Bootie and Bossy Eat, Drink, Knit

Piety! Purity! Submissiveness! Domesticity! These are the four pillars of the "Cult of True Womanhood" in 19th-Century America according to Anne Macdonald in No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting, and we say, "No thanks!" We also say "no thanks" to knitting in covered wagons, the long skirts that created clouds of dust, and the bloomers that replaced them. And then there's Brigham Young who bemoaned the sock problem that seems to have always plagued our country--never enough socks, and those they had were ill-fitting. Whose fault was it? The ladies are to blame, according to Young: "...

If George Washington knew about Debie Frable's Killer Sangria, he probably would have wanted A LOT of it to help him get through the Revolutionary War because boy, is this good stuff! Make it TODAY. But at the time, Washington really just wanted socks--he never had enough socks, as we learned from reading Anne L. Macdonald's No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting. As much as knitting and needlework have been dismissed as the stuff of “Pots and Pans,” as the “prankish students” at Yale referred to their social history class in the 1930s, Macdonald reminds us that loc...

Behind the scenes at Serial Knitters with Debie Frable in Bootie and Bossy's Episode 42!

Ever wonder what goes into hand-dyed yarn? The short answer is A LOT, as we learned from Debie Frable, owner of Serial Knitters Dye House. First there’s the prepping of the yarn—teasing out each tie on the skein so that the dye can fully penetrate the fiber (unless you want something that looks like tie-dye). There are 3 ties on a skein, so let’s do the math: if she makes 300 skeins of her top-selling yarn, Cherry Creek sock, she is teasing out 90...

What's worth talking about? Pixar's short "Purl" in Bootie and Bossy's Episode 41!

What happens when a pink ball of yarn named Purl starts working at B.R.O. Industries? Find out in Kristen Lester’s Pixar animated short “Purl.” There’s a lot going on in these 8 minutes that’s worth talking about. It’s “unbeweavable,” as Purl herself would say, but there’s a deeper message underneath all of the knitting puns. Purl is the literal and classic “round” character capable of surprise and transformation as she reknits herself in the bathroom to look more like her male co-workers. H...

Snow! Rain! Ice! Wind! When the blows of winter buffet us, we need to find joy in small things like bowls of warm, tasty Jamaican Chicken Curry, compliments of Kim Davis of Slaycation fame. Kim might not love cooking, but sometimes the non-cooks have the one tried-and-true recipe that hits all the notes. This recipe will definitely make it into your regular rotation because it’s delicious, easy and flexible—throw whatever you have on hand into one pot and make the ones you love happy today and tomorrow.

And speaking of Kim Davis and finding joy in g...

What could murders, vacations and knitting possibly have to do with one another? Kim Davis, one of the hosts of the podcast Slaycation, connects the dots in this episode. The name “Slaycation” says it all: these are true-crime tales of murders that take place on vacation—more reason, as if we needed it, to stay home and, well, eat, drink and knit. It’s just safer. But in addition to her popular podcast, Kim is a crafter extraordinaire, and we dive deep into her story here. She learned to crochet as a child growing up in Brooklyn—even then she was fa...

Wondering what to do for Valentine’s Day for all those special Valentines in your life? Bootie and Bossy to the rescue with a recipe for FIVE POUNDS of our Aunt Annie’s homemade fudge, also known as “Overseas Fudge” because it will withstand a military transport plane. And that’s our Aunt Annie, rocking the yellow pantsuit in the ‘70s—how could it not be good when it comes from her?! The well-spattered recipe from 1968 is fool-proof and delicious, and even if you eat one pound yourself, you’ll still have four pounds left to send to everyone else.

But...

What is it about Martha Stewart? If you want a good watch while you are playing with your Christmas yarn and pointed sticks, tune in to the Netflix biopic, Martha. Talk about a phoenix. Launching her own I.P.O. in 1999, she became the first self-made woman billionaire in American history. Five years later, she’s wearing her “Coming Home Poncho” that a fellow inmate crocheted for her as she leaves a federal prison, a.k.a. “Camp Cupcake.” We have watched her rise and fall and rise again, and there’s a lot to admire here. Perhaps Joan Didion said...

Want to start out the New Year with a great read? If you are an Ina Garten fan, as we are, her new memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens and this episode are for you! And with the audio version, it’s like Ina is keeping you company while you’re knitting—as Ina would say, “How great is that?”

We decided that Ina is a bit like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. How can that possibly be, you ask? To be clear, she does not compare herself to a Phoenix. But as she describes growing up...

