Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Starting a new stitch.
The first hand work I ever undertook (besides my failure of a Grade Six sewing class) was cross-stitching. At the time I was the least crafty person I could imagine (seriously – I didn’t have a decorative bone in my body) – and yet for some reason I found myself drawn to a book called Celtic Cross Stitch at the SFU Bookstore and bought it. This became my first self-taught visual practice, one which has resurfaced intermittently over the years – in both small and large (tapestry-style) formats. (The last thing I finished was this pillow which languished for years in my UFO pile). I do tend towards sewing and crochet these days – but mostly only because my eyesight isn’t so great for small work anymore.
Recently I’ve been inspired by some folks on an online forum who do all manner of hand work – including cross stitch – and so I shopped around the Internet and found myself a kit for a table-runner (Christmas themed – this is my annual contribution to household decorating). This central star marks the start of it and I have to admit I’m a bit excited about it. I’ve never used a kit before – and they are a tad expensive for what you actually get – but there is a tremendous convenience in pre-cut thread and fabric that matches the pattern requirements.
I’ll share as I go – one more project to add to the rotation (I’ve got two crochet projects, three quilt projects and one dress on the go at the moment as well) – which pretty much ensures I’ve got most of the 2014 making schedule ironed out 🙂
Blueberry Lavender Mead Step Three
On the Mead front: After one week (in my case 8 days) of sitting in the primary (the plastic bucket) – it’s time for racking the mead. First I sanitized my siphon hose and pump and the 1-gallon jar. Removing the bag of fruit from the mix, I siphoned the liquid into the gallon jug and capped it with the airlock. Now it sits in my basement (you want this stored in a cool/dark place) on the shelf awaiting its maturation process. This can be bottled after one month, or it can sit and age for six months. This part will depend on how impatient I get with the process. Next up? Blueberry-Pomegranate Wine.
In case you asked…..
The jelly from last night did indeed set.
Sage Flower Jelly
I was out in my garden earlier this evening – doing some after work weed pulling – and I noticed that my massive sage bushes are in full flower right now. In previous years I’ve thought it might be nice to harvest some of those flowers and turn them into something pretty – and since I didn’t have anything else to do tonight (besides singing rehearsal and laundry), I figured why not?
Ingredients:
2 cups packed sage flowers
2 cups white wine
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin
Process:
- Bring wine and sage flowers to a boil.
- Turn off heat, put lid on pot and let steep for an hour or so.
- Add sugar and apple cider vinegar, bring to a boil and let sugar dissolve.
- Add pectin, bring back to a boil and let boil hard for 1 minute.
- Ladle into jars and process for 5 minutes in a boiling water canner.
This recipe makes 5 250-ml jars. There really isn’t anything prettier than a rosy jelly – now let’s hope it sets!
Progress at Malcolm’s Rise
When we bought our lot ten months ago, it looked like this:
After one more weekend of land clearing (there have been several now), it looks like this:
Additionally we have a name for our property (Malcolm’s Rise), a builder, a set of drawings of our cabin-to-be (will share when we get the final version) and a general idea of when the building will start. We also have the beginnings of what will be a massive woodpile:
It was good to get back up there and finish up the clearing of the build site this weekend – I’ve missed it since our December burn, though we couldn’t even see much of the land on that trip, it was so frozen. I expect we’ll be here one or two weekends a month for the foreseeable future. Next trip will be focused on finishing the outhouse (still needs a seat, a door, steps, a stain job and some wire around the bottom).
Red Cedar 