Short Story Long

I don't know if it's the fall weather, or the episodes of The Great British Baking Show that I've been watching, but I've been on a baking streak.  I may start saying "that's lovely" with sincerity, and "proved" instead of "proofed." On Wednesday, I made a challah loaf, my first!  Not my first bread.  I was afraid I would have a problem with the yeast; I believe that happened last time I made bread (not recent.)  It was fine though; I think I'm more patient than I used to be.  Maybe?  I'm working on that.  The loaf turned out very well, although I was stumped a bit on rolling the ropes - fat in the middle, skinny ends, I now know.  I used a recipe from the Kitchn, here .  Easy as pie. Er, bread. the dough is "proved," in my grandmother's bowl four-strand braid not quite enough egg wash, but a lovely brown nonetheless It was a huge hit!  It was asked for until it was gone - two days.  We will b...

In case you've ever wondered what drives me...   Almost from the time I began knitting, I've been putting my own twist on projects.  I was reading knitting blogs and joined Ravelry before I was a knitter, so I was already seeing that knitters modified patterns to suit them before I could do it myself.  In fact, this is one of the things that drew me most to knitting - being able to make the sweater I want in the color I want.  In my observation over the past seven years, I see that many knitters make small modifications to patterns based on their own needs - making the sleeves longer or shorter; adding or omitting pockets; using a cast on, decrease or buttonhole that they prefer.  I came into this thinking that was part of the fun - being able to make it my own.  The first pattern I ever wrote and published was a cabled hat, Glacier .  I may go back and edit that pattern, now that I've learned a few more tricks!  But at the beginning, I just ...