Salute to women quilters of color, Together lunch, next stage planning for Art Shaped piece

 Today since handsome Son is visiting I probably won't get to see Textiles and Tea.

So I thought,  before February's gone, I'd do a salute to a wonderful quilter, historian, writer, teacher , retired aerospace engineer, yes, that's the field she got her doctorate in, African American woman.

This is all on YouTube. Go there. She's brilliant.

Meanwhile in a humbler context, I found myself in mid-winnow doing what you'd expect when a lover of fiber finds roving she'd forgotten, which goes nicely with the new sari silk roving

On the spindle is the new sari silk, spun. 

And today's winnowing is yet to happen but it's decided on.

Meanwhile, the Together cookbook is in action. Page 77, Baked fish with tahini and pomegranate.

As usual, substitutions happened. Tilapia was the only available fish, and no tahini in the house. I don't like tahini, some sweet edge to it. (I pretended not to see the pomegranate seeds, but they're just a garnish.)

I also don't like peanut butter, but it's okay as a substitute for tahini in my hummus. 

So i figured why not here, too. And I have no pine nuts, but since they're just about a bit of crunch, the peanut butter being crunchy, that worked. I did have actual parsley, you'll be glad to know I didn't sub hairy bittercress, though it's growing and I could.

The book has started acquiring notes

 And here's the theater of cooking

This makes two meals and a whole fillet leftover for kedgeree or fishcakes or something.

And the sauce -- whoa Nelly, was that good. I ended up spooning a bit over the broccoli, too.  Definitely making that again. Good over salmon, I'd guess, and green vegetables.

So, all fed and ready, I got to work on the artwork head. What looked like a mask yesterday is in fact the face, and it will be attached to a head as soon as I build one.

I woke this morning wondering how to do it. I don't have paper suitable to make a head shape, never get newspapers, recycled all the packing paper, what to do.. then I remembered messing about in the roving, noting some not good for spinning, could use that. 

Then another thought smote me -- duh, batting. Lightweight, could work. I have the stuffing insides of a sofa cushion which collapsed years ago, to use. But how to make it hold up as I build..yet another thought, use tissue box found in recent winnowing. Yes! 

Plenty of thoughts, so I've started.

Measuring, head needs to be bigger

Getting there. Tomorrow I'll figure out the next bit and maybe adjust and paint the face. The head will need some sort of armature, as will  the  rest of the figure. We'll get to that.

Meanwhile happy day everyone, keep having thoughts, they're useful.

Photo AC 

Puppy in the offing, Art Shaped start, winnowing, and other excitements

Yesterday a couple of calls from Gary mainly about my getting some food supplement items from his fridge and delivering them across the street to unwell neighbor struggling with chemo. No problem, done. 

Then he called with the other news: a new puppy in his life from tomorrow. French bulldog/Boston terrier mix.  Whenever he gets back I'll get to meet my new seven week old neighbor. Can't wait. Especially since he gets to train and care for it, I get to visit and play with my grandpup. 

Yesterday's winnowing was dull and vital. Paper files. Auto insurance dating back six years, different car, agent now retired.

I'm very good at filing in the right place, not very good at updating though. That mass of paper I soaked in soapy water till nearly pulp, drained, recycled. Much easier than hours shredding, and none of it very sensitive.

Today though, I decided on a mystery basket in a bottom drawer. And found, look at that: useful cardboard and tubes. 

Originally for spinning and plying, now exactly what's needed for the current artwork in progress.

Out of it this is now offered on Freecycle

Speaking of art in progress, it looks as if my freezer and kitchen island are the current studio, tall enough to stand at, good light, near water.

So here is the beginning of the beginning of what I think, hope,  will be a big piece. 

The circular pieces are coffee filters dyed, left from when I was spinning paper and weaving it, making miniature book covers.

 

Cut One, here we go, using the mailer the book came in 

 Then bend, add and tape the scraps to create eyes and nose, then cut off and reattach the bottom part to create a mouth.

Covered with the coffee filters, now drying before probably painting tomorrow, after a couple more changes to nose and mouth.

Then I'll create a head, attach the face and more things will happen.

At this point I was about done in. Partly there's a lot of physical effort which you don't notice at the time, then there's the constant mental exertion and multiple decision making, all great and all very expensive in energy. 

Darrell, who wrote Art Shaped, is into it

Meanwhile, the jigsaw puzzle is done

And I have lab work Wednesday in the building next to the puzzle library, so I'll return this one and see about borrowing another.

Another kind of winnowing is planned for. Friday, knitting group day, different library. Meg our Leader, would like to populate the library with plants. And I just happen to have a candidate I grew from cuttings

So if she wants it, and I can get it in the car and the weather's not too cold, and I make it there..

Last night I took out some recycling and, clear night,  looked up and caught the Moon, Venus and Jupiter in a straight line, very cool display. Nice to go to all that trouble for me.

Before I forget the Haggard Hawks puzzle answer

BAG BEG BIG BOG BUG!

I see these similarities: all three letters, all with initial B final G, vowels in alphabetical order. Any more?

Have you seen this beautiful swords into plowshares artwork?

