A bit stalled.

I've wanted to work on watercolours this week, but haven't quite had the energy to accomplish my intentions, so I did a lot of exercises instead of representational things.  I took process photos only of the last one, which didn't come out as planned.  I was trying to use the washi tape to mark out lines to do a plaid, but ended up with a checkerboard instead:

I taped a square for the library's mini art event on the paper.

So I filled in the center square very simply, although somebody skilled might put in a landscape or something representational:

This is the total since last week's post:

Trying to make the flag look as if it is waving
in the wind, and failing spectacularly.

TOP:  Transparent paint in overlapping circles.
BOTTOM:  Dripping water (left) or other colours
(right) onto a wet ground.

These are the two pieces I made for the library mini-art collection:

I've finished a couple of hats and most of a C2C scarf, plus plenty of work.  And a good soufflé this week:

And today is National Ice Cream Day, so:

My great-grandmother loved butter pecan ice cream, and we kids thought it was some strange old person's flavour.  (My great-grandmother was from Texas and they had pecan trees on some of the family land, so that might be part of it.)  As an adult, I've decided she wasn't wrong.

Butterfly Garden

Last weekend I saw a spectacular production of a rare opera in Spanish; of the romance languages, French and Italian are the ones where you find most opera.  Florencia en el Amazones has a minimal cast (one comment at the afterparty was that there are the same number as on The Minnow) and is more than a little fantastical which this production embraced.  I am sorry there were only two performances.

Seed packets were given out at the cast party.

I managed to finish the Science Fiction Book Club's assignment before Wednesday's meeting and definitely am enjoying this group.  A wide range of ages and viewpoints and the discussion is lively.

This also means I have completed seven books and according to the tracker I am six books ahead of schedule, and 39% finished with my challenge reading of eighteen books.  I already have the one for next month, and the month following, so should remain well ahead on this year's challenge.

I am rather proud of this week's cheese soufflé:

The final reckoning of 2024.

A friend posted this on social media, and it so, so encapsulates the year:

Looking back at this year's plans, it's amazing how much I didn't do.  And yet, how much I did.

Reading:  After upping my goal to 18 books, I ended up reading 24.  Not as many as some people I know, but enough.  And I have at least four in various stages of being read.

Goodreads sent this around midmonth,
so it doesn't include my final book report.

My shortest book was 92 pages and my longest one was 714 pages.

Cooking:  I forgot about this resolution and didn't cook as many historical things as I wished.  But I did a bunch of cooking, most recently a "smothered pheasant" dish from a 1953 cookbook.  This is just browned bird (I substituted chicken, easier to find) braised under a blanket of onions.  It counts as historical if the recipe is older than I am!  I also made a vegetables dish of roasted onion, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and after about twenty minutes added fresh cranberries and some pecan halves.  Plus the almost-weekly cheese soufflés for my parents; some weeks I was away on the weekend, or once in a great while we did something different.

Knitting/Crocheting/Crafting:

• I have not finished the shawl from my 2023 list, but I think I saw it when I moved.
• Spinning wheel still needs repair.
• I did not make six things for myself, and the sweater I started with such anticipation has been stalled because the colourway started pooling and I didn't like it.
• Maybe I did make six things?  The "Age of Brass and Steam" shawl, mittens and (much later) a hat of Knitting Buddha's handspun, a "Palmer House" shawl from yarn I purchased at the Carolina Fiber Fest, and a bucket hat.  I think the test-crocheted cardigan was the year before, but I need to find my notes.
• I found the Olive & Two Ewe 2024 yarn challenge, which I'd forgotten about, and did complete a few of the items on it:  adult sweater, scarf, mittens, more scarves, hat, shawls, baby/toddler sweater.  I did not make a bag, slippers, a tea cozy, or a blanket, although I did put together a blanket from pieces made by others.

I made a total of 74 items this year, many of them being hats or scarves for charity.  Those are easy to carry around and work on and often don't take much attention.

