Apple Capital of the World

Both of these were thrift store finds in Washington. How could I not get them?!? We try not to collect too many random kitchen items. It's our greatest thrift downfall, what with my Fiestaware and Pyrex collections among other things.  For anyone who's been to our kitchen you might think we've failed at that by the state of our cupboards. Anyway, back on topic. What is the Apple Capital of the World? According to these vintage-y mugs both Yakima and Wenatchee have laid claim to the title.  So, which is it? I am certainly not going to argue with vintage-y mugs. And there's no other way to tell for sure.  Other than the mugs that is. No technology that could help us here...just the mugs. So, as far as the Churchill household is concerned, they're both the apple capital of the world. Who knows, maybe we'll have another random thrift find and a third city will be added to that list. If we did, I would definitely be coming home with that mug.

PDX Weekender

Last weekend, Kevin went down to Portland for work and I decided to burn up a few PTO days and tag along. I took the Amtrak down on Thursday, which is an absolutely beautiful ride, especially from Seattle to Olympia where the track closely follows the water and especially when the weather is clear. This time of year I thanked my lucky stars that it was indeed clear! I took full advantage by lingering in the dining car with my coffee and cookie.

Thursday night we had a lovely time with some of Kevin’s Portland work folk at the Secret Society Lounge and Toro Bravo. If you're in the Portland area I would highly recommend both. Friday morning had us up early and off to pick up Voodoo Doughnuts for the office. They’re known for their crazy flavors and all around quirky vibe. Also their long lines, but we dodged that by getting there super early. In the end we decided it was something we needed to do once because of the hype but probably wouldn’t go back. We’re sort of classic doughnut types (Top Pot Doughnut shout out, whoop whoop!). Dinner that night was a mix of sushi, ramen, and dumplings from Shigezp Izakaya. Then we headed off to a place called Brasserie Montmartre. Clearly we have no qualms about mixing cultural cuisines. Although, the main reason we went was to catch a bit of free music courtesy of Boy and Bean. They're a sort of vintage throw-back trio that were very enjoyable to see.

One goal of the weekend was to hit the food carts for lunch. Over the course of the weekend we sampled Euro Trash, the Flying Scotsman, and Gaufre Gourmet (a waffle joint). All three did not disappoint! The fish and chips we had at the Flying Scotsman were probably the best we’ve had this side of the pond, which is no wonder as they’re served up by an actual Scotsman. As for the waffle, I'll admit I was skeptical. I’m generally a waffle traditionalist. Give me a big slab of butter and maple syrup any day of the week (literally, we have waffles any day of the week). However, my taste buds were blown by the intriguing blend of fig butter, bacon, Camembert cheese and arugula and I would definitely go back next time we’re in PDX.

Saturday started out with us in search of canelé's. Did I mention yet that our travel plans generally revolve around food?? I had never heard of a canelé before this weekend but I guess they’re hot right now in Portland. They’re pastries of French origin that are made out of a sort of custardy batter that’s baked to a caramelized crisp on the outside yet is still soft and gooey on the inside. We found our first one’s at Ken’s Artisan Bakery, along with the obligatory croque monsieur. All in all we were not so impressed with sir Ken’s. Long wait, not enough places to sit, and the canelé and croque were just so-so. They were awfully pretty, though! Later that day we had two perfect lattes at local Stumptown coffee, then caught a movie at the Living Room Theater. I visited the Living Room on my first solo trip to Portland awhile back and it was instant love. Good movies, good relatively cheap wine and yummy food during your show, comfy seats you get to pick when you buy your ticket. Pretty much my ideal movie watching experience. This time the movie was Detropia, a documentary about the changing face of Detroit since the recession. If you're the documentary-loving type I would recommend it.

On Sunday we set out in search of canelé's again and this time ended up at St. Jack's. Oh man were they good! Not only was the place adorable and not too crowded, the canelé's were night and day from Ken's and had me thinking immediately about trying to make them at home. That might be a little far fetched of an idea...but we'll see.

 

Our weekend ended with a fantastic visit with our good friend Rachel before heading out, which I've decided deserves it's own post since I've spend this one rambling about food! Here's a teaser...

Knit in the Shetland Isles

First. I did not knit this sweater.  Just to be clear.  But is is a hand-knit sweater and it is a work of art. I feel so lucky that it found its way to me.  I had been keeping tabs on this year's Shetland Wool Week through the posts of one of my favorite designers Kate Davies and was feeling downright homesick for Scotland.  Even though we only spent roughly six months plus seven weeks living there all told, it was such a memorable experience that had such a profound impact in our lives that I think about our time there almost daily.  Scotland will always feel like one of the places I can call home in my heart.  So yes.  I was yearning to jump on a plane to Shetland.

