My options are looking better already...

I have an interview tomorrow morning. I was off work today, so naturally I have not been doing much other than knitting and dreading the interview. Brooding. Pitying my sorry self. But I have managed to compile a list of things that are worse than going to an interview. I'm pretending that I had to choose the interview or one of these fun items:

1. Get abducted by the anal-probe variety of aliens.
2. Have an appendage forcefully removed.
3. Be burned as a heretic a la Joan of Arc.
4. Get kicked by a farting horse.
5. Be a contestant on Fear Factor heights edition.
6. Eat the worm in the tequila.
7. Give birth.
8. Be naked in public.
9. Have a conversation with anyone on Jersey Shore.
10. Listen to Top 40 radio for twelve hours.
11. Brazilian wax.
12. Get a Twilight tattoo.
13. Be Henry VIII's wife.
14. Jump off Emory Peak.
15. Kill, gut and barbecue my Gatsby.

The interview now seems very appealing.

2/5

I am starting to realize that this project might be a little too ambitious for my limited quilting skills.  Never stopped me before though, and I am so excited to see this come together.

Gatsby deems this project as nap-worthy

This morning as I walked through an imaginary cool breeze, I was reminded that knitting season is almost upon me again! Christmas time and a baby shower are approaching.  Gotta wipe the dust of the hooks and needles that I've stowed away unused basically all summer.  Time to be blissfully industrious.  

Banjo Feminization

At first I called this project "banjo prettification", but "feminization" may be just as accurate. I suppose this is stage 1.  Stage 2 will have to do with the strap.

Before:

My banjo with a kitchen rag stuffed in the back.  The rag  keeps it from being too loud.  This works, but has downfalls.  First and most obviously, it isn't very attractive.  Second, it tends to occasionally fall out, which is annoying.  Third, sometimes I'm out of clean kitchen rags and I have to rob from my instrument.  Fourth, this paragraph forced me to use way too many commas for my comfort.

After:

My solution was to make a round pillow (my Fiesta plates were the perfect size round template) from some green material I had lying around plus some stuffed animal stuffins.  I then made 2 doilies and sewed their picot points together around the pillow.  I used the Ferris Wheel doily pattern, but had to make it smaller to fit correctly.  A lovely consequence to this whole doily thing is that the doily pattern shows through on the front of the banjo.

I love the look of it, except for the fact that banjos always seem to get dirty where thumbs and fingers strike the drum repeatedly.  I guess that means I practice enough.

What are doilies for?

I don't know, but I made one and it's pretty. At first I had it sitting on the back of the toilet in an effort to give that place some distinction and class. Now I have it draped across the television cozy in my bedroom directly underneath a framed filet crochet wall hanging hooked my my uncle. I figure cotton thread goes with cotton thread. I have another doily on the tiny ass hook already as phase 1 of my banjo prettification initiative.  More on that venture to come sometime soon.

Cluck Old Hen and Down In the Willow Gardens

Here is my latest recorded banjo song, Cluck Old Hen.  I don't yet have any chickens to play this to, but perhaps it's better this way since I won't have to torture them with strings of slowly played disconnected notes before I get it together.  I can present them with perfection the first time, as they will deserve.

AND I realized that I forgot to post Down in the Willow Gardens, the song I recorded early last month.  My cat so kindly offered her review of the song right there in the middle of the video, as she licked her butthole and then left the room.

Oliver tells me I get a funny, puckered look on my face when I play.  I think you're supposed to have a shallow grin when you play the banjo.  Maybe next time I will work on the proper facial arrangements.

Fig jam verdict: de-double-licious

Despite my inexperience with preserving, my fig jam turned out soooo goooood.  The fruit were seriously ripe, so I made the low-sugar recipe with 4.5 cups of sugar and no-to-low sugar pectin.  I learned that jam-making really allows the cheapskate in me to thrive.  I didn't have a real canner, and so no canner rack.  Here's my make-do solution:

Mason jar rings tied together with some Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn, surrounded by a pie crust saver ring which has never yet been used for its intended purpose. 

I suppose the whole process cost a little more than I hoped initially. The jars cost about $8 for a dozen, and the pectin was $4 for 2 boxes at Wal-Mart, plus the $3 for one box I had to buy at Super S when I decided to do a low sugar recipe (I ended up using the low sugar box, and a few shakes of a regular box). I did buy some canning utensils at Wal-Mart (jar tongs, magnetic lid lifter, plastic wide mouth funnel, jar-stirrer-mabobber) for $7.  I don't think I could have done without the jar tongs without burning the crap out of myself, so it seems to me that $7 was a good investment, plus I shouldn't have to buy those things again. 

I am prepared and excited about the mesquite bean jelly.  I won't have to buy pectin, jars or utensils.  Just more sugar.  I think it's going to be a delicious year.  I hope sooo much that this is the year we can get a house and I can start garden planning.  I have pressure canner aspirations. The pop of the jam jar lids sealing after their water bath was truly music to my happy ears.

Fig jam

Took my first foray into the magical world of homemade jam today, yay!

A few months ago I noticed three fig trees growing behind my apartment complex (also behind someone's house...).  These trees have been profusely producing figs all summer long.  Lots and lots of figs.  So, assuming that the old lady that owns the trees won't be able to eat all the hundreds of figs that are growing right now, I took the opportunity to pick some.  Hidden.  At night.  Like a ninja.  I didn't even know I liked figs until two days ago when I tried them for the first time, but now I know I love them.  Also little did I know, there was more than one variety of fig planted back there.  I think one produces celeste figs which are yellow/brown/purple when ripe, and another one produces these figs that are green when ripe.  The last tree, I'm not sure.  I like these green ones the best.  The fruit inside is bright pink and super lovely sweet.  They taste like heaven.

I think these are Kadota or Jacob's Honey figs

All chopped up, 5 cups or so

Lovely

One of Six!

That first jar wasn't full all the way.  I don't think you're supposed to leave that much space at the top of the jar, so i think I will eat that one first.  Of course, the jars are still cooling.  I won't know whether it turned out good until tomorrow when I crack one open over some fresh biscuits.  It tasted nice right off the spoon and pot, but I'm still a little nervous about how this jam will turn out since it was my first try at jam.  This must be a warm up for the mesquite bean jelly which is to come later this summer!