Embracing Old Time-y

So.  I've been doing some interesting reading lately.  A bit of chatting.  And some thinking.  Here's what's going through my brain these days, spawned by books, conversations, and well, life.
 
There is an ever-growing "trend" these days, of returning to what many view as old-fashioned values.  I'm sure you've noticed the rising number of CSA's, farm stands, and farmer's markets.  You may have heard about the rising popularity of upscale restaurants delving into recipes from the past, sourcing local foods,  and adopting a less wasteful stance on food.  I know many people who make their own yogurt, soaps, lip balms, and brew beer and cider.  More and more people are gardening and keeping chickens.  I bake bread, as do many.  Canning is huge, and hip.  You've surely heard about the popularity of knitting - even movie stars are sporting needles and yarn these days.

I have a theory, though, about this resurgence of the ways of the past, that are generally viewed as trendy.

Perhaps, and call me crazy if you like, but just perhaps, it isn't a trend at all.  Perhaps, looking at the big picture, and the scope of human existence, we may more accurately view the past half-century or so, as the trend.  An anomaly.  Maybe we lost our way a bit, got a little excited by the supposed "freedom" offered to us by technology.  Less time spent "slaving" away in the kitchen...microwaved dinners...pre-packaged meals... cheap, store-bought, imported goods... These all seemed such a great idea, initially.  (And they still are, to many people.  I'm not slating convenience.)  But it seems to me that this gradual, and ever-growing movement to return to more traditional methods of supporting our families, and ourselves, is simply a way of seeking a more fulfilling way to live.  People are finding a great deal of satisfaction in growing their own food, knitting a sweater, collecting eggs.  There is a tremendous sense of pride to be had when we spend time thoughtfully creating something, or supporting a local business to do it for us, rather than rushing into the omnipresent, and ever-easy, Target or Safeway to pick it up.  It would be ridiculous to suggest that everyone move out to the country, and start a homestead.  But picking up a more traditional skill or two, one that we can share with and pass down to our children, our grandchildren, our friends and neighbors, makes sense.  It grounds us somehow.

I think we're very fortunate to have the choices that we have, and the modern conveniences that allow us a larger world view.  There is something rather important, however, in occasionally taking the time to shrink that world view down, and look around at our immediate surroundings:  our homes, our neighbors, and our local businesses.  It's peaceful, and gratifying, I think.

I was at a baby shower over the weekend, and chatting with friends that I've known for nearly twenty years.  I noticed a tendency to sort of poke fun at ourselves for embracing various old time-y activities.  Don't get me wrong, a little self-disparagement has a time and a place...and usually makes for a good laugh if you do it right.  I joke about my inner Laura (Ingalls, of course); my inherent geekiness.  Other friends laugh at how ironic it is that they're into these "hippie" habits.  Really, though, I think we're all rather proud that we've picked up a skill or two, often without the benefit, as in bygone days, of having our parents or grandparents teach it to us.  The sheepishness must come from this very fact.  We are children of a technological, time-is-money, era.  It hasn't been "normal" for quite some time, to bake bread from scratch, to knit our own socks, or to keep animals for food.  We should be proud of ourselves, I believe, whatever our motivations for embracing old timey traditions.  Some of us do it as a way of saving money.  Some of us desire to create meaningful traditions.  Some of us are just looking for a way of peacefully keeping our hands busy.  It's all valid, and significant.  And kind of awesome.

I'll start us off, on the shouting from the rooftops...I made my own yeast starter, a levain, in bread making terms.  And I am super stoked, and super proud of it.

About two months ago, I showed you this:

I cajoled the Mister into climbing some wild apple trees for me.  And some wild plum trees.  Free food, after all.  Just sitting there, ripe for the picking.  And nobody was picking.  It was a little too tart for eating, but great for applesauce.  And for making yeast.

