Dealing with the Mother Lode

Gluten-free.  That is my world now.  Being one who loves both to bake and to eat bread, this has been a seismic shift in my life.  It has been about two weeks since I made the change and there has been a very noticeable improvement in how I feel physically, and emotionally I am starting to be hopeful that there is life after wheat. 

My first bit of encouragement was coming up with a wheat-free granola.  Granola has been part of my breakfast six out of seven days each week for a very long time and to loose this bit of comfort was very distressing.  

Next was finding out that there is such a thing as wheat-free soy sauce and from there finding a wheat-free Worcestershire sauce, thus enabling me to keep several dinner recipes.  A decent gluten-free pasta was another encouraging find.  Since my husband developed an intolerance to dairy products a few years ago, I had already done some major reworking of our diet, so the prospect of eliminating yet more recipes was a bit disheartening.  Every little thing I find that helps me keep things in place is so very appreciated.  I must also say thanks to all who have traveled this road before me and have worked both to find or create gluten-free products and recipes.

Today is my first foray into actual wheat-free baking.  First up:  pancakes.  They look like pancakes.  The taste is pretty good, too.  The texture is just something I will have to get used to, I guess.  Gluten is what gives wheat that great cohesiveness when making bread.  Other flours tend to have a rather grainy texture.  Xanthan gum is an ingredient that helps create a measure of cohesiveness, but it can't quite match wheat.  Still, not bad for a first go.

I have found, too, comfort in the fact that I can still make bread with wheat, since my husband can still enjoy it.  There is just something satisfying with working with the dough, and taking golden brown rolls or loaves out of the oven.  If, over time, I find I can tolerate a bit of bread now and then, so much the better.

Springing Forward

Spring is making its show around here and the weather has been lovely.  We had more rain yesterday, just as things were starting to get a little dry--a nice soft, soaking rain it was, too.  I am glad to be having some warmer weather as well.  

The shawl projects continue to hum along.  I recently finished the Colorway Shawl and have had opportunity to wear it once.  It is definitely going to be one of my favorite accessories. 

The next shawl on my needles is called Misty Morning.  The yarn is variegated, which can look rather streaky in certain patterns, but this pattern breaks up the color nicely.  Here is a little preview.

This spring I am "sort of" a college student.  The Tolkien Professor is sharing his spring class on Tolkien in his podcast and I am enjoying it thoroughly.  I have my text books:  Tales from the Perilous Realm, The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  I have the reading schedule for the semester printed out and I am downloading the lectures each week.  We read two short stories from Tales and I have an essay I need to go back and catch up on.  The Silmarillion is next--quite a stout read, so the lectures are extremely helpful.  And, oh gee, I have to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  Such a burdensome assignment! ;-)  This is the way I always wished literature class would be--great stories, interesting lectures, no papers, and no tests.  Not only that, but I can pace the class according to my schedule, so there are no deadlines either--well, the library books do have a due date, but that is pretty generous. I am a happy student!

Hot Tropics

Here is the second of the UFO's that I have completed for the quilt group I attend.  In addition to making quilts for those in our church congregation dealing with serious illnesses, we are also doing some child-size quilts for children's home/shelter that has family care for women coming out of abusive situations.  Hot Tropics is the first of those quilts for me.

The twelve blocks you see in the quilt were what I originally found in one of the tubs containing unfinished projects.  It is fun to wonder on the one hand what the original maker may have had in mind and then to take what is started and see what I can create with it.  

The sashing between the blocks is made of three strips--black with purple in the middle--with pink squares at the join.  A triple border of purple, turquoise, and black completes the top.  Probably the most enjoyable part of making this quilt was the quilting.  Here are some pictures of the details:

 

The border has geckos and bugs done in a turquoise/pink variegated thread which was used for all the quilted motifs.

The blocks have a large flower design that echos the pattern in one of the block fabrics.

 

The pink blocks are quilted with a small leaf motif--I love leaves so I tend to gravitate to that design.  

One of things that I am enjoying about these making these quilts is the idea of creating a kid- friendly design that will span the course of many years.  I hope the geckos make them smile, that the colors cheer a somber day, and that the warmth is comforting.  There may not be much left of it after many years of loving, but that thought makes me smile.