# Other hobbies.



## PARTSBILL

I'm a jack of all tradesman.  I've made hallow wooden surfboards(@20) sold many gave most away.  I've 3/4 built a 29' center console but destroyed with 2 part pour foam :-(.  I've have built and currently use my 4th type of solar pool heater.  I also have made and given away 150 dragon wing begonias(all started by 1 pinch of 1 plant) and @200 boxwoods(started from clippings from my Moms house 30 years ago. I've had 200 feet of hydroponic strawberries a couple of years ago. and now to try some soap!!!  Oh I also built single handedly a 36x16 boathouse complete with a lift with borrowed equipment and in the middle of February with no wetsuit and plumbing for a sink and got it ALL passed inspections!!!

BTW.  The boathouse still stands behind where the house used to stand.  I sold the place @20+ years ago and Hurricane Irene took the whole house down.  And on just a river none the less.  Not enough land from the watr behind where it was or the road in front of it so a house will never be there again.  But the boathouse lives on @35 years after I built it!!


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## AliOop

Maybe you should start making molds, cutters, and splitters for soap.


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## Vicki C

PARTSBILL said:


> I'm a jack of all tradesman.  I've made hallow wooden surfboards(@20) sold many gave most away.  I've 3/4 built a 29' center console but destroyed with 2 part pour foam :-(.  I've have built and currently use my 4th type of solar pool heater.  I also have made and given away 150 dragon wing begonias(all started by 1 pinch of 1 plant) and @200 boxwoods(started from clippings from my Moms house 30 years ago. I've had 200 feet of hydroponic strawberries a couple of years ago. and now to try some soap!!!  Oh I also built single handedly a 36x16 boathouse complete with a lift with borrowed equipment and in the middle of February with no wetsuit and plumbing for a sink and got it ALL passed inspections!!!


My kinda guy. Oh yeah I’m married.


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## Peachy Clean Soap

My Hubby' is much of a Jack Of All Trade's too.  Certainly comes in handy


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## TheGecko

I needle knit, loom knit and crochet.  My husband made me a floor swift and a couple of holders for my silicone loaf molds (the were starting to bow at the sides).  I want a beveler.


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## KimW

Maybe @PARTSBILL can make you one!!  ..or all of them!


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## PARTSBILL

Vicki C said:


> My kinda guy. Oh yeah I’m married.
> yeah.....me too





KimW said:


> Maybe @PARTSBILL can make you one!!  ..or all of them!


Probably could but I don't know what it is.  However.....I'm not cheap and unfortunately not a very good finish anything.  I'm more of a rough jack of all trades.  I can do it, but it may not be purty!!


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## Vicki C

TheGecko said:


> I needle knit, loom knit and crochet.  My husband made me a floor swift and a couple of holders for my silicone loaf molds (the were starting to bow at the sides).  I want a beveler.


I got one off Etsy, it’s great and includes a soap planer. I’m a little worried I’m going to slice off a chunk of my hand which would really spoil the soap...


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## Kiti Williams

I am a fiber artist.  Even if it isn't a fiber, but can be treated as such, I work with it.  I knit, Crochet, tat, embroider, sew, quilt, and weave.  I am owned by 3 spinning wheels and 3 floor looms.  I love cooking up hate to clean dishes of houses.


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## Ladka

Kiti Williams said:


> ... I knit, Crochet, tat, embroider, sew, quilt, and weave.  I am owned by 3 spinning wheels and 3 floor looms.  I love cooking up hate to clean dishes of houses.


Can I see some of your products? Embroidered, quilted, woven? Do you happen to run a web page or blog?


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## kasilofchrisn

Man where do I begin with my hobbies?lol 
Besides soapmaking I also make bath bombs, lip balms, and medicinal salves.
I have several raised bed gardens the biggest being 16'x32'. Also have a 12'x24' garden and several 4'x16' raised beds. Oh and a small 10'x20' greenhouse.
Make jams, jellies, and birch syrup.
I reload and cast my own boolits.
I hunt and put up my own game meat.
Fish and make almost all my own fishing tackle.
I used to make and sell saltwater fishing jigs but have since given that up.
I enjoy foraging for berries, mushrooms, and medicinal plants.
I'm a recreational gold miner and I'm in a club for that.
I ride snowmobiles for ice fishing and trail riding.
Raise chickens for the eggs.
And probably a few more things I'm forgetting at the moment.
Just too many hobbies but they are all a lot of fun.


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## Misschief

I've whittled my hobbies down over the years and especially now that soapmaking has become a (very) small business. In my time, I've done rubber stamping, cross stitch, petit point, sewed clothes for my kids, knitting, crochet, photography (which I still indulge in but it's mostly product photography now). I also love to cook and bake when I have the time and the inclination.


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## Obsidian

I'm currently growing a number of hoya for future propagation and sale, I'm also getting into hot peppers, hope to make my own fermented hot sauce this winter.

I'm raising baby tarantuals and snakes for future breeding. I used to breed tarantulas in the past but got out of it for a number of years. 

I tried getting into bonsai, just couldn't do it but I do have a couple pre bonsai I still work on and a three new trees to shape this fall.

Lastly, I'm trying to teach myself violin, its not going very well.


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## Kiti Williams

Ladka said:


> Can I see some of your products? Embroidered, quilted, woven? Do you happen to run a web page or blog?



These are quilted.  My dish towels are still on one loom.





These here are needle turn Applique



Ladka said:


> Can I see some of your products? Embroidered, quilted, woven? Do you happen to run a web page or blog?



On FB, Outside the Quilt.


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## Miffybear

I am a beekeeper.  Being a newbie to soapmaking I have only tried one batch with honey added, which is still curing.  My next experiment will be adding some beeswax, but I understand that takes a bit more skill.  Husband used to be in demolition and for years we had a whole load of wooden soap racks from the old Pears Soap factory that we used for storing apples.  Would you believe that a few months ago we took them all apart just before I decided to start soap making!  However he is into woodwork and has now made me a lovely slatted rack


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## Ladka

Miffybear said:


> I am a beekeeper.  Being a newbie to soapmaking I have only tried one batch with honey added, which is still curing.  My next experiment will be adding some beeswax, but I understand that takes a bit more skill.  ...


I used beeswax with the aim of making  harder soap. The batch has been curing for three months but the bars are somehow sticky.


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## serielle

I weave both standard and tapestry.  I spin and dye my fibre.


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## Kiti Williams

pennym said:


> I weave both standard and tapestry.  I spin and dye my fibre.



Another fiber person!  Sometimes I feel so alone here.  I pick, wash, line dry, tease, drum card, and spin my own wool.  I have a sheep who lives in the flock that I pay rent for.  My local Shepard was so happy to see some of her fleece spun that she and I came to an agreement.  I usually knit with my wool, and even spun fine enough to make sock yarn, which made such nice socks!  

My big loom is at a friend's home until we move, it had a 45" warp width.  I plan on doing up some blankets with it.

I also reuse plastic grocery bags into knit totes!  Like I said, if I can treat it like a fiber, I will spin it!


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## Ladka

Kiti Williams said:


> Another fiber person!  Sometimes I feel so alone here.  I pick, wash, line dry, tease, drum card, and spin my own wool.  I have a sheep who lives in the flock that I pay rent for.  ....


Another one here! I also own one sheep who lives in a flock 30 km away at a farmstead in the Alps at 800 metres above sea level. I pay no rent for it, the wool is mine  if I want it, so was her first lamb, and now all the lambs are the farmer's. I wash, tease, drum card, natural dye and spin the wool (or I spin it and then natural dye the yarn). I'm a beginner spinner and my yarns are rather unequal but as they say practice makes perfect.


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## serielle

Ladka said:


> Another one here! I also own one sheep who lives in a flock 30 km away at a farmstead in the Alps at 800 metres above sea level. I pay no rent for it, the wool is mine  if I want it, so was her first lamb, and now all the lambs are the farmer's. I wash, tease, drum card, natural dye and spin the wool (or I spin it and then natural dye the yarn). I'm a beginner spinner and my yarns are rather unequal but as they say practice makes perfect.



There will come a time in the future when you may want to make "art" yarn and wish you could do the uneven spinning again.  It takes a bit of unlearning once you get there.


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## Ladka

pennym said:


> There will come a time in the future when you may want to make "art" yarn and wish you could do the uneven spinning again.  It takes a bit of unlearning once you get there.


I regret to say the day has already come  I can not spin uneven thick yarn, and my finer yarns are overtwisted here and there. But I can even produce certain lengths of evenly spun thin yarn that I ply.


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## Kiti Williams

Ladka said:


> I regret to say the day has already come  I cant spin uneven thick yarn, and my finer yarns are overtwisted here and there. But I can even produce certain lengths of evenly spun thin yarn that I ply.



I am a ply-er as well.  My yarns have gone to super fine, because I got some Flax and got good with the long draw.  If I need a thicker yarn, I just ply as many as I need.  My first ever spinning both wheel and spindle was Pima long staple cotton.  When I got my first fleece to spin - WOW! - was it a game changer.  I even un ply and separate commercial yarns that I don't have the suitable weight for.  Then I put the ply back in and off I go.  I love that there are no spi  police!

I use my spinning time as my focus and re-charge time.  The whole process is just so Zen!


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## Ladka

Kiti Williams said:


> I use my spinning time as my focus and re-charge time.  The whole process is just so Zen!


 I had a small group of women who watched me spin when I was demonstrating spinning who just stood there and watched me in silence. I asked what was going on and they told me they were just so calmed by the evenly repetitive movement of my hands.


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## Kiti Williams

Ladka said:


> I had a small group of women who watched me spin when I was demonstrating spinning who just stood there and watched me in silence. I asked what was going on and they told me they were just so calmed by the evenly repetitive movement of my hands.




  I can relate.  I did a demo for an elementary school.  The boys were more impressed than the girls.


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## amd

I have no hobbies. I used to read, and sporadically pick that up again. I guess I could call drinking craft beer a hobby, although as much as I drink it's probably more of a lifestyle... Is NetFlix a hobby? That seems to be what I do most when I'm not at work, making soap, or sleeping...


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## Tara_H

Vicki C said:


> I got one off Etsy, it’s great and includes a soap planer. I’m a little worried I’m going to slice off a chunk of my hand which would really spoil the soap...


