antici-pation

in which our plucky heroine does a fair amount of what has been being put off...

Most effortfully, but still in plenty of time, I cleared away all the detritus that has been collecting on the futon and the tables in my lonely guest room, that mostly functions these days as the spare room holding my textile supplies, the shelves of fabrics, the boxes of yarn, and the assorted containers of notions. Later tonight my friends Elanor and Elisabeth will arrive, and need a place to lay their weary heads to sleep, in a bed that doesn't contain pieces of cardboard, bundles of fabric scraps, or a pair of burned out fluorescent tubes. Sorting and culling the textiles is a different task for a different day, but there is a cleared futon, cleared floor space for stacking their bags, and nightstand space on either side of the bed, with extension cords for charging devices.

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~ better this time ~

"Scone for one", made for brunch today. This turned out much improved from the only previous time I tried the recipe, probably since I now have a somewhat less venerable tin of baking powder! I'd already started eating, then thought to take a photo before the rest of the scone disappeared entirely. The last of the soaked-in-port dried persimmon bits (sitting in a jar in the back of the fridge, leftover from holiday baking), used instead of sultanas or currants to enrich it, worked a treat.

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A week ago I ordered a skein of black Lettelopi to finish the borders on the stripey sleeve cardigan, and it was waiting in the mailbox this morning. I guess I know what my handwork project will be this weekend, while attending online meetings.

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Almost done with the sashiko embroidery of the fish and the water... while I was tidying the guest space, I also gathered a few pieces of fabric into a pile that may end up being suitable for the indigo cardigan jacket. And I didn't let myself get distracted into searching out the box(es) of other more special indigo fabrics. That will come later. For some reason I seem to have a modicum of executive function today... unlike usual....

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	recycle bin
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	drywall mud
5	grey acorn brooch	bathroom access hatch	recycle bin
6	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	x
7	wooly bear brooch	Goran Laurel	x
8	teal acorn brooch	plunger hook	x
9	dark Pelican enamel	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. TIL that it is much easier to put eyedrops in while lying down. Why have I never thought of this, in all my years of standing with my head awkwardly tilted backwards attempting to align my eye with the dropper? Last night I remembered to put the ampule on the nightstand, thinking that way I could apply it when I first awoke. Not only did that make my first moments in the morning less painful, but the process was so much less fraught with user error. The drops went in my eyes, and my neck remained reasonable aligned with my body...
2. My friends "the aunties" are going to visit here for almost 24 hours (before heading onwards to the SCA event this weekend). They are on their way here right now!
3. The scone was so good, and so easy!!

Time of Isolation - Day 1336

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is impatient...

Tomorrow night two of my pals will be arriving in town, and are going to spend some time visiting with me. Not sure just what we will end up doing other than cooking a Thai-style dinner on Friday. Much will depend on what the weather is doing.

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~ sashiko goldfish ~

making progress on the sashiko stitchery kit... here folded in half and laid atop a different cardigan jacket, to give a sense of the concept. The front pieces will have these fish embroideries overlaid on either side of the center snap bands, and the rest of the cardigan will be made from an assortment of my indigo textiles in what I hope will be an artistic fashion...

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More small progress in the bathroom refurbishment... the wall hook I ordered earlier this month (*from Vermont!) arrived. I needed to get smaller than usual hardware and wall anchors to match the size of the holes in the casting, but it is now properly attached to the wall, successfully (and unobtrusively) holding the plunger. Which is a bathroom tool, if not a particularly attractive one, that needs to be easy to find when necessary. Now it is neatly tucked away between the commode water tank and the wall cupboard, and mostly hidden by the wastebasket. Moving it to this spot meant that I no longer need to create some kind of undersink "skirt" to hide it from view.

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I really want there to be accessible medical intervention that will make public life less fraught, since we seem as a culture to be unwilling to make the sorts of infrastructure (increased ventilation and filtration of air) and behaviour (wearing masks) changes that would make a difference.

From what I read, the current type of COVID vaccines protect (for a limited period, waning in efficacy after only a few months at best) against getting symptoms bad enough to need hospitalisation, but not necessarily against asymptomatic infection. And we do know that asymptomatic infections can also result in Long COVID.  Also I've not read anything at all recently about effort being put currently towards any vaccine that would be of greater or longer lasting efficacy. Any news I'm missing?

(edited to add:) M just sent me this link about current data regarding COVID, and also information about several possible inhaled vaccines, that have reached the point of non-human primate trials and show significant promise! I'll take any glimmers of hope that are visible, even on a distant horizon

I'm really struggling between the rock of isolation for the rest of my life (say the next 20 years) and the hard place of putting myself in danger of permanent lifelong medical harm if I return to any of the social activities that made my singleton life worthwhile. After four years of basically living in Spaceship Acorn Cottage, it is really getting to me.

There are plenty of social activities I've no real need great desire to return to (things that were fun but not central to my life, such as restaurant meals, live entertainment, or recreational shopping) but there are some few that cause me endemic pain to give up forever (in person teaching the arts I know, and in person visits with beloved friends and family) I've not thought of any way to bring these back into my life in a not recklessly dangerous way. I am going to brainstorm with other folks to attempt finding any other options I have not yet thought of, as a way to stave off despair.