I learned the technique in 52 Loaves, by William Alexander.  (Love this book, by the way.  I felt personally invested in his self-proclaimed "pursuit of truth, meaning, and the perfect crust.")  If you are just crazy enough to try it, like me, you will be well rewarded.  I am turning out some profoundly amazing loaves of bread these days.  I know I've said it before of other breads I've made, but Alexander's recipe for Pain de Campagne, is the end-all, be-all for me.  And because this post is getting mind-blowingly verbose, I'll share the recipe soon.  Bread recipes take some words, after all.

I will, however, share the recipe for making your own levain, to get things moving.  It takes a little time, and wild fruit, which contains wild yeast.  (Don't wash off the hazy coating on your fruit, that's the yeast!)  It's a pretty cool science experiment, too, if you have kids in school in need of a project.

Away we go:

Building a Levain - adapted from 52 Loaves

To begin, you will need:

2 apples, wild or organic, unsprayed*
1 cup water**
A large mason jar, or covered container, preferably glass

*I, in all my excitement, realized on Day 2 of my levain making, that I'd rinsed the apples.  I had a mini panic, until I remembered having read about yeast on wild plums.  Which I happened to possess.  So, I halved one, and removed the pit, and threw it into the mix.

**Leave your water out overnight, if it's chlorinated.  The chlorine, which will inhibit the growth of yeast, will evaporate.

Peel one of the apples (discard the flesh or use it in something else), and cut the other, unpeeled, into 1 inch chunks.  (If you're using plums, halve and pit them.)  Put the peel, and cut up fruit, into the container, with one cup of water.

Let the fruit and water sit, covered, at room temperature, for 3 or 4 days, shaking or stirring daily.  The mixture will be fizzing a bit, and should smell somewhat like cider by the third or fourth day.

Next, you'll need:

350 grams bread flour - preferably organic, definitely unbleached
50 grams whole wheat flour

*Note* Mr. Alexander prefers metric measurements, for their precision.  A kitchen scale is a cheap and super handy investment.  I highly recommend using one.

Build the levain:

Day One:

Combine 50 grams whole wheat flour with 350 grams bread flour.

Measure out 150 grams of the apple water through a fine strainer, and add 150 grams of the flour mixture.  (You'll use the rest soon.)  Whip vigorously with a whisk, scrape down the sides, and cover with cheesecloth.

Leave the levain at room temperature, whipping every few hours to incorporate air.  It's vital to keep it aerated the first few days.

Day 2:

Add 75 grams of water (treated as above, to remove chlorine), and 75 grams of the flour mixture.  Whip, and leave at room temperature for another 24 hours, again whisking occasionally.  You should see bubbles starting to form and the mixture slightly increasing in bulk.

Day 3:

Transfer the levain to a clean, 2-quart container.  Avoid transferring the dried bits from the sides of the old container.

Add 75 grams each of the flour mixture, and water, and cover, as before. 

If at any point in this process the levain starts to smell a bit funky, discard half, replace with equal parts (by weight) flour and water, and whip more frequently.  If the levain seems limpid and doesn't bubble or rise, increase the frequency of feedings.  (I didn't have an issue with either of these.)

Day 4:

Feed the levain once again with the remaining 100 grams of flour and 100 grams water, and let it sit at room temperature for two to three hours, then it will be ready for use.  It will continue to develop flavor over the next few weeks.

Care and feeding of your levain:

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

For the first few weeks, feed twice a week, or whenever you bake bread.  After that, it's only necessary to feed once a week.  I bake a few times a week, so I haven't actually needed to do this, since I feed it at baking time, as follows.

Feeding is simply part of preparing the levain for the bread.  You should always feed the levain several hours (I usually do it two to four hours before), or the night before making bread.  Remove the amount of levain the recipe calls for, then replenish it with the same amount.  (For example, you need 260 grams levain for Alexander's recipe.  I remove this amount, using my scale, then replenish with 130 grams each all purpose flour and water.  You no longer need to use bread flour for your levain at this point.)  This way, you will have a constant supply of levain.

