Meowy Christmas

Ok, it's December, and I'll admit to going to the local shelters just in case a nice little red kitty shows up. I wanted to get a boy, so Miss Flora's adjustment would be easier, and a red guy in memory of my dear Goldie of childhood memory.

So dontcha know... none showed up. Well, no: one did, and was taken almost immediately. Good for him- not so great for me. But there was another little red guy whose sister was in sick bay... but no, I was told they must go together, period.

I kept going back, and Friday this little guy flirted outrageously with me. And I knew I had to ask about him. And whaddya know- the vet in charge decided they'd been apart so long already, he could go!

Without further ado, I introduce little Cicero- named after a printers' measure and a fine 19th century typeface. This is his "I am Tiger, see my claws" pose. When not posing for Tiger, he's a sweet purr monster.

Brownie Cookies

Yeah, actually they are. I am a fan of "No Pudge" Fudge Brownie mix, but wanted something a little different to take to a meeting. Wouldn't Fudge Brownie Cookies be fun! So I decided to experiment on said meeting.

1 box No Pudge Brownie Mix (Trader Joe's carries it)
1 egg
1/2 carton vanilla yoghurt
1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
flour to get cookie dough consistency
semi-sweet chocolate chips (about half a bag)

In mixer bowl, dump brownie mix, egg, yoghurt and extract. Mix on slow until moistened. Add enough flour to get a thicker (cookie-style) batter; fold in chocolate chips.

Drop onto greased (or sprayed) teflon baking sheet. Bake at 325º for about 10 - 12 minutes. Cool on racks and keep covered when cool. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Note: this dough is very sticky. Forewarned you have been.

Rust or TV? TV or Rust?

Today was my day in the Print Shop of the Museum (History Park, San Jose, California). But it was a low attendance day, so I did not ink up the press for printing. I proofed a cut or two trying to decide on my Christmas Card design, and entertained visitors who came in to see the Shop. Always a nice day.

Upon going to my Sunnyvale shop, I decided to work on my new-to-me press after dinner. I scraped rust and dried ink from the ink disk, scrubbed with solvent and steel wool, and whizzed around with a brass brush on the Dremel. The press, an 8x12 Golding Official (tabletop), is now much cleaner. I dug out the oil holes and added oil. Now the press is much easier to use than a comparable Pilot. It is also heavier, with greater impression strength, so I look forward to using it soon.

Rust removal: unless I can soak parts in Evap-O-Rust (a very good rust cleaner), I use steel wool and mineral spirits, or even WD-40. For the ink disk, my ink knife was good, since I could easily scrape the rust from the disk. I followed up with steel wool and WD-40. For the platen and paper bails, I used a Dremel with a soft brass brush. That worked admirably.

I found the oil holes, which were clogged with years of crud. Using a small drill bit, I turned it clockwise to lift out the debri and clear the holes. Then I could put a few drops of oil in each one. The press now opens and closes almost effortlessly. I am extremely happy with this press and can hardly wait to print on it. The trouble is, I have not yet ordered new rollers, so next month is the earliest I could get ink on this new wonder. Stay tuned!

After steel wooling, scraping, solventing, and dremeling, I am going to call it a night. It was Rust... or broadcast TV! I chose Rust.

Out of the blue

My Bible Study group has been bringing dinner once a month to a group of homeless who meet at a park. One of our church members started the group. It is totally informal, no plan, no agenda but sharing, and utterly cool.

Basicaly, the few of us who bring dinner show up with casseroles or rolls, plates, etc... provide beverages, and some of the others who also go often bring food, too. Everybody lines up and eats together. The only thing "religious" is that someone offers thanks to God before we eat.

It has been really interesting to get to know folks. Some of the same people show up every week, but others sort of drop in and drop out as they are available. Each week is a surprise. Organizers say they never know what kind of food, or what needy people, will show up. And sometimes something great happens. This evening, a pair of young men with instruments arrived, set up in the band shell where we meet, and began playing: a sax and a bass, doing jazz and doing it well. How cool was that! Totally out of the blue, and really pleasant for all.

We try not to stick together as "the group that brought food." We mingle and talk to everyone. Tonight, one guy blessed me with a handwoven rose I admired, which he made from a palm frond. Later, I asked his name and told him I'd like to put it on my Christmas tree. He offered his street name and his "real" name... and I felt the Lord leading me to affirm, "Well, God knows you by your real name, so I'll put that on the rose and pray for you when I see it on the Christmas tree." It was all I could offer in return for a gift freely given. I'm still smiling.

