Embroidered Offering - Balance

The wheel of the year keeps turning, so that all thing remain in balance! I recently took an Oath in my spiritual path, and promised an offering. My oath was very much based on the theme of balance, so I thought my offering ought to be too!

It was a smallish piece, just one hoop's worth of stitching. I started out by divvying up the linen into quarters. I've learned that pencil lines wear off rather quickly, so I used regular sewing thread to baste in marker lines.

I did trees for the four seasons. (This is a favorite of mine!) complete with an appropriate amount of foliage - from little buds to nothing! 

 Next, faces! I had never done faces in stitchery before, if is a very interesting challenge. I have a masculine and feminine face, and I tried to make one old and one young. (They both look a bit old, hazards of hard shadows.) I'm fairly happy with how they turned out, but most importantly, the camera thought it was a person!

The final touches were some weather. Sunshine for the spring and summer, rain and snow for the fall and winter. All the things in their own time. Everything in balance.

We had a good bonfire for midsummer, and offerings were made. Welcome to the warm times! But, the days are now getting shorter, good news to keep us from getting too hot. Also good news for us travelers - I'm writing this in Iceland, the sun only set for about 3 hours last night, and it never got dark. I'm loving it in many ways, but sleep is also good! Here's to Balance!

Strawberry Lemon Balm Popsicles

 We've had a bumper crop of tasty strawberries this year, the wet weather isn't dragging them down too much! But a really ripe, truly tasty, fresh strawberry (besides being a thing of perfect beauty) is an ephemeral joy. They don't keep long after being picked, and this patch is not the everbearing variety.

There's a number of ways to store such delights, but my recent favorite is in a summertime treat - popsicles! The molds are from IKEA, but they are easy to find in stores this time of year. Ready? Let's make some frozen goodness...

First, I figured out how much my molds would hold using water and the measuring cup. Next I picked out the ripest fruit and filled it to the line. I chopped the fruit, and finely diced fresh Lemon Balm leaf, and added a bit of water and some honey to fill up to two cups. I filled my popsicles and set them in the freezer.... and waited. (Hardest part)

 And so, on the next sunny day, it was ready! I poured a Sloe Gin Fizz (a few months made the magic happen!) and settled down in the yard to enjoy the flavors of spring.

I might need more popsicle makers, I'll want to stock up on these! It extends the season a little bit, but new delights are ripening as we speak. Perhaps peach later in the summer? YUM!

Finds - May Flowers

April showers bring May Flowers, so they say. We've had flowers for weeks, and rain at the same time, so I'm not sure which came first! Here's some bright choices that Are getting me through my cold and rainy days.

A dapper choice for a clean Spring time look! Flowered bowtie from TrendyGents, perfect for a picnic or brunch.

A dainty bit of decor in May's flower - Lily of the Valley. Fantastic stitchery from ConeBomBom, perfect for a Victorian tea, or a wild day in the park!

Perhaps it's a good day for spinning? It's been raining here for a week (It's Colorado, that never happens!) so I've been staying in and crafting. But this bright roving will be cheery on the greyest day! Hand-dyed by SpunDreamz.

And do you need a fancy spindle? The magic of 3-D Printing means that a sweet, colorful, exciting spindle is super affordable too! TurtleMade for your spinning enjoyment.

Then, having spun and plyed your yarn on your fun little spindles, get knitting! (Yes, let's pretend you did this all in one day, and you have all the free time in the world, ok?) Adorable spring time yarn bowl from GlyntPottery.

Right now, in my Etsy Shop, grab yourself some May Flowers (or Trees, or Birds or...) and get FREE SHIPPING with coupon code FLOWERS. Enjoy the blooms of spring!

Blessed Beltane!

This weekend us in the northern hemisphere are celebrating the warming spring, the returning green, and fertile times ahead! My garden is starting to get moving, with most of it planted.

This little guy, my white sage, is blooming for the first time, just in time to feed the bees! Blessings!

Springtime Mead Making

 Springtime in the Rockies - New growth, fresh starts, clearing out the old! The bees are buzzing around dandelions and wee shoots are rising up everywhere. I followed my personal tradition, spring clean of the body. Aided, of course, by the yeasty beasties!

I mostly used the skin of the ginger, and diced and dried the rest for cooking.

Burdock root, Ginger, Lemon, and naturally every part of the dandelion plant! Sounds like a great cleanse, right? Well, after drinking a cup or two of this tea (with plenty of honey!), I dump the rest of my mighty pot into the bucket of solidified honey.

