Friend or Foe?

Last weekend I spent a few days in Deep Bay with some friends.  We spent the weekend relaxing, me restarting this project a few times, the others reading.   These last few weeks have been unusually warm for September so we enjoyed the diminishing rays of the Saturday evening on the sundeck.

I have seen many creatures large and small along the coastline since I have been visiting these past 20 years.  There have been eagles, otters, crabs, loons, brandts, seals, sea lions, a few orcas, and all kinds of seagulls.  Last weekend there was a new visitor.  It lay very peacefully by to the beach on that quiet night.

Is it strategically resting next to my Mom's tomatoes, or just enjoying a quiet spot?

Fall is Orange

Last Friday was the first day of fall:  on the calendar and with the weather.  The weather became suddenly cooler & the fog returned to the West Coast.

So I was do glad to receive the latest I instalment of the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club 2012.  This month was ...

J.'s Hungarian Apricot Jam

Orange!! What a perfect colour to inject warmth into a cool day.

crazy-urban-garden-carrots

Goofy but true, lately when starting a new knitting project 2 things have happened:

1.  I have fallen in love with the colour.

2.  I notice that colour more often in nature.

Stripe Study Shawl

Last summer I fell in love with Veera Valimaki's Stripe Study Shawl.  Not normally a big fan of asymmetry, this surprisingly became the first of 3 asymmetrical shawls I knitted this past year (Mom's Color Affection).  My past self would likely roll her eyes at the fact I'm wearing shawls, however the colours and asymmetry gives them a modern look; not your grandmother's shawl.  (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

I fell in love with the stripes in this design at first sight.  The project progressed quickly with short rows and garter stitches.  I just couldn't put it down until a bit more was completed.

This 1st ever shawl for me was knitted with leftover sock wool which I had used to make socks, gloves, and a scarf.  All yarns are from Montreal's Tanis Fiber Arts.  I mainly use sock wool now because it makes it so much easier to mix & match leftovers.  I ran out of the dark blue "Stormy" & had to order online since it's no longer sold locally.  The newer version was a bit darker and actually gives the shawl more depth.

New skill:  short rows (wrap & turn)

I never did block this project.  I just wore it so much that it stretched out beautifully on its own!  More deets on my Ravelry project page.

Olga Korbut

The summer Olympics have already come & gone.  l enjoyed watching Gymnastics and reminisced to a time when Gymnastics was like magic.  Earlier this month I was lucky to catch a short biography on NBC about Olga Korbut and how she changed Gymnastics and the face of the Soviet Union.

Growing up in Québec in the 70s, our options were somewhat limited when it came to participating in sports.  Boys played hockey, turning our snowy streets into a scene from Roch Carrier's "The Hockey Sweater", while girls figure skated.  Olga Korbut's Gymnastics magic in 1972 opened a new world for those of us who were not so keen on lacing skates outside with frozen fingers.

I was able to experience the Gymnastics magic through an older cousin's obsession with Olga Korbut.  Just like "The Hockey Sweater"'s where boys wanted to comb their hair and dress like Maurice Richard, we wore pigtails and puffy sleeves like Olga Korbut.  

It's hard to imagine how much courage it took for Korbut to innovate in her sport.  In the 2012 NBC interview she said that her teammates didn't like her because she was different.  Luckily for the rest of the world she remained true to her ideals.  She performed daring moves on the uneven bars and even smiled for the camera at a time when few Soviets would.  It was nice to see that her 57 year-old self is still a determined woman with a strong sense of self and a twinkle in her eye.  I hope NBC posts the segment somewhere on their website.  

Nodar Kumaritashvili

The London 2012 Olympics reminded me of how exciting it was to witness the 2010 Olympics in Whistler.  But I was also reminded of the sacrifices athletes undertake to compete, and that sometimes things go wrong.  Our 2010 Westcoast Olympic experience started off very differently than London's.  Unfortunately,  an athlete lost his life while pursuing his Olympic dreams in Whistler.  I had never heard of Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili, but was deeply moved when he died at the age of 21 practising for his Luge event.  The loss of his life was too great a price to pay.

I visited Whistler back in 2010 between the Olympics & Paralympics.  The little village was nursing an Olympic hangover and slowly generating a buzz anticipating the Paralympics.  On one of my walks along Village Stroll I discovered a small ad-hoc memorial set-up for Nodar next to the frozen river.  There was a guest book, flags, and many items left behind in his memory.

I continue to be moved by the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili.  As my eldest son nears 21, I think of a child never returning home and parents forever left with a hole in their hearts.  Last spring when visiting Whistler I went searching for the quaint memorial by the river and was saddened that it had been removed.  I later found a more permanent structure had been erected in his memory in the Olympic Plaza.

The flags and unused Olympic tickets left behind in his memory are now gone, but the touching guest book remains, tucked under the plaque.  As a Mom I will likely continue to visit his memorial when I visit Whistler, and say a quiet prayer for his parents & family.

May he rest in peace, and all the best to athletes pursuing their dreams.

D.'s Magical Soapmaking Kingdom

Homemade soap is satisfying to use because it's so rich, colourful & delightfully smelly!  But more than the end-result, I love making soap because the process is so fun.  4 of us make soap a few times a year at a friend's house.  D. takes care of the dangerous bits (lye), and provides other supplies.

Twice a year, she transforms her dining-room into a Soapmaking Magic Kingdom filled with magical scents & colourful combinations.  There are always many scents to choose from, as well as natural scratchy bits which add texture & colour to soaps.  My favourite add-ins include nori & black sesame seeds while favourite scents so far have been Peppermint and also Blackberry.

Her soaps are no match for commercial or other handmade soaps available at small markets.

Bread class #2

Bread class #2 at Cook Culture yesterday with Brad Williams.  This Breakfast Breads class literally had me on the edge of my seat for 4hrs+.  I took way too many notes and probably asked too many questions too.

Rolls stuffed with Leeks & Cream, proofing in a couche

Things I learned:

1.  My dough is too wet.  I should be using 75% water to flour, while I have been using a 1:1 ratio of water to flour.  It works for cast iron bread, but makes shaping dough for baguettes nearly impossible.  

2.  Windowpaning dough, useful to see whether the gluten has formed properly.  Also, that dough out in the open too long without wrapping will develop a thicker crust.

Our bounty:  Round Frittata in center, Rolls stuffed with Leeks & Cream surrounding Frittata, rectangular Cinnamon Buns, English Muffins in frying pan