Wheels are Spinning Again!

So much for trying to keep up with this blog over the Summer.  But, I have been doing tons of fun things around the house and cottage.  One of those is getting back to the spinning wheel-finally. And you know what? I have really started to enjoy it all over again!

It started with actually, get this, USING my handspun for a change. For years I have done bits and pieces of rovings but never felt they were good enough or had enough yardage to actually stitch up.  Lately you may have noticed more knitwear patterns being designed with hand spinners in mind. (Yay!) I love being able to weigh my yarn and plan/knit accordingly. Here is a close up of part of my Piper's Journey shawl. I love wearing it! Now I want to use up all my handspun. It's rough having to choose between spinning more yarn and knitting up what is already done!

Then I was encouraged to join a spinning study group online. This amazing group of people range in skills from 2 weeks to 2+ decades of experience. Each month anew set of "challenges" is released. These include spinning techniques as well as sampling specific breeds of fiber. I have only had time to try my hand and wheel at a couple but look forward to being involved more this Winter!
Worsted spinning is my default. But it's been years since working on a traditional 3-ply. For this skein, my friend Peggy (of The 100th Sheep) helped me dye up 6oz of superfine merino. We split the roving into thirds and dyed each a slightly different shade. I spun each individually then plied them together to give a tweedy look in the end.
Fractal spinning has intrigued me for some time.  There are many videos and blogs on the way to do this but essentially its a way to manage color in spinning. Mine is a 2-ply, again made with some of the 100th Sheep roving.  This one is a wonderful color way called Monhegan Island. Not sure what it will become but right now I'm enjoying just looking at it!

                          
The challenge for September was spinning a fine yarn. We are supposed to spin 2 oz worth, so I won't be completing this time. I chose a heavenly alpaca, angora, silk roving blended by my friend Kathleen of Prairie's Edge Farm. She and I agreed this MUST be a super light, lacy thread. So I am trying my hand at a supported spindle. So far I am very much liking the process! More on this project in the future I am sure. But here's a peek...

Meet Sadie

Let me introduce you to Sadie:

Isn't she pretty?! She's my new-to-me sourdough starter and I'm having so much fun playing with her on the weekends!! I have had the usual 'Amish Friendship Cake' starter given to me over the years. Those starters are nice and sweet but after a while, well, there's only so many variations of lemon, chocolate, banana type breads you want to eat. I froze starters and brought them back, made pancakes,etc. Eventually though I got bored. Keep in mind this was well before there was the ability to just Google recipes and no such thing as Pinterest...

Lately though, there's been a lot more talk about fermentation. Sourdough is a type of fermentation process and there has been a lot of buzz about it being more digestible and such. I have no idea how valid that theory is. I've heard arguments from various angles and positions. What appealed to me though was the fun of playingwith a delicious science experiment.

Enter Sadie. A birthday gift that my parents may regret at some point.... I have a bit of interest in history so the idea of getting a starter with a long regional tradition was pretty appealing! The King Arthur Flour Company states their live sourdough starter kits (The one I got is linked here) have been kept active for well over 200 years!!

Yes, I know I could start my own. I've done it once. But this was a fun way to get jump started and I 

was curious to see if this tasted any different. And the fact that the crock it comes with is so fun-and red makes it completely irresistible to me!

So, for the last month I have been treating myself to regular weekend play dates with Sadie.  The KA Cookbook states that having a starter is kind of like having a new family pet, they must be cared for regularly.  I keep Sadie in the refrigerator during the week. She gets a nice long nap that way. Then, usually Thursday night, I take her out to warm up from hibernation, feed her and get ready to bake.  When I looked up recipes on KingArthurFlour.com there were 52 different sourdough recipes. That should be good enough for a year's worth of adventures! (BTW, I have no affiliation with King Arthur at this point.  Should they become interested I'd gladly chat with them about it...)

So far I've had varying levels of success with waffles, crusty Italian loves, anadama bread, English muffins and crackers.  Several recipes have been soooo good they will be repeated often. One or two, well, I have just enough incentive to keep trying! After all, this wouldn't be much fun without some element of challenge, right?

Crispy waffles

 Light and airy Italian style bread

Makes amazing French toast!

A Stitch Across Time

I grew up around sewing machines. Some fancy, some plain, some electric some foot powered. Everyone I knew had one...and used it.  Many were quilters. All sewed clothes.  So, I did too. And didn't think too much about it.  Now, I'm starting to see a trend toward home sewing again.  Each new seamstress (or tailor) has their own reason for taking up the needle and thread.

Very seldom is it about economy anymore. Rather, if you are a DIY type, it's simply to say 'I did it!' (most of us never outgrew 2 anyhow!)

