Crochet Charts?

I am very familiar with knitting charts.  There are many software programs that will assist you in charting, but I wasn't aware that there are charts or software programs for crochet design.

I'm fascinated by Iilla Bjorn's Blog.  Although I don't do much crochet,

she has been inspiration to pick up the hook and try it again.

Iilla has this interesting blog post about charting for crochet design

Here is one of the charts

And the key to the design elements

Here is how it would look in yarn.  I love working with charts for my knitting so

now I can find charts for crochet and keep up with the work easily

Two "Orphan" Quilts Come Home....................................

What a treat! Two of my 'orphan' block quilts come home from the quilter Judy M where they had resided all summer long.  But, it was worth the wait.  You may remember them from Spring posts

This is one of my favorites--and I used a house fabric for the backing--one small problem, you can't see the quilting pattern on the back.

I think I'll add wheels (even though Judy quilted wheels) to the train--otherwise, it looks as though they 

are riding on air!

The second orphan block quilt is more hodge podge blocks--but was fun

to play with.

some nice quilting features--some of these applique blocks

were from a block exchange about 15 years ago--so, it

pays to have aged blocks.

I used a plain backing fabric, so the quilting shows up perfectly!

Now, if only I had some more orphan blocks to work with...............

Who Was Fannie Farmer Anyway?

Another one of Mother's cookbooks was this one...........

but I wondered who was this Fannie Farmer anyway?  So, internet here we come..........................

Fannie Merritt Farmer (23 March 1857 – 15 January 1915) was an American culinary expert whose Boston Cooking-School Cook Book became a widely used culinary text.  Fannie Farmer was born on 23 March 1857 in Boston.  Although she was the oldest of four daughters, born in a family that highly valued education and that expected young Fannie to go to college, she suffered a paralytic stroke at the age of 16 while attending High School.  Fannie could not continue her formal academic education for several years, she was unable to walk and remained in her parents' care at home. During this time, Farmer took up cooking, eventually turning her mother's home into a boarding house that developed a reputation for the quality of the meals it served.

At the age of 30, Farmer, now walking (but with a substantial limp that never left her), enrolled in the Boston Cooking School.  Farmer trained at the school until 1889 during the height of the domestic science movement, learning what were then considered the most critical elements of the science, including nutrition and diet for the well, convalescent cookery, techniques of cleaning and sanitation, chemical analysis of food, techniques of cooking and baking, and household management. Farmer was considered one of the school's top students. She was then kept on as assistant to the director. In 1891, she took the position of school principal.

Fannie published her best-known work, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, in 1896. Her cookbook introduced the concept of using standardized measuring spoons and cups, as well as level measurement.  A follow-up to an earlier version called Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book, published by Mary J. Lincoln in 1884, and some criticized her for using some of the recipes, the book under Farmer's direction eventually contained 1,850 recipes, from milk toast to Zigaras à la Russe. Farmer also included essays on housekeeping, cleaning, canning and drying fruits and vegetables, and nutritional information

The book's publisher (Little, Brown & Company) did not predict good sales and limited the first edition to 3,000 copies, published at the author's expense.^[2] The book was so popular in America, so thorough, and so comprehensive that cooks would refer to later editions simply as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, and it is still available in print over 100 years later.

Farmer provided scientific explanations of the chemical processes that occur in food during cooking, and also helped to standardize the system of measurements used in cooking in the USA. Before the Cookbook's publication, other American recipes frequently called for amounts such as "a piece of butter the size of an egg" or "a teacup of milk." Farmer's systematic discussion of measurement — "A cupful is measured level ... A tablespoonful is measured level. A teaspoonful is measured level." — led to her being named "the mother of level measurements."

Farmer left the Boston Cooking School in 1902 and created Miss Farmer's School of Cookery.^[1] She began by teaching gentlewomen and housewives the rudiments of plain and fancy cooking, but her interests eventually led her to develop a complete work of diet and nutrition for the ill, titled Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent which contained thirty pages on diabetes. Farmer was invited to lecture at Harvard Medical School and began teaching convalescent diet and nutrition.food for the sick that she believed she would be remembered chiefly by her work in that field, as opposed to her work in household and fancy cookery. Farmer understood perhaps better than anyone else at the time the value of appearance, taste, and presentation of sickroom food to ill and wasted people with poor appetites; she ranked these qualities over cost and nutritional value in importance.

Stitching a Christmas Wreath

I love to stitch--that's when I have time or should say when I take the time!  I'm just a little behind on finding this free stitching pattern from Elefantz's website.  There is still time to download the free patterns.  I'm thinking there are many ways this little wreath can be used--I've saved mine on her Craftsy page--free till October 31!

Such sweet stitching!

Falling Leaves

Oh, Yeah!  It's fall when I can work up a few dishcloths in the shape of fall leaves!

Here is an interesting pattern that makes use of that stash yarn

Here's a free pattern from Country Lane Quilts

and here is tutorial on one of my favorite fall patterns--the Maple leaves!

I have a couple quilts that feature this pattern--easy peazy to make and 

so colorful!

Happy Fall stitching!

Treadling the Treadle

Okay, it's about time I did some spinning!  It's relaxing--once I begin--it's just getting

into the rhythm of treadling that treadle.

I have this lovely silk/wool blend from Ewephoric Fibers that needs to be ready to finish up

my year long knitted lace scarf--

I will do singles and ply with another single spindle spun silk

So, let's begin!  I set up my I-Pad, set it to movie mode, find a comfy

chair and treadle.

"She Came To The Valley"

I shoved this book into one of the boxes with the old recipe books--

 remembered mother being so excited that a movie was being made in the Valley

and she and her sister were going to be extras--no pay though, just the experience of 

being in a movie.

I pulled the book out the other day and opened the first page.

There was a sweet note from the author of the book, dated August 18, 1977

and on all the other pre-pages, there were signatures from the actors (Scott Glenn and Dean Stockwell), other extras, directors and various sundry movie people!  

She certainly had a wonderful time being a part of Valley history.

I also remember that she and my aunt worked diligently  on their costumes--nothing in return

but a chance to be in the movie.

I can imagine that their days were filled with dust, hot temperatures, hours of just

sitting--all for the glory of being an extra

I found a photo of Mother (left) and Aunt Sue (right) all dolled up in

their handmade costumes.  I think of the filming time and can't believe

they wore those costumes during the heat of the summer--"She Came To The Valley"

was one of the highlights of mother's life.

I found a DVD copy of the movie recently, but I didn't watched it--

I sent it to Aunt Sue--maybe, she'll watch it with her grandkids

and they'll share some memories of mother and Aunt Sue in their big adventure!

For me, I think I'll read the book!