a parliament of owls

in which our plucky heroine makes more than enough...

Yesterday what I thought was the final box of treats sent here for the Advent Of A Better Year swap arrived on my front porch. Now I can have the fun of doing the mix-n-match of all the gifts to give all the thirty participants (and bonus boxes) the widest assortment possible. So much dopamine! Then two additional Advent Swap packages arrived today, which brings our official total up to 32!! I am astounded and pleased!

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~ full of personality ~

I love how different each of the owls looks, the slight variations in how the eyes are drawn, and how their feather tufts/horns turn out, really adds so much character... Once they all get their legs-gripping-twigs added, they will be all set aside until next years Advent of A Better Year Swap gifts.

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11 more jars of Awesome Sauce, done before midnight last night, but there were three jars that failed to seal. Sigh, that rarely happens, but I was using a different brand of jar lids (Anchor Hocking) than usual, perhaps that was the cause? Going to start on a single batch using white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar, so it will be Ashe-safe (my friend has a really bad apple allergy)

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Samsung S9 my nephew sent me was activated, and while as he told me it does indeed need a new battery but is nonetheless totally useable, holding a charge for at least a day (much less problematic than Moto-E had been, which required being recharged several times a day) 

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I seem to have misplaced the clamp that attaches my yarn swift to the table in a useable position. While surely the clamp must be somewhere in Acorn Cottage, it is not with the yarn handling tools, which all were perzactly in their designated home. This is perplexing, as well as a minor challenge, since the swift is useless without the clamp. Draping the skein of yarn to be wound into a ball over the back of a chair, while rather old-school, did work okay. With luck, hopefully the swift clamp will show up again at some point, as it is a lovely useful tool that does one job, but does it really well  ...

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In the process of sorting through my wardrobe to see what is worn out enough that needs to be replaced, I realised that I never wear the black knit slip with embroidered hemline, as the shoulder straps are much too long, which makes the waist too low, as well as the neck. It was not too difficult to cut away excess and hand stitched the added seams neatly.

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Apparently mid-November is much too late to be harvesting persimmons, as at least half the crop has been destroyed by squirrels. Must remember to start harvest next year once the fruit begins to be golden yellow, and not wait for tree-ripened, as the rodents will not wait anywhere near that long before beginning their depredations. If only they ate all of one, then on to all of another, but instead they take several bites from many. 

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	clothespin bag	horse kerchief	greenwaste bin
2	5 jars pickled beets	more chopshop repair	recycle bin
3	1# hand weights	printer connection	-
4	a dozen owls	black knit slip	-
5	many jars of Awesome sauce	-	-
6	two dozen owls	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

Yesterday's gratitudes -
- was able to activate the phone my nephew sent me yesterday, so am back in the land of the smartphone once again, albeit learning a new interface, but very glad it is thankfully Samsung and not Motorola...
- my "clunky" venerable Keen workshoe/oxfords with the massively thick soles - when I caught my foot on the support for a moveable street sign, not only did I not trip-and-fall, but I didn't harm my foot at all either! These shoes are getting old, and the join between the sole and the shoe is starting to crack, but I will keep wearing them as long as possible, since Keen no longer makes this style of shoe.
- Jen's box of Advent Swap treats arrived on my porch this afternoon, after its "scenic route" excursion from Olympia to PDX via Anchorage AK
today's gratitudes - 
- have managed to salvage some persimmons, at least enough to yield some dried fruit for the year ahead
- being able to read e-books again via Libby
- Ånni sent me an amaryllis bulb, in with the most recent box of advent swap treats. I have always wanted to try growing one of them.

Time of Isolation - Day 1970

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine hopes for healing...

And in the meantime, makes progress on various current projects, and begins a long list of future projects large and small, indoors and out.

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~ acorn cap ornaments ~

When I found these large acorn caps, they needed to become frames for tiny ⅞" artwork ornaments... Image search helps to find inspiration, and after sketching out various possibilities, I pencil the chosen design onto art paper that already has circles marked out. (I use templates for circles and ovals). The pencil sketch is outlined with .005 Pigma Micron pen, the pencil erased, and then they are painted with gouache and watercolor paint...

