pease porridge hot

in which our plucky heroine has supper for breakfast...

Yesterday afternoon I had started a soup in the wee crock pot, with a piece of smoked ham hock, some dried green split peas, a small onion and two yellow carrots cut to pieces. I must have misjudged the timing as it wasn't ready by dinnertime, so I added a handful of barley and topped up the water, knowing that barley is most expansive. The soup, simmering overnight, turned into what I can only describe as pease porridge, and made a wonderful breakfast. The leftovers are enough for two more meals, particularly if combined with additional vegetables; I've some cooked spinach and steamed broccoli in the fridge, either of which seem like good candidates

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 40 ~

One thing I find fascinating is that even without specific planning, the designs I have come up with all mostly look like "my style"... in part that reflects the limited colorways I have chosen for this challenge, but in part reflects how my own design eye tends to put things together visually. I am eager, though not impatient, to see what the final series and chosen arrangement of the 20 pages will look like.

Day 40/100 (page 8) - added the kanji for koi to one of the oval "rocks", and decided on also adding some textural embroidery to the fish itself...

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Today I was successful at clearing all the random fabric from three of the work stations in my handcraft studio... my actual workbench, the large cutting table, and the dreadful pile of canvas scraps etc that had developed next to and in front of my kiln. The inspiration from my friend Turquoise, and the online company of my friend Elanor were of great assistance in this effort. As well, I have taken the suggestions of Dawn (a blog follower) who suggested that I check out the Youtube videos of Dana K. White for decluttering tips, and I am very slowly working my way through them... 

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	tiny forsythia	duvet cover	old cassettes
6	6 jars blood orange marmalade	A/C kerchief hem	x
7	1 more100 day page	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

today's gratitudes -
1. tiny crock pot is my friend, doo dah, doo dah!
2. clear work spaces to put to use this week 
3. a tipoff from a friend about a source for the wicker basket grocery handcarts, which have long been a desire for both someday future SCA events and for things like shopping at farmers markets...

Time of Isolation - Day 1087

sieze the opportunity

in which our plucky heroine reschedules today's plans...

Noticed a message while I was eating breakfast, asking if I wanted to go to Costco today... Now mind, there are only a few staple items I go to that biggest of big box warehouse stores to acquire: bricks of Tillamook sharp cheddar, bags of shelled pecans, frozen organic blueberries (which I store in the chest freezer here) and toilet paper (loo rolls). As it is the end of preserving season, this time I also needed to refill my sugar bucket (I go through about 1 25# bag of sugar a year). I only brave that place when it is time to restock: as the paper goods were getting dangerously few in number, this was a Very Timely Invitation.  We got there shortly after the store opened, and were out again like a dose of salts, and on the way home in less than an hour. Thank you Helga, my pantry and freezer are now in better shape!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 39 ~

Day 39/100 (page 8) - added some running stitch "ripples" in the water above the koi. Which sort of makes the fish harder to see. Just like at the Japanese Garden. Partly I want to add some stitchery to make the fish more visible, and partly I think it is just right being sort of there/not there....

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Finally got the marmalade put up into jars last night, six 8 oz jars. I love the bright red flecks in blood orange marmalade! I have been cooking it to somewhat less than 220°F, it is less solidly set, but the peel remains tender and the flavor seems a bit more "vivid" to me.

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My friend Lupa shared this on the Book of Faces, from Plague Poems:

"I know an old punk
whose pierced nose
remains hidden
behind the N95 mask
he dutifully wears
and when I ask him
if he still wears it
because his aesthetic
has never cared for norms
he replies that he wears it
because nothing is more punk
than giving a shit
about other people."

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	tiny forsythia	duvet cover	old cassettes
6	6 jars blood orange marmalade	A/C kerchief hem	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

today's gratitudes -
1. a Costco restock trip
2. Finally got the marmalade put up into jars last night.
3. being able to help M with design parameters for room lighting... now I want to think about what I would want to replace the terrible ceiling fan lights here at Acorn Cottage. This (for example) is a much nicer overhead light

Time of Isolation - Day 1086

weekend whatnots

in which our plucky heroine wakes to the sound of melting snow...

