a simple yarn

A behind the scenes look.

The Transformers have saved the day!
Ehm, sorry.
Were you looking for Sam?
Fearing the Decepticons?
Hoping for Optimus Prime?

Here’s my transforming hero…

When we left Dublin, I couldn’t bear to part with my faithful mixer.
Or my newly purchased sewing machine.
Sadly, they run at 240 volts.
The rest of America runs at 110 volts.
Sigh.
But a quick internet search brings news of a step-down AND step up power transformer…on megatron-sale!
And I am back in baking business.

If (Time+Energy) = 0, then use Money…If (Money) = 0, then use (Time+Energy)

It was not long after our wedding that my mother-in-law first shared this universal truth—

Every individual has three commodities: money, energy and time; and most everything we do will be a trade-off to balance these three resources.

Simply put, when I don’t have time (or energy) to bake things from scratch, I have to use my money to purchase those items at the supermarket.  And when I don’t have the money to buy a certain item from the shop, then I will either a) do without or b) use my other two resources, time and energy, to create it.

Back then, we were young…and idealistic…and poor.
Now, we are older…a little more realistic…and live in an expensive city where we still have to watch our pennies.  So, Craft On Thursday means more practical pursuits these days.

Now, in our little cottage is a sunroom.
And in that sunroom is a futon.

And on that futon is a cushion.
And that cushion is coverless.
Which makes that cushion boring.

So, not having the money to dash out and buy cushion covers, it then becomes a matter of using my other commodities today.

A bit of fabric squirreled away for such an occasion.

Some recycled buttons.

A scrap of bias tape.

Some simply sewn (relatively) straight lines and here, the finished product.

Since I had more time after making just one, why not use a little more energy to zizz up some other dull coverless-cushions?

Sad partings are natural moments in life.

Standing there.
Waiting expectantly.
Hoping there was another way.
Other than having to endure this farewell.
A final send off.
A knot in the stomach.
A tear in the eye.
Time to say good-bye.

Liesl has gone the way of other hopeful patterns that were not meant to be.
To the frog pond.
Starting sleeves without the right tools set me on a path from which I couldn’t return to the land of successful outcomes.
Knit.
Rip.
Re-knit.
Rip again.
Ah, progress!
Blast!
Rip.
One more try.
Nope, can’t get it right.

There are times to be tenacious.
There are times to admit defeat.
I was tenacious in not letting a simple little pattern get the better of me.
But I have to admit defeat.
And lay this one to rest.
Even the frogging didn’t go smoothly.
A bit of salt in the wound.

To recover some self-respect, the yarn has immediately taken on a second life as a February Lady Sweater, with hopes of a better outcome ahead.

Because sometimes black and white bring out the colour in a project.

I know we haven’t lived in the cottage very long, but I was tired of waking up to this view.

Blank.
Boring.
Taking advantage of a rainy afternoon, I took a few of these…

…using a bit of this…

…spread across the dining room table.

‘Where’s the colour?’ asked the Kiddies.
‘There isn’t any,’ I replied.
‘You mean you did this on purpose?’ they responded.
‘Yes,’ I replied.
‘Why on earth don’t you want colour?’ they demanded.
‘Because sometimes the colour of a story is in its subject, not on the paper,’ I replied.

Now, each morning I wake up to this colourfully black and white tale.

Everybody takes off in August, don’t they?

Warning:  Momentary Knitting Diversion Ahead
In the spirit of ‘miracles do happen,’ I have completed a knitting project.

…a sock…
…complete with cables…

…for my mobile phone.

And that, as they say, is that.
The sum total of completed projects for the summer.

‘Liesl-In-Progress’ is now ‘Liesl-In-Regress’—a testimony to not having the right equipment and trying to rig a make-shift solution.  Even Husband-Will acknowledges that every artist needs the proper tool for her craft.  After wrestling a number of stretched, dropped and otherwise mangled stitches, and vocalising a string of grumbles with a few choice epithets, I’m off to the LYS for a better solution.  Such a simple and pleasing pattern shouldn’t take this long, but the [*knit x sts, rip same amount of sts, repeat from *]  is rather indicative of how life is going at the moment.

All of which reminds me that it’s August.
The ending of summer.
And I am tired.
The creative juices have ebbed, leaving a parched and empty palette.
So, a holiday is in order.
To recharge my creative batteries.
Anticipating the cool breeze of autumn.
Blowing in crisp new ideas.
With fresh photos.
A new start.
After the hols.

Forget Obama.
Forget McCain.
This is the force we should worry will take absolute control in America…

Postscript:
Free wheeling post brought to you by the new-to-me-first-generation-hand-me-down iPhone.

…wherein we try ANOTHER recipe from the otherwise pristine cookbook.

Feeling heady from the lemonade success, we immediately dive into another new Tessa recipe.

Meringue with Strawberries and Chocolate

Yep, I fear a monster has been unleashed…

…and I buy cookbooks.

Warning,  Confession to Continue—
Not to cook from.
Just to look at.
I am lured by the pretty pictures.
I promise myself I will use the recipes.
But that means I will have to open the books…with food around.
And that might make them dirty.
And smudged.
And they wouldn’t be pretty anymore.
And I’d be sad.
Sigh.

Here’s a favourite…to look at, that is…and to give as gifts.  Trying to overcome my addiction, I’ve forced myself to open it up.

Tasty (looking) recipes geared nicely toward children with options to spice it up for adults.  I do find that Tessa’s grouping of recipes based upon colour intriguing and ingenious, but a bit difficult for finding a particular recipe.  Ah well, that’s what an index is for, right?

Starting simply, Daughter-Kate and I attempt to beat the summer heat with a bit of lemonade.

I love the idea of dissolving the caster (superfine) sugar in water and briefly boiling the lemon rind for a snazzy flavour and wonderfully coloured syrup.

Let cool and add chilled sparkling water.

And there you have a summer favourite.
Hang on, this tastes like Sprite or 7-Up!

Attention:  Foggy Memory Flashback Ahead—
Our first days in Dublin were a whirlwind of new experiences.  Even the simplest things were a challenge to do.  Like ordering drinks.  Our first pub outing with the Kiddies found us ordering lemonade, expecting a still-water-lemon drink as we were used to in the US.  What we got was Sprite.   What?  We quickly learned that European Translation No. 1, Lemonade = Sprite.

So, a great homemade treat for the Kiddies.  Next time, Orange Fizzy.

Postscript Confession—
Thanks to Cornflower, I now have another cookbook on my wish list!