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I've been really enjoying listening to Kate of The Last Homely House, treating her YouTube videos as podcasts. Her topics are mostly gentle and creative, and I find her voice really soothing. Last night, after listening to her talk about making scones, I was overcome with the desire to make some, or rather, to make one... Back in March of 2021, I found a recipe online to make a single scone which is the just right amount to make if one has no one nearby to share with. Since the only dried fruit in the house that is soft enough to put into baked goods is the small jar of "dried persimmon slices soaking in port" leftover from holiday baking, it seems a worthy experiment to try.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	recycle bin
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn brooch	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	x
7	wooly bear brooch	Goran Laurel	x
8	teal acorn brooch	plunger hook	x
9	dark Pelican enamel	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. well that was a good dinner, if a bit different... been trying to get better at both using what is in the fridge, and finding things in the chest freezer to make use of. Tonight's dinner was fresh asparagus (oh yum) from the fridge, and then some Italian sausage crumbles cooked in red sauce both from the freezer, atop some soft polenta-ish cornmeal mush, with freshly grated parmesan.
2. M sent me a hopeful link about someday maybe possible change re COVID, in response to our conversation last night.
3. I am loving doing the sashiko stitchery kit. Something about just following a pattern that is already stamped on the fabric reminds me of being a Very Young person, visiting my Nana and having been given a stamped cross stitch kit. I must have been maybe 4 or 5 years old, and was just learning the synaptic connections between hand and eye and intention, just learning to embroider. An enjoyable skill that has served me well all the many decades since.

Time of Isolation - Day 1335

Monday musings

in which our plucky heroine is fond of fishies...

a while back, I finally ordered this lovely sashiko pre-printed design from a seller on Etsy, along with a skein of appropriate thread; I thought it would be a low stress handwork project, that could also be used once complete to decorate an indigo denim jacket.

(if cut in half before embroidering, it could go 

on either side of the center front of a jacket)

This has been in my favorites queue for years now, and while I've never done sashiko embroidery, with my love of Japanese aesthetics, and indigo in general, it should be fun! There is a variety of instructional content online, and these blog posts seemed like a useful place to start. The kit comes with extra unprinted fabric, probably intended to be the back of a cushion cover, but which could be used as either edge binding, or for smaller embroidered patches and pieces. Stay tuned...

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~ extra small ~

I love making miniature books... here are a few copies of "The Gashleycrumb Tinies", by Edward Gorey, just over 1" tall.

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Hoping to find some time today between chores, work and errands put gouge to lino on another square for my Textile Livestock series of tiny prints... would be great for Tinyprint Tuesday tomorrow... maybe "musk ox"

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I moved the wall shelf in the bathroom up just a few inches, which allowed room to store the candle lantern below it (when not needed for possible power outages). This makes that part of the smallest room feel slightly more "open". Still need to acquire a suitable piece of wood for an over the doorway shelf to store towels, need to create some turn latches to hold the undersink access hatch more securely in place, and need to paint and attach the remainder of the decorative molding. The bathroom is so eversomuch closer to being refurbished...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	recycle bin
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn brooch	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	x
7	wooly bear brooch	Goran Laurel	x
8	teal acorn brooch	x	x
9	dark Pelican enamel	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Last week the busdriver called out an announcement on the intercom, to point out an urban Coyote that was just walking down the street in the posh Beaumont Wilshire neighborhood.
2. the sashiko kit I ordered arrived, as did the cast metal wall hook for the bathroom.
3. I don't give up. Even when I feel like it. And I do feel like it, more often than not. Plucky heroine has a very stubborn character.

Time of Isolation - Day 1334

restored to wholeness

in which our plucky heroine has been running errands, doing chores, and getting some backlog work done...

two loads of laundry washed, dried, and put away, ordered and picked up prescription refills, called gas company re their compulsory meter upgrade timing (which will entail removing both rainwater barrels, sigh and alas), a trip to medical land, and suchlike, as well as time spent in the workroom enameling

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~ "all better" ~

Back in 2014 I made this SCA Laurel medallion for a dear friend, and last year the regalia (though thankfully not my friend) had an unfortunate accident and was cracked on some concrete. Enamel, being glass fused to metal, can last for centuries, but like any glass, can be damaged by impact. While I learned long ago to not attempt to repair other people's enamel work, every part of this pendant was the work of my own hands, so I knew well all the materials and techniques used, and could safely do all that was needed to make it whole again.

When I removed the cloisonne enamel cabochon from the setting, even more of the red background cracked and fell away. This often happens after stress fractures in the glass. Fortunately I still have some of the same red enamel originally used, and a day in front of the kiln and at my workbench saw the piece restored to wholeness once again.

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I was really happy with how the "what to do with the leftover salmon" option I came up with... adding some mashed potato and long cooked onion leftovers turned the salmon into something that was easy to make into patties... one on a plate with Dubliner melted over the top was Just Right, and the other went into the freezer to become future meals.