I know it isn't over til it is over, and we have snow or wintery mix in the forecast on and off for most of the next week, but for now, I think I can dare to brave the sidewalks and get outside for at least a little bit of walking. While there are lengths and places where the paving is clear (if damp) there is enough compacted snow/ice in patches, particularly in intersections, that great care is needed to avoid slipping.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 38 ~

Day 37 + 38/100 (page 8 ) - yes, adding a koi seems like a good direction to take this page... I used tracing paper to trace the remaining space, and sketched a fish that would fit, then pinned the paper to the fabric* and began couching the outline. Once the body was done, I tore away the paper and set it aside til the next day. I added in the tail and remaining fins this morning after chalking them in freehand... 

Today while perusing Instagram, I ran across the gorgeous jewelry artwork of @llmexclusive, who wrote "The Chinese word for "fish", 「魚- yú 」is a homophone for "abundance", "plenty", and "affluence" 「餘- yú」therefore, fishes are a symbol of wealth.The koi 「錦鯉魚- jinliyu」is synonymous with harmony and happiness. So there are layered meanings in using koi as an image.

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Time to repair one of my A/C kerchiefs, which had gotten snagged and the hemline stitchery pulled askew. Using a more stretchy stitch only took a bit more time, and it was only a few hours before it was better than new...  While I was stitching away on the improved hem edge, I was struck with an inspiration to follow, that maybe some of the motifs from Charleston House would be good to use to create a fabric design for another A/C cardigan, that I have been wanting to make from the teal cotton/lycra jersey. I have rather adored the paisley wall treatment (stencil?) since I first saw it.

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Had an interesting idea earlier today... a while back I was gifted with a 1:12 bathroom set, and rather than reconfigure Tansu Terrace, I thought it might be fun to create a shadowbox bathroom as an artwork for the actual bathroom here at Acorn Cottage, as a sort of fractal riff. 

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Wish me luck. Trying to wrap my brain around how to create a single welt pocket in a seam. It is topological. I have several tutorials. I think I need to do a sample attempt before actually sewing it in the project. These are some of the dangers of going freestyle with a complicated project without a pattern or instructions. I had at least a sample done before my Sewing Nomads zoom this morning! It took a number of samples, and finally actively marking the pieces before I managed a sample that had the pocket and the flap going in the correct directions. As the raincoat fabric can't be pressed, or have holes poked in it, it will be necessary to tack markings to the pieces using tape. That said, I feel somewhat confident to move forward, one incremental step at a time...

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looking online last night to try and explain "boro" and found this from the V&A

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	tiny forsythia	duvet cover	old cassettes
6	x	A/C kerchief hem	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

today's gratitudes -
1. Thankfully, the severe cold temperatures have eased back
2. Barb sent me the recipe for Spicy Sweet Sambal Noodles that was really delicious. I did have to make a few substitutions (thai red curry paste instead of sambal oolek (and not quite so much), and I made about a half recipe, and it turned out delicious. I put it over steamed broccoli instead of ramen, and froze the extra sauce for future meals.
3. it turns out perfectly possible to freeze lemon crinkle cookie batter in individual scoops, and then bake Just One Cookie.  I scooped the batter onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and when the scoops were frozen transferred them into a ziploc. Take out one and roll between my palms until smoothly round, then the coat with granulated sugar and then coat with confectioner sugar. Bake at slightly lower temp 325 and for slightly longer 9 min... Voila, a Very Small Treat!

Time of Isolation - Day 1085

* I know that there are all sorts of more or less complex/spendy ways to transfer designs to fabric for embroidering, this is a very low tech, low cost option that has worked well for me for years...

frozen Friday

in which our plucky heroine is busy with indoor tasks...

