Why It Sucks to be a Slob

Because one day you might find yourself running out the door to pick up the boys from school, and you might think you'd like to read Martha Stewart Living while you're waiting. And you can't find it! You know you had it yesterday, and you start thinking that you also had a bunch of junk mail that you threw in the trash. You look and look and come to the inevitable conclusion that you must have thrown the magazine in the trash with the junk. It's been known to happen. So you gird up your loins, and go through the trash which is full of eggshells and potato salad remnants and some unidentified liquid. When you don't find it, you go through it again. Still no dice. So you wash your hands and look around the front room once more. Only to find that you actually threw it on the couch the day before, and your husband, desperately in search of a clear place to sit, set it aside neatly where it wouldn't get damaged.

Other People's Creativity

I am always amazed by other people's creativity. Even though I haven't posted in a month or so, I've been keeping up on the various blogs that I like to read. I really admire all of you who are artisanally and artistically talented--and prolific! You really keep me inspired, especially when I'm feeling unmotivated. Thank you!

For my quilting sisters, I really do recommend Mel's Own Place. Not only is she super-talented, she has bunches of links to other quilting sites and blogs. As well as bookmaking and basketry sites. And for my knitting sisters, I recommend Zeneedle. I met Margene, whose blog that is, at Swan Sampler Guild, which she helped found, and I love to read her daily entries on adventures in knitting and spinning. My sister maintains the (mostly) knitting blog Big Booty Knits, and I wish she'd post more (but she could say the same about me, lol). She knits beautiful lace--I have The Long Paisley Shawl that she knit for me--and she has links to even more lace sites and blogs.

Besides the Christmas ornaments, and the tatting which is ongoing (I work on it while the boys have their swimming lessons), I have started a new doily:

It's "Victorian Lace" by Jo Ann Maxwell from The Ultimate Doily Book. I started this in the midst of all my other stuff because we were fortunate enough to get a new and beautiful dining room table from my in-laws. It's large and white and round, where our previous table was small and brown and oval. So my off-white doily doesn't really show up on it. I'm doing this in Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Thread in Frosty Green and Ecru and it should be 23 inches in diameter. I had been having trouble because I was doing my foundation chains (not sure that's a term; I mean chains that are going to be stitched into) too tight. I may rip out the last row and a half (the outer green part) and redo it with less tension in the chain. I work on this in the car when I'm waiting for the boys after school, or any other time I have free time in public.

Angel #2 Finished

Wow, I finally finished Angel #2. This time it only took me 34 1/2 hours.

Of course, this does not mean I Finished, which I hope to do this weekend.

At left is Jazzboy's ornament, also not Finished. As predicted, I did it it less than 36 hours--just under nine, to be exact.

Now I'm working on Gameboy's ornament, "Let It Snow" by Country Cottage Needleworks, also in the JCS Ornament Issue. It calls for DMC 469 (avocado), 869 (very dark hazelnut brown) and 3031 (very dark mocha brown); DMC E168 (silver); and Crescent Colors Deep Fennel and Snow. Surprisingly I had the fabric it calls for in my stash: 32-ct Belfast linen in Flax. Usually I have to substitute (or have a Stash-Enhancing experience!). That lump in the middle is a pearl earring. My super-scientific way to find the center of a fabric is to fold it in half both ways, pinch it to make temporary creases and stick a stud earring in at the intersection of the creases. I always start in the middle and work my way out.

I was able to work on it for about 2 hours last night and this is what I got done:
That's a scarf, two birds and the beginning of the border in CC Deep Fennel. When I'm done, I'll be on to Angel #3, which only has to be done by Christmas Eve. Angel #4 is for me, and I have a pile of unfinished Angels #4 from previous years. I'm hoping this year, for once and for all, to finish them and Finish them--they'll make quite a nice display.

Angel #1 Finished

Wow, the first of four angels is done and it only took 2200 minutes. Or 36.6666... hours. It did feel like infinity hours sometimes. No pix yet.

In between angels, I'm making ornaments for my family. So I started the first one today, for Jazzboy. It's "Frosty Friends" by Mosey 'N Me from this year's Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue, and I expect it will take somewhat fewer than 36 hours to finish. I was so excited to start it that I forgot to take a picture of the supplies, so you can see some of my stitching in the picture:

Right there in the center is an orange snowman's nose and a bit of blue scarf, which might be hard to see against the blue background.

Here's a funny thing: I was googling to find a picture of Frosty Friends for those of you who don't want to wait to see it--I didn't find one (not that I looked that hard) but I did find a previous post on this blog. Cool!

It's Christmas Time! Part 2

I have finally started on the Christmas angels! I'm doing two on the dark green:


And two on the Antique Green:


The first one is on the Antique Green. I can't say which one I like better, in case people feel they got the "inferior" one.

I'm also not going to post pictures till after they've been sent out, so the recipients (Lynda, Nancy, Mom) can be surprised. I'm working right now on a part with a lot of reds and it can be tough to tell the differences in colors when the lights not good. But I know that the designer (Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum) will have done another amazingly shaded project--they'll look really good.

My latest other big project in my stitching is to try to better store all my linen. When linen gets creased, it stays creased, which is why I don't understand why so much linen gets folded up by its sellers. I mean, I do, sort of--it takes up less space that way--but I have had so many projects with a fold down the middle of them that I can't get rid of. And I'm sure I will have more, as I have a lot of projects that have had the linen folded up for years. But from here on out, no more! I was taking my linens and rolling them up in acid-free tissue paper, and then storing them in paper towel rolls. But I've taken it a step further. Now, I'm ironing the fabric when I get it and attaching a label with a rust-free pin at the edge, and hanging it from pants' hangers. I did this with the angel fabric (obviously, from the pictures, not before I took the pix) and I'll do it with the ornament fabric. I have hung up the fabrics I got from the retreat, as well, but didn't iron them, as all the fabrics are hand-dyed, and I had started stitching on them with silks, neither of which likes steam. Perhaps I'll dry-iron them.

