New Obsession

I have a little confession.  I have a thing for bags.  Not handbags, though I have several of those, but none very trendy.

No, I like other types of bags.  I like the re-usable shopping bags you can pick up from any grocery store nowadays.  They make great library book bags and farmer’s market bags and impromptu picnic bags.  I like to get “souvenir” bags from places we travel to, especially bakeries.  These don’t get as much use.  I just like to look at them.

I also like tote-type bags with lots of pockets and can stand up without falling over.  Those make really great knitting project bags.  I have four such bags next to the spot where I do most of my knitting.

But lately, I’ve been really smitten with these little bags.

Aren’t they adorable?  I used a tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew!  It took me less than two hours to make these two bags.  Each is the perfect size for a ball of yarn and  little project.  I even added some little pockets on the inside for whatever little tools I might need for the project: stitch markers, measuring tape, emergency chocolate.  See?

I like that they are lined and that they stand up straight without flopping.  I can draw the top closed so nothing falls out and it is soft enough and small enough to be stuffed inside my purse.  Plus, unlike my usual plastic bags, they do not make any noise when you get your project in and out.  This is especially nice in places such as theaters and churches where you do not want to distract anyone around you.

As soon as I can get some more interfacing, I am going to make some bigger ones.  Not too big–I don’t want to lose the portability and packability of the bag, but I can see how a bag that would fit a sweater piece would be really handy for me.  And, there’s lots of other things the bags can be used for: toys, snacks, toiletries, etc.

You can never have too many bags, right?

Bobbin Around

I have a new little toy tool in the sewing room.

It’s a bobbin organizer.  It keeps all my bobbins organized and in one place without getting all tangled.

It’s easy to access any of the bobbins since it comes apart.  The best thing about this particular tool is that if you drop it, nothing will come out.  This was not true of my old system of throwing everything into an empty Godiva chocolate box.  Now, I just need to find some more bobbins so I can fill it up.

You can get your own here or here.

Stone+Heat=Awesome

The baking stone fad has ebbed and flowed over the years.  I can’t tell you how many people I know who have one or once had one, but never used it.  I’ve been offered several and mostly I say no thanks, not because I wouldn’t use it, but because I already have one.  And I use it.  Almost daily.  Ok, not really daily, but it is a really handy thing to have.  I’ll give you a few reasons.

1.  Pizza

The stone is usually sold as a pizza stone.  Whether you make your own crust or open a frozen pre-made pie, the stone is great for baking pizza.  It makes the crust nice and crusty.  We do not make pizza often, but when we do I bake it on the stone and the crust is just as good as getting it from a brick oven pizza place (though without that nice smoky flavor from the wood fired ovens there).

2.  Bread

Of course, I use my stone primarily for baking breads.  Even bread baked in pans benefit from baking on a stone.  The stone retains heat and transfers it to your dough to create that crusty crust that makes hearth breads so yummy.  And if you have bread that has lost its crustiness, a few minutes on the baking stone will get that nice crust back for you.  It will even make your  biscuits out of a can or heat and serve rolls much better.

hazelnut currant pain au levain

3.  Oven Temperature

Many people complain of having trouble with hot spots or uneven oven temperatures.  A baking stone will help that greatly.  Once preheated, the stone will retain its heat for a long time, thereby keeping your oven at a more consistent temperature.  If this is your particular trouble, I suggest keeping your stone in your oven at all times on the bottom rack.  Bake anything you would not normally bake on a stone on a rack above it.

4.  Beauty from Ugliness

Today I tried to make the same beautiful sourdough loaves I made last week.  I must have done something wrong because the dough was wetter and it stuck to my proofing basket.  It was really ugly when it went into the oven, but after a nice long bake on the stone, it doesn’t look half bad.  In fact, it kinda looks like I might have done this on purpose.  Umm, yeah, you’re right.  The bread is still kinda ugly, but at least it’s nice and brown.  So, even if your food tastes bad, the stone will make it look beautiful, sort of.

So, if you have a baking stone that you never use, you might want to consider getting it out and trying it again.  Or, if you have a friend who has one and doesn’t want it, take it and try it.  It is worth it for the crust alone.