The frozen meatloaf patties I made earlier work just as I had hoped to become an easy dinner on nights I am working. Cooked slowly over the simmer burner on the stove, it gradually browned on the outside as the interior thawed and cooked. Some zucchini chunks were also cooking in the little convection oven, and so all I needed to do way to take a break from my workbench every 15 minutes or so, stir the veg, and turn the meat, and dinner was done with minimal effort on my part.

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The cardigan project is, at this point, about halfway done... Earlier this week I ordered a skein of black Lettlopi for the cardigan trim bands, which will be the last remaining part of the body before I start in on the striped sleeves. That skein of yarn will be the only one purchased specifically for this project, as all the rest are from my box of assorted Icelandic wool, much of which is leftover from previous knitting. I'd hoped to use the "black sheep heather" color wool for those edge bands, but there just wasn't enough contrast with the chocolate wool of the body. I keep looking at the original inspiration bolero photo that inspired my project for ideas, though my own cardigan has strayed substantially from that spark...

Once that yarn arrives, I will refer again to two different YouTube tutorials on applied I-cord: This one is a little clearer on where to pick up the stitches and how to turn corners, and this one is a little clearer about how to pick up more than one stitch at a time, and a particularly good way to do the decrease portion of the I-cord.

Before I knit the stripey sleeves, I'll use the suggestion of my pal Leslie, and test stripe color patterns by winding various yarns onto a piece of cardboard, taking a snapshot, and then simply unwinding it and trying several different assorted options. Much less troublesome than actually knitting samples.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	recycle bin
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn brooch	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	x
7	wooly bear brooch	Goran Laurel	x
8	teal acorn brooch	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. more partially prepped meals in the freezer: salmon patties, and meatloaf patties have made cooking dinner this week much easier. I need to do more of this kind of preparation.
2. I am not dead, mostly due to my own quick reflexes and decent situational awareness... While on my way to the bus stop after my medical appointment, I was walking across the street in a crosswalk, with the correct light and all the other drivers stopped when a delivery driver came careening through the intersection without stopping. I jumped backwards and screamed. The truck came close enough to me that I felt the wind of their passage; had I been one of those folks who look at their phones instead of their surroundings, I would have died. The adrenaline was such that I totally neglected to get their license plate number...
3. There was enough bead cable to restring the necklace that goes with the repaired Laurel regalia...

Time of Isolation - Day 1332

more signs of early springtime

in which our plucky heroine goes for a walk...

...and notices more of the very early buds and blooms. My neighbor Carla of the Green Thumbs has a rather spectacular Edgeworthia growing in her front yard above the garden seat. The charming buds have now become clusters of two toned yellow flowers, and I only today realised that they are scented as well. So lovely!!

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~ shrinking violet ~

I had to hold my phone almost at ground level, to get this photo. I'm not sure why most of the violets in my yard are pink, and I have no idea where the few white ones came from either... but the white ones are the first to open in the spring, weeks before anything other than the snowdrops, and they are very welcome indeed.

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Can't remember if I made a note of it prior, but after I finish the textile livestock block set, I want to make a series on the Lunar Year animals, and maybe one of the western Zodiac symbols as well...

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~ partway ~

The body of the cardigan has been altered and stitched together, then steam blocked to smooth the whole thing out and get it ready to have the I-cord edges knit on. Those will be black sheep heather color, with a narrow inner band of teal. I'm also going to do value and color studies for the sleeve stripe patterning. I've got a decent assortment of Lettlopi colors to play with, (some more than others), and I may use some vintage wooden toggles for buttons, if they look well once I have started on the I-cord border edges.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn hat trim	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. baked salmon with lemon butter caper sauce is a very tasty dinner, especially with some asparagus and steamed Yukon Gold potato...
2. The music CD I ordered for my February treat arrived today and is currently playing. It has been years since I heard any It's A Beautiful Day, and this has both the album of the same name, and Marrying Maiden. Double the listening pleasure!
3. I found the tiny camel linocut block, and started designing the next one in the textile livestock series.

Time of Isolation - Day 1328

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine divides the day in two...

Today really felt like spring, albeit a bit too early. The clouds cleared away and the sky was a clear light blue; it was warm enough that I left my mittens at home when riding my bike. There are definitely a few of the early white violets blooming in the front yard, and while the trees are nowhere near starting up, I can see the faint tinge of red in the ornamental plum, and there are buds expanding on the forsythia

As sleep has been remaining elusive, I decided to give in to my midafternoon desire to nap, but set an alarm so I wouldn't sleep toooo long. Instead, I woke up after about an hour and felt much better, and an hour lie-down is not so much that bedtime will be disrupted.

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~ soaking the roots ~

Saturday was the day to pick up native plant starts... which turned out to be a handful of unprepossesing sticks with roots at one end. Since some are for Ursel, and I've not figured out where best to put the two mock orange starts I bought for Acorn Cottage, they will be temporarily safe by "heeling them in" in two large pots on the front porch. Before tucking them into their mulchy beds though, they needed to have their roots given a good hour long soaking in buckets of water, as seen here above. Always something new to learn and to try!

