Sourdough Gets Better

First off, I saw not one but two gorgeous sunsets tonight. One I captured in town with my iPhone, wishing I'd had my slr on me. After it went grey I headed up the mountain and got to see the rest of it, which was just as stunning, but with more gold than pink.





I was given an Amish Friendship Bread starter before Christmas. Never having had one before, I did a little research. Long story short, I just cannot get past the instant pudding mix, nor the _cup_ of oil.

Not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I decided to try something else. I fed it like sourdough for awhile, and then started baking. I've made pancakes that were pretty tasty (imho.)

The first loaf was tasty, and rose well in a glass loaf pan. However, it wasn't very sour, more like traditional white bread. The second loaf I tried flat on a pan, and didn't give it enough time for a second rise, so it's not very tall. But it's tasty, and finally has the distinct sourdough flavor.





In the backround is loaf 2, and in my hand is a small third loaf. I made it half whole wheat, ground in my blender. It's very coarse, maybe too much so. I may be looking for a small wheat grinder soon....

Here's hoping it bakes well!

After I get this kitten off my lap, I can go finish my chores for the evening =)

-- Posted From My iPhone

Me vs. The Ironing Board

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I've been busy, and haven't sat down to post in ages. Tonight, though, I want to tell about how I conquered my ironing board.

Before I get to that, look at my surprise super awesome present from my husband! I am now the proud owner of a Canon Rebel T1i.

On to the ironing board. It's been stuck in the "up" position for the better part of a year, when the lever came out. I did a little searching online, because I couldn't see immediately how to put it back in, and got frustrated with the results. The "hire someone," and "just buy a new one (several times if needed)" attitude was a little irritating. Not to mention wasteful in the second case. It turns out it's not that difficult, it was just hard to see the mechanism!

If you just need to see where the lever goes, look at the last picture.

Otherwise here is an illustrated guide to replacing the lever in an ironing board.


This is what it looked like when the board was stuck open. You can see the metal plate covering the horizontal beam, making it hard to see anything except the vertical rod which has notches on the top (from use)

This is what the mechanism looks like, once it's been collapsed slightly. You can see the ratchet design, the plate with a spring underneath. The plate has an oval opening with the spring pushing it up, but when you press in the direction of the arrow, it becomes a circle, allowing it to move. This is why it will open but not close, in this case.

Here is a shot looking at the open board again. The arrow points to that same plate, which needs to be pushed toward the flat end of the ironing board with a screwdriver (or the original lever, which worked for me)

Once you get it open, here is where the lever gets put back. The dotted line shows the lever behind that horizontal bar.

This is how I made sure the lever wasn't going to fall out again. I think the small tab to the left of my pliers was supposed to hold it in place, but with both of them covering the lever, it should stay in place.

Action shot!

Hopefully this helps others with the same problem.

And hooray for not wasting a few dollars, and not creating extra waste!

Thanks for all the positive comments so far! I'm so glad this has been helpful for so many people.

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New Leaves and Merry Christmas

My apple sapling is doing great! (History here)

It's got new growth, check it out:

And here's a Merry Christmas from a sleepy Casper.

Awwww....

Quick 'n Dirty Mittens

Take 2...

I had this written out a couple days ago but the app crashed, so I'm just now getting around to a retry.

I was reminded of the mitts I made for a co-worker last year, and thought: "I want a pair of those!" I'm not always very patient, so I stitched these up that very evening.



The idea was to not only be quick, but also to do it in one piece, as I dislike ending and starting new yarn when not needed.

I like them, but they're super bulky.

Version two is in the works, in a heathered lilac wool. Definitely more wearable. I like the sapphire, but it doesn't match much of what I wear other than my ring :)

Then I'll post the "pattern"


-- Posted From My iPhone

Yarn and Fabric Sorting

Yesterday I started organizing the craft room, which is long overdue. The two main components in there are yarn and fabric. The yarn towers were doing OK, but besides from being near capacity, they didn't lend themselves to sorting.

Plus I kept going back and forth on HOW to sort the yarn- color, weight, fiber? I finally settled on color sorting exclusively, with an exception for the thread, the baby yarn, and the fun fur. I also switched it to the cubes I we got at Costco for the linen "closet" at the old house. The result is much more pleasing.




And I have more room in the cubes! The clothes pins have little numbers written on them, to tell me how many skeins I have stored behind them. I decided to treat it like a store front and try to have unique yarns at the front, and duplicates behind them, out of sight. I love it :)

It's a lot of yarn, I know... But now that I can SEE it, I know what I have, and I can start using it first, before I run to Michaels to buy more. This collection is from the last decade, plus some even older than that.

While I was sorting the fabrics into the wire bins, Casper decided it would be a great place for a nap.




He's so full of energy, it's hard to get a photo of him on my phone, unless he's asleep. So here's another.

Isn't he a cutie?




I know it's dark, so I had to touch up the exposure, but I couldn't resist, as he was being too adorable!

Thanksgiving, and New Family Member

This year I'm sharing the cooking of Thanksgiving with a friend. I'm in charge of the deserts, and here's a preview of a favorite I made at my 'first' Thanksgiving dinner 3 years ago.





It's a chocolate pecan espresso pie. Yum!

In other news, we have a new 4-legged furry kid in the house.

The little cuteness himself, Casper:





He's a 5-month-old rescue with long grey fur, white boots and a white chest and chin.





The girls haven't accepted him yet, but that's not much of a surprise since he only came home on Sunday. He's quite adorable and violently friendly, as my husband aptly puts it. It's hard to get a decent picture of him, as he keeps moving around and loves to investigate whatever you may have in your hand.

Here's a picture of Spook and Marmalade from a few months ago, as they pretend to get along.






-- Posted From My iPhone

The Zim Pillow

Here's a long-overdue post about the pillow I made for my little brother. I started designing this thing about a year ago, and finally finished it in time for his birthday this summer.

If you're unfamiliar with Invader Zim, this little music video will help. Maybe.

Lots of fun to cross stitch, which I don't normally do. Also haven't made pillows in awhile... Definitely had fun picking out the fabric colors, and got a big grin from the fabric store clerk when I described what it was for.

Z!



The Gir detail is a little lost in the picture, unfortunately. The eyes really are blue.



It'd be fun to crochet a Gir toy. Hmm...



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