When I started reading I thought you were saying your swift included a soap planer and I was impressed and a little concerned...


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## Jersey Girl

I’m impressed with all the talent in this group!  I love to garden and have a big flower garden and vegetable garden every year. I also enjoy canning...jams, pickles, tomato sauce from the garden...


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## Tara_H

Jersey Girl said:


> I also enjoy canning...jams, pickles, tomato sauce from the garden...


Ooh, me too 
Although my preserve shelves are under serious pressure these days from soap and soap-adjacent items, we have plans for a proper pantry that I think we're going to need to start work on sooner rather than later before we're entirely overrun!


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## Jersey Girl

Tara_H said:


> Ooh, me too
> Although my preserve shelves are under serious pressure these days from soap and soap-adjacent items, we have plans for a proper pantry that I think we're going to need to start work on sooner rather than later before we're entirely overrun!



I have a major space shortage issue as well.  I have jams and soaps under the bed.  Lol


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## soaplady30

Since being home more I have taken up indoor hydroponic and aeroponic gardening. So much to learn but my diet is better for it. I have dwarf tomatoes that are 285 days old and still producing. Have grown all my own smoothie greens since the pandemic started, my lettuce as well. I am definitely not a gardener and can't grow a thing but am learning to do this indoor gardening. It is so calming watching my greens grow. I actually started with doing microgreens and read what others posted.


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## maryloucb

Wow--what a handy, creative group of folks! I am a sourdough baker and enjoy all kinds of baking and cooking. I also have a pretty large garden, but it sits idle for 6 months of the year under snow! High altitude (9000ft) gardening is challenging!


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## serielle

maryloucb said:


> Wow--what a handy, creative group of folks! I am a sourdough baker and enjoy all kinds of baking and cooking. I also have a pretty large garden, but it sits idle for 6 months of the year under snow! High altitude (9000ft) gardening is challenging!


I started playing with sourdough in the last few months.  I think the fact that I live at sea level (well 54 ft above) and less than a mile from the ocean is messing with my attempts.  But I am persistent and I am close!


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## jcandleattic

Hobbies - okay, let's see
Soapmaking - I also sell, so not sure I can still call this a hobby even though I do still enjoy it. I also make candles, wax melts, lotions, bath bombs, and fragrance sprays. 
Just recently (almost a year now) I've started making resin art, and alcohol ink art. 
Non-craft hobbies would include reading when I can (which is incredibly rare these days) and collecting Irish memorabilia. I'm in 3 Irish subscription boxes. LOL


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## maryloucb

pennym said:


> I started playing with sourdough in the last few months.  I think the fact that I live at sea level (well 54 ft above) and less than a mile from the ocean is messing with my attempts.  But I am persistent and I am close!



Are you having trouble with it rising? It could be humidity more than elevation.


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## Skylantern

pennym said:


> I started playing with sourdough in the last few months.  I think the fact that I live at sea level (well 54 ft above) and less than a mile from the ocean is messing with my attempts.  But I am persistent and I am close!



Being a sourdough parent can be a little nerve wracking in the early days but two things I've done that helped tremendously were to add pineapple juice to my new starter to create an acidic environment to help it fight off the baddies and use only 100% Rye. Sourdough *loves* Rye.

My process is 30g Rye to 30g water after it's been established. I use a small deli container currently but when it is young I'll start it off in jelly jar with a canning lid over a coffee filter to let it breathe. I live in a very warm and humid environment so my starter goes in the fridge until the day before I'm ready to bake and then I'll do two feedings several hours apart to wake it up. By putting "Rye Breadbury" in the fridge I can control the level of sourness and off flavors and stretch the feedings. It'll also allow it to feed slower and this gives it a better flavor.

A healthy sourdough should smell a little fruity, slightly banana-y. An unhappy sourdough will smell like bad cheese or boozy when it's starving. Both can be saved. When I do a feeding I put everything in another container (I save my discard for pancakes or quick breads) so that there is only what is left clinging to the container. You don't want there to be too many little yeasties competing for food.

Lastly, it took my current sourdough about a year to get a true full rise that doubled in size. Until then I would add a pinch of commercial yeast to the full amount of sourdough to help my rise. So hang in there, it does take a little while for it to be fully active and the more feedings the better it will do. I hope this helps. Let us know how it goes


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## Skylantern

Hobbies have been my anchor to sanity after I decided to go back to school. I had started this degree in 1997 and after life did a whole of interfering I'm back in 2021 to finish what a younger me started. It is perhaps, not the right degree for me. There have been a number of changes since my first BASIC class, but overwhelming or not, I'm here for it. However, because of school I'm able to learn and try new hobbies which after raising a family and working I never had the time to do. So it works out 

So my sanity saving devices are: Candle making, Perfume mixing, Cosmetic Chemistry, Stained Glass, Fermentation, Sewing, Needle Punching, Polymer Clay, Herbalism, Wildcrafting, Foraging, and data hoarding all the amazing information you can find on Archive.Org. 

I spend hours going through old recipes from old household receipts and Druggists catalogs to learn how to make lotions, brilliantines, and cosmetics. I like trying to figure out ways to adapt old recipes into new ones like changing out spermaceti with jojoba, adding preservatives to face creams, switching out borax & beeswax for modern emulsifiers. I've actually been thinking about sharing some of my finds from the vault because I find them genuinely fascinating and it's so interesting and often disturbing to see how often lead and formaldehyde and other highly toxic ingredients were in such common usage.


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## serielle

maryloucb said:


> Are you having trouble with it rising? It could be humidity more than elevation.



I think it's more just an experience thing.  Humidity level is around 40-50% in the house.  I am having issues with it being a bit gummy.  Internal cooked temperature is fine and it's not over proofed.  I think that it has to do with not letting it bulk ferment (rise) long enough.   While a store bought yeast rises within expected times, my sourdough doesn't rise within expected times.  I have been told by a friend that has been making sourdough for a very long time that I just need to let it go until it's the right size and not worry about timing so much.    Next one will be timed to allow it to go overnight.


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## maryloucb

pennym said:


> I think it's more just an experience thing.  Humidity level is around 40-50% in the house.  I am having issues with it being a bit gummy.  Internal cooked temperature is fine and it's not over proofed.  I think that it has to do with not letting it bulk ferment (rise) long enough.   While a store bought yeast rises within expected times, my sourdough doesn't rise within expected times.  I have been told by a friend that has been making sourdough for a very long time that I just need to let it go until it's the right size and not worry about timing so much.    Next one will be timed to allow it to go overnight.



Great idea! I regularly use a no knead recipe that rises overnight in the fridge. It generally takes longer to rise than what instructions may say, but that is also partially because my house is cold in the winter.


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## Skylantern

pennym said:


> I think it's more just an experience thing.  Humidity level is around 40-50% in the house.  I am having issues with it being a bit gummy.  Internal cooked temperature is fine and it's not over proofed.  I think that it has to do with not letting it bulk ferment (rise) long enough.   While a store bought yeast rises within expected times, my sourdough doesn't rise within expected times.  I have been told by a friend that has been making sourdough for a very long time that I just need to let it go until it's the right size and not worry about timing so much.    Next one will be timed to allow it to go overnight.



Ah, yeah, it'll take it's sweet time. On average it takes my sourdough 10 - 14hrs to double on the first rise and around 2hrs once shaped for the second rise. On the second rise you can create a hot box by adding in moisture and heat. I do this by boiling water in a large mug for 4 minutes and putting my pans (I use lodge cast iron sandwich bread pans) in the microwave (microwave is NOT running during this time, it's just to hold in moisture and heat) with the mug that is still steaming. It takes about 2 hours for them to rise above the edge.

Visual cues: On the first bulk rise you'll want it to double in size. It should jiggle like a firm water bed. If you stick your finger in, it should not immediately fill back in. On the second rise you'll want it be above the sides of the pan, again shake it to see if it wobbles a bit. It shouldn't feel tight or resistant. It actually takes a lot to overproof your dough, most people underproof.

Create steam: When you go to bake, crank that oven up to max. Get ready several ice cubes in a bowl. Put your pans in, and toss your ice cubes into the bottom of the oven (this is dangerous, you can skip this but it really helps), and then quickly shut the oven door. Now turn the oven down to your reg temp, I usually bake at 400 degrees. This is to increase oven spring and professional bakers have steam injected ovens to accomplish the same thing.

Looking for a hollow thud: When your time is up, for sandwich loaves it's around 45 minutes for me, I take one of the pans out and turn out the bread with oven mitts, then take off the mitt not holding the bread and flick or tap the bottom of the loaf. I'm looking for a hollow sound. If it's still gummy in the middle it'll sound dense. But when it's done, you can actually hear the change in sound. This works for me better than thermometers and is my preferred method.

This is all a bit different if you're using dutch oven but the hollow thud still works here too.


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## KimW

Sourdough - Keys to my eventual success in Sourdough, and making a soft sourdough loaf with a soft chew:
1.) Feeding starter at same time everyday and finding the right storage spot (a spot with a consistent environment of temp, humidity, etc, throughout the day/night).  Turned out a kitchen drawer was the best spot in my house.
2.) Feeding my starter at least twice, with an hour or so between feedings, before making bread.
3.) Using the right amount and right types of fat.   Can't find the article now, but there was a study done, I think in the 1940s, which showed an equal amount of solid fat and liquid fat up to total of 3% Baker's Percentage, provided the most rise.
4.) Preferment.  Half the flour, all the water and all the starter of recipe.  Mix well, cover.  Allow to sit it the same location of the starter (in my case the drawer) until it at least doubles.  This can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Mix in remaining flour and other ingredients.
5.) I stopped using other people's recipes.  LOL
ETA:  These loaves are 100% sourdough - no commercial/store-bought yeast.  I made a store-bought yeasted bread for the first time ever the other week.  I used the same method I use for Sourdough, and the bread was so soft as to not be desirable.  Too funny!


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## ResolvableOwl

Brilliant! This thread got hijacked by Sourdough Anonymous (-:

Just today I baked a _potica_, a traditional Slovenian yeast cake – in my slightly less traditional adoption (I confess that I'm officially incapable to stick to recipes…). My sourdough apparently loved the honey I put into the dough (although I have supported it with a bit baker's yeast). I apologise to myself for milling only half of the flour by myself . The filling is based on crushed pumpkin seeds and tarragon, that's where the colour comes from.