I didn't have a resolution about travel, but I did travel, including twice to Europe.  Also a number of places around the country.  I am already making plans for 2025.

Walking:  No resolution about it, but I have done a lot of walking.  I participated in the local library's "Route 66 Challenge" where they had us record walking certain distances, such as "Chicago to St. Louis: 15 miles" or "Needles to Santa Monica: 11 miles".  Of course, the real distances are much longer, but this is for fun.  Since on a normal day I would walk a couple-three kilometers easily, and usually more, I converted those to miles and just entered defaults.  Normal walk? 1.5 miles.  Long weekend walk?  2-3 miles.  Yes, I probably walked more.

At the end of the contest, you could turn in your sheet and try to win a prize.  I almost forgot but wasn't the only person to turn in the sheet on the last day.  To my amazement, I did win a prize!  And speaking of prizes, I've continued to participate in the online theater performances, and they just announced the winners of prizes for this season:

A dozen stripes.

While out walking during the last few weeks, I found that somebody has been decorating a few of the baby trees in a Charlie Brown manner:

 

And some of the bushes are looking festive:

Today was my last long walk of the year, managed between the overnight storms and the incoming storms.  Sun came out and I was quite warm.

I stopped at my parents' house to pick up leftovers of the vegetables I made to accompany yesterday's soufflé.  I riffed on a holiday recipe I'd seen; since I didn't have rosemary I left it out as well as the maple syrup, since I thought they would balance each other and just maple syrup would make this too sweet:

Butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and onion.
After roasting for 20 minutes or so (stirring halfway)
I added fresh cranberries and pecan halves.

The soufflé was at the top of the dish but of course was deflating by the time it reached the table.  It still tastes quite good.  The vegetables reheated nicely.

I am up to Day 12 of the Advent-Plus-Channukah Shawl I am making up as I go.  I am now doing the stripes for the full half ball, instead of stopping at about two inches, so the stripes are uneven and taking longer than if I cut the yarn after about 2.5 inches:

It will be an "office shawl" so I don't entirely care.  Of course, I've now seen a blanket pattern that I could have done, one strand at a time, but I am not going to pull this apart and start over!  Maybe next year.

As you can see, I finished one of the "pocket hats" or "Zoom hats", and the other is now into the second leftover bit of yarn.  I am going to try to focus on finishing items as the year finishes.

Axial tilt is the reason.

I've seen a reminder that "axial tilt is the reason for the season" - or the seasonal change, if you want to be specific.  Happy Solstice, y'all.

Artist uncredited at the source where I found this.

We're in the yearend crunch at work, so life has been very busy the last week.  I did get to my parents' house today to help them set up holiday decorations, including a small train, and forgot to take photographs.

I did remember to get a progress photo on the three current projects (the one for my friend is in time-out temporarily), and as you can see I remain well behind the date on my shawl:

Same orientation, roughly, as last week.
The purple hat in the bottom right is almost ready for decreases.
Hard to see the progress on the other hat, which has 120 stitches
around, but I'm almost done with the first leftover of yarn.
Shawl is now on December 7th, and yes, the stripes are wider.

I was please with how today's weekly soufflé came out - nice and high:

Final Dozen.

I was going to post midweek but ended up sick on Wednesday, with a sinus headache that morphed into a migraine.  I took two naps that day, and lots of OTC medication, and kitchen medicine in the form of chicken soup, wasabi chips, and hot sauce.  

Not my bottle.

I got my head in order enough to participate in "Lady Windemere's Fan" that evening (luckily, I had a small part as a gossip at the ball, channeling my inner Anna Russell on the line 'Who is she?') and before then to drop off five hats and five scarves to the Twisted Knitter collection:

The five scarves are all my basic C2C, made from a now-discontinued red/white/blue Premier Candy Shop yarn.  I intended them for Knit Your Bit but since they are not currently collecting, this is a good substitute.