When the round paintings are dry, they are cut out and glued into the acorn caps. Once they dry overnight, I coated the painted discs with two coats of clear nail polish. The last step is to drill a 21ga hole in the top of the acorn cap, and epoxy in a wire loop to hold a hang cord... I thought about maybe turning these into magnets instead, but they are somewhat delicate...

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Had a good chat with Acantha today... mutual aid is going to send some apples my way (yay, applesauce!), as well as some assorted garden harvest bounty. We also talked about brine fermenting veggies for probiotics, preservation, and flavor. I want to try carrots, which are supposedly fairly easy. Then when I chatted with Karen in the afternoon, she was telling me about beet kvass, which is her most favorite for a happier tummy, as well as being a quick ferment. I may end up doing some home fermentation experiments this winter, and may also get back to making kombucha again... (I really do hope that this antibiotic helps my body take down the E coli infection; whenever I am done with the medication train there will be great need to refurbish my internal biome)

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~ Almandine has no pants ~

Now that it is October, it is time to put together festive garb for my tinyfolks... Some of their holiday clothing is from years past, like the witchy hats, the tiger striped knit dress, and the black linen and orange felt pinafores. Opal has a whole new set of clothing this year including the wonderful crocheted vest from Dawn, and Kenya has a new black checked dress made from fabric that Roxanne sent me. Apparently the least prepared at the moment is Alamadine; I am thinking that she could use a pair of black overalls, maybe with a jack-o-lantern embroidered on the pocket? (I'm going to rummage through the garment tin for something temporary, as it just doesn't seem right to leave her with "naikey-nethers") I also want to make Nandina a tiger head hat to go with her stripey dress, similar to the deer head hat I made back in 2020

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Yum yum... I made corn pancakes for breakfast, and put enough in the freezer for several more meals:

Sister Gigi's Sweet Corn Cakes

4 ears sweet corn (or 2 c frozen) ½ c cornmeal or masa ½ c flour 1 t salt 1 t sugar ½ t baking powder ¼ t cayenne 1 large egg ¾ c buttermilk 3 T butter, melted and cooled 2 green onions, chopped small

If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from cobs, (you should have about 2 c) Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, combine all wet ingredients in a bowl, mix together and add the corn and the green onions. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least a half hour or more (cornmeal will hydrate, texture will be nicer; if you use masa, might need more liquid than called for) Fry like pancakes 'till both sides are golden. serve with green salsa and sour cream

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	-	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	-	-
3	shibori scarf	-	-
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. somewhat better sleep last night
2. my good friends Acantha, and Karen
3. I was mostly pain free for several hours this morning, before it came back

Time of Isolation - Day 1547

Year of the Dog, or the Crafternoon that wasn't..

in which our plucky heroine is sad...

in honor of Lunar Year of the Dog, which started yesterday, I decided that the Crafternoon this month would have an Asian potluck theme, mostly because I also wanted to try making these pot stickers, that my sister in law Barb made for their Superb Owl shindig.

Assembling the pot stickers was much easier than I imagined, given that I could purchase the wrappers at Hong Fat grocery over on 82nd; making the wrappers is, I imagine, the hard part. (also, and incidentally the ginger hands at the market there are about three times the size of the ginger at my local market, and a lot fresher) Actually filling and folding them did not take as much time as I expected, and they freeze well. I will probably make them again. In a while. Because no one at all showed up today, so I have a LOT of uncooked pot stickers.

I did cook up a few of them for my lunch though (and they were delicious), and made some progress afterward on the final edge-binding on my Alabama Chanin style cardigan, before I succumbed to my sad heart and decided on an afternoon nap. Tomorrow is hopefully a better day. Not sure if Crafternoon is an idea that has run its course? Maybe a more specific invite with RSVP rather than the open house mode? I try and remind myself that it isn't about me, but merely that my friends have busy and complex lives.

tasty savory homemade pot stickers

media Monday

in which our plucky heroine takes a day off...