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## soaplady30

Skylantern said:


> Being a sourdough parent can be a little nerve wracking in the early days but two things I've done that helped tremendously were to add pineapple juice to my new starter to create an acidic environment to help it fight off the baddies and use only 100% Rye. Sourdough *loves* Rye.
> 
> My process is 30g Rye to 30g water after it's been established. I use a small deli container currently but when it is young I'll start it off in jelly jar with a canning lid over a coffee filter to let it breathe. I live in a very warm and humid environment so my starter goes in the fridge until the day before I'm ready to bake and then I'll do two feedings several hours apart to wake it up. By putting "Rye Breadbury" in the fridge I can control the level of sourness and off flavors and stretch the feedings. It'll also allow it to feed slower and this gives it a better flavor.
> 
> A healthy sourdough should smell a little fruity, slightly banana-y. An unhappy sourdough will smell like bad cheese or boozy when it's starving. Both can be saved. When I do a feeding I put everything in another container (I save my discard for pancakes or quick breads) so that there is only what is left clinging to the container. You don't want there to be too many little yeasties competing for food.
> 
> Lastly, it took my current sourdough about a year to get a true full rise that doubled in size. Until then I would add a pinch of commercial yeast to the full amount of sourdough to help my rise. So hang in there, it does take a little while for it to be fully active and the more feedings the better it will do. I hope this helps. Let us know how it goes


Thank you for sharing this. Sourdough has been on my back burner for some time and just last week I saved some online info on the topic from the King Arthur site. Your personal experience is even better. I wish I knew how to get your post into my Evernote. I live in an old farm house and it is so hard to raise dough in cold weather. In any case reading your experience is helpful.


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## ResolvableOwl

BTW, sourdough can be “conserved” by stirring/kneading in so much flour that it becomes crumbly, and then dry. Useful as a backup when the active one went bad (don't ask me how many hibernating sourdoughs I have distributed everywhere). It is also possible to ship these! I put some 30 g into a mail envelope, sent it to a friend, and she revived it, and since then she has been baking quite some wonderful (as far as I can judge from her reports) loaves of bread with it.


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## SPowers

I cook and bake and I have a jar of sourdough in my fridge which hasn't been used in awhile.  My other hobby is genealogy which I've been doing since the late 90's.


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## Zing

For some reason I am super hungry!

Is watching soap YouTubes considered a hobby?

I love to play the piano.  And I'm a huge gardener just itching to plant.  The new house we bought was on a weed patch.  Last year I focused on the front yard.  This year I'll focus on half of the back.  Flowers and vegetables.  My wife loves to can so we compete for basement space, soap vs jars.

And reading.  The upside of the pandemic is we're back in our beloved book club of our former city.  Currently I'm completely lost in a different world, a book full of resiliency, love, humor, pathos, tragedy, community, and the transformational power of books, literacy, and a librarian.  It will be a novel that stays with me for life.  Unforgettable characters -- and one of my favorite was a pack mule.  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Henderson.


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## Jersey Girl

Zing said:


> For some reason I am super hungry!
> 
> Is watching soap YouTubes considered a hobby?
> 
> I love to play the piano.  And I'm a huge gardener just itching to plant.  The new house we bought was on a weed patch.  Last year I focused on the front yard.  This year I'll focus on half of the back.  Flowers and vegetables.  My wife loves to can so we compete for basement space, soap vs jars.
> 
> And reading.  The upside of the pandemic is we're back in our beloved book club of our former city.  Currently I'm completely lost in a different world, a book full of resiliency, love, humor, pathos, tragedy, community, and the transformational power of books, literacy, and a librarian.  It will be a novel that stays with me for life.  Unforgettable characters -- and one of my favorite was a pack mule.  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Henderson.



You and Mrs Zing seem like a great team.


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## soaplady30

Zing said:


> For some reason I am super hungry!
> 
> Is watching soap YouTubes considered a hobby?
> 
> I love to play the piano.  And I'm a huge gardener just itching to plant.  The new house we bought was on a weed patch.  Last year I focused on the front yard.  This year I'll focus on half of the back.  Flowers and vegetables.  My wife loves to can so we compete for basement space, soap vs jars.
> 
> And reading.  The upside of the pandemic is we're back in our beloved book club of our former city.  Currently I'm completely lost in a different world, a book full of resiliency, love, humor, pathos, tragedy, community, and the transformational power of books, literacy, and a librarian.  It will be a novel that stays with me for life.  Unforgettable characters -- and one of my favorite was a pack mule.  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Henderson.


Thanks for the book suggestion. I am going to get it as my next selection from my audio book service. It sounds like a good read.


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## Zing

Jersey Girl said:


> You and Mrs Zing seem like a great team. ♥♥♥


I think we are, too -- except we don't make documentaries like you and Jersey Boy.


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## Ladka

ResolvableOwl said:


> ... Just today I baked a _potica_, a traditional Slovenian yeast cake – in my slightly less traditional adoption ... The filling is based on crushed pumpkin seeds and tarragon, that's where the colour comes from.


I live in Slovenia and bake a potica several times a year. Having been making it for over fifty years I consider myself qualified to solemnly declare that your potica looks fine. The traditional potica has walnuts in the spread, and potica with tarragon (but without pumpkin seed) is my second favourite recipe. Mmm, potica!


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## GGWP

Great topic! I'm a baking-, painting-, gardening-, and most recently soapmaking- hobbyist! Love each of these activities and they have brought me so much peace. This weekend I'm going to plant this year's cherry tomatoes and baby peppers, next to my blooming herbs and ever-so-growing strawberries. I've had experience with tropical fruit planting as well. Not sure I will get any fruits from them, but it's nice to see the variety and how they are growing stronger every day


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## ResolvableOwl

SPowers said:


> I have a jar of sourdough in my fridge which hasn't been used in awhile. My other hobby is genealogy which I've been doing since the late 90's.


Not totally mutually exclusive. People with sourdough genealogy since the late 90s (or mid-80s) aren't unheard of.



Ladka said:


> I live in Slovenia and bake a potica several times a year. Having been making it for over fifty years I consider myself qualified to solemnly declare that your potica looks fine. The traditional potica has walnuts in the spread, and potica with tarragon (but without pumpkin seed) is my second favourite recipe. Mmm, potica!


Thank you!  Glad it passed the test! Yes, I know well why walnut potica is so popular. But I also love tarragon, and since I had no Slovenian around here to prevent me from a recipe cross-over, I did it. The pumpkin seeds came into play since I have them at hand (but no walnuts), and this Styrian recipe tipped the scales. Taste wise they can't really shine, which is a bummer. Next time I'll roast them before milling.


----------



## Miffybear

Wow! Beginning to feel as if I should list all my other activities!  Thanks for all the sour dough information as I have just received some starter from a friend so that I can make my first sourdough loaf.  Been making various other types of bread since lockdown and would never go back to store bought (unless in Italy where we get it from our local bakers).  Like others on here, I grow my own veg and have jars of jams stored in a spare bedroom, along with the jars of honey and now the soaps!  Perhaps every house should now come with an office and a hobby room?  I did start learning the saxophone at the age of 61!


----------



## Ladka

ResolvableOwl said:


> ...Taste wise they /pumpkin seeds/  can't really shine, which is a bummer. Next time I'll roast them before milling.


 Yes, do roast them, their taste will profit much.


----------



## Jersey Girl

Zing said:


> I think we are, too -- except we don't make documentaries like you and Jersey Boy.



 Jersey Boy wants to make more!


----------



## SPowers

> SPowers said:
> I have a jar of sourdough in my fridge which hasn't been used in awhile. My other hobby is genealogy which I've been doing since the late 90's.


Not totally mutually exclusive. People with sourdough genealogy since the late 90s (or mid-80s) aren't unheard of.

My sourdough recipe isn't that old - it's maybe 3  or 4 years old at most.


----------



## beckster51

soaplady30 said:


> Since being home more I have taken up indoor hydroponic and aeroponic gardening. So much to learn but my diet is better for it. I have dwarf tomatoes that are 285 days old and still producing. Have grown all my own smoothie greens since the pandemic started, my lettuce as well. I am definitely not a gardener and can't grow a thing but am learning to do this indoor gardening. It is so calming watching my greens grow. I actually started with doing microgreens and read what others posted.


I have been very interested in getting into growing hydroponic vegetables.  Are there any resources you recommend that I should read to learn more about this?  I would love to grow some vegetables that would not be eaten by all the squirrels in my back yard.


----------



## KimW

beckster51 said:


> I have been very interested in getting into growing hydroponic vegetables.  Are there any resources you recommend that I should read to learn more about this?  I would love to grow some vegetables that would not be eaten by all the squirrels in my back yard.


My hubby has a youtube channel on how he grows hydroponics.  I'm not sure if it would be acceptable to post the link here on SMF, so PM me if you'd like the link.


----------



## maryloucb

KimW said:


> Sourdough - Keys to my eventual success in Sourdough, and making a soft sourdough loaf with a soft chew:
> 1.) Feeding starter at same time everyday and finding the right storage spot (a spot with a consistent environment of temp, humidity, etc, throughout the day/night).  Turned out a kitchen drawer was the best spot in my house.
> 2.) Feeding my starter at least twice, with an hour or so between feedings, before making bread.
> 3.) Using the right amount and right types of fat.   Can't find the article now, but there was a study done, I think in the 1940s, which showed an equal amount of solid fat and liquid fat up to total of 3% Baker's Percentage, provided the most rise.
> 4.) Preferment.  Half the flour, all the water and all the starter of recipe.  Mix well, cover.  Allow to sit it the same location of the starter (in my case the drawer) until it at least doubles.  This can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Mix in remaining flour and other ingredients.
> 5.) I stopped using other people's recipes.  LOL
> ETA:  These loaves are 100% sourdough - no commercial/store-bought yeast.  I made a store-bought yeasted bread for the first time ever the other week.  I used the same method I use for Sourdough, and the bread was so soft as to not be desirable.  Too funny!
> View attachment 54729
> 
> View attachment 54732
> 
> View attachment 54730


I like how your dog is just waiting patiently for one of those loaves to fall onto the floor!


