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Author Archives: ilahjarvis

Fair Isle Class Pattern

Posted on by Posted in Knitting Patterns


You can see more examples of the hat design on my Student Gallery Page.

This pattern is a variation of a design by Mary Jane Mucklestone

Materials for both projects:

Approximately 50 grams each of two highly contrasting colors of DK weight yarn. US Size 6 DPNs if you want to make fingerless mitts, 16” circulars & matching DPNs if you want to make a hat. You can avoid DPNs by knitting the hat or gloves using one long (32-40”) circular needle using the magic loop technique. You will also need stitch markers and a tapestry needle.

Gauge is 20 sts per 4”. If you prefer a larger or smaller sized item, or prefer to work in a different gauge, increase or decrease the number of cast on stitches by a multiple of 4.

The finished mitts will be about 8” in circumference. You may discontinue or repeat the patterns for desired length.

The finished hat will be about 20” at the widest circumference.

The motif is four stitches wide. The graph shows two repeats of the four stitch repeat.

Fingerless Mitts

  1. Cast on 40 sts with double pointed needles in MC.
  2. Connect into the round, place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round and knit 2×2 rib for 1”.
  3. Add the CC and follow the chart from the bottom row up, right to left. Keep track of where you are in the pattern high lighter tape or a post it, covering the upper rows and keeping the lower rows visible.
  4. Follow the chart until you reach the checkerboard portion.
  5. Periodically try on the glove to check the length and the fit. The cast on edge will be the bottom of the glove.
  6. On row 24, bind off 8 stitches with MC to create a hole for the thumb.
  7. Start the first row of the checkerboard pattern, casting on 8 stitches with MC where you had previously bound off 8 stitches to create the top half of the hole for your thumb.
  8. Continue with the chart. Finish the mitt by knitting 2×2 ribbing or your preferred edge pattern for 1”.
  9. Bind off and weave in ends.

Basic Hat

  1. Cast on 100 sts with circular needles with MC.
  2. Connect into the round, place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round, and knit 2×2 rib for 2”.
  3. Add the CC to follow the chart from the bottom row up, right to left. Use a post it to mark the row you are currently on.
  4. Once the hat is about 6” or your desired depth, divide the hat into 10 sections with stitch markers. Use a distinctive marker for the beginning of the round.
  5. Knitting only with MC, K2tog just before each marker for one round. Knit the next round with no decreases.
  6. Continue to alternate decrease and even rounds until the circumference is too small to knit comfortably on circular needles.
  7. Once you have only four stitches between markers, decrease every two stitches on every row until you have 10 stitches.
  8. Cut the yarn leaving an 8” tail and thread the tail thorough the loops with a tapestry needle. Pull the yarn tight and tie a knot by going under a stitch near the center of the back of the hat. Weave in the ends

 

This pattern is four stitches wide. The graphs below show the pattern repeated twice. 

 

 

 

Sewing 2018

Posted on by Posted in Sewing

I’ve done a lot of sewing in the past couple of years. By far the easiest thing to sew are bags. I always need another bag for groceries or for my latest big knitting project. The yellow is simple and similar to the one I teach students in my bag class. The bag on the right is huge and a little more complicated. The fabric is sewn at a 45 degree angle, creating an interesting design and a nice square bottom.

I also sew a lot of clothes for myself. I adjust how patterns fit with a sloper, which is a flat paper pattern that exactly matches my proportions, and a dress form, which is made from wrapping my body in duct tape, placing the duct tape form over a dress dummy and filling the gap with stuffing. Here I am wrapped in duct tape. In the center my dress form is helping me adjust a dress, and I’m testing out a pants pattern on the right.

My favorite thing to sew are dresses. The first two are sewn from the bodice of my sloper with a skirt I borrowed from a commercial dress pattern. It’s pretty easy to turn a blouse into a dress. The brown blouse has the same bodice as the dress with the green waistband, and I added that same skirt to turn it into a dress. The trapeze dress was an original design, and the gray dress is the wrap dress from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual book of patterns by Gretchen Hirsch.

A few last examples from recent years. I made the skirt on the left from a light weight upholstery fabric. This orange shirt was cut on the bias from light chambray cotton. I choose to sew it by hand so it wouldn’t distort. On the bottom I have a basic pants pattern that I copied from a favorite pair, as well as two variations of the Arenite pants pattern by Sew Liberated.

