Let's get this New Year Started!

I've been doing some cooking this month from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food.  So far I've baked salmon and served it with a garlic, lemon, and cilantro butter, and tonight I'm cooking a slow cooked pork shoulder with chiles, which we'll have with polenta. This cookbook is as much a collection of cooking techniques as it is a collection of recipes, and I would certainly be a better cook if I read it through!

But instead I've been working on other things. In the garden, I've been dismantling the madder bed, pulling out all the roots and sifting the soil to make sure there aren't any bits and pieces that will sprout later to cause issues. I've got a good quantity of madder drying in the garage and will dye with it in the summer. 

Woven in star fashion

On the weaving front, I've been working my way through Janet Dawson's overshot class. The written lessons are absolutely amazing; the webinars have been okay to good but her teaching style does not necessarily click with my learning style. Regardless, I'm learning LOTS about overshot. I've decided to use the first 2 projects to make runners for the nightstands in the guest room, using a light grey-green 8/2 unmercerized cotton for the weft, and a natural 8/2 unmerc cotton in the weft, with 5/2  mercerized cotton as the pattern weft in a dark green called loden. Instead of making placemats I'm making runners for the guest room nightstands.  So far I'm pleased with everything but the edges... why is it always the edges?  This one is woven in star fashion; the 2nd one will have a different treadling and will be woven in rose fashion. The "fashion" just describes whether there are obvious crosses or poofy circle motifs.

I'll note that I'm using Texsolv cord for the tie ups on the baby Mac instead of the hooks that have given me so much grief; it's MUCH nicer. The Mac, though, is a little small for me and I find after using the Gilmore that the Mac feels more like a toy.

On the knitting front, I finished the Double your Pleasure cowl! I like it.  And it's subtly warm without being overwhelming.  

I also fished out a baby sweater that I started about 2 years ago in a class by JC Briar on how to do set in sleeves. The baby sweater was to teach us the methodology and I figured I might as well do something useful...  I had the best intentions to finish it quickly so I wouldn't forget how. I did find the pattern and the extra yarn and so am finally finishing it!  All I have left is the color, button band, and hiding all the ends.

I'm still spinning away on some purple/brown merino that's been in my stash forever. I finished one of the 5 ounce-ish braids and am maybe 1/3 of the way through the second one. I'll do a two ply then figure out what to do with it!

On the mosaic front, I've got the substrate for the table ready to go. This run of lovely weather has driven me into the yard instead of the studio, but I'll get to it soon.

4 sets of these for my niece and
her family

I made these nifty badges for my niece's family on the embroidery machine! I still need to get them in the mail... I also found the skull with hockey sticks and I'm making some quilt blocks for a machine quilting class; once quilted, I'll make more grocery bags from them, probably for DH. 

Aside from all this, I'm suffering a bit from pandemic-fatigue and I'm doom-scrolling the political news more than I need to. Somedays I feel like I'm trying to swim through peanut butter! Writing all this down is certainly helping me realize I'm actually getting things done.

Q1 2021 Goal list

Here's a list of what I want to be working on at the beginning of 2021... Also of note, I'll be cooking from an Alice Waters cookbook in January :)

Weaving:

• January Overshot class
• More towels
• Supplemental warp project (maybe towels?)

Sewing Machine

• Another quilted bag or two
• Something clothing using existing fabric, extra credit if it's a vest from handwoven
• A bed covering.
• Something using embroidery head
• Get the pub quilt ready for quilting

Mosaic

• progress on table

Knitting

• Double you pleasure cowl
• Anna Zilboorg mittens

Spinning 

• More of the brown stuff I'm already working on

Q4 Finished Things (6), 2020 Finshed things (29)

Not a lot of things done this quarter! I spent a lot of time working on samples and techniques. I did finish 4 handwoven kitchen towels, 1 quilted bag, and one handwoven wool blanket.

That feeling of being in pandemic captivity

I also sampled a bunch of quilting techniques, and worked on how to join motifs on the embroidery machine. I'm nearly done with a knitting project, and nearly done with an embroidery project. I prepped the substrate for my next table top, and have spun a little more than 5 oz of wool (I have another 5 oz and plying before it becomes yarn, so not taking credit for this yet!). 

What's clear is that I do better with goals... I'm working on Q1 2021 goals shortly!

Excited about this year ending!

Is there anyone who isn't excited about this year ending? I certainly am, although I suspect we're in for at least another few months of anguish and turmoil.  Meanwhile,  I might as well document what I've been up to.

• 

  This'll be a great blanket,
  not a great photo though

  I'm trying to get a double wide double weave twill blanket on the loom. I'm using a beautiful Targhee cross yarn made from Timm Ranch wool that I got from Meridian Jacobs. I put a test warp on the little loom, then wet finished it by dunking it in the sink and swishing it about; I ended up with 25% shrinkage in length and 20% in width, but the finished fabric is smooth and warm and yummy. Right now I am struggling to get a warp on the loom; there are too many other things grabbing my attention, and it's a big project; but I'm almost done putting the 800 ends through the heddles. I will have to re-beam it after threading because I did stupid things.
  
• I signed up for an online Overshot class in January so will be putting a warp for that on the little loom in the next week.
• I'm slowly making my way through cute little adventure patches for my niece and her family on the embroidery machine; I've been doing that while threading the loom which may be slowing down both projects.
• I also used some of the info from a Craftsy class to practice doing repeating linked designs on the embroidery head. It's fussy but I have two matching panels that I'll use on a future bag.

• 

  Another pile of quilt blocks 
  ready to be put together

  I sewed all the blocks together for a quilt I started awhile ago; I've got the borders/backing ready to go but will put it off until next quarter.
  