----------



## Quanta

I also knit and nålbind. When I first wanted to learn nålbinding, I couldn't find a needle for it at any local yarn shop so I made my own. I was attending violin making school at the time and had access to wood scraps and a woodworking shop. After that I started making lots of needles out of various kinds of wood and even some really fancy colored acrylic ones (using acrylic blocks sold as pen blanks for turning). All told, I think I made more needles than mittens, lol. The green mitten in the picture was my first, and the needle shown "in action" was my first needle. Nålbinding makes a very thick, warm fabric. Later I also made a couple drop spindles (the one pictured is spalted pecan wood) and dyed some roving that I spun into single-ply yarn with the correct twist for nålbinding.

After violin making school I got a job driving a school bus, and one day spun some yarn as the kids were loading onto the bus to go home. The elementary kids were utterly fascinated, the middle schoolers were moderately interested, and the high schoolers pretended not to be, lol. The elementary kids all wanted a pinch of wool to take home.

While I was working as a bus driver, I got a second job at the woodworking supplies store I frequented because I figured if I was spending all my available time and money there, I should be paid for it. I had a knitted drawstring bag I kept in my pocket at that job with various kinds of wooden and acrylic nålbinding needles that I'd show to customers to demonstrate the finish that could be achieved with a particular polishing abrasive we sold. I sold a lot of that abrasive. I also sold a lot of those needles out of my pocket, and sent people to the local yarn shop for nålbinding lessons when they bought needles from me. Then the yarn shop bought a bunch of needles from me, too.

I am also a PC gamer, if that can be called a hobby. I built my own gaming computer.

I also do a little gardening. There is a strip of "grass" between my house and my neighbor's that never would grow proper grass, always weeds. So I pulled out the weeds, put down weed blocking fabric and mulch, and put big planters spaced out along the strip. I have an olive tree, some flowers that my grandfather planted for my grandmother at their house (which we dug up and kept after my grandparents both passed away and the house was sold), jasmine, honeysuckle, hibiscus, and lots and lots of aloe vera. The aloe vera propagate so quickly that several times I've had to tip out the pots and transplant all the babies into plastic cups of dirt which I gave away at work. I did have two kinds of lavender but they both died, unfortunately.

Lately I've also been making lots of lotion sticks. I mean lots. I've been making them for myself and family for maybe 8 or 9 years, but a coworker one day saw me using one on my hands and asked what I was doing. I told her it helped my hands not itch from the gloves (at my current job we have to wear nitrile gloves 10 hours a day). She said she needed something for that, since the gloves made her hands itch, too. So I gave her a couple samples, she ordered more, and everyone else got curious when they saw me giving it to her and wanted some too. I've sold lip balms to coworkers as well.

I have made candles off and on since shortly after high school. Back then I used paraffin, now I use soy wax.

I have also recently started making syndet shampoo bars and conditioner bars. I think I finally have a recipe that makes shampoo bars that harden properly. I've been using failed shampoo as body wash just to use it up, lol. So far I have made one batch of a sprayable leave-in conditioner that one of my sisters and I are testing (we have the same hair type).

I have also made laundry detergent (liquid detergent, not the soap some people use for laundry). Soon I am going to experiment with making a window/hard surface cleaner, and probably air freshener/linen spray.

I also do calligraphy, which I taught myself when I was around 8 or 9 years old. My parents gave me one of those Sheaffer fountain pen kits with the ink cartridges and different nibs and a booklet that taught how to use the pen. When I was older I taught myself more complicated techniques and have done several jobs addressing envelopes for wedding invitations. I did all the calligraphy for my own wedding invitations. I can even do Copperplate reasonably well but I'm a bit rusty as I don't practice much anymore.

I also do a little sewing but it's strictly on an as-needed basis. I made my knitting bag, and I make my own pajama bottoms out of flat sheets bought on clearance, using an old pair of very comfortable, very worn-out pajamas as the pattern. I also made all the curtains in my house.

I guess that's it. I do seem to rotate hobbies so I'm not doing all these at once.


----------



## KimW

maryloucb said:


> I like how your dog is just waiting patiently for one of those loaves to fall onto the floor!


It is definitely her jam.  As soon as she hears the oven timer beep, she's in there and she often will sit right there for 1.5 hours, waiting.


----------



## soaplady30

beckster51 said:


> I have been very interested in getting into growing hydroponic vegetables.  Are there any resources you recommend that I should read to learn more about this?  I would love to grow some vegetables that would not be eaten by all the squirrels in my back yard.


Yes I do have some recommendations. Keep in mind that I am new at it and still finding my way. I got a lot of info from a trade paper book titled Hydroponics The Kratky Method. There is no author listed. It just says "Demeter Guides" and was reasonably priced online. Second do a search online and on you tube for "hydroponics the Kratky Method. There are many great videos on the topic but I am partial to a lady, "Tikki O" on youtube. She speaks slowly and puts the cookies on the bottom shelf. I have pretty much killed everything I have grown till I tried aeroponics and hydroponics which I am just gathering materials for. I began aeroponics right after we were grounded for the pandemic and have grown all my own smoothie greens indoors and am.still cutting them daily. I am learning as I go and having a great time. There are several Kratky groups on facebook and I learn good info there too.


----------



## KimW

soaplady30 said:


> Yes I do have some recommendations. Keep in mind that I am new at it and still finding my way. I got a lot of info from a trade paper book titled Hydroponics The Kratky Method. There is no author listed. It just says "Demeter Guides" and was reasonably priced online. Second do a search online and on you tube for "hydroponics the Kratky Method. There are many great videos on the topic but I am partial to a lady, "Tikki O" on youtube. She speaks slowly and puts the cookies on the bottom shelf. I have pretty much killed everything I have grown till I tried aeroponics and hydroponics which I am just gathering materials for. I began aeroponics right after we were grounded for the pandemic and have grown all my own smoothie greens indoors and am.still cutting them daily. I am learning as I go and having a great time. There are several Kratky groups on facebook and I learn good info there too.


We're in good company here I see!  That book is about the method developed by Dr. Bernard A. Kratky, and it is the growing method my Hubby uses.   
ETA On youtube:  "Hydro Haven"


----------



## soaplady30

KimW said:


> We're in good company here I see!  That book is about the method developed by Dr. Bernard A. Kratky, and it is the growing method my Hubby uses.
> ETA On youtube:  "Hydro Haven"


I will check it out for sure. Saw a lady the other evening on a kratky facebook group who is growing full up beautiful kale in 1020 trays using just plugs in a starting tray which is suspended in the 1020 and of course in nutrient. I use most of my greens for smoothies and the like so I am in pursuit of the components. I have 50 rooter plugs on hand so want to get started before my current crops which are in Aerogardens  bolt which will be soon.


----------



## Zing

Quanta said:


> I also do a little gardening. There is a strip of "grass" between my house and my neighbor's that never would grow proper grass, always weeds. So I pulled out the weeds, put down weed blocking fabric and mulch, and put big planters spaced out along the strip. I have an olive tree, some flowers that my grandfather planted for my grandmother at their house (which we dug up and kept after my grandparents both passed away and the house was sold), jasmine, honeysuckle, hibiscus, and lots and lots of aloe vera. The aloe vera propagate so quickly that several times I've had to tip out the pots and transplant all the babies into plastic cups of dirt which I gave away at work. I did have two kinds of lavender but they both died, unfortunately.


Yes, uh huh, a "little" gardening., gotcha.


----------



## Quanta

Zing said:


> Yes, uh huh, a "little" gardening., gotcha.


This is the extent of my garden. The whole thing:


----------



## beckster51

soaplady30 said:


> Yes I do have some recommendations. Keep in mind that I am new at it and still finding my way. I got a lot of info from a trade paper book titled Hydroponics The Kratky Method. There is no author listed. It just says "Demeter Guides" and was reasonably priced online. Second do a search online and on you tube for "hydroponics the Kratky Method. There are many great videos on the topic but I am partial to a lady, "Tikki O" on youtube. She speaks slowly and puts the cookies on the bottom shelf. I have pretty much killed everything I have grown till I tried aeroponics and hydroponics which I am just gathering materials for. I began aeroponics right after we were grounded for the pandemic and have grown all my own smoothie greens indoors and am.still cutting them daily. I am learning as I go and having a great time. There are several Kratky groups on facebook and I learn good info there too.


Thank you!


----------



## beckster51

KimW said:


> We're in good company here I see!  That book is about the method developed by Dr. Bernard A. Kratky, and it is the growing method my Hubby uses.
> ETA On youtube:  "Hydro Haven"


Thank you!


----------



## Peachy Clean Soap

Love reading all of your hobbies' so impressive & so much talent.   My only true Hobby which I want to turn into a business so I can support this Expensive Never Ending Magical Hobby called Soaping .   Ive tried many different potential hobbies' but soon grown uninterested.  Soaping Captured The Very Depth Of My Soul.


----------



## Jersey Girl

KimW said:


> Sourdough - Keys to my eventual success in Sourdough, and making a soft sourdough loaf with a soft chew:
> 1.) Feeding starter at same time everyday and finding the right storage spot (a spot with a consistent environment of temp, humidity, etc, throughout the day/night).  Turned out a kitchen drawer was the best spot in my house.
> 2.) Feeding my starter at least twice, with an hour or so between feedings, before making bread.
> 3.) Using the right amount and right types of fat.   Can't find the article now, but there was a study done, I think in the 1940s, which showed an equal amount of solid fat and liquid fat up to total of 3% Baker's Percentage, provided the most rise.
> 4.) Preferment.  Half the flour, all the water and all the starter of recipe.  Mix well, cover.  Allow to sit it the same location of the starter (in my case the drawer) until it at least doubles.  This can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Mix in remaining flour and other ingredients.
> 5.) I stopped using other people's recipes.  LOL
> ETA:  These loaves are 100% sourdough - no commercial/store-bought yeast.  I made a store-bought yeasted bread for the first time ever the other week.  I used the same method I use for Sourdough, and the bread was so soft as to not be desirable.  Too funny!
> View attachment 54729
> 
> View attachment 54732
> 
> View attachment 54730



These are beautiful. I tried to make a starter using Rye flour 4 times...I am a sour dough failure...


----------



## KimW

Jersey Girl said:


> These are beautiful. I tried to make a starter using Rye flour 4 times...I am a sour dough failure...


