Root and Leaf

2009-12-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

According to Telegraph correspondent Richard Alleyne, "indoor air is up to 12 times more polluted than outdoor air in some areas, with air quality affected by chemicals from paints, varnishes, adhesives, furnishings, clothing, solvents, building materials and even tap water."

The article goes on to promote "super ornamental plants", which researchers say have the capability to absorb VOCs (or volatile organic compounds) from the air we breath!

what a great idea!

Some very cute english ivy over at Cheezy Cheeky.

A waxy leaf plant called Zebra plant.

And my favorite, the fern. I love what Grace Light did with these Maidenhair ferns! They are so beautiful and delicate.

2009-09-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

another beautiful print by you are constance:

all prints by youareconstance are printed on fsc-certified papers and are packaged in recycled and/or compostable packaging.

Trying to be a responsible human being....part II

2009-07-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Since deciding to weed out plastic from my life, here is the progress I have made:

* Replaced my plastic razor (which I will still use for traveling) for a stainless steel safety razor.

* No more trash can liners. I own this metal trash can with a lid from ikea that I clean out every time I dump it.

* Plastic bags and plastic food packaging, including produce bags. I bought some unbleached cotton draw string bags from Nourishments on Etsy:

I use these bags for everything. Bulk beans, rice, noodles, cereal, lettuce, fruit, you name it. So I mainly do my grocery shopping at the farmer's market and the bulk food place now.

* Plastic water containers. I go once a week to fill up my 3 gallon glass carboy with distilled water for only $.75. Then I haul it back to my apartment, flip it upside down into a ceramic dispenser. It's not super heavy, but sometimes it gets slippery and I'm always a little scared of dropping it. However, there is something empowering and humbling about fetching your own water. People do it all over the world; sometimes every day!

Here is what I still haven't found plastic free solutions for:

* Juice and milk/half and half cartons that are lined with plastic.

*Glass food jars (like spaghetti) with lids that have plastic on them.

*Pads. I know. They are so lame. But I live with a roommate and don't have a washer and dryer. So using/cleaning cloth pads is just not what I feel like I can do right now.

*Ziplock bags. I have been reusing the same box for over a year. But I still don't like that they are in contact with my food.

Currently looking for: a non-plastic wide tooth comb and hairbrush. Natural lotion and makeup in glass/metal containers. Milk in a glass container.

White Work

2009-06-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

top to bottom:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5397008

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6266164

http://mari.bigcartel.com/product/new-york-love-white

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5464460

But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will...

2009-06-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

i took this photo while standing on the santa monica pier. i took it when i was happy in a relationship.

now i'm not.

love is exorbitantly messy.

This Makes Me Smile!

2009-06-22T16:04:00.001-07:00

last summer i traveled to israel for my friend's wedding and there met the amazing odelia! i am so excited that she is the current featured seller on etsy.

her and her man dani live in this amazing re-fashioned chicken coop on a hill. it is one of the most peaceful places i have ever been.

her softies are adorable! i love her caterpillars.

and who doesn't love a hedgehog?!

Just a little glimpse....

2009-06-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

of what my life sorta looks like.....

it's all in the family...

2009-06-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

i would just like to present to you the newest addition to my sister's etsy shop:

this diptych is called "agatha and the bird" and features a cute little girl with a tiny sly grin and a big plan. bekah is a graphic design student at the university of oklahoma and creates these prints on the side. she is also responsible for artwork hanging on my wall as well as the majority of the graphics, logos, album artwork, and t-shirt designs of my band.

when i think of her growing up, she was either catching turtles in the backyard of our michigan home or drawing. i'm pretty sure sometimes she drew turtles, too.

Trying to be a responsible human being....

2009-06-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

plastic free shaving is finally in my life.

and let me tell you....i'm excited about it.

i purchased this weishi razor on ebay from a guy here in los angeles. he sent me around 30 extra blades and offered free shipping, all for $20.
i can't wait to use it and will update this post when i do. i've only heard wonderful things about these little guys.

i will say that i would love a more feminine and ornate one, but those are harder to come by, more expensive, and usually vintage (which kinda weirds me out). someone could make a killing manufacturing feminine, plastic-free safety razors, i tell ya.

i've also been trying out bar soap from soaptopia on my hair as shampoo (instead of buying plastic bottles). i am unsure about this though since it seems to make my scalp sorta itchy.
this one is called green machine. it is my favorite! the smell of basil fills the entire house when i use it! they said they'll be coming out with a shampoo bar in the future, but i think i might just buy a bottle of shampoo and conditioner as backup for now. i cannot stand a flaky, itchy scalp.

well, that's all for now!

