More Time in the Kitchen

Spring has sprung. As the daffodils fade, we now have tulips:

The sweatshop is closed for now, the masks having been picked up by a volunteer on Wednesday to be mailed to the Navajo Nation, which has been badly hit by COVID19. Our little group sent 200 masks.

Still making face masks? Here's an innovative design from Lee & Pearl that you can try out. It uses the materials you have.


I did do some more sewing this week, however. Veronika needed a new outfit, so I made her some leggings and a blouse from the Joy Blouse pattern. It's small, fairly complicated and fits nicely, so it was entertaining to sew.

I finished the knitted dress for Charlotte. It's a pretty quick knit, so it only took a few days, now that I'm done with masks for a while. The pattern is my free Everyday Play, which can be made to fit 18" dolls like American Girl or the slimmer Götz Happy Kidz, like Charlotte.

I put these outfits together, along with Mariah's from last week, to make a little story about how the three girls planned to go to a movie and then to a restaurant for dinner. In this scenario, they tell me what their plans are, and I remind them that the movie theaters are closed and restaurants are only doing take-out, because of COVID19, and they remind me that they are dolls, so they can pretend to do anything they like. Veronika is going to pay, which is why she has the purse. (The dolls only have one purse to share.)

They apparently have an Uber waiting for them outside. This was my contribution to an activity in the Goetz Doll Lovers Forum on Ravelry, which had the topic "Fun Together With Friends." The outfits made were supposed to be for going out and doing things that we haven't been able to do since the virus arrived, a little vicarious satisfaction for the participants.

The Charlie's Kep (Katie's Kep pattern) also got some attention this week, with a few more rounds knitted.

My sourdough starter is finally ready to use, but I've been trying to use up the sourdough "discard" from all the feedings to get to this point. Now it's time to use some of it and then feed it again. I'll have to use some and feed it once a week from now on.

What do you do with the "discard?" Well, you can throw it away, but that seems like a waste. There are some recipes that call for it. For instance, you can use some of it in waffles. We did this. It makes the waffles rather tough, but I might try using it in my oat bran waffles, which have no added flour, just oats and oat bran. Maybe they won't be as tough. The waffles were tasty, though.

I decided to make bagels, because we have run out. I used a small amount of "discard" in the bagels, and this worked better.

As the bananas ripen, I've been slicing a few, arranging them on a cookie sheet on parchment paper and freezing them. Then they go into a plastic bag after they're frozen. This is about eight bananas.

They will keep for months like this. You can use them in anything that calls for bananas, or just eat them frozen or slightly thawed.

The bean sprouts were ready, so they went into the fridge, where they will keep for days or maybe a couple of weeks, although I don't think they will last that long, because we plan to eat them.

I used about two cups of bean sprouts in a stir-fry Saturday night. I added onions, garlic, carrot, celery, mushrooms, kale and sweet peppers. 

Toward the end, I added half a package of Quorn Meatless Pieces and a bottle of Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce. We had it on brown rice.

You may remember from last week that we had some growth in our aero garden. Well, things are a little bigger this week. Still no sign of life with the chives, however.

We're getting the garden ready to plant. There are a few bedding plants ready to go, and we have some seeds. Stay tuned.

Our weekly Zoom meeting went as planned. Our older son is back to working full-time, which includes Sundays, but he managed to pop in using his phone. We had him or a while until the store bell rang, and he had to put on his mask and attend to a customer. We have one more meeting scheduled.

We have a date to celebrate Daphne's birthday with her on Thursday. We'll use FaceTime for that.

The mushroom kit has arrived and set up, but we haven't had it long enough to see any mushrooms yet. They will be Shiitake mushrooms.

What's on my needles: Charlie's Kep. There's a group on Facebook for working on this project.

What's on my sewing machine: Both machines are due for oil change and lube, or at least cleaning and oiling/lubrication.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Bloom. The boys wonder what flowers are for, and Mandy explains. There are birds and bees mentioned, but it's not your "birds-and-the-bees" kind of story.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Lost Girls: The Maine Murders by John Mills. Now I'm about halfway through An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White. I stumbled upon this author when I had the Audible "Escape" package. I've listened to several of the series, and I have one more in my library.