A delightful scent filled Acorn Cottage for several hours today, as a pan of blood oranges simmered away on the stove, softening so they can be turned into marmalade... Later tonight I will chop them up, add the sugar and lemon juice, and get out the maslin pan to complete the process and put them up in jars for storage. Blood orange marmalade is probably my favorite citrus preserve (at least for keeping in the pantry; lemon curd is less shelf stable and I always store that one in the freezer) as the bits of red color, and extra complexity of flavor just make me happy!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 36 ~

Day 36/100 (page 8) - as always, I've no idea where this is going to end up... picked a few small bits of fabric from the mound-o-scraps, and rounded their corners is all. (Base fabric is some pale turquoise cotton satin that was one of the fabric bits that Ursel gave me.)

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this article was worth reading, as it brought up a number of concepts and Useful words to thing about some of what has changed in the last three years, and why...

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a while ago the Aunties gave me a large flannel sheet they had thrifted, practially brand new, wonderfully fluffy, with a whimsical print of red, orange, and teal foxes amid conifer trees, all on a pale blue background. While at first I contemplated a new bathrobe, instead I decided that making a duvet cover would be a better use. I had one once, from Ikea, but it never worked well and the button closure was really annoying to deal with.

So, today, I took a good chunk of the afternoon to measure out and cut a piece the same size as my down puff, and a second piece from a vintage cotton sheet, and finally to sew them together. I added a narrow extension in the center bottom as an opening to turn the whole thing, and cotton twill tape in the four inside corners. By adding twill tape to the puff corners as well, they can all be tied together and the puff stays put inside its cover. Finally, my nights of hanging on to the flannel top sheet to keep it in place are at an end, the new duvet cover will serve well on these cold nights.

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got outside today to clear away a bit of snow the path to the sidewalk, which isn't easy without a snow shovel. I used my garden spade instead... It might be worthwhile to acquire a snow shovel, even if it only gets used once every few years

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	tiny forsythia	duvet cover	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. finally getting round to a simple fix - a new flannel sided duvet cover!
2. the dry sunny weather, albeit cold, helped sublimate the places where snow had been cleared.
3. I remembered to not look at my phone when I woke up at o'dark thirty (which had become a bad habit and was messing with my sleep/wake cycles)... instead, I turned over, patted the covers all cozy around me, and went back to sleep until later in the morning, when there was daylight. This meant that I did not subsequently feel like falling asleep in midafternoon!

Time of Isolation - Day 1083

snow day

in which our plucky heroine toddles through a snow day...

The good thing today was I took time to phone a number of friends and family, and even got an unexpected phone call from a friend. The most difficult thing is that I cannot go out for a sanity stroll, it is much too cold, and blowy, so pacing up and down the hall must suffice. The clouds of yesterday and this morning have all blown away, and the light outside was dazzling on the expanse of white snowdrifts; tomorrow will be much the same, but much colder.

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The tinyworld forsythia project completed:  once the glue is dry, the forsythia blossoms are securely attached to the branches, and they are arranged in the porcelain vase; a promise of springtime to come on this cold and snowy day...

I'm amused at the contents of the shelf, the books I can see are Tolkien, a heraldry tome, "On The Road", an archaeological treatise, and J D Salinger....(only the smallest of my tiny books fit there) Maybe I need to make some more Very Tiny under 1"tall books?

I'm also going to take this as a reminder to finish the decorative wall shelf, which means I need to decide what color to paint it, and also to put the drawer knobs in place, a good use for two of my wee Japanese glass headed sewing pins. My current idea is creamy white, picked out with blue trim.

※※※

It snowed and snowed. We got over 10" of snow by the time it was done. I grew up with snow, and there is a reason I live in a place where it normally rains in the winter. PDX doesn't have good snow infrastructure, while eventually the main arterials get plowed, none of the side streets or sidewalks get cleared, so there is a lot of lumpy ice to traverse, sometimes for days. Now that the snow is (temporarily) over, the temperature is dropping.

Tomorrow is supposed to barely reach freezing (0°C)by midday, with the lows in the high teens. I rescheduled my doctor appointment,from tomorrow to later this month, I don't want to try making my way there while there is a wind chill advisory in place, and trying to clamber over the icy streets and sidewalks.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 35 ~

Day 35/100 - (page 7) Layered running stitches remind me of boro stitchery. In order to further visually separate the bird from the background I added counterchanged thin lines of outline stitches, of white and dark blue, in addition to my initial outline in medium brown.