Instead, I did what I normally do after work and stopped in at one of the thrift stores that are conveniently (dangerously) located on my drive home.  And there it was.  A beautifully yoke neck sweater in my favorite color, knit just for me in the Shetland Isles.  Okay, so it maybe wasn't knit just for me.  But is certainly is beautiful and it was just what I needed. Sometimes I feel a bit sad when I find a lovely hand knit at a thrift store.  I mean, someone somewhere decided to get rid of it.  Even when the original owner is gone, I like to think that lovely hand-knit items will be passed down as treasured heirlooms to the next generation.  However, more often than not (okay, pretty much always)  I take that lovely item home with me where I'll love it and take care of it and wear it often.  I even shower it with compliments about it's beautiful stitch definition, perfect color gradient, and superb construction. So, in the end, I don't feel bad at all that it ended up at the thrift store. Instead I'm happy I'm the one who got to take it home.

FO: Kevin’s EPS Fair Isle Sweater

I promised I’d be sharing lots of knitting projects and this first one is a doozy.  Introducing…Kevin’s EPS Fair Isle Sweater!!!!!  This has been on the needles since last January so I’m very pleased to announce it’s finished, blocked, and ready to be worn.  For those of you who don’t know ultra-nerdy-knitting-speak, EPS stands for Elizabeth’s Percentage System.  It was developed by that wonderful goddess of knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann and I followed her instructions in her book “Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop”.  The basic idea is to measure a sweater you already own and love, knit up a swatch with whatever needles and yarn you prefer, then use your measurements and her percentage system to craft your very own custom sweater.  It’s knit completely in the round from the bottom up (huzzah!) and there are several choices to pick from for the shoulder shaping.  I decided to go with a saddle shoulder.  For the Fair Isle bit, I adapted a pattern from Alice Stanmore’s “Fair Isle Knitting”.  It took me a while to get the charts and the stitch count to work out right.  Wait.  Did I just say I got the charts and stitch counts to work out right? That’s not entirely true.  I realized too late that I hadn’t gotten the math right and had to do some creative increasing and decreasing under the arms.  But you didn’t notice right? Right. Here's a few more detail shots. 

The grey yarn is called Heilo by Dale of Norway/Dalegarn.  I thrifted about 25 skeins of it awhile back and have been plotting to make some sort of Kevin sweater with it every since.  It's a bit to Scratchy McScratherson for me. The fair isle bits are Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight.  Needles are US size 4. Raveled here. 

These photos were taken on a Saturday morning trip to Bakery Nouveau. We sampled their delicious almond croissant, chocolate croissant, croque monsieur, and this pretty pear danish. 

Fall Traditions

Fall has always been my favorite seasons and one of the best parts about living in Washington state is that it lasts on and on and on.  The temperature is perfect for warm sweaters and scarfs worn without jackets and the sun is still out more than one might think.  The leaves also turn color very slowly compared to hometown Wisconsin, which makes for beautiful walks late into November.  Fall also seems like a time for traditions.  Maybe it’s because Fall is also the pre-cursor to the busy winter holiday season and we start to get in the mood for all the tradition that goes along with that. Or it could be the very effective marketing of you-know-who and their Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  Yeah. I’ve had a few. Whatever the reason, we continued some old Fall traditions and started some new one’s this year.

First up: SALMON! 

Not only is it Fall in Washington it’s also salmon spawning season.  This is a tradition we started last year and I hope it continues time immortal. I love the salmon.  They’re fascinating and beautiful and downright magical.  We like to start out by visiting them as they make their way through the fish ladder at the Ballard locks.  Here’s a peek at what they look like….

Then, a little later in the year, we venture out to a tiny little stream to see them at the end of their journey…

Magical right!?! Not only do they make the super long trek from salt water to fresh water they also dramatically change their shape along the way.  Maybe I’m overexcited about this, but it still boggles me that these could be the same fish.

Next up: Take a walk through the (rainy) Washington Park Arboretum. 

This is a new one. Although, it’s really a continuation of a springtime tradition.  It happened to be raining the day we went, but in some ways I think that makes it more beautiful.  The colors really pop in the rain.  Highlights for me were seeing a pear tree (seemed so exotic!), taking pictures of almost every Mountain Ash branch full of berries, and the bright red Japanese Maples. 

And finally: Make an apple pie. 

This has been our favorite apple pie recipe for a few years now.  It’s got cheese baked into the crust. Call us Wisconsinites through and through.  Below are the apples I used…but I couldn’t seem to get a picture of the finished product before it was snapped up!