I'm still reading
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver this week. The book has convinced me to give up all industrially raised meat and dairy. And it's made me aware of where the produce I'm buying comes from. I really appreciate her desire to create a food culture for her family. Cooking was important in both of my parents' families, and my mom's parents grew their own vegetables. They had a huge raised bed that took up most of their backyard and their beans used to grow up the side of the house and onto the roof. I remember very vividly their basement cabinets filled with all of the pickles, beans, beets, and tomatoes they had canned themselves. My Dad still talks about how good my grandmother's pickles were.
This week I'm also reading
the knitters handy book of sweater patterns by Ann Budd. I'm starting to put together my idea for my daughter's sweater and the book is providing some useful sizing guidelines and ways of shaping the sweater.
The sweater I'm knitting for myself is just about done. I'm hoping one more week!
I listened to this interesting broadcast on the program On Point yesterday on NPR:
"The Resurgence of Knitting." Good to listen to while knitting, of course.
And thanks to Ginny for hosting another
Yarn Along on her blog this week.
Your sweater is really pretty!
ReplyDeleteIs "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" a light read or relatively heavy? I am pretty committed to buying local meat but am not quite there with eggs and fresh produce. Am interested in checking this book out.
ReplyDeleteYour knitting is simply beautiful (as usual)!
Thanks, Renee! I'd say it's a light read. I'm flying through it. She's definitely arguing that the US has very little in the way of food culture. And that we value cheap calories over real food. But I think she understands that adopting an entirely local diet would be difficult for most people. If anything, the book has committed me to eating local, when I can, but I'm not going to feel guilty if I can't.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful knitting!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that book recommended many times. guess I need to pick it up sometime.
Our meat, milk and eggs are pretty local, as we produce them ourselves. Now, if I can only get some fruit trees planted and get rid of my Black Thumb of Death, maybe I could do our produce, too...!
I'd like to read that book....I just watched a couple of documentaries on Netflix about the food industry...found a chicken and egg CSA that is right by my house. When I grew up we grew all or vegetables and canned/froze them all...those were great pickles!
ReplyDeletewhat beautiful cables. Great knitting!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sweater, and the Budd book looks like something I could really enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone. I find these cables really interesting to work. They're reversible cables and Interweave Knits had an issue about them in Fall 2009. The pattern is the Rosamund Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz.
ReplyDeleteYour cardigan looks lovely! I read that Kingsolver book last summer and am a huge fan, too :)
ReplyDelete