Felt what you know...

Have you ever been stalled on a project, but cannot let it go?  I have! And often, I do not know how to get past it.  I feel like a failure if I do not continue on it, but find mistakes are made if I continue..... Other times I get a break through and cannot imagine what would have happened if I had not pushed on.... The question is how to tell which path to take.  

With this project, I have been stalled for about 5 weeks.  I have invested a lot of money into the project, but had a loss of design focus when I started to set up the actual garment. 

My design was based on holiday celebrations.  I love champagne and thought about white truffles...Some how I was not able to come to a conclusion on the project.  I knew I had to get more than surface treatments in the shawl, so I cut bubbles in the merino...(thanks Gitta for the confirmation on that!) Then I was stopped again....
















I had the wonderful spirit of the sparkling libation.  Later on, I opted to eliminate the white truffles... I think this was the stalling factor.  I have never tasted a pure white truffle, so I was not able to translate the spirit of the truffle into art.  HA!  another creative breakthrough for me. 



















I thought long and hard about holidays and festive drinks.  


 A French 75!  How perfect!  I had forgotten about this fairy like creation!  It had all my favorite ingredients and BAM!  My muse has returned! 

 So, now I am off and running again....all my colors are perfect, all my silks and woolens are fluid and light as bubbles.

 I still have all the actual felting and fulling to do!  The felting life is busy!

Many artists can do wonderful things in and with the unknown.  Alas, I cannot. But, I know what I know!!! And, am learning what makes me tick.  I hope some day to develop into the unknown!  In the mean time, Cheers!

Here is my favorite recipe for the French 75!
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
Champagne or Sparkling Wine
Combine the Gin, St. Germain, lemon juice and syrup, shake with ice, and pour into a chilled cocktail glass or champagne coupe.  Top with the champagne – pour it slowly over the back of a spoon to get a great layered effect.
 Credits: ohsobeautifulpaper.com

French baguettes

I love to cook...I am the type of cook that buys andouille sausage from New Orleans if I am making red beans and rice. It takes time, thought and effort to create a culinary experience worthy of yourself and your loved ones. Let me add experiences and mistakes as well to the list of creating a worthy anything!

So, armed with real  French flour ( a lower protein flour) and a new recipe, and a new set of baguette pans, I began my journey into baguette land! 



My recipe began with the making of a "poolish."  That is a starter mix of flour, water and yeast. It sits over night and develops a more complex and rich flavor to the bread. You must stir the poolish clockwise only. The idea is to develop strong, long fibers, no that's not the right word... that's a felting term....but you get the idea....

 

 The next step is to add the rest of the flour water and yeast into the poolish.Once it gets tacky, you kneed the dough.......

Then it has to rest and rise.  You must periodically  stretch the gluten fibers by lifting the dough up and then allow it to drop back into the bowl. This also insures the holes in the bread will be distributed evenly.

Finally, it is time to form the baguette shape and slash it across the top. (I did not do such a great job here..I was afraid of beating up the dough!  )

Time to preset the oven to a high temp with a pan of boiling water in on the lowest shelf. The oven steams up to insure a crisp crust.  You remove the water bath after a bit and let it brown.  Then it is time to take it out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes at least to cool.....

Time to cut into the loaf to evaluate the crust and the holes. 

Not to bad!  It was very tasty.  Next time, I shall add more yeast and shape the loaves more attractively~