Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

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Everyday bread

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This is the recipe I make for a delicious yet not too time consuming bread for every day use. Makes 2 large loaves.

100g wholemeal flour
900g unbleached plain flour
2.5 teaspoons dried yeast
2.5 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
Approx 700ml warm water (varies with temp, dryness of flour etc)
Place all dry ingredients into your mixmaster’s mixing bowl with the dough hook fitted. Start machine on low and drizzle most of the water in. Allow to mix for a minute or so, then add more water if needed. The dough should be really moist but not so sticky it can’t be handled. 
Keep mixing on low for at least 5 minutes. Turn out of bowl onto an oiled bench and oil the bottom and inside of the bowl. Place the dough back in the bowl, oil the top lightly and cover with plastic wrap. Leave for 1.5 hours or until double in size. In cooler weather this will take longer.

Turn the dough out onto a bench and cut in half with a sharp knife. Knead each piece lightly then shape into required shape. You can do freeform loaves or use bread tins – I do either depending on my mood 🙂 Freeform loaves can be placed on baking trays. Cover loaves with plastic wrap to rest.
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees (C). Allow the loaves to sit for 30 minutes. Slash the tops with a sharp knife and place in the oven. Set the timer for 5 minutes. When timer goes off, turn the temperature down to 230 degrees and set the timer to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven when done and cool on a baking rack. 

Linking up with Creative Friday.

3 ways to save money today – Volume 8

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1. Don’t buy cereal.
I’ve noticed a real drive by cereal companies for us to mimic American culture in our pursuit for cereal. It’s really expensive, usually unhealthy and really unnecessary! The only type of cereal I buy on a regular basis is Vita Brits, which I find affordable, nutritious and tasty. Occasionally I buy cereal for the kids for a birthday or treat, but I find the novelty wears off pretty quickly anyway.
Oats are fantastic. If you buy a generic brand they are cheap and really versatile. I’ve been making my own muesli, toasted and natural for years.
There are so many alternatives to cereal that are healthier and will cost a fraction of the price. Get googling and find some new, simple breakfast dishes.

2. Make your own bread.
Commercial bread is increasing in price constantly. Yes, you can still buy a cheap white loaf for around a dollar but I find these akin to eating fluff, not nice.
It’s not hard to make bread. It’s a time investment but once you get into a routine it’s very do-able. I’d like to say that I fully supply our family with home made bread but I’m not quite there yet. I’m happy to say that most of the time there is homemade bread in the pantry or freezer.
I have quite a few bread recipes right here on my blog:

Apple and Walnut bread
Wholemeal, rye and linseed bread
Spelt, honey and Linseed bread
Honey and Oat bread
My basic bread
My Everyday bread recipe

3. Make your own toilet spray.
We pay a lot of money for the privilege of spraying chemicals around in our home and it’s not at all necessary! A small spray bottle, some water and some essential oil that you like the scent of, and you’re done. Experiment with quantities of oil to water to get the ratio that suits you. A good essential oil can be a bit of an investment in terms of dollars, but when you consider how long one bottle will last you it’s much cheaper than buying a chemical laden spray.

Completed cardi and more spinning!

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Hooray, the cardigan is finally done! And it’s perfect, there is room to grow and she is just so warm in it. It’s hard to believe this little sweetie is turning 5 on Sunday, can’t I wind back the clock just a little? 

I knit this with my hand dyed 8ply merino. The buttons are from Buttons by Benji, and though it’s hard to see from the photo, they are totally gorgeous. The pattern is “Annie” by Tikki.

On the wheel currently is my “By the shores of Lake Violet” colour way on merino roving. Loving these colours!

And here is an idea of what it looks like randomly spun and plyed. 

Brrr, it’s cold!

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Yes, Winter is well and truly here but thankfully I have many activities to keep busy and warm. This is my last handspun skein.

I used my hand dyed “Mixed Berry” roving and employed the fractal spinning technique and it worked out beautifully!

The garden has slowed down but we are harvesting all those lovely winter veg now. Our son and I (so lovely to have a kitchen helper!) cooked up a big pot of garden harvested veggie soup with barley tonight.

