Rain, baking spree, Sock Ministry

So I have good things to report about the happy reunion with a working oven. The repair people had undertaken to call between 8 and 9 with an ETA of the repairman. On the stroke of 8 they called. Expect him between 9 and 11. Bang on 10 he's there.  And they don't say stove or oven. They say range. As in home on the, I suppose.

Anyway, technician Larry pulled out the stove, did a hard reset, panel came to life. 

I could have done it but I can't pull out the stove and I wouldn't ask Gary, just too stressful for his aging back, and he's done enough. The techie did explain once the panel's gone out, it will do it again, so he's checking into getting a new panel unit. 

I notice the oven is now heating up about twice as fast as it had been lately. Probably a sign it was about to strike. 

Techie Larry told me the alternate way to do the reset, if it gives out in the meantime, is to turn it off at the breaker, leave it about an hour, try again.  

I had tried, unsuccessfully, to find the breaker on the circuit panel, which is badly labeled, when the oven first broke down.  I'll need a co-conspirator to let me know from indoors, the panel being in the storage closet outside the front door. One person outside switches, one  person inside shouts the results. So that's the interim plan.

So I paid a service visit charge, with geezer, I mean senior, discount. Could be worse.

And since I don't know how long it will hold up, got into a baking frenzy, just in case.

Raisin hot biscuits. I was almost out of olive oil so used homemade butter as well, very good results.

Giant loaf, making four smaller ones, once cut on those scorelines. Short of flour, too, used the last of the wholewheat, plus the last of the oatmeal, plus some gluten free flour which I don't need personally, but it was all I could get at the time. It's good considering all the substitutions.

The endless rain is also good, for the knitting output. Today I'll finish the Popular Purple Socks. Note they're posed on a hand dyed yellow cloth, opposite on the color wheel, very tricky stuff.

Tomorrow I'll send out a pack of four pairs. It's about a pair a week, I estimate. 

I don't feel pressed, though. I just do a couple of inches when I sit down, and soon there's a sock. Much faster than scarves or kitty blankets. It's calming work, particularly knowing that,  sitting alone in my house,  I'm still linked up with the other members of the knitting ministry.  

In another post I'll tell you about the kitty blanket caper. That was a different form of ministry.

Meanwhile breakfast in bed. Toasted hot biscuit, tea.

Praying for Ukraine and for the swift prosecution of the war criminals of Putin's army.

Textiles and Tea, stove repair prep

Aftereffects of the booster seem to be fading now,  happy to report. About a day's worth of bouts of shivering chills and feeling like flu, alternating with feeling just fine. I did get things done in the feeling well intervals.

One involved sorting the stove ready for today's repairman. I took out the heavy cast iron pans from the storage drawer, then took out the drawer, dislodging a spider or two, and swept under it.  

I expect he will have to pull out the stove from the wall and this will save time from what will probably be an expensive repair.  In about fifteen years it's the second repair, so I guess that's not so bad. I'd like to keep it going. 

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea, with Robyn Spady,  was very entertaining, a speaker properly set up, very audible, engaging, clearly used to an audience. 

The slight drawback to a non loom weaver was that her technical discussion of complex weave forms and patterns was baffling. It was one of the times it would have been nice to have Joanne here to explain.

But I still enjoyed the designs she showed, and there are books and an online magazine for weavers who want to know more. 

From her comments about teaching, I think she's a great teacher, concerned with putting herself in the place of the student, rather than excitedly talking about what engrosses her. 

Looking forward to having a working stove again here, happy day everyone!

On the one hand, and then the other..

Handedness seems to be around. The other day I had an interesting dialog with Darrell Wakelam, that artist who makes wonderful works with young children. I'd noticed on his videos he cuts with one hand, draws with the other.  I don't think he'd mind if I share

The bottom one is mine. The top is his reply. Then Mary Anne brought up dominance in the comments.

So I thought it would be fun to explain what I did with adult drawing beginners to show them that handedness is fluid.

We established eye, ear, hand and foot dominance. If you're right dominant with all, chances are you're good in sports, especially those needing aim.

Anyway to find out, I ran these again yesterday to see what was what chez Boud.

Do these without thinking. 

Roll up a piece of paper like a telescope, immediately hold it to your eye to look through. You'll hold it to your dominant eye.

Even if the vision isn't as good in that eye, the brain will insist. Handsome Partner was very amused when he tried this and the paper went to his left, blind, eye!

Mine: right 

Which ear do you hold the phone to? Mine is left, even though my right ear hears better. 

Which hand do you throw and catch with? Write with? Draw with? Paint with?  Deal cards with? Thread a needle with? I throw and catch left, draw and paint with either, write right, deal left, which my father described as the card sharper's deal, thread left, stitch right.

Your best foot forward now. If you can. Stand up, take a step. Which foot went first? And start to climb a step, note which foot. I step up right, down left. 

This is just fun, not to be taken too solemnly. But a lot of people get a surprise when they realize they're more complicated than they thought. Then when I suggest they switch hands to draw, it doesn't seem as unlikely.

In fact a lot of people draw better with the non dominant hand because they're less set on the results. It's just here goes nothing, a relaxed frame of mind which is good for making art.