What's in my wine glass: Red Boar Bobal Vino de España 2018. Another good one.

What's my tip of the week: I keep green head cabbage on hand for a fresh vegetable that keeps for weeks in the fridge if you don't cut it but just peel off individual leaves to get as much as you need. Run out of lettuce and still want salad? Just slice the cabbage thinly and add your favorite salad ingredients. We've been adding mixed sprouts these days, but here's one of our "cabbage" salads from the end of March.

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.

Closing the Sweat Shop––for Now.

Here you see 78 more masks, and two more under construction.

The hospital has reached their goal of 10,000 masks for their staff and don't need these, so someone will be picking them up to take to the Navajo Nation on Thursday. By then, I'll be able to give them 80, as the last two are almost done. It has been fun, but I'm looking forward to doing other things. I'm sure I will still make a few more. The Wisconsin grandkids are using bandanas, and they will need real masks as things start to open up. The Oregon grandkids have some masks made for them by someone else.

I've been throwing fabrics onto the floor after getting as many masks out of them as possible. That led to a big pile of small amounts and scraps. I was able to get this blouse out of one of them, all but the neck band, and I had homespun fabric left over from another project for the slacks. I was able to get the bias strip for the neck band out of the homespun. Mariah wore the new outfit in Friday's story.

Masks were the priority this week, but I was able to get a few more rows done on Charlie's Kep. (Pattern: Katie's Kep by Wilma Malcolmson.)

The Goetz Doll Ravelry Forum is having a JAL (join-along, which is knitting, sewing, etc.) focusing on getting out with friends, sort of a way of giving us some vicarious socializing through the dolls. I'm not competing, because I'm providing the prize this time, but I'm playing along. I decided to knit my Everyday Play Dress pattern for Charlotte. I've had this Knit Picks Felici in "Sorbet" for some time. I had enough for a pair of socks, and I can still do that with what's left; I'll just have to use another yarn with it.

I picked up orthotics for my dress shoes from the orthotist last week and have discovered that they can also be used in my dress sandals, so I'll be back to wearing my hand-knit socks again. (Yaaaaay!)

I've been having nesting urges since the stay-at-home orders began. We had bought a lot of apples in one of our last grocery deliveries, so I decided to dry some of them before they go bad. We unearthed the dehydrator in the garage and hooked it up. It only took about 14 hours, because I had sliced the apples fairly thinly. The dried apples are like candy!

Along with more sprouts, which we have been enjoying, I made another loaf of bread baked in the enamel casserole and started some sourdough starter. I'm using the recipe from King Arthur Flour. You have to feed it once a day for a couple of days, then twice a day for a few days. It's ready in five days or so.

This is what I had after 48 hours.

The recipe says to remove 113g of the starter, "feed" that 1C flour and 1/2C water, then discard the rest. Um...I'm not throwing food away! Fortunately, there are recipes you can use the "discarded" potential starter in, like bread (which won't necessarily be sour), pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc. I made some rye bread with some of it and planned to cook waffles this morning. (That's what I'm doing as this appears.)

DH decided to set up the AeroGarden a couple of weeks ago. We used this a lot in Utah, but it has been dormant since we moved, as have the herb seeds we had for it. We weren't sure if they would sprout. They might have been a little slower than usual, but all have sprouted except the chives, and they might just take a little longer.

We have a basil plant we have kept going ever since DH made his last trip to Trader Joe's, and that has been several weeks. I have discovered that keeping it in a dish of water and watering it by pouring water into the dish instead of onto the plant works best. 

Just for a change of pace, I made myself an "Ifill Tower" from stamps I ordered online from the post office. I probably won't use these until Christmas, so Gwen Ifill will adorn my Christmas Cards instead of Santa or an angel. I was just doing it to support the USPS during this time when we depend on them so much.

Our Dusty turned four on Friday. Here he is during one of his few quiet moments.

We got the doggy birthday cake out of the freezer and both dogs got a piece. They will have to eat some every day, so we don't have to throw it out. I don't want to freeze it again.

I need to check with the groomer to see if she has a way to deal with clients safely. The pups are really getting shaggy.

What's on my needles: The Charlie's Kep (Katie's Kep) and the Everyday Play Dress for Charlotte.