The Husband Made Me Do It

Two things I am thankful for today.

Firstly: Crocuses.

I am not sure what happened to winter, but today is positively springlike.  Sunny and warm with these two little beauties showing off.  I had to take a picture before some freak freeze ruins them.  I think this is the earliest we have ever seen crocuses in bloom.  We are all torn between loving the warm weather and despairing for lack of snow days.  For now, I will take the warm sun and bask in it.

Secondly: New Rotary Cutting Mat and Tool

Last week, when the husband saw me struggle with cutting my rainbow road pieces on my 17 x 23 inch mat, he said to me, “I think you need to get a bigger mat.”  Well, he didn’t need to say it again.  While I was at the store, I decided to get a new cutter as well and I am not sorry.  I almost didn’t buy the Olfa stuff.  It is much more expensive than the Fiskars that I currently have, but I was drawn to that extra measuring grid in the center and the fact that everything is made in Japan.  I haven’t used it much yet, but I will say that the cutting tool really is easier on my hands.  I am constantly struggling with my extremely weak hands and wrists, so anything to make a task less strenuous is worth the money to me.  As a bonus, all rotary cutting tools were 40% off at JoAnn’s and I had a coupon for an extra 20% off my purchase.  That made the price for this set more than 50% off at checkout.  I love a good sale!

What are you thankful for today?

Sweet and Sour in 2012

Lots of bloggers are posting about new year’s resolutions, goals, or doing retrospective things for 2011.  I had some grand thoughts at the beginning of this week to finish up some outstanding projects, clean up the house, clean out the fridge–you know, the normal out with the old and in with the new kind of stuff.  But, as with many good intentions, life just seemed to take over and none of what I envisioned happening actually got done.

Instead, what I did was sleep in everyday, did a little post Christmas shopping, went to museums with the boys, watched a bunch of movies, and ate out almost everyday.  As I read that last sentence, I realize that we have been having a staycation!  The last six months have been a little crazy busy for us and even when we have gone away, we have been busy.  This week of just hanging out together has been really nice and I do not regret it at all.

However, not being one to stay off the bandwagon, I do have a few things I want to try to do in they new year.

The first has already begun: sourdough.

I have had mixed success with creating my own sourdough starters over the years.  This time, I decided to cheat and I ordered sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour.  It has not disappointed me.

after 8 hours

Right now, I am in the process of testing out some other starter formulas, using the KA one to build them up.  My trouble is that I have a lot of various bread baking books and they all seem to use a different starter formula.  I’m planning to try a whole bunch and see what shakes out in the end.  Will I need to keep all these starters going or can I figure out how to just have one and make what I want with it?

The second thing we are all trying out as a family is: juice.

A couple of months ago, we saw this juicer at an Asian store and stood a little mesmerized as we watched the video.  Since then, it has shown up in a few other stores we have visited and, after reading a disturbing article about commercially sold juices, we decided to try it out.  It’s pretty amazing so far.  The waste stuff that comes out is bone dry (the husband keeps talking about making it into something: fritters or fruit/veggie leather  maybe?).

The juice is pretty yummy and, contrary to the name, it is really fast.  The machine made a half gallon of juice in something like 5 minutes.  There was 20 minutes of prep time, but that’s only because we decided to peel the apples because they were not organic. Cleanup time was only five minutes as well.  This is our attempt to be more healthy in the new year.

The third project I would like to tackle in the new year has to do with a sweater I made awhile ago for the husband for our 15th anniversary.

I designed this sweater myself and I am hoping to make one for myself, write up the pattern, and possibly “publish” it.  There are a couple of things I will need to figure out how to do in the process, but  as long as I’m going to be knitting one for myself, I might as well try to tackle those things as well.  It will be interesting to see how I like this process and whether pattern writing will be something I might like to pursue after it is done.

I think it is always a useful exercise to think about what one has accomplished or learned and to look ahead to new goals and purposes.  As people, we change and learn, whether we want to or not, so we might as well try to change and learn in a more purposeful way.

What are you hoping to accomplish in the new year?