Crafturgy – The Process of Craft

Soak 2 1/2 Cups Soybeans

This is an interesting test ! I boiled the beans for 1 hour and then placed in this insulated container.  All my recipes say to simmer for 6-8 hours.

I placed it in the insulated container for the same amount of time 8 hours.This device does not take any electricity but still keeps it warm and cooking  because it is insulated. lots of energy savings! You could do the same with a box and blankets.

After it was “cooked” for 8 hours drain and place in bowl. The beans need to cool down to about 110 F degrees.

I purchased Natto starter from Gem Cultures. It is available online in many places now.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon on beans and mix it up. I do a 1/4 teaspoon then stir and add  and stir until I reach my 1 teaspoon amount.

Cover with plastic wrap tight against the beans and poke holes in plastic every inch or so in a gridwork fashion across the top.

Here is my home made incubator described in my Tempeh making post. Temperature is different ! Natto needs 104 F degrees this can vary a little. try not to get the temp lower than 100 a little higher than 104 F is OK so err on the warm side.

I let it incubate for 24 hours so that it makes it a more traditional tasting Natto.It also allows the strings to form. Look closely on the bottom of the spoon to see the stringiness.

I save half a batch to use right away and then make small serving size bags to freeze.

Did I say that this stinks like dirty gym socks !

It has been described that way but I like the aroma and taste. Serve it over rice, add Kim Chee and some mustard. Mmmmm

Healthy ? Google Natto health benifits! Wow.

Remember :  kiss your spouse directly after eating Natto!

Homemade Tempeh ! yum

Soak 2 1/2 cups soybeans overnight

Crunch soybeans so they split in half . Rub them between your hands

Or pinch them. Something satisfying doing this. Like popping bubble wrap.

Skim off skins. This is easy to do when the pot is boiling so don’t go too crazy cleaning.

Boil 45 minutes.

Incubater Ideas .

Old Coleman cooler + shelves + lighbulb + temperature control = incubater.
Do not have to go this crazy. Use what you have!!!  Heating pad + oven thermometer,
aquarium heater …

I just had Big Box Home store cut some shelving and screwed PVC pipe directly to the sides to space the shelves.

I use a 40 watt bulb, you could go lower. In fact if you do not want to go the whole temperature control route you could try different wattages and prop the door open and figure out where it sits at 86 F degrees. It can have a range of temp. but keep it close as you can.

Fasten Light socket. Screw in bulb – how many Tempeh makers do you need to screw in a light bulb…

Shelf fits in nicely.

Here is how I mounted the shelves.

I purchased a beer making temperature control. The trick is being able to regulate at the low temps we need for incubation.  Temp controller makes it easy . I would not let this stop me from trying it using ANY creative way you can think up to keep the temperature close to 86 F.

Poke holes through plastic bag every inch or so all around the bag while you wait for things to finish boiling.

This temp control has a grey (not 50 shades) wire. It also has two plug ins. One is plugged in the wall the other to your heat source.

Here is where I placed the temperature unit.

After the bean have boiled 45 Minutes drain and spread them out on a dish cloth to dry and cool.

When close to 86F add tempeh starter. Look for it online . Starter are fairly easy to get these days. Not so when I first started making Tempeh, Natto, Tofu .

Mix 1 teaspoon starter in to your beans stir and place in incubater at 86 F, plus or minus a little, overnight or about 24 hours.

The aroma, taste and texture you will easily achieve by making your own home made Tempeh will keep you from ever buying store-bought again.

Here is an easy way to see if your dog will like lure coursing.

Battery powers drill

bolt, washer, nut

spool of braided fishing line. I think my fishing line  was 80 lb test.

Leather glove.

Place bolt through hole in fishing line spool secure with nut.

Attach to battery powered drill.

Attach fishing line swivel. This provides an easy way to hook up the plastic bag lure and keeps the line from getting tangled.

Attach plastic bag.

Hold line with leather glove to keep tension on line when winding. This step works well for keeping the line going on the spool properly.

7000 hope stones.

Ok, yes, I am geeky and have a amateur radio station in front of me while I work.

When I am supposed to be working I am making ham radio contacts.

When I set aside off time for amateur radio I end up working.

Balance is Important.

The strange acronyms in the title are digital ham radio modes in which you use a computer, soundcard and ham radio tranceiver to make contacts all over the world.
These modes require only low power and substandard antennas. Perfect for my station. Hi