location. Of course, we eventually made it to the crafty book section to check out their crochet book selection (not too bad, and a few that I hadn’t yet seen). We ended in the café for a final cappuccino while Deb waited for her chariot to whisk her away for dinner (being made by her husband – excellent).

A sightseeing and yarny good time! 

More fresh Market flowers - what color

 

A Sicilian Slice

There are some writers who have a gift for capturing place – and Robert Camuto, in his most recent book Palmento, elegantly does just that.

Picking up in Sicily where he left off in the French countryside in Corkscrewed (his first book dealing with up-and-coming French winemakers), Camuto delves, ever so delicately, into present-day Sicily through its viticultural personalities (both lesser and well-known), as well as its geography and food. From the first chapter, in which he describes an unbelievable dinner, through his many visits with grape growers, the reader is given a front-row seat to wine, food, and place that are each a unique mix of tradition and modernity.

Rest assured you need know nothing about wine to become hooked – Camuto is, first and foremost, a writer. With his perceptive yet compassionate pen, Camuto brings to life Sicily’s past and present through the toils of the characters that are Sicily’s current wine growers. He masterfully weaves in grape and wine category information. Not only will you look at wine labels differently the next time you are at the wine store, but you will want to travel to Camuto’s Sicily. I know I do.

I should note that I read his first book, Corkscrewed, while doing some wine studying. The book (as well as Camuto personally) directly led to my 2009 vendage participation at Domaine Rouge-Bleu. (Note: I also did a little writing while at the farm in Provence, and you can read that here.) I am indebted to Camuto not only for the introduction, but for what can only be described as an unexpected, incredibly soulful, French experience.

Given the above, what sticks with me most about Palmento is my identification of, what I suspect, is Camuto’s own soulful experience. The book is written from the perspective of someone returning to a vaguely familiar, yet unexplored, place.

Va bene, Robert. Va bene.