I grew up in a rural area on a single acre of property.  My family was not exactly poor, but we did have to watch our money carefully.  One of the ways we managed to be frugal was by cultivating a large garden (about 8000 square feet) that the whole family worked to tend:  weeding, tilling, planting, harvesting, watering, etc.  We had so much food out of that garden that harvesting days were a whole family affair.

During the heat of the summer, I find it hard to eat. This is always an odd sensation, since at most times, I like eating above most other pleasures. But in the sticky heat of a Pacific Northwest summer, food is unappealing and if I manage to eat a normal meal, heavy in my stomach. But. Humans still gotta eat.

Mise en place, the French term meaning everything in its place, is usually used in the kitchen.  But it can be more widely applied to any space where specific organization is required.  For example, the part of my studio where I do my sewing.

Do you like quirky science fiction?  Like maybe authors Douglas Adams and Jasper Ford mixed in with a little Doctor Who?  Well, have you ever watched the TV series Warehouse 13?  No?  Then you should give it a try.  Be aware, there will be minor spoilers ahead.

PI Day and St. Patrick’s Day come in quick succession, which is perhaps why I was thinking about pie.  And then green pie.  Which naturally led to Grasshopper Pie.  Thinking about pie led to googling about pie.

One of the big requirements for a wrist pincushion is that there is something present which prevents the wearer from jabbing a pin all the way through the pincushion and into their wrist. 

I was FaceTiming with my mother recently, and we were knitting while we chatted.  Every time my mother needed some knitting notion (an extra needle, a stitch marker, a darning needle, a longer cable, a cable cap, the little key for interchangeable needles, scissors, etc), she had to get up from her work table, trot off to retrieve it, and then come back.  Then, when she was done with whatever little tool she’d most recently used, she’d lay it on the work surface and promptly lose it.  “It was right here a second ago!”

I don’t really care for politics.  I recognize that it’s a necessary evil in any civilized society but I still don’t want to understand or participate.   A more civic-minded friend of mine would probably say that I am failing my duties as a citizen if I don’t take pains to at least understand politics, but in some ways, I’ve always been a slacker.  Any political knowledge I possess was acquired in spite of my best efforts to remain oblivious.

People who sew need pincushions.  Yes, pincushions plural.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Elizabeth Zimmermann could reasonably be considered knitting royalty.  She’s written a number of books, has done a knitting series on PBS with her daughter Meg Swanson, and is widely considered to have brought the art of knitting back into vogue in the United States.

Picking a favorite author is often like picking your favorite child…most people have a favorite but won’t admit to it.

Visible mending is an ornamental approach to repairing an item. Rather than trying to mask the area where the item was damaged, the goal is to highlight these imperfections in a creative, eye-catching way. A combination of techniques and materials can be used to extend the life of an item which is otherwise in good condition, save a small hole, rip or tear.

The last time I asked my mother to refresh my memory on the details of her deviled eggs recipe, she told me eggs, mayo, salt, pepper, and ground dry mustard.  Then she reminded me that her recipe was straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook.  I checked my own Betty Crocker cookbook, and sure enough, there it was.

I posted a few weeks ago about a hat I’d made from a pattern of my own design.  In the course of that post, I referenced head measurements.  Specifically, my own head measurements.  And the hat was gorgeous and fit me beautifully.  However.  I have many (MANY) knit hats already and I honestly didn’t need another.  So I thought it would make a nice Christmas gift for a friend of mine.  So I left it in her cubby at work and didn’t think anything more about it until I finally got around to asking her a couple weeks later if the hat fit her.  No.  It didn’t fit her.  Because her head is smaller than mine.

Once upon a time, when I was younger, I used to make fancy cakes for my nephews (and occasionally other family members), often accommodating specific requests. For example, one of the nephews requested a “Dig Dug themed cake with raspberry filling and a surprise inside.”

Odd and/or random things that make me happy:  a list.  With pictures.

Read Part 1 first.

I like maps.  Not that anyone uses a paper map anymore, in this age of GPS and smart phones.    I think I inherited my love of maps from my father.  He worked in Army intelligence for a few years, translating aerial reconnaissance photography into usable maps.  He wouldn’t say much more about it, of course, but from time to time, he would haul out a stack of beautiful old paper maps and spread them out lovingly for both of us to admire.

Both my brothers married very well.  By that I mean, not only do they have lovely and talented wives, but in both cases, my brothers have become better men because of their wives.  Okay, there might be a few other factors, but really, I credit the wives.  My youngest brother still lives in California with my favorite sister-in-law, but they do come up to visit on the holidays, and she brings with her a delightful and easy dish, Cheesy Potatoes.