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Thursday throwback is a look at the process of creating a custom enamel pendant, to meet the requirements of a particular client as far as imagery and colors. For this one, I used the limoges enamel technique, painting with a mixture of powdered enamel glass and lavender oil allowed for really fine detail at the very small scale needed.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	tiny forsythia	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. power stayed on (so far) with only a few small flickers from time to time
2. I was tired. I took a nap. Then my pal Wanda called, who I'd not talked to in weeks, as we kept missing each other on the phone, and woke me up. This was good, as otherwise my sleep wake cycle would become even more deranged than it already is.
3. I just received another regalia inquiry, for a medallion later in the year. Plucky heroine is gone but apparently not forgotten. Yay for more work!

Time of Isolation - Day 1082

cold snap

in which our plucky heroine sees snow out the windows...

It has been steadily snowing since midday here, we have several inches already and tomorrow is not supposed to get above freezing all day. I plan on staying home and getting in some good calligraphy and cloisonne time...

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~ a tinyworld tidbit~

It has been a while since I made anything for the tinyworld. Somehow, a snowy day seemed like the best excuse to make up a  wee forsythia branches... I'd been meaning to do this for a while, and needed to figure out how to create the tiny flowers. What gave a good effect was to use punched circles of tissue paper (colored yellow first, with a Sharpie), that were pushed over the tip of a toothpick to become a folded conical slightly ruffled shape. Those were then glued by their tip to dried twigs; 'twas fiddlety work requiring my most pointy tweezers, but I think it effective. Once they dry, I will set them in the blue and white checquered porcelain vase that I ordered last May, which will set off the yellow flowers nicely!

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My attempt to DIY wide rice noodles (for Pad See Ew) by stacking up the edible rice paper was only partially successful. While I was able to make "noodles", the texture wasn't quite right. I think I will save the rice paper discs for making fried packets instead. I may try using them for fauxsagna, to see if they work in place of no boil noodles, and I've seen some cooking videos using them for dim sum, like these shrimp treats or these har gow dumplings

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	tiny forsythia	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. I managed to get out and about before the snow really began to cover everything.
2. H Mart had gluten free oyster sauce
3. furnace is gallantly running

Time of Isolation - Day 1081

living in the future

in which our plucky heroine appreciates accomplishment while also noticing how much yet remains unfinished...

There is solid progress happening on various artistic endeavors (scribal, stitchery, and regalia commission work). There is almost no progress happening on my poor raincoat project, which lies in pieces in a box, waiting for me to have more confidence. Truly, as far as that sewing project goes, I should just grab my bootstraps and get moving, to get it out of the way and into my closet instead. We have several weeks or even months of rain still before it all ends. Maybe during the upcoming snow will be a good time to work on it.  On the decluttering front any progress is glacial; maybe putting in 15 minutes with the timer there, before my 15 minutes of treat sewing on my 100 day stitchbook might be enough positive reinforcement to get me moving?

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~ scythian scribal ~

a bit further progress on the Scythian scroll... I'm just about to start on the calligraphy borders, but couldn't resist doing just a light underpainting of the central motif, which is based on this gold plaque currently in the Hermitage Museum. (The background is based on one of the Pazyryk textiles...)

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This sounds weird, but it turned out pretty good. Back in the 70's I made a sort of gelatin cheesecake with cottage cheese and canned fruit, blended 'til smooth and tossed in a piepan in the fridge. I'd never had real cheesecake at that point, so had no basis for comparison. Given that I am trying to find gluten free meal options, I thought I would revisit this concoction. I softened two envelopes of gelatin in the pineapple juice from an 8oz can, put aside a few chunks for garnish, and plonked the rest into a bowl, along with a cup of cottage cheese, and about ⅓c sour cream that I happened to have in the fridge (I suspect that Greek yogurt would work just as well). After I put the electric teakettle on to boil, I used my stick blender to reduce the fruit and dairy mixture to a puree. Added the boiling water to the now softened gelatin and mixed that with a fork until the gelatin was completely melted, then added the gelatine to the puree and mixed thoroughly. I poured the whole thing into one of my rectangular glass baking dishes, stuck the reserved pineapple chunks across the top, and put it in the fridge to solidify. It made enough for at least two lunches, and was tasty enough that I shall probably make it again, maybe with some other of the home canned fruit. Pears would be nice...