ON OTHER FRONTS:

I'm delighted to be able to report that I cased in _three_ of my so-called spineless wonders (old books) this week. One is complete and the other two are being pressed overnight. My learning curve in book repair is beginning to flatten out. I sewed and bound an antique crochet book (1888); re-sewed a signature-sewn paperback and bound it; and replaced the disintegrating cover on my 1959 Bible with a nice leather one. If I were less busy I could post photos, but I haven't even taken them yet!

Dread Green Sox are... dare I say it? DONE!

Yeppers, finished, complete, &c &c. Vested Fuzziness is not. But it's closer. It says here in the plan that my next step is to sew the thing together... minor detail. You have to be able to SEE the stitches to sew into them. And Fuzzy Vest does not like her stitches seen. I faked it up the side seams, and am stumped on the shoulder seams.

The entire thing is quite heavy-- odd for eyelash-type yarn. But remember, it's extra chunky. Right now I am feeling as if this vest will transmogrify me into a whale covered with bluegreen algae. It's really that color. Maybe the royal blue button band and ribbing will save this project. One can only hope.

But Dread Green are no longer UFO's! Now it's the Plain Purple sock project. I know. I said I would not start another sock until Fuzzy Vest was complete. And I DID NOT! But _this_ sock was lying around, looking suspiciously as if it wanted to become a UFO. In self-defense, I didn't give it that choice. UFO it is NOT. So there.

On the printing end of the world, very little accomplished. Unless you count moving out the Ancestral Tool Stash back into the garage. Then moving a type cabinet (taking out cases full of heavy type, piling them on horizontal surface, moving cabinet (grunt, shove), and replacing heavy cases. I figure I got my exercise _that_ day for sure.

Bookbinding last week was fun- I got three books ready to case in. And there they sit. Stalled for now. Later this evening I may do one on general principles. Live a little. Squeeze it in before Antiques Roadshow. Yeah!

BB (best buddy) Dale hasn't logged back on for a week, even to sweet talk her blog. Hope she manages to soon.

L8R!

Sockitude!

The Dread Green Socks are almost complete! Well: one is. Turns out that while I carefully weighed out my yarn and divided by two and wound two skeins, neither had enough yarn to quite reach my toes. So, I had to dig around in the Stash for some greenness. Naturally, no chance of a match, or even an almost-match.

Toes will be in a heather green called Wildefoote (love that one anyway) by Brown Sheep. What the hey. I'm not a barefoot/sockfoot kind of gal anyhow. And besides, multicolor socks are no strangers to MY feet.

But I am not further inspired to Sockitude. Lucky me, for I have a fuzzy vest UFO that has been calling my name in Threatening Tones of late. It's now two years old, and you know how cranky tired two-year-olds can be. So, out come the giant needles, and here I go again. I think, if I knit a whole lot during the evenings this week, it should be soon done. And by that time, just perhaps I will have figured out how to post photos here.

Stay tuned to see Silly Fuzzy Vest (a designed-on-the-fly production) and the Dread Green Socks, hopefully soon!

Taking a break from socks and ON-- to Quonquer the Eldest UFO!

Green Socks and Consolidation. Yep.

Redickle, but I'm still going on about the Green Sock. However long that ankle was, it is now vanquished-- I'm halfway through with the heel flap. Whee! Do I know how to have fun or what!

I have an excuse. Many of them, in fact. Back in August I bought out someone's hobby printing studio. I have been moving type cases filled with, what else, type. And cabinets. And all the detritus that comes with a shop of that nature, which means galleys of former jobs (now exhausted, fallen over and begging to be put back in their cases), rusty tools, and at least one mouse-poop filled case of type. About which more later.

But wait. there's more. I also foolishly committed myself to moving my storage. Not too bright an idea, but good will come of it. Good MUST come of it. I have two medium units; I am consolidating into one large unit, which is the equivalent of one and a HALF medium units. I can do this, but it requires me to get strict with myself and actually throw out stuff. And donate stuff. Because I WILL shoehorn into that unit! It will save me $100 a month, so that's good motivation.

So the weatherman almost throws me into a panic Tuesday night. He predicts RAIN by Thursday night or Friday-- and I still have a wooden type cabinet out in my _yard_ ferpetessakes, and some half-sheets of plywood out there, and I really MUST get all that stuff under cover. Assuming, of course, that this weatherman actually is correct. Here in central California, you can't always depend on it to rain when predicted. Usually it doesn't bother.

But... if I didn't get that stuff all in, of course it _would_ rain. So, scrambling around the yard like a madwoman, I managed to get the wooden stuff under cover, the outside sunshades rolled up, tarps on the Print Shop galleys leftover from the move, and other wonders. My hatches are battened. Let it rain! (and I hope it does).

