In theory...

After I emerged from my paper on language theory, I took a class at Webs on color theory. I'm sorry to say it was pretty elementary stuff. Building a color wheel, learning some basic terms (primary, secondary--didn't get to tertiary--, tint, hue, shade). I would have liked a little more practice designing unique palettes or analyzing color use in Fair Isle. The instructor touched on the Bezold Effect and simultaneous contrast, which are both kinds of optical illusions that occur when specific colors are placed beside each other...this was the sort of thing I wanted to explore, but oh well. Coolest lesson: use hexagonal bits of cardstock to make little interlocking swatches that are easy to rearrange:



I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone and pick up a little something something, but Dena and I couldn't find the non-floor model. Sigh. Probably for the best, I think I might prefer a Kromski Sonata for its foldability. I got a Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning book, the new Interweave and some hot pink tweed, Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran in Treasure.

The wheel urge is just worse and worse, I've been practicing on the drop spindle and have realized that a lot of my favorite yarns have a slubby, handspun quality (Terra by the Fibre Company, Noro Cash Iroha, Tahki Donegal Tweed, Kureyon...). After reading that Gandhi was a big proponent, I was kind of sold. There are a lot of amazing quotes here under Charkha.

I have some random deliciousness to show you. When I bake bread I usually use a recipe from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest (do click, you get the whole recipe!) that calls for a 'mix' which is a potion comprised of melted butter, honey and activated yeast. This was a souped up mix, an attempt to imitate a Ploughman's Loaf from Northampton's Woodstar Cafe.



It contains Kate's salted butter, chunks of English cheddar, caramelized onion, and some Coleman's mustard powder, sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper. It was tasty but the heat in the apartment wasn't on (I didn't notice, I was bundled up) and the poor bread barely rose. I'll try it again, probably with some Cotswold. I am OBSESSED with Cotswold these days. I almost choked on a piece when it was mentioned in this week's episode of 'ER', #298 Coming Home.

Okay, that's it for now. Next post will be yarn heavy, I have some new lovelies to show off (see my Flickr page if you're curious), and I hope to have this plied up and knittable:


I am knitting by the way, but I don't want to reveal anything before the contest ends! I have made two dog sweaters for my friend Shara's pomapoo, I'm hoping for photos soon!

CR