Happy day everyone, look for whatever constitutes a sunflower in your life, even when surrounded by shell casings.

 

Sunday, lovely Sunday

 Not even lunchtime here and already great things happened. I had found straws, paper plates and cups on Freecycle, to add to my materials ready for my Art Shaped adventures. 

Ready to pick up this morning. Not only that, the location was near an indie hardware store I always prefer over Big Box Hardware. And open this morning, to get masking tape and glue.

Overnight it was very cold, so I alerted handsome Son in case I needed car starting help.

And the car started fine, ran fine and I made the pickup, got my masking tape and glue from the hardware store and, the center having been completely changed since I was last there, couldn't find my car to leave.

Eventually I realized the store was now across from its old location, so I'd left by the wrong exit. Since there's still construction everywhere confusing things, by the time I'd panted up to my car, I'd put in my quota of walking for the day. 

And got home to find, timing! that Art Shaped had arrived.

I'm saving the cardboard envelope for use. Good old Blackwell's, indie bookstore.

Even before I opened the book, I knew what I needed to make. So I'll use the book to study how to do the parts. 

This is how I've always made art, from first taking classes and being invited to work with artists who noticed my approach. I know in general the concept, and go in search of the skills, in classes or books, nowadays YouTube, wherever I can learn them. 

And this one is really exciting because I think I'm finally going to make something I've had in mind for years, considered various approaches, then discarded them. But this might be right.

Can't say more yet, but I'm stoked!

And yesterday my silk roving arrived. Unbelievably soft, and I expect to blend it with tougher fiber. In the course of trying to get a picture, I accidentally got an extreme closeup.

The inner artist still needs to be fed, so yesterday I made a pot of spaghetti and (turkey) meatballs. Loads of spice, berbere,  in the meatballs, turkey being a bit bland. Best organic ground turkey though, one pound makes nine large mbs. Rolled in potato flakes, no panko around 

And now there are four more meals like this in the freezer, plus extra meatballs for maybe sandwiches. And extra sauce, likewise.

Yesterday's winnowing yielded slim pickins, but it did involve finally emptying, sweeping and considering the cabinet under the sink.

Yield for rehoming:

Result:

We'll see what today's winnowing amounts to.

 So there's the story chez Boud. And in case you need a really, really haaaaard puzzle for Sunday, go here

 

Happy day everyone, sometimes things work out more easily than expected.

Joyful return to the knitting group and other exciting news

Yesterday, determined to get back before March, I made it to the knitting group, and it was so good to get back. 

Updates on grandchild pictures, now three months old, on knitting finishes. I missed the great reveal of M's temperature blanket 22, but she's promised to bring it in again.

Meanwhile, here's her this year's temperature blanket, with high and low temps recorded in the squares

And here's the planning spread for temperature blanket 23, yes, she's a reference librarian by trade

Here's that beauty by S, you saw it before, and it's now nearing completion before the end of February

And here's D's vest of  many colors, also nearing completion and looking terrific

And look! Not only this, it also has pockets! 

So good to be back. 

And another library within driving distance has revived its knitting group, which I was in before the pandemic, when it dwindled.  

So I'm planning on getting there when I can, too. Different day, they're good at scheduling. Afternoon, much better for me than morning.

And last evening, supper, not a Together recipe, but very much in their spirit. 

Diced yellow potatoes, heavily seasoned with baharat, roasted, eggs scrambled with yogurt, scallions and Swiss chard. Decorated with Italian parsley. I think they'd approve. It's very much like the green omelette recipe.

I did check for Somali recipes, Caro, and found that Somali food ranges over a lot of cultures, because of history. 

They have flatbread like the Ethiopian in the book, samosas like the Indian ones in the book, and their main spice mix, xawaash, is very much like baharat, which is like the Yemeni hawaij.  Thanks for the question,  I learned a bit in trying to answer it. It looks as if Somali food is all over the book though not in individual recipes.

Back home, return of cold weather, maybe even snow, it's spaghetti and turkey meatballs.

The current reading is

He looks familiar to anyone who watched Parks and Recreation, where he played Tom Swanson. Turns out he's a skilled woodworker, can cook, sew, a lot of skills. He follows the wisdom of Wendell Berry and just finished the audiobook version of one of his publications. 

I listened to him this morning on Krista Tippett's podcast, and if you're not familiar with her On Being, continuing series, you might want to check her out. Writings and podcasting. I've followed her for years, used to catch her at weird early morning times on public radio. 

Anyway I decided I'd read something by him.

He has great respect for making and makers, care for the earth, and getting spiritual sustenance from daily activity. 

I was knitting a Ministry sock while I listened, and I finally realized what I'm doing in Lent. Not for Lent, just adopting the forty day period for thoughtful winnowing.

And as I knitted and listened, I realized a good day for me is one where I do for other people, the Sock and Glove Ministry, the winnowing to share around, and this blog to entertain you, dear friends, then do for the earth, conserve water and power, then do for me, good food cooked cheerfully, and new learning. 

There's more, and there's overlap. But that's my idea of a terrific life, since all your days add up to your life.

Meanwhile in case you think things are getting a bit heavy and solemn around here

Hello back! Happy day everyone, enjoy your best day.