Warm Hands, Hot Tea and Clean Dishes

The tea cozy is done. This one seems to keep the tea hotter than the old one. Maybe it's the deep ribs.

I altered the pattern a bit, because my teapot is smaller, really a one-person teapot. Here is the Ravelry project page with information on my minor modifications.

Before casting on for the mittens, I really needed to make myself a new nylon scrubbie. Here's a link to the free pattern. You use a size K crochet hook and six 1 3/4" strips of nylon net tied together.

It was time for some more kimchi. I started this before last week's blog post and it was ready o Wednesday. My head of cabbage (I used regular green cabbage) was a bit small, so I sliced up a zucchini and added that with a very large carrot and the usual green onion. You can add other kinds of vegetables, too. I've added sweet pepper when I've had it (bell pepper or the little sweet peppers).

My sourdough is still going strong. I make a new loaf at least once a week for sandwiches.

DH started his new Aerogarden going a few weeks back. We have been harvesting leaves from the one lettuce plant, and the little tomatoes already have flowers on them.

Tuesday I cast on the first Mummers Mitten. I finished it on Friday. Here's the back showing the pattern.

Here is the palm of the hand. This "pattern" is called Salt and Pepper.

I got the pattern from this book, Salt Water Mittens by Christine LeGrow and Shirley A. Scott. 

The Ravelry pattern page is here. I'm at the top of the pattern on the second mitten. There's just a few rows of salt and pepper and then the shaping for the top of the fingers, and then the thumb to go.

Friday I dropped off some shoes and the molds of my feet at the place that makes my orthotics. I had been saving money to get a pair for my outdoor shoes, so I wouldn't have to keep changing the orthotics from one pair of shoes to another when we go for walks and come home. My Covid money came in handy, so I was able to do it right away. There's quite a bit left over to go into the publishing expense pot for the next book.

Speaking of the book, I stopped in at our local Barnes & Noble store here in Bend after dropping off my shoes at the orthotics lab. I had noticed that my book was finally available at B&N online, but not for pick up in the local store, so I took them a preview copy. I got to speak to one of the managers. She looked at the book and then looked it up on her system, found it, and said she would order copies. B&N has been taken over by a company that wants to turn the shops into something more like a local bookstore, and they are looking for local authors to promote.

What's on my needles: The second "Mummers" mitten.

What's on my sewing machine: Cobwebs.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week. When it gets late before bedtime 

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Special Glasses. Pippa wonders why Mandy only wears her glasses when she's reading or doing close work, and Emil never seems to take his glasses off. He explains his disability and his special gift to her. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still The Black Madonna by Stella Reilly, more progress made, and Love Is the Way by Bishop Michael Curry, Chapters 9 and 10. My church's Adult Forum is discussing it, two chapters at a time. In Chapter 10, reference was made to the Project for Deeper Understanding, which was started by Charles Robinson, the priest at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Park City, which was my church and my priest when we lived there. We attended some of the sessions when we lived there, each covering a different topic. The idea is, if someone has a different opinion from you, you ask them to explain what in their life led them to that opinion, instead of just saying they're wrong.

What's in my wine glass: Purple Moon Shiraz 2018. I liked it a lot.

What's my tip of the week: Live basil plants will live longer if the roots are kept wet. We keep ours in a dish that's slightly larger than the base of the pot and more than 2" deep. When I see that the water is mostly gone, I refill it. The plant is happier with bright daylight and some sun. It doesn't do well if it gets cold.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. The three stories in the book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. The stories (and links to them) are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.