Let’s set the scene. It’s December, 1946, and it’s beginning to look a lot like a disappointing Christmas at the Fort Hamilton, NY military base. No Christmas tree, no decorations for eight-year-old Mom waiting to disembark with her two sisters and mother for Heidelberg, Germany where they will join their father, then serving as an Army intelligence officer. The only gift? A pair of mittens for each girl handknit by their grandmother, wrapped and waiting on the bedstand Christmas morning. The disappointment of a handknit gift is what Mom decides to share on our knitting podcast. We can’t...

Shear delight is the only way to describe our conversation with the wonderfully talented Christina Kading, who began her career as a second-generation sheep-shearer at the age of 8 ("I was born on top of a sheep!"). What's so hard about sheep shearing, you ask? First there are the kicking animals who don't necessarily want a woolcut, even though they have it growing out of their ears and eyeballs. Then there's the sheer physicality it demands, second only to jackhammering. And finally there's all the sexism, the men like Gary in Pennsylvania who didn't think Christina--a woman!--could shear his...

Shear delight is the only way to describe our conversation with the wonderfully talented Christina Kading, who began her career as a second-generation sheep-shearer at the age of 8 ("I was born on top of a sheep!"). What's so hard about sheep shearing, you ask? First there are the kicking animals who don't necessarily want a woolcut, even though they have it growing out of their ears and eyeballs. Then there's the sheer physicality it demands, second only to jackhammering. And finally there's all the sexism, the men like Gary in Pennsylvania who didn't think Christina--a woman!--could shear his...

We're back--we hope you missed us! And we brought scissors, and we are not afraid to use them in spatchcocking a turkey for Thanksgiving. "Spatchcocking?" You may well ask. It's not just a word for removing the spine of the turkey to make for a wonderfully evenly roasted bird in half the time--say goodbye to over-cooked, dry breasts and under-cooked thighs (the turkey's, that is). But it's more than that as chef, teacher and cookbook author Kim O'Donnel explains in "Spatchocking: A Culinary Term for Our Times." Written in 2022 after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but perhaps even...

Whether you have an abundance of tomatoes in your garden like Bossy, or bought them on sale at the market like Bootie, you will love this super simple and amazingly delicious recipe. It's great for those back to school nights when you need something fast. And if you prep everything in the morning (your future you will thank you for that), your kitchen will smell wonderful all day. The recipe for linguine with tomatoes and basil comes from the Silver Palate cookbook and we've made a few updates, as always.

​Our knitting in pop culture moment is br...

Our recipe for this episode is perfect for busy back to school nights: Pineapple Marinated chicken breasts! It's super easy, tasty and you'll probably have everything you need in your larder except the chicken and the fresh pineapple. The leftovers are fantastic too! Bossy first discovered the recipe in the September 26, 2021 edition of the New York Times.

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Our Knitting in Pop Culture moment is brought to you by Wallace and Gromit's "A Close Shave" where we are introduced to Wendolene Ramsbottom who owns a wool shop and plays Wallace's love interest. We're also introduced to th...

Our recipe for this episode is a summer classic: Gazpacho! Bossy has been making this recipe for many years, as evidenced by all the splatters in her cookbook. It meets all of our criteria: makes a lot, uses one pot, and you have most of the ingredients in your larder. And it's versatile! It's perfect for a hot summer day. We recount our visit to a wonderful yarn shop during Bossy's recent visit to the PNW, introduce our newest feature: knitting in pop culture, and give updates on our projects. Please check out the Show Notes at www.bootieandbossy...

Here comes Janet with her damn four bean salad! This is the first recipe our mom (Hi Mom!) included in the recipe book she gave to us. It's perfect for the summer when you don't feel like cooking or if your kitchen is under renovation like Bootie's. We made it a little more gourmet by using fresh green beans and fresh herbs. So let's celebrate the "thousand extra hands" that we get when we open a can of beans! We discuss the history of industrialized food and recommend the January 3, 1955 issue of Life Magazine, along with a documentary about...

We have made it to episode 30 and you guessed it, time for another cocktail! This one is from Laylita.com. The melon sangria is a combination of delicious summer melons (your future self will thank you for balling up the melons and making melon ice cubes to have on hand), grappa, honey, and moscato. It's the perfect summer refresher. And there's a nonalcoholic version too. Bootie recounts the joys of her Alaskan cruise and Bossy has a finished object to share.