Occasionally, usually once a week or so, I swap out the container for a clean (not soapy, or detergent-y) one.

To encourage a stronger, more sour levain (think sourdough!), leave out your container overnight, or for an afternoon, once in a while, and feed with smaller "meals."

You may see liquid forming on the top, a product of fermentation.  You can stir it back in, or if it's too much, you can pour it off.  Weigh the levain before pouring it off, then replace with the same weight of water and flour (in a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part flour.)  Then feed as usual.  (I've never done this.  I just stir it in, since it's never been much, I suppose because I bake so regularly.)

That's how it's done, my friends.  Mine looks like this these days:

The cool thing about it is that this can last years.  I hear about starters that are 80 or more years old.  Can you imagine?

And the bread?  Oh, baby...the bread...

...it's insanely good.  And it gets better - lighter, more hole-y, a little bit more sour - every time I make it.

I am definitely embracing old time-y around here.

Have a wonderful day.  I'll be back with the full bread recipe soon, for you.

Sweetness

Yikes, two weeks since the last post?  Shocker.  And this one, my friends, does not contain a recipe, I'm afraid to say.  For you see, these days, not much in the way of innovative cooking has been going on around here.  That's not to say it's not good cooking...just perhaps a few repeat recipes, and so simple it's maybe not blog-worthy.  But...I do have a little bit of sweetness to share...

Apparently that shout out of mine to breeders a while back hit the mark.  (The one in which I beseeched you all to get on with the making of babies, to give us knitters someone for whom to knit.)  And, people, you are really coming through.  You guys are making babies galore.  Well done. 

So, I've got the knits going on.  Here's a little piece of sweetness:

And the wee buttons on the back:

The pattern is the Rio Dress, by Taiga Hilliard.  Ravelry notes here.  I loved knitting this wee dress.  It's somewhat traditional, I think, but with that seed stitch panel, it's got a little special something.  And I would not mind knitting it again, just so you know.

And a long overdue gift for far-away friends:

That's right, another stuffed animal.  With good reason though, as our friends live in England, so I've not met their little one, and have no idea her size.  So, a teddy it is.

And finally, a nearly finished work in progress, which I can't show you just yet, as it's a surprise for a little one.

I can tell you that they're pretty darn cute.

So, thank you, my fine fertile friends, for getting to work on the baby-making, and keeping my hands busy.

Have a blissful day.

An Agenda

This seems to be the year for babies.  Friends, family, acquaintances, that woman over there - ogling the chocolate aisle in the grocery store; they're all sporting either a pleasingly round bump, or a new little one.  Breeding is IN this year, my friends.  (Though not for this gal.  Oh, my, no.  We're onto the next chapter - the one where the kiddos are pretty trustworthy and independent - which means I get to slack off at gatherings and enjoy my wine, perhaps cuddle a baby or two, while my friends chase their toddlers.  And I get to sleep through the entire, blessed, uninterrupted night.)  All this baby-having is an awesome business, I must say.  Aside from the obvious perk:  that I get to love on some littlies (then pass them back to their harried parents and just maybe refill my wineglass); aside from that, my friends, there's this:  Babies are a major boon for knitters.

You see, knitting is a thoroughly selfish pastime.   Oh, sure, you may think we're quite generous with spending hours knitting a sweater, or weeks on a blanket, but listen up:  We do it, and happily, but with an agenda.  Here's the thing.  Knitting is sort of addicting, once you start.  All the lovely yarns, the sweet patterns...it does become somewhat of an obsession, if you're not careful.  Thus, by ensuring a healthy supply of breeding friends, we are able to justify our little compulsion.  The money spent on yarn, the hours spent knitting (that perhaps should be spent refinishing that dresser I started weeks ago), the time squandered spent wisely browsing Ravelry and Pinterest for knitting patterns.  Guess what?  We'd do all that anyway, if we didn't have you fine folks to knit for.  This way, we can say:  "Ah, dresser-schmesser.  I've got a baby to knit for!  I'm very giving, don't you know?"  "What?  Clean the house?  Well, but I would, only, so-and-so's about to give birth, and wouldn't it be a crying shame if that baby was cold?  When I, in all my generous glory, could have been paving the wool-clad way for that wee bundle?"  Yep, we're sneaky, we knitters.