And to my two textile-loving sisters--you know who you are--I know that knitting and quilting retreats exist. You should check with your local stores and guilds; maybe they have one.

Shepherd's Retreat, Day 3

Saturday was the final day of classes, as well as the banquet. Our first class was with R&R Reproductions. I have to admit that they were not my favorite; we took them a couple of retreats ago and didn't care for the project. But, as Nancy reminded me, they had told us that they had had trouble that prevented them from getting together a better project. This time, I really liked their project. It's called "Quaker Lover Letters," and it's an envelope, basically, with a Quaker-style sampler on it. It was coincidental that it had many Ackworth Sampler motifs. I mean, coincidental in that they chose that style this year. Not coincidental, of course, that Quaker groups used the same motifs. The project is all done in cross stitch, in one color of thread, so even though the design is complex, the stitching will be easy. There is an accessories kits that we could buy--so I did. I bought it because it has a really cool nametag that says, "Mistress of the Needle," and I too want to proclaim my status as such. This is a project that I might get started on right after the Christmas projects.

For lunch we only had an hour, part of which was spent getting checked into our second room. Nancy and I shared a room the first two nights, but for the third night, we had people coming to eat at the banquet with us, so we got a second room. We had decided we would eat our veggie tray, and some fruits for lunch, but my cooler would not keep them cool enough, so I tossed them instead, and we ate unhealthy snacks.

Class three, the final class, was taught by Jacqueline Holdsworth of Needleprint. I believe she is not a designer, but she is an expert on and charts the Ackworth Samplers, and she brought one of her reproduction charts, Hannah Westcombe's Ackworth Sampler. It, too, is stitched in just one color, and I'm doing it in Belle Soie's Enchanted Forest. However it's over-one, and really large, and the fabric is Oaten Scone 34 ct, so it will be more demanding. Here's a link to a picture of the original, recently sold at auction--it's lot 200:

http://www.tennants.co.uk/Press_news/Press_news_10_03_08.asp

Jacqueline also gave us another slide show of the Ackworth Samplers. The quality of these really is very good.

After class, we had three hours to get ready for the banquet. I was so glad we hadn't had to check out. In previous year, we did come home after the banquet, which meant that we had to check before our first class (at 9 am), and then sit around after classes, unable to relax or get ready. I would generally stitch on of my new projects in one of the many nooks of the hotel. The chairs were always cozy and the lighting always bad. But this time, I moved all my stuff into my new room, met up with DH, and assembled my new charm bracelet:

OK, from left (below): Charland's charm from Shared Stitches (it says "Friends"); a small stitched (yes, it's stitched, and very tiny) charm and an English penny from the night of the lecture; a Quaker wreath motif designed by Jacqueline Holdsworth, and a typewriter key (because it's a "text" sampler) from the Hannah Westcombe class; a small bead that came with the bracelet.


And again from the left: The bead; a heart charm with a bird on it designed by Merry Cox and an antique button, from Merry Cox's class; a glass flower and a crown designed by R&R, from their class; a heart charm designed by Charland from her class (one of the ones I couldn't attend).


So, after that, the banquet. Here is our table:


And here you can see Nancy socializing, with Dan's and Erin's backs to the camera:

It was a nice banquet, and the entertainment was hysterical. Each table got up and did an entertainment of their choice: there were skits and songs. I read a poem by Emily Bronte about love and friendship and then another lady at the table read a Shel Silverstein poem about getting out of doing dishes, while the rest of us pantomimed. And at the end of the banquet, we each got a little gift:

It's a little sampler pendant. All in all, I really enjoyed myself; my only complaint is that it was too short. Teri and Tina of Shepherd's Bush always do a fantastic job!

Since returning home, I have been kitting the Christmas angels and ornaments. I had to order some threads, beads and buttons for those, so look for that update soon.

Shepherd's Retreat, Day 2

Today we had to hike down the hill to get to our class—it looked harder than it was. Merry Cox was our teacher and her project was "Sweet Little Blossoms." We always enjoy learning from her, especially her finishing technique--she is justly well-known for her finishing. This project consisted of a small bag, a needlecase, pin-keep, and scissors' case. We worked on Queen, or Rococo stitch, Nun’s stitch—I already knew both of those—and Buttonhole Wheels, which I didn’t know. During class we got another very adorable charm designed by Merry. Each teacher designed a charm for her class and I thought we wouldn’t get the charms from the classes we didn’t attend, but I found out later we could buy those, so I did. Two of them were sold out, though, so I don't have them, yet--they're on their way.

After class, lunch from the Pizza Hut next to the hotel. They’re doing construction on the path there, so a little hiking was involved I should have taken a picture. We had to climb down into a culvert and then back up the other side. Although the hotel is very nice, the service is lacking, and this is one example. A sign indicating the closure, and a suggested detour would have been nice.

Oh, yes, and we had to sign up for our banquet table—they are all named after Jane Austen characters. We chose Colonel Brandon’s table. There was a run on the Colin Firth and Mr. Darcy tables--we had no chance to sit there, lol.

After lunch we had much free time, which we spent napping and stitching. Then off to dinner at Zoom. This is Robert Redford's Park City restaurant. It is most famous for its macaroni and cheese, but I've had that before--it is really good--and tried something else. I had the 5-spice salmon. Generally I avoid seafood in a landlocked state, but Redford's restaurants are an exception. The food is always fresh and good. This was no exception. It came with a mango salsa, wilted spinach, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. Those were almost, but not quite, as good as Dan's, but they were much fluffier. We suspect a ricer was involved. I have to admit that, as good as it was, I wish I had ordered Nancy's dish: Halibut crusted with herbs and asiago. Same sides. That was what my taste buds really wanted. Dessert was the best creme brulee I have ever had. Firm enough, and supersilky. White chocolate with lavender.