Ah, yes.  Just getting that silly starter to start can be quite the challenge.   I too struggled with just making a starter.
Here's the video that finally made sense and worked for me.  My starter is now three years old, having been used the first time for bread on 2/11/2018.  Hint: I now feed my starter with unbleached AP Flour and a small spoonful of wheat germ.  This way, I have just a small bag of wheat germ in the freezer instead of the freezer being full of whole wheat flour.  If I ever need to make a new starter again, I would use that same combination.


ETA: P.S. I had made sourdough starters in the past that sort of made bread, but not good bread and not with consistent results.  This lady knows her stuff.


----------



## DKing

My other hobbies include refinishing furniture, veggie gardening, hiking and fishing.  I just came back from sleeping in my tent on a lake ( Canim Lake... frozen obviously) in the Cariboo region of BC, for 2 days.  My friend and I decided to go in search of burbot, which are a fresh water ling cod, and are absolutely delicious! (my apologies to all vegetarian and vegans)  I managed to catch 3 and my husband and I have plans to go back next week, if the ice is still safe.


----------



## Jersey Girl

KimW said:


> Ah, yes.  Just getting that silly starter to start can be quite the challenge.   I too struggled with just making a starter.
> Here's the video that finally made sense and worked for me.  My starter is now three years old, having been used the first time for bread on 2/11/2018.  Hint: I now feed my starter with unbleached AP Flour and a small spoonful of wheat germ.  This way, I have just a small bag of wheat germ in the freezer instead of the freezer being full of whole wheat flour.  If I ever need to make a new starter again, I would use that same combination.
> 
> 
> ETA: P.S. I had made sourdough starters in the past that sort of made bread, but not good bread and not with consistent results.  This lady knows her stuff.




Thank you!  I will try this one!


----------



## Adobehead

Wow, a lot going on in this group, I have read with interest the many posts.  I am lucky to be old (?) so I am retired and have time to do the hobby things when I feel like it.  Unfortunately I am even more lazy (ahem, relaxed) now than I am old, so who knows when I will feel like it.  

Besides soaping for these many years, the lip balm, sunblock and body lotion I make, I take care of my home and garden or yard, which is pretty big.  I devote the space mostly to cactus because I live in a desert and rely on an aquifer and don't want to be a water hog.  Not many come here, so I don't share it a lot, but it is a hobby for sure.  I add elements of mosaic tiles here and there to parts of the house or the surrounding walls.  






Others travel with their time.

There are a few fruit trees, peach, lemons and a fabulous pomegranate.  I get about 100 pounds of pomegranates each season.  So one of my friends taught me to dye fabrics with procion dyes and then later I got into more natural dyes. 

The pomegranate skins are all saved for dyeing after I drink a whole lot of juice.    The color can be a kind of yellow or dark green, then I dye cotton fabric and sew it up into kind of lounge wear (I love lounging). I do the same with indigo sometimes using banana skins in the process.


















And I think photography is a hobby, too.  i am def an amateur but have been doing snapshots since I was about 13 (wait, did they even have cameras in those days?) I promise to master some of the complicated settings on my new camera.  One of these days.

You all shouldn't start threads like this, I could fill up the whole darned data base with my rambling.  If I could make sourdough bread like some of you, I would be so heavy, the hammock would come crashing down.


----------



## KimW

Adobehead said:


> Wow, a lot going on in this group, I have read with interest the many posts.  I am lucky to be old (?) so I am retired and have time to do the hobby things when I feel like it.  Unfortunately I am even more lazy (ahem, relaxed) now than I am old, so who knows when I will feel like it.


Wowiee!!!  How I wish I could come and just sit quietly by your side as you do all these fantastic arts.  What skill you have and what beauty you have created in and from the desert.  Thank you SO much for sharing.  I am entranced by it all.


----------



## MaryinOK

I am kind of scatterbrained. One of my main hobbies (apart from soaping) is I love to knit. I love the beauty of lace so  I mostly do lace shawls. I also do quite a bit of 3D papercrafting, some jewelry making (but I am not very creative) and I used to enjoy showing dogs (did that professionally for a while).


----------



## Tara_H

MaryinOK said:


> I love the beauty of lace so I mostly do lace shawls.


That's something I love as well!  I find it weirdly has something in common with soap, in that you have to concentrate and do the calculations right but then you end up with something really beautiful at the end 

Do you have any pictures of your lace to share?


----------



## Adobehead

MaryinOK said:


> (but I am not very creative)


Hey!  I resemble that sttement!  
I mean, really!  Are you crazy, this is way creative!  It all counts!  
It's all creative and you are a prize.
Who teaches us to talk to ourselves in this manner?
Sorry, I just went off because this is a pet peeve of mine.


----------



## Misschief

Adobehead said:


> Hey!  I resemble that sttement!
> I mean, really!  Are you crazy, this is way creative!  It all counts!
> It's all creative and you are a prize.
> Who teaches us to talk to ourselves in this manner?
> Sorry, I just went off because this is a pet peeve of mine.


Amen to that!! My eldest daughter (middle child) always said that her brother and her sister got all the creative genes. Until she tried wire wrapping stones and making jewelry. Humans are creative; we were made to be creative. Thankfully, we're not all creative in the same way... now, THAT would be boring!


----------



## Misschief

MaryinOK said:


> I am kind of scatterbrained. One of my main hobbies (apart from soaping) is I love to knit. I love the beauty of lace so  I mostly do lace shawls. I also do quite a bit of 3D papercrafting, some jewelry making (but I am not very creative) and I used to enjoy showing dogs (did that professionally for a while).


Lace knitting is amazing! I love it, too.


----------



## KimW

Misschief said:


> Amen to that!! My eldest daughter (middle child) always said that her brother and her sister got all the creative genes. Until she tried wire wrapping stones and making jewelry. Humans are creative; we were made to be creative. Thankfully, we're not all creative in the same way... now, THAT would be boring!


Stealing this "Thankfully, we're not all creative in the same way... now, THAT would be boring! "  So well said.


----------



## KimW

Adobehead said:


> Hey!  I resemble that sttement!
> I mean, really!  Are you crazy, this is way creative!  It all counts!
> It's all creative and you are a prize.
> Who teaches us to talk to ourselves in this manner?
> Sorry, I just went off because this is a pet peeve of mine.


I agree - who does teach us this?  It's a pet peeve of mine as well!


----------



## Kiti Williams

KimW said:


> I agree - who does teach us this?  It's a pet peeve of mine as well!




  I have always said I was not everyone's cup of tea.  Meaning that I don't really care if you like me or not, there are those who do.


----------



## MaryinOK

Tara_H said:


> Do you have any pictures of your lace to share?



These are a few I have made over the years. Not all are lace:


----------



## KimW

MaryinOK said:


> These are a few I have made over the years. Not all are lace:


Speechless.


----------



## MaryinOK

Adobehead said:


> I mean, really! Are you crazy, this is way creative! It all counts!
> It's all creative and you are a prize.
> Who teaches us to talk to ourselves in this manner?



I am good at following patterns; I can research stuff easily so I have no problem with developing recipes for soap and body products; I can take someone else's idea and run with it. I have made shawls for others that incorporated their ideas and taken a pattern and adapted it to make it more appealing to me; BUT I do not have that spark that enables me to make the spectacular original designs I so admire in others. I am not complaining about this. It is what it is. I am pretty diversified so I can enjoy so many hobbies that those brilliant artists have made possible for me.


----------



## KimW

MaryinOK said:


> I am good at following patterns; I can research stuff easily so I have no problem with developing recipes for soap and body products; I can take someone else's idea and run with it. I have made shawls for others that incorporated their ideas and taken a pattern and adapted it to make it more appealing to me; BUT I do not have that spark that enables me to make the spectacular original designs I so admire in others. I am not complaining about this. It is what it is. I am pretty diversified so I can enjoy so many hobbies that those brilliant artists have made possible for me.


And there it is.  You have summed me up perfectly.  And, yet, my friends and family call me "creative", and I don't disagree with them.  I too know that I will never be an Edison or Asawa, though I so often long to be.  I wonder if you are also like me in that I am not an instigator, but I do encourage folks to go forward with ideas they've already concocted.  I had the advantage of a Grandma who came up with all sorts of useful things seemingly out of the blue.  Perhaps she realized my creativity was different than hers because she would give my three year-old self something and tell me to "find it better".   In other words, take this and improve upon it.  All grown-up and right up until my retirement, supervisors and co-workers would continually come to me to "find it better".  When I retired my boss told me that besides my "ray of freakin' sunshine" (his words!) and my tenacity, my biggest asset was "[my] creativity in improving and fixing the broken, and finding better ways of doing everything"  See what he said there?  My _creativity_. I submit to you, my fellow Okie (?), that just as there are different types of jobs within any career field, there are different types of creativity within the realm of "being creative". I think, then, you might feel free to allow yourself to see yourself as creative.


----------



## Misschief

MaryinOK said:


> These are a few I have made over the years. Not all are lace:


Beautiful!!


----------



## Misschief

KimW said:


> And there it is.  You have summed me up perfectly.  And, yet, my friends and family call me "creative", and I don't disagree with them.  I too know that I will never be an Edison or Asawa, though I so often long to be.  I wonder if you are also like me in that I am not an instigator, but I do encourage folks to go forward with ideas they've already concocted.  I had the advantage of a Grandma who came up with all sorts of useful things seemingly out of the blue.  Perhaps she realized my creativity was different than hers because she would give my three year-old self something and tell me to "find it better".   In other words, take this and improve upon it.  All grown-up and right up until my retirement, supervisors and co-workers would continually come to me to "find it better".  When I retired my boss told me that besides my "ray of freakin' sunshine" (his words!) and my tenacity, my biggest asset was "[my] creativity in improving and fixing the broken, and finding better ways of doing everything"  See what he said there?  My _creativity_. I submit to you, my fellow Okie (?), that just as there are different types of jobs within any career field, there are different types of creativity within the realm of "being creative". I think, then, you might feel free to allow yourself to see yourself as creative.


Very well said!!


