The Tilsons

This oatmeal is perfectly cooked and not snotty. Do not deviate from the instructions. Stirring too much, or leaving on the heat for too long will be detrimental to oatmeal texture.

1 part Rolled Oats
a wee bit of salt
a generous sprinkle of cinnamon
a grating of nutmeg
a pinch of cardamom
a handful of raisins
a handful of cashews
a slurp of maple syrup
2 parts Water
hemp oil/flax oil to garnish

Directions:
1. Put the first 8 ingredients into a pot and turn on medium high. This is 8 on my stove.
2. Add the water before the ingredients burn. (this takes some practise…) Don’t stir.
3. Bring to an uncomfortably rolling boil, then immediately stir it about three times around, put a lid on it and remove from the burner. If you stir it more, it will have a greater chance of snotification. Ew.
4. Wait until you are really, really hungry. Open the pot and see if the oats sucked up all the water. If they have, stir it up and pour it into a bowl. If it hasn’t, you should have started your oatmeal before you got so hungry.
5. Top with oil and chow down… well, say a word of gratitude first, you’ll digest better.

Lisa and I have been members of NOWBC, a local food co-op for the last six months. They are a small organization dedicated to delivering organic food and creating connections between local farmers and local eaters. They need MORE members to reach a level of financial sustainability. If you like eating organic and want to support the local food industry, check out and join: http://www.nowbc.ca/.

Lisa and I and our tour gang arrived in Abadiânia this afternoon after a rather long journey here. Our connecting flight from Atlanta to Manaus was delayed by 6 hours so we missed our final flight to Brasilia. After a 10 hour hang out in Atlanta we were airborne again, arriving at Manaus where we managed to get on a later flight. Manaus is quite remote and really in the Amazon.

Read the complete Post.

Hello friends! I’m working on a school project exploring the idea of regenerative communities from a real estate developer perspective. My group is curious to know if there is a place in the market for real estate development infused and guided by the ethics and principles of permaculture. We are trying to validate our gut sense that there is latent demand for living in patterns of community that allow people to realize a fully regenerative lifestyle.

Most of the questions are close-ended so I don’t think it will take you more than 10 or 15 minutes of your time.

http://bit.ly/regenerative-communities

in gratitude
Justin

Christmas knitting is fast approaching.  I have nearly finished one sweater “My Brother the Hero” aka “The Hero Pullover” by Ann Budd from the Fall 2007 Knitscene.  It has taken me a while to knit, which is fine, I just wanted it done before October at which point, the Christmas Knitting commences officially.  Revenons a nos moutons (returning to our flock) I blocked the sweater yesterday, and today it is lovely and flat.  I didn’t stretch the life out of the ribbing, but I did make it so that it was all the right shape.

Today I will seam it and tomorrow I will buy the zipper and install it.  Wahoo! done by October!

Also on the needles is Gail or Nightsongs (Ravlery link) by MaweLucky/Jane Araujo, on Ravelry for FREE!  I haven’t progressed very far on it since we got back from Ontario, maybe one repeat?  The sweater has been the focus.

Then there is the Milkweed (Ravelry link)  Sigh…  the poor thing has been sitting in my basket since before we left from Ontario.  It will be a gift for someone special and will be done by christmas.

Finally, I got the yarn for Justin’s Legwarmers.  Beautiful Malibrigo Sock Yarn - Camophlage (actually 851 Turner)  I think I am going to do something fun celtic knots to keep things interesting.

There you have it folks, September’s projects!  Stay tuned for Christmas Knitting!

Like last year, today we canned pickles!  Using recipes from Bernardin’s Big Book of Canning Justin and I put away the beans that we harvested before the Feast of Avalon (the equinox) and some carrots we had in the fridge.  The following recipe is better explained in the link above, but this year I didn’t boil the beans in the vinegar water first.  I found them not to be crunchy enough last year.  We’ll see if we make it!

Dilly Beans (7 pints aprox)
3 T Pickling or canning salts
3 C White vinegar
3 C Water
4.5 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into jar length pieces (we just cut them as we put them into jars)
1/4 t dill (heaping)
1/4 t red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic

Dilly Carrots (7 pints aprox)
6 C white vinegar
2 C water
1/2 C pickling salt
cloves of garlic (one for each jar)
1/4 t dill (heaping)
1/4 t red pepper flakes

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. Combine vinegar, water and salt for either recipe and bring to a boil
3. Load the vegetable into the hot jars along with 1 clove of garlic, dill and pepper flakes (the book says that one should cook the beans in the vinegar mix first, but not the carrots - you’ll know if we don’t make it.)
4. Ladel hot liquid mixture into jar to 1 cm headspace, tap down to release air bubbles, wipe rim, place lid and screw down top.
5. Place jars in canner making sure that they are 2 inches below the surface of water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from canner and leave to sit for 24 hours. Ensure that the lids have sealed, remove rings, wipe down and store.