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 33 ~

Day 33/100 - (page 7) Still playing with layers and transparency, sending the large bird image to the foreground by filling the background with rows and rows of running stitches. This will take at least another day to get the complete effect.

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This morning my online artist friend Turquoise and I had our weekly video chat. As I sit at my computer just after breakfast, seeing and speaking with someone on the other side of the planet, in realtime, I think: "it never gets old, being able to be part of our international community using technology that would have been the stuff of science fiction when I was a young person..."

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	-	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. having artist friends
2. video chat saves my sanity
3. Past me did a good job of stocking the pantry

Time of Isolation - Day 1080

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is grateful for wool ...

the weather here at Acorn Cottage is becoming gradually colder and colder, rather the opposite of February Thaw... or maybe we already had that and are back to winter. Tonight the wind is just howling round the corners of the house, and making the little turbine vents on the roof rattle and spin.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 32 ~

Next is adding a large plover outline to overlay the patches... it was interesting to follow that rabbit hole to gather some information about some of the meanings attached to the motif. The other search term I found was "chidori", and as with many japanese motifs, it can represent more than just an image of the natural world, in this case it is "an auspicious symbol associated with longevity"

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I've been seeking out additional ways to use the edible rice paper wrappers, since making packets filled with pot sticker filling and pan frying them was so successful. I just found an online suggestion of rehydrating them and cutting into wide soft "noodles", which may let me be able to make my favorite Thai noodle dish "Pad See Ew" at home. I have acquired some gluten free oyster sauce, and tamari instead of soy sauce, have chicken and shrimps in the freezer, and some broccoli in the fridge, so will make the experiment sometime this week.

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Oh dear I have a doctor appt at the end of the week, and the weather is supposed to be frigidly cold. No bike riding when the temps are below freezing. I shall have to plan my day so I can take transit and walk from there to the Med Center. Ugh! maybe need my Yaktrax.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	-	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. I love my Glerups wool house shoes... They were one of the last things I bought in a store, three years ago, prior to the pandammit, when the smoke on the horizon made it clear that staying home was going to be a thing...
2. Icelandic lopi wool... it is a bit scratchy, but it knits up fast, has gorgeous colors, and is inexpensive. Today I wore the pullover I knit on the trip I took cross country on the train with my sister, again prior to the pandammit. Those were better happier days, and the warmth is in the memory as well as the wool.
3. edible rice paper

Time of Isolation - Day 1079

sometimes incremental is really incremental

in which our plucky heroine gets off to a slow start...

today was mostly about doing things over again that worked well the first time, and about making gradual progress... I did a bit more prep work on the two scribal projects. I made some more of the tasty crispy rice paper packets, a small batch of two, and used safflower oil for the frying instead of olive, which worked better. A short walk, because today was cold outside. Crafternoon afternoon, with some good discussion.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 31 ~

Day 31/100 - Yesterday when Ursel came over she brought me an assortment of small pieces of japanese fabrics, and I had to immediately use some of them in my next stitchbook page. If I was going out for recreational shopping, I would defintiely want to explore Kiriko

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"they are both paper..."

..."one has been blessed by the Treasury Wizards, one has not"
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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	-	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. some wonderful japanese fabric pieces that Ursel gifted to me
2. Green Zebra is also carrying rice paper discs
3. a bit of sleeping late, when tired

Time of Isolation - Day 1078

evocation

in which our plucky heroine has a make and mend sort of day...

interspersed with chores, and an outdoor porch visit with my pal Ursel. She brought me presents, including some Japanese fabric bits that may find their way into the pages of the stitchbook project. 