I used up most of last year's harvest of dandelion parts to make room for a new crop!

After this dissolved a good bit of honey I put it in the fermenting bucket and boiled a bit more water. That honey was good and solid! After all my liquids have cooled a bit I pitch some yeast and cover the bucket. In one year I'll have a batch of yummy Spring mead! In the meantime, last year's bottles are being cracked open and shared around in their fizzy sweet goodness. Ah, tradition!

Garden Season

First World Garden Problems - when you want to shovel manure but you have to fix your wheelbarrow first...

I've had this since I moved into my house five years ago, and time (my neglect) has not always been kind. Finally, the last straw, the wheel kept falling off and going flat. So I ran to the store to get a new tube, and a longer axle, and.... since I was there I figured I'd tackle the rust. Shiney red enamel baby!

TIL - It's way harder to change a flat on a wheelbarrow than on a bike. Like holy shit, this took me about an hour, and my hands still hurt, and I got blisters. Blisters. Not from shoveling or raking, my hands have good callouses for that. I got blisters from using a tire tool to jam the inner tube into the 1/4 inch gap around the rim.

Also, apparently this tire is "Not for Highway Use", which really puts a damper on my plans to strap on the roller skates and jetpack and cruise this guy up I-70. Thanks a lot safety warning...

Hopefully I can get all my plants in the ground tomorrow morning, as several days of rainy weather are predicted!

A Very Personal Offering - Hair Art

WARNING - This post features the traditional art of making things with human hair, you might be totally grossed out by this. I don't really care. I like it.

When one thinks of Hair art, usually the Victorian Era comes to mind. While they raised the act of creating with human hair to a high art, and obsessively traded in momentos of human body parts (teeth, for example), the Victorians did not invent the art. A number of old folk traditions use hair in the making of charms, spells, sigils and the like. Both for protective and harmful magics.

 I collected hair for several months, straight from the brush. Note that it has not been cleaned, as hair is actually stronger and easier to work with when it has a bit of natural oil. I spun it up with a drop spindle, and plied each lump from a center pull ball. It spun fairly smooth and fine, with the occasional little lump or tangle.

 I then made a bias woven strap. This is a simple technique that needs no set-up nor loom, one could start it without even the pins with a little dexterity. After laying out the threads, I started on the left and wove across the other threads at a diagonal. The next thread follows the first, but alternating over and under. Thus, each thread starts with an "over and ends with an under, then wraps around to hang downwards for the next pass. Each thread moves to the left with each row, and eventually gets to be the active thread and return to the right!

It didn't take all that long to weave a few feet of this ribbon (Sewing scissors for scale.) Some of my bundles of hair yarn were longer than others, so I trimmed off the long bits to use for future projects. (It is, also, not as if I will stop growing my raw materials.) I used it to wrap a lovely bundle of flowers destined to be a very special offering. A little piece of me, carefully prepared, going back to the earth!

Happy Spring everyone!

Greenin' Time

It's that time of year again - garden fever is gripping me and seeds are being sown. I started tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in greenhouse boxes (upcycled lettuce bins) back in February. Yeah, when it's cold and snowy I plant seeds, totally makes sense. I'm preparing to transplant into little paper pots (see my how-to about it here), and very soon they will be clamoring to go out into the ground!

 Of course, as family tradition dictates, the peas were planted on St. Patty's. As were radishes and carrots. All plants that can stand a snowfall or two, which we will certainly have before summer is fully here.

And in the herb beds, new leaves are appearing. Last winter it never became harsh enough to force many of my perennials into dormancy. This year most of them lost all leaves, had stems broken off, and generally disappeared into the ground. I'm waiting anxiously to see if they all return!

It's the season for preparation, what are you doing in your garden?

Spring Strawberries

Aw yisssss... homegrown strawberries! It's the season for first fruits from the garden, I've already enjoyed my radishes, spinach and arugula are gracing the plate, and now the crown of early foods.

No matter how misshapen, no matter if they are still white on the bottom, no matter that they are small and bear the marks of hungry birds; homegrown strawberries are the sweetest nuggets of goodness on the gods green earth.

This, I feel, is the truth of local, seasonal foods. I have grown used to enjoying many crops for only a few short weeks each year. I do it to support local growers, and to know where my food is coming from. I do it to reduce my environmental impact. It's a win-win to avoid those tasteless plastic packs from California and Mexico.

