The Friday 'wine' down is here - Woo-Hoo!
Hoping this week treated everyone pretty well. My Monday started off with a bang and the rest of the days followed suit. So, by Friday afternoon, I was actually ready to take a nap! (won't say if I did or not). But, with the full-time day job, full-time passion job, (was going to say part-time - but those of us in the crafty/maker or any self-employment biz knows, ain't nothing "part-time" about it. You are giving 110% of yourself ALL.THE.TIME - not sure how we do it all but I guess the passion part of it fuels and day by day, we just make it happen!) and then there's the adulting (i.e. mommying/daddying; spousing, blah, blah) ~ basically all the things we do - this week just took a lot from me so this WINE down was definitely needed!!!
So let's talk this Solomon's Knot stitch. I am a member of this Facebook group where I recently asked about skills people wanted to either learn or hone. Solomon's Knot came up in the discussion so I thought 'why not write about that this week" which then lead me to thinking about which wine varietal would pair well and landed on Sauvignon Blanc (which is crazy if you know me, but we'll discuss that later) and yes, I totally and seriously put lots of thought into "pairing wine" with stitches. #totalgeek
Solomon’s Knot is a unique crochet technique that really expands upon your basic crochet skills to create a stunning stitch. And when I say an expansion of basic - I really mean an expansion of 'basic skills' - single crochet! If you can single crochet (double in UK) you are able to work this stitch!
Here's the ultra top secret what you need to do when working your single crochets in Solomon's knot: when you draw your loops up, draw them up much higher than normal. That’s what gives Solomon’s Knot (which is also known as The Lovers’ Knot or The Hail Stone) its open, lacy design. Once you’ve mastered the basics of the Solomon’s Knot stitch play around with it by drawing your loop up shorter (about 1/4 inch – 1/2 inch tall) or taller (2 inches – 3 inches tall). So, here the Stitch This portion - HOOKS UP andlet's work this step by step!
STEP 1:
Begin with one loop on your hook. The best way to do this is ch 2, sc in first ch.
STEP 2:
Draw up your loop (the sc from the previous step) to the desired height by gently pulling it upwards with your hook.
STEP 3:
Yarn over and draw through the loop on the hook. When you look at your work, you should see a single strand in back and two strands in front. Draw the yarn up so that the single strand in back is the same length as the loop that you pulled up.
STEP 4:
Insert your hook under that single strand in the back..
STEP 5:
Yarn over and draw through first loop on hook..
STEP 6:
Yarn over and draw through both loops.
Ta Da!
(Ok. I meant to do a short video, but as I said this week was a little cray so I didn't get around to it. But I will and once I do I will post an update, deal?)
Repeat the above to get a row of Solomon’s Knots on top of one another. To create the next one, draw up the last loop that you already created in step 6, and repeat steps 3 through 6.
I used two colors for my swatch. Not sure if I will finish the idea I had before summer is over - but we'll see. I have an idea to add such a cute and different element. #rubbing hands together! LOL!
Before last night, I would not be caught dead drinking Sauvignon Blanc! But, taking one for the team and because it went so well with the theme, :o) I did it! And you know what, it wasn't that bad! (insert here all the stuff about trying new things, blah, blah)
Sauv Blanc has a very distinctive smell to me - I can pick it out of most any blend - the smell? Dirty Socks, In fact, my dear neighbor (and wine drinking buddy) now calls Sauv Blanc "dirty socks" even though it is her fav and the ONLY wine she drinks. haha!
If you follow my insta (I hope you do) you know that a series of unfortunate events took place yesterday which lead me to Bevmo to get the wine for this post rather than the shipment I was awaiting from Napa (which, still isn't here by then way! #boo) Anyway, thinking happy thoughts and moving on, I get to Bevmo (after being at the day job all day and picking up a tired toddler from day care) and look around - I know very little about Dirty Socks as I have spent too much time avoiding it. But knowing New Zealand is kind of a big deal when it comes to Sauv Blanc (and sensing an impeding toddler meltdown) I look for a mid-shelf Marborough region Sauv Blanc grab it and make a b-line to the checkout stand. Cost me 11 bucks and some change after tax!
What's cool about Sauv Blanc is that the grape originated in the same region the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes in the Bordeaux region of France. This girl LOVES a big bold Cab!! I have heard it said that Sauvignon Blanc derives from the French word sauvage, which means wild, because the grape grew like a weed throughout the region. Little tidbits! In the 1980s, New Zealand wines started to hit the international market, debuting wines that were bright, crisp, refreshing and, best of all, incredibly affordable. (10 bucks!)
Wines produced with Sauvignon Blanc can vary in style, from zippy and grassy to lush and tropical fruit-driven. It is a very herbal-ish wine and is often associated with a "grassy" aroma (maybe that's where I get the dirty socks from!) My take on Villa Maria Sauv Blanc? It just may be my gateway bottle into the world of Sauv Blancs. Pretty exciting! I feel like I am expanding my wine palate and knowledge so that's pretty neat. Hopefully, you'll join me this weekend with expanding your wine palate and stitching baseline by working Solomon's Knot over a glass of crisp, semi-tart Sauvignon Blanc! Cheers to life may your stitches and sips be plenty!!