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 30 ~

A very timely tidbit, evoking springtime, conjured up from scraps, imagination, and skill. Albeit fairly simple skills, as the only embroidery used is running stitch, overcast stitch, and couching. I hadn't been sure when I plonked that horking big flower form right in the middle if I hadn't made a mistake. Foolish plucky heroine is being reminded gently to trust the process, and to also trust herself and her design sense.

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In the bundle of dolly clothes that arrived yesterday was an odd little pair of knitted short pants, nicely made in a dark green wool, in a seed stitch pattern. They were too large for any of my tinyfolk, (or for Coriander). It occurred to me that instead of being clothing, they could become a lovely little decorative 1:12 throw pillow instead. I carefully cut the knitting apart, blocked the two pieces flat, and stitched it into a cushion. With some added tassels on the corners, and a wee tiny button stitched in the center, it is now a good addition to the future decor somewhere in Tansu Terrace.

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Steadily making slow progress on preparing the two current backlog scrolls. Today was all about using the fineline light grey ink pen to outline the motifs on the Scythian scroll. Made a few errors, that background textile pattern is challenging to parse, but no errors that won't be covered by the first layer of paint.

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Repaired the front edge of the rose kerchief, where the light grey lining was beginning to show.

well dang! found my missing T-Square. Now I have two T-squares. I REALLY need to get my creative supplies and tools better organised!!

Last night I started on cutting out the pieces for the backpack for Tullia. The leather she sent me was more of a blue-black than black, so I overdyed the pieces with a dark brown. Now it is a better match for the canvas, which I will begin cutting out tonight.

Watched an excellent zoom presentation this morning on the Luttrell Psalter. Am now enthused to try making a scroll based on that exemplar. Maybe for the Baron Michael Pelican scroll?

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	rose kerchief mended	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	SR leather re-dyed	recycle bin
5	-	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. Ursel stopped by for a porch visit today
2. Zoom presentation that was very inspiring
3. having random bits of knowledge in my brain, that help me answer queries from others, about topics I have no expertise in. Also google-fu, so I can find them additional information.

Time of Isolation - Day 1077

visual counterchange

in which our plucky heroine gets down to work...

I've a few orders for regalia, so this morning was time to dust off my workbench and clear out around the kiln.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 29 ~

Took a bit of cogitation to get started, but I like where this page is headed... I was so into the results here that I will admit that I spent more than my allotted 15 minutes. Then when I went to photograph today's efforts, for some reason I turned the page topsy turvey, which changed the entire meaning into a sort of metaphorical springtime. The "flower" reminds me of the sun in the prologue toWatership Down... and all those french knots remind me of the dots in the Lindisfarne Gospels.

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Here and there are more signs of spring, as some trees in sheltered microclimates are beginning to bud. I ought to think about doing some winter pruning on the apple tree in the backyard, while everything here is still dormant. I am thinking of some rather more intensive cutting back of the upper branches, so as to make it easier to thin the baby apples. Might be good to trim up the hardy fuchsia as well which is starting to overgrow the front door ramp. Indeed, maybe I ought to add spending a 15 minute chunk every day in the yard, on the days it isn't truly dreadful weather, and work on developing that as a habit.

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The mysterious package that USPS sent the long way round to Acorn Cottage was a packet of vintage dolly clothing from my friend Vestia, and a few tagua nuts for me to experiment with carving. While the clothing was much too large for my tinyfolk, there was a knitted cardigan that was a very cozy option for Coriander, who hasn't had any new clothing in ages. It even matches her springtime hat!

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	-	recycle bin
4	3 100 day pages	-	recycle bin
5	-	-	old cassettes
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. leftover filling from last nights dinner turned into a wonderful breakfast as I made more rice paper packets... I might want to pick up some safflower oil, which is better for pan frying than olive oil is.
2. decluttered one chair. Might not sound like much, but every tiny bit helps
3. today my knee doesn't hurt, and my back doesn't hurt.