Trying to get in a tiny bit of yard work each morning, before it gets too hot. Today I finished pruning the sage in the front yard, which is done blooming (it is a bee favorite when in bloom, covered with purple flowers). The blossom stalks take a few days of careful cutting back to live growth, but now the plant looks "tidy" again, and my hands and arms smell delightfully herbal

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Yesterday, whilst hiding indoors from the daystar, I decided to go ahead and make the collaged mirror I had been planning as part of the baby gifts.

two vintage Little Golden Books* were combined to create this...

I cut apart the scenes in the book and layer the component pieces to become a larger landscape... I like how this one reminds me of looking down the Columbia River towards the west.

The cows in this corner remind me of the cow sculptures in the field as you come down the hill to Mud Bay

It can be a real challenge to get the various pieces to look like they belong together...

Foxes added to a scene with washerwomen and a cow... some of the background images in these books from the 40's are odd, though charming...

* the books were not in good condition, so I had no qualms about cutting them up. I do not destroy useable books.

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I love Steven Universe, and wish that I had the kind of media access that would let me watch all the shows... (I also love Adventure Time. My nephews accuse me of not being a grownup. Sometimes they are entirely correct.) The surrealism amuses me, and the meta-content delights me.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	20 enamels for Wastekeep	apron dress	yard waste bin
2	tiny peach enamel	workbench refurbish	bag to Goodwill
3	tiny linen bag	closet cleared left	bag to Goodwill
4	octopus rattle	pruned sage	bag to Goodwill
5	rainbow booties	cleaned 4 box fans	recycle bin
6	mirror collage	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

Tuesday tidbit

in which our plucky heroine breaks the rules...

I almost never bring trinkets home, as the last three years have been all about letting go of what is no longer necessary. But I could not resist these two small Japanese Akita-Inu figurines, who somehow ended up on the Goodwill holiday shelf. They are being added to my permanent collection here at Acorn Cottage. No, I was not born in the Year of the Dog, but I have been looking for some little sculptures just like these for a long time.

These are about two and three inches tall. I have read that little Akita figurines are sometimes a gift in Japan to parents of newborns, for good luck, and to convalescents as a wish for speedy recovery... not sure how true the info, but I liked the sentiment.

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November SMART goals

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	charter #17	framed Summits charter	7 pounds
2	charter #18	framed Adiantum charter	Goodwill bag
3	reflective mesh vest	repair small frame	old chook gate
4	blue batik dress	frame fox print	paper recycle bin
5	-	attached scroll seal	3 bags recycling
6	-	framed Laurel scroll	2 bags trash
7	-	framed 1st AoA charter	11 bags Goodwill
8	-	framed 2nd AoA charter	1 bag yarn
9	-	-	-
10	-	-	-
11	-	-	-
12	-	-	-
13	-	-	-
14	-	-	-

:::

Tiny epic milestone unlocked

in which our plucky heroine took a trip to Azure Fine Art Gallery where my most current artwork is on display....

The logo for the arts walk in Corvallis... If it were easier* to get there, I'd really enjoy it as a monthly treat; my friends Stacy and Barret Spangler (who live in Eugene) rarely miss a month!

Azure Fine Art Gallery, streetside view... The gallery entrance is inside a delightful arcade that is just to the right of their window

Deb rearranges the gallery space each month to suit the artworks that are on display. This month when you walk in, the room looked very homelike, albeit a home that is filled with resonant artwork.

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The north wall of the gallery space... and the south wall.

Here is my work, on display inside "the birdcage". Deb added the river pebbles to the display, which really helps to both ground the pieces and to lead your eye inside. I have two shadowbox pieces in the show, plus my button crown. I have written about the first piece here, and about the second piece here, and there are more ideas for new work gradually percolating up to the surface of my awareness, so these will not be a pair of solitary siblings. It has long been a desire of mine to make artwork that is both a decorative home object and wearable art, that combine and separate and come back together, thereby blurring the boundary between life and lifestyle.