I knit or crocheted three of the hats while on my trip earlier this month.  The top left hat is based upon the Airegin Hat pattern but adjusted because the yarns I had are thinner than the pattern requires.  The yellow hat below it is the Granny Beanie, and the other yellow hat is based upon it but working the rows in the one two below, so it closes up the holes.  Because I used the majority of the multicoloured yarn on the first one, I spaced those rows out further on the second, because I have lots of the gold.

The brown hat is based on Barley Hat, out of a ball of Taos I received in a local fiber group's holiday swap.  The white-and-grey was worked from leftover acrylic yarns, Premier Sweet Roll Silver Swirl.

I didn't have this set finished in time to deliver it on Wednesday evening, because of the play, but I finished during my "offstage" time and delivered it Thursday morning, just in time for the deadline:

So that's the last dozen for this collection.  Up next are the Blue Elves and Red Scarf Project.

On Friday I finally felt better.  Yesterday I had my usual Saturday at my parents' house, helping my father to sort books (we finished a carload in time for Mom to deliver it to Friends of the Library, instead of having to wait for Tuesday), then after this week's soufflé Dad decided to clean out his bureaus and closet a bit.

This week's soufflé was especially tall.

Today I got to do chores of my own.  This evening I am watching a film about Braver Angels.  In this fraught post-election atmosphere, they are probably very much needed.

Meeting and Eating.

This weekend I attended two of the local fiber groups.  I've tried to join, but with one thing and another (including travel and the online cinemas courses I keep taking, plus work which often doesn't end until well into an evening) it's not easy.

One group meets on Saturdays, plus the occasional Thursday evening.  It's Twisted Threads NC so mostly spinners, but other fiber arts as well.  This was the Annual Meeting, Potluck, and Swap and you had to be a paid-up member to bring things to swap.  I paid and decided to see what happens.  I took the duffel of yarns I'd sorted for a tag sale, that didn't sell, and I thought about putting on eBay but hadn't done so yet.

For my potluck contribution, I decided to make stuffed baked buns.  I've wanted to make bread, but was finishing some loaves I'd put into my freezer.  One of my bread books has instructions for stuffed buns, and I thought that would be a good finger food to take.

Saturday morning, between my yoga class and Torah study, I made the dough, using a mix, with oil for the fat and oat milk instead of water.  I was a bit worried about the timing to fill and bake them, allowing for a second rise, because my mother and I planned to go to the local farmstand.  She was running a bit late, so I used the time to do the filling and shaping:

For the filling, I scrambled two eggs in butter, adding a large spoonful of my garlic scapes pesto.  I let this mixture cool for a few minutes, then added about an ounce and a half of finely shredded cheese.  I divided the dough into fifteen pieces, rolled each one out, and put on a spoonful of the filling.  

   

I had very little filling left by the time I reached the last one, so I added a slice of the cheese.  Then I pinched the dough around the filling and rolled it into a ballish shape; the final one was more of a fat log:

Resting on the baking tray, with parchment paper.

  

No glaze before baking. Oats in the dough
remained very chewy - to remember for next time.

They came out quite yummy, and a few returned home with me, to become a breakfast one day and lunch another, after a brief warming.  With the breakfast one I had some fruit from the farmstand; with the lunch I ate a chopped tomato and cucumber salad seasoned with a splash of vinegar and a decent amount of Salsa & Pico.

For the swap, they had three long tables set up.  By the windows went all the spinning fiber.  Middle table for books and equipment.  Third table for yarn:

After business meeting and elections (really, approval of the slate of officers and since I didn't know people, I was fine with the volunteers) the president passed out numbers.  We had eighteen persons and I drew number ten.  First person got to choose an item, then you would call out the next number, that person chose, and so on.  After a couple rounds you could take two items, and some skeins of yarn went in groups or packages.  I was surprised that the books didn't go quickly, and I was able to get three of the four I had eyemarked.  I also got a bunch of yarn, and at the end everything left was being collected for a 4-H group, but I took home two of the skeins I had taken because I like them too much to donate, and one is from a long-retired indie dyer.  Most of the yarn I took went to people in various rounds, or the free-for-all at the end.  This is what I brought home:

