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The days seem so much shorter, dawn at 7:52 AM and dusk at 5:55 PM.
It's easy to take pictures in natural light:
But more challenging to take pictures I like once the sun has set. And so I'm setting myself a bit of a challenge.
To take pictures before dawn or after sunset. To take them every day.
By changing the settings on my camera I was able to take a picture of the blanket I'm knitting and have the colors be as true as possible. A good start...
I think I will be revisiting certain letters as I work my way through preserving the alphabet.
Thought I'd try this recipe for pickled pears. Not sure how they taste as they need to age a bit, but the bite I pinched out of the pot tasted good.
Other things that happened this weekend:
Veggies in a pan from the farmer's market. I love the colors here.
New slippers made with the arms from a wool pullover and some scraps.
Perfect for puttering.
About two months ago I decided to try something. What if I made a doodle, a drawing, a few marks on paper every night? Would it be something I could maintain? I set myself very easy parameters. Just make a few marks, every night. What would come?
I find that over and over I want to make patterns. Things that could translate to stitch. Things that seem more texture than image.
I've missed a few nights, but mostly I've done something every day. Consistently enough that I feel I can continue. Aiming for a year. And thinking now too, that on any given day I might return to something already done and add to it.
Tonight I added text to this one digitally, but I'll make a few marks inside the sketchbook as well.
Quince juice. About 4 hours of simmering and 2 hours of draining. Not much work, just patience needed. It's simmering now with sugar and lemon juice.
One of the first quilts that I made. It was a gift for one of my brothers. I'm going to do a bit of mending. Maybe a wee beast should appear in a corner somewhere?
And a finished project:
The cowl I've been making with alpaca and sheep's wool.
It has me thinking of quality versus quantity.
Mending the back side of one of my blankets = thinking time.
Weekdays or weekends (time separated).
Work or play.
Utilitarian or whimsical.
Thinking about choices.
About how we sometimes separate things unnecessarily.
broccoli pesto for the freezer:
Broccoli chopped in a food processor, olive oil added. I use it in soups, hash, pasta or with other things for a wrap (like potatoes and beans). Adding cheese or nuts where I think it will taste good once I defrost the broccoli.
B is for books:
I recently read Terri Windling's The Wood Wife and Barbara Kingsolver's book Flight Behavior. Both very good.
And B is for ball of yarn:
I haven't been knitting on the bus much for the last couple weeks, for various reasons. Yesterday I grabbed some yarn and needles and off to work I went. This will be a scarf with long vertical stripes.
I've realized over the last week or so that when I am tired I retreat more to books, rather than knitting, sewing, or some other kind of making.
Reading fiction allows me to shut everything out and become a part of another world, at least for a little while.
Making leaves space open for thought.
B is for "be," to exist.
I was planning on making quince jelly this morning, but after thinking it through and realizing that would be just about my only cooking project for the day, I re-prioritized.
The quince will wait until next weekend.
I made applesauce, tomatillio sauce and pear conserve (recipe from Food in Jars). I've never made a conserve before so P is also for playful and perfect with blue cheese.
And p is for pink and peach. The garden is where I spent the rest of the day, after the fog burned off.
And pizza...that's what's for dinner.
Turning: Today the leaves in the neighbor's dogwood tree have been falling steadily.
They sound like the very gentlest of wind chimes.
There was frost twice last week.
Tomato jam: Last weekend I made tomato jam. I will make this one every year.
Tomato jam on toast with goat cheese (homemade).
Tomato jam thinned with soy sauce for dipping.
Stitching an idea...the rings left by otters. Colors slightly altered, really more like this:
Although just a tad darker than this. Fabric dyed with black beans and copper pennies.