So I hope this has resulted in a lot of people testing their assumptions and letting us know how it goes.

Meanwhile food on top of the stove is going.

This unlikely combo is the start of a stock. It began to smell heavenly and I remembered putting the ginger peelings in the bag.

Then I made a cream of carrot, cashew, ginger soup with nutmeg.

And later, not being able to bake bread till the stove's fixed, tomorrow we hope,  I made pancakes, using the homemade butter.

The butter spreads easily, doesn't melt, but does mix very well in a batter. Really good fluffy pancakes. Lemon juice and sugar with.

Breakfast this morning, too,  when I get to it 

I finished the First Purple Sock before my arm started fussing about the booster. And before a few waves of shivering and self pity.

Hoping for better today. 

Happy day everyone.

Snow in April not unheard of

This is Saturday, a couple of hours north of here

People living in mountainous states will note the massive elevation! For an eastern coastal state, that's mountainous.

Today's my second booster, and I'm trying not to have commitments other than the Wednesday stove repair man, for the next few days. That's going by the reactions to the last booster.  Hoping for the best though. 

Dull old post today. Yesterday's endless rain and hail and sleet was a good knitting time, especially considering the news from Ukraine. Knitting being calming.

I used all the shades, darkest to palest, up to the heel, then reversed so the cuff is back to darkest.

Happy day, everyone!

Spiders, Louise Bourgeois and Socks

Following on yesterday's musing about sashiko, an art form and a repair method, I've been looking again at Louise Bourgeois, and her relationship with textiles. Here's a kid's book, great learning piece for adults too

She's mostly known for enormous sculptures, such as the spider figures named Maman, but she came to them later in life, after a long period of working in freeform weaving and restoration, literally using the fabric items she owned as her art materials.

She grew up with the family tapestry restoration workshop, her mother the chief restorer, the human equivalent of the spider, joining and creating and repairing woven structures.  

The spider sculptures refer to her mother who died when Louise was still a student, and whose influence on her art was lifelong

It's a recognition that the spider, patient, wise, skilled,  is a great weaver, who will repair a damaged web as well as weave a new one. 

I hate to clear away the spiderwebs currently growing under my plant tables, though it's necessary. And they're back, repaired, in a couple of days. There's so much to learn from the skills and approach of the spider.

Charlotte's Web has a spider as the title character.

And her description as not only a good writer but a true friend? Words to aspire to!

Meanwhile outside,  the fence workers have been scrambling about out there, reminding me very much of those miniature dioramas we were looking at the other day.

While, back in my workshop, the sofa, here's the current state of the Sock.

This is a work of self denial on my part, since I dislike these colors, but a lot of people like them and they're what I was given, so okay. I might even grow to like them, but I wouldn't bet on it. Anyway they'll get my best efforts.

Happy day everyone. Remember Ukraine still needs our help and support.

Misfits box and sashiko

Misfits arrived in the evening, too late to blog, so here it is

Salad today. The carrots are sweet to taste, very fresh. And there was a stray red potato which found its way in uninvited.

Today's Tatter is about sashiko, stitching that serves many purposes. It's artwork and is used for repairing old clothes, also for creating warm winter gear by stitching together layers with many rows of fine running stitches.

I tried my hand at it a while ago, using a design the Embroiderers Guild supplied.

This is a book cover, with a brocade fabric. The cover is straight, the picture crooked, sorry, better stitcher than photographer.

This is an embroidery form that can be as simple or as complex as the stitcher wants. When we did sashiko at the Guild, a six year old granddaughter did her own version. She really liked doing it. 

So if you want a project for kids, this is one. Not just for girls, boys like this too.

Meanwhile I need to get on with that book cover and insert pages into it. It's been a while. Or it might become pockets on that Robe of many stitches which you haven't seen for a while, the one with all the embroidered pieces appliqued, and sashiko on the front, more to come there, too.

You can see the design I  drew on the left there, waiting for stitching. There's even a needle stuck in there to remind me.

Maybe I'll take a stitching interlude between sock knitting. The light's better now, friendly to embroidery.

The current sock harvest is here

one more pair and I'll send them off.

Pray for Ukraine, for the spirit of resistance and to preserve their art as well as their people. It's vital to life.

White rabbits! April fool's day

White rabbits! First day of the month. Also April Fool's Day, but I don't think practical jokes are in order just now.

The rabbit showed up on the calendar, starting the gardening year.

And, this being the opening day for Canterbury pilgrimages in Chaucer's time, here's a contemporary manuscript about the Tales of the Canterbury Pilgrims.

The pilgrimages were also a bit commercial -- there was merch, such as pins, as souvenirs of the trip. And I think for a religious outing honoring St Thomas Becket, murdered in the cathedral, they did manage to fit in some partaying.

And here's the last day before the curtain goes up on the daffodils out front

Later today it's Misfits box and knitting group, meanwhile I've taken Steve's recommendation, and borrowed this on my Kindle

I'll give it a try. Not  usually a big fan of dystopian fiction, but I did get through Hunger Games, so we'll see. It's good to challenge your own preferences now and then. Says she virtuously!

Ukrainian helicopters have blown up fuel depots in Belarus, which had been planned for Russian use.