What's on my sewing machine: The last of the masks for now.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Distraction. Mariah tries to write an essay, but can't find a place to work where she isn't distracted.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor and am looking forward to the next in the series. Then listened to The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West, a nonfiction work about women's rights. Next I listened to The Hike by Drew Magary. This book was a work of fiction that reminded me of a role-playing game or video game that meets up with Alice in Wonderland finished by O. Henry. It made me laugh. It made me roll my eyes. It was poignant at times. (Caution: Bad language. Lots of bad language.) Now I'm listening to Lost Girls: The Maine Murders by Jon Mills. I'm almost done with it. It's mystery/crime/horror and pretty creepy. As you can tell, I've not only been burning through my fabric stash, I've been burning through my Audible library. It's about time.

What's in my wine glass: El Tinto from Madroña Vineyards. It's a favorite when we can get it. Always good, but it not always the same.

What's my tip of the week: If you have two spools of the same color thread, you can rewind bobbins without taking the thread out of your needle. It's easy to thread the Sparrow 15, because it has a threader, but my wonderful little Featherweight doesn't have one, and it's a nuisance when I'm sewing with my computer glasses on. When I have to rewind the bobbin, I just remove the thread and put it down on the base of the machine. Then I put the other spool of thread in place, rewind the bobbin, switch the spool backs replace the bobbin and I'm good to go without having to thread the needle. (Of course, you could have a lot of bobbins already wound and ready, but most of mine still have thread on them in various colors, and I hate to throw away thread if I don't have to.)

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.

Masked Ball

A family friend picked up 82 masks from me on Tuesday. This is what she picked up.

She's a surgeon who works at the local hospital, so she could take them to work. I already had these cut out.

I've been continuing to make masks, which will get picked up when I have a sizable amount, enough to make it worth picking up. I'm using the pattern they provided. They provide the filter and the nose piece or wire. Here is the tutorial I wrote to go with their mask. A link to the original pattern is included in the tutorial, as well as a link to rotary-cutting instructions. One of the preferred fabrics is quilting fabric, of which I have a plentiful supply. I'm up to 115 total for the hospital.

Meanwhile, our total cases for the county is up to 70, as of Friday night when the last reporting period ended. Two more cases had to be hospitalized.

We've been enjoying our sprouts.

We're growing them from sprouting seeds I bought through iHerb.

I have been unable to get more whole wheat flour, which is what I use to make my bread. I'm now down to my last 5-lb. bag, so I have been experimenting with adding wheat bran and wheat germ (toasted) to unbleached white flour to make bread. This one was made with 1 cup of whole wheat to two cups of white flour with my additions. It turned out OK.

I used 3 lbs. of frozen tomatoes to make spiced tomato jam. The recipe made two pints.

The pups are getting shaggy. Rocky needed to go to the vet to get a shot, so I gave him a good brushing. Dusty was really dirty from chasing the ball on the trail, so I brushed him and then gave him a bath. I was regretting having given our old dog clippers to our groomer in Park City before we moved here. I hadn't used them since we lived in Indonesia in the '90s, so why keep them? Little did I know.

Social distancing at the vet's was easier than I expected. We called from the parking lot. The vet tech opened the door. We let go of the leash and Rocky trotted across the parking lot to the door. After being weighed, vaccinated and checked, Rocky was brought back to the door and released into the parking lot. He came right to the car and was ready to get back in. We never got within 12' of another human being, although Rocky did.

I was getting the dolls ready for the photo shoot for Friday's story, dressing, fixing hair and then standing the doll on my cutting surface as I went on to the next. After finishing the fifth doll, I turned around and saw this.

Of course, I had to look to see what they were all looking at. It was the bicycles on the top of my fabric cabinet. The dolls come to life in my stories. Sometimes they really seem like real little people to me.

I haven't done much knitting since starting on the masks, but I have a little progress on Charlie's Kep. (See below.)

In other news, spring has finally come to our place.

Actually, tulips are blooming elsewhere in the neighborhood, but our front yard doesn't get as much sun, due to a beautiful huge fir tree in our front yard. (We need to replace the bushes. They cover the windows in the spring and summer and can't be pruned back anymore.)

What's on my needles: Still Charlie's Kep.