And garlic bread made from scratch was the perfect accompaniment.

This is my newest colour way, now in the Etsy shop.

And I dyed some of that gorgeous First Edition roving in the same colour way. This is now on my spinning wheel and looking splendid.
So, Winter isn’t all cold hands and noses, there are many delightful things about it too 🙂
What about you. Cool weather? Or warm?

Fibre, glorious fibre!

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With Winter in full swing here it’s all about the fibre for me at the moment! I had a go at dyeing roving for the first time. The colours are beautiful (mixed berry I think), but not exactly what I anticipated- there was a lot of residual dye. Some online fibre dyeing friends recommended more vinegar and a longer steaming time. This roving is from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I’ve since dyed some more roving, applying the recommendations and it seems much better this time. I’ll show you the new roving when it’s dry, we’re not exactly having the best drying weather here of late.

This is the first bobbin spun from the first roving and I think it’s really pretty! I’m trying out a spinning technique called fractal spinning – can’t wait to see the results.

I ordered some roving from First Edition Fibres and got the most beautifully soft and fluffy fibre. I think I will spin some of this in this natural colour as well as dyed, wouldn’t it make a gorgeous baby blanket?

I’m calling this project my “crazy scarf”. I’m using all different bits and pieces of hand dyed and handspun yarn in a somewhat random fashion (similar to the “crazy quilt” technique). Just for fun 🙂
Anything fibre related happening at your place this weekend?

Beginning spinning

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My long term goal to own a spinning wheel came to fruition recently! I bought a second hand “Sleeping Beauty” wheel and she sure is a beauty. She could use some repairs but still spins well enough for now. 
I took some classes with Cathy of Cat and Sparrow Fibres and am so glad that I did. Something that seemed so complicated now makes sense and I’m continually building my spinning knowledge.

This was spun from some commercially prepared and dyed roving.

This skein was spun “in the grease” from a coated fleece and then washed, lovely!

And this one is from the same fleece which I washed first, dyed in two separate lots of pink and blue, spun as singles and then plied together. Interesting.
The last skein I spun that is currently drying is what I would consider a major improvement for me. I’m getting more control over the thickness and general consistency of the yarn I’m producing, which is quite exciting!
One of my main aims for learning to spin is to have a much greater involvement in the fibre items I produce. So, goal number one is to dye and spin enough yarn to weave a scarf with. I’ll keep you updated on that project 🙂
Hand dyed, hand spun and hand woven, sounds fabulous to me!

Homeschooling and depression.

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Not an easy topic to address. But necessary. Perhaps you are a homeschooling Mum who suffers depression. Perhaps you know someone in this position. Or maybe you are a Mum considering homeschooling but think that you can’t because you suffer depression. Read on.



My own experience with depression is not something I usually talk about openly, but I have suffered depression on and off since adolescence. In recent years I have improved a great deal.


There are many reasons for my improvement, but perhaps that is a story best left to another day, as today I want to focus specifically on depression in relation to homeschooling.


I contacted the well known homeschooling, and in particular, natural learning advocate Beverly Paine. Beverly has home educated her children through to adulthood while dealing with depression. She was very gracious and honest in answering my questions.


  
*****************************************************************************  Before you began homeschooling your children were you concerned that your depression would be a problem?

“It didn’t occur to me at the time that it would, although I do remember being concerned before my youngest was born if I’d manage parenting another child – but by then I’d already committed to home educating all of them! I think I’d already integrated parenting and education as being one seamless activity. Our baby was due a few weeks before we ‘officially’ began home educating our eldest. I’d been suffering undiagnosed ante-natal depression for almost six years by then. My husband was actively co-parenting in a hands-on way, offering considerable practical support throughout each day.”


    What were your main concerns (if any?)

“On my ‘bad’ days I felt immobilized, lacking motivation and felt ‘lost’: on those days I mostly sat and played with the children or did very simple art and craft activities. I couldn’t plan or organise or even supervise, simply ‘being’ with the children seemed to work best. As it turned out, this was the perfect thing to do and not only helped me to build close relationships with the children but helped me ‘parent’ myself.

