Greek inspired lunch

 I made a Greek inspired lunch for my sister and her friend J; I love my sister and J is always a treat to hang out with. I loved the recipes, too, so will record them here:

Lamb meatballs, baked, not fried. This made 12 meatballs, which for lunch was plenty, but I think I'd double the recipe if I made it again. Fifteen minutes in the oven is plenty

Tzatziki, with cucumbers from my garden and a little mint to complement the lamb

tzatziki Saturday

Greek Fava which is super easy and very tasty... Essentially, it's hummus made with yellow split peas and no tahini. I got it super smooth in the blender.

A simple greek salad, also with my own cucumbers (super prolific plant!)

Homemade sourdough bread... This was my best effort yet but not very crusty and did not rise as high as I think it should. I wonder if I'm getting my starter ready enough. Still, this was a step in the right direction. I'm going to do more reading and maybe stop overthinking it. Or ping M to see if he can guide me from afar.

I also through in some crackers from the sourdough discard I've been saving. DH loves them and they're easy... so... crackers...

The pressure is on to finish this!

And a peach galette. The peaches were super ripe so I only used a little sugar; a little more would have been better. 

For dinner, DH and just had a slice of bread with some fava and salad.... and a glass of Greywacke The Contours Sauv Blanc... I think 2014? It's a wild yeast and I love the slightly funky taste of it. 

On the fiber front, I've got a few things going... I'm frantically trying to finish this red cotton yardage so I can make a shirt out of it to wear on my trip in two weeks. I'm hoping to weave off the last 20 inches or so tomorrow, it's a fast weave and a lot of fun so it's totally doable. 

Tour de Fleece!

We're also watching the TdF, and despite the fact I promised I would not do the Tour de Fleece, I caved when HH's son 3D printed a little case for it that mounts on a tripod. So I'm spinning Frost Yarn's Diver's Cove that I got at the final Stitches event. For scale, the little spinner is about 4x5 inches.

Last (but not least) I'm still knitting on that sweater in the Invito yarn... no photos. 

All other projects are currently stalled.

 

More Cookbook Challenge, more bread, some fiber

We're back on the cookbook challenge. DH picked out Alice Waters The Art of Simple Food for June. Today I cooked cream scones, and added pistachios and cranberries to them. I accidentally ate on while it was still warm... it was pretty good. I'll look for something healthier to cook from it...

I made some greek/greekish dishes from the internet and from the Sea Salt and Honey cookbook (which is due back at the library). I made a beet and orange salad, served over some Mizuni and Arugula from the garden; Fava (a spread similar to hummus but with yellow split peas), and shrimp saganaki; the first day we had it with homemade crackers (1/3 whole wheat), the second with homemade whole wheat sourdough, both nights with a nice bottle of Sclavos Robola of Cephalonia (in celebration of Penelope and Odysseus).

The whole wheat sourdough boule did not work out well.  It seemed to have plenty of structure; it got a lot of folding and stretching; the first rise went well, I shaped the loaf and put it in the fridge overnight... It may have been overproofed when I got around to it the next day, but something happened and it just deflated right before it went in the oven. You could even see a little fold at the edge where it fell. I was devastated. However it tasted great and the texture was fine, it was just flatter than expected and it overflowed the dough sling I'd bought just for this purpose. I also used the stock pot because I forgot we had a dutch oven, although I doubt that was the issue. I'll be baking again this weekend to see if I can figure it out!

I used the Clever Carrot's light whole wheat recipe, with the starter named Krusty. https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2014/01/sourdough-bread-a-beginners-guide/)

For the next loaf, I'll use S's instructions and her starter "Hermione"; it's already fed and out of the fridge. I also need to replenish the crackers; I'm going to try a sourdough discard recipe

• Work on the table: Nope. And still looking at other ideas for the pool deck.
• Make 2 runners: Thread is here. I need to wind a warp.
• Bronson Lace: I'm threading.
• Test the Seamwork Hansie pattern: It's done. It's a little baggy on the back of the arm. I'm thinking about how to fix it. This might be related to the fact that my shoulders slope more from neck to arm than they do for the average person. Or it could be that I have a rounded upper back from years of slaving away over a computer screen. Meanwhile, I've decided to use an old pattern that I've used for two sleeveless tops for the Bronson. It'll be fabulous.
• I did a small amount of spinning on the fiber I started at DH's gig.
• I'm knitting on the Invito.
  