Mom's banana bread has been a staple in Bootie's household for forever. And now it's even better with the addition of a little buttermilk, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut. If you want to take it over the top (pun intended), you can add a crumble or cream cheese frosting. It's so good! Bootie and Bossy give updates on their current projects.

Our beautiful sister, Melissa generously agreed to come back on because we need more vegetables in our repertoire! Melissa discovered this recipe for roasted tomatoes on NPR and if anyone know who deserves the credit, let us know. The recipe is as simple as it gets--throw a couple of cans of diced tomatoes in a pyrex, along with a bunch of cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper, then run around panic cleaning for before your guests arrive. Melissa also shared her recipe for baked polenta--a total game changer. Melissa also describes some of her current projects.

Bootie...

Even though we are not in her demographic, Bossy and Bootie very much enjoy the food porn on Tieghan Gerard's website, Half-Baked Harvest. We tried the chicken tortilla soup and it is a winner, winner, chicken dinner. It's perfect for those nights when you need a little comfort food because you pulled eight ticks off your dog, got poison Ivan (as Bossy's son calls it), and there's a snow storm, all in the same week!

Bootie and Bossy are embarking on their first official KAL (knitalong) and would love for you to join us!. The pattern is...

The recipe for this episode is Bossy's homemade granola. It's the perfect blend of healthy grains and delicious fruits. Bootie and the rest of the family look forward to receiving the granola every year in her Xmas and birthday packages and now that she knows how easy it is to make, Bootie looks forward to making it herself. Wait a second, this is exactly what happened when Bootie encouraged Bossy to knit! Bootie has been had! Oh well, she can now console herself with a bowl of granola and it makes so much that she might even share with...

Whelp, Mom is in the hospital again, so it's time for another cocktail! Update: she's out of the hospital and in a rehab where she is making excellent progress! So cheers to that! Bootie first learned about the Bobby Burns cocktail from Darcy Cameron, the owner of Shibui yarn on her blog, Shibui Life. Bootie and Bossy did not have the required Scotch (or Benedictine, or Absinthe, well, ok, Bootie had the absinthe but is keeping the bottle purely for aesthetic reasons), so they used what they had on hand, and it was delicious. 

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As for...

Melissa reads the chapter "Imperfect Hearts and Roses for Valentine's Day" from her memoire, Match-Liss Tales of Online Dating by Melissa Klein

For this episode, we interviewed Melissa Klein, who has recently written a memoire about online dating. Melissa is a commercial artist, muralist, illustrator, logo designer, author, and standup comedian who works in a wide range of styles and mediums to reflect her client's vision. And she's our sister!! Our recipe for this episode is a family favorite: French Silk Chocolate Pie, perfect for Valentine's Day. Show notes can be found at www.bootieandbossy.com

​It's snowing in colonial Massachusetts and threatening to snow (mostly large drifts of paranoia) out in the Pacific Northwest so we offer Ina's Winter Minestrone to warm the cockles of your soul, and your belly. It meets all of our criteria: one pot, it makes a lot, and uses mostly ingredients from your larder. Bootie and Bossy do a deep dive into the brilliant short animation Visible Mending by Samantha Moore. Show Notes at www.bootieandbossy.com

Bossy reads a letter she wrote to Bootie the year she gave Bootie her family creche. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

"I just learned from Mom that Aunt Betty made our family creche when she was hospitalized and struggling with a deep depression. I know that was a very dark period in her life. I’d like to think making our creche might have had something to do with her recovery. But I am glad to know this now because it reminds us that out of darkness can come an unexpected light, and after despair can co...

In this episode, Bossy shares her recipe for a delicious cranberry cocktail, using your leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving (or if you already ate it, Bootie recommends a recipe). Bootie is immortalizing her aunts and mom in gnome form while Bossy is upcycling one of her father in law's sweater. And as always, we share our family stories and for a special bonus you get to hear Bossy speak middle English in an Elmer Fudd accent! Show notes at www.bootieandbossy.com

We had many (ok, one) requests for our corn bread recipe that goes with the Portuguese Bean Soup from Episode 19. So, our recipes for this episode are corn bread! In terms of knitting, the merits of shawls versus ponchos are discussed. No rats were harmed in the making of this podcast. Ok, maybe one rat but that rat didn't seem to phased and we're guessing its progeny are alive and well.