Towards the end of the evening, this group of fiddlers arrived in the atrium of the arcade, and began jamming together... most delightful to hear the live music, even though it signaled the end of the Art Walk!

It was a great kindness that my Eugene friends then took me back south with them, for conversation and convivial company, as well as a guest bed and a pleasant morning walkabout their neighborhood (and a much easier trip back home the next morning) It is very difficult to get to Corvallis without a personal vehicle, while Eugene is plentifully served by a plethora of options.

*
Travel there and back to Corvallis on the bus... the Greyhound heading south was much less timely and comfortable than the Bolt bus heading back north, I am not sure why, since they are owned by the same company. Greyhound left almost half an hour late, Bolt right on time, plus the Bolt driver was impressively cheerful.

good things come in small packages

...in which our plucky heroine unpacks some very tiny boxes...

There was squee-ing last night when I opened the box! A pair of very wee origami silver Akita earrings, a gift from my pal Raven... they are perfectly detailed and perfectly delightful.

As a young child I spent a lot of time folding origami; I remember how to fold a crane and probably a "flapping bird", but now I want to look up and see if I can find instructions for this design. Honor Feast (this October) has a Japanese theme this year after all...

In addition, just last week I indulged myself in tiny whimsical online shopping treat, intended as artwork components. The reverse sides show counter enamel; (in various colors, much to my delight) somehow it didn't occur to me that they would be made from vitreous enamel...

... and the front sides are elegantly detailed... yes they are pocketwatch clock faces, and no I am not turning steampunk! All of the white ones are true enamel, the black one is painted. I am particularly pleased that some of them are from the Waltham Watch Factory; decades ago my first apartment was within walking distance of that location along the Charles River where it passes through Waltham, though the factory itself had long since been closed...

bizzy buzz buzz

...in which our plucky heroine creates up a swarm...

of marzipan bees! Our SCA 12th Night is the largest kingdom celebration event of each winter, and at this one, my old and dear friend Elizabeth Blackdane was being honored for years of excellence in the needle arts by membership in the Order of the Laurel. Like many who make this transition, she will be on vigil the night prior to her elevation, where friends and fellow Peers may come and speak with her, and the vigil is also an occasion for festive conviviality. I volunteered to make an edible "subtlety", and chose a bee skep (hive) surrounded by bees. Elisabeths heraldic device is "Sable, in pale three bees Or." (on a black background, in a vertical line, three gold bees), and bee imagery would play a prominent role in the various aspects of pagentry and display associated with her elevation.

My first idea, to create an actual straw basket skep, was nixed by my pal Mr Dawson, who pointed out that the time to gather suitable materials was much earlier in the year.  Fortunately Maeva found an appropriate cake pan and had it sent to Acorn Cottage so that a dimensional pound cake could be used as the base to support the bees (the decorative pan itself became a gift to the recipient).  It was rather nerve-wracking to bake, as sometimes shaped cakes stick in places and come apart when unmolding, but this one came out of the pan in two perfect halves:

Along with the pan, Maeva also had a package of the best marzipan in the world shipped here, for the edible bees. This was a real challenge not only to my sculpting ability but also to my strength of will...

Bee bodies were formed, impaled on uncooked pasta, and stuck into rice cakes to partially dry.

Once the surface is slightly dry, they can be painted yellow and black with food coloring...

and finally wings cut from transparent leaf gelatine are added, and they were left to dry fully under the warm air vent overnight

The next day, Friday, we started out on the two hour drive south to where the event was taking place. The cake was easy to pack for transport, simply slide it back into the cake mold pan. The bees were more problematic, because they are delicate and fragile. Finally came up with the idea of short spaghetti supports and taping the rice cake to the bottom of a sheet cake pan, which actually kept them securely in place and undamaged until it was time to assemble all the parts...

The two halves of the cake were fastened together with homemade buttercream frosting, and a thin royal icing then poured over the joining seam. The final touch was to take assorted long pieces of uncooked spaghetti and suspend the bees in a swarm surrounding the cake bee skep. There were many delighted comments...