Time of Isolation - Day 1076

crispy-crunchy and other good things

in which our plucky heroine maintains forward momentum...

This morning while I was chatting at my Mom on the phone I looked out the window and saw snowdrops blooming under the plum tree, outside the bedroom window. This gave me a lift of the heart!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 28 ~

Day 28 - pretty pleased with the subtle flower, and for some reason these scraps of indigo waffle weave jumped onto the page. It will definitely take the next three days of embroidery to integrate them into the design, but they do frame the flower nicely...

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Spent some extra time in the kitchen today. First off I vacuumed and mopped the floor. Once it dried I turned some of what was in the fridge into partial meals. I had taken a patty of sweet Italian sausage from the freezer, ditto two of the bahn mi meatballs that NS makes so well. Since they were thawed, the sausage turned into homemade pasta sauce (add sauteed onion, soaked dried mushrooms, and suitable seasonings, and the meatballs (add, diced raw shrimp, chopped ginger, green onions, salted then rinsed and chopped cabbage, and chopped cilantro) turned into filling for my most recent experiment - rice paper wrapped "buns"

It is difficult to find pot sticker wrappers, there being no flavor of asian grocery within bike distance. Also, those wrappers are wheat based, and I am attempting a gluten free 6 weeks. However, I do have a package of rice paper wrappers in the pantry. And I read online somewhere about using those as wrappers for a sort of cross between a pot sticker and an egg roll. It worked a charm, and after I cooked the filling, I used some of it to make up two smallish packets, fried them in a skillet, and they had a lovely texture reminiscent of dim sum. I am calling it a win, and will use the rest of the filling, and some of the rice paper discs in the next few meals. The only downside is that unlike pot stickers, the rice paper packets cannot be made ahead and frozen, but require preparation immediately before pan frying and eating. It is worth it though, to get a tasty restaurantish treat while safely at home

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Took the day off yesterday from the Sable Chime project to return to the Scythian Jambe. I decided to start completely over, as I really don't know why I outlined all the rug motifs with black .005 Micron pen. Now that I have a fineline pale grey marker, that will be a very much better choice for unobtrusive linework before painting. I'm looking forward to progress on both of these backlog scrolls, and after a bit more warmup for the Roman Rustic style calligraphy, I feel fairly confident about getting the text in place for the Scythian scroll. Then it will finally be time to start painting...

I've been using some of my online video social contact time to make progress on these scrolls. I have two friends that I meet with at different times, once a week; we keep each other company while working on our various projects. Not the same as an in person meeting with shared tea and nibbles as well as crafting, but is of great use and comfort nonetheless

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I'm going to experiment with going gluten free for the next month or so. My rosacea has been getting worse and worse, and I've heard anecdotal evidence from several friends that no gluten, or even no grain entirely, has really helped their skin. The medication I use seems to have little effect. Changing some of what I eat seems like a fairly simple thing to try, there would be no downside other than inconvenience.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	rice paper packets	-	recycle bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. yum yum yum! a tasty treat wrapped in rice paper and fried!
2. some of the things I ordered online arrived here safely today
3. the good mop and bucket system I now have, eversomuch easier than the prior one.

Time of Isolation - Day 1075

wishful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine considers replication...

This is the Taxco style brooch I lost last week. It took me years of looking to find one of these little vintage abalone brooches that I liked... It occurred to me, after I stopped being annoyed at myself for losing the brooch, and for losing my nice new grey canvas hat that it was pinned to, that maybe I could DIY myself a replacement. I've probably got at least some of the needed skillset, and there are bits of shell veneer for sale on Etsy.

One of the things I liked about the brooch I found was that it reminded me of my heraldry. With just a little design tweak, I came up with a design in the same style, that is even more like the horse on my armory. I have several new pieces of studio work on order, perhaps once those are completed I will give this a try...

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Time of Isolation - Day 1074

liminial - a dream of spring

in which our plucky heroine knows it isn't here yet...

