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Sweatshirts aren't something I wear a lot but a friend of mine was wearing one that looked so cozy.
I looked at patterns but ended up using Dress No. 2 from 100 Acts of Sewing.
Not quite happy with the binding on the neckline yet but I know what I'm going to do next....
Overall very happy using this pattern with fleece (an organic cotton/hemp blend that is so soft!).
A place to write, a place to read.
Finished knitting.
At least eight moths on the side of the house by the front door.
Really happy with the spectrum of colors I've dyed using different plants plus a bit of iron water for one. All of the fabrics here are silk.
Left to right.
Indigo followed by pomegranate, fresh leaf indigo, indigo followed by redwood cones.
A corner of the fresh dyed indigo, redwood cones soaked in cold water, redwood cones heated in water to a simmer, indigo followed by redwood cone dye bath.
Sumac, walnut, pomegranate with iron solution, pomegranate.
Something winged begins...
Grateful for skills that transform...
One of my grandmothers gifted me this yarn. I've had it on the table for awhile, waiting to know what to make with it.
Earlier this week I thought shawl.
This morning I thought wings...
Thank you all that stop by, whether you leave comments or are silently there.
Grateful for community.
Those of us that have cooked with quince will appreciate this trick (I realize we are few).
Cut quince into chunks and place in water, bring to a boil and simmer until a fork can pierce the fruit but not so long that it gets mushy.
Cool. Strain and reserve cooking water. Peel and Core, save all parts.
Add peeled fruit back to the cooking water and continue.
In my case, I was making quince paste. This is the tiny bit I scrapped out of the pot to put on a piece of french bread toasted with cheddar cheese.
What happened to the peels and cores? They went back in the pot with more water and were cooked until the water thickened due to the remaining pectin and turned pinkish. Quince are very high in pectin. The fluid was strained from the pulp and reserved as a "nectar." I added a bit of honey for sweetener. Perfect for a sore throat. The tip about making nectar is from Deborah Madison's cookbook, Local Flavors.
7:06 AM, just about sunrise, out opening the hatch for the chickens.
It's icy.
Forecast is 4 days of sunshine and then rain, rain, rain.
Today I will make sure there is nothing holding water or that can gather winter rain. I tend to forget to empty things before a freeze and then they crack.
I will plant garlic and a few bulbs.
I will mulch things...especially the mini bog garden.
I will clean the leaves off the deck and tidy up.
I will strain off the water, smash the cones to see if I can find some seeds, add the cones back to the water and then heat to see if a deeper color will result.
Inspiration from this photo by Sasha Duerr.
I will think of Grace wandering among the animals that need love. How beautifully she shares a tragic situation. Of the word "empathy."
I will read some more and plant paper whites.
The first sentence... "I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen."
Along with approximately 1500 other people (a sold out venue), I listened to Anne Lamott read from her book, talk and answer audience questions. She is funny in the smartest way, in the saddest way. I have yet to finish any of her books completely but know that I want to read many of them. Her TED talk is here.
It was a beautiful night.
I will also knit some more. This is my current, bus-lunch break-middle of the night when I can't sleep knitting.
And I will go to the farmer's market because that's what I do on Saturday's.
7:57 AM, the sun is coming up now over the horizon.
For people who celebrate holidays in order.
For family...
My mother and aunt have been collecting dye materials for me. A bit of silk and wool soaking with these red wood cones right now (collected from private property with permission). I'm soaking in cold water hoping some seeds can be collected.
3 roasted red peppers + 1 cup of walnuts + cumin + paprika + salt
There is so much in the world right now...
In particular for me, the fires in California as it is part of my loosely defined sense of home.
Because of friends and family.
It feels like a good time to focus on gratitude...
Cold and foggy at the bus stop this morning.
Mitts seemed like a bit of sunshine.
Wool dyed in onion skins.
More things going in and out of the walnut vat.
First light then dark.