phenological events September 2013

1st harvesting sweet corn

5th harvesting roma tomatoes

12th harvesting green peppers

18th first wood fire

20th flax still blooming

22nd harvesting carrots

23rd harvesting potatoes

25th harvesting late lettuce

28th wooly bear caterpillars

predict mild winter

windfall

*


* Take approx. 7 lbs. of country apples.



Wash.



Peel.



and chop.



Stir in 2 cups of sugar/ 1 quarter cup of flour / and 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Let sit for 30 minutes until the juices start to flow. Cook down over low heat and pour into hot jars. Cap and ring. Hot water bath for 25 minutes.

*

Repeat from asterisk until all the apples are used up.



Thanks, to Curt & Judy, for the windfall!! Yields 12 pints, 2 quarts..... and counting!

loose the whorl

A few months ago I posted about the clay whorls I've been making, and how to spin and wind on directly overtop of the cop. A topic thread in the Spindle Lore Group on Ravelry led to the discussion about the times when the spinner does not want the weight of the whorl any longer.

So, since I'm right at the part if spinning where I want to loose the whorl, I decided to post a photo description on the blog, of how I deal with that issue.

When I picked up this whorl, I didn't have a shaft that was the right size for it, so I selected a dowel that was slightly smaller than the hole in the whorl. I wound some linen (handspun of course!) around the shaft at the point where I wanted the whorl to be. I was careful to leave a little tail and not knot it. Now, I slide the whorl over the top of the linen and begin to spin, building my cop as I go. In this photo, you can see the little linen tail sticking out beneath the whorl.



I've been spinning Icelandic wool, from the distaff, using the spindle in hand and spinning off the point. At the beginning of the process, the whorl gives me the added weight to provide good rotation, or "spin time". This avoids extra flicking...and frustration. After a time, the cop is built up and adds extra weight. The added weight of the spun yarn, plus the whorl, becomes tiresome on my hand, so I decide to loose the whorl.



To remove the whorl, I slide the cop up slightly, and pull on the little linen tail to unwind it ...and then I remove the whorl, and begin to spin again. At this point, I am simply spinning on the shaft. The newly spun yarn is wound onto the shaft in the same direction I would wind yarn onto a nostepinne. The spindle/stick is much lighter now, and easier to spin. Va La!



The whorl that is pictured was hand made by Grace Hatton, made from red clay, and was wheel-thrown with a happy little design added to the top. After the whorl has been removed from the spindle, I tuck it away (with the little piece of linen thread) in its own pouch for safe keeping. Grace also made the pouch.



It was handwoven on an inkle loom, and then four lengths of the band were sewn together and a zipper added to create a pouch.

red tomatoes and pink martini's

So, there are lots of red tomatoes coming in from the garden.



The first stop is in my kitchen sink. They look pretty and carefree floating about in the water.

I wash them and place them on the counter for quartering and a trip to the Squeezo.




As I begin to process the tomatoes, my mind wanders...and I begin to mentally process something that happened a few weeks ago... to two very good friends of mine.



Something unexpected. Something changed. It left me sad and blue...and seeing a little red...it is a "change that is hard and not so nice".



So, I'm singing the pink martini song while I stir the tomatoes. and hanging on. just like the little tomatoes.



It makes for good music to stir by, and reminds me that sunny somedays are still ahead....




The sun has left and forgotten me
It's dark, I cannot see
Why does this rain pour down
I'm gonna drown
In a sea
Of deep confusion

Somebody told me, I don't know who
Whenever you are sad and blue
And you're feelin' all alone and left behind
Just take a look inside and you will find

You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it's dark
And not a bit of sparkling
Sing-song sunshine from above
Spreading rays of sunny love

Just hang on, hang on to the vine
Stay on, soon you'll be divine
If you start to cry, look up to the sky
Something's coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead

And so I hold on to his advice
When change is hard and not so nice
You listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come one day soon to you

some r time

some of this:



some of this:



and some of this:



equals the sum of all my time!

The garden has produced a beautiful harvest this year!

Now the sweet corn comes.

I'm doing my best to stay up with processing and preserving.

and summertime is fading fast...but not without leaving us to enjoy a few hot and humid daze to remember it by.