Then back to the hotel for a lecture by Jacqueline Holdsworth of Needleprint, on the Ackworth Samplers. I have to admit I'm not particularly a sampler person. The bands can be a little boring (not to stitch, but sometimes to look at), and a whole lot of antique samplers make me wonder why I'm supposed to be impressed. Because they're old? Certainly not the composition or technique. But these--these could convert me. They are amazing. Ackworth was a Quaker, co-ed school founded in the late 18th century (1779, I think), in England. It was for children, "not of affluence," and the girls stitched these complex, well-designed, well-stitched, beautiful samplers on their own time. I believe Jacqueline said the girls entered school at 8 and left at 14, so they were pretty young.

And because this was another retreat session, we got another charm and another project: "Quaker Wreath," charted by Jacqueline from the samplers we had been looking at. This project came in a beautiful bag--I chose pink. Yes, I've turned into a girly-girl who loves pink in my middle age.

Oh, and we had a wonderful chocolate mousse in a chocolate cup. It was good; too bad I'd already had the creme brulee:

And the lemon tart? With the shortbread crust? It didn't travel too well. By the time we got to it, next morning, the crust was too soggy to eat, or even find. Oh, well, I'm sure it was good.

Shepherd's Retreat, Day 1

Before I get to today's post, I see that Shepherd's Bush has updated their blog with photos from the retreat. I recommend you click there (on my sidebar) to see some photos of the projects, as well as the teachers. Charland is so cool! Even though I didn't get to take her class this time.

So on Thursday, we arrived earlier than we had planned, and we were worried that we’d have to sit in the lobby while we waited for our room. But no, our room was ready—and it’s a room with a balcony! I was so excited. n fact, I’m sitting here on the lounge chair on the balcony while I type this. It’s very pleasant, with a nice breeze—cooler than Salt Lake City. And there’s a really nice view. There is also a less-nice view, but I have chosen not to look that way.

Day 1 always starts with registration and a small project. Today’s project was a memory book. We were given a book, some papers, some cutouts, some charms, some ribbon, and some thread, and then allowed to use our imagination. This year, because we were so on-time, we got a good seat. Sometimes I don’t have much imagination, and I should take my time, get ideas, and think about it—but I just jumped in anyway. Here is my partially completed book:

There were so many cute ideas and it’s always fun to see other people’s creativity.

For dinner, Nancy and I went to Chez Betty, which we’ve both wanted to try for some time. I had rack of lamb for the first time in my life, which I enjoyed. We both thought it was pretty good. The warm spinach salad, and the “everything” bread were spectacular, the rest of the meal less so, although still very good. We didn’t have time to eat dessert, so we ordered lemon tarts to go. We hoped they would travel well.

We made it back just in time for “Shared Stitches,” which is where all of the designers at the retreat contribute a part of the kit. Shepherd’s Bush did the pattern, which is an adorable lopsided heart. The front has a vine and the back has the names of all of the teachers, as well as some friendship words. Charland Gavin did the charm, which was also a heart. We were given the choice of putting it on the project or a bracelet, and so mine is on my bracelet and I will show a picture later. R&R Reproductions did the fabric--30-ct French Vanilla, and Merry Cox did the finishing. Charland explained in detail how charms are made—it’s about 14 steps, she said. And in fact, we then got the bracelet to go with the charm we received, as well as future charms that we were promised.

Afterwards we were too stuffed and tired to eat our desserts, and so we went to bed.

Shepherd's Retreat, Prologue: The Open House

As most of you know, I spent the past few days up in Park City, at Shepherd's Retreat, which happens once every two years, and which is totally fun. I couldn't figure out how to access the wi-fi at the hotel, so I wasn't able to post my blogs from there, but I did write some things down as they happened, and I'll post those as I'm able to. I also got some pictures, but the designers who did the kits, which are mostly exclusive to the retreat, don't really want them posted on the web, so I can't post the projects I got. At least not until I have some stitching of my own to show.

So last Wednesday, Nancy and I went up to the Shepherd’s Bush store in Ogden to our first ever Shepherd’s Retreat Open House. We were lured by the promise of a free gift, and of course all of the amazing things Shepherd’s Bush has for sale. When we arrived, we saw a long line of people, mostly women really, waiting to get in. We got in line, too; I felt like we were waiting to get into a really hot nightclub. A few passersby even stopped and asked what was going on, that we were waiting in line for.

After not too long, in we went. It was really crowded, and those who know me know that that is a situation I hate. But everyone was pleasant and friendly. I bought some fabrics for my Christmas Angels (from left, an unknown dark green, 28-ct; Antique Green, 28-ct; Barn Grey, 32-ct):

as well as a really cool Puffin Thread Separator. I’ve wanted one of these since they came out. It works by attaching weight to your thread and letting it untwist.

And here is the gift—Shepherd’s Bush always makes a cute button—a different one for each retreat. I feel like it’s my badge of honor, to finally have obtained one:

Or maybe it's my ticket into that exclusive nightclub.

Next, Day One.

It's Christmas Time!

That is, it's time to get ready for Christmas. Actually, I should have started a month ago. Recipients of the Christmas Angels (free patterns! at www.tiag.com) know that I routinely don't finish them till several months after Christmas. In fact, I did try to start on them over a month ago, going through my stash and ordering thread and fabric. Unfortunately, the fabric I ordered is on back-order, so that was put on hold. When I go up to Shepherd's Bush tomorrow, I may see if I can get some fabric there. Then when my ordered fabric comes, I can add it to my ever-expanding stash.

But that's not why it's Christmas Time! I received my much-anticipated Just Cross Stitch 2008 Ornament Issue yesterday. I make every effort every year to get my hands on this--it always sells out at my regular shops. I've taken to ordering it online just to be sure. Even though I don't buy the regular monthly magazine (sorry, JCS, it just doesn't suit my taste), I recommend getting the ornament issue if you enjoy at all doing cross stitch and Christmas. It just has the cutest, most fun holiday designs (although DH complains that there are not enough sled motifs and is considering sending a request to the magazine for more of those).

After receiving the magazine and going through it carefully, I let the boys choose their ornaments. This year, both Jazzboy and Gameboy picked the same ornament: "Let It Snow" by Country Cottage Needleworks (#6 on p. 13, if you have the magazine). They're in their Snowman Phase. I didn't mind doing it twice, but they didn't like that, so Jazzboy chose instead "Frosty Friends" by Mosey 'N Me (same page). DH has picked "Deck the Windows" by Julia Lucas Designs (p. 15). And I am leaning toward "Bluebird of Christmas Happiness" by M Designs (p. 13 again).

