Summer

To me, this is the essence of summer.

I have ways to feel better about this.  Mr. Etherknitter's family helped.  

His rockin' mom did some research.  She arranged dinner and a show.   Can you predict what kind of dinner and show a lady in her 70's (shhhhh) would come up with?

How about scrumptious pizza and David Wax Museum?  We ventured out to the Chicago 'burbs to find a new pleasure.  

David Wax and Suz Slezak are a Boston band.  He went to Harvard, she to Wellesley.  Last year, they organized a grass-roots campaign, winning a write-in contest to get them included in the Newport Folk Festival.  Stole the show.  This year, they were invited back.  The NPR link has last year's performance (great), and, even better, this year's.  

He went to Mexico for a music fellowship.  She plays donkey jaws as a percussive instrument.  Don't squinch your eyes in doubt.  It works.  (The bones are a traditional Mexican instrument called a quijada.)  She also saws a mean fiddle.  Their music is infectious.  If you can find a performance where you live (the website has their schedule), GO.  They are even better in person.  I started out "ho-hum, what has Mr. E's mom gotten us into THIS time", to leaning forward, to edge of my seat, to foot-stomping and clapping and hooting.  Don't ever say I didn't let you in on a really great secret.

Our trip to the northern 'burbs included a tasting.  Nope, not wine.  

F.E.W. Distillers set themselves up in an old garage.  Numerous permits later, they purchased two stills:  one for white likker, and one for brown.  One of the owners conducts the mini-tour.  When they went to the garage to inspect it as a site for their business, it was still a chop-shop.  He described several men finishing off a car in the corner, while swearing at him in languages he could not identify.  (When he bought the building, their jobs were over.)

The stills are beautiful.  Copper.  Functional art.

I do not recall why they named the business F.E.W.  I'm sure it was so they could say, "Have a FEW."

Travel helps knitting progress.  The body of Volt is done.  Attached I-cord is a new skill, so I swatched it.  Using scrap yarn isn't always the best idea.  I grabbed some leftovers, snatched up two doublepoints, and knit a square.  

I nailed the live edge.  The side edge wasn't as easy.  I could feel dismay bubbling up.  So much for deciding to think about it when the time came.  Identifying the stitches to pick up was tough...close together, indistinct.

I sighed.  I put it down.  I picked up the shawl instead.  Relief.  The side stitches, with medium sized needle and tiny yarn make for easy spotting.  It needs a cautionary lifeline, then interminable attached I-cord, then done.  I'm thinking Rhinebeck shawl, as a goal.  (Lesson:  swatch stuff that looks more like what you are knitting even if practicing for simple technique.)

The final FEW picture is gin hot off the distillation column.  The distiller swipes his finger through the stream, tastes it for flavors, and adjusts the still (too fast? too slow?).  The end result is pretty darn good.

 

 

Comments

[margene]

Gin? In the back streets? Of Chicago? I'd love to stick my finger in that poor spout for a taste.
You'll be an expert at applied i-cord by the time the shawl is finished.
Maybe David Wax will head west at some point. We'd sure enjoy seeing them live! Thanks for the tip...we shall not miss the chance.

[Carole]

The cartoon is classic for you. Of course I disagree but I'll look for an appropriate winter themed one to illustrate my feelings toward your favorite season.

[Anne]

Your MIL is a keeper. Obviously. :)

[Cheryl S.]

Interesting! Sounds like a fun trip.
Congrats on your I-cord!

[gayle]

I don't even like gin, but I'd taste it from FEW. The stills are indeed beautiful.

[Caroline M]

Our summers differ, this week we had one popcorn-hot day then the next was rain. Looking out of the window now, today could go either way.

I don't like gin but I'd go on the tour for the interesting copperwork alone.

[elizabeth]

I think I'd really like their music, and they're playing at a festival in NC the same time we'll be in Asheville in October BUT the festival site only lists weekend passes (at $126 each) and that's also the weekend of SAFF and a lot of hiking in the mountains. I'll keep my eyes open for them though, maybe they'll come further south!