Tuesday with knitting and reading and flowers and Textiles and Tea

Tuesday is always fun, and packed.

Yesterday I did a little here goes nothing painting/drawing

Something about July makes painting and drawing happen.

And I'm reading a series of books none of whose authors I knew before they came recommended in Max Daniels' column from Modern Daily Knitting. All good so far.

Currently it's 

I don't have much interest in weddings or in bridezillas but to my surprise I absolutely had to find out how this came out. Credit also for good writing, good usage and general literacy, rarer than a person might think.  Great summer reading.

And look who showed up this morning 

Angel Eye hibiscus. This afternoon Breck emailed a request to review it. Do these guys read my blog? 

Then this afternoon the Tuesday knitting group was fun again, two new people, one returning person and all the usual suspects. 

Skilled knitter helping a novice get organized 

This is a bunny in progress. Difficult pattern.

Cotton sweater under way 

This beginning embroiderer has reawakened my inner stitcher 

Here's a total beginner, doing her first slip knot 

And here she's well under way 

Our sashiko stitcher returned with the finished work 

This is a truly superior knitter, with yet more beautiful socks and wearing a sweater she made.

It was a lovely afternoon with convo ranging over music performance, weaving, honorific titles, confidence, sewing without a pattern, travel, jetlag, tatting, conferences, textile history, thrift stores and more.

Then to the bank to yay, deposit my real estate senior refund. 

Then home to Textiles and Tea with brilliant tapestry weaver,  writer, drawloom weaver, Joanne Hall. 

Just marvel at her work.

This sky series is about Montana, the big sky state, and was commissioned for a public building there. 

It was the Montana weavers guild who sponsored this episode of T and T, very proud of her.

Making any tapestry is demanding. Making giant ones single-handed is an amazing feat. This one is in a hospital in Texas, featuring Texan wildflowers.

This was her first work on a draw loom, many years ago

This is a cartoon, the artist-created tapestry pattern that goes behind the warp threads as a guide

and here's a  tribute to her American and Swedish heritage

And a whimsical wooden shoe design.

She's such an artist, good humored and a great teacher by all accounts.

Happy day, everyone! I certainly had one.

We got air! Sunshine too!

Today we're back in clean air, and energy and walking 

What a difference when you can't chew on the air.

At home I put the Splitleaf in various locations, ending up like this, with the coleus for company.

It's paying for its keep by disguising the bare patch.  It's squashed up against the house because it's so unbalanced it won't stay upright. But there are roots coming out so if it sinks them in, it will solve its own problem.

And look, thistle flowers, now birds and butterflies should show up 

And the hibiscus is ready to explode 

The sweet William are having a second act. I left them after blooming to drop seed, but here's what's happening 

I didn't know they did this.

Meanwhile I did get a walk, a bit out of shape from being in the house, but I spotted a job for the site manager to take his mind off fun stuff in yards.

I notified him with nearest house number and requested action.  Teehee.

Further on, the daylilies are over but the feverfew or whatever these aster type flowers are, have started.

About HOA site managers, I've known a few it being a revolving door job usually either to be promoted if competent or let go if not. Unless you're connected then you get promoted without being competent.

It's a job that attracts quirky characters who get bees on certain areas. One went mad about window coverings -- all supposed to show white outside, no matter what color inside -- then was gone before anyone responded. 

Another decided porch lights, style, brightness, were his thing, issued all kinds of instructions and buying options, I wondered if his brother in law was in the business, and moved on before anyone changed anything.

Our current manager is in fact pretty competent and quick to get real issues, downed trees, dead geese, dumping, sorted. But he's a parking nut. Sends out pictures of how not to park over the sidewalk, etc. 

Those of us who've been here a minute know to just let it go, not get airiated about it. Yorkshire expression, the meaning probably clear. 

So I've given him something to do, like distracting a toddler.  Here's a downed tree, let's see what you can do with it.

I think I'll paint a bit today. Just in the mood.

Happy day, don't sweat the small stuff.  Most of it's small stuff.