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speaking of trying new things, here are some kitcheny ideas:

I really liked the recipe for "meatloaf for one" from last week. It occurred to me that shaping it into burger patties instead, and freezing them, would be a great timesaver, as patties will thaw more quickly (and offer more surface area for awesome sauce)

I'd like to try this lemon cake for two... and Smitten Kitchen never disappoints, maybe her pineapple upside down cake but with candied quince instead of cherries

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It isn't the right time of year to collect acorn caps, but in the autumn, when more acorn caps can be found, this might be fun... this artist uses them for miniature bowls, painted with nail polish to give the effect of ceramics...

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It seemed like more work than necessary to turn the shrunken wool pinafore into a vest, at least for now. If it is cold enough that wearing it is a good idea, then it can simply be an extra pinafore layer! Now the pockets are repaired and reattached, and that is good enough. Maybe a decorated upper pocket in the future, but that sort of thing is perfect for handwork...

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Evening progress continues on the cardigan, and almost all the alteration panels are completed and attached (center back steeked and stitched, front edges stitched in place, all slightly steam blocked. Just need to finish and attach the panels on either side of the neckline. Next up will be adding the I-cord borders in turquoise and black, before the deep dive into the land of stripey sleeve knitting. I'll probably not run the borders around the bottom edge of the cardigan, for reasons of design and comfort...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn hat trim	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	wool pinafore	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. not only do I enjoy riding my bike, but I have a bike to ride. It isn't fancy, but durable and a bit battered, rather like our plucky heroine herself.
2. my cunning plan to alter my current knitting project is working out in a way that is making it look even better.
3. all sorts of fun ideas for hat trimmings... I am partway through making the wooly bear caterpillar brooch. There will be some beaded moths, and maybe some little clusters of mushrooms, perhaps a tooled leather feather or two, and, and...

Time of Isolation - Day 1327

a sigh of relief...

in which our plucky heroine catches her breath...

Today was a better day as far as getting information about mom... I am now on the list of folks that get text messages from her hospice nurse, so there was a message today of how the vital signs are all within her normal range, as well as a very cheering photo of Mom smiling. Plus today Sister Gigi and I were able to have the delayed video chat with her, and she (Mom) was more interactive than she had been for a while. There was even one or two actual sentences of more than one word.

Such are the tiny victories we grasp and cherish. Perhaps since she is now on thickened liquids (difficulty swallowing is a sign of physical ongoing decline) the increased hydration will help her overall well being. It does my heart good to see her though, needs must on video, and today's "visit" showed me a flash of Mom still there, somewhere inside her tangled neurons

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It was so cold and blustery today that I was thinking a cozy dinner of meatloaf, mashed potato, and cooked greens would be just the thing. I found this one person meatloaf recipe and it turned out wonderfully; the only modification I made was to add about a little less than a half teaspoon of gelatin along with the other dry seasonings, and to use my own homemade awesome sauce for the glaze. It made enough for two meals...

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I cleaned the louvered doors of the utility closet, both the fronts and the back sides. (the backs of the louvers never show, when the doors open they are folded to the inside) Those inner sides were quite extremely thick with dust, as they had been untouched since I moved here (clears throat... nineteen years ago); in places the dust was too solidified to be vacuumed away, so application of cleaning spray bottle and dustcloth, and in some corner spots q-tips did the trick. To my defense I point out that unless one purposefully detaches the doors from their guide track, there is no access to their inner sides...

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~ something new ~

Somehow when the weather turns wintery, I am once again filled with the desire to knit.... This project has been an on again off again change it up and start over again one for a long time. When I realised I had again miscalculated the dimensions and the gauge, I could only toss it back into the box of yarn for a while.

But then I took out my copy of Twisted Stitch Sourcebook with the thought that adding some panels to the body and neck edges would be a great way to salvage all the knitting. The body, knit crossways, already had several vertical panels of double moss stitch aka box stitch along with the garter stitch, so some additional varied texture would seem intentional.

I had never actually tried the twisted stitch technique before, but it turned out simpler to do than I imagined. It helped that I chose a four stitch eight row motif, but I am well on the way to making single and doubled panels to either stitch in place, or in the case of the center back, steek and then stitch in place. At this rate, I will be able to start on the stripey sleeves before too long - once I design the multicolor stripe patterning. It will be a joy play with colored pencils, and turn some of the skeins of Lettlopi into a good wardrobe component.

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I've an idea to turn the shrunken wool pinafore into a long wintertime vest. It was accidentally run through the laundry quite a few years ago, and at knee length is too short to serve as a pinafore. If, however, it were split down the center front and the raw edges bound, and some kind of buttons or toggles were used to fasten the front... that would be a rather quick and easy way to add yet more useful warmth to my everyday life. I might even be tempted to add some embroidery. 