But mostly, I do it for the taste. Sure, I can enjoy strawberries 12 months of the year, and I do at restaurants and friends gatherings. But I don't truly enjoy strawberries until they come from mother's yard, warm from the sun, ripe on the vine. The same is true for Palisade peaches and Rocky Ford cantaloupe, accept no imitations, wait for the real thing.

What's your favorite seasonal treat? What do you wait all year to enjoy?

Beltane Fires

Blessed Beltane! Merry Mayday! Happy Walpurgis, International Workers Day, Valborg or any other excuses you have to build a bonfire and party with your comrades.

Beltane is an interesting transition time, officially spring begins on Eostre, the equinox, but around here the cold weather is clinging on. Colorado is notorious for unpredictable climes, and I know well enough to not put out the tomatoes until May Day as we can get snow 10 months of the year here in the city. So we are now moving into a steady warm season, with ever lengthening days and the greening earth.

Flower crown tutorial.

Traditionally Beltane was celebrated throughout the British Isles, honoring the sun god Bel. Great fires would be built and the livestock was run between two fires on their way out to summer pastures. This practice may have arisen from attempts to scare away evil spirits, or the more practical scaring off of predators and competition. Walpurgis and all it's relatives were also based around bonfires and merry-making.

Photo by Roddy Macd

In the earlier days of Industrialization and socialist movements May Day became International Workers Day. Besides being a day of celebration, it has been suggested that the largely rural farming workforce that was transitioning to factory work still enjoyed the holiday even after the older traditions (like running livestock) had dropped out of it.

Link

No matter the focus of your celebration, this is a time of new awakenings and fresh starts. As we in the northern hemisphere enjoy the coming bounty and fertility of the land, raise a glass to the fire, to the land, and to the people who work it!

Dandy Jam!

 After my last jaunt in dandelion land I was inspired to try my hand at making dandelion jelly. The soft scent of the blooms, and that rich yellow color seemed to promise a delicate lovely spread.

I picked a huge basket of flowers, easily done since my yard was blanketed in them! I had to move carefully to avoid stepping on a bee, and I picked only the flowers that were fully opened. Don't worry, there were still plenty left for the bees.

 Then began the grueling process of trimming all the flowers. The stem and green bit on the bottom of the bud is rather bitter, so i carefully chopped off most of the green bits. This diminished the volume of flowers quite a bit, and as we worked (I drafted the boyfriend into flower dissection duty) the petals seemed to shrink more and more into the measure cup.

 Finally! Four cups petals, four cups water, two cups honey, and some lemon juice. I simmer that a while, then strained out most of the flowers.  I wanted to keep a few petals in the mix to give it some body and color. I added 1 1/2 packets of low-sugar pectin. One packet just wasn't doing it, even after cooking down a while it was thin. I ended up cooking it down quite a while to get it syrupy enough.

 I canned in the usual way, it made 9 wee little jars (Not many for all the hours of prep work!) The jelly set up fairly thick (much to me surprise and delight) and spreads nicely.

I'll be gifting many of these, you guys better understand what a precious thing this is!

My breakfast the next morning was light and flowery! It's a spectacular yellow color, and has a subtle honey taste. Just perfect for a spring morning.

Have you ever made Dandelion Jelly? How did it go?

First Harvest - Radishes

I picked my first radish today. Ok, picked is a bit of a fib, the root was hanging almost entirely out of the ground, and I couldn't resist that rosy red tuber! It's been very rainy and strangely cool, so the radishes are growing quickly and not getting tough or too spicy.

In fact, I ate the whole thing. I couldn't resist munching a leaf while I ran inside to show my boyfriend.
"LOOKLOOKIGOTMYFIRSTRADISH!"
"Oh!... Congratulations?"
*Munch munch munch*

I love the delicate spice of these (French Breakfast Radish, if you're wondering why it's so long.) and they can grow rather tightly. I'll be pruning out the fastest growers over the next few weeks, and when they are tender enough I eat the greens whole too. You can saute the greens if you don't like the fuzzy leaves, but I wouldn't let a garden fresh radish top go to waste! Or, when I want French Breakfast for breakfast, I slice up the root and leaves and cook them in an omelet with a light cheese.

I also make a light and tasty salad with them. I use a mandolin (The type that slices your fingertips, not the instrument) to finely shred several radishes and a crisp celery stalk. Then dress the veggies with a light vinaigrette and some sesame seeds. Hungry yet?

What's your first fruits of the summer growing season? Do you have a favorite way to eat radishes?

