Marcie's Mystery Squash

I stopped in to visit my friend Marcie and her husband yesterday morning. We wandered around their garden for a bit and looked at what they had planted. Everyone I know seems to be drowning in cucumbers this year. Marcie was canning relish when I got there.

Their corn looks like mine, and I heard from another friend that hers didn’t do well this year, either. And yet some people have really nice looking patches of corn. I wonder what’s going on.

Tom and Marcie have some very interesting winter squash. This one is the size of a Hubbard but it’s not blue.

Marcie thinks it’s some kind of Japanese pumpkin. (Kabocha, maybe?) She said I could try one when they ripen.

Our watermelons are getting ripe, and the cantaloupe aren’t far behind:

Our cucumber plants show no sign of slowing down. I think I might make some pickles this weekend. I’ve also had navy beans soaking and those need to get canned this morning. Green beans are on the schedule for some time next week. Elysian gifted me a green bean frencher that she picked up at a thrift store and I want to try it out.

Every day, I get a few more tomatoes. It won’t be long before I’ll be bringing them in in five-gallon buckets.

I broke down and bought a spiralizer a few weeks ago. I had a handheld one from Pampered Chef, but it was hard to use. The OXO spiralizer I got comes with three blades and it’s sturdier than I expected considering it’s all plastic. I am having fun spiralizing zucchini. The other day I did a couple of sweet potatoes and roasted them.

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After I stopped at Marcie’s yesterday, I went to the church. We were supposed to have our monthly Mennonite Women meeting/sewing, but Pat, Elaine, and I were the only ones there. It’s getting harder and harder for our older members to make it, and several of them are finding it difficult to quilt because of arthritis. The three of us quilted and visited for a bit. We’re doing “prairie quilting” on the current top, which is bigger stitches with a single strand of crochet cotton instead of quilting thread. I am reasonably good at prairie quilting. It’s like quilting with training wheels.

I’m not sure if our group will keep meeting or not. We’ll have to talk about it.

I came home and did chicken chores. I’ve given up trying to collect eggs. It’s hot and the hens are not laying as much. Also, four or five of them have decided to park themselves on piles of eggs and act broody. The other day I went out there and three hens were crammed into the same nesting box. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that their brains are the size of peas.

Later in the afternoon, I cut the Kensington skirt out of the dark green ponte knit and put it together. It just needs the elastic band put in, and then I can see how it fits and whether the pattern needs tweaking or not.

This book arrived yesterday:

Part of the reason I bought the book was because it includes a pattern for a knot top dress (the one on the cover) and I wanted to analyze the construction. The book is intended to be a beginner’s guide to sewing with knits, so it includes great basic information, from choosing fabrics to tips and tricks on sewing with knits. The designs are simple enough to allow for good fitting refinements, but Tilly includes lots of ideas for customizing them. My only quibble with the book—and it’s minor, certainly—is that the focus is more on sewing knits with a sewing machine than with a serger. I understand the rationale; sergers (and especially coverstitch machines) are still considered specialty machines by a lot of sewists. Still, I found myself looking at her assembly instructions and having to think through how I would do them on a serger instead of a sewing machine.

I bought the book for the knot top dress, but there is a simple turtleneck dress that has moved to the top of the list. The red Liverpool knit will work perfectly for that pattern. I’ll pair it with some tights to wear to church.

I’ve always been interested in fashion but 1) I have never had a need for it, because the chickens don’t care what I wear; and 2) I find it hard to spend money for clothing that fits badly and is poorly made. Now that I can make things that fit me and come in bright colors instead of muddy earth tones, I want to make ALL THE THINGS.