rip friendship bread

I regret to inform you that I have killed my friendship bread starter.  It was either let it all die, or join a church under false pretenses just to meet more people to take the  unending bags of baby starters this stuff produces. I figured if I joined a church at the rate of once every three months I may find enough takers to keep this whole thing going.  I've never been a hypocrite before and for the sake of friendship bread I just couldn't see starting now. Not that I have anything against church I don't, I just couldn't use God one more time in an hour of need. You know we all have done it. Oh Lord please keep this tire going till I make it home and Ill never...........You know the drill you  have done it. Any way don't ask how I killed it -it  was in cold yeast  and I am so ashamed. I have been keeping up with the bobbin lace and so far I have made a wad of threads that vaguely look like lace. I thought at one off moment (after my heinous crime spree) that I should just give this up and move back into a hobby I have mastered. Where is the challenge in that one hugh? So I have dived ever deeper and am trying to learn as I go. My friend Starr (did I say I would protect the innocent- not here baby) has given me some pretty Russian Tape lace patterns and I'm going to get started on those asap. They were totally free patterns that had no copyright infringement on them. Not that a fine criminal like myself would worry about it, (I can kill in cold yeast remember) but my friend does. Besides rest assured my finished product couldn't possibly violate any ones copyright- it never looks like it is supposed to!!   One day it might, but most copyrights need to be renewed in 25 years, so by the time I get this, the pattern maker will most likely have died or have failed to re copyright their pattern. This is an adventure. This week I made three pairs of baby shoes out of the fabric scrapes I got and they turned out really cute. I wont be selling these pairs ,but I will make more in the future to sell when I reopen my ETSY page. Gotta run ( have nothing to do but watch the Gatsby but I wanna do it now so signing off!!!

Today was day six of my friendship bread experience. For the past few days my new hobby was uneventful. Everyday I got up ran to the direction sheet and read the days instruction, so far each day was the same "mush the bag". Seems no specific requirements on how long or even how to "mush " the bag were given. It was left to each new recipient to use their own creative license to come up with their own technique. On day three I left it close to the air conditioner.  I am bonding rather well with this starter so I just intuitively knew that this cant be good for her. She wasn't puffed up and she just looked wimpy. I found her a new and warmer location, she liked it much better and we were both happier for it! Today was a big day! Today I added more sugar, flour, and milk to the mixture- and to celebrate I mushed vigorously to old rock music! Well needless to say we were both worn out from the jubilation that we both retired early.

Lace and friendship bread!

   Lately I have gotten involved in a lace making group. It would seem an odd thing to do when lace is machine made now days and sold by the mile for a price about anyone can afford!! Well that's me I am always off re-inventing the wheel so to speak. The group I joined is a well diverse group of women from all walks of life. I have always wanted to learn to tat and make bobbin lace. Over the past thirty years I have collected bobbins for lace making, in hopes one day I would settle down and try and learn. The day has come, and I have created the ugliest lace book mark known to man, and in doing so have learned the basics for bobbin lace making! Lets just hope it gets better from here on out. As far as tatting goes I have been able to make a few things with this. But I find I enjoy decorating tatting shuttles the most. I now can feel some of the pain my parents must have felt on Christmas morning as I spent time making forts of the boxes while a ton of beautiful toys sat ignored. I have stacks of pretty threads who sit idle while I am busily decorating shuttles!! Last nights meeting was fun and everyone was in good spirits. At the end of the meeting a member announced she had friendship bread starts if anyone was interested. How exciting! She handed me a bag of "starter" and an instruction sheet. Day one, do nothing! I can do that!! We are off to a grand start. Day two, mush the bag! I can do that too! I'm practically a genius at this bread stuff!!I intend to blog this adventure as it goes along! We have a demonstration at Fort Walla Walla this weekend for lace making and weaving and spinning. All of which I do and enjoy.  Really, I hardly have any time at all to go to work, but since supplies are not usually free I guess I will have to find the balance.