That's right, in the name of scrupulous research and purely out of devotion for developing the content of our podcast, Bootie and Bossy made the sacrifice and went to the famous Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival in New York. So we have seen and experienced Rhinebeck's wonders, and we are Rhinebeck virgins no more! We met the knitting celebrities--Andrea Mowry, Adella and Jimmy Colvin, Aimee Gille, and many others--oh my! But what was most inspiring was seeing so many people gathered in one place all wearing their handmade garb and eating cider donuts. We have found our people. It was...

Bootie and Bossy each thought they had the best ginger snap recipe. It turns out that their recipes are virtually identical! Bootie's came from her wonderful friend, Mary Ellen Haley, who is well known for her delicious baking. Bossy's came from Marion Cunningham's cookbook, The Breakfast Book. Bossy has been luring her coworkers into attending meetings with these cookies, along with the accompanied lemon curd, for many years. One of her coworkers said he goes to bed dreaming of them. Bootie recounts her knitting get together with Marie Greene, the author of the most wonderful book, The Joy of Yarn...

We present Fanny's (aka Bootie's mother in law) recipe for ratatouille. This delicious vegetable dish always reminds Bootie of relaxing summer visits to Fanny's house in the country. See the recipe page for more details. Bootie and Bossy discuss the bittersweet transition of our children's moves to college (Will they have enough deodorant for the after life? Will they use the right pan? Will they ever find the Better than Bouillon?). As usual, knitting gets us through the emotional roller coaster. We give updates on our latest projects (ah, the joy of Fall knitting!) and adventures. For show notes, please...

We remember two great spirits we lost in the past few weeks--Connie Morrison, Bossy's beloved mother-in-law, and our Uncle Harold, who managed to keep up with his wife, the indomitable Aunt Betty. Connie was a wonderful knitter and never failed to keep all six of her children and husband warm in hand-knitted sweaters every year, not to mention baby blankets for her 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She left many to remember her, and she embodied all of the best qualities of a fine knitter--warmth, kindness, generosity, productivity and a wit as sharp as her needles!​Uncle Harold never missed an opportunity to...

In this episode, Bootie and Bossy remember their beloved Aunt Betty who passed away on June 15th. As Bossy said, the world has lost a beautiful soul. Bootie and Bossy share their love for another Ina Garten favorite: Panzanella. Updates on Bootie and Bossy's knits are also shared. For more information, check out the show notes at bootieandbossy.com

Bossy and Bootie share the recipe for Fourth of July cheesecake. It's the best part of Fourth of July! Bootie and Bossy review Peggy Orenstein's book, Unraveling: What I learned about life while shearing sheep, dyeing wool, and making the world's ugliest sweater. Show notes and the recipe can be found at bootieandbossy.com

Bossy shares her delicious cocktail, which we are now calling Bossy's Colonial Ginger Mint Hooch. This one is excellent as a host/ess gift, a mocktail, or to accompany you on a Champeaux Road lazy river experience. Bootie shares her tips about swatching and Bossy has an update on Mom's consolation hedgehog. For more information check out the show notes at Bootieandbossy.com

Is 13 a lucky or unlucky number? Bootie and Bossy discuss various lore about the number 13 and discover that the overriding message is "be inclusive!" You can definitely do that with Ina Garten's pork posole recipe, which is sure to feed a hungry and diverse crowd. As always, family stories are shared (Hi Mom!) and updates on our knitting projects. Show notes can be found at Bootieandbossy.com

In this episode, Bootie and Bossy have three book recommendations. First, we discuss the cookbook Community by Hetty McKinnon. She approaches salads like a good novel: with tantalizing characters and delicious plot twists. She has excellent advise for what to put in your larder so that you're ready when 5PM rolls around to put together something nutritious and satisfying. In fact, it's so satisfying that you might not even mind that it's vegetarian! Next, we discuss Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther. Bossy gave this book to Bootie for her birthday and we got to see one of the animals...

Sometimes things don't go as planned. Bootie and Bossy were very excited about all the excellent adventures they had planned for Bossy's visit to Washington. Three days in, our Mom fell and fractured her pelvis. Spending time at the hospital was definitely not what any of us had in mind, most especially Mom, but we did manage to salvage what we could and were glad just to be spending time together. We love you Mom and we wish you a very speedy recovery so you can enjoy our cocktail, the Blackberry Ginger Rye for this episode!! Show notes can be...

Bootie presents a delicious jell-o recipe similar to one from her childhood. Bootie and Bossy reminisce about April Fool's jokes of the past and discuss ideas for this year. Vintage craft projects that need a come back, such as toilet paper covers and beer can hats are presented. Show notes can be found at Bootieandbossy.com