The bag is thirty balls of aran weight wool from the UK, so I have plenty for various projects and will likely dye some.  Top row is a skein of handspun; one of the ladies brought a number of skeins she'd made, and somebody grabbed an armload of them, but was willing to let me have one.  It's a gorgeous combination of deep blues, teals, and purple.  Next is something that looks like taupe angora, which I will burn-test and may or may not dye.  The unlabeled taupe ball next to it was in a bag with the grey, which is really what I wanted, and likely will end up in a charity something.  Next row is a ball of Taos for a charity hat; a hank of Alice Starmore Scottish Campion that I was surprised nobody had snagged; two hanks of sock yarn in "Strawberry Fields"; and the grey yarn which is designed for an easy pattern.  Mine is mostly white and grey, not grey and pink as the website shows, and I may do something else with it.

Below that, the books:

• Knitting Lace: A Workshop with Patterns and Projects
• Alice Starmore's Glamourie - I have most of her books but didn't know about this one, and took it as my first round pick
• Twisted-Stitch Knitting: Traditional Patterns & Garments from the Styrian Enns Valley
• A pair of Elsebeth Lavold books that were together, Designer's Choice Book One and Book Eight

My duffel bag was not as full going home about which I am happy.  I need to find a Miami Dolphins fan for the car magnet.

Then on Monday evening, I went to the Triangle Fiber Guild meeting.  I'd attended one a few months ago but work nights can be difficult for me and this was no different.  I arrived late, and luckily they didn't turn me away.  Part of being late was getting rerouted by construction and a traffic jam, but part is just the difficulty of leaving work early enough.

No photos from this one; people worked on projects, discussed all kinds of things, and generally it was a casual event.  At some others they have presentations and they do charity work; when I arrived people were suggesting new projects for the fall and winter.  I suggested Knit Your Bit, Warm Up, America!, and the Morganton Blue Elves.  Another person mentioned the Red Scarf Project and somebody suggested a group that makes Disney-inspired hats for children undergoing chemotherapy.  The leader is going to set up a poll for voting.

'Scaping

I love garlic scapes.

When I can obtain them in the spring, I often use them as a vegetable in various things: stir-fries, simmered with meat or vegetables or rice, roasted, and anything else that appeals.  I know you can make pesto with them, but often eat the scapes before I can accomplish it.

A friend of mine posted about making garlic scapes pesto in early June, and I decided that if I could find enough of them, I would make some this year.  His 'recipe' is:  "Basic proportions/ingredients: One bunch of garlic scapes, two cups of shelled pistachios, two cups of fresh Parmesan cheese, 1.5 cup olive oil, basil, parsley, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste."  I tasted some of his while visiting, and decided that I wanted less cheese (or a milder cheese) and parsley instead of basil.

I used the following:  About 1.5 bunches of garlic scapes, Cheese Bros. Fratello, less than a cup of olive oil then canola oil to get the consistency I wanted, half a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, a cup of pistachios (because the store didn't have pre-shelled and I got tired of shelling), and I forgot lemon juice.

The pesto is about what I wanted, but very garlicky.  Which I like, but I have to remember to tone it down for others, or if I am going out within a few hours and don't want to have too offensive breath.😩💨

In other news, I made a hat before going on a very fast trip to Dallas:

   

Yarn is Up North Yarns DK in "Love from Peter Max".

The trip was to cash in my winnings at the Dallas Winds Star Spangled Spectacular, getting to sit onstage during the first half, and set off some of the streamer cannon during the finale.

Everybody was very sweet and it was a lot of fun, and being onstage was an entirely different level of surroundsound.

They had holiday-appropriate foods available pre-concert.  I split the cupcake with a friend, who had his own hot dog.

Tomato Season Begins

And of course, must be properly commemorated.  First was a fresh tomato pizza that I made after helping my parents clear two rooms in their house that are having carpeting replaced:

Simple crust with chopped herbs in the dough, topped with
slabs of fresh tomatoes and lots of fresh mozzarella cheese.

