Wednesday, January 8, 2014

zero pressure

I've been thinking about some things I might like to try in 2014.

No resolutions, no pressure.
Just things that seem both 
challenging and exciting to think about.

For example...

In the Baking Tent: making pie crust.


Old Reliable: a storebought frozen pieshell.
Can I do as well? Can I do better??


I haven't made my own piecrust (or rolled cookies) for decades. Mostly this is because I don't have a kitchen surface large enough to work easily with a rolling pin. This year I will try: either learning to feel comfortable working with a tiny rolling pin on a small surface, or coming up with a larger work surface, or perhaps even making good piecrust without rolling it out at all.

And if I can make a decent piecrust, it may be a short step to...fruit turnovers! Meat and veg pasties!!
~~~


In Goat World: building a better cashmere comb.


Betula says: "Lift out the cashmere, leave the topcoat...
and no pulling, please!"

Combing cashmere goats is a long process, both in terms of the time spent combing each individual goat and the weeks during which the goats continue to shed, thus inviting multiple combing sessions of each goat. A proper tool would make a big difference.

Each year, I've added at least one different type of dog or human comb to my collection, and (not surprisingly) none is ideal for combing goat undercoats. In fact, the most effective "comb" so far has been one that I cobbled together a couple of years ago using bits and pieces of things I had lying around; in fact, my usual method of addressing a design problem. But while the prototype showed promise, I did not tinker with it last year. Instead, I used three different combs every day, and although I got the job done (eventually), the process was far from ideal.

This year, before the harvest begins, I will at least give it a go and try again. It would be very rewarding to come up with something that would make the harvest easier for both the goats and myself.
~~~


In the Arts Department: linocut printing.


(Sorry, no illustration, because I've never, ever, done it before!)

I have always loved prints made from woodcuts, but have never tried making one. And as much as I love wood, and love working with wood, I think carving a block of linoleum for a linocut would be a more sensible and less dangerous way to experiment. A potato might be easier still, but I've decided to bypass that medium in favor of something less likely to rot.

So...linocut printing!

I don't even know if I'm using the correct term, so please feel free to correct and inform me in the comments. I have no experience or knowledge, but what I do have is endless inspiration all around. Also, a strong leaning toward a creative process that will encourage simplicity and - speaking as a person who can overthink to the point of immobility - may require getting out of my own way.

Could be fun. Could be great fun! Will almost certainly by messy, which, come to think of it, is often a byproduct of fun. I can handle messy for the sake of fun.

~~~

Now that I've begun putting these ideas into words, a great many projects are leaping into my head, all with the word "should" attached. But I don't want this to become a "to do" list, nor a "must do" list. So I'll stop here, with just three "might like to try" things: one a revisit, one an evolving creation, and one a completely new experience.

Onward, 2014!

Betula says, "Bring it!"


~~~~~

19 comments:

  1. Quinn - All of them sound wonderful!

    Never having brushed a goat before, I can't offer any advice. Pie crust they're easy-precast - perhaps a de-clutter of your kitchen worktops should preceed that though LOL

    And linocut printing sounds just excellent - I'm useless at woodwork - more thumbs than fingers - so I'll watch your efforts with great admiration.

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    1. This time it's not a matter of decluttering the worktop...it's that there is no worktop! Just one small section of countertop, next to the sink. I may need a table I can fold up and put out of the way when not in use. Sometimes my house is a lot like living on a boat ;)
      Thanks for your encouragement on the linocuts! I have some concerns about my fingers, as well, but I shall try to be verrrrry careful.

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  2. I love that last photo, with that cheeky face peeping out!

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  3. Linocut printing IS great fun and you have to try hard to cut yourself(!). And it's relatively cheap. Go for it!

    And meanwhile, I will plot how to steal your lovely goats away to England with me...

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Belinda!
      (And my matriarch doe was SO naughty this morning, I will help you sneak her onto a plane.)

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  4. On the piecrust: yes, you can do better than store bought! I don't even have to know you to say that. Because storebought is, um, oh well, you can do better! I don't know about the counter space. I always end up working in about one square foot no matter how much actual space is available!

    About the linocuts: as a long longtime exhibiting artist, may I make a suggestion? if you've never used gouging and cutting tools before, why not experiment on plastic erasers? they're big enough, several inches across if you get the right ones, and are wonderful to cut, as you get your skills up. Particularly if you don't have a bench hook (flat thing with a curved edge that goes over your worktop and stops the linocut from skttering away as you push the tool on it, the eraser idea is great.

    More important than the joy of actually cutting, and yes, it's a joy, is the conceptualizing, given that a print is the reverse of the cut, and that you have to decide what is dark and what is light, before you cut, after you've drawn your design. All a lot of fun, though. Okay, I will take off my workshop hat and step away...

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    1. Thank you so much for your advice! I never knew those white erasers come in a big, flat size - I've only used the push-up-pencil kind. And I think an inexpensive (or handmade) bench hook will be a very good investment, as I am more used to using non-gouging bladed tools.
      So exciting! :)

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  5. Quinn, some years back, Mom and Daddy got a new dishwasher and before taking the old one to be re-cycled, they took off the wood top and it's what I use to foll out pie crusts, biscuits, etc. Works a wonder although some swear by a marble slab. Dori, on my sidebar and lives in Bavaria, does wood cuts; visit her blog.
    Stay warm; it got above freezing today...praise God!...the cold absolutely strips me of all energy and makes my bones h.u.r.t.

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    1. What a great idea! That sounds like a perfect size and weight for a dough-working surface.
      I will check out Dori's blog - thank you! And here's hoping for kinder weather all around.

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  6. I love my marble slab--it was part of a dresser top at one time, I suppose, but it sure works great for pies. Sounds like you've got great plans for this year :)

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    1. I've never used a marble surface, but bakers sure do swear by them for pastry! Thanks for giving me another option to think about, Sue :)

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  7. Daisy recently did some lino cutting for a school art project and just used a sheet of white polystyrene which was really easy to cut. She did some multi-layered prints of a view of London and her teacher was really impressed. Good luck with your new ventures xx

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, and another good idea! I'd love to see Daisy's creations :)

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  8. Good list! I shall be watching your linocut printing progress with interest, that's on my list too :)

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  9. Linocut, how cool! I've been playing around with cutting my own stamps to use in my artwork... haven't shown photos of any yet either! :D You're more brave than I am... cutting images into linoleum tiles is supposedly much more difficult... can't wait to see some! I love Betula! Do you sell the cashmere or is it just for your own projects?
    Hugs my sweet blogging sister,
    Beth P

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  10. I gotta say, the spammers are getting very savvy now with their comments. Wonder what sandy scott really looks like! :)

    As for pie crust, I use the old tried and true recipe on the back of the Crisco can. Never fails. And since I only make pie crust for pumpkin pie a couple of times a year, I don't worry about how unhealthy that Crisco might be. And I never roll it out, just plop it in the middle of the pie tin and start pressing it to the sides. Works for me.

    Good luck with your other might do's. That last photo is great!

    Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. Oh my gosh, that one is a corker! I'm tempted to leave it up as a tribute to my "rattling superb design"! :)
      Thank you so much for the Crisco recommendation. I love anything that comes with the endorsement: "never fails." Stay tuned for adventures in piecrust!

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  11. What a great shot of Betula, LOL.

    This is a very interesting list and I hope you have a chance to make progress on it all.

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  12. Sounds like some worthy things to try and I love the zero pressure part : )

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