bee creative

assignment #5 and an update

Assignment #5 is to make or mend each week, with the idea that a project is finished. It was not accomplished during the first full week of the month but if I hurry it will be for the second. Tomorrow I hope to finish the edges on this jumper (dyed in walnut) and attach pockets (maybe the original color?).

An update on the rest of the assignments...

Assignment #1

A collage is happening everyday. 

Yesterday while looking at a photo of water lilies I was inspired to make my own.  I've been thinking about how there is an essential shape to anything that the human eye identifies and labels. 

Assignment #2:  January's dye jar is brewing away happily.  I occasionally tip it and wonder what color is being absorbed into the fabric.  The water is a lovely golden tea color. 

Assignment #3 I am on track to finish Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit by the end of January. A friend (Nancy at pomegranate trail) recommended Silence by Earling Kagge which I checked out as an audio book and have been knitting to.  There is much that I like about this book including the following definition: "Wonder is the engine of life."  

Assignment #4 The sweaters.

Sweater number one is at about 8 or 9 inches. At 15ninches I'll start the sleeves. This will be a short cardigan intended to wear with dresses and tunics. The length is based on a favorite sweater.

A lot of the knitting on this one is happening on the bus or on lunch break. It's mindless knitting...knit one way and then purl the other. 

Sweater number two is cast on and moving forward. Right now it is my "at home project," for when it is quiet and I can concentrate. There is another new skill with this one that was not considered...reading a chart for the color pattern (yes I had to start twice).  Once the yoke is finished it will pretty much turn in to around and around we go and will take the place of sweater number one as the on the go project. 

The colors of this one make me think of sunlight moving through the forest. 

At first I thought the goal of 4 sweaters might be ambitious but it really seems doable.  Part of this is choosing the right project for the right time of day.  Which is really the truth for all of these assignments I've given myself...

assignment #2 plus another sewing/dye project under construction

A few posts back in the comments I mentioned the idea of gathering a collection from the garden and processing it in a jar (India Flint style, Stuff, Steep +Store)  once a month for a year. Starting next January 2020, I'll open one jar a month.  Maybe I'll even make it continuous...open one jar and then process another. 

Another form of field note....

Here it goes:

January's collection:  a fern, some yarrow, fennel, sorrel, black berry, a few lingering rose leaves, dandelion, vinca, the last of the loganberry leaves, sage, st. john's wort and two different types of ivy. 

A few of these things aren't usually around this time of year.  We've had a few hard frosts but not enough to have them die down.

The water in the jar is a soft tea color so something certainly has color. 

..........

Another project under construction:

As part of one of India's classes I was able to take part in a challenge offered by Beautiful Silks. For the cost of postage we were sent about 5 yards of silk to play with. 

This includes some of all the silks that were sent except one.  The last one I don't want to dye as I like it just the way it is. I'll be making a cowl that could be worn with this to "dress it up." 

Something I've been considering a lot is how to make a wardrobe that is everyday but that something small could be added to a few items that would make it "special occasion." Part of my goal to have a sustainable wardrobe.

A little closer look at the bottom.  The bright green is dye from the top piece of fabric that ran, the rest eucalyptus and onion skins.  The two light fabrics were first dyed in my fresh indigo vat. A little bit of that turquoise remains.

I love the random flow of colors in this, a collage of color.

wonder

I've set myself a few assignments for the year 2019 and a word for the year; wonder.  Wonder to me is part curiosity and part joy. I want to approach these assignments from a place of wonder.  To consider what if from a place of joy. To wonder how about how things connect. 

The word wonder comes with a question. 

One I haven't quite formulated yet.

Assignment #1 is to make a collage each day. It could be digital, paper or cloth. Or a combination. This is yesterday's collage.

Collage is something I love creating but it's also about zero waste.  A good way to use up little bits.

Daily practices can be hard for me but they are good so I keep trying.  To help keep the momentum up I decided to take Year of the Collage.

for baby

Blanket used as packaging. 

I included diapers, wipes, and balm.

Blanket unfolded. 

Good thing Mama-to-be doesn't need straight lines.  

I'm incapable of making them...

leftovers

Carrots left from last week and one orange beet cooked until soft.

A pinch of salt.

Pureed.

Topped with caramelized onions.

Gift for baby shower.

Mostly scraps leftover from other projects.

Leftovers are always useful.

cooking with quince

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. 

soup weather but I'm eating salad

It's soup weather but I'm eating salad...

Chicory + beets + cucumber.  The cucumber and beets were run through a spiralizer. 

I also added apple and walnuts. 

Olive oil, apple cider vinegar and honey for dressing. 

A little more stitching using some reclaimed wool yarn.

wool weather

This morning sunshine... The moon on the horizon. 

Tonight, heavy rain. Very unlikely to see the moon in the sky or stars to wish on. 

A zero waste project. 

The top layer is the batting from a wool comforter that felted beyond practical use as a blanket.  It was a gift from Mom and Dad probably 25-30 years ago. 

The next layer wool from Jude.

And then a bottom layer of wool I felted. 

After it's dry there will be more stitching and then...

well that's to be continued.