No snow here today (though the forecast yesterday was very excited), at least not here, though friends in outlying areas have been sharing their snow day photos. It was windy enough last night that I could hear the turbine ventilators spinning, but this morning is just damp and cold outside.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 26 ~

Day 26 - cut apart some geometric patterned fabric motifs, then folded the pointy tips inward, recut the rounded ends and they turned into flower petals, somewhat reminiscent of a crocus flower.  I'm interested in how the imagery I'm creating in these stitchbook pages feels like a form of visual haiku. At least for me, they each call forth specific sensation and memory.

first 5 pages and starting on #6
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a good sentiment for today, and every day...
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Not feeling so great this morning, as I had another rough night. Woke up too late to meet online with Turquoise for our weekly art support video chat; she was also feeling less than stellar, so we postponed till the 21st instead. With luck, by then my odd headaches will be gone.

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~ Sable Chime scribal ~

I've been working on being able to draw acanthus foliage clusters. Not easy and not intuitive, but hopefully reminiscent of the exemplar... soon I will be able to start on the painting, which is my favorite part of scribal arts. Today I finished the pencil sketches for the border, and then went over them with a pale grey marker and erased the pencil. Confirmed a few details with the recipient (my friend Elanor).

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	-	-	recycle bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. my wool partlet, so warm and cozy
2. local art store had several options for a Very Small nib light grey marker.
3. manage to do two loads of laundry today, and two racks of dishes, and get all the resulting clean items put away!

Time of Isolation - Day 1073

Monday miscellany and music

in which our plucky heroine feels rather pleased for a change...

The weekend had plenty of online activity with various meetings with friends, and the 5th 48 Hour An Tir Scribal Backlog Challenge. I'm playing catch-up today, as the kitchen looks rather disheveled and all my normal weekend chores were left in the dust of scribal enthusiasm. I've been rather successful in making progress in several of my avocations, and had a number of regalia orders show up in my email box, which hasn't happened for a while, so yay!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 25 ~

Day 25 - simple but hopefully effective, and not quite completed. I will put in some extra time just to finish the embroidered "ripples"...

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Unfortunately, part of Sunday included an optical migraine. Not painful, but the visual disturbance precludes any useful activity that requires my eyes. Which is pretty much all useful activity. Gone now!

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~ Sable Chime progress ~

I am such a slow scribe. My intended entry in the 48 hour An Tir Backlog Challenge did not even get completed pencil drawings for the painted portions by the closing bell, so I am not entering it there for feedback and can share my progress pictures. This Sable Chime scroll, for my friend Elanor is based on the style of the Vaux Passional, with various personal touches she suggested (notice tiny dog at her feet in the portrait). I love being able to consult with the recipient so I can give them a scroll that they will be pleased with.

At this point, having been in a number of the "48 hour" competitions, I know before I start that I will not finish in 48 hours. So I assume that (right from the get-go), which reduces my stress, and instead use the weekend for inspiration, camaraderie, and a "kick in the pants" to get me started on a project. Now I am enthused about doing scribal things again, and look forward to finishing this scroll, and the other backlog projects I have started or promised to make for folks. Finding an exemplar I am excited about is a real bonus; I am looking forward to using more elements from the Vaux Passional in future scrolls!

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Partway through the weekend I realised I'd misplaced my T square, which was most annoying, as it is a very necessary tool to be able to use the Ames Guide for marking out calligraphy lettering. Fortunately I was able to take a walk over to the art store, and they did have a few in stock, though somewhat more spendy (and robust) than my former plastic one. And now I have a Very Nice T Square to use for future scribal projects. I've decided that I also need to make some kind of light table, as taping things to the window only works in daylight... I have ideas about what will work well and be simple and readily storable.

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 tiny bird books	soy sauce cruet base	recycle bin
2	semicircular bathmat	reconfigure neckline	yard waste bin
3	-	-	recycle bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	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

today's gratitudes -
1. I found a new-to-me manuscript exemplar
2. I have an art store within walking distance
3. I am feeling well enough to ride my bike, despite both CrankyKneetm and the cold drizzle, it felt good to get out of the house and be moving around... particularly since tonight it may snow!

Time of Isolation - Day 1072