What's on my sewing machine: More masks

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Beliefs and Facts. The dolls discuss how to tell the difference between a belief and a fact.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Right Behind You by Rachel Abbott, then The Man on the Mountaintop by Susan Trott and Smouldering Fire, another novel by D. E. Stevenson and then The Golden Orchard by Flora Ann. Now I'm listening to An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor, another of The Chronicles of St. Mary's series.

What's in my wine glass: Montevina Skyland Ridge Zinfandel 2016. Excellent!

What's my tip of the week: We're being encouraged to wear face masks these days, but experts have been saying it's more for the protection of those around you than for the wearer. This week NPR reported on a innovation that new research indicates may make home-sewn face masks "match or exceed the filtering capability of medical-grade surgical masks."

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.

Workshop!

The work table is full! 

Full of masks in various stages of construction, from washed, uncut fabric in the foreground, to cut-out pieces matched with the best thread from my collection, to pieces with the folds and folded-tape ties pressed and ready to be sewn, to finished masks. The count for the hospital is at 58 and growing. The tutorial for the pattern I'm using is here.

I gave our mail carrier one of these, along with a homemade filter and the metal nose piece from my BIL. I plan to give one to the young woman who brings my groceries out to the car.

Here are the masks that went into the bag ready to be picked up by a family friend who is a surgeon at the hospital.

My back was bothering me, mostly from standing at the ironing board ironing the folded-tape ties, so I called The Quilt Basket (formerly BJ's Quilt Basket), my local quilt shop, on Tuesday to see if they had one of these bias tape makers. They are open for business, but you can't go inside. I ordered over the phone, then drove over there and called them from the parking lot. I left my door open and stood back. Someone came out, tossed it into the car, waved, and I was on my way home. I bought a yard of fabric, too, just to support the shop, which I'm sure is having difficulty right now. They ship free for orders over $80. They have kits for the masks I'm making for $10, which will make 10 masks, so that's only $1 each mask. They also have free kits donated by people who don't sew or have enough money to share. (I didn't need a kit.)

The bias tape maker I bought is designed for fusible bias tape, but it works fine, and they knew exactly which size I needed. It has really saved my back!

When I'm too tired to stay on my feet anymore, I can knit. I finished the "Bend in the Road" hat (Roadside Beanie by Oliver Henry and Sandra Manson). I blocked it on a Tupperware head lettuce bowl. (Those black things are supposed to be fishing boats.)

I think it's a pretty design.

Here it is, all blocked and ready to wear, just in time for summer.

Then I started the "Charlie's Kep" (Katie's Kep by Wilma Malcolmson, which is free right now). It comes in these colorways. Charlie picked the last one in this photo, but it's Colorway #2 in the pattern.

Here are the actual colors in the kit from For Yarn's Sake in Beaverton (online store open). They will ship to anywhere in Oregon for free. I assume they will ship elsewhere, too, but with appropriate shipping costs.

The ribbing is done. On to the pattern!

In other news, I started another batch of kimchi and our first batch of sprouts in many years. 

My sprouting jar is a one-quart canning jar fitted with a screen in the lid. I bought these seeds from iHerb.

Here's a look at the seeds as they start to sprout.

At harvest, the two tablespoons of seeds yield a quart of fresh sprouts for salads or
sandwiches.

Sunday's church service was still celebrating Easter.

(Photos seem to be disappearing from my regular blog posts and the posts in The Doll's Storybook. I'm not sure why this is happening. They are not linked to another site, but loaded directly into the blog.)

What's on my needles: Charlie's Kep (Katie's Kep), 

What's on my sewing machine: More masks.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Unmasked! A Retelling of an Old Story. A very real fairy tale.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Spring Magic by D. E. Stevenson, then listened to A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, a new author for me, introduced through an Audible Daily Deal. Now listening to Rachel Abbott's Right Behind You.

What's in my wine glass: Martha Clara Vineyards' 2014 Malbec "Oregon Road" from The North Fork of Long Island. Excellent.

What's my tip of the week: If you have a mask that has a pocket for a filter, you can use a coffee filter, according to this article in The New York Times. Other things can be used as a filter, but some are dangerous to breathe through unless you have a layer of fabric between your nose and the filter. Coffee filters are safe, just fold them to fit

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.