I do have some concerns about the Invito fit. It's a top down raglan with a high front v-neck; I should be able to try it on as I go to check the fit. Basically you're increasing along the raglan lines I think until the armpits. Looking at my body shape, I notice a distinct drop off from my shoulder to my arm when my arm is hanging at my side. So... doesn't it make sense that it wouldn't increase as fast once you hit the shoulder? Maybe I'm suppose to wear it standing akimbo? I asked my knitting group and I don't think they understood my point... I'm going to have to either a) think on this a bunch or b) trust the pattern.

I have no photos today so here's one of the mister playing at his gig. It was fun to say "I'm with the band"!

Toast!

The last time I posted (mid May), I seemed to have some momentum... but it feels like it's faded. But one of the reasons I keep this blog is to prove (to myself) that things are not as lazy as they seem!  I've annotated the list I made last time:

• Finish Shiny: Yep! It's done. Although it fit PERFECTLY off the needles, it grew about an inch in every dimension after a quick blocking. Wah. I'm going to wear it a few times before I shorten sleeves or look at other options.
• Work on the table: Yep! I worked on the table! I cut 20 or so more leaves but still need another 20 or 30. I'm looking at ideas for the poolside dining table.
• Make 2 runners: We picked one out! And I ordered fiber! So that's progress.
• Finalize decisions and set up the Bronson lace for weaving: Decisions are made. It's wound. I just can't seem to get the energy to get it on the loom
• Test the Seamwork Hansie pattern: Nope. No progress here, but since I'm waiting on the Bronson lace fabric, yeah, that's okay.

The DH played keyboards at a Jam Session at a local brew pub one Sunday; I walked there (yikes! 10 miles, the last 3 with blisters) but then spent the afternoon spinning on the Nano and listening. I started a blue/green merino/silk/bamboo.

I started a very basic sweater in Invito and I'm pretty excited about it.

You may see a loaf of bread but 
I see Toast and Sandwiches

On the cooking front, I found a wheat that doesn't hurt me!!!  I now have a bread journal; if you're reading this (and you're not me) and want to look at it, send me an email. I currently have 2 sourdough cultures going (should I combine them?).  I've made two loaves of plain white sandwich bread (easy) and one loaf of sourdough sandwich bread using this recipe. I'll admit the sourdough is more interesting, but the plain white bread was pretty good too!  There was also an 18 minute plus baking exercise in Matzo, and some seeded crackers (seeds didn't stick). Still yummy.

I also cooked the stuffed peppers from Tsakiris's Sea Salt and Honey cookbook that I picked up at the library, using leftover turkey from the freezer, quinoa, and some rather interesting spices.  It's not the right cookbook if you want to cook classical greek food, but it's an interesting Greek-ish cookbook with lovely commentary and some interesting dishes!

Lots to report for mid May!

New Born Yarn

I've been spending time in the garden, getting some food crops in for summer, and some out on the bike getting read for a BackRoads tour in September... and it feels like I'm not doing anything in the studio! But I assessed the last few weeks and here's the list:

I finished plying the fiber I'd bought years ago at the KAFF in Oregon... It's 8 ounces of slightly underplied two ply. I plied 4 ounces of varigated singles with 4 ounces of a brown sheep wool labeled "Tasmanian Comeback".

Border of double huck scarf

The double huck samples and project are done. I really liked the class; I learned a lot about how to think about and manipulate structure. It was pretty fussy and I made a number of treadling mistakes and I'm not pleased with the end result. But it's also thick enough to be unwearable in this climate so I'm okay with not wearing it. Will I do it again? I think it would make a wonderful and luxe bath towel (in cotton) but it was so fussy I'm pretty much not interested in weaving it again. This felt like a successful project even though I feel the result was not entirely successful.

Goat, ready for a project

That goat fiber I was spinning? I finally finished plying it all and it's in the finished yarn closet. It's a pile of yummy inconsistently spun worsted-weight+ yarn... Not sure what I'll do with it. The original thought was a carpet but after I started I wished I'd taken more time to remove the VM and to spin it a bit more consistantly.