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn hat trim	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a warm dinner on a cold day: homemade meatloaf glazed with Awesome Sauce, cooked greens, and homemade mashed Yukon Gold potato.
2. I did manage to get outside for a while just to take a walk. And while it wasn't the most pleasant day out, I didn't get wet, and there are a few yards where unknown trees are starting to flower, and here and there some parking strips have bright crocuses flowering. Get some crocus bulbs for next year??
3. Leslie very sweetly shared a number of pages on the Discord about how to take care of rhubarb. Apparently from what I read, I have been doing it all wrong all along! It wants lots of sunshine, and lots of rich well drained soil... I may try transplanting the poor thing yet again, this time into a big planter pot in the sunshine, with lots of compost and worm manure mixed in...

Time of Isolation - Day 1324

is it necessary, is it useful, is it kind...

in which our plucky heroine attempts to recover from a not very good at all day...

Yesterday started with a phone call about Mom having COVID, again... (this is her third bout, but this time she can't have paxlovid) Then there was no one setting up our regular Wednesday morning video with Mom, which sister and I figured was probably because the staff had enough to do coping with the outbreak, but still, was even more disturbing. After a number of messages round and about, eventually spoke with Mom's hospice nurse which was somewhat reassuring. That there is no current need for supplemental oxygen, or anything other than OTC cough medicine, which mom has been taking as needed anyway ever since bronchitis last year.

Overall, the whole situation has fed into my current dealing with issues of mortality, and issues of failure and imposter syndrome. Usually I manage to compartmentalise away my concerns about the state of the world, politics, and the environment, because if I can't do so, I can't function at all. Mixing that everyday level of disassociation with my new and old personal stressors, and seasoning well with four years of isolation from most of the life I had created to balance between time with other humans and time alone, and the result is a very unbalanced cocktail indeed.

So... doing my best right now to improve my sleep hygiene, and to plan time to get outdoors for fresh air and sunlight, even on days like today when the damp cold is quite raw. I've returned to writing here, which always encourages me to focus on the positive. Putting in some time every day to improve my habitat in what small ways I can... I can't make the things about the world I wish were different, be different, so needs must do my best with the world that I find myself in... When the brain weasels get too active, I can remind them that people to like me, like who I am not just what I can do for them. And while I did put all my counters on being useful, that after all isn't such a bad thing...

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~ hatband trimmings ~

I really like how the handknit acorns and oak leaves brooch turned out. I used some of the Noro "Kiri" yarn that Ariadne gave me a while back for the slightly variegated oak leaves, and scraps from other projects for the acorns. The rose brooch is made from some taupe wool felt, using these instructions, (sans the hair clip portion)... This anemone pattern might also work if turned into a brooch rather than a magnet.

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A new to me knitting technique - "twisted stitches" has turned out to be just the thing for adding shaping panels to the stripey sleeve cardigan project, the one I so badly miscalculated the gauge and measurements initially. Currently experimenting with some of the small patterns that form vertical columns. Fortunately I am fearless about using cut and stitch in place, I shall just pretend to be steeking...

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Finished modifying the plumbing access hatch under the bathroom sink! Didn't realise until processing the photo that it was a quirky wry face under there... now I can move on to adding molding around all the joins in that wall plus whatever toggles or latches are needed to hold it in place, since it is only just press-fit currently.

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I made the "pinch pouch" following the video tutorial that bookhou posted. The instructions and pattern worked really well, but the pouch is far too small to hold my ten small Clover bag clips, which had been my intention

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	recycle bin
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn hat trim	bathroom access hatch	-
6	pinch pouch	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I am strong enough and still well functioning enough to be able to ride my bike. Not everyone can, especially at my age.
2. the naalbound mittens that Ariadne made, so warm and windproof
3. I had been craving a "burger" and the ground beef was on sale for a good price, so I bought a bit. Somewhere I read that adding a bit of gelatin to ground meat helps keep it from being terribly dry when cooked, so I tried it and it did help.
4. when I was stopped at the crosswalk, a car stopped to let me cross, and the man driving also hollered "I hope you have a great day", both of which were rare and a treat.

Time of Isolation - Day 1323

miscellaneous Monday

in which our plucky heroine thinks forward in time...

I try not to spend all my time looking to the past, however challenging any thoughts of the future may be. The planet continues to turn on its axis, and there will be longer days and warmer ones ahead. This year I will once again attempt at least a modest effort at gardening, as well as planting the native Mock Orange shrub starts I'll be picking up this coming weekend. While I shall never be a gardener (my thumbs and fingers being made for other sorts of creativity) I like to hope that when the time comes I will be leaving the yard here at Acorn Cottage just a bit better than how I found it.

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~ hopeful ~

with a name like Sugar Magnolia, how could this old Deadhead resist? I love snap peas, and hopefully can keep these safe from Bob the Squirrel and his dread cohort - I will be planting these in a week or so and with luck will have an assortment of treats later in the year. It will be necessary to deploy a fair amount of wire mesh to start, and probably a netting trellis once they get a bit bigger. Stay tuned over the next few months...