Sewing History

Posted on by Posted in Sewing

Both my grandmother and mother were/are skilled with the sewing machine. This was partially due to economy, but also because you can have anything garment you want, in the color and style you want, if you can make it. There’s also a sense of accomplishment and a special relationship with your clothes when you sew for yourself. Here’s a rabbit my grandmother made me when I was little. He’s pretty impressive if you study how he was constructed, and look at all that hand stitching!

My mother made a  lot of our clothes growing up. I am the kid on the right in one of the many jumpsuits she made me.

My mom was sensitive to my need to look cool when I was a teen in the 1980’s, and she taught me how to sew during this time. The trendy look was a long button down shirt and stirrup pants; here I am in my beloved purple houndstooth print top which I wore with black and matching purple socks.

It was a true act of love when she made me this puffy dark red corduroy coat. These were the rage, and it was no small feat sewing one for me. 

By time I hit college, I was good enough to create my own patterns. We bough a lot of a of fun, reversible knit fabric, which I sewed into this little jester-like outfit. Here I am at my retail job at a rubber stamp store in the early 1990’s.

I’ve continued to sew for myself over the years. I’ve made so many dresses for myself I can tell pretty quick if a paper pattern will fit and the general adjustments I will have to make just by looking at it. Here’s a light green linen dress that I wore constantly in the early 2000’s. I’m about enjoy a meal following a traditional zen practice known as Orioki at a meditation retreat.

I’ve done costumes for the Shotgun Players production of the Jungle Book, and here is a dress that a friend commissioned me to sew for her.

I now teach sewing at Black Squirrel in Berkeley to groups and private students. Soon I will post a page exclusively of clothes that I’ve made for myself in recent years.

Hearty Herbs

Posted on by Posted in Herbs and Spices

Herbs and spices are an easy way to transform dishes from edible to delicious, but many of us do get stuck in a rut with salt and pepper, or rely on whoever manufactured our frozen dinner. Who doesn’t have a row of dusty containers that only see the light of day for the annual pumpkin pie?

Incorporating new herbs is intimidating. What if it tastes bad?  I used to think herbs were for serious chefs who knew what they were doing. The ghost of Julia Child might haunt me if I screwed up.

I didn’t venture far beyond basil until I HAD to learn how to cook. I was put on a special diet for health reasons, which forced me to cook most of my meals. I had a strong desire to eat something that smelled and tasted really good, and I knew herbs were the way to go.

Here are some simple tips to help you to take the plunge:

1. Use sufficient potent herb.  
Try 1-2 teaspoons of dried herb for 3-4 cups of cooked food. Buy herbs from stores that frequently replenish stock, and smell bulk herbs to ensure they are still potent. Store herbs in air tight jars away from heat and light, and use within six months of purchase. Herbs with juicy stems such as basil, parsley and cilantro are best used fresh and by the handful.

2. Oil enhances and distributes flavor 
The flavor of herbs are concentrated in their oils. Adding  a tablespoon of olive, grape seed or coconut oil releases the flavor of these oils and distribute them throughout the dish. Consider of the sheen of oil on roasted rosemary potatoes, or the initial cooking of butter and herbs when making a soup, sauce or sauté.

3. Combine flavors
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to roast chicken, or 1/4 cup of wine to your soup, and suddenly you have a great meal. Throw in some crushed garlic and your friends will pronounce you an “excellent cook.” Add a little at a time, and taste frequently to ensure you add the right amount.

4. Try The Mighty Broil or The Weekly Soup recipes to get started. When you are ready, pick a seasoning from  my comprehensive list of herbs and substitute a different seasonings in the recipe. 

Experiment and enjoy!

Food Preservation 101

Posted on by Posted in Food Preservation

FERMENTED VEGETABLES, 2015, 12″x16″

Food preservation has become popular again with the urban gardening movement. There are only so many tomatoes and zucchini you can eat or give away, so why not preserve them and eat them later? Here is a summary of preservation techniques: freezing, fermenting, canning or jam making and dehydration.

Freezing

I presume everyone reading this has used a freezer before. While raw foods don’t always thaw well, (frozen lettuce? Ewww…) frozen spinach tastes a lot like fresh once it’s cooked. If you are freezing fresh produce, wash and dry fruits and vegetables, remove pits and cores, cut large items into 2” pieces and freeze in zip lock bags. Squeeze the bang gently to remove most of the air before you freeze it to reduce freezer burn and ice crystals. Raw meat, soups and wet cooked foods are also ideal for freezing. Write dates on your frozen foods and eat within 3 months for best results.