Finds - Spring has Sprung

The trees are finally greening around here, even with late snow storms passing thru they just cannot wait! I've been springing up the house to get in a flowery mood. Here's some Etsy pics to get you in the mood too!

Illustration by TonySheltonFineArt.

 

Add a 'welcome' to your front door with Forsythia, Wreath by ATPitman.

 

Bring the carpet of fresh greens inside with this crochet rag rug by TupperRugs.

Funky Handknit sweater by Tasssha, with pops of bright color and wild buttons!

Or, make your own spring time lovely, hand-dyed yarn by Gynx.

The First Dandelions of Spring!

As spring rolls around (slowly here, it's been snowing) there's a plethora of wild plants out to enjoy!

A personal favorite is Dandelions, pretty, prolific, and very tasty! And of course there is no shortage around my house, I've been pulling whole plants to enjoy the roots and leaves, and gathering baskets of flowers.

Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. The leaves are usually enjoyed in the spring, and make a great cleansing salad. Leaf teas are used for the kidneys and as a diuretic. The roots are thought to purify blood and cleanse the liver.

The plant is also used as a natural dye, the flowers make yellows, the leaves bright greens (no surprise there), and the roots can make a rusty red, or a light tan.

The flowers are also of course a great boon to Bees, especially this year. All the flowers were slow to bloom this year with our late snows and unseasonably cold nights, these quick blooming flowers were there to feed the first emerging bees. As a gardener and a honey lover I try to support these pollinating wonders whenever I can!

 I've also enjoyed lots of dandelion tea, both flowers and roots. It's light and mellow, easy to enjoy. A little honey just makes it even more the treat. And since I can gather it myself, it's the perfect home herbal treat.

 The flowers are also noted for making wine! I've started two batches of mead with dandelions. One has cups and cups of flowers, the other has root and leaf, plus burdock and ginger for a refreshing spring brew. One more reason to be thankful for those bees!

 What's your favorite spring flower? Do you gather dandelions?

Also, I may try making Dandelion jelly

http://rockfarmer.me/2013/04/05/eat-like-a-bee-dandelion-jelly/

Yum!

Flowers in the Snow

 Today dawned cold and snowy, a far cry from yesterday's 60F. Perfect day for stitching! I've gotten behind in my seasonal needlework, so I'm still working on Imbolc's heather. But that's OK, it looks like Imbolc outside...

 I'm still working around the wheel, those big white blooms are chamomile for Yule, next will be roses for Eoster (which was cold and snowy too!) Still debating whether to make the roses red or yellow... hard choices right?

What sort of stitching do you do when you're "snowed in"? And yes, those are flowers on the table runner, it's that time of year yaknow?

Eoster Blessings

Yesterday marked the Spring Equinox, when night and day are equal and the sun cuts a path neatly from east to wast. Spring is here! (Tell that to this weekends expected snowstorm...)

For the ancient Germanic tribes this was a time to celebrate! They venerated the Goddess Eoster (The Celts had Ostara), who represented dawn and rebirth.

The symbols of modern Easter of course date back to this time. Bunnies, who symbolize fecundity (Bow-Chicka-Wah-Wah...) and of course are emerging from their burrows in the Spring. Eggs are mystic magic things that hold new life too (in addition to being tasty). The tradition of decorating and playing games with eggs seems to pre-date written records in much of Northern Europe.

 Of course for our ancestors it was also a hopeful time. Their animals could return to greening pastures. Most farm animals give birth in the spring as well, and this represented growing wealth and prosperity. Early vegetables were emerging, and if you've spent a few months eating nothing but salted meat, turnips, and grains, a sprig of fresh dandelion or sorrel looks like heaven. In a time when starvation was a real and immediate concern, even for the relatively wealthy, Spring was a great relief.

May all of you enjoy the fertility and plenty of the new season! What are you doing to celebrate Spring?

Greening for Spring

 School has been limiting my time for craftiness, it's cramping my style! But I'm still working my way thru projects.

My crochet pattern of the month has made almost 6 squares, and this month's has me itching to get hooking! I've even been a good girl and woven in all my ends each time I finish a square. Which is just evading the final dilemma of what color to trim each square in....

And my knitting needles aren't resting either. This has been my knitting-in-class project for quite some time, this is in fact the third time starting it to get the proper collar/shoulders size ratio. It will be a lovely flowy green caplet if it takes me the rest of the semester! I did plan on wearing it for Eoster next week, yeah right...

Everyone go easy on the whiskey and green beer tonight! Are you crafting for spring?