Monday, November 05, 2007

Nope Again

I am not happy with my results from my new knitting project. The yarn is feltable, but the boot fits before felting, making it a bad candidate for continuing with the process.

And I just don't like the idea of making another half of this tube and having to sew it onto the first half, as the pattern requires. It kinda looks like I have turned a heel without actually doing it, and I think I could decrease a few stitches on either side and continue to knit the rest of the boot down to the toe from this point...but then the sock would have to be carefully handwashed after wearing it. Not gonna happen. We do not hand wash our socks here at the Mexican Chalet.
So I am scrapping the whole project.
I am not adverse to ripping out knitting. I do it all the time. It is the process that intrigues and satisfies, not always the product. I have enough socks, as you know. But the idea of mitering a pair was enticing enough to take up most of my Sunday.
My other fixation these days is baking bread, and now I am convinced that I can make my own sourdough starter or mother. I need no yeast, it is in the air for free.
At least I thought so with my first loaf of sourdough. But then the second loaf just sat there doing nothing for about ten hours. Eventually I mixed up some packaged yeast with water and a bit of flour and added it to the mass of dough and it rose like a house on fire. I will be baking it off this morning.
My new routine seems to be to have my coffee and do email while the current loaf is doing its second rise, then baking off the loaf, and using a bit of the previous days dough as the starter on the loaf for tomorrow. O yeah, the diet is history.
I find that retirement is an adjustment. In a good way. I have no 'have-tos' so I find myself wandering about doing stuff like rearranging all the books in our library by subject, downloading hours of podcasts, and visiting the chickens several times a day. And currently Dave and I are watching all the episodes on dvd of Rescue Me. Hysterical and maddening at the same time.
I keep thinking I will have to go back to work soon...but then I won't will I?
Too weird.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:48 AM

    Try the Baker's Catalog (King Arthur) sourdough starter. I tried to get my own sourdough started, but the yeasty beasts in the air here don't taste all that great. I gave up and got their starter last year, and I've been making sourdough bread every weekend. It's been great! Also try adding a little citric acid, which Baker's Catalog also supplies, with the salt after the autolase. The citric acid gives it a good French sourdough taste. Just don't add more than the recommended portion, since they mean it when they say that the bread won't rise as high as it should.

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  2. No you won't "have to" go back to work, but you may want to make a guest appearance now and then, maybe a program for some local guilds in the future.

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  3. Anonymous11:33 AM

    The heck with the diet. It's not like you are going to sit down and eat the entire loaf yourself! With all the walking around you do on Casa Johnson I think you are ok.....

    Now I, OTOH,........

    teri

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  4. The artquilt list was asking why people blog. I just wanted to tell you that I don't know why you blog, but I'm glad you do because I enjoy your posts. And your pictures, ans your quilts. I was never lucky enough to take one of your classes. You retired too soon, but good for you. And what plans do you have for "our" birthday this year? Take care, Cathy Ortelle

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