So, here are a couple of projects I've completed recently...purely motivated by a generous spirit.  Of course.

For J's soon-to-arrive bubby:

 

The chevron baby blanket, from the Purl Bee.  It may be a selfish undertaking...but look how happy she is.  (And that baby won't be cold, you know.)

The next one was somewhat of a conundrum.  My brother and his missus have been expectant for many moons now, and I have been stumped as to what to knit my new nephew.  Because knit I must.  But I knew they weren't really the sort to dig a knit sweater...nor would they appreciate those awesome striped pants I made recently...and they'd probably think I was officially insane if I tried gifting their child a rainbow blanket.  Nor was I feeling particularly moved in the hat direction.  (See?  We may use you to justify our addiction, but we do attempt to make things you'll like.  Mostly.) 

So, the Kiddos and I were at the library the other day, and the Girl pulled a knitting book out, and wanted to check it out.  A toy and stuffed animal knitting book   Now, you may be thinking I have reached the penultimate pinnacle of nerdiness, but upon taking a closer look at the book - Knitted Toy Tales - I decided that it is definitely cool.  And I made this guy:

Who doesn't need a knit elephant, I ask you?  Right.  That's what I thought.

I finished in the nick of time, too...for look who arrived in the world yesterday:

Ahhh, bless.

Now, get out there and make some more babies, people!  I've got to get my knit on!

Un-seasonable

'Tis not the season, for knitting.  Or so you might think.  (You would, of course, be wrong.)  For those of us just crazy enough to seek a bit of peace and sanity in the rhythmic clickety-clackety action of needles and yarn, well, it's always the season. 

I've been unable to post some of the latest knits (until now) because they were gifts for soon-to-arrive little ones.  (And there are still some that I must wait to post - wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!)  And some I just haven't quite gotten around to posting, because, well, I'm kind of slow sometimes. 

So, here you go:

The textured shawl recipe, made of some gorgeous baby alpaca wool.  (I'll get around to posting Ravelry notes soon.)  Ravelry notes here.

Wool sounds weird and unnecessary for summer, but the evenings are still quite cool, so it's just the thing to throw over my shoulders, to prolong the outside time.

This one's pretty cute:

The baby and the pixie hat.  Done in cotton, wee L looks kind of awesome, I do believe.  Ahhh, bless the bubbies.

Check these babies out, though:

Seriously?  Knitted pants with a big, roomy bottom for wee cloth diapered bums?  There was only one friend that I could be absolutely certain would dig some wild knit pants for soon-to-come-babe:  J.  These come from one of my favorite knitting sites, Pickles.  I love all of their baby and kid knits, (especially these cool kids capris!)and often feel just a bit sad that I didn't learn to knit when mine were small.  Oh well, plenty of child-bearing friends these days. (Ravelry notes here.)

J needed a few Easy Peasy cloths, for the babe, too.  Of course.

There's more on the way...

Have a lovely day!

Handmade Christmas - Take 2

I just had a mini moment today, when I realized that it's been a week since my last post.  Oops.  All I can say in defense of myself (in a thoroughly unoriginal defense), is that it's that time of year.  And you know how that goes.  S*#t is busy.

Here's a little of what I've been getting up to, of late:

Teacher Prezzies, a la Lavender-Tea Tree Spray.

One of quite a few pairs of fingerless gloves, all of which still need their ends woven in.  As do the hats, which aren't pictured.  Easy peasy pattern, available for free here, on Ravelry.  Now to finish the other two pairs I still intend on making...