UPDATE: razor is amazing. i was scared at first as to how much pressure to apply and how to get certain angles, but it went very smoothly (no pun intended). you hardly have to press at all! (and it also makes that nice sound that you hear when men shave). no more buying plastic cartridges!

Bangs and the Brothers Bloom

2009-05-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

.....are just what i needed to kick off the summer.

(and a reminder of how serious my crush on adrien brody is)

Occupying my brain....

2009-05-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

I knew that plastic was bad for the environment and potentially bad for our health, but my recent endeavors in researching science journals and magazines are completely freaking me out over the issue. Here are some of the important things I've learned:

a) There are constant discrepancies between the FDA and different boards of scientists over the toxicity of plastic. Everyone's pretty sure Biphenol A (what Nalgenes and baby bottles were pulled off the shelves for) has "potentially" caused birth and behavior problems in rats as well as earlier puberty, elongated uterus', and breast cancer in female rats and prostate cancer in male rats.

b) The canned food we buy from the grocery store as well as juice cartons all contain plastic lining on the inside.

c) Plastic is difficult to recycle due to the fact that there are so many different types of plastic as well as any single object (such as a cell phone or children's toy) being made of many types of plastic. On top of that, recycling plastic causes it to become brittle, thus allowing it to only be used for certain things.

d) "It takes 7 liters of water to manufacture a 1 liter bottle creating 100g of CO2" -New Internationalist

e) "The world uses an estimated one million plastic bags every minute..." -New Internationalist

I have to admit...I'm having a little bit of a freak out about this. Inspired by this woman, I am consciously trying to weed out plastic from my life, but the crazy thing is that unless you want to go all Laura Ingalls Wilder, you can't.
Every bloody thing is made out of plastic! You have to cook everything from scratch and hopefully have an amazing bulk food place by your house (which we don't).
Anyway...some of my posts to come will touch on this subject. I want to share alternatives to plastics that I find, talk about more research on plastic, as well as freak out that I can't by toilet paper that's not wrapped in cellophane.

the end

salsa verde freestyle

2009-05-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

i decided to make my own salsa verde instead of buying it from trader joes. i looked online at different recipes, but it seems there isn't really one general recipe. with jeff's help (he lived in mexico for a while and also went to college in san diego), i concocted this recipe:

*about 6 tomotillos (mine were freakishly large tomatillos, i recommend using around 12-15 small ones)
*about 3 poblano chiles (sometimes sold as pasilla peppers, although pasilla are longer, thinner, and spicier)
* one jalapeno pepper
*one anaheim chile
*one medium onion coarsley chopped
*3 to 4 cloves of garlic chopped
*one bunch of cilantro chopped
*about half a tablespoon of salt
*cumin
*about 3 lime

i began by boiling the tomatillos in water. jeff said salsa is often made in a molcajete so the skins are removed after being boiled. while the tomatillos boiled, i placed the pablano, anaheim, and jalapeno peppers in a pan and placed them under the broiler. Checking them often and turning them often until their outsides were blackened. i stopped boiling the tomatillos when they started to turn a darker yellow color.
i removed the tomatillos from the water with a slotted spoon, placed them on a plate to cool, and saved the water. after the peppers cooled i peeled off the skins, removed the stem, sliced them open and removed the seeds. i also removed bits of the skin off of the tomatillos.
i have a small food processer so i did two batches. in each batch i put half the amount of tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic, and a handful of chopped cilantro in each. i squeezed about a lime and a half in each batch and salted to taste. i also put in about a teaspoon and a half of cumin in the entire batch. after everything went through the food processor i transferred it to a bowl and added enough of the tomatillo water until i got the consistency i wanted.

this was an interesting cooking adventure i have to say. there is so much confusion about the different chiles and different salsa verede recipes and i think it's due to translations and regions. i got a lot of info on chiles and other peppers here. the site also has a helpful scale of hotness of different peppers.
i also read that the salsa is better the next day (although we couldn't help it so we fried up some corn tortilla chips and ate some of it right away)

the end

ten people, places, and things that i love...

