It's nasturtium time!

I know there are folks who look down there noses at nasturtiums, call them "nasties" and consider them beneath consideration, but I love them.  I love their bright colors, their circular leaves with veins radiating out from near there centers and their radish-like flavor when I put them in salads.

Once I ate the centerpiece at a place where all the fruits and vegetables were cooked to mush.  I was longing so much for fresh, raw food!  (Remember that, Jean?)

These are on my table in one of my favorite vases, one I bought in the summer of 1964 at a supermarket in Albuquerque and have cherished all this time.  It's a deep, deep cobalt blue and with all these red oranges, oranges, yellow oranges, yellows and pale yellows, the combination just sings to me.  If you look closely you will see the edges of the washed and ironed second batch of hemp towels:

The are just a few left from this batch.  If you think you would like to own one, click below and send me a message to that effect.

Here is a photo showing the patterns I still have:

Click on the photo to see them more closely.

In between I worked on replicating the grille cloth for a 1930 radio for a gentleman in North Carolina.  The first time out, I wasn't satisfied with the result and so I bought more warp and did it all again.  The second time I hit it right on.  The warp was tiny black threads and the weft a gold colored embroidery machine thread in rayon.  I am pretty sure that I duplicated not only the look of the original (minus the dirt and holes) but also the fiber content. 

Today I will sley a warp for some fine linen towels woven of a singles linen.  It is a wet spun (the smoothest and most refined) and about size 20/1.  The honey color is the natural hue.  I have threaded this warp similarly to the second hemp warp, a point threading with borders at both selvedges and at each end but of course the pattern will be different.  It's such a versatile threading!

I picked 5 green beans from my vegetable garden the night before last and had them steamed and on my plate wihin 10 minutes.  They were delicious!  I love green beans and also love to look at the 6 foot green tepees they make as they grow up the bamboo stakes I put in a circle and joined at the top when they were starting to grow well.  Except for the weeds, I love everything about my vegetable garden. 

It's still hot which doesn't delight me but the tomatoes and squash plants adore it so I am glad some of us are happy!