Tuesday, May 05, 2020


Again, not too bad a day. Again, low on exercise and achievement. Except that I’ve finished the Virus Scarf, and improved the state of the kitchen.

I’ve given some inconclusive thought to what to do next. I could, of course, return to one or the other of my laces, but that doesn’t feel quite right. My stash includes – this is a bit embarrassing:

 – Marie Wallin’s “Lovage”. For some reason, long forgotten, I don’t have the Rowan yarn specified, but some nice Debbie Bliss. The colours are identified only by their Rowan names in the pattern. But I’ve got a colour picture, and could work it out.

--The Crazy Stripes Tee, by Anne Lernout, with yarn from the Ginger Twist studio near here, and two beautiful sets of small skeins – I suddenly can’t think of the word – for the crazy stripes.

-- The Yorkshire Capelet by Carol Feller, from IK Spring 16 with Whistlebare yarn from Yorkshire, mohair and wool, lustrous and luscious. I got it at the EYF, probably in ’16. There’s another nice set of mini skeins in that bag, although the Capelet doesn’t call for them. That one, however, begins, “Using the crochet chain provisional method, cast on 86 stitches”. I don’t feel up to that.

So I retreated to the socks mentioned in the sidebar. That’s what socks are for.

Non-knit

Thanks for all the help with my sourdough. Kirsten, you’ll have to join us! Plenty of flour and running low on yeast – the perfect scenario! Christine, thanks for the recommendation of the nourishedkitchen website – very useful indeed.

Starter recipes differ interestingly. Some say to cover tightly, others loosely so that natural yeasts in the air can get in. Some (like the one in Good Food magazine) say to add each day’s “feed” to the mixture; the majority, however, tell you to discard half and replace it.

I think I’m going to switch over to that system this evening – for one thing, I have grasped that, that way, the starter is getting considerably more food, proportionally speaking. And for another, I can add some chopped spring onions to the discard and make myself a sourdough pancake for supper. My mixture has begun to acquire a nice sour taste.

4 comments:

  1. I have already retreated to socks since my brain is on hiatus, apparently, and even simple instructions are beyond me at the moment. (Plus I have a lifetime supply of sock yarn.) I think the Lovage is gorgeous but would surely require a lot of focus, no? Enjoy your socks!

    I went to the local Target and got everything I was out of, except brown sugar. Oddly enough the Target had lots of flour and even a little yeast, but no sugar, white or brown. It is odd how the shortages seem to change weekly.

    I wish I could share your sourdough pancake tonight, Jean.

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  2. That IS what socks are for. I vote for the capelet.

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  3. Made my first batch of sourdough biscuits using my discards. They were very good!

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  4. Your stash-building and mine are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I'm currently knitting a feather and fan scarf from alpaca brought back from Peru for me by a friend, but also on the needles is a second Houlland using a pale blue lace-weight bought for two pounds from the charity shop. I do sometimes go out to buy for a specific pattern, but I have so many odd batches bought cheaply that this is a rare event. What a treat to open a bag ad find lovely skeins that you had forgotten!

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