So the next step is to go through my stash and "kit" these up, or make a kit for each of them. That will have to wait till after Shepherd's Retreat.

Yes, I am off for 3 days in Park City of nothing but stitching, and I am so looking forward to it! If the hotel has Wi-Fi, I will blog from there; if not, then when I get back.

My New Purse

I spent Saturday with my mother-in-law, Nancy, and my sisters-in-law, Rachel and Erin, making a really cute purse. I don't sew well, so it was a chance for me to practice. When I saw a picture of the purse, which was "She Loves Me Knot" by Kimberbell Kids & CarlaC Dolly Designs, I immediately thought of Japanese gift wrap, so that was the type of fabric I looked for. I went to Whimsy Cottage in Salt Lake City, which I loved. They didn't just have the usual Americana-type fabrics. Don't get me wrong--I like those too--but I didn't feel they suited this project.



As is usual for me, I couldn't decide exactly which fabric I wanted. I saw these really pretty batiks first, and selected some of those, then I found the Japanese fabrics. So I bought them all. I'll probably make another purse out of them.

So first we cut out our pattern, fabric and interfacing pieces. Then we sewed the bottom and sides together. That was the end of the easy part. Next we sewed the purse sides and one of the ties to the bottom and sides. Ditto that--except the ribbon tie part--for the lining. But then for the lining we had to put in magnetic closures. We got to stab our fabric and then hammer it. So here is my outside:


And here is my inside:


Next, I got to sew up the sides and turn the outside right-side out, then drop the lining (also sewn up) into it. And then the hardest part of all: Turning down the top, pinning the handles and other bow tie to it and then sewing it without sewing the handles or tie down. Ta-da!


I'm very proud of it. I did learn, though, that I still need lots more work in sewing straight lines.

Here are (from left) Rachel's, Erin's, and Nancy's:

Finished Part 5 of the Marquoir!

It seemed to take forever. Really, it doesn't take that long to finish a section, but I only have been working on it a little at a time. Well, it took at least 8 1/2 hours. I keep track of the time, but I lost the notebook that had part of my log.

I really like the way this section looks, probably better than any other section so far. The theme is music, which probably explains my affinity.

And here is the whole sampler, so far:

I've been working on my tatting as well. I do that in the car while waiting for the boys, so about 10 minutes a day. So that project looks essentially the same. You'd be surprised how little tatting you can get done in 10 minutes. And speaking of tatting, my sister (you can see what she's working on at Big Booty Knits) turned me on to a group on Ravelry called L.A.C.E. I've been reading all the posts and it's fascinating. I have so much to learn!

The Marquoir

Here is the main project I'm working on. It's called the Marquoir, which I believe means "sampler" in French, and it's by Isabelle Vautier. It comes with a story and contains symbols of her life and allows for the stitcher to substitute symbols that are important to them.
A lot of people call it the Legacy Board Sampler, because that's where the pattern was posted several years ago. It was really popular for a time, and my mother-in-law has finished and framed it.

Here are my threads:
Just three colors--red, yellow and green--plus metallics for accent. I am using Gloriana silks in Olive Grove, Honey Bronze and Dried Pink Roses. One great thing about silks is that you only need one thread for good coverage. So even though silk is a lot more expensive than cotton, it has 12 strands, as opposed to cotton's six, and cotton generally requires two threads for the same coverage.

I believe this sampler was originally a mystery sampler and it has nine sections. I recently completed--mostly--section four:
I mentioned that these are symbols from the designer's life--this section has to do with her moving to the city (Paris) and living on her own. You can see there is a large blank section. The designer went to hair cutting school and she put symbols of that here. I've never cut hair in my life. (Unless you count the time I attempted to cut Jazzboy's hair when he was a toddler: I chased him around the room and cut a bit of hair off whenever I caught him. I wish I had pictures of that.) So I've decided to put some of my own symbols there: a Y for BYU, a volcano for my years as a geology major, and a book for my Humanities degree. I just need to design these.

Section 5 is my favorite so far:
It has to do with music, which has lately been a new hobby for me.

Tatting

I got some tatting done today. Here is part of round 3 done, just before joining it to the main part:

And here it is, partly joined:


I like to wait as long as possible before joining it to the main piece. Once joined, it becomes unwieldy and difficult to manage. Plus, the thread twists as I tat, and I can't easily untwist it once I have the whole huge project in my hands.

And now, it's totally joined:

And here is the whole piece, so far:

There will be smaller, cream-colored motifs in between, in the squarish areas. I think it will be no longer than 9 rows. Maybe a little longer--the first ball of thread made three rows, but that was before I learned how to measure my shuttle winding and conserve thread.

I was able to work a little on the Marquoir today, and will hopefully write on that soon.

Tatting, and an update

I haven't posted lately, in part because I couldn't find my camera. I looked everywhere, but no dice. Finally, today, after much searching, I found it hanging on my closet door knob. Hmmmm. I guess you always find things in the last place you look. And now you get to see that my photography skills have not improved, even a little bit.


Lately I've been alternating between cross stitching on my Marquoir and tatting. Tatting is very portable, which is useful, with the way my life is right now. Above is the center of a motif of my current tatting project, "The Grid," found in the book Tatting Patterns and Designs by Gun Blomqvist and Elwy Persson. It will eventually be a piano scarf, if I bought enough thread. Or a table center. The thread I'm using is a size 20 tatting thread, in hunter green. The little ring above is about the size of my pinky tip.

Next, I finished round 2:

Tomorrow, assuming all goes as I planned, I will do round three, which includes attaching it to the larger part of the project.