2009-05-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

1) the best mocha you'll ever have
2) the best croissant you'll ever have
3) Dave Eggers
4) best place to find a vintage mustard yellow file cabinet
5) soaptopia
6) land's end and the camera obscura there
7) interview with a woman who has my potential dream job
8) things in slow motion
9) really gross inventions that people eat

and finally.......

10) interpretive dancing with friends- late at night- after much wine- and listening to Bartok

me want evening attire

2009-05-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

An apple pie for two or three

2009-05-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

i like to bake. not all the time, but i like it when i do. my favorite things to bake are bread and pies. i think i like the science and intuition that comes with making dough and crust.

soon i will buy tasty berries from the farmer's market to bake with. yummmmmmmmmm.

Kola

2009-05-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

I was pretty surprised when Shelterrific blogged about Pepsi's new natural cola, especially since the husband recently decided to make his own natural cola. Numerous trips to the Asian market, an African store, and a hunt for citric acid produced a delicate, vanilla/orange fizzy drink.

You can see the little specs of real vanilla bean. Yum.

I don't know exactly how he made it or where he got the recipe, but I know it contains star anise, orange zest, vanilla bean, cola nut, citric acid, and raw cane sugar. He cooked it down to a syrup that we just add to Pelligrino. It's really nice! One day I'm going to have to try it with rum.

2009-05-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

When you walk into our apartment and see our book shelves, you might be amazed at what you see (except of course if you know my husband and I very well, then it will all make sense). Our collection consist primarily of text and how-to books. There are a couple of novels (classics, and mostly Jane Austin) and some poetry, but 9 times out of 10 you will see titles such as: "Learn Electronics By Building", "The Organic Gardener's Handbook to Natural Insect and Pest Control", and "Handmade Houseboats". We are regularly ordering books on Amazon with similar titles and I could imagine an outsider observing our stupid giddy faces as this came in the mail today:

Holy sh*t! This book is AWESOME! And yes, there is a possibility of one of those masonry ovens being built into the Waterloo project...

Baby I'm the Lucky One

2009-05-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

Either I am incredibly lucky or I'm just incredibly lucky. I feel like I skipped a necessary step in working my way up any kind of ladder. A friend of a friend has hired me on to help with Rodarte's fall line knits and I can't help thinking constantly how freakin lucky I am.

wow wow wow

Good Morning

2009-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday Afternoon...

2009-05-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

A picture I took of my good friend and band mate in my front yard. Pretty much sums up what I'd like to do all summer long....

Breathtaking...

2009-04-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Days with my Father by Phillip Toledano. This type of project reminds me of why I wanted to be a photographer when I was 19.

Found via A Cup Of Joe.

Labneh!

2009-04-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

I went to Israel last summer and the food was so amazing! So when I saw this at Trader Joe's, I immediately snatched it up!

Drizzled it with olive oil and threw on some Zaatar and cayenne pepper and ate it up with tasty pita! Yum!

On a knitting note! I am finally blessed with an image of my handspun hand dyed indigo yarn all knit up! The wonderful Erin created a wave pattern lace scarf.

Just lovely!

I'm a plant thief...

2009-04-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Walks are once again becoming extremely tempting as the weather warms up. Latley I've been noticing the plethora of nice succulents that grow like weeds on the side walks and medians. So, I decided to start taking scissors with me and snip a little here and there...

I also snagged some aloe from my friend and some agave. I clip them and then lay them on a paper towel in my kitchen away from the sun. I wait for them to scab over and then put them in a pot, water thoroughly, and then leave them to dry out over a few days in partial sun.

So far so good and no root rot that I can see. Mr Brown Thumb over at Instructables has a very nice leaf cutting demo that is pretty informative.

And I'm finally finishing these socks that I started over Christmas break and then abandoned. It is such an easy pattern!

I got this yarn from the Malabrigo guys at Stitches West a year ago. The colorway is amazing and I don't even know if they still make it because I believe this yarn was just a demo when I got my hands on it.

I start school again tomorrow...*sigh* but it will be less stressful with my two, eight week courses over. So hopefully i'll keep up the knitting.

Scrumptious and Easy Peasy!