----------



## Quilter99755

MaryinOK said:


> I am good at following patterns; I can research stuff easily so I have no problem with developing recipes for soap and body products; I can take someone else's idea and run with it. I have made shawls for others that incorporated their ideas and taken a pattern and adapted it to make it more appealing to me; BUT I do not have that spark that enables me to make the spectacular original designs I so admire in others. I am not complaining about this. It is what it is. I am pretty diversified so I can enjoy so many hobbies that those brilliant artists have made possible for me.


You have described me to a tee! I have done all sorts of needle art through the years (sewing clothes, embroidery, needlepoint, quilting, knitting and crochet), but it has been quilting that has "stuck". At one point I described myself as a mechanic of quilting rather than an artist since for the most part I follow a pattern. I tweak the fabrics, colors, size and lots of time change the borders or switch out a block or two, but I don't have that Muse that creates my own patterns. Most of it is that it's a chore for me to create and takes a huge amount of time. Why should I waste my time creating something when I can find a dozen patterns that I love, buy them, and add my own touch to make it mine and have the quilts all made before I can finish one creation on my own. I love the process of quilting from buying a pattern to sewing on a label when the quilt is done. I don't enjoy trying to come up with something totally new...it becomes work. I've taken a couple of classes on creative processes and just don't like the process. But can take a pattern that I like, spend hours changing it around to "make it sing" for me and love that. There just is something in my brain that equates creating from scratch to work rather than the hobby I enjoy. It takes all of us to make the world and I'm happy in my part of it. And I am sure that all the quilt artists out there who sell patterns just love me, too!


----------



## glendam

Zing said:


> For some reason I am super hungry!
> 
> Is watching soap YouTubes considered a hobby?
> 
> I love to play the piano.  And I'm a huge gardener just itching to plant.  The new house we bought was on a weed patch.  Last year I focused on the front yard.  This year I'll focus on half of the back.  Flowers and vegetables.  My wife loves to can so we compete for basement space, soap vs jars.
> 
> And reading.  The upside of the pandemic is we're back in our beloved book club of our former city.  Currently I'm completely lost in a different world, a book full of resiliency, love, humor, pathos, tragedy, community, and the transformational power of books, literacy, and a librarian.  It will be a novel that stays with me for life.  Unforgettable characters -- and one of my favorite was a pack mule.  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Henderson.


This book sounds interesting, I will look it up.  
Have you read the Library Book?  It is a nonfiction but full of the stories / mini biographies of the people involved in the fire and the history of the Los Angeles library.  I liked it a lot.


----------



## Sarouche

Like others, I am a beekeeper, make other bath products in addition to soap, string necklaces with pearls and other semi-precious stones, spin fiber, garden and give away plants and rooted cuttings...


----------



## Sarouche

Ladka said:


> I regret to say the day has already come  I can not spin uneven thick yarn, and my finer yarns are overtwisted here and there. But I can even produce certain lengths of evenly spun thin yarn that I ply.


Well if you ever need some unevenly spun wool, let me know since I am not there yet.


----------



## Sarouche

Kiti Williams said:


> I can relate.  I did a demo for an elementary school.  The boys were more impressed than the girls.


My 7 and 10 year old male cousins were in town and were intrigued. I showed them how and they were naturals.


----------



## Sarouche

ResolvableOwl said:


> BTW, sourdough can be “conserved” by stirring/kneading in so much flour that it becomes crumbly, and then dry. Useful as a backup when the active one went bad (don't ask me how many hibernating sourdoughs I have distributed everywhere). It is also possible to ship these! I put some 30 g into a mail envelope, sent it to a friend, and she revived it, and since then she has been baking quite some wonderful (as far as I can judge from her reports) loaves of bread with it.


I use my dehydrator to dry the discard so as to not actually discard it (or make too many carbs, trying to keep the weight stable). I ground it up for ease of storage. It revives after daily feedings for a few days sufficient to float. Easy form to mail/give away.


----------



## Ladka

My 9 yo grandson likes me to show him how I make bobbin lace and the five of them (4-9 yo) like to card wool on my drum carder. It's a pity they can't visit due to covid situation.


----------



## Sarouche

I would love someone to do the carding for me. The most tedious task.


----------



## Ladka

Sarouche said:


> Well if you ever need some unevenly spun wool, let me know since I am not there yet.





Sarouche said:


> I would love someone to do the carding for me. The most tedious task.


I can see solid ground for our future collaboration: I'll card wool for you an you'll spin uneven yarn for me


----------



## Mobjack Bay

Adobehead said:


> Wow, a lot going on in this group, I have read with interest the many posts.  I am lucky to be old (?) so I am retired and have time to do the hobby things when I feel like it.  Unfortunately I am even more lazy (ahem, relaxed) now than I am old, so who knows when I will feel like it.
> 
> Besides soaping for these many years, the lip balm, sunblock and body lotion I make, I take care of my home and garden or yard, which is pretty big.  I devote the space mostly to cactus because I live in a desert and rely on an aquifer and don't want to be a water hog.  Not many come here, so I don't share it a lot, but it is a hobby for sure.  I add elements of mosaic tiles here and there to parts of the house or the surrounding walls.  View attachment 54821
> View attachment 54822
> 
> Others travel with their time.
> 
> There are a few fruit trees, peach, lemons and a fabulous pomegranate.  I get about 100 pounds of pomegranates each season.  So one of my friends taught me to dye fabrics with procion dyes and then later I got into more natural dyes.
> 
> The pomegranate skins are all saved for dyeing after I drink a whole lot of juice.    The color can be a kind of yellow or dark green, then I dye cotton fabric and sew it up into kind of lounge wear (I love lounging). I do the same with indigo sometimes using banana skins in the process.
> 
> View attachment 54827
> View attachment 54824
> View attachment 54825
> View attachment 54826
> View attachment 54823
> 
> 
> And I think photography is a hobby, too.  i am def an amateur but have been doing snapshots since I was about 13 (wait, did they even have cameras in those days?) I promise to master some of the complicated settings on my new camera.  One of these days.
> 
> You all shouldn't start threads like this, I could fill up the whole darned data base with my rambling.  If I could make sourdough bread like some of you, I would be so heavy, the hammock would come crashing down.


I’m not sure how I missed such a cool post. (Well, actually I miss a lot of posts and threads) I love your yard, the mosaics, the dyed fabric and the dress! I keep trying to commit myself to a retirement date and feel a little more inspired to do it when see I posts like yours.


----------



## AliOop

MaryinOK said:


> These are a few I have made over the years. Not all are lace:


Wait, you are the "not creative" person?? Hardly! Just because you didn't create the design doesn't mean you aren't creative. You MADE (created) those shawls. And I bet you picked the colors, too. They are just stunning!


----------



## Ryk.dan

My other hobbies aren't anything unique. Fishing, photography, hunting and camping.


----------



## KimW

Ryk.dan said:


> My other hobbies aren't anything unique. Fishing, photography, hunting and camping.


FISHIN'!!!!!!


----------



## ResolvableOwl

Geez. Leave those poor fish in the water where they belong.


----------



## Ryk.dan

ResolvableOwl said:


> Geez. Leave those poor fish in the water where they belong.


Primarily for the sport of fishing, catch and release. Unless of course I run into some fresh bluegill...


----------



## DKing

ResolvableOwl said:


> Geez. Leave those poor fish in the water where they belong.


Are you vegan?  I love fresh fish from a nice clean lake, and feel like it is probably a healthier choice than commercially farmed meat from a grocery store.


----------



## ResolvableOwl

No, I'm not vegan, but I do have (as strange as it might sound) an irrational aversion against dead fish, be it on the plate, wrapped in aluminium foil, or floating in a foul water puddle. And some (what I think) healthy degree of empathy towards living beings (including fish, but also other animals, plants, fungi, biofilms etc., in certain circumstances even other humans).


----------



## DKing

ResolvableOwl said:


> No, I'm not vegan, but I do have (as strange as it might sound) an irrational aversion against dead fish, be it on the plate, wrapped in aluminium foil, or floating in a foul water puddle. And some (what I think) healthy degree of empathy towards living beings (including fish, but also other animals, plants, fungi, biofilms etc., in certain circumstances even other humans).


I tried the vegan lifestyle before for a couple of years, but found that my health suffered because of it, so incorporated meat back into my meals.  I also have empathy towards other living beings and so when I do fish I try to be as ethical and responsible as possible.  I quickly dispatch the fish once I catch one, I never take more than I will be able to use for my family, we release large and healthy females, and in the spring I use the remaining carcasses in my garden as an organic fertilizer.  (my tomatoes THRIVE  ) I do my best to make sure there is very little waste to ensure that I give that death as much purpose as possible. 
I have just never really understood when people who eat meat respond negatively towards others who fish or hunt. (A vegan expressing disapproval though I can totally appreciate as they are living their morals.)  I think that the majority of hunters or fishers have more of a respect and an appreciation for the animal whose life was taken to feed them and their family than your typical grocery shopper.  I doubt that most people grabbing meat out of a grocery cooler give much, if any, thought to the life and suffering of that animal. To them it is just a food product as it is very easy to disassociate from the fact that before it was wrapped in plastic and put in a grocery cooler, it had a life and an end of life....and usually not a great one.


----------



## Ryk.dan

@DKing well said.


----------



## AliOop

@DKing thank you for sharing that. My health also suffered greatly when I went vegan for about 4 months (about 12 years ago). Despite supplementing with all the recommended B vitamins and other things, I slammed into menopause, gained about 40 lbs, had super dry hair and skin, and was very fuzzy-brained. I swear that my thyroid has never full recovered, either, since I never had trouble losing weight or sleeping before then, and have never gotten back to "normal" since then. But adding animal products back into my diet definitely made things a LOT better.

My husband hunted and fished in the past, and we did our best to make it zero waste. It indeed creates a much greater appreciation for what it takes to literally put meat on the table.

I also really enjoy our symbiotic relationship with our chickens. They love me and come running to the door when I open it. I love bringing them food that supports their health, and ensuring that they always have fresh, clean water to drink. We protect them from predators, and I am very careful to watch for health issues that require my help for them to overcome. They are oblivious to me collecting their eggs, which would never become living chicks since we don't have a rooster. We are so thankful for their eggs, which taste so much better than anything from a store. It's a win-win for all of us!