Meanwhile, back in storage, I have moved about half the stuff I need to move. Hopefully I will get a tough high school kid on Saturday to help me with the rest. And I'll gloat right here in public about consolidating, and saving money, and finally finding some of my long-buried costuming supplies.

Hopefully I'll be back to sorting type and actually printing with it within 2 weeks' time. Stay tuned.

The Green Sock

Waaay back in May, I began a pair of green socks. Plain Jane, k3 p1 green socks in my hard-to-find emerald green. When I began, they cheered me immensely.

The problem is finishing! I have knitted not very much at all in the last few months. Not for lack of opportunity, but because there are so many things to do, places to go! and because when I finally do sit down... I don't even want to face the Eternal Green Sock!

I'm tired of k3, p1. I'm tired of size 0 needles. I'm even tired of green! Sock #1 is completed, but Sock #2 is dragging on half of forever. I took it traveling (see July!). Even as a captive audience on the plane, ferpetessakes, I couldn't bring myself to work on the green sock! I did Stickdoku, which I don't even like. Serious avoidence issues here.

I should show it: go on a sewing binge and get some new clothes! Finish a costume or two (I'm way behind there, too). I could actually clean house.... naaah... well, I should plant my new rosebush.

Truth is, I'm out in the shop sorting type. And adding to the collection. Warped. Just warped.

Poor ol green socks. Will they see winter, 2007? or will they languish until 2008?

The Evaporating Month of July

The story of July is, 4th at Stow House (museum); gone, home, houseguests, birthday, gone, home, collapse. In that order. The entire month of July passed before my astonished eyeballs about half-past June!

Stow House is a wonderful museum in my home town. It is a Victorian farmhouse with a small lake nearby, original garden plantings, a cool breeze off the beach, and a lovely place to spend the day. I volunteer there, and the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July is always a wonderful day. For the Fourth we have gas engines in the farmyard, hayrides, tri-tip sandwiches by the Lions' Club, Old cars on display, arts & crafts vendors, and a down-home music stage set up in the lovely gardens. It's a perfectly low-key way to spend the Fourth.

On the 5th I was on the road. By the 6th I was in the air (this was last week's family wedding) to Seattle. I returned home on the 12th, and had a day to clean house before my friends arrived for the Orchid Fair. So by Friday I was on the road locally, flitting with my friends from orchid grower to grower, meeting interesting people I would never have met because I don't collect orchids. Yet. I am weakening. They are incredibly lovely, and some can be grown in your backyard in Santa Barbara County! Amazingly enough, the weather was perfect for the weekend: cool and sunny, with an ocean breeze. Our usual summer weather is more like "morning fog, burning off by noon, then cool and sunny (or maybe high clouds) til dusk, when the fog comes back."

A detour into a rant: it's FOG. Fog, ferpetessakes. Plain ol, garden variety fog. Not "mist." And definitely _not_ "Marine Layer," thenkyewverrymuch weatherman. Just fog. I loves it, I do, because it's responsible for our orchid-friendly weather (and some darn cold Junes!). I was on vacation here, visiting my dad, the first time I heard the local weatherman utter the words "Marine Layer," and I about fell over laughing at the Extreme Euphemism for plain ol Fog. Dad sort of looked at me in astonishment while I chortled my way through the next 30 minutes of news. "Marine layer" my foot fulla blue mud. Fog [end rant]!

Houseguests left yesterday (Sunday), and I fell into the usual routine today: walking MWF, Trader Joe's (groceries), and home; and catching up on the Ends Left Loose while I was away. Including cuddling a kitty. Miss Flora always velcros herself to me the first few day's I'm home from a trip.

A week from tomorrow I'll be heading Eastward for another family wedding, on the so-called other side . This time, all bets are on _our_ side being the most numerous, because DH is the fifth of eleven children, almost all of whom have lots of grandchildren already. This bids fair to be a big event, and I'm really looking forward to visiting with all the family we don't normally spend much time with (something about an entire continent between us).

Before the wedding, I'll spend a few days visiting other letterpress printers and a press, which lives at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY. I'm looking forward to taking photos & measurements and talking shop with friends of the Amalgamated Printers Association. Great bunch- and I get a packet of inspiration every month, and see what other members have printed and how.

So, before the rest of July evaporates (and it's working on it even as we speak), I'll sign off for now. Hope your July is just as fun but perhaps a little less frenetic .

More of.... All of the Above

Ya know, I'm a repeat offender. So I celebrate my many evil habits by doing them over and over again. So I'm away from home at a family wedding (go, Ben & Theresa!), and have taken a few days to explore Washington State. What a wonderful place. And Oh, darn, happens that we are staying in the very same town as the famed Shipwreck Beads. They have grown since my only other visit to them, something like 15 years ago. At least TEN times their former size. Perhaps they are taking over the world! So now you know. I'm a maker of beaded things, too. Shipwreck is so called by its very ability to shipwreck a credit card in under 30 minutes. They even have a coffee & juice bar for the Spouses & Children among us, who may accompany but can't hold out for heavy duty bead shopping. I am in utter awe.