Fermentation

Before we had refrigerators and freezers, everybody ate fermented food. Without refrigeration, fermentation is inevitable. While some bacteria will make you sick, many strains are beneficial and can actually preserve your food. For example, if organic raw milk is left out, the good bacteria in the milk will make lactic acid, which dangerous bacteria can’t abide. This fermented milk is known as clabber, and it was more common than fresh milk back in the day.

Many popular foods are fermented. Some examples are sourdough bread, coffee, chocolate, salami, olives, yogurt, cheese, soy sauce, pickles, wine and vinegar. A starter culture of the desired bacteria may be added to the food to ensure it grows, and anti-microbial ingredients such as salt, acid, herbs and spices prevent unwanted strains from taking hold.

While the idea of making fermented food may be scary, it is an easy, delicious and useful way to preserve summer produce from the garden. Good bacteria live on the surface of fruits and vegetables, and the fermentation process encourages the growth of these strains.

I’m currently in love with preserved Meyer lemons. This Moroccan condiment is simply lemons that are cut in quarters and crammed into a jar with plenty of salt and allowed to ferment for a month. The resulting flavor is tart, salty and complex, and I love to rub it in on chicken before roasting it.

Sauerkraut and lacto-fermented pickles follow a similar process, and can include a wide variety of vegetables. Pickles are made from whole or large chunks of vegetables that are allowed to ferment in a salty or vinegar based brine. While most people associate pickles with cucumbers, I prefer firm vegetables such as carrots, radishes and cauliflower.

Sauerkraut making is very similar to pickling. Sauerkraut differs in that the vegetables are chopped finely, and is made exclusively with salt, not vinegar. Salt draws the juice out of the chopped vegetables, providing a wet environment for the good bacteria to grow. The good bacteria in salt pickles and sauerkraut protect the vegetables from pathogenic bacteria by producing lactic acid, much like the clabber I mentioned earlier. This acid lends a sour flavor that is familiar to those who enjoy pickles and sauerkraut. I teach sauerkraut classes every spring and fall at the Albany recreation center, so you can learn for yourself how easy and fun making fermentated vegetables can be. Check my events page for the next available class. If you wish to experiment with a wide range of fermentation techniques, I recommend the book, Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz.

PICKLE INGREDIENTS, 2015, 12″x16″ $600

Canning and Jamming

Fruit preservation is an ancient process that was invented in the Middle East thousands of years ago, but modern canning techniques are only about two hundred years old. In the canning process, foods are initially boiled with acid, salt, or sugar to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria, particularly clostridium botulinum. The food is then carefully stored in a hermetically sealed, sterile containers. While thousands of people have canned food at home safely, I am not a fan of this process for several reasons.

  1. Most canned vegetables don’t taste very good.
  2. It’s very easy and very dangerous to get it wrong. There are a lot of unsafe canning recipes on the internet.
  3.  Botulism is lethally poisonous and canned foods which contain clostridium botulinum don’t smell or taste different from safe food.
  4. Vitamin C, E and many important B vitamins are destroyed by the long cooking process and extended storage.

Freezing, fermenting and dehydration are easier, safer and more nutritious in my opinion.

That said, people do love jam and canned fruit. And it’s no wonder, since the main preservative in these foods is sugar. If you wish to lesson the amount of sugar in jam, add lemon juice to increase acidity, which kills bacteria. I recommend careful research and reliable recipes if you wish to attempt canning and jam making on your own. Here is a great article by Homegrown.org that offers tips for safe canning.

Dehydration

This preservation technique has been practiced since ancient times in arid climates. Bacteria need water to survive, and dehydration, especially with the addition of salt or sugar, is an easy and safe preservation method. Dried meat and fruit are the most common and traditional dried foods, but kale chips and dehydrated vegetable crackers are new and delicious ways to preserve and enjoy vegetables year round. The ingredients in dehydrated veggie crackers can be varied depending on which crops are in season. This is a boon if your garden is producing more food than you can eat. The most important thing to remember with dehydration is to dry the food a little more than seems necessary. Food that feels dry may still contain traces of moisture, especially if the pieces are soft or flexible. Even the smallest amount of moisture will allow bacteria to grow. The addition of salt, garlic and other anti-microbial herbs like thyme provides flavor and additional protection from bacteria.

It’s fascinating that people have been drying, fermenting food and making jam food centuries before Louis Pasteur, the microbiology pioneer, who began his studies in the mid-1800s. I hope this knowledge will give you courage to try some of these techniques yourself. The processes are simple if you follow the correct procedures. Take a class, read a book, test a recipe at home and the results will delight you.

Tamale Party!