• I've got most of a 4+ ounce of wool/silk spun into singles; it's a purply brown colorway. I have another braid of the same and would like to weave it into yardage for something wearable.
• At night, I've been working on the Double Your Pleasure Cowl. I've misplaced the pattern and have been working from Kris's snapshot of it... Of course I did not read it carefully so have been skipping what may be a key step, but I've been consistent so I'm not pulling it out. It is possible that it's done by the end of the quarter,
• I tried to start some mittens, thinking they would be a lovely treat for friends moving to Canadia... but after 3 tries I could not get gauge, so decided to finish the cowl before coming back to the mittens.
• I put the dry wall tape on the sides of the mosaic table substrate and glued them down with thinset. I'll need to lightly sand this all to lay flatter but am all ready to start mosaicing the new poppy table for the bbq area.

I've also been spending a lot of time exercising, working in the garden, and cooking, and am finding myself missing studio time. I think I felt more productive when I had quarterly goal! So I'll be going back to that in Q1.

Quilted bag, towels, and more!

Here's the quilted bag using new equipment and techniques, mostly from Craftsy... DH immediately declared it to be useful and has taken it from me for his weekly shopping trips. I'm thrilled he likes it!

Thanksgiving has come and gone... We ordered ribs from Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, via GoldBelly.com. Tasty, tasty ribs, but the sauce was surprising; not sweet at all and very much on the salty side.  I made beans, cole slaw with apples, and corn bread to go with it; and a apple crumble for dessert. 

I neglected to mention the November cookbooks; I cooked from the Zuni cafe cookbook, and made a fish dish with potatoes, leeks, and a whole bunch of butter, as well as Socca, these chickpea flour pancakes from the south of France. This month, DH has selected Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat; I snuck a few recipes worth of ingredients onto this weeks shopping list.

I've been procastinating all kinds of projects but did manage to finish four towels; one is in use, the middle one will stay with us and the far left one is going to live with someone else. The far right one will either be for the guild towel exchange, or stay in my kitchen. 

Puttering in the Studio

What's his name is quarantined for a few days after attending live business meetings... So I've PLENTY of time to putter around the studio. Here's what I've been working on.

• I am still knitting away on the Double Your Pleasure cowl. Someday when it's done I'll have a photo to share.

• 

  Wanna be towels
  

  The towels are on the Gilmore loom... I'm debating how much they're going to shrink up off the loom so I can figure out how long to weave them; There really isn't any excuse not to sample. I am thinking of weaving the first one 36" then pulling it off and finishing it just to see what happens. This one has a single color weft but the other two I'll play with multiple weft colors.  I'm also designing a 2nd run of towels to go on to the Baby Mac using some variegated 8/2 cotton I hand dyed a few years ago.

• 

  1/2 of a quilted tote bag

  I recently purchased a premium Craftsy subscription, with access to tons of classes for all kinds of crafts, gardening, cooking etc. I'm so tempted to play with frosting cakes! Instead, I'm working on a few new techniques/projects. I watched The Scrappy Market Tote with Christina Cameli for "intuitive" piecing techniques, and quilting with some new free motion techniques from The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting  (also with Christina Cameli).  Sadly I forgot to push the purchase button on some strapping for the handles so will not finish the bag until next week.  I used my new piecing foot, the Bernina Quilt Stitch Regulator, and the ruler work foot with my new rulers. The QSR is surprisingly easy to use, the ruler work is surprising hard and needs more practice.

  

  What was I thinking?
  

• Next up, The Machine Embroidered Quilt with Eileen Roche, if I can figure out where Craftsy hid the embroidery files...

I've also been spending some time cleaning and rearranging the studio and found a box of fabric. It looks carefully curated, as if I were going to start a new project with it's contents. I have no idea what I was planning.

There's nothing new on the food front. Honestly it's not very interesting to cook for one. I did make a lovely brocolli salad with a honey mustard dressing, and some green chili stew, leaving some on the porch for the DH as if he was a feral cat or something. Yesterday, election day,  I was tempted to make an almond cake per Alice Waters but remembered that comfort food only comforts me while I'm eating it (so not very long) but exercise seems to put my brain at ease for much longer. I did stress nibble my way through the kitchen but also got out for a late afternoon walk which was quite soothing. 

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

 This month's cookbook challenge is the Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Last night, I cooked Spareribs Pan Roasted with Sage and White Wine, Treviso style with polenta (the lazy less stir method) and some broccolini. We drank it with a La Monacesca "Mirum" Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva.  Such a lovely dinner!

I've decided to back off on quarterly goals and allow myself some time for exploration, at least for the rest of the month.  In November, I'll pick up work on the pub quilt again...  Meanwhile, I'm playing with the new sewing machine and largely ignoring everything else. Here's a short list of what's been active:

• I've been working on the Double your Pleasure cowl in front of the TV and on zoom calls; have torn it out twice but now I think it's going well.
• I took out the paintbox quilt (Judy Niemeyer) and have pieced the rest of the blocks. I know it's been on time out for some problem but the problem seems to have healed itself? I've ordered some fabric for backing/borders and will look at piecing it together in the next month or so. It'll be twin size. I may machine quilt it myself, or maybe send it out...
• I've been "down" after the second shingles vax... just feeling crappy and "meh" so watching videos on machine quilting using a technique called "ruler work".  I've ordered a set of rulers and have been watching videos on Craftsy so am ready to play with this new technique!
• I have a warp ready to go on the loom and need to get another one on the other loom... hoping to do that later this week.
• I also organized my button collection and am looking at refactoring the studio so I can find things better... More of that later.