----------



## DKing

@AliOop chickens are my next plan!  I have been researching how to optimize their health with nutrition, what diseases and pests to look for, how to build a predator proof enclosure and coop, determining which breeds I want to keep, etc.  We live on the outskirts of a city on a half acre so I will only have maybe 3 or 4 and no rooster.  Just enough for us to have enough eggs to keep us happy.  I had chickens when I was young and spent a lot of time on my aunt and uncle's farm and always loved the chickens with their adorable personalities.  In a few years my husband and I plan to move to a small community and get a small acreage....or larger, depending on how home prices go.  I can't wait!  

I was considerably younger when I did the vegan attempt and know more now than I did back then for what I should do if I were to give it another go, but I am also at the menopausal age and don't really want to do anything that might make this transition tougher. Having some meat and fish in the diet just makes more sense to me for optimal health.


----------



## Andy7891

MaryinOK said:


> I am kind of scatterbrained. One of my main hobbies (apart from soaping) is I love to knit. I love the beauty of lace so  I mostly do lace shawls. I also do quite a bit of 3D papercrafting, some jewelry making (but I am not very creative) and I used to enjoy showing dogs (did that professionally for a while).



I also do paper crafting. I enjoy origami and it is probably the craft I have been doing the longest. I had to make a box for selling something on eBay and I enjoyed it so much I make cardboard boxes for the heck of it now... who said we are all differently creative? I am proof there's no limit to how creative we can be lol. But seriously I know we are all different and I've learned that absolutely no one fits any kind of stereotype. Except we all need food, water, and shelter of some kind. I guess my first creative endevour that I remember was making "soup" out in the backyard with my friend. It consisted of leaves, rocks, grass, water... anything. I just like to throw it all together in a bucket, stir it around. Thank god we didn't have too many electronics back then and had to get creative. I also love cooking and baking. I think my back yard "soup" explains a little about why a like to soap, and cooking too. I also love fixing things around the house (not my house, but my parents actually) because it involves problem solving and also skill and technique and artistry. For example my mom and I recently replaced some wood on some shed doors that was rotting. New door looks snazzy, and I feel like we got to express ourselves in the building process. They say that tradesmen have to problem solve all day.


----------



## AliOop

@Andy7891 that is so true about tradesmen! My husband is a retired custom builder who was not only a licensed general contractor, but also had sub-licenses for concrete, electric, plumbing, etc.  He constantly had to work with plans drawn by architects who had no idea how houses or offices actually had to be built in real life. 

Likewise, for remodels, he never knew what he might find once they opened the wall/ took off the roof/ pulled up the floor. It took a ton of creativity to problem-solve on the fly, and to do so cost-effectively. BTW, he refuses to use the word "cheap" to describe any of his solutions, and rightly so. Like your snazzy door, one does not always need to spend money to make something look great.


----------



## Sudds

MaryinOK said:


> These are a few I have made over the years. Not all are lace:


These are simply AMAZING!


----------



## Catscankim

I sew and quilt!!!


----------



## ResolvableOwl

@Catscankim That's clever! You can play four games of chess at the same time!

@DKing I wholeheartedly agree with your “respect and an appreciation” opinion! Though that's not very difficult for me who hasn't (deliberately) eaten animals for over a decade now. I'd be uncomfortable with subordinating myself under a “vegan lifestyle” anyway, for several reasons. One of which is that many of the arguments against milk don't count. I purchase my milk from a nearby organic farmer, who has a milk filling station. I can watch the cows that gave that milk, in the barn or on the meadow. And they have a llama too that's always looking around with a superior facial expression.
I love milk (and make yoghurt, cheese etc. from it), and I like how I so can express my support for this type of agriculture. It's a pity how difficult the general tone in our society makes to appreciate the positive things that (better should) connects us. We should know better. Nobody should feel the need to excuse for reasonable decisions.


----------



## Fenchurch

Here is again an interesting thread, besides soaping 
I sew a little:


----------



## Fenchurch

I also try to take pictures.... of animals...


----------



## Fenchurch

... and of landscapes...











Have a nice end of week-end!
Happy Bubbles,
Stéphanie


----------



## KimW

Fenchurch said:


> ... and of landscapes...
> View attachment 56253
> View attachment 56254
> View attachment 56255
> View attachment 56257
> View attachment 56256
> 
> 
> Have a nice end of week-end!
> Happy Bubbles,
> Stéphanie


Lovely sewing and breathtaking pics!  Thanks so much for sharing.


----------



## Fenchurch

KimW said:


> Lovely sewing and breathtaking pics!  Thanks so much for sharing.


You're welcome! Landscape pictures currently help being patient with the lockdown... or not!   

Happy bubbles!
Stéphanie


----------



## Quanta

Quanta said:


> This is the extent of my garden. The whole thing:


And now that my jasmine is blooming, these busy little ladies are visiting in droves:




I know this isn't a "true jasmine" but it still smells nice.


----------



## ShirleyHailstock

I do tablescapes and I'm working on one that is full of desserts. All the food here is faux. Next, I'm working on ice cream cones.


----------



## Fenchurch

Quanta said:


> And now that my jasmine is blooming, these busy little ladies are visiting in droves:View attachment 56284
> 
> 
> I know this isn't a "true jasmine" but it still smells nice.


Must smell wonderfull. Is it a Stephanotis? 
Nice shot, too!

Happy bubbles,
Stéphanie



ShirleyHailstock said:


> I do tablescapes and I'm working on one that is full of desserts. All the food here is faux. Next, I'm working on ice cream cones.


What is it exactly? You design how food and tableware will be set up for a particular occasion?

Happy bubbles,
Stéphanie


----------



## ShirleyHailstock

Yes, you set the table as if for a magazine photo. There are themes for holidays or just something simple. We just did St. Patrick's Day and Easter. There's Spring, Graduation, etc. I'm working on the theme of a Girl's Night In party with desserts. If the food was real, it would never be ready at the same time and my family would eat it before I could photo it. I also have a theme of movie party with popcorn, movie tickets, Academy Awards, and movie cameras. It's fun. and we rarely eat off a tablescape unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. Here's one from my College Girl Reunion where we did eat. The plates are clear glass and the placemats are LP's (google it).


----------



## Quanta

Fenchurch said:


> Must smell wonderfull. Is it a Stephanotis?
> Nice shot, too!
> 
> Happy bubbles,
> Stéphanie


Thank you!

The genus isn't Stephanotis, it's Trachelospermum, sp. Jasminoides (also called "Star Jasmine"). 

True Jasmine (genus: Jasminum) is in the Olive family, and this one and the Stephanotis aren't.

This particular species is called Jasminoides, which is Latin for "like Jasmine". There are actually quite a few plants that are similar enough that they are called Jasmine but only the genus Jasminum are proper Jasmines.

I really want a true Jasmine, specifically Sambac, and more specifically the Grand Duke of Tuscany variety. Those are sooooo pretty.

And speaking of olives, my olive tree should be dropping its flowers right about now and just starting this year's crop of olives, but it did not bloom this year. No flowers at all, not a single one. I have no idea why.


----------



## Shereen

Hi 
I love making paper flowers. I will share some pics with you hope you like it


----------



## soaplady30

Shereen said:


> Hi
> I love making paper flowers. I will share some pics with you hope you like it


The are beautiful! I just stumbled on directions for roses and bookmarked the directions hoping I will eventually have some time to give it a try. I originally saw a brief demo on a local tv channel "home & backyard" show which features local artisans.


----------



## Ugeauxgirl

I garden, read, travel and cook.  I broke a necklace so I'm about to start making jewelry too.  I tried crochet but can't teach myself.  I'm going to need lessons...


----------



## soaplady30

Ugeauxgirl said:


> I garden, read, travel and cook.  I broke a necklace so I'm about to start making jewelry too.  I tried crochet but can't teach myself.  I'm going to need lessons...View attachment 59252
> View attachment 59245


I love your flowers. I am not much of a gardner but the pandemic had me trying all kinds of things for the first time. I started a wild flower garden and enjoy in it so much. I put a battery operated fountain and a bird house in it and am am so enjoying my meager attempt. I gave up on crochet as I can't keep the gauge even. Do much better with knitting. Also when trapped in my home during the pandemic I began indoor hydroponic gardening and really like it.


----------



## Megan

Ugeauxgirl said:


> I garden, read, travel and cook.



Your garden is spectacularly beautiful! 
I wish I had a green thumb, but I just don't get plants very well...I have a pretty unruly weed garden in a garden bed that was supposed to be a vegetable garden until we were told by the city that vegetable gardens aren't allowed in front yards (no one has said anything about the weeds yet though!)


----------



## earlene

Megan said:


> I have a pretty unruly weed garden in a garden bed that was supposed to be a vegetable garden until we were told by the city that vegetable gardens aren't allowed in front yards (no one has said anything about the weeds yet though!)



You could plant cabbages and say they are ornamental cabbages.  Pepper plants can be quite ornamental, especially when they start fruiting.  Nasturtiums are a flower, but the entire plant is edible. And many herbs are ornamental and also flower.  You could mix a few flowers in with some herbs and low growing veggies and have a very pretty garden. Even dandelions are edible, but if close neighbors spray their yards, I might be more cautious about eating what is out in the open and unprotected.  Carrot tops are pleasing to look at when mixed with other plants; in fact one of the weeds I am constanting pulling up around here look exactly like a carrot (the top, not the root).  Chard is another plant that is nice to look at and lovely to eat.  There are many types of kale that are aesthetically pleasing as well.  Perhaps it may be a rule that vegetable gardens are not allowed, but if you mix in some herbs and flowers that you might use in soapmaking as well, then perhaps you could get the best of both worlds.


----------



## Ugeauxgirl

Thanks, all!  In my garden, I use zinnias as bare spot fillers.  They're as easy to grow as weeds- most of my plants are pretty care free.  Earlene is right, sprinkle a few cosmos or zinnias among some veggies and nobody will know.  It'd be hard to camouflage corn though


----------



## Zing

Megan said:


> Your garden is spectacularly beautiful!
> I wish I had a green thumb, but I just don't get plants very well...I have a pretty unruly weed garden in a garden bed that was supposed to be a vegetable garden until we were told by the city that vegetable gardens aren't allowed in front yards (no one has said anything about the weeds yet though!)