That's not the only moving-of-stuff I did; somebody posted on the neighborhood e-group that a friend needed a small chest of drawers, did anybody have one?  I bought and put together a couple of simple ones when I moved here and needed places for things.  Later I bought a nice cherry bureau from a neighbor who was downsizing, because it fits my aesthetic better than the plain one, although I'd gotten one that had a midcentury modern feel.

So I offered the plain chest, it was accepted, how soon could she get it?  I asked her to wait until end of my work day, and during a break did a quick emptying of the plain chest, then moved it to the garage and brought the cherry one into the house.  Where it remained in the middle of the livingroom until the next day, because I was too busy Friday to finish.

On Saturday I wiped down the chest, and used a few nails from my toolkit to attach the backing securely on one side where it had come loose.  Then I moved it into place and put the things from the plain chest into it.  The bureau is enough deeper, although about the same height, that everything from the plain chest fit into it with room to spare. 

Today I had my first fresh tomato sandwich of the season:

Plain bread, toasted.  Mayonnaise.
Slabs of tomato.  Freshly ground pepper.

And blackberries are definitely ripening in the thickets:

I did not plan to pick berries that morning as I still have a lot of very ripe peaches, but there were so many people and dogs on the route I planned to take that I made a sudden decision to find a less busy route.  Luckily it was a bit shady so I didn't mind using my hat to carry as I easily picked well more than my hands would hold.

Work is at quarter-end and I have some fiber projects on deadline and my part of an article due tomorrow, so it's been busy.  And HOT.

Time for ice-cream, with berries, of course!

Trans Day Jesus

Today is the Transgender Day of Visibility, and this cartoon is extremely appropriate:

Naturally, the far right are having a meltdown about this, claiming the President took over Easter for the event, when March 31st has been the International Transgender Day of Visibility since 2009.  I guess that shows how little they've paid attention to the date in the past.  Easter is the date that moves all around the calendar.

Following up on last week's post, here are some photos I took while wandering around the UCLA campus.  Several buildings wear mosaics that align to the coursework inside:

Other buildings are just pretty:

Apparently there is a show being filmed on campus during break.

The conference center was filled with all kinds of art - sculpture, paintings, prints, photography, and so on.  Many of the artists have a connection to UCLA.  I may do a post later with some of the images but this one is getting long enough.

It was spring break, so most students were away, which meant most places on campus were closed.  This only affected me on Sunday evening when I decided to get some food, preferably takeout.  The restaurant in the hotel had a basic menu of burgers, pizza, and salads that I did not find appealing (apparently there is a better menu Monday-Friday), and when I asked about food options nearby I was directed (vaguely) to the student union.  Luckily I found it, but only a Carl's Jr was open, so I got a chicken sandwich.  The next night I learned that not far away were many eateries of all kinds, but the maître d' at the hotel restaurant wasn't about to send a guest to an appealing option.

The student union also had a vending machine room that featured Asian treats.  I was overwhelmed!

  

  

  

I chose preserved mango, which was
not what I expected. Edible but meh.

In addition to the architecture, there were lots of plants with which I am not familiar:

I could recognize wisteria - this is the seating area for
one of the food courts, closed due to spring break.

  

  

Monday night the event scheduled some "Dine Around" groups, and mine was sent to a pricey steakhouse.  We discussed quickly and decided to find a local place, ending up with hotpot that was tasty and much less expensive.  

Definitely a place to check out next year - and next door is a Korean quickstop that I noted for my Sunday meal because we're supposed to be in the same place next year.  Less than a mile away, so definitely an easy walk for me!

It's Easter today, for those who follow the Roman calculations (Western Christians count from the vernal equinox), and I bought a small treat for myself:

My mother suggested that we have our weekly soufflé today, and it was very well-risen, which seems in keeping with the holiday that some are celebrating:

This week it rose higher than the rim of the dish!