Mid-Century Cookbooks

Here is the stack of Better Homes and Garden cookbooks that were in Mother's pantry.  Mother wasn't the world's greatest cook to say the least!  She tried but after my father died in 1974, she was cooking for only one.  

I found only one handwritten recipe on a separate sheet--

"Babe's Italian Spaghetti"

Hmmm, wonder who Babe is or was?

I have been thumbing through all Mother's books since I've heard tales of seniors putting

money--so far, haven't found money, but this recipe could be considered 'golden'!

Cooking From The Ages

It has been a long haul--we are cleaning up mother's house.  She is in Assisted Living facility and we know and she knows there is no way she can live alone.  There is so much "stuff" to sift through.  I stacked her cookbooks in one section of the house till I had more dedicated time to read through them.

Here was one of her books--of course, it is mid-century (don't you just love that word?!), printed in 1956--even though I lived that period of time, I don't ever remember this book.

On the first page, she printed this.........

so I turned to age 293

Have cooking habits changed since this book was printed?

I think I might try this recipe--sounds interesting.  IN fact, I might take these "mid-century" recipes and update them--that's when I start cooking again!

Let's Do a Dragon Wing Cowl!

The Knit Dragon Wing Cowl uses dropped stitches that are picked up and re-knit in bunches to create fun ridges, and simple increases to give it shape. This pattern looks more challenging than it is. The trick is to make sure you count, and to not drop the stitches until the pattern says to! This pattern was inspired by the way I draped the Dropped and Found scarf in one of the photos. 

Contemporary Handweavers of Houston Annual Sale

The note says it all!  The best of CHH members work will be on display, just waiting for you! Check out the sale info here

Once again, more than 100 will be for sale, but remember they go fast, so don't wait until the last minute. There may not be any left. This year there's a limit of 20 per customer (Not that anyone ever bought 20, but you never know.) Handwoven and assembled by many members - Hope to see you there!

Crocheters--Here's One For You!

Check out these nifty warm crocheted mittens!  Super Cool!

Designed by Busting Stitches

Happy hooking y'all!

Another SS Knit Chance

This pattern uses two colors of contrasting yarn, and is worked in a slip stitch mosaic pattern. This is a great technique to use multiple colors and is and easy way to play with color in your project. You only work with one color at a time!  I love FLG--Fingerless Gloves!  And October is a perfect time to begin working up this pattern.  I have tons of left over sock yarns--and this seems to be a good use for those.
 Want to join in?  The pattern is Apex, designed Snapper Knits--and of course, my favorite--a mystery!  The pattern is free for the month of October.  Wish I had a photo--but you know, it is a mystery!!

Math? Who Needs Math?

Math?  Many a kid will ask me why they need math--well, it use to be hard for me to give them a logical answer because when I was their age, I was asking that question too!  But, now I can give the perfect answer!
You use math in every day life--and as a fiber artist, you certainly make good  use of your math skills--just wish I had studied harder in those younger years.

What many of these individuals fail to realize is that math is an integral part of design. In fact, concepts such as patterns,symmetry, positive and negative space, arrangement, and sequence that are so important to design all have a basis in mathematics.  Fractals are repeating geometric patterns that combine to form a whole. In nature, fractals make up leaves, snowflakes, geological structures, and ice crystals. You can even slice open an orange to see the repeating shape of the fluid filled pulp. These are also fractals.

I rather like to weave using this Fibonacci technique--Let's play a quick game. Take a look at the following sequence of numbers and try to determine which number comes next. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55...

If you guessed 89, you are absolutely correct. The pattern in these numbers is a Fibonacci sequence. Take a look at the numbers again. Each number after the sixteen is the sum of the two numbers prior to that. To begin a Fibonacci sequence, you just need to 'seed' the sequence with a starter number and then double that number to start the pattern.

 

Designers use fractals in everything from clothing design to website backgrounds. Zigzags and paisley are two examples of the ways in which fractals can make their way into design. Here is an example of fractals used for design purposes.  So, you do need MATH!  It can make lovely art pieces!