For some it's about creating something unique.  A dress or blouse that we can guarantee nobody else will have. Just the right fabric for those new curtains...

For others it's about remembering a craft that somebody special and close to us enjoyed.

Whatever the reason, whatever the project, sewing can be magic!
Now, add in a special machine...

This is my grandmother's Singer Featherweight. Oh my was I excited when she asked if I would like to have it. I'd heard my share of quilters speak of these machines in anything from hushed whispers to shrieking squeals! Until I saw the real thing, I couldn't quite believe it might be true, really mine. But there it was, a hidden jewel in its original black dusty box.  Inside were treasures I have yet to figure out. So many what's-its and thing-a-ma-jiggies. This machine is 60 years old and it has more options than my new one!

This is one of the Century Machines.  According to my research, based on the serial number,it was born between 1950-1951. Who knew sewing machines had a birthday - but that's what the site said?!

This machine also has a unique story. Apparently, my grandparents (home on furlough from their post as missionaries in Quito, Ecuador) were entered in a contest sponsored by a local Chicago radio station.  Somewhere I have seen the picture of them with the host to receive their bounty-including this fine new portable sewing machine.  Having something portable was a huge plus for grandma.  Any other machine would have had to be left stateside .  My father honestly doesn't remember his mother using the machine for much else than occasional mending. There are a few small scratches in the finish but not what you might expect from its international travels!

I have had a lot of fun lurking on some of the Featherweight sites. Lots of YouTube viewing for tips and to find out what all those extra pieces really are.  I love that all the parts are metal! I have taken much of it apart to get fresh oil and grease on every year moving part.  Someday I may work on the finish a bit, but for now I kinda like the look of experience.  And as for experience? Those quilters were not exaggerating! This sweetheart sews like a dream. Perfect little stitches making up a beautiful seam. I can't wait for a few spare minutes to stitch away...

I totally expected this to be a boring and possibly intimidating experience. Instead it was more like getting to know a new friend. I'm hoping to learn much more about what makes these gems shine.

Just a Bunch of Spring Chickens

At this time of year, a trip to the feed store is not a simple thing! As soon as the 'CHICK DAYS' banner starts waving in the parking lot, entering the actual store comes with grave risk to the backyard chicken keeper! And yup, I fell again.

With the best intentions of course. My cousins were coming to town for a couple days and between them they have 5 young children.  What better way to entertain them (bribe them to like you) than a tub full of baby chicks?

Now, not to disturb any of my 3 readers, but this is a small suburban farm I'm working with. Last year's layers still have another year of good production left (And boy are they starting to really lay again-finally!) So these are being affectionately called 'The Nuggets.'  This last Winter we butchered a bunch of Cornish Cross broilers with a friend of mine. It's been a long time since I'd done that. The meat was sooo good! Not really wanting that many birds in the freezer at a time, we decided to raise small batches of six at a time. Enough to enjoy but not too much to work up at a time or overload the freezer. 

This may sound cruel to some people. I have a lot of acquaintances that can't believe you could raise your own meat-let alone harvest it. That's fine with me. But really, I know how much these guys are cared for. Right now they are having a great time living in their little tub in the kitchen. They will get worms to eat soon, bits of lettuce tips thrown in their brooder as I'm making my lunch. For a chicken it's a pretty good life! Soon they will head out to the outdoor brooder and have a yard to play around in. And right now, my life is made richer just watching them grow.  Watching a bunch of chicks nestled together sleeping is about the best stress reliever around! I hope I never outgrow the joy in something as simple as raising chickens.

And they were a hit with the littlest cousins!! 

A Touch of Spring!

shhhhh...I'm hoping that by posting this I don't scare this lovely season away.  Here in Southwest Missouri, it's never truly safe to count on weather. BUT, there are definite signs around my cottage that the long Winter is losing its grip.

The maple trees are absolutely spectacular! Lean back against the tree's trunk and look up. It almost feels surreal. Then, if you're really still and quiet, listen for the hundreds of honeybees busily gathering pollen from one of the earliest Spring sources. They are so busy in fact that I got just inches away to watch them pack their pollen sacs full of the red grains.  This amazing other-world has existed for hundreds of years. Until I became a beekeeper I never noticed a bit of it!  

A body could get whiplash trying to decide whether to look up at tree buds or down at the heaving Spring ground! Parsnips left in the ground to sweeten over Winter  have sprouted new hairdos. Well okay, in truth the ground froze too hard, too quickly to get the whole harvest in, but they do tend to become sweeter if left in their natural 'root cellar.'  Time to finish the last of the 2014 Harvest!

(Uncle Billy-the cottage's garden help)

 It's about time to shake of the Winter slumber...the work of Spring is about to begin. But until then it's nice to have a few days to just walk around in awe of all that God has created.