On My Bookshelf: Crochet with Color

Japanese crochet books are renowned for having beautiful photographs, clear schematics, and well-presented charts, making it possible for crocheters who don't read Japanese to still use the patterns successfully. Crochet with Color, an English translation of a Japanese book, makes it even easier for English readers.  

 Crochet with Color: 25 Contemporary Projects for the Yarn Lover, by Kazuko Ryokai

With a brief introduction to yarn weights (the chart provided is from the Craft Yarn Council of America - www.YarnStandards.com), gauge, how to read a crochet chart, and illustrations showing what each symbol used means (for example, the illustration for the chain stitch symbol shows a hook pulling a loop through a chain), crocheters who are comfortable reading charts and have a CYCA rated Easy or Intermediate skill level may be able to jump right in and get started. 

Yarns are not specified by brand; each pattern lists a quantity and weight [ex. 49 yards (20 g) of aran-weight (#4 medium) merino wool in blue]. While it can't be guaranteed that the reader can make exact matches for every project, a quick skim through Knit Picks and through WEBS suggests to me that crocheters should be able to find close matches without too much trouble online, and taking the book to a craft store or yarn shop could make color and texture matching even easier. 

ISBN-10: 1-4403-2033-0

ISBN-13: 978-1-4403-2033-0

Originally pubished in 2008 as Kirei Iro No Knit Zakka by Shufunotomo Co., Ltd., this book has been translated by Miho Atsumi (World Book Media) and published in the US by North Light Books. The Ravelry database has 9 patterns listed, under the book title Zakka in Pretty Colors. I'm not sure how much it differs from the English translation (there's at least one pattern in the Ravelry database that I don't see in Crochet with Color, but that could be an editor's error). 

A quick peek into Crochet with Color from M.K. Carroll on Vimeo.

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Jelly and jam

This week's canning: liliko'i jelly, guava-liliko'i jam, and white guava-liliko'i jam. 

The liliko'i jelly has black flecks in it because I ran the pulp through the blender at a high enough speed to bust up some of the seeds into pieces small enough to pass through the sieve. It's edible, so not a problem. The guava-liliko'i was to make use of a batch of cold process (freezer) liliko'i jelly that had a good flavor but was both runny and lumpy, and a batch of guava jam that I tried to make without added pectin (it was bland and had a gritty texture). Combined, brought to a boil and canned - great flavor, so if I can get my hands on more guavas soon, I'll do this flavor combination again. The white guava-liliko'i has less liliko'i than the guava-liliko'i, and the white guavas I used have a milder flavor. The results are okay, but the flavor is delicate and doesn't hold up well on toast. 

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!