 

Inch by inch, it's a cinch

This applies to the weaving which is finally making sense to me, and here's the latest. Yes, this form needs a lot of weaving in of ends.

I think I've got the daisy motif down, and there's no stopping me now.  Today daisies, tomorrow the world! Well, tulips anyway.

For some reason I found myself making a pound cake, from Baking on a Budget, first I ever made, though I've baked a lot of cakes. 

It smells good. A slice with strawberries later maybe.

Why I didn't notice the temp was going here, not really suited to baking, I don't know 

I was probably distracted by the accidental fridge art shadows 

I was out walking earlier while it was cool, just wandering about in new directions until I found myself near my own house, to my surprise. I must have walked in a more or less circle.

Back home the flower seeds are sprouting and suddenly the hibiscus is there. Every year I think oh, dead twigs, nothing happening, until overnight it does this 

This one will have lovely white flowers with red centers. 

I had an egg salad with chopped tiny red peppers and a wrap for lunch, very pretty, and thank you all for the ideas. With a strawberry milkshake.  And I planted the pepper seeds, why not.

I planted them in the sunflower pot because I think the birds may have swiped the sunflowers I saw sprouting. No sign of digging, the squirrels are staying away from the peppermint, so birds feeding young is my guess. Silly fellers, I was going to let the flowers go to seed for the birds anyway.

Various updates:

I now have a tentative way to get checks deposited without ride arrangements. I have a derma appointment close by, in December, not too far off my regular annual date. I've put in a call to the dryer vent people. Next week I have lab work and a COVID appointment set up.  So far so good.

My Governor has defended using the state police at the ICE prison, right before withdrawing them and letting the local mayor take over security. She's stopped ICE from attacking protesters and Delaney Hall is now (a bit) less chaotic. 

There's a judge's order to release a Colombian national today. And the Leg. and Governor are now behind legislation to require attorneys be provided for detainees. 

I think Gov Mikie's in a hurry to erase this week's botched work. Fine.

Happy day everyone, bit by bit we can get things dun. 

Which reminds me: when people say tell us about your experience in your own words, wtf does that mean? In who else's words can you tell your own lived experience? Just asking. 

Billie the Pup always talks in her own words 

Hat patterns, 🐠 and other vital things

So I started creating a paper pattern for one of this ambitious group of hats that might happen.

Here's the old hat and I drew around the brim allowing for a hem

Then I fitted paper around for whatever you call the side of the crown 

In the background you see the brim and the crown drawn in the middle 

Here I'm fitting the paper around the crown 

And the pieces are assembled, looking like the Mad Hatter, and I taped them to try on, after which I can get on with cutting two layers of fabric one for the lining, one the visible part.

As you see, the brim is pretty good and the crown will be about an inch lower when the seams are stitched. So far, not bad. I can enlarge the brim if I decide to. 

This millinery making is serious  stuff!

There was also food, the cod now up for lunch,

Here's the set up showing the production line. I'd dried and cut the pieces, made a batter which I seasoned with sea salt and long red pepper, dipped the pieces then rolled in panko 

Here on the right is lunch and in the blue dish a couple of future lunches in waiting, toaster oven 425°f till brown and crisp, the fish inside moist, lovely.

I had some of the broccoli heads I'd steamed yesterday, and used the leftover batter to make a cheese sauce, with a bit of butter and grated sharp cheddar. 

After it thickened I added in the broccoli so it got sauced and heated up at the same time.

And here's lunch, crunchy fish, cheese broccoli with a dab of Annie's Ketchup. I like the different textures on this plate.

Energy food. Yogurt with lime and blueberries for dessert.

After that it was about resting then reading the next Cazalet volume on the deck, lovely skies and shadows 

Earlier I'd walked,  and caught this late blooming hibiscus at the neighbor's house 

It flowers later than my Angel Eye, and blooms longer.

Lovely day, all kinds of things, and the evening online with friends to complete the day.

Happy day everyone, hoping your Friday was good. It amuses me when people ask what I'm doing for the weekend. Like it's different from the week!