Bugs, rags, Melissa and WCK

Thursday started out with an email from the condo mgt saying several condos in Handsome Son's building have found roaches. I don't think he has seen any, but every condo in the building must be inspected and possibly treated. 

Sooo, sighing deeply, I put in a call to Exterminator John who treated my house in the summer.  Always something. I'd just written a sizeable check for the HO insurance for the year. 

I texted Handsome Son requesting he check and do serious cleaning and decluttering. He's good about putting food away, but  very clutter prone. He hasn't seen any roaches. But they're sneaky fellers.

On to better news. More simple upcycling. This is the white shirt from The Box. After removing all these frilly bits

From everywhere, collar, shoulders, sleeves, someone went mad, this nice simple cotton shirt emerged 

Just iron and it's ready. I had tried it on to make sure it fits. It's labeled xs which I'm not, but their xs is more like s. It works.  Twenty minutes clipping, done. 

Two items down, two to go. One item needed nothing done to it, big t-shirt for nightwear. I need to shorten the pants, and decide what to do with the wraparound dress/tunic.

This box is proving a good thing.  Definitely has entertainment value beyond just shopping. 

Not entertaining is the loss of SNAP food support in the next couple of days. Now is when we all need to find out how to give practical help locally to emergency ministries, food banks, whatever is being set up.  My state assemblyman has set up a collection system to supply locations in Trenton with food and donated money.  

If you're not in the USA,  there's great need in Jamaica which took a direct hit from Melissa. World Central Kitchen is already on their way. They can use $$. 

Go to their website and follow from there

Happy day everyone, we can do what we can but it's still okay to enjoy, too.

 

Tuesday, Upcycling, Knitting Group, Textiles and Tea

Another great Tuesday unfolded. 

Morning included upcycling this piece from The Box. I just removed the skirt thing, and this was the result.

Then the Tuesday knitters had two new members and the return of last week's new member, who had been busy with her learning squares and circles.

New member doing some exciting visible mending on the lining of a leather jacket 

Two more bears being cut out. This makes me think of making a bear or two for the Rez kids using that extra fabric from the upcycled top. .

 Two members conferring about alterations to a WIP.

And here's a better picture of a wearer-made sweater in action.

Talk was great, with new members adding a lot. It ranged over embroidery, elder care, food needs, the local crisis ministry, beginning a craft,  making bears, wills, trusts, mammograms, garden ornaments, Friends of Pine Ridge, and more.

Textiles and Tea was about fine geometric weaving in cotton and fine silk kumihimo braiding. 

The guest is a great teacher! She had set up the background with her marudai loom on which she braids and had examples ready to hand, to illustrate her points. Such preparation.

Great presentation, and I am in awe of anyone able to master kumihimo braiding, having struggled to make a simple little braid using that disk you see above. My product didn't exactly look like these masterpieces of the form.  Check her website for more.

Happy day everyone! Weave, braid, knit, read, loaf, stroll, whatever the day calls for. 

Still my flag

Local gardens and "weeds", Misfits

Today's morning walk was shorter because I was a bit tired from yesterday's exertion which included a five minute HIIT workout in the evening with April and Eiko.

It's cool and bright-cloudy today, just what a lot of wildflowers like, such as these dayflowers

Blue points of color among the pachysandra 

 Down the street there's a nice show of white daisies and yellow orange daylilies 

And to prove I did the ironing, here's me modeling the favorite pink shirt. I upcycled this, years ago, Liz Claiborne thrift store find, shortening the sleeves and hem and using a cuff to make a pleated phone pocket, and a button band section to make a tiny decorative pocket. 

The fuzzy hair tells you the humidity is up there. Here's a couple of shots of those fancy designer details (!)

And the Misfits bag is out for pickup.

I recently asked Misfits if they did a senior discount, and they replied no, but we do notify you of specials. It was worth a try in this expensive year.

While I was waiting, I decided it was cool enough to prune the sage.

In the foreground a bunch of leaves, which have now gone to friends, one of whom came right down the street to collect and chat.

Then Haleem arrived, effortlessly swinging a box of groceries onto the step.

Some of the canned goods are for the food pantry, the bread is to avoid baking in a heatwave, the chocolate bar is for my nerves, and the fruit needs no introduction. Except the apples are Rockit, small and crunchy. The peaches need a day or two, then I may freeze them.

The graham crackers are a current taste, crumbled into yogurt with lime or lemon juice.

In food and gardening, when I was clearing the counters ready for misfits prep, I notice several tiny potatoes now sprouting. So I sliced off just the sprouting areas, diced and roasted the rest for lunch with malt vinegar, and planted the sprouts in a container.  Waste nothing.

This afternoon is about reading and dozing on the deck, and admiring my pruning. Unless a lot of insurance related calls and messages happen.

Happy day, everyone, seize the day and the potatoes.

Angelcots and other successful ventures

 I tried an angelcot, which turned out to be the texture of an apricot, and much more juicy, really good. It will make a good sauce with the last of the pancake batter, aside from being interesting raw.

Since I had tuna, I made mayo for a tuna salad on whole wheat toast. I really bless Leigh for this mayo idea. I'd always thought it was a tedious affair of dripping the oil in slowly while mixing, to get it to work without separating, so I've never bothered. 

But now, to think about it is five minutes from enjoying it. I make it right in the container I keep it in, and consider it great.

I'm noticing a lot of fireworks related angst, and my response: move to an Indian community! Where I live the development is now largely Indian. Very quiet Fourth, not significant to even the citizens amongst them. Now Diwali is a different story!

In freecycle news, two artworks were not picked up, after THREE no shows, ingrates, names now on my bad guy list. So I decided to upcycle them.

Took them out of the frames 

And one is now a canvas cloth for the tray Handsome Son and I use for tea and a little something 

Here's the back of the embroidered and beaded piece, people like to see the back. It's a piece of cotton lawn, to reinforce the silk.

The piece is hand dyed, one I made for teaching purposes for the embroiderers guild, when they valiantly tried to stitch freeform without a stamped or painted pattern. Very new ground for them but they threw themselves into trying, credit where due.

Then I turned it into a pillow, stitching it to a linen back 

Here she is with her friends on the sofa, and the frames join another for another try at freecycling. Often raw materials go better than finished artworks.

Since this was yesterday 

Feels like 107°f! A good day to stay indoors, cool, and making pillows and mayo.

Happy day everyone, good wishes for better times in the UK, and high hopes for a continued left path here in the US, too.