I finished weaving the Atwater Bronson Lace sample in 20/2 cotton; I sampled at 3 different setts (36, 32.5, and 30). I thought I'd like the denser sett but honestly like the two lighter ones better. I'm still debating 32.5 vs. 30 and am now waffling on color but should be starting that in the next week or so.

DH helped me upgrade my sewing machine and I now have Bernina Pinpoint Placement. I'm working with a snap hoop and I had a lot of issues with the first project... So the pattern is off by a quarter inch or so in a couple of spots. I think it'll still make an okay pillow for somewhere... but it was leftover batting scraps and unbleached muslin for a practice piece so I don't feel that attached. I'll put together a post on all that I am learning.

I also made some decisions about the table-in-progress and did cut some glass for it last week.

Finally, the Shiny sweater is on the homestretch; I only have half a sleeve to go, plus 2 seams and the sleeve hems. I'm pretty excited about this!

I'll spend some time thinking about what's next... but what's clear is:

• Finish Shiny
• Work on the table
• Make 2 runners, one for the France Trip
• Finalize decisions and set up the Bronson lace for weaving
• Test the Seamwork Hansie pattern

Q1'24 Finished List (6)

I'm late posting this... I left just before the end of the quarter for a 3 week trip around Greece. More on that later!

These are the things I finished in Q1:

A wool scarf from Graceful yarn that has been donated to a charity auction. What's exceptionally cool about the piece is that I now know what I need to know to weave up some fabric for a shirt.

Who doesn't need color on their loom bench?

Two baby blankets from Cotton Classic knitting yarn, one of which has gone to live at one of G's niece's houses.

The sheep shirt and a shirt in aqua Malay batik (which went on vacation with me)

A rug sample from Nancy Kennedy's rug weaving class, which is on my loom bench.

Not done: 

• There are two towels somewhere in Studio that just need hemming. I can't find them.
• Shiny sweater: I have one sleeve to go, and I need to reknit the bottom hem.
• Two spinning projects: the goat is still not plied, nor is the brown and multicolored singles from the roving I bought at KAFF. 
• The double huck scarf is almost done, I just need to finish the fancy multicolored end.
• I also started a cowl while on my trip but didn't get very far.

When I bought a handmade rug in Greece, I tried to tell the shopkeeper to let the weaver know the rug was going to the home of a weaver. I showed him the loom bench photo and told him it was mine, and he understood. 

It occurs to me with all of the travel I have planned for this year, I'm going to have a tough time getting anything done....

Some Q2 goals:

• Finish some of the unfinished stuff from Q1; maybe even find those two towels!
• Install upgrade on sewing machine and take this class: https://sewing-mastery.teachable.com/p/bernina-pinpoint-placement-master-class
• Finish the Shiny sweater.
• Make a cute grocery bag from the embroidered panels.
• Double weave pillows x 4.
• Yardage in Bronson lace.

Rug weaving class with Nancy Kennedy

Wow! Just got back from a 4 day rug weaving class taught by Nancy Kennedy and my mind is blown!

I made a couple of summer and winter rugs a few months back and was either not bubbling in enough weft or bubbling in too much weft... I also tried a card woven edge on one of them, and it rotated to one side making it a one sided rug. Then I didn't want fringe but my finished edges were awful. The rugs are a lovely color, nice and squishy to step on but they're not pleasing for me to look at and I decided I needed a class.

Less than a month later, I identified a class at the Pacific Textile Arts Center in Fort Bragg that unfortunately was taking place less than a week before we're heading out on a major vacation. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend 5 days in Ft Bragg right before leaving town... DH agreed that I get fussy about these things... but then decided I Don't Want to Be That Kind of Person (fussy) and I booked the class. My dear friend K. came with me; she's a great travelling companion!

One of Nancy's class examples

Nancy does her rug finishing in a way I've never seen before. She weaves a plain weave hem, accented by two color twining, then folds the hem over to create a beautiful, decorative, clean finished edge. The rugs are woven in Summer and Winter polychrome with no tabby, with a card woven edge ala Martha Stanley. The threads from the twining are braided or bound and create playful pigtails on the sides of the rugs.  She weaves her rugs on a loom set up for shaft switching but demoed a horribly fussy way that it would be done on a regular loom; there are other methods and I'm going to be investigating. The key here is that I finally understand shaft switching.

My cute little ruglet

I've got notes in my binder so will not add them here but there are a few deets I didn't capture there.

