bee creative

gifts from the family

I'm not sure how old I was when I figured out that Clarence and Lucille weren't biologically related to us.   I think one of my brother's didn't figure it out until he was a teenager.  They were just always there...for family events and in family stories. 

My grandmother recently sent me this.  A set of pillowcases with tatted edging that Lucille made. 

It's something I'll treasure. 

 

My grandmother also sent me some quince.  I poached some of it and then made a yogurt cake (I used oat flour and whole wheat) with quince and blackberries.  Rather than stir the fruit into the batter, I placed it on the top of the cake before baking.  Worked much better this way...

one reason

I don't own a car:

It forces you to walk more.  Even when you are tired... 

(These pictures are from earlier in the week.)

And to look closer. 

(This one is from today.)

Some of these leaves are heading for the dye pot. 

 

And a video that I found this morning while I was looking around.

More layers, more storytelling. 

adding words

Text on quilts has interested me for a long time...I think perhaps because I am always drawn to layers of meaning and stories. 

About fifteen years ago I started my cowboy quilt.  Somewhere along the way I decided to put part of the text of Cole Porter's song "Don't Fence Me In," on the back. 

Once again, I've begun to stitch text.  This time fragments of letters and notes written to me from friends and family.  I will be covering a "Sunbonnet Sue" quilt that my mother made for me when I was nine or ten.  The fabric for the dolls either came from family or from clothing that Mom made for me.  The words add to the story, add layers of understanding, and certainly of love. 

I've started with a couple sentences from a letter my grandfather wrote to me when I was four.  "The tomatoes in the garden at the ranch are starting to turn red and I miss having you here to help me pick them." 

I'm glad I didn't rush into mending this quilt too quickly...  And because I can't help myself:

Friends? 

keeping track

Almost there. 

Working on the second sleeve of the green sweater.  If I can finish it this week, I'll attach the sleeves to the body of the sweater and start the yoke. 

sky scarf + being local

It was raining so hard this morning that I didn't think I was going to go to the farmer's market today.

But as it happened, the sun came out and off I went. 

And it was good.

Good because there were beet and carrot greens for the chickens and good because I had an interesting conversation with a new vendor (selling hand knits and hand-spun yarn) about locally sourced wool and locally made clothing. 

At some point I would like to knit a skirt and a sweater with locally sourced yarn. 

For now I'll keep working on my sky scarf, with local roving. 

The morning rain meant that the color for the scarf today was gray.

After two months of knitting, the sky scarf is 12 1/4 inches. 

When I started the scarf, I cast on as many stitches as my age.  For some reason I keep wanting to add stitches and have to readjust. 

The mushrooms are increasing too.

Maybe they like the rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

gray is the quiet color

The latest sock to join the family.

From the garden.  Beginning and ending and cycles.  

feeling dotty

Jude recently reminded me of something I made several years ago.  That reminder inspired me to play with this again.  And really, this time I need to keep going with it, to play more with doodling on dyed fabric. 

So what did I do?  Basically I'm stippling on fabric.  I used a micron brand pen to make a design with dots.  What I find the most fun is to dye my fabric first, with folds...

and then follow the patterns the dye makes to create patterns. 

Fun!

Here's a few samples I've dyed recently.  The greenish-yellow is cotton dyed with goldenrod and the orange-ish fabric is cotton dyed with elderberry leaves. 

Play, play is good!  

one moment

Today I realized one of the gifts of taking a photo is just to be in the moment...one magical moment caught:

And a kitchen update:  the feta is a tad bit salty but good.  I'll be making it again.

P.S.  I couldn't stand it and switched th blog back!  Let me know if it is still requiring a sign in and I'll play with the settings.  I have a choice now! 

changing perspective

What if clouds were made of lots of tiny little flowers? (Playing with Photoshop again).

I turned the heat on for the first time last night.  The temperatures are supposed to be close to freezing tomorrow so tonight I picked my three winter squash/pumpkins.  I have a few small  lemon cucumbers to pick and I'll check the tomatoes one last time tomorrow and that will be it for the summer crops this year. 

Looking a little bit closer at the large winter squash.  It gives me ideas...

being local: cheese making and other Sunday projects

I decided it was time to try making a different kind of cheese.  I chose Feta.  This is after it was drained and before I cut and salted it.  It won't really be ready to eat until Friday.  Right now it tastes like mild goat cheese. 

I also made farm cheese with the last of the milk I had.  This recipe for ricotta is a great place to start if anyone is interested in making cheese. 

Made a yummy lunch with pesto, tomatoes, and walnuts.  The basil and tomatoes are from the garden. The last of the basil and the tomatoes are winding down.

 

This experiment had mixed results.  It's gluten free foccacia.  One of my favorite uses for the grapes from the garden is to use them as a topping on bread.  I'm not sure if the moisture from the grapes made the bread gummy or something else (since I've never made this recipe before), but the middle is still a bit raw.  It did, however, taste really good and  I'm hoping it will toast well. 

As for the tale of two pots:

My sample fabrics are the same color.