Here are the tools I'm using for this:
Hey, that picture didn't turn out too bad! OK, clockwise from the scissors, which I hope you recognize. They are Ginghers, and I have several pair, and I always keep the tips covered, because they are sharp! And I don't want them blunted. Next is a magnet, with a needle and threader on it. Then, a yellow piece of paper. Yes, that is a tool, and it really saved me. When I first started this project, in order to save thread, I calculated how much thread I needed to wind onto the shuttle for each round. Then, as is my MO, I didn't work on the project for several months and when I returned to it, I had forgotten all about that. But since I had it written down, I was able to start up where I had left off with little trouble. I'm a big fan of the stitching journal for that very reason. Not to mention you can tell people just how long it took you to make "that little thing." However, I haven't kept track of my time on this one. Each inner ring is just a couple of minutes; the second round took me just about an hour today; round three will take longer. I have made 17 motifs so far.

OK, to continue, next is the crochet hook. I use this to make joins. It's my understanding that you can do this without a hook--if anyone can direct me to instructions for this technique, I'd appreciate it. I love my crochet hook because it's the tiniest I've ever seen. I can't remember the brand, just that it's German. Unfortunately there are no markings on it as to size or origin.

Next, a yellow paper clip. Yellow, because I don't care much for that color, and I was using all my other colors to mark hymns in my hymnal at that time for piano practice. I wasn't using yellow for that purpose. I use the paper clip to mark the thread at the point where I should stop winding the shuttle. Ever since I learned about the ball-and-shuttle technique, where you don't cut the thread, my life has been so much easier. Tatting-wise, that is. So many fewer threads to knot and weave in. Speaking of which, I've heard of a knotless joining technique, and I'm also wondering if I'm finishing my threads correctly--to me it looks so sloppy to make a square knot and weave in the ends. If anyone knows where I can find this information or technique, I'd really appreciate it.

Below the paper clip is my shuttle. You can't tell from the picture, but the shuttle is attached to that ball of thread. I like these Clover plastic shuttles best. I tried some metal shuttles with removable bobbins and I was so afraid that I'd cut my fingers when I tried to get the bobbins back in place. So I just wind my plastic shuttle and annoy everyone with the clicking.

And just a note: I've added an update to my Fudgenellies post. Further experimentation led to more necessary information.

My Name is Zelda and I'm a Magazine Addict

So where have I been? And what have I been doing?

First, a couple of name changes: Son #1 will be known hereafter as JazzBoy. This is what he is now interested in, and he has started to dress in his image of a jazz musician. So that Son #2 won't be jealous, he will be known henceforth as GameBoy. That is what he likes to do.

It can get overwhelming thinking about writing in the blog. I have to think about taking and transferring pictures and coming up with something interesting to say. But hey, it's my blog and I can do or not do what I want. I need to remember that.

So, what have I been doing. Well, I had finished the angel I was working on and also Dan's Christmas ornament from last year. Then I started working on a sampler called the Marquoir (which I believe means sampler in French). It's done in silk and only uses three colors plus the occasional accent of gold or silver metallic.

But I haven't worked on that in a week or so. What I have been doing is attempting, once again, to thoroughly clean my house. And I have started by forcing myself to read the pile of magazines going back three months. Here are the magazines I get, at least the ones I can remember:
Vogue
Vogue Knitting
Interweave Knits
Interweave Crochet
Interweave Felts
Piecework
Martha Stewart Living
Real Simple
Everyday Food
Bon Appetit
Body and Soul
Spirituality and Health
Tricycle
Parabola
Woman's Day
Beadwork
Stringing
Baking Sheet
Dell Logic Puzzles
BYU Magazine (free, because I'm an alumna, and they track me down and send it to me)
Figure
Hallmark
Handwoven
Herb Quarterly
Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion
NeedlePointers
O, The Oprah Magazine
Threads
Vogue Patterns
Spin-Off
LDS Living
Ensign
Friend
New Era
EGA Magazine (I can't remember the name)

I actually had to look up my subscription list (which I have to keep in order to manage these) to make sure I got them all. Is that not ridiculous?! But it's actually worse, because I recently let lapse the following:

Family Circle
InStyle
Allure
National Geographic
Discover
Knit Simple
Knitter's Universe
Sunset
Gourmet
Good Housekeeping
Astronomy
Night Sky
Salt Lake Magazine

I let these go, for a couple of reasons. Money, of course. But, can I say, I am so freaking tired of reading about politics in my fashion and science magazines! If I want to read about politics, Dan gets a couple of those, and there are several others out there. Since I was a Humanities major, I totally understand about biases in media. But what really irks me is the contempt for anyone who disagrees with the editorial opinion of the magazine. For that reason, I will be letting the following magazine lapse:

Vogue

Take that, Anna Wintour! And I can do without all the celebrity gawking, too. Here, I understand that if I want to look at fashion, well, celebs are the people wearing it. But I do not care one whit about their silly lives. They're people, no better or worse than the rest of us, just richer, and I have no need or wish to gawk at their private, or even not-so-private travails. Nor do I care about their opinions on anything.

Other magazines had to go because I was getting too many magazines on the same subject, so I kept only the ones that I liked the best. Knitting, or cleaning the house, mostly. And, sadly, for this reason, I have to let the following go:

Figure
Woman's Day
Real Simple
Hallmark
Baking Sheet

and, possible, Home Companion. That one will be hard to let go.

Since the great magazine purge, I have been feeling lighter and virtuous. Not so many magazines demanding to be read. Not spending quite so much money. But there's always more out there. And so, a few weeks ago, I gave in to temptation and subscribed to

Cloth, Paper, Scissors.

Teaching Myself Piano

I apologize for being away so long. I haven't done much, if any, stitching. We've had some sickness for a few weeks, and I've been in a bit of a funk.

Funk and sickness or no, I have to practice the piano, to avoid embarrassment at church.

You may be thinking that I already know how to play the piano. After all, I had lessons starting when I was eight, and I've been playing at church for almost 2 1/2 years. But no, I really don't know how to play the piano. I know how to read music and find the notes.

I had suspected this for quite some time, but it was made clear when I saw a teen at a church talent show playing. Watching her play, and knowing that just a few months ago she couldn't play well at all, I realized that I know nothing. Although she was not perfect, she had the piece memorized, and played with panache. I was impressed and decided to get serious about learning.

