Days of sunshine and good air, and learning

The weather is lovely, in the 80s, sunny, low humidity, perfect for crocheting on the deck.

I switched to a different design for crocheted socks, this one in regular crochet, because I thought the Tunisian second attempt looked clumsy. I left it on the hook in case I return to it, and got a smaller hook for the new attempt.

This one's a great design for flat crocheted socks. It looked so approachable and I was in the mood to learn something new. I doubted it would be easy, and found I was right. Easy for Leonardo, to quote the real Dylan.

The stitch is half double crochet, no, I didn't know what it was either. Not only that but the design started with the half double crochet foundation. Hm. It makes a very nice starting edge. They tell me.

So I spent quite a while last night and today attempting to make a 13 stitch start of the toe. I lost count of the number of starts I made, but the yarn is looking as worn out as I am. Finally, I'm getting there. It's easy, they said..

Doesn't look like much, but now I've started we'll see. It's the same yarn as the most recent socks I knitted. 

If my hands don't like this, I'm thinking of weaving socks. I can make a cardboard loom, no problem there. But the results might look a bit artisanal. Like those ancient garments archaeologists retrieve with screams of excitement from Scandinavian bogs.

It occurs to me that this could be a fabulous hoax, like Piltdown Man. New Jersey Sock. Around here there are occasional excavations of indigenous areas, right near here.

This was a major settlement of the Lenni Lenape, and it's not unusual to find clay lamps and arrowheads, things like that. 

What fun to weave a sock in natural color fiber, get it a bit muddy, and bury it ahead of the arrival of the University team.  Just sayin. 

Think of the professors who could claim credit and write papers. The number of doctoral dissertations I'd enable. The angry debates in academia. The carbon dating, the applications for a share of the precious fiber.

I might just look into it.

Meanwhile, to more serious things, here's a composition 

And the resulting little bouquet 

And a study in time passing. The Angel Eye hibiscus with one blossom ready to open, one open and the empty saucers from spent blossoms.

Happy day everyone.  

There's a lot of nice people and things and skills around, despite the crushing weight of living in this crumbling democracy. Not on my watch though, still writing and making official comments and generally doing my bit.

One great victory -- the major bank, Citizens Bank, which my condo banks with, and which has been supporting ICE via Core Civic and the Geo Group,their partners in crime, has decided to sever the connection. 

This is after a couple of large NJ cities removed their substantial accounts and more were in the process.  Starve them out, is the way to go. 

Victory Lap!

Still the flag I'll go down fighting for.  We'll clean it up and fly it with pride again.

Goodbye and hello, composing a compote

Today after took a walk, I did a load of laundry, watered the flowers, admired the hibiscus 

packed the latest parcel to send to the Knitting Ministry, and various other things, then made a large quiche.

It finally dawned on me that I could use a large glass pan instead of pie plates. Eight helpings here. One has gone already, for lunch, really nice touch from the cheeses.

The cheeses are grated Parmesan, sharp cheddar and crumbled blue cheese. Seasoned with kosher salt, white fresh -ground pepper, ground flaxseed and turmeric.  The greens are a spring mix of arugula and spinach, with red onions, steamed first, plus parsley. So it's like a daily supply of a few items.

Yesterday I had another epiphany. You can macerate fruit mixes even if you don't make them into a crumble. Clever me.

I was planning to stew apples and blueberries anyway but I thought I'd do the extra step a la Rose Levy Beranbaum, the GOAT baker who has written volumes on everything baking. Anyway I learned from her about macerating fruit to amp up the flavor. As follows.

First I prepped and put the fruit in a big bowl, tossed with some, not much, sugar, the fruit is sweet, a teaspoon of cornstarch, diced and minced fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, turmeric. 

Then you leave it alone and read your mystery story for at least an hour.

Then drain the liquid you now have, into a saucepan, over lowish heat, swirling not stirring, to keep it from burning, till you've reduced it to about half the volume. 

The smell at this point is practical intoxicating, then you add it into the fruit, mix then return everything  to the pan, cook it gently till fairly tender, then let it cool.  

Then turn it out into a dish looking like red jewels and tasting amazing. 

The extra step of macerating the fruit is so worth it, since you're working anyway. Now I have many desserts in the wings. A spoonful of plain yogurt on top, or  atop, as the ditzy recipe writers in women's magazines like to say, perfect. Poifect.

Now that the ministry parcel is ready to go, I feel free to think what next to make. 

Still too hot and stuffy upstairs to get on with the warp weighted loom and I'm wondering about a different location now. TBD.

Maybe the next thing is the Tunisian crochet socks, made with a better yarn. 

While I'm considering that, I think I'll take a pot of tea out to the deck and just sit. Yes, that's a plan.

Happy day everyone, when all else fails, including your legs, just sit.

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.