@earlene beat me to it but I was going to tell you to call all your veggies "ornamental."   Erg, I hate these kinds of garden rules.  Our former home was Chicago.   It was infamous for on one hand encouraging homeowners to grow pollinator-friendly yards, and on the other hand ticketing residents for growing milkweed because it's a tall "weed."  We have, um, "ornamental" tomatoes and peppers in our front yard.  There's a City grant to convert your parkway (I still use Chicago-ese "parkway,"  Minneapolisonians scold me because it's a "boulevard."  Its the strip of land between the street and sidewalk that you PARK by.) to a vegetable garden.

I hate that carrot looking weed!  It's everywhere!


----------



## Zing

Hey, @Ugeauxgirl, that is a great garden!  I love the various textures and the color combo.  Interestingly enough, those are comments I give frequently about soaps!

I love gardening.  We bought a house with overgrown shrubs and weeds (see first photo).  The yard was hiding this cute little house with great stonework.  The photos are from last year; this year I planted even shorter plants next to the house to expose the stonework even more.  The main plants are the dark green strawberry patches in the middle surrounded by chartreuse creeping jenny (moneywort).  We get a lot of positive feedback about it, but to be truthful, my motivation was pure laziness.  I didn't want to mow grass.  I also don't rake leaves in the fall.

This year's project is the backyard.  So. Very. Skirred.


----------



## MrsZ

Zing said:


> Hey, @Ugeauxgirl, that is a great garden!  I love the various textures and the color combo.  Interestingly enough, those are comments I give frequently about soaps!
> 
> I love gardening.  We bought a house with overgrown shrubs and weeds (see first photo).  The yard was hiding this cute little house with great stonework.  The photos are from last year; this year I planted even shorter plants next to the house to expose the stonework even more.  The main plants are the dark green strawberry patches in the middle surrounded by chartreuse creeping jenny (moneywort).  We get a lot of positive feedback about it, but to be truthful, my motivation was pure laziness.  I didn't want to mow grass.  I also don't rake leaves in the fall.
> 
> This year's project is the backyard.  So. Very. Skirred.
> View attachment 59350
> View attachment 59346
> View attachment 59348
> View attachment 59349
> View attachment 59345


I'm not Ugeauxgirl, but your landscaping is gorgeous!


----------



## Catscankim

Ugeauxgirl said:


> I garden, read, travel and cook.  I broke a necklace so I'm about to start making jewelry too.  I tried crochet but can't teach myself.  I'm going to need lessons...View attachment 59252
> View attachment 59245


Your garden is beautiful.

crochet is pretty simple once you learn how to get the first chain down, and maybe doing the second row. You can single crochet (sc) the entire project for learning…and it will still make something beautiful. Start out small with single crochet and then move on to more complicated stitches. After a while you can literally sit there and stitch while watching tv.

Following a pattern is daunting until you learn how to make the stitch.


----------



## Quanta

Catscankim said:


> Your garden is beautiful.
> 
> crochet is pretty simple once you learn how to get the first chain down, and maybe doing the second row. You can single crochet (sc) the entire project for learning…and it will still make something beautiful. Start out small with single crochet and then move on to more complicated stitches. After a while you can literally sit there and stitch while watching tv.
> 
> Following a pattern is daunting until you learn how to make the stitch.


I never follow patterns. I find it easier to make stuff up as I go. I've made a few dolls and toys, both crochet and knitted, and I just don't have the patience for patterns. I should probably learn to follow them... eventually... some day...


----------



## Ugeauxgirl

Zing said:


> Hey, @Ugeauxgirl, that is a great garden!  I love the various textures and the color combo.  Interestingly enough, those are comments I give frequently about soaps!
> 
> I love gardening.  We bought a house with overgrown shrubs and weeds (see first photo).  The yard was hiding this cute little house with great stonework.  The photos are from last year; this year I planted even shorter plants next to the house to expose the stonework even more.  The main plants are the dark green strawberry patches in the middle surrounded by chartreuse creeping jenny (moneywort).  We get a lot of positive feedback about it, but to be truthful, my motivation was pure laziness.  I didn't want to mow grass.  I also don't rake leaves in the fall.
> 
> This year's project is the backyard.  So. Very. Skirred.
> View attachment 59350
> View attachment 59346
> View attachment 59348
> View attachment 59349
> View attachment 59345


I LOVE your landscaping- it really does compliment your house.  You uncovered a gem when you tore out the bushes.  I like your house too- cottage style is my favorite! I particularly like the cascading vines- sweet potato?


----------



## Ugeauxgirl

Catscankim said:


> Your garden is beautiful.
> 
> crochet is pretty simple once you learn how to get the first chain down, and maybe doing the second row. You can single crochet (sc) the entire project for learning…and it will still make something beautiful. Start out small with single crochet and then move on to more complicated stitches. After a while you can literally sit there and stitch while watching tv.
> 
> Following a pattern is daunting until you learn how to make the stitch.


All I can do is a chain stitch.  Anything I try to add onto that looks like a wad of knots .  Going to have to find someone to teach me right after I fix and redesign all of my jewelry...


----------



## Quanta

Ugeauxgirl said:


> All I can do is a chain stitch.  Anything I try to add onto that looks like a wad of knots .  Going to have to find someone to teach me right after I fix and redesign all of my jewelry...


I learned nålbinding by watching YouTube videos. There are probably lots of great crochet videos, too. If that doesn't work for you, there will be people at your local yarn shops who offer private lessons.


----------



## AliOop

@Zing thanks, now I have to repent for coveting your house. I have a ridiculous and irrational LOVE for little old houses with all the cool details like that. You've done such a great job on the front yard, I'm sure the back will be amazing, too.


----------



## KimW

AliOop said:


> @Zing thanks, now I have to repent for coveting your house.


You and me both, sister!!


----------



## Zing

Thanks, @AliOop (if that's the worst thing you need to repent for, you're doing okay) and @KimW.  I actually had to be talked into buying the house THAT HAD NO KITCHEN (oh, and then 4 COVID refugees came to live with us in a house THAT HAD NO KITCHEN) -- but now of course love it.  Thankfully Mrs. Zing is _much_ better at seeing potential than me.  



Ugeauxgirl said:


> I LOVE your landscaping- it really does compliment your house.  You uncovered a gem when you tore out the bushes.  I like your house too- cottage style is my favorite! I particularly like the cascading vines- sweet potato?


Yep, sweet potato vines which I love.  Bad news is that the Japanese beetles also love sweet potato vines.


----------



## dibbles

@Zing I too love your house and landscaping. I've seen you mention that the house had no kitchen before, but I guess I just thought that meant the kitchen wasn't functional. Did it truly have no kitchen - not even a roughed in one? If so, I really admire Mrs. Zing's ability to see potential.


----------



## Zing

dibbles said:


> @Zing I too love your house and landscaping. I've seen you mention that the house had no kitchen before, but I guess I just thought that meant the kitchen wasn't functional. Did it truly have no kitchen - not even a roughed in one? If so, I really admire Mrs. Zing's ability to see potential.


You want details?  I'll give you details!

There was no stove.  All the cupboards and the counter with sink were rotting off the wall.  There was a functional fridge.  "Good news" was it was covered in lovely paneling circa 1965!  We had a design pre-COVID.  One day we sent a cabinet maker a 5 figure check (gulp); next day COVID hit the state and we learned _from the newspaper_ that the cabinet maker closed due to pandemic (thank you bank and attorney general for getting our money back).  For months we did dishes in the basement utility sink and survived with a microwave and hot plate.  The renovation closed off both kitchen and dining room.  Renovation was fits and starts, thank you COVID.  We said we were camping in our house.  And I am well aware that we had an entirely first-world problem compared to my clients.  I am grateful for a job and a roof.  And the 6 of us had a great time shoulder to shoulder.

The previous owner was a 95 year old bachelor who did not redecorate since 1965.  You saw our pink/purple/galaxy/mess bathroom, right?  Good bones, just cosmetic work needed.

But now, truly we have the best kitchen and house in town.  We have never had such a large, functional, beautiful kitchen.  So nice, in fact -- to bring it back to soapiness -- that I won't make soap in the kitchen.  Plus we have tons of pandemic stories to bore people with!


----------



## Misschief

Ugeauxgirl said:


> All I can do is a chain stitch.  Anything I try to add onto that looks like a wad of knots .  Going to have to find someone to teach me right after I fix and redesign all of my jewelry...


If you can do the chain stitch, you can crochet. Everything else is just a variation on the chain stitch. You just have to learn where to insert the hook. 

In knitting, you have the knit stitch and the pearl stitch; in crochet, you have the chain stitch. Those are the basics.

I've been doing both since I was a child of about 7 and have taught both. When I learned crochet, my mom made me (and my sisters) crochet a chain that was the entire length of our house. Once we were comfortable with the chain stitch, she taught us the rest.


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## dibbles

Zing said:


> And I am well aware that we had an entirely first-world problem compared to my clients.


I kind of love you for this.

Wow - what a story! My son and DIL bought a house in Mpls with a kitchen about the size of a postage stamp. Their renovation took nearly a year, but at least the kitchen sink was functional for most of the time. They made do as well with a microwave, crock pot, and instant pot. And the refrigerator was in the living room.


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## Catscankim

Quanta said:


> I never follow patterns. I find it easier to make stuff up as I go. I've made a few dolls and toys, both crochet and knitted, and I just don't have the patience for patterns. I should probably learn to follow them... eventually... some day...


Its fun to follow patterns and see your work come to look like the pretty blanket in the picture. I have never kept anything that i crocheted, so i have nothing to show you lol.

All this talk of crochet makes me want to start a new project. All I have is white yarn right now that i bought for a project that i never started. I have no idea what i did with that pattern, so i guess i can download something else.

Getting ready to start my new hours at work soon, so im gonna have more time to do stuff.


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## Tara_H

Zing said:


> We said we were camping in our house.


Such fun, right?   our first night in our new house was on an inflatable sofa bed on a cement floor 
We had the same kinds of things going on - the "kitchen" was in a tiny space that had nothing left but a rotting boiler (literally, we tried to take it out and it disintegrated into a bunch of metal parts and a pool of rusty water!)
We ended up turning one of the bedrooms into a kitchen, or rather, back into a kitchen since it would have probably been that originally.  Our cooking facilities wandered around the house for a long time until we stripped off the many years' worth of wallpaper (that was under the stud wall!) and got it back to stone and/or render...


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