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Put in some time this weekend looking through my closet and dresser, sorting with color as the primary axis and garment type by the secondary. This was educational. I definitely do not need to sew (or knit) any new things in the black/grey colorway. For denim/indigo, I could use a new pinafore and a hat, and it might be fun to revisit the jean jacket pattern from years ago. For teal/turquoise, a pinafore and leggings, and maybe a jacket? The colorway that has the most empty spots is the chocolate/cocoa: it could use a pinafore, a long sleeve knit top, a popover summer dress, leggings, and a hat. (Also at least one pair of compression socks if I can find a pair in that colorway). The new almost complete raincoat is chocolate brown, and the someday stripey sleeve handknit cardigan has a dark brown body... The good aspect of all this observation and planning is that I also have almost all the fabric I need for all these gradual sewing projects, so the only needful shopping will be for thread!

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Now that I finished my owlish storage box, I think I want to try something smaller, to store my Clover binding clips... bookhou's "pinch purse" (the making of which will be more pickup handwork and less intensive).

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	-
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn hat trim	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. using grated sweet potato as a "crust" for quiche is an excellent tasty option, and quite simple to do, after pressing the shreds into a greased pan just pre-bake at 425F for about 15 to 20 minutes
2. I've enough hand tools and small power tools to do at least a few simple repairs around Acorn Cottage.
3. The hellebore in the front yard is starting to pick up it's flower heads, not quite blooming yet, but the signs are there...

Time of Isolation - Day 1320

a most superb owl...

in which our plucky heroine is amused by coincidence...

I thought nothing of my fabric choice from the Sewlarium other that it was a pleasing print motif in a favorite color, and I decided that rather than stashing it away, I would use it to make the "zip-up tray pouch" by aneela hoey. Then noticed the blather on social media which made me realise that for some folks, this weekend has a special meaning. Hence I present the most superb of superb owl sewing projects I have ever made...

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.

The completed project is very pleasing, it feels very sturdy, opens out into a useful tray that can hold project paraphenalia and tools, then snaps closed neatly in a most satisfying way before being zipped up to hold everything inside until next desired. At 11 x 4 when closed (11 x 7 when open as a tray) It is tempting to make a few more to store my various handwork projects neatly on the shelf when they are not being worked on...

The instruction pamphlet, which I purchased quite a few years ago, has very thorough directions and clear line drawings of the various steps involved. I didn't have any fusible Peltex, but wanted to use what I had on hand, so simply added wonder-under to both sides of regular Peltex, which worked just fine, though it added some additional steps. The only really difficult part was the final hand stitching, which is really unavoidable. The tray ends attach to form the three dimensional shape, and the very corners of them cannot really fit under the sewing machine, ditto for finally stitching down the second edge of binding to cover the raw edges.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	-
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	superb owl traybox	3 separating zippers	-
5	grey acorn hat trim	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Stitched together the 3 knitted oak leaves and the 3 acorns, and added a pin back to make them into a new hat brooch. That makes two for the grey hat already. While I wish I could still easily get individual small pieces of good wool felt, like in the Before Times in the local shops, I shall just have to be creative and think of some other things I can make to decorate my hats besides stitched felt flowers and knitted botanicals...
2. Nice long phone call with my dear old friend Sharon (we've been friends for well over fifty years now), who is now doing well in several metrics that had been being problematic.
3. It was useful to do a small wardrobe inventory organised by color as the primary axis rather than by garment type... I now have a better grasp on where my sewing efforts are best deployed.

Time of Isolation - Day 1319

a February mossworld and other fragments...

in which our plucky heroine wishes one and all a happy Lunar New Year of the Wood Dragon...

Back in 2021 I made Nandina a Chinese food meal... given the way things work in the tinyworld, that meal is just as good now as it was then, and an appropriate feast for my tinyfolks today. For myself, I made some fresh things, some gyoza for lunch, and long noodles and shrimp and baby bok choy for dinner. It might be fun to make some more takeaway food dishes for a larger feast in the tinyworld, one of these days!

The miniature food (noodles with pork and green beans) was made from assorted bits of jewelers wax and snippets of thread, the chopsticks from cut down toothpicks and origami paper. I folded up a paper take-out container and drew pagodas on the sides (freehand), with a bit of beading wire for the handle. The soy sauce dispenser is part of an empty eye drops bottle with wax for the top and base, and the tumbler is from the lid of the same. The small iron teapot was a holiday gift.

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Our plucky heroine never tires of the mossworlds, ever since I first noticed them years ago... their variety and beauty are an everyday reward for paying attention. This one was particularly colorful.

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When I stopped in at The Sewlarium yesterday, I couldn't resist a small splurge and picked up a piece of this Cotton+Steel canvas printed with barn owls in indigo and off-white... The images are very lovely and the fabric, while thinner than what I would describe as "canvas", will be just right for making a Zip Up Tray Pouch. That pattern has been sitting in my make-it-someday basket on the shelf in the sewing resource space for years now, and I think it may be time. Last night I shortened one of the salvaged separating zippers to the right length, and I have enough other supplies on hand for making one of these clever storage items...

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Today Ariadne shared with me this clever tutorial for making a wooly bear caterpillar brooch... which then led me to these videos of making beaded/sequined/embroidered moth brooches. So much inspiration! There may be some entomological handicraft later on this year...

