and it is not even a second!

I came home from work last week and had a prezzie (Beloved's word) waiting.  The boyos of Serenity Knives had finished a knife and sheath for me.  When I travel, when we travel, I take a lot of my own food.  I will stop at a rest area and cut up cheese and fruit to go with crackers.  But my chefs knife is usually in the camping gear at the bottom of the packed vehicle.

My Beloved was getting ready to take a group of knives to Metier Cook's Supply in Austin when I saw this knife.  With a sheath, it would fit in my traveling bag nicely and be handy to get too.  Metier did not know it was coming so my Beloved made it shiny for me and Mr. S made the sheath.  It is not even a second!  I get lots of lovely seconds at this point because they do not get sold.

I am so pleased.  It will help facilitate not going out even more.  Next traveling, it is in the bag in the front seat.

trying an old strain

I read every food article on npr.org last week.  I think it was last week.  They were talking about yogurt.  About non-American style yogurts which are my favorites.  I am a whole milk, ethnic yogurt type person.  I find Dannon nasty.  But I grew up with Leban covered in olive oil.  Yes, it was only at my grandparents but that is what I though yogurt should be.  That is what npr wrote about last week.

There was one Scandinavian culture that they talked about that could be made by mixing with milk and sitting on a counter.  Room temperature yogurt making.  With how much I use sourdough (always), again, just my speed. 

The first batch is done and it made a lovely cold soaked oatmeal according to my Beloved.  I will probably try it this weekend.  I like very easy breakfasts during the week.  Yogurt and fruit is not simple enough but for a Saturday and Sunday it will be lovely.  The yogurt smells lovely and I will need to start more tomorrow.  I like the making little bits too.

a pop decision that was fifteen years in the making (another tool)

I have to laugh at myself.  I am one of those people who looks and looks, usually not finding anything.  The stools and chairs in my house have always been a bit tall for my sewing machine.  I make do but I have to lean over and after awhile, my back starts to hurt.  Not good posture.  I have sat on every bench or chair that I though might work for about the last fifteen years.  I do the same with rocking chairs.

I found a bench in Bellingham.  It is 18 inches high and wide enough for Koda Bear to join me.  Or there is room enough for him to sit on my lap.  I am so enjoying the sewing, even though I am very tired.  I came back to work with people out.  The sewing, the spinning, the gardening are helping to relax me after a hellish day.  And now my back does not hurt.  That is just work a smile.

a sucker for tools

I miss sleeping in a tent, even if it is in the garage loft.  I do have to say I did not help to fell one tree this time.  Or stack a log.  I am the champion log stacker.  No gravel moving or building a driveway by hand.  Yes, that is me.  No building building.  I was a slug.  I sat in my new rocking chair in the loft and spun.  Baked a couple loafs of bread.  Watched Koda Bear play in the dirt and swim in the lake.  Slug.

I spun on my new Turkish drop spindles.  There are actually two styles there.  The old and the new.  All handmade by Joel Grinstead.  The new style spins forever.  It is a joy.  Now, if I can just not feel the urge to buy more spindles!

Or fiber:  alpaca blended with silk and cashmere.  All so soft.  I am thinking about trying to make a forever shawl with a a shell pattern instead of single crochet.  I will just have to see what I think.  But I am tempted to make a sweater based on a store bought one I have.  I will just have to see because I cannot decide.

dresses and quilts

I finished all the dresses I had officially planned with the new fabric.  I am really enjoying the a-line and simple sheath shapes.  With everything with a bit of grey in the tones, I am feeling very elegant even though my body is swollen in interesting places due to infection.  I keep hoping that I will heal faster but that just does not happen.

After each dress was done, I cut all the scraps up into squares.  As I put together the quilts I have already laid out, I am making more quilt blocks.  I am finding these very exciting and calming.  This will be the first quilt that will have cashmere and wool in it with linen and cotton.  Also, it will be the first quilt that is all solid.  

It is going to be hard to be away from it for almost two weeks.  We are going to the mountain and I am not taking my "portable" sewing machine.  I will have one spinning project and one crochet project with me, and my sewing kit.  If I really want to sew, I will hand sew.  It will not be the first time. 

I am rather tired and with the chaos happening at work, I am looking forward to being on the mountain.  It will not be long enough.  Maybe I will take a few squares to hand sew.  I have many.  It would work.