Small annoying stuff fixed and cake

I tried a new experimental cake based on the one Dolly's character in Steel Magnolias made. It seems to be going around, in honor of Dolly.

It's one cup self raising flour, one cup sugar, one can fruit cocktail. I had to adapt to what I have. So mine was whole-wheat plus baking powder and salt, sugar, 

dried cranberries, fresh apple dice, yogurt, milk, walnuts and lemon zest. I don't have a pie pan of the kind they want, so I used my all-purpose loaf pan.

Despite all this, it came out quite well. It went well with a cup of coffee for breakfast.

The lemon zest was a big part of why I like it. It's certainly sturdy, not having the texture you'd get with eggs and butter, but fine. 

I froze some for the next time Handsome Son comes over, and see what he thinks. He liked a similar apple cake I made a while ago. Here's to you, Dolly, anyway the part you played.

Speaking of experiments, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to describe a total boneheaded fail.

It's the apple cider vinegar. Weeks of saving and fermenting apple cores, stirring daily until they started to smell vinegary. Finally the day came to drain and preserve the liquid for more fermenting while discarding the apple debris.

So, completely absentmindedly I drained the jar into a sieve. And let the liquid drain away while the apple debris stayed safely in the sieve. Arghghgh. A moment's distraction was all it took. I may try it again when I get over my mad.

And other things I was annoyed about. First I hadn't got on with the embroidered jeans. So I finished it with outlines of the front pockets, whipped through the over stitching.

Done but not overdone.

Then I finished a second section of the weaving. This yarn does not like weaving. It's cotton,  braided rather than plied, so it has more tensile movement, springs off the loom, doesn't pack down. 

I'd forgotten this, but now realize it's why I couldn't keep the even tension when I tried the long warp. There was plenty of tension in the weaver, though. 

It's a great yarn for knitting or crochet, and it made a nice triangle scarf, which I'm pleased with.

I'll make a third woven panel then join them to make the kitchen mat, and move on. 

Meanwhile there was another annoying tiny thing, the fact that I most often need a kitchen cloth when I'm on the other side of the kitchen from the only spot I can stack cloths out of the way.

Solution: use the trial friendship bracelet samples, create loops, stitch them onto the corners of the cloths which can now hang in a cabinet handle near the action.

Then when I ran out of bracelet bits, a side bonus, used them up, I crocheted loops for more cloths.

Totally first world annoyances sorted while I listened to an Andy Carpenter audiobook involving dogs and murder and mystery.

As to the successful friendship bracelets, they're all on their way to some Navajo kids who wanted them in time for Halloween and after.

Another item that's left is the bookcase that used to be at the foot of the stairs and now there's no room. I couldn't find any other place for it, Handsome Son didn't want it, so I put it on Freecycle.

It was gone in less than an hour from posting. It served me well for years and now has a happy new owner.

The honesty harvest this year has now taken over from the little bouquet scenes.

And here's one reason I love my neighborhood 

A bunch of nice kids playing with a model airplane which made great loops.

Happy day everyone, what do you like about where you live? I hope there's something. And I'm not asking about boneheaded own goals you've scored. That can remain classified.