And Oh.  My.  Word.  Check these delicious little numbers out:

Felted ponytail holders, tutorial available here, on Kirtsy.  I sort of had to make them, when I spotted them, and oh joy!  found some felted balls at Michael's for the bargain price of $4.99 for a bag.  They take a whopping 5 minutes a piece, to sew the balls onto a hair band.  The girl and her cuzzie will dig them.

And, because I do so enjoy a challenge that defies all reason and logic...

Why not begin knitting a little lace, not so very long before Christmas?  Hm.  Rather underestimated the time this one was going to take.  And let's not even talk about the fact that I'm beginning to go seriously squiffy-eyed from knitting with teeny tiny yarn, on teeny tiny needles, into the wee hours...  Oh well.  It is quite pretty, and fairly enjoyable to knit anyway.  Although would be a fair bit more enjoyable, had I begun just a few weeks earlier.

So, fine friends, those are just a few bits and bobs, things going down around these parts.  Here's to finishing them all up...

Preferably before Christmas...

The Gifts

The Girl's birthday festivities stretched over two days, from her "actual" birthday celebration with family, to the Big Present...a girls' night out, dinner and a play.  Just the two of us. Couldn't have been better.  I have to say, the Girl's got some culture, and definitely knows how to have a good time.

 
Plus, she looks really cute.  And was in absolute raptures about the whole evening.  Love.

At Intermission, between dainty jaunts up and down the aisle, impersonating Cinderella (the play we went to see), she says to me:  "I need to be in plays."  Say I:  "I can see that."  Says she:  "Can you get me in one?"  Say I:  "Well, offhand, I don't know of any directors, but we'll see what we can do."

I suppose I'd best be looking for a children's theatre group. 

And on the handmade gifting front, I managed to get a couple of things done:

The mittens:

A little on the large side, they're the No Swatch, No Gauge pattern, Ravelry notes available here.  But, well, kids do tend to grow, don't they?

The skirt:

Based on the Lazy Days pattern, on Oliver+S.  I adapted it a little, since I did the bottom in fabric, rather than ribbon, and added some perfect buttons, to funk things up a bit.  My Girl does like a funky ensemble.  Check out those buttons!

Love.

One of my other absolute favorites, but not handmade, were these babies:

I spotted the boots back in September, and loved them so much that I paid full price...an act I try to avoid at all costs.  They're fleece-lined too!  I'm a bit gutted that the toes are already scuffing though.  Ah, well.

Kind of a black and red thing going this year.  I like it.  As does my Girl.

I've got a recipe coming soon, have a lovely day!

Two Down

I guess I've been a little absent of late.  From the blog anyway.  I am more than present in the day to day stuff of Life.  So, for the moment, computer and camera time have taken a back seat to everything else going on.  Cooking I still manage to make time for, I mean, a girl's gotta eat, right?  (Not to mention a girl's hungry Kiddos and Mister.)  I will have a recipe, or several, for you very soon.  But for now, a quickie.

Christmas is on its way!  And knitting is another activity which I am managing to squeeze into any spare moment, here and there.  Christmas prezzies...Two Down...lots more to go!

A finished pair of mittens (pattern here) for the Girl.  Which she thinks are for her cousin, because I knitted them in front of her, and they turned out way to big for the cuzzie.  A lavender hat for said cuzzie, work in progress, pattern available here, on SouleMama.  And a grown-up hat, nearly finished, just need to weave in the ends.  (That counts as one of the Two Down, people!)

And here and there, a row or two on my Genevieve pullover:

The body is complete, working on the arms now.  Good stuff.

I hope you are all blessed with a lovely Thanksgiving!