• The yarn she uses in Vevgarn Frid tynt, made by Norsk Fjord Fiber; it's distributed by Sidsel Mereb (yarns@norskfjordfiber.com) in North Carolina. She prefers this wool because the colors are true.  The color card is outstanding.
• One skein is about 3.5 oz and 328 yards (300m in 100g) which should give me a YPP if I calculate it. It's pretty thin but she uses multiple strands for most parts of the rug. 
• She uses waxed polyester thread to sew the hems together; I'm not sure if she was using the fine or the coarse but I suspect the coarse.

I had some issues with the other color feathering in on the edges... She handles the card woven selvedges by going over on one side and through on the other. I wonder if I did over-over/thru-thru if that would be better?

I did write this down in my binder but I will do so again... when you put down a shuttle, put it down on the outside; then pick up the shuttle on the inside for the next pick. That keeps the edges consistent.

As for the shaft switching, Wendy had taken a class with Peter Collingwood and they'd used cordlocks to move the thread between shafts. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. There are good examples/methods for shaft switching in Peter C's 2nd book (the thin one), as well as A Rug Weavers Sourcebook. I've also seen stuff in Handwoven.

Nancy does all of her designing on paper (including colors) and has a detailed plan before she starts; she uses cash register tape that she marks with her plan to track it while she's weaving.

Speaking of Handwoven, Michael Rohde has a pattern in Handwoven called the Caribbean Windows Rug which has some fun inlay in it; I want to try this for the next rug. I think I'd like to stay and do something straightforward like this before I try shaft switching.

Some logisitics: We stayed at the Seadog, an AirBnB just south of town; it ended up being cheaper than a hotel plus we had a kitchen, coffee maker, and living room for hanging out in the evening. It was about 10 minutes from the weaving center and a bit rustic but lovely. We had a pleasant meal at Princess Seafood Restaurant on the harbor; a so-so meal at Mayan Fusion, and two great dinner at Cucina Verona, good GF pastas and risotto, plus a great wine list.... On the way home, we stopped at Los Moles in San Rafael. All of these are places I'd like to remember.

UFOS: a list? The beginnings of a plan?

Today I decided to identify my UFOs (UnFinished Objects), and maybe what state they are in. I'd like to pick a few per quarter and work through them, hoping NOT to be the crazy lady with piles of unfinished projects. If I can't figure out what to do with the finished objects, I can always donate them...

Knitting: 

• Shiny Sweater- I'm making headway on this 
• Anna Zilboorg Sweater- I need to fish it out and make a plan 
• A Capella- frog and return the yarn to the yarn pool 
• That other vest that's not right- frog and knit it correctly 
• Sunset and Sand- needs a decision frog or finish! 
• The jacket with the embroidery that needs rework. If I recall correctly there's an issue with the collar, and the sleeves, and I'm not sure what else...

Weaving:

• This is super easy, since it's either on the loom or not...  and there are projects on both looms. 
• However, there are two hand towels that need hemming. I can't find them.
• I do have four ikat warps (one I dyed, two from Indonesia, and one from a friend) that need weaving. 

Quilting (Can the list really still be this long?):

• Fan blocks: I've been dithering about what to do with them for 20 years or so.
• The first Judy Niemeyer quilt (straighter pieces): I may need to figure out setting strips but otherwise I think I photoed a layout and I should be ready to finish the top.
• The second Judy Niemeyer class (curved pieces): I stopped while piecing the top together but I did photo the layout; so I need to remember what I was doing and do it.
• Judy Niemeyer place mat kit: it's in the bookshelf, waiting to be made.
• Chili pepper quilt: Ick
• Around the Twist quilt: It's done except I think a couple of the corners need sewing? This'll probably go to donation
• One or two Hawaiians (small) that need quilting
• A cute but fussy quilt that I started in pinks and blues but I'm not sure I'm precise enough to finish

Sewing:

• The shirt I just cut out (aqua camp shirt), just do it
• I have all the pieces ready for a big grocery bag, just do it

Spinning:

• Honestly I have no idea.

Mosaic:

• A table: Unsure of how I want the background to be
• A stepping stone: there's an area I made that needs rework.

Clearly I'm not counting raw materials (quilting fabric, knitting yarn, weaving yarn, tiles, sewing fabric). Let's not go there.