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During various online meetings today, I spent more time knitting oak leaves and acorns, intended to become a small spray of botanical foliage suitable to pin on a hat... Still need to sew them all together and attach a pin back. I am quite happy with how the assorted dark/light neutral yarns for the acorns and acorn caps combined with a bit of Noro Kiri for the leaves turned out, and I'll be adding it to my grey canvas hat... The extended project of making assorted hat decorations continues

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	-
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	-	3 separating zippers	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. remembering that scraps of wool yarn make really good stuffing for small objects, eversomuch nicer than that white plastic fluff...
2. when I wanted to leave after I stopped at the grocery store to get some rice noodles, (because lunar new year), and there was a scary person large man being loud and angry in the bike zone so I went back inside instead of unlocking my bike to go home. when I mentioned why to one of the staff (another large man, but kind and quiet) theywalked out with me so I could safely get my bike. 
3. there was just enough wonder-under in my basket of fusible things to finish setting up all the bits for my zip up tray project

Time of Isolation - Day 1318

throwback Thursday

in which our plucky heroine makes use of every bit...

Very little goes to waste here at Acorn Cottage. Indeed, that can be challenging, as the temptation is to look at anything before discarding it with the "I could make something from that" lens. This makes decluttering a bit problematic, though I am trying to also use the "swedish death cleaning" lens as well... I thought it would be interesting to look at both a brand  new and a slightly older tiny re-use today...

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I brought two "mandarinquat" citrus home from the store last week, out of curiousity, as some of my friends adore them, and I'd never seen them before at my grocery. The first one I tried was not especially a treat for our plucky heroine, so when I looked at the second one, I thought "I might be able to use the skin for something" if I carefully removed the inner fruit leaving the skin mostly whole...

In some of the online videos folks dry citrus peel either cut into flat shapes for ornaments, or in various configurations for small containers, so I knew that it could be dried to a harder solid form. I slid the mandarinquat skin over the end of a small dropper bottle as a cylindrical form. With it on the countertop near the heat vent to dry, I could gently twist it from time to time to keep it from sticking. I did wrap a hair elastic around the top edge to hold it in place, which is how the grooves at the top of the little pot were created.

After a few days, it was firm enough that I was able to remove the elastic and slip the bottle out, and after about another week, I have this unusual container for my tinyworld...

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back in 2020, before the birth of Nandina and other denizens of the tinyworld, back when the pandammit was new and we were trying to cope as best we could, I began to revisit making miniature things, which had been one of my beloved childhood hobbies... made a miniature bed from clothespins and wood scraps, from Ann Wood's intstructions, and made a tiny quilt to go with it; ninety-nine 1" squares (cut from the scraps leftover from making cloth masks) turned into this colorful souvenir...

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Since my denim floral jacquard pinafore is too worn to mend, instead after taking all the relevant measurements, the new teal linen pinafore will be made in the same style, which is slightly different than my other two TNT pinafore patterns.

Starting with more or less the basic Viking Age apron dress (zero waste) layout, then adding integral shoulder straps, front yoke pleats,and some curved shaping of the underarm and front neckline. The remaining linen will be used for pockets and edge binding...

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While walking home from checking out the new fabric store, I popped into the Goodwill for a minute or two. All I ever look at is the housewares section, to see if they have any of the old Pyrex small refrigerator boxes with lids, or any medium size steel bowls, so it never been more than a minute or so. I'd not been in there in months, and in the interim, all their prices are more than doubled! When I was about half a block away when I got a text from Gersvinda! She had seen me in the store!! so I texted her that I would walk back so we could chat...

It was like a breath of the Before Times (if you ignored that we were both wearing masks) in how I would connect randomly and unexpectedly with friends while out in our everyday lives. I called Portland the "biggest small town ever" back then, before so many folks moved away, and then the pandammit broke over us like a wave...

It was such a treat to see her in person; her work life means that our free times IRL rarely overlap. We chatted, while standing outside the store, until imminent rain sent her back to her car, and me back on shank's mare to head for home.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	-
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the only way I like kale is, on rare occasions, in this cooked "bulgar salad with kale and feta" but every so often I find myself craving it. So I made some for lunch today...
2. getting to see my pal Gersvinda unexpectedly!!
3. We have a new fabric store close enough that I can walk there. I visited "The Sewlarium" today, and while they are still acquiring the supplies and stock they've ordered, even so there are already items that I will be most pleased to have so close at hand. The specialty interfacings I use for reinforcing hat brims and bag structure, for one thing... and once their sewing thread display and spools arrive, that will save me hours of transit time. They are mostly aimed towards the quiltmaking folks, but Zachariah, the owner, intends to carry a small selection of garment fabrics as well, later on in the springtime...

Time of Isolation - Day 1316

wistful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is wondering...

