Tea and Toast

Spring demands flowers. We went to the nursery and wandered around picking out some color for the garden. But the rain has done some good even for the poor souls already left in my charge; things are blossoming and leaves are appearing all over. For a time, we can forget the drought. It has been 90+ degrees this week, though, so we'd best not forget for long.











I set myself too many projects lately, as ever; I think it was one of my new years resolutions to be more sensible about how long things take to make. Instead, I just try to work harder to get it all done. (Doesn't work.)







The flannel robe is finished, and lovely to wear... or it would be if it wasn't so hot suddenly. I look forward to it for November.

I tried making a skirt (maternity) out of jersey knit. It's going to work; I need to buy some more fabric to add a panel for more swishiness, and therefore remove and put the waistband back on (ugh) but this is the first time I've had so much luck with sewing knit fabric. The machine didn't eat it or make a terrible mess, or anything! Part of this is finally using the right needle, the right stitch, and patience. The rest is probably that I'm making a full size garment out of cotton blend knit instead of a doll size garment out of slippery polyester. I used to try those, years ago, and they never went well. I resorted to handsewing, no pins used of course, which wasn't much better. Pins are great. Nearly always worth the effort.

Is it reasonable to talk about the holidays a month later? The little one was buried in gifts of toys, board books, clothes, and more toys. He actually got bored of opening packages. Well, we will do better next Christmas. Although there will be another one next time. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but we are having a second boy sometime around June.

It's been all about coziness around here of late. Many of the holiday presents were made of yarn.








My husband made potato skins at one point, I think because we needed the insides for mashed potatoes. Or at least that was the excuse. And I made six hour bread. I want to make more. It's always amazing, especially in the first few hours. I may have eaten a bunch of it before he even got home that day. Toasted with butter and jam, it also makes a good treat for breakfast. Alas, I don't know where I found the recipe online or I'd link it.






This warm molasses milk from Joy the Baker is yummy, too. I still have the link for that seeing as I just made it tonight.

I finished a hand-pieced hexagon quilting project, months after starting it. It's machine quilted, because the other day I came to my senses and pulled out the tiny amount of hand quilting I'd managed so I could Finish A Project. Projects that languish for too long unfinished run the risk of being given up on entirely, and that would have been a shame after all the hand sewing I'd done to put the shapes together. I need to make more executive decisions like that.







Since we found out the gender for Number Two (as I've been calling him) I've started a baby quilt, an afghan, and a vest for him, and have also been trying to finish a bunch of old projects, since the sewing desk is going away to make room for a bed or crib. (We haven't figured out yet whether we're ready to upgrade Number One to big kid status or if we should just have two cribs for a while.) So I'm currently finishing a scrap quilt of creams and browns. It's a lap quilt size, made entirely from fabric in my stash. I have enough little fabric scraps left to make at least another quilt, possibly two. That's not counting scraps of fabric big enough to bother folding. These things are fractal.

So it's all blankets and hot toddies around here. We had rain. The hills have turned green. There was frost on the grass the other day, and the snow on the farthest-away mountains lasted an entire week. I could see it from my kitchen window.

I spent last week editing and revising our medieval clothes for an event. Seams were ripped, trim was removed, eyelets were unsewn, new eyelets were stitched (three episodes of The Last Kingdom) and many things were embroidered. Also, the Little got a set of clothes for the occasion, which ended up being the only thing I photographed, apparently. He was adorable running around in his tunic and trousers. We were there only a few hours actually and it was plenty. The last time we went to an event was before the Little was born. Goodness!



( My report, What We Did This Summer )

We've gone from spring to summer already. It rained briefly at the beginning of the month, and I predict we won't get rain again until November.

This chocolate banana bread from Smitten Kitchen is really a dessert. Don't kid yourself. I made some coconut whipped cream to go with it, mostly because I wanted to see if coconut whipped cream was any good. It is, but it reminds me a little of hand lotion, and that's not something I enjoy eating generally.



( This and that )

Some people post pretty pictures of paperwhite bulbs in teacups on their dining table, or on the mantel, surrounded by candlelight and cozy things, because it's too cold outside for flowers or even fresh young greenery.



Not only do we not have to grow them inside here... these paperwhites popped up on their own in a pot that's been sitting with a saucer over it for months now, with no water or sunlight. As soon as I realized that wasn't grass growing, I rescued them to the patio and we started watering them, but really, these flowers would have carried on merrily without any help.

( January is spring, right? )

Lots to talk about. That's what happens when you forget to update.

I like baking. Have I mentioned? It gets hot -- really hot -- later in the year so I've been using every excuse to do baking now, while the weather is still nice and we can run the oven without feeling guilty.



Foccacia (cheese required, per my husband) can be made when you're getting dinner ready and you realize there isn't nearly enough time to make bread but you still would like some. Fresh and homemade and fluffy, it's quite tasty.

( baking, sandwiches, embroidery, and yarnery )

Finished the blanket I was making from yarn I impulse bought. Impulse buying craft supplies is its own punishment. Craft supplies hang around the house like sad dogs, whining at the door and popping out of closets when you least expect it. "Come play with me... you promised..." Or is that just me?

Lots of other projects going. I drafted my basic block for medieval clothes making, then drafted a more specific pattern for the kirtle I want to do next. Now all that remains is to iron the linen, iron the lining, trace and cut out the patterns to make the dress (two front pieces, two back pieces, and two sleeves, all in both the linen and the lining), figure out how to line a garment, machine sew the long hidden seams, hand sew the eyelets, make a cord with a lucet or something, hand sew the collar and sleeve hems, try it on, swear a bit, make adjustments, try it on again, leave it to hang for a few days, and hem it. Oh, and finish the smock that goes under it. And make the various accessories that go with it, like shoes and stockings and a better hat that's not made of cheap obvious muslin.

That's just one project.

Also, I have to clean the house.

But first, I'm going to get word count on my novel today. At least that's nearly done--today's word count, that is. Not the novel.