(this photo courtesy of Jason Gill)

Friday fragments

First two of the kitty-face needle books are completed and will be are on the way to their forever home today. I made it to the post office just before they were closing for the evening.

They do look quite dapper, particularly after a trip to the ironing board, which smooths all the stitching out, rather like blocking knitwear. Using wool or wool/rayon felt makes all the difference, both in making them up and in how they feel, rather like the difference between butter and margarine. These are "gourmet" needlebooks... I am looking forward to making a portrait needlebook for my neighbor Molly; will be visiting her soon to meet her cat.

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Decided after dinner to make a rather speedy acorn and oak leaf ornament, using free machine embroidery on three layers of wool felt. Because sometimes it is necessary to just play with the materials, rather than the usual highly specific and controlled artistry. Sometimes it becomes really transparent that I don't play enough. Not sure how to shift that, or to encourage self to move in that direction, without it becoming yet another task...

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December SMART goal challenge

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	red-dyed wool, from pokeberries	hem and new pockets on Stacey dress	*
2	grey slip-dress	*	*
3	two kitty face needlebooks	*	*
4	acorn ornament	*	----------
5	*	*	----------
6	*	*	----------
7	*	*	----------
8	*	*	----------
9	----------	*	----------

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this maneki neko is just right...

In which our plucky heroine is charmed by a small gift...

Though my home will never be a beacon of minimialism, I try hard not to become a "collector" of any one thing in particular. I do not, for example, "collect" acorn things in general, or dala horses, or even my beloved maneki neko. Which is not to say that there are not quite a few objects all over the house that fit those categories, but all of them are carefully curated to please my peculiar aesthetic sense.

The one exception to my not collecting things, is that I do collect maneki neko that are under 1" tall. In this way I can indulge my childhood passion for miniature things, and never fear that Acorn Cottage will be overrrun with beckoning oriental cats. Until now my "collection" has resided in a small wasabi dish on the far nightstand, right next to the box of marbles (if you know where your marbles are then you haven't lost them 0_o) Yesterday my pal luz clara brought me some trinkets and treasures, including a new to me tiny triple maneki neko! The two little ones are only a half inch tall. I shall need to seek out a new home for all of them, as the wasabi dish is getting a bit crowded...

The central cat is holding something none of the others in my collection have, and thanks to the internets I have determined that the small object, which I originally thought was some sort of barrel, is actually a hammer/mallet, known as the Uchide no Kozuchi (打ち出の小槌). The traditional folklore is that the hammer is very small, and that swinging it will grant your wishes... what an appropriate detail for this gift from one artisan to another!

Tuesday treats both large and small

Despite, or rather perhaps as a consequence of, coming rather unstuck in the sleep/wake cycle, our plucky heroine does seem to be finally escaping from the headache zone, with resulting improvement in functionality...

on awakening this morning, found on my doorstep a mysterious parcel... which when turned over and opened, contained this most gorgeous of yarns (Blue Moon Twisted in Haida colorway) last seen in analog life almost three years ago!

Like a child with a favorite softy, I am hugging it right now! Eight ounces of subtle darks and blues, in merino, but plied, which tempers softness with durability; now comes the fun of deciding just what project will be right to show off the beautiful coloring... thank you so very much Southward Jen for your kindhearted and warming generosity!

≈:::≈

It is my hope that my cardinals, sent out to the ornament exchange cohort, will be received with some echo of that delight... The bird ornaments are not that difficult to make, being a variant on the felted knit birds I have made in previous years, so I thought to share a few details of construction, should anyone be inspired to make some of their own... First off is heading for the internet, or a good field guide, to look at pictures of your chosen quarry.

A simple sketched silhouette can make a pattern, and the various parts cut up from different colors of felt. I used wool felt, and first washed and dried the rectangle to thicken and full it a bit more, before cutting out the bird components

 

The smaller pieces are stitched in place, then the wings, and finally the body is sewn together and a loop for hanging is attached...