But because of lack of teachers, money and time, I'm not really in a position to get lessons. I hope to go to the community college in SLC eventually, but there again, I don't have the money or time (meaning my schedule conflicts with the available classes), and I don't even know if the teachers are any good. Still, it would be good to have someone objective evaluate my playing, technique and posture and give feedback.

So I went to the internet. After not too much searching, I found the following two sources, which I recommend:
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/
http://www.pianofundamentals.com/

My Goodreads friends can see which books I'm reading as I add them to my list.

I get most of the music that I will mention from the first site. And while reading the book from the second site, I learned that overuse of the pedal is a sign of a "rank amateur." I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I had suspected this, at least in myself. My pedaling was a source of constant disappointment to me. Everyone I've ever seen play at church uses the pedal, but they all sounded better than I do. When I first started playing at church, I didn't use the pedal at all. This was because my piano at the time was just crap: it was out of tune, it had flat keys, thunky keys, keys that played the note next to the one pressed--and the pedals didn't work. It didn't take me too long to realize that I did need to start pedaling, so I would practice with the nonfunctional pedals but would not know how the song would sound till I was actually playing it at church. I would just lift the pedal every measure, which is how I thought they were to be played. But my music sounded really muddy and unpleasant to me. Even when it wasn't muddy, it sounded like Phil Spector's "wall of sound." That is certainly a good sound when used properly, but not in this context. I went to the other pianists at church and learned that I was supposed to pedal at accidentals (that's when you see a sharp or flat sign) and "key changes." Hmmm. I didn't know what key changes were. Still, this bit of information improved my playing somewhat so I was happy. I have since learned that I'm also supposed to pedal at harmonic or chord changes (that *really* improved the sound) and I'm learning how to recognize key changes. I suspect these are related, if not the same thing.

OK, back to the beginning, which is where I went. I learned that scales are important, so I learned all the major scales and am in the process of learning the minor scales. The harmonic minor scales, that is, right now. There are also melodic and natural minor scales. Believe it or not, scales had never been part of my musical training. I started with C major, hands separately, then together, and built up speed. But wait! I then learned that I need to memorize the scales so that I could work on perfect finger technique, including fingering (which finger plays which key), striking the key, volume and tone control. Maybe other stuff, but that's all I know so far. It's actually easy to memorize the scales, but I have to work harder at the fingering. Also, playing with my hands together at this point doesn't allow me to clearly hear the tone, so it's hands separate for now.

Then I downloaded some pieces: Hot Cross Buns; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Rain, Rain, Go Away; Jingle Bells; Aura Lee (aka Love Me Tender); and A Tisket A Tasket. Very easy stuff, I know. But the point was that I could *memorize* these, as that was another important aspect. The music should be memorized so that I can work, again, on technique and perfecting the sound. You have to memorize in your head so that your brain directs the fingers and so you don't "blank out." While working on technique, I also transpose these into the 12 major keys (I think there are technically more, but some are "enharmonic," which means they have the same notes, although notated differently, as each other) and the minor keys that I have learned.

So that's where I am. I plan next to learn chord names so that I can understand better chord changes and even harmonize the above songs or re-harmonize as I improve.

Recently I accompanied son #1 (who is learning the sax) for a band evaluation. Although I never fully memorized the piece, I did break down the music measure by measure, seeing which measures were identical and determining the fingering. I practiced hands separately, no pedal, hands together, no pedal, hands separately, with pedal, and hands together with pedal. I started really slowly then sped up, eventually playing twice as fast as we played for the performance. I was unsure whether I should use the pedal, given what I had learned, and decided to, but then decided not to at the last minute, when I saw that the other accompanists (high school piano students) weren't. Inferiority complex strikes again! But it worked out for the best, I think, and I played without a mistake! Very unusual for me.

I'm also using the memorization on my organ practice. I'm able to because I concentrate on only a couple of songs at a time. It really helps to memorize so that I can concentrate on other aspects.

Unfortunately, though, I really haven't used these techniques on my hymns. That's because, for now at least, I have to concentrate on quantity. I have to be able to pound out any hymn. But I have started to work on them, slowly. I have memorized "Come, Follow Me"--I can play it with my eyes shut! On the piano anyway--I have to look at the bass line when playing the organ because I don't have the pedals memorized. (Organ pedals are a whole other subject, nothing like the piano pedals, and I'm a total beginner at those. Imagine playing keys with your feet.)

I've also transposed the melody of "Come Follow Me" into all 12 major keys. I will do the minor when I've learned all the minor scales. Next, I'm working on doing the same for "Teach Me to
Walk." These are the songs I plan to "re-harmonize" when I start on learning the chords.

Oh, and that crappy piano? It's gone. I felt bad, because it was a gift, but I do not recommend playing on something like that. Not even if you just want to learn. You just can't get better, because you can't hear any good sounds. I now have an electric piano. I don't know if I recommend it. It has worked well for me. It's always in tune, it can sound like other instruments, so, frex, I can practice organ keying on it, it's lightweight and therefore easy to move. I have been happy with it. And yet... there's something missing. It doesn't have the full musical feeling. I have determined that what I really want is a Steinway concert grand. Unfortunately, even if I could afford one, there's not a room in my house where it would fit, even if I removed the furniture. Well, maybe the basement. Yes, that's the place for a Steinway--not. It would be a pain to even get it down there. And I'm pretty sure the room would deaden the sound.

Anyway, you can see why my life can appear very boring to others, yet it's fascinating to me. I love all these technical things, the details of learning, always trying to improve. I know I will never be anything approaching a concert pianist, but I do hope that someday I can make beautiful sounds come out of a piano.

A Much Requested Recipe

Palak Paneer

Everyone's favorite restaurant dish. (Or was that butter chicken?) Once you have the ingredients, it is pretty easy to make. You can buy paneer if you have to, but homemade is tastier.

