Reading Homeward Bound and eating sauerkraut

Homemade sauerkraut 

Although Emily Matchar's book Homeward Bound had been on my radar for a bit, it was Kim Werker's post "I'm an unnatural mother." that got me to move past the preview on my iPad and buy the book. 

Today is one of my "work from home" days, where I set up my laptop and iPad on the small dining table (covered by a cross-stitched tablecloth I bought via Etsy), and multi-task, doing paid work alongside things I enjoy that can get done in the background or during short breaks. Today's plans include finishing up a spreadsheet, revising some writing, reviewing a book proposal, pickling a bag of eggplant, making a batch of jelly, and deciding what to do with a batch of jam that turned out bland and oddly gritty. I had coffee and a green smoothie for breakfast, then tasted a batch of homemade sauerkraut (after I took a photo and Instagram'd it, of course). 

Kim has been putting out some great writing that has been pushing me to think and challenge myself and how I present myself on social media. The #nogloss challenge, for example, which was interesting to do not just because of how uncomfortable I felt posting a photo of my home office desk, and how I felt the need to defend myself somehow by pointing out that the desks I share in other workspaces are much tidier, but also because that seemed to be a common feeling. In some very real ways, giving you a tidied up version is my job, and in some very real ways, giving you a tidied up version is part of a larger problem. I'm only a couple of chapters in so far, but I can see that Homeward Bound is likely to push me to think about things I'd rather gloss over. 

The sauerkraut is pretty good, a mix of green cabbage, red cabbage, lacinato kale, and carrot. It's a bit bland - could have used more time to ferment, or some dill or caraway seeds, perhaps. There's another batch bubbling quietly in my office right now, this one with juniper berries, green onion, and beet shreds in addition to the cabbages and carrot. 

Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity
by Emily Matchar

As a member of the Powell's Books Partner Program, I receive a 7.5% commission on referrals.  

August so far

I've just gotten home from a 10 day whirlwind of travel, in which I spent a couple of days in Portland OR, a few days in Cleveland and in Troy, Ohio (stopping in Columbus), and then hopped back home through Cleveland and Portland again. It was a mix of work and play: 

Liliko'i (passionfruit) jelly, flanked by guava jam - homemade gifts for friends 

Blueberries and peaches - nothing quite like a good, fresh, tree-ripened peach!

Cooperative Press HQ: this was round 1 of mailing out Stitching in the Stacks pre-orders and returning many samples from the upcoming Fresh Designs Crochet series. 

 Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams are splendid indeed - I drove from Cleveland to Troy and then back again, stopping in Columbus for much-needed ice cream breaks in both directions. I dreamed about the roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream - it may be the best ice cream I've ever had, seriously.

 "Today two families are becoming one. No need to select a side, just select a seat." The trip to Troy was to help set up and celebrate a friends wedding - it was an amazing weekend!

Not to be left out, one of my PDX friends took me to Ruby Jewel for ice cream. The blueberry-basil is delicious!

After a week of travel, I was really craving some live culture sauerkraut. I ate the entire jar of Olykraut within 24 hours. 

Did I mention how much I love eating fresh blueberries? 

And peaches? 

There's so much more - like learning that Powell's Books will ship your books home for you for a flat fee (I paid $12.99 to Honolulu), if you spend a certain amount or number of books (please check with a Powell's staff member for the details). Back in June, I checked a second bag, filled with books and yarn, for my flight home. This time around, I had the books shipped. Easy peasy - and I didn't have to wrestle an armload of books out of the store!  There was the 600 page manuscript for a novel Cooperative Press very much wants to acquire that I stayed up late reading, two nights in a row, despite really needing to get some sleep. There was working alongside Shannon Okey, the incredibly hardworking heart and soul behind Cooperative Press (who also happens to be a blast to just hang out with). There was the hawk that dove towards my windshield and then veered off at the last moment. There was the honor of being part of a team helping to put together a wedding, a deeply heartfelt event with lots of handcrafting and teamwork (what a great way to kick off a marriage!), and of seeing a good friend the happiest and most radiant I've seen in the 20 years of our friendship. It's been a good month so far - now to try to get some sleep!

Ankle Socks (gift knit)

Not only did I get a knit gift done in time, I got to see them in action. The recipient wore them for 3 days straight - I already knew she was knitworthy, but that sure clinched it. I'm knitting another pair for her now!

Ravelry project link: Ankle Socks

Pattern: Top-Down Socks, Fingering Version by Kate Atherly, in her book Knit Accessories: Essentials and Variations. I used the pattern as a jumping off point; worked at a different gauge, so the numbers aren't the same. 

Yarn: Twisted Fiber Arts Playful in Self-Striping colorway Firefly. This had been sitting in my stash for a couple of years and hadn't worked out for another project, so I was especially happy to use it up. 

Oddball Grab Bag Destash Sale

I'm destashing - and that includes the small stuff, like leftovers that I keep meaning to use in "something" "someday." Listings will be added to this page up through this weekend; if you are on Ravelry you can take a look at the full skeins I'll be posting for sale here on my stash page.