Thursday, May 28, 2020


I’ve been feeling more than a bit droopy today, and have done no knitting. I think I will excuse myself from standing on the doorstep at eight.

Before I forget: I heard from Misa Hay today, the woman who so brilliantly organises and leads the Shetland Wool Adventures in happier years, about a magazine she is about to launch. And she mentions that “Vogue Knitting is being downscaled”. WHAT IS THIS? Why didn’t anybody tell me?

Southern Gal: thank you for your comment. I would have replied to it except that when I try, my replies get swept away into the void as happens to so many of yours. We are going to have a new Blogger at the end of June. I dread it, but perhaps that particular problem will be solved.

If what you say is true (and I’m sure it is), it explains a good deal. But (a) why not come clean? David Cameron’s son Ivan (now dead) had as dreadful a medical condition as can be imagined. There was never any concealment and (I hope) never any undue publicity. And (b) in that case, it is all the more surprising that they felt they had no one to turn to for help in all that great city.

I have been zero-ing in on sourdough bread baking. The things I sent for have arrived. My starter is in good health. I’ve got flour. There is no excuse not to plunge ahead.

The difficulty is that it sounds as if one has to be on one’s feet for 24 hours. First you feed the starter and wait for six hours or so, thus making a “levain”. Then you add it to the bread flour (after a bit of autolysing) and leave it for a while. Then…well, you get the idea. After a long, long day of this you can put it in the refrigerator overnight and go gratefully to bed. Essentially, there are some stages where you have to watch so that it doesn’t over-prove and start to fall; and others which you can suspend with cold.

One wonders how they managed in the stone age.

9 comments:

  1. Jean its obvious the Cummings's choice is not to reveal this condition instead of taking the grief and backlash that they are enduring. perhaps they are thinking of the longevity of items published and available on the internet and the affect that may have on his future life.

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  2. Correction. ...condition, but instead to take the grief...

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  3. Hi Jean, Jenni from Seattle again. I am on my 2nd #25 bag of flour since quarantine started. All of it used for sourdough loaves.
    Take your starter out of the fridge. Stir it and add some warm tap water then stir in some flour. Cover it, I have an old Pyrex pitcher w/ a plastic lid that mine lives in. The ideal is that you start with about 1/2 cup of unfed starter and add enough water and flour, maybe half cup each. I usually feed mine before I go to bed. When you get up, stir the bubbly starter and measure out a cup of the stuff. Put the rest back in the fridge or feed and repeat for more bread.
    Mix: the cup of starter, 1cup warm tap water, 1tsp salt and 3.5cups of flour. Mix well until it forms a ball, cover w/ saran and set it aside until it has raised a couple of hours, dump it on a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. Put in a bread pan and cover with that same saran. When it has raised so that it is even with the edge of the pan score it with a serrated knife and put it in a COLD oven, 360 degrees for 70 minutes. Done. This is totally forgiving. If the first raise goes on for a long time, all day... and it triples in size>> knead and form like usual but be aware it needs very little time for the second raise, 30 minutes!
    I often substitute no more than 1cup whole wheat flour or 3/4 cup rye flour in the original 3.5 cups of flour. I also occasionally add a cup of olives, dried fruit, capers or chopped nuts when I mix the dough.
    I hope this helps. There is no reason you need to be on your feet for 24 hours. People make it out to be a huge production...It's not! Have fun. Cheers, Jenni

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  4. I receive many emails from Vogue Knitting, and that is news to me, as well. I’ll have to investigate, I have never made sourdough in any form. I watch with interest.

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  5. “Because of this, we at SoHo Publishing (parent company of Vogue Knitting and Knit Simple) have made the hard decision to close Knit Simple. We will also be decreasing the frequency of Vogue Knitting to two fall issues at first, and hopefully within the next year, up to three issues. This is where we began almost forty years ago—the brand is too strong and important not to continue.

    I also have some exciting news, as a new Vogue Knitting magazine team will be formed and lead by Norah Gaughan as editor-in-chief. Norah needs no introduction—she is the best of the best. An editor, merchandiser, and designer, she has a passion for and true understanding of today’s knitter. I have full confidence that Norah and her newly formed team will create a publication that deeply resonates with our fiber community. I can’t wait to see her impact on the pages of the premier fashion knitting publication in America. I’m sure you will all join me in welcoming her to Vogue Knitting.“

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  6. I throw all my ingredients into my Kitchenaid and mix, then knead with the bread hook for about 4-5 minutes. Let rise or put in refrigerator until ready to proceed. I usually let rise once, punch down and shape into loaves, let rise again and bake at 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes. I've had perfect sourdough bread and bagels each time and none of all that fuss. I watched several videos before starting which ranged from the fuss every hour for hours to the streamlined mixer method. Mixer method for me! :)

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  7. Anonymous11:26 AM

    Re the Cummings affair: Why do we as humans love to jump to conclusions without knowing any of the facts and then on top of that start questioning their reasoning without, again, only knowing Some of the facts. Politicians' family matters should be given some slack. Re Vogue Knitting: they have been reducing content for quite some time, so sadly, no surprise. I hope Norah can find a way to make room for every one in this current indie climate. We need a strong magazine voice. Chloe

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  8. Anonymous8:55 PM

    Sorry for the rant. Must have struck a nerve. Chloe

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    Replies
    1. And why would I post something that is untrue? As I said I cannot divulge more but I am in possession of the underlying facts.

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