2009-04-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

I can't for the life of me remember where I got this recipe, but it's so easy that you don't need to write it down. All you need is:

*Penne Pasta
*Pecorino Romano Cheese
*Arugula
*Salt
*Freshly cracked black Pepper
*Olive oil

I eyeball everything (something that drives my husband, the kitchen nazi, insane). I cook the pasta until al dente. I add salt, pepper, and olive oil and stir to cover. Then I add shaved Pecorino Romano cheese, let it melt a little, and give it a quick stir. Finally I stir in the arugula, which wilts nicely from the hot pasta. Voila! Tasty and simple and great during summer!

I also had it in my mind that truffle oil might be really good in this, too. Or maybe even some sun dried tomatoes. Nonetheless, this is a great dish when done with minimum ingredients. Enjoy!

Projects

2009-04-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

Beginning the Swallowtail Shawl in Kidsilk Haze. I've already made many mistakes and am not sure if I should just start over. The mohair is almost impossible to frog.

Found this chair on the street in a very sorry state. It has good, sturdy bones so I threw on some white paint and new batting and fabric from Ikea. This book makes me want to be a professional reupholsterer. Is that a word? I'm pretty sure it's not...

And I finally framed and hung the prints my sister made me for Christmas. I love them to pieces!

Oh, and she also made me this awesomely creepy ceramic bird mask that I mounted above our fireplace. The lights on either side add to the eeriness.

It reminds me of Donnie Darko or something!

Home

2009-04-16T19:43:00.001-07:00

I want/need...

top to bottom, left to right: beehivekitchenware, broomchick, finnishweaver, craigslist, ashleyg, apartmenttherapy, pleasebestill, mymarrakesh.

Gotta love Craig's List

2009-02-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

oslo:

buenos aires:

paris:

denmark:

and the wonderful mexico city:

thanks you craigslist, from the bottom of mt geeky heart.

2009-01-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas Crafting!

2008-11-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

I love making things for my family for Christmas. Here's a little sneak peak at what I've been up to:

These Easy Envelope Clutches were made from a pattern by Kekalou on Etsy. She has great deal with 2 patterns for $10. I also got the Pixie Handbag pattern to make for myself somewhere down the road.

In the meantime I'm still working on getting more Indigo dyed yarn up for sale and I also got an order for more of these:

and my bread turned out great! And it was even better the next day when Jeff and I made French toast with maple yogurt and pears.

That's all for now!

Apples, Indigo, Bread, and Mittens.

2008-11-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

My my my I am really slacking at the blog thing. School kinda put my dyeing on hold and plus I didn't really have the space to do it. However, I got the itch and started an Indigo dye vat. In my kitchen. The results have been great!

The only problem is that whenever I open the lid it fills my kitchen with a stinky rotten fish smell and I have to open all the windows and burn a candle...yuck. I need to set up the garage for this outfit and then buy a little heater to keep the vat warm.

Other than that I have been working on EZ's mitered mittens:

They are super easy and fun! I'm using Malabrigo Worsted in Azul Profundo and I'm going to create the thumbs using the tutorial here. I'm really excited to do it especially since I'm obsessed with steeks. I haven't attempted this yet but there is something frightening yet extremely thrilling when CUTTING an (almost) finished garment.

Which brings us to bread?

I love bread. This thanksgiving we'll be staying with our friends here in Los Angeles and I can't wait. I'm going to make bread/rolls from this recipe. My friend just picked me up some spring form pans from Sur la Table. I'll let you know how that goes.

Which brings us to apples?

Whenever I'm purchasing apples I find myself buying the same kind every time: pink lady apples. Being from Michigan I take my apples seriously and so I decided to take a break from my habit and see if I like any other kind better. So far I've only tried the Gala (which I usually don't prefer red apples anyway) and I'm not that impressed.

But I still have a Granny Smith, Fuji, and yet another Pink Lady (maybe to confirm my suspicions) to go. This may take me a while....

And lastly, I leave you with a picture of me and my musical gang at our first show last Monday at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood:

(that's me on the left).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

branching out

2008-08-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Beretin' it up!

2008-08-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

don't know why i love these hats so much.

pattern: jo sharp's beret pattern (this book is full of classic patterns with nice shapes that you could easily modify to suit your creative needs)

yarn: alchemy's tranformation in bronze.

notes: since i always knit in the round i think i may have messed up where the increases and decreases needed to line up. it puckers a little weird, but i still like it.

pattern: i vaguely used the same jo sharp beret pattern as above (but i also read the purl bee's rochefort chapeau for inspiration)

yarn: malabrigo worsted in paris night and rowan's silk wool dk in lime wash.

notes: i used stitch markers so the increases and decreases lined up and also made it about an inch longer.

ps-these photos suck. can you tell i'm greasy and sweaty since it's so freakin hot in echo park???

pps- i have buttons for sale and more yarn coming soon!

we live in l.a. now...