Posted on by Posted in Entrees

I love doing projects with other people. My art and cooking classes are basically an excuse to hang out with people and make stuff. Naturally most of my friends are cooking/art/project junkies as well. One of our favorite classes to teach is how to make tamales. I’m fortunate to have a Mexican market in my neighborhood that sells 5 lb. bags of tamale masa (cornmeal) and corn husks. Besides the fun of hanging out, it’s fun to see all the random fillings people bring.

It all starts with soaking the corn husks in water, and making strips to tie our tamales closed.

Once this is done, you can spread a little masa on your corn husk and fill it with whatever you want. Careful not to make them too big, they puff up when you cook them!

Now wrap the husk around your tamale like a little corn package of joy and tie it closed with the strips you prepared earlier.

It’s easy to get a nice pile going when everyone is working together.

Soon you have enough to put in the steamer. It takes a big pot to steam a mess of tamales.

Once they are all done we divided them up. Don’t worry about who made which ones, just take a bunch and enjoy a surprise every time you eat one. I froze half of mine and reheated them in the microwave. Sadly they are all gone now.

I wish I could eat you guys all over again!

Turkey Tips

Posted on by Posted in Entrees

Anyone who has roasted a turkey before knows what a challenge this process can be without few special tricks. While a traditional, breast up, whole bird makes a beautiful image, the result can have dry, overcooked white meat, undercooked dark meat and a ridiculously long cooking time.

Here is a quick look at the problem and tips for a delicious turkey.

A hot oven is basically a hot dehydrator. The longer the cooking time, the more water will evaporate and the drier the meat will be. Turkeys are big birds, and most need four hours or more for the whole bird to reach a safe temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. While it is helpful to research cooking times in advance, a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure your meat is fully cooked. Be sure to test the upper thigh, inserting the thermometer at an angle, carefully avoiding contact with bone.

The breast is especially prone to drying out since it is low fat, and it is traditionally cooked facing upwards, allowing hot air to dry it out. Gravity pulls moisture downward towards the bonier, slower cooking legs. What you get is overcooked, dry white meat, and undercooked dark meat.

This is why it is important to slather the whole bird thoroughly with a mixture of butter and poultry seasoning before putting it in the oven, and many cooks prefer to roast the turkey breast down.

My mother, who cooks meat better than anyone I know, has decided that it is preferable to cook turkey in pieces rather than a whole bird. Cooks Illustrated agrees with her, and even gives advice on how to disassemble a bird.

While turkey parts don’t have the same visual impact as a whole bird, the advantages outweigh the less glamorous presentation.

  • Turkey pieces cook in about two hours, about half the time of a whole bird
  • You can cook as much or as little meat as you want.
  • If your grocery store offers a good selection, you can chose only the cuts your family loves most.
  • You no longer have to over cook the breast to get perfectly cooked dark meat. Remove the pieces from the oven as they finish cooking. Test for doneness with a meat thermometer.
  • Brining is a popular way to ensure delicious, tender meat. It is much easier to fit pieces in a brining solution than a whole bird.
  • Pieces can be easily arranged in pot if you choose to braise your bird. This is my mother’s preferred method.

I hope your turkey is delicious, and you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

Fruit Crisp

Posted on by Posted in Desserts

This is my lazy solution to making pie when summer fruit is in season. It’s always a hit with my Teen Cooking Summer Camp because it involves chopping several pounds of fruit (kids love to chop) and everyone get to take home their own dessert-filled aluminum tin.

Yield: This recipe will fill a large 12” wide casserole dish.

Taste and examine the fruit before putting it in the crisp. You may want to increase or reduce the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness.  If the fruit is very juicy, add 1-2 apples, which are high in pectin and will make the filling firmer. You can also mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to chopped fruit thicken the juice. Low-acid, bland fruit like white peaches or blueberries benefit from a tablespoon or two of lemon juice for contrast.

Ingredients

Filling
2 quarts of pitted and chopped stone fruit, apples or berries
2/3 cup of honey or sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup rice flour
½ cup of butter
½ cup of brown sugar
½ teaspoon of salt

Tools
Cutting board, chefs knife, 2 large bowls, measuring cup, measuring spoons, large mixing spoon, small bowl or pan, 12″ casserole pan or baking dish, baking pan

Directions

  1. Set oven at 350 F.
  2. Place chopped fruit with sweetener and cinnamon in a bowl and toss with your hands until mixed.
  3. Melt butter in a small pan on the stove or in a cup in the microwave for 1 minute or until liquid.
  4. In the second bowl, place oats, flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt and mix with a big spoon.
  5. Scoop all of the fruit filling into a baking dish, pressing it down to create a somewhat flat surface. Sprinkle topping evenly onto the fruit, mounding it over any sparse areas. This recipe makes a generous amount of topping, which prevents the fruit from drying out.
  6. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the dish on top to catch any juice that may bubble over.
  7. Let the crisp bake for at least an hour and 20 minutes. Check to see if there is any bubbling juice around the edges of the container. This is a sign that  the fruit has cooked down and become a juicy, soft filling and is ready to eat.
  8. Let the crisp cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Molten filling very hot when it first comes out of the oven.