There were other significant stress factors at play in our lives at the time: we were owner-builders and the house in which we lived still required considerable work to finish it; I had inadequately managed chronic asthma and sinus infections; we were living on an incredibly low income, and I wasn’t getting on at all well with my parents or my in-laws!

As a home educating mum in these early years I doubted my ability to teach the children what I thought they were supposed to learn: little by little my children demonstrated that even with considerable ‘down time’ from their teacher-mum they progressed through the curriculum anyway. Simply playing and living, doing the chores, taking part in everyday family life looking after our needs, proved to be an okay educational approach.

I worried quite a bit about what other people thought, and frequently wondered if I had the right to perform this social, developmental and educational experiment on my children. Back then few families were home educating – we began in 1985. Time has shown that it wasn’t really an experiment: school is actually the experiment! “ 



    Through your homeschooling journey, did you find that these initial concerns were well founded or not an issue?

“My concerns arose from ignorance: reflecting on the children’s learning experiences and ours as a family allayed them, along with my continuing self-education through reading magazines and books about home education. I also started what I believe was South Australia’s first home education support group and newsletter. Sharing doubts and reassuring each other, as well as celebrating our homeschooling journeys together, helped considerably.

Once we decided to home educate the children we never seriously considered it as an option. Our children were free to go to school if they wished, but being very involved with their education in a hands-on way was always going to be a part of our lives. It was not negotiable, not even when my mental health deteriorated to the point that I had a breakdown. My children were an important and active aspect of the healing process, the journey toward mental wellness.”


    Looking back, do you think your depression disadvantaged your children in any way?


“I am sure it did but it also advantaged them too. I saw this also with my nephew (my sister suffered from depression as well, and she also had other chronic health issues). These young people are caring and sensitive adults with a heightened sense of self-knowledge and empathy towards others. They practice assertive conflict management strategies and approach life as learners: open to learning new ways, embracing change as a natural part of life. They are sensitive to their own and other people’s moods and are aware of their personal boundaries.”

     What coping mechanisms did you use for the harder days?

“Some days I could do very little and felt incredibly frustrated that these days were ‘wasted’ crying or raging. I felt very out of control. In hindsight I needed professional help and regret that no one felt strong enough to help me seek it. My husband met the children’s needs on those days. We are still dealing with the toll my depression took on his health and our relationship. I worked much harder to repair any damage I did to my relationship with our children than I did with him. I would definitely do things differently if I had my time over!

I did whatever I could do on the harder days. I created ‘lists’ of the things I needed or wanted to do and eventually accepted that it was okay if I managed to tick only one thing off that list: in fact, one task done was cause for celebration, it became a goal for the tough days. I learned that tomorrow was another day and that quite likely the ‘mood’ will have passed and it was okay to tackle today’s chores tomorrow. I learned that it was okay for others to do those chores instead of me, especially if they were willing, happy to offer. I gave myself permission to sit and write. I read books about self-development. I learned about the different things that triggered my mood swings and bouts of depression. I began to avoid those triggers. I avoided social over-stimulation. I learned it was important for me to be in bed by 11pm at the latest. Most of all I gave myself permission to focus on being an attentive parent, enjoying simply playing with the children and exploring enjoyable past-times with them.” 

***************************************************************************

Thank you so much for your valuable insights Beverly. Beverly’s natural learning website, The Educating Parent, can be found here. She also has a permaculture website that you can visit here.
  

So, can you homeschool your children if you suffer depression?


Yes, absolutely! With the right systems in place. Here are my tips:


*Know your triggers.


*Don’t allow yourself to get overtired.


*Avoid unnecessary stress.


* You time. Make time to do things that nourish you.


*Let go of unrealistic expectations and accept that this is part of you.


I hope this has helped you in some way, please feel free to continue the discussion in the comments.

Twisted Ink on Society 6

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I thought I’d share a few of my husband’s work currently available at Society 6. The designs look awesome and they often have free shipping to Australia (like right now!)

Tote bag

Mug

Framed print

Throw pillow


iPhone case
These are just a few of the designs and products available on the Twisted Ink Society 6 page, why not pop over and have a look, you might find something you love 🙂