Every year Interweave Knits Spin-Off throws a huge autumn retreat (6 days!) where spinners get together and bond over courses, workshops, and social events.  This event is aptly named SOAR - Spin Off Autumn Retreat.  I remember hearing about it last year. I had only just started spinning and really wasn’t good enough to even enjoy spinning that much, let alone talking about it with other people.  Then, this year, I got myself a Joy, and took some spinning lessons.  Now, I’m home from Manitoulin and feeling like I would like to keep spinning and maybe even learn some more, and since it is so close to home (Sunriver Resort in Oregon, USA) I registered!  I’m going!

I even went whole hog (oink) and registered for the workshop and retreat! I’m taking the spinning for weaving retreat, and then a beginners weaving course, wool combs course, spin to design course, and sock spinning course.  I wish I could have gotten into the lace one, but I’m sure I can find a teacher who can fill me in on the details when I want to get into that.

Still not quite sure how I am going to get there (so if you are driving from Vancouver, BC and want a buddy, lemme know!)  If I can’t find a carpool, the train seems like a pretty good alternative, looks pretty fun and inexpensive… I could probably bring the loom, the combs and my wheel (yay train cargo! boo planes!)

I think I’m still in shock about the price of the whole experience… must restrain myself from buying large quantities of fleece at the market.

See you there!

So last week, I decided to start wishing for a loom.  This all started with my friend Heather of Loonsong CSA on Manitoulin Island who is a weaving teacher and possesses several looms.  She showed me a few of them and I was instantly enamoured by her 24″ table loom.  Then, as I said, last week I decided that I would try to manifest one for christmas.

Sure enough, my mom and I are boutiquing in Surrey on Saturday, and WHAM a used loom for sale, $29.99! ( Keep in mind that I know next to nothing about weaving or looms.)  I know that there are thingies (shafts or harnesses) that move up and down, and a squisher (beater bars and reed) that moves forward and back and a little zoomy thing (shuttle) that goes in between the strings, back and forth.  I didn’t see the squisher, but the little rods (swords) were there to hold it in place.  The cloth (aprons) was all ripped and there was only one rod (warp rod).  Other than that, it looked like a loom, and had a manufacturers sticker on it, so I bought it, hoping that I could find the dude who made it and get parts!

My mom and I got it home and looked the dude up on the web - Harvey Darnel of Mainland Cottage Crafts and found, not surprisingly, that his company no longer exists.  So, I found a Leclerc dealer on Orangeville, Ontario - Camilla Valley Farm Weavers’ Supply.  She was super helpful, and is sending me parts in the mail so that I can try and repair it.  The beater bars probably wouldn’t fit, so I am going to attempt to build that piece myself.

I know that things outside of oneself cannot impart happiness… but wow, this loom comes darn close!

I apologize in advance for the image heavy post.  Bees are worth it!  This week was the first honey extraction.  I learned how to take the caps off of the comb and how to load the frames into the extractor.  Then today, Chris took the frames out to the porch and let the bees take back everything that was left over after the extraction process.

The bees, who’s hives are out in the garden, smell the honey and swarm to the supers where the re-collect the honey that is left over from the harvest.  They aren’t bothered by a person’s presence, the only thing they want is the honey.

I’ve always been in awe of these magical creatures.  It was so amazing to have them distracted so that I could get right up close.  I’m still not sure that the Langstroth Hive method is for me, I think that I am more on the biodynamic side of things, but the experience was very enlightening nonetheless.

Well, Linda, you’ve gone and made me into a fiber prep nerd.  I never every thought that I would get into combing my own fleece, but my glorious spinning teacher on Maintoulin graciously allowed me to try her wool combs.  The power one has from combing their own wool is remarkable.  I realized that I could never spin that pre-prepared matted roving ever agin (well I might be exagerating) after feeling the fluffy liveliness of fresh roving made by hand.

I remember learning about these mysterious weapons at Birklands, but never actually got to try them.  I found the wool carders so awkward and hard on my wrists, not to mention that the little lumps of wool (woolags?) they produce are less than fun to spin off of.  I then vowed never to do my own wool prep.  How was I to know that wool combs would change my life?  Who knew that one can even blend wool on combs?  I may never have to use carders.

I searched online and found a man named Alvin Ramer, who is in Ontario and makes these combs as well as other spinning implements by hand.  He sent me the combs right away with two dizzes made out of seashells (funny for Ontario!) and a tine straightener.  Turns out he is the same gentleman who made Linda’s combs.

The ones I ordered are mid size, called Super Mini Combs (one step up from the Mini Combs, and one step down from the large combs).  The Super Mini Combs are appropriate for Romney and Corridale, while still being small enough for finer fibers like Marino and Shetland.  Excellent!  I chose the Walnut wood, as it is a little heavier than the cherrywood (my second choice).  The weight is quite perfect as I found the large combs I tried at Linda’s to be a little heavy - she said the Mini Combs are too light.

I highly recommend prepping your own wool - bye bye nubbly bits and little sticks, hello lively, fresh roving!