Polls and the rabbit's eyeview

 When I got PR I thought at first I needed to supply an eye, before I realized there are two, but so far around her head you can't see them both together. Here's the mugshots

On the knitting front, I'm not sure I have enough yarn for two socks in the color I started with, so I'm adding in a different color for the heels and cuffs.

It's going along pretty cheerfully, now that I can listen more calmly to Prequel after good election results. And the Martin Walker police procedural ended very excitingly. 

I also realized I'm probably accidentally knitting up the yarn I had planned to weave for skirt panels. Doh. I'm going to revisit the skirt design. I have four panels and a pocket woven already, and some warm fabric for the rest of the skirt. So I think that's the next project. The weather's cool enough to think about it now. The stitching front needs a project now the wall hanging is done. Which reminds me to press it and see about the edges.

Speaking of excitement, you know the recent polls people were reading, claiming T***p was neck and neck with Biden, and getting all Henny Penny the sky is falling,  about? 

Aside from being simply silly to take seriously any poll a year out, this is enough to cool everyone's jets. Media is longing for the income they get from a close race, so it's in their interest to present it that way, by any means necessary.

Folks, don't be intimidated by propaganda presented as polling. Please. I'm old, I've seen a lot of this stuff in different countries I've lived in, and I may be cynical, but I think it's realistic to read poll results with an intelligent scepticism.

I have a new jigsaw puzzle under way, and, when I returned the last one, had an interesting chat with the library guy, about who likes the collection, how it's booming, especially the public puzzle which now has followers who come in to work it for hours, and people who like me, put in a couple of pieces.  Rose, he sent you thanks for your donation, said you really helped get the collection going! 

The new puzzle is an Audubon bird pic. I notice I tend to choose animals, birds and plants, usually from photographs. Nowadays there's plenty of choice in the collection. It's caught on.

Happy day, everyone, stay hopeful and thankful, if possible. Today's misfits box will have a couple of Thanksgiving items, part of our simplified meal.

Misfits, stitching and a puzzle

Misfits arrived yesterday, once again missing the Swiss chard and blueberries, but bringing the honey and almonds

I was sorry for the delivery man, since it was over 100°f when he left my box.

The honey and almonds are  for the upcoming granola, but today being another hot and humid one, I won't bake till the weather cools, maybe tomorrow.

The golden potatoes are really beautiful this week. I must remember to order shredded parmesan, to make cheese roasted potatoes.

Stitching is progressing, but the weather's weighing on me a bit. On the right is an earlier block I'm adding to.

Quiet day, my neck is a bit stabby, so I'm holding off the knitting, though I don't feel good not keeping up with my ministry.

And here's a Friday puzzle. I found a different answer from the more common one, so there's at least two.

Happy day, everyone, I think the heat has slowed me down, though I did finally get around to adding a hanger loop to my summer robe, one of those finishing touches you take a while to get around to.

Weaving, Textiles and Tea,leaves, Freecycle, fish and shakshuka

Packed day yesterday. 

Textiles and Tea was a really outstanding basket maker, who has been involved in African art and has great respect  for African basketry skills. He's wildly inventive, as you see!

And I'd been thinking shakshuka this week, so here it is. The recipe uses peppers, I used spinach and scallions

with whole wheat pita, to make sure of all the sauce.

I was weaving and stitching, with interruptions, more like irruptions, from Gary, who's laying new floors, I know, I hear the tappity-tap at all hours, and winnowing as he goes. He just shows up, knowing I'll help rehome stuff. He tends to shop aspirationally, very good items, then somehow doesn't use them.

Such as

Nearly all of them I put on freecycle, got fast takers and a waiting list, and they're now on my step ready for their new owners.

Amidst this, I've been stitching, and here's where I am, 

with this in progress

Just in case you wondered, these blocks are all going to be mounted on a base fabric, yet to be decided on, grid style and with space between and around them ( yes,  this does remind me of a hot Elizabethan sonnet) for more stitching and probably beading. What you're seeing up to now is just the start.

Weaving is happening every morning (except today, eye checkup, dilation, all that, this morning) and yesterday there wasn't anything to show you, because I'd spent my weaving time tightening warp threads and pawing through roving, nothing pictorial happening. I think I'll use only wool roving, for the warmth,"not the cotton. It's already feeling very good, though my skills are still a bit wobbly with the big heddle.

With back strap, if you use a rigid heddle, it's suspended in mid air in the warp threads, no resting place, so you lift and hold with one hand, feed weft with the other. I don't have a big enough shuttle for this width, so I've been handfeeding the weft. I may create one, though, a bit dodgy hand feeding.

 Here you see my somewhat artisanal results to now, and here I thought you'd like to see the back strap loom setup.

Very simple, the bathrobe belt goes round my back, I sit on the stool, the white bar is in front of me, the dowel holding the warp threads up close to it. That's it. To maintain tension, you lean back, and the warp threads respond. It's very physically cooperative. To advance the warp as the work progresses, I turn over both dowel and bar, keeping the backstrap under tension between them, and it won't unroll. It's a real partnership, which is why I like it.

Yesterday I was talking languages elsewhere, mainly fluency, or the lack, and I included British and American English. They are very different in use. I mainly write American style, but with occasional nods to my birth language. 

It reminded me of a Russian home health aide, helping with Handsome Partner, who said, well here at work I speak American, and at home Russian. You and A. speak American to me, but in the evening,  when everyone's gone, do you switch to English?  We explained that they're very similar, but pronounced and emphasized differently, not quite different languages.

In a way, yes. When we relaxed into our natural speech, it was different. It's hard for people who hear me and think that's soooo Brit,  to realize that it's far from my comfortable range, which would be close to unintelligible to friends here. They don't notice the thousands of daily adjustments I make for their benefit, just notice the places where it's physically not possible. Not complaining, just observing. 

In other gripping news, a police report, this from a few miles west of here

evidently, a large fish hurtled down, bang onto a transformer, knocking it out, power out for thousands of residents.

Happy day, everyone, watching out for falling pianos and fish.

Field and Fen Forages at the Farm for Food

Another invented dish today:  

cubed red sweet peppers, chopped green beans, cubed firm tofu, sharp cheddar, chunk of basil pesto, two eggs beaten with Italian seasoning and kosher salt.  Buttered dish, all poured in gently, topped with several curry leaves.  Baked at 375 for 25 minutes.


Very good lunch.  Originally designed to be two meals, but I ended up enjoying all of it.  Life's short.  Speaking of which, note the upcycled flower vases and other things pressed into service to hold utensils.  Much more appealing than the old plastic dishwasher insert they are replacing.

Stitching on my butterfly this morning.  Playing music this afternoon.  Cooking in between.