Prep: 5 minutes after assembling ingredients
Cook: about 30 minutes
Serves 5-6

1-2 tiny hot green chilies, cut into pieces (use gloves, really) and can omit if desired
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced thin
4 T water
1/2 T ground coriander
1/2 T ground turmeric
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t paprika
6 t ghee or vegetable oil
6 oz fresh paneer cheese, made from 6 cups milk, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 pounds fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and finely chopped, or two 10-oz boxes of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1/2 t garam masala (a spice blend)
1 t salt
3 T cream or cream cheese, cut into pieces

1. Place chilies, ginger, and water in blender or food processor and puree. Add dry spices and pulse to blend well. Set aside.
2. Heat ghee or oil in (non-stick is better) wok or 5-qt saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the paneer cheese cubes for 5 minutes, turning gently to brown on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon. ( Cubes will stick in a stainless steel pan)
3. Carefully add wet spice paste (masala) to hot oil, then pack in the wet spinach leaves. Reduce the heat slightly, cover, and cook for 8 minutes. Using two forks, turn spinach over so that the cooked leaves on bottom change places with leaves on the top. Cover and cook for another 9 minutes. (If using frozen defrosted, cook only for a total of 8 minutes.
4. Add garam masala, salt, fried paneer, and cream or cream cheese. Cover and cook through for 5 minutes Stir well before serving.

Serve with warmed flatbreads, or over rice, with cornbread, or tomato salad.

Whatcha makin', Ma? ....

How to make yogurt:

adapted from "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking" by Yamuna Devi, 780 pages, 1987

Prep time: 20 min (after assembling ingredients)
Setting time: 4-10 hours
Makes: 1 quart/liter (recipe can be quadrupled easily)

1 quart/liter milk (whole milk)
3 T plain yogurt (Dannon is great, and so is the Greek yogurt Fage. I've used all brands and have never had a bad result if I use a thermometer.) I have never bought starter from the health food store. I have made starter from previous batches too..

tools:
a 3-qt saucepan
wooden spoon
a 2-qt container to set the yogurt in (and eventually go in the fridge) with lid (or cover with towel)
a thermometer (digital or candy)
a sink with 2-3 inches of cold water in it
a whisk
a heating pad (nice but not necessary -- can use a warm garage in summer, or a cooler with an open jar of hot water in it, or put it in an oven warmed to 200F for 1 1/2 minutes then turned off)

Bring the milk to a boil quickly (212F) in the heavy 3-qt pan, stirring constantly to prevent sticking to pan. Set aside to cool or quick-cool by half-submerging it in a sink partiallly filled with cold tap water.

While the milk is cooling, rinse a 1.5-2 quart container with boiling water, then dry (I admit I often cheat and just make sure I rinse a glass or stainless steel vessel with very hot tap water and it has turned out fine).

When milk has cooled to 115F, whisk in the 3T of plain yogurt. Pour into sterilized vessel. Cover with clean towel or a loosely-fitted lid and quickly put in a warm place (ideally 85F-110). I use a heating pad set to low, with a towel between the pad and the steel pot.

Check after 5-6 hours. It should be thick and firm, for as it cools it will set up considerably. The longer you let it set once it is firm, the more tart it will be. If not set, check for up to 12 hours. If it hasn't set the cause could be stale or insufficiently sterilized milk, inadequate blending of starter, inadequate insulation during setting, or worn-out starter.

Refrigerate, covered, once it is set.. It is best used with in 3 days (says the cookbook). Mine has never spoiled and the oldest it has become is about 2 weeks (before being consumed or made into cheese).

It is normal for the whey to separate from the solid -- it is not sign of spoilage. If you don't like it when that happens, level the top with a spoon before you put it back. In India, the watery liquid is a desired beverage "good for health."


Yogurt Cheese (very much like Alouette herb cheese):

To make Labna, or Yogurt Cheese:

Line colander with clean muslin, cheesecloth, or a flour-sack cloth that doesn't have fabric softener on it. Stir up to 1/4-1/2 t sea salt, herb salt, or seasoned salt into 6 cups yogurt. Place into colander and fold or twist edges of cloth together.

Set colander in a bowl or dish that is at least 2 inches deep, and allows about 1 inch of room for the whey to drain off. My colander has feet, but you may need a rack, or use a bowl that keeps the colander suspended. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap, sealing to make it air tight.

Refrigerate to drain for 12-18 hours for a soft cheese, for 24-26 hours for a firm cheese. Unwrap and store, sealed for up to 3 days. (of course, I have been sloppy in following these rules, and still haven't had a bad result).

Eat on crackers, on pita bread, put in baked potato, etc.



Paneer Cheese
(fresh bouncy Indian cheese - fry until golden like tofu, or dice and mix with veg or chickpeas)

This is my own version from memory - much shorter than this very scientific cookbook.

Heat up a gallon of milk, stirring until boiling (this is the boring part, so put on some music or audio tape).

Put 3 layers of cheesecloth or muslin in colander in the sink and wet them with cold water.

Don't walk away from the milk on the stove because it WILL froth and boil over suddenly (so I use a thermometer to tell me when it gets close to 212F). When it reaches the boil, reduce the heat to low, and before the foam subsides, add lemon juice (8 T of any lemon juice should work) or (2 t of citric acid mixed with 3/4 water). Gently stir -- clumps should form -- if it didn't, add more juice - it will happen in about 15 seconds. As soon as clumps form throughout, remove from heat and let set for 10 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, lift out the lumps and put in colander, then gently pour in the smaller pieces and remaining whey.

Gather the corners and twist 1-2 times, then rinse the cloth-cheese bundle under lukewarm water. Twist a bit more.

You can hang cheese from a kitchen cabinet knob to drain more, or put in the colander and put heavy weight (big can of peaches) on top of the twisted bundle. Press for about 1-2 hours, then remove from cloth, and put in ziploc bag and refrigerate.

Search the internet for recipes that use paneer. You can also store in freezer for a few months with good results.

Keeping the Blog Alive...