Surprised Myself

Some weekends don't go according to plan.  Like the tomato cluster* a few weeks back.  This weekend, my fine friends, stuff has been accomplished.  I've surprised myself.  Nary a bombed meal, a knitting project to be ripped out and restarted, a dough that failed to rise...That's a good weekend.  I wouldn't be so self-congratulatory right now, by the way, if I didn't regularly have innumerable blunders and faux pas, learning curves - shall we say - in my homemaking adventures (and misadventures).  That's not to say that I bungle everything...but you know, I do muddle through some days.  So, just let me have this one.

Here's what's been happening around these parts, over the last couple of days:

Homemade Bagels.  Wha wha what?!  Yeah, can you believe this?

I'm stoked.  Stay tuned for the recipe, coming your way soon.

The best damn cookie you've ever eaten, from Not Without Salt.  

Not lasting so long around here.  Go make some.

Using up my plenitude of tomatoes, a la Molly's Slow Roasted Tomatoes, 

from Orangette.  Heavenly.  Go make some.

Making serious progress on my Genevieve sweater.  Check it out!

It's starting to actually look like a sweater, people!

And I even took it off the needles to try it on...get this...

It fits.

(So far.)

Look what the Mister's up to:

Painting his board...the very first board he's ever shaped (under John Carlson's awesome tutelage!).

He'd like me to point out that it's a work in progress.

I say it's a work of art.

A Stu-Art board.  Haha.

And just see what was happening at the cabin today:

Sunshine.

What a great weekend.

I hope your weekend has been just as fabulous.

Withdrawals

Last night, when there was a spare second to notice, I found myself in a bit of a funk.  Little grumpy.  Little irritable.  Itchy fingers.  What could be going on?  Ah...knitting withdrawals.

Yup, I'm that nerdy.

I recently finished up a few gifts.  Because the cold may not be here yet (please, not yet!), but it's a-comin'.

This one for the Mister...

 

Handsome, right?  The Mister's not so bad, either.

That is the Turn A Square hat, by Jared Flood.  And it is damned cool.  My Ravelry notes are here.  Pretty easy-peasy, except for the fact that I used double points, instead of a circular needle, for the whole hat.  Which makes it a little slower going for little old me.  What are you gonna do?  I had a birthday coming up, a hat that called for knitting, and there you go.  Learned some new tricks too, with carrying the yarn up the inside, for stripes, and using the jogless jog technique.  Sweet.

And then this baby:

 

That's the Flower Bud Beanie, Ravelry notes here.  Made it in a charcoal grey bamboo blend, so it's not overly flowery, but still sweet and girly.  And I am so making one for myself.  Soon.

And yes.  Further proof that I'm a total nerd...

 

And also not the most talented photographer...

Wee booties for Brennan.  Oh.  My.  Word.   I cannot help my dorky tendencies.  And I am oh-too-grateful for dear friends that tolerate them.  (And a friend who may even put these little numbers on her sweet little pixie of a bub.)  Notes here...yada, yada, yada...should you feel so inclined to shout out to the world:  "I'm rather nerdy...making some booties here...but holy moses, they're cute!"  Shout it out, people.

So...three projects finished.  And some itchy fingers.  And a seriously busy week, back-to-school-style, with no time for knitting...

Yet.

I've got a few projects up my sleeves though.  Never fear.

Won't be itching and twitching through the withdrawals for long.

Off the Needles

 

Haha!  I so love when I get a project completed - especially when I receive a gift card for the yarn shop for my birthday...and kind of want perhaps, maybe, oh gee, to make something for myself.  I almost feel like I shouldn't be bragging (or blogging) this one, because it was so super simple...so simple, in fact, that I said to the Mister that I needed a more challenging project next time. 

Anyway, it's called the Seesaw Shrug.  My Ravelry notes here.  I love it, the girl loves it, we're all good.

It's a dancy sort of sweater...perfect for a jaunt on a somewhat sunny day.  Or a spin through the flowers.

As you do.

Whoa...got a little dizzy there.

I'm off to visit the cuzzies for a few days...see you soon!