forecast obsession

although i really should be finishing projects rather than beginning new ones, forecast has reeled me in. the pattern is so elegantly written that it's a joy to knit. it's definitely a knitter's sweater, with clever techniques, unusual constructions, and enough to think about to be interesting while maintaining a good rhythm to each row. an intellectual sweater, you might say. it's convinced me that fitted knits will be a necessary purchase in the near future.

ester is stalled due to blocking barriers. last weekend we moved furniture, finally ditching the lumpy bachelor sofa that mr. boot bought at goodwill several years ago for $15. while this was a much-anticipated event for me, the way that we rearranged furniture means that the only real option for blocking--the futon--is now in the main room, where it's not so convenient for a wet wooly mass to remain for several days. so, i'm considering making one out of homosote.

in the meantime, the brown "crispy rice" treats and the strawberry kanten from this macrobiotic cookbook have fulfilled my no-sugar sweet-treat cravings. and, to echo a nuttnbunny image (without the three-year-old fingers), the chickens have been quite productive:

summer skirt #2

and a detail of the front ties: i'm finding that bread is kind of hard to mess up. i accidently made this batch of cinnamon bread with double the yeast and then ran out of flour. so i added raisins, turned them into buns, and they're lovely! perfect for tea this afternoon:

notice the buffalo china? we finally finished off the set during last month's great wedding gift trade-in.

big bird, the cochin chicken, has lost her tail feathers again. every time we move the coop, the chickens dig a new dust bath--this time a little too close to the underbrush at the back of the yard. we think that a cat snuck up on them, grabbed at them through the fence, and got big bird's tail, since she's fatter and slower than the others--and has longer tail feathers. there are feathers everywhere and the other two chickens are hiding in the coop, but nobody got eaten--the only casualty is tail feathers. whew.

pile of sweater

i'm still stuck on the border for the garter stitch bolero. i picked up too few stitches around the curved front pieces, not taking into account the increases and decreases, which pulled the two fronts into the shape of half-baguettes. not so attractive. so i frogged this most recent mistake and am attempting to follow the line of the increases and decreases to pick up the right number of stitches.

notice the green chair in the background of these shots? at the greensboro art & antique fair this weekend we found exactly the old table and chairs that we wanted for the backyard: comfy and green with that slightly shabby vintage feel. i successfully haggled and we got one of the chairs free.

hooray for morning knitting (here it's ester) and grain coffee outside! this week my homeopath gave me to OK to eat gluten again, so my grain coffee treats are back on the menu. and with the help of my lovely, shiny new kitchenaid mixer, we've been baking fresh bread constantly. all i have to do is substitute soy milk for milk and nix the sugar. friday was cinnamon bread (wonderful with strawberries), today is grilled bread on our newly-constructed grill (both from simply in season), and this week i'd love to try a plain whole wheat loaf. now that the semester is over, we finally had time to put together and learn to use some of the more complicated wedding gifts--kitchenaid, grill--and are very much enjoying the results!

a parting image of the chickens, hiding from me. just after i took this they caught an unfortunate mole and were quite pleased with themselves.