Current interests:

-looking at cupcakes on MarthaStewart.com
-knitting cables on the fronts of the Must Have Cardigan
-thinking of cures for migraines
-uses for eggs
-reading Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking"
-American Idol
-Lost
-Jane Austen

Comments?

The Macaroni and Cheese experiment

I've been trying to improve my basic cooking skills. Even though some people (not my kids) think I'm a good cook, really I just have a few recipes I rely on, following them exactly, and have never really internalized the principles of cooking. But I really want to be a truly good cook, as well as have the ability to create food from what I have on hand, and control the ingredients that my family eats. So I've been practicing on a few basic recipes.

I find Alton Brown to be a reliable source of good recipes, so I tried his mac and cheese and was surprised to find that it wasn't my favorite. So I decided to see if I could make it more to my taste. I remembered making mac and cheese with Mom, and I was just sure it involved making a cheese sauce, and so looked up a recipe for that. After a few times making that, taking notes, and tweaking, I felt I had worked out a workable technique: roux, white sauce, cheese sauce. I learned how to get the sauce thick enough, and how to keep the cheese from seizing (although it's true that maybe it wasn't seizing, but merely not melting). And it was pretty good. But flat. So I considered seasonings. Mustard is common, but Mom doesn't like mustard. I realize that she's only here once or twice a year, but I think it would be nice to have a recipe together that I can serve her. The kids aren't too fond of overly spicy food. And then, out of the blue, I had a thought: Worcestershire sauce. I don't know where that idea came from. But it was a good one. I made the following recipe last week, and it was a hit:

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Based loosely on Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese

½ lb elbow macaroni

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

3 C milk

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

12 oz sharp cheddar, shredded, divided approximately ¾ and ¼

1 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the topping:

3 Tbsp butter

1 C panko bread crumbs

1. Melt butter over low heat and start your pasta water (see step #2) while assembling mise en place. The 2-qt saucepan is best for this. Turn on broiler.

2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta to al dente, per package instructions and altitude requirements (11 minutes for elbow macaroni at this altitude; 9 for rotini).

3. Whisk flour in butter, making roux. It’s a white roux, so only mix for ½ to 1 minute. Add milk and Worcestershire sauce, whisking, and simmer for 8 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon. It’s now a white sauce, or it would be, if not for the Worcestershire.

4. Meanwhile, melt topping butter in microwave (or on stovetop if no microwave).

5. With burner on low, add ¾ of the cheese, by small handfuls and stirring thoroughly after each addition. It’s now a cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper.

6. Add panko to melted topping butter. Add cheese sauce to drained pasta, then place in casserole dish and sprinkle remaining ¼ of cheese and panko topping.. Broil till bread crumbs are golden brown and cheese topping is bubbling. The sauce will thicken on standing.

Possible substitutions: pasta, cheeses, bread crumbs

Flavors to try: bay leaf, Old Bay, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, cayenne

Now, it's not perfect. It's a little too saucy, so I will try 12 oz of pasta next time. Although it's yummy, it lacks depth of flavor, so I will continue to experiment with seasonings. I'm adding Old Bay next time, and I'll give you a report. Although I think the panko topping is best, the boys prefer that I use cornflakes. I've also used Ritz crackers, and I'll bet croutons would be excellent (I love Mrs. Cubbison's Seasoned croutons).

Finally, Needlework!

On Monday, I finally got to do some needlework. I was very scattered about it, I guess because I'd been away so long I don't know where to start. First, I put one thread's worth of beads on a Christmas angel--the one with beaded wings. Then I tried to to work the Christmas Madonna, but it's on 40-ct fabric (which I got from The Daisy Barrel in Fairborn OH several years ago--it's very near Wright-Patterson AFB) and I was doing over-one stitching on the face, and the light was bad, and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so I gave up after a few stitches. That's a sunny-day project.

Because I had been having trouble with the over-one stitching, and because the light was even worse by now, I decided not to try to work on Summer Queen (sorry Danielle!). The thing is, I could have done it, but there was a higher chance of mistakes, and it's really really difficult to take out over-one stitches. And if you don't fix mistakes, then it looks like a pockmarked face.

So I ended up working on the most recent Christmas angel. I had just started this one, and I think I've mentioned that that's one of my favorite parts of a project. I just love to see the stitches "grow" out of the fabric. Here's how I generally start: I find the middle and do one color there, and work my way out. So I started with DMC 677. Can you guess what it is? It's the angel's hair.

You can also see in the picture the needle I was using; it's my favorite needle. It's actually called My Favorite Needle, by Mardina. They do cost from $5 to $6 each, which is on the expensive side. But so worth it! I buy them even though I have "corrosive" hands and so go through a lot of needles (you should throw away your needle when it becomes rough). They are tiny and have a small eye. I like the tininess--larger needles just feel so unwieldy to me. However, I suppose if you have difficulty gripping things, this may not be the needle for you. And you can't thread it with a traditional threader--for me that just means I get to practice threading without one. In case, you know, I ever am stitching after the world falls apart and needle threaders aren't available. Mardina makes an even smaller needle, which I use for beading (the name escapes me). But if you must have a larger eye, I like John James Petites. And if you must have a larger needle, well, you're on your own.

Generally I do one color at a time. Sort of. I start with one, and stitch all the contiguous stitches in that color. Then I choose an adjacent color and do all the contiguous stitches in that color, etc. It cuts down on counting. So next I did DMC 729. I hope you can see it. The designer of this angel (which by the way, is free at www.tiag.com) is Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, and I think she does the most amazing shading.

You can also see that I've put it on a frame--q-snaps to be exact. Maybe I'll discuss various ways to tauten your needlework in one of these posts. I like my fabric to be taut, even though I can maintain tension working "in hand." I generally only do that when I'm too lazy to get out my box full of stretcher bars, q-snaps, etc. I think it wrinkles the linen.

I did start the next color, DMC 676, but did not finish that. I was planning to work on it on Tuesday, but instead threw all of my clothes out of my closet and put a chair in it, and now have my own private sanctuary to stitch in, or whatever. But no place to put my clothes. But I'm off to stitch now, instead of cooking dinner like I ought to.