...am I the only one who feels a frisson of melancholy when things wear out? Mostly when my favorite garments become too threadbare to mend. I guess this is a drawback of having a purposefully small wardrobe of clothing I've made. I'm trying to see it as a chance to sew something new, but I will miss my faithful denim jacquard pinafore

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~ tinyprint camel ~

Started carving a new series of tiny 7/8" sq linocut prints, will become a miniature book "Fiber Livestock"... I so enjoyed making the "F is for fun" project last year, decided that another series was in order. This one will feature sheep, goat, alpaca, camel, rabbit, musk ox, silkworm, and dog. Bactrian camels are the source of "camel hair", a luxury textile sometimes used for coats. Earlier this morning, my sister reminded me that silkworms are also a form of fiber livestock, so I added them to my list!

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Today I finished adding a 3 stitch I-cord edge to the neckline of my "dark of night" handknit Icelandic wool pullover. The ribbing neck border I had added originally (since the pattern I used had a huge wide neckline) just wasn't enough to keep the neckline anywhere close to my neck. The new alteration is much better, now it won't slide around and will keep me warm!

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	-
3	tiny camel print	dark of night neckline	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Mom still recognises me. And I get to "see" her every week on Wednesday mornings, via the magic of a Zoom video chat set up by the staff. Even though we don't actually chat any more, even though our video calls consist of me and my sister telling her about what our daily life activities are, every once in a while she will respond with a word, so she is still present in some respects. This slow goodbye is so heartbreaking.
2. I was able to successfully alter the neckline on my handknit pullover, to make it both warmer and more stable
3. along with the leather for my raincoat project toggles, Elanor sent a small bag with Playmobil accessories, including a wee orange boom box, and a wee red flashlight and an alarm clock... all perfectly sized for the tinyworld.
4. I remembered had some sponge brushes, and where they were likely to be, so I was able to do a proof of the first of the tiny textile livestock prints. And my sister reminded me that silkworms are also textile livestock, so I will have to include an insect larvae in my book, along with the mammals...

Time of Isolation - Day 1315

well begun

in which our plucky heroine starts various projects...

Today's first task, after my morning routines, was finishing the very last of the sewing on fasteners for the Jedi outfit. My next sewing commission will be making the sunhat for Maeva, and my next sewing-for-me will be either starting a new hat, or working on the toggles for the raincoat, depending on when the leather pieces from Elanor show up.

So there has been some looking at fabrics on the resource shelves. Some fleece liners for the UFO house boots project will be a fairly quick and useful winter addition. I started those boots way back when I lived in Olympia, put them aside, added non-slip soles, put them aside again, and only thought, these would work better if they had another layer of insulation. They were originally designed to be worn over two layers of ragg wool socks. Compression socks are nowhere near as "fluffy. Using some of the floral fleece that Acantha sent me would be a great option.

Once it stopped raining, I rode over to the post office after my video chat with Turquoise; I somehow forgot to include the tiny books I made for Kestrel in the box I just mailed out to the Mud Bay folks Monday. Oh well, can't run the clock backwards and do it properly... I suspect that Kestrel will enjoy getting a little package addressed specifically to her.

After other housey chores once I got home, then it was time for my regular video chat with Elanor. I love that some of the days in the week I can count on online social time.

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~ cosplay commission ~

I've been working on these pieces for a while, for my friend Tullia who does Star Wars cosplay. I look forward to seeing photos of her wearing this, with all the additional accoutrements, maybe even later this month...

I'm also really glad to have finally finished this sewing commission, which comprises a four piece set of clothing. (I have a few SCA regalia metalwork and enamel pieces that are next up in my workroom, and I suspect that they will be faster to complete than this was). Many folks do not realise how much time it takes to make garments, when a particular result is desired and there are no readymade patterns to use (which is the case if the wearer is a non-standard size, or wants a non -standard object). This is my niche.

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I found a source for a sample book of real marbled paper, the pieces are supposedly about 3" x 2", each of which would be large enough for at least one miniature book cover...

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I follow the artist Carson Ellis on Instagram (because I adore her artwork and illustrations) so I found out that a new song by the Decemberists was just released today. I am not really familiar with the band, but now I want to look them up online and see if I enjoy their music as much as I liked this.

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I've started design work for a new tinybook : "fiber livestock" with blockprinted images of sheep, goat, rabbit, alpaca, camel, and musk ox (and maybe the wool dog of the indigneous PNW peoples). I had so much fun making "F is for fun", and am looking forward to carving all the very small (⅞" sq) linoleum blocks for this new one; it took me a while to come up with a suitable idea...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi tabard	wall storage bathroom	recycle bin
2	5 jars marmalade	wall storage utility	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a dinner casserole using baked eggplant slices instead of lasagna noodles, right now it smells so delicious baking in the oven!
2. I will never run out of ideas for things to do. My designer brain is always running options for housey projects, crafty projects, and art to make...  
3. it occurred to me that I can improve the far-too-loose neckline on my Dark of Night pullover by adding a few rows of applied I-cord around the edge. Looking at my Ravelry project notes, the pattern as written created a very loose neckline to begin with, I added a border of ribbing to close it in a bit, but now it seems that wasn't enough. If it is cold enough that I want to wear a woolly pullover, I want my neckline and chest to be covered

Time of Isolation - Day 1314