I restrained myself seriously, buying only one tool, a few strings of beads, and a couple of findings. Really!

Shipwreck Beads. See their website. (If only I knew how to link to it here, but you can Google no sweat)

In what passes for Hog Heaven, and about to go play tourist in actual Seattle, ==Marjorie

Not really a Wart, but it could become one. Travel.

Another Evil Habit. I love going places. Back when I was first married I'd jump right up from anywhere if my husband even suggested going to the dump! Alas, no traveler he, but I do like exploring odd places. And other wonders.

So last weekend was a good one. I went to a hobby printers' convention known as a Wayzegoose, in Oklahoma City. There were fun places to explore, mostly printing related. A historical business in the old state capitol, Guthrie, nearly brought us to our knees... it is a full working printing shop housed in its original building. There are rows of presses and linotypes just standing there as if the printers would be back any minute. The machines have been there for almost 100 years! The other printers and I (the hobby printers, remember?) just drooled at seeing so much of a "real" shop left in the world.

The pinup wall was amazing. The latest girl must have been 20 in about 1923, and she was fully clothed. So were the earlier ones... a calendar girl from 1903, and others in fancy ballgowns and the like. I tried photographing the wall, but it is protected with a shiny plastic that's hard to shoot through.

The entire exhibit felt as if you could almost still hear the clatter of the brass matrices falling inside the Linotypes; the clank of the ink disks on the presses, and the hum of the drive belts.

The organization sponsoring the Wayzegoose was the Amalgamated Printers Association, of which I am a member. We print for one another and exchange our work. I get a pile of inspiration from my fellow printers. We had a swap meet Saturday morning, with lots of equipment, books, type and cuts exchanging hands. An auction followed. This time I was not a lucky bidder, but listening to the two auctioneers was entertaining.

The high point of my weekend was buying many elements of a 19th century border called "Egyptian." I have admired it for years but never thought I would be able to obtain any. It is a border that is pieced together like a puzzle, element by element, and it requires some skill to assemble. I feel as if it will be a test of my printing abilities.

But travel is my theme here.... and after the Wayzegoose I drove to Kansas to visit my grandmother's childhood home. I had only a day and a half, but managed to find family graves, see the home, look at land records, buy some quilting fabric, and have a lovely time. Small Town Kansas is charming, and I am glad to have been able to go.

I am certainly glad to get back to my Purring Teddy Bear, Miss Flora. Coming home is an essential part of travel!

the Sock Factor(y), or Wart 3

Ok, I'll fess up. I'm a knitter. Mostly by need-- I'm not a fast knitter, but I am dee-termined. Silly clothing manufacturers won't market nice-looking woolen ladies' socks in California, so I determined (that word again) that I would jolly well make my own.

The reason for knitting my own is the same as why I sew. I get color, style, and design control, all with the satisfaction of having made something really cool. I am hardly a knitting maven (I'll let the Yarn Harlot do that job http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/), but I have slogged my way through about a dozen pairs of socks, so far. See? I'm _not_ fast. Just D-termined. Dee-termined. Wossname. Stubborn.

The trickiest bit about knitting socks is simply learning how. When I began, I wasn't at all sure I would even _want_ to continue. What if the dread "turning the heel" was too hard for me? I didn't want to knit the entire leg-of-a-sock, then the heel, only to find out I didn't have what it takes. What a waste of time! What it it wasn't actually FUN? So I cheated. I took a huge shortcut and made ONE HEEL, to prove that I could._Then_ I figured it was safe to invest in some yarn for an actual pair of socks.

Here's what I did, in case you want to learn how to comitt sockification:
1. Bought a 24ç sweater at a thrift store, making sure it was a hand knit so the seam was take-apartable.
2. Took the seam apart.
3. Cut off a sleeve at the elbow.
4. Unravelled the sleeve back down to the cuff.
5. Picked up the cuff stitches and began knitting in the round.
(the cuff was the stand-in for the leg-of-a-sock, as mentioned above)
6. Using Nancy Bush's book, Folk Socks, I carefully followed her instructions for a standard flap heel.
7. Worked the heel, did the heel stitch, the short rows, worked as far as the decreases, and....
8. IT WORKED!

Once that was complete, I had no excuse. Sockfication was mine. I could DO this. So I did. Now my feet walk around in hand knits-- complete with colors and styles and textures that I love. See some at http://the3toad.googlepages.com/home Warm feet are happy feet. Long live wool!