Gluten-Free Pancakes

Posted on by Posted in Breakfast

PANCAKES, 2015, 12″x16″

Yield: 12 pancakes, 6” in diameter

Preparation Time: 1 hour or less if multiple pancakes are cooked at a time
I’ve practiced and revised this recipe more times that I care to count, but we love this final version and I make them frequently.

This recipe that doesn’t rely on xanthan gum, tapioca starch or other weird ingredients to make a satisfying, fluffy pancake. Rice flour makes up the bulk of the pancakes, the protein in the eggs hold it together, coconut oil makes them rich and tender and baking powder helps them to rise. Salt, cinnamon and vanilla adds to the flavor, and I love the texture of the flax seeds. While you could use water, nut or rice milk make a tastier, more tender pancake.

Dry Ingredients
2 cups of brown rice flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons of whole flax seeds
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Wet Ingredients
11/2 cups of rice or nut milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of honey

Tools
Large bowl, small bowl, whisk, large spoon, a flat or shallow pan, flip spatula, measuring cup, measuring spoons

Directions

  1. Combine dry ingredients in the large bowl, and mix thoroughly with a whisk. In a small bowl combine the wet ingredients and whisk until eggs are completely incorporated with the other ingredients.
  2. Pour the wet ingredients into the large dry bowl and mix with a large spoon until they are fully incorporated.
  3. Put the pans on medium heat on the stove and place a teaspoon of coconut oil on each pan. Spread the oil around with a spatula or by tipping the pan.
  4. Test how hot the pan is by dripping some water on the pan. The pan will sizzle when it is hot enough to cook the pancakes.
  5. Scoop a large spoonful of batter and pour a 4-6” pancake on the pan. You may use a ladle if the bowl of your large spoon is shallow.
  6. The pancake is ready to flip when the edges become slightly matte and bubbles form. This will only take 30 seconds to a minute. The higher the heat, and the smaller or thinner the pancake, the faster it will cook. I often adjust the heat as I cook, turning it down if the pan begins to smoke, or up a little if the pancakes take too long to brown.
  7. Cook the pancake for 5 seconds on the second side or until slightly brown.
  8. Place the cooked pancake on a plate and pour more batter on the pan.
  9. It can take a long time to cook a big batch of pancakes one at a time. To speed the process, cook pancakes on several pans at once, or if you have a pan is at least 10” in diameter, pour three 2″ pancakes in a triad close to the center of the pan where it is hottest. If they run together, cut them apart with the tip of the spatula before you flip them.
  10. My husband likes to eat pancakes plain, but I enjoy them with a little jam or with sliced fruit and maple syrup.

Mighty Broil

Posted on by Posted in Entrees

This is a great recipe for root vegetables. Peel rutabagas, turnips with tough skins before broiling.

Yield: Serves 4-5 people
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb boneless bite sized chicken strips, tilapia fillets or 16 oz

1 large yam or 2 cups of cauliflower, cut into ½-¼” thick slices

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

2-4 cloves of crushed garlic

¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Tools

Chef’s knife; cutting board; large bowl; measuring spoons; garlic press; baking sheet; parchment paper; metal spatula.

Directions

  1. Preheat broiler to low or 500 degrees F.
  2. Place sliced vegetables, meat or tofu in a large bowl and add olive oil, seasonings, garlic and salt.
  3. Toss ingredients with your hands until the pieces are evenly coated.
  4. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place food in a single layer.
  5. Put the sheet in the broiler and set a timer for 10 minutes. The pieces of food will be slightly brown when they are ready to eat.

Variations:

  • Substitute the vegetables with carrots, zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, parsnips or white potato.
  • Green beans and asparagus can also be broiled whole, but may cook before the other ingredients are done. Check the oven after 8 minutes and remove them from the pan when they are done. Finish cooking the remaining ingredients as needed.
  • Substitute the spices with Italian seasoning, curry powder or other favorite seasoning blends.