2008-07-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

i love these t-shirts from lucha workshop. i think i just might have to have the last one.

it's funny that besides a pair of socks, these wedding wash cloths are the only items i've knit this summer. but they're great and the bride really liked them. i used cotton classic by tahki and i believe a size 4 addi turbos. they knit up so quick it's only a matter of time before i make them for myself!

still trying to get more yarn up but since moving i don't really have a workshop. oh well, we'll see what happens.

2008-06-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

we're back from israel and jordan and it was a pretty incredible trip. i don't know when i'll have photos but when i do i promise to share. jeff is doing a job in san jose for about 3 weeks while i will be making a mini-move to los angeles to get school and job taken care of. so right now i'm trying to get some linen, cotton, and silk spun and dyed for the shop. i'll show you my current projects soon when we aren't moving or traveling or celebrating our one-year anniversary.

2008-05-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

I feel like this post speaks for itself without words because there are so many pictures. Summertime is at our heels and it is full of cool fibers, good reads, and growing produce.

After failed attempts at dyeing flax (it becomes brittle and breaks) I have succumbed to undyed. The natural color is still great but I have visions of jewel tones and summery tops. I'll keep trying though.

It's hard to believe but our long awaited trip to Israel is coming up this week. I'm so excited! I haven't left the country in a while and it will be my first time with Jeff. We will be in Haifa for our good friend's wedding and then be traveling all over Israel. We even get to take a ferry to
Jordan and go to Petra! I'm so excited yet feel like there is so much to do with this yarn business that I'm slightly overwhelmed.

But, at the end of the day we get to sit back, enjoy a home brew, and eat fresh picked wild strawberries from my in-law's back yard.

And then later I sit and read the plunder from the farm. Can you believe I got these books? Amazing.

This is an old text book all on textiles. Very interesting.
This book is all on lace and is mostly crochet with a few knits. But is seriously makes me want to take up crocheting again!
Knitted lace dress anyone? I thought so!
This one I thought was a pretty good pattern, too.

Well, that's all for now. I will have cabbage dyed silk and some sandalwood bamboo in the shop within the next couple days but then there will be a lull. A travel lull! Happy summer!

rootandleaf

2008-05-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

another one!

www.rootandleaf.etsy.com

2008-04-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I finally have something for sale! It's only four items so far but within the next week I'll have some silk and flax dyed with sandalwood and cabbage!
Phew! Spinning and dyeing your own yarn takes so long. It always seems that there's not enough time in the day. So it was really nice to take a break and visit the farm where my mother-in-law grew up in Willows, Ca.

We discovered a library in one of their many old garages filled with HUNDREDS of books. And what did my mother-in-law say? Take whatever you want. We were like kids in a candy store. Books on boat making, book binding, old crochet and knitting books, lace books, loom and wheel construction books, jewelry making, sewing! It was amazing. It seems I married into a family after my own heart.

2008-04-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

Intro:

Working my tail off over the past month is starting to pay off. Soon I will have finish products ready to sell and I can't wait to see them. One of the things I learned about myself in art school was how much I enjoyed finishing something. I love to just sit and stare at it, criticizing and glorifying every minute detail.

Chapter One:

"She says she's a slave to the details"

Hi. My name's Ruthie and this is my blog. I pursue many interests including but not limited to: knitting, spinning, sewing, baking, gardening, music, bicycles, and photography. I'm an art school dropout. I realize now that this is because I have a hard time just focusing on one thing.

Currently my energy has been invested in spinning and dyeing. I am pretty obsessed with learning how things are made and trying to make them better, more healthy for the environment (including for us humanoids), and more like something I would buy.

I am right in the midst of creating handspun, hand dyed yarns. I buy fibers from healthy, cruelty-free environments and all my natural dyes come from a fair-trade company.

Tussah silk is gathered after the silkworm has emerged from the cocoon.

A sportweight silk hank ready to be dyed.

Three hanks of merino ready to be dyed.

More fleece waiting to be combed.

mmm m mmm. Powdered Indigo extract.

So keep dropping by and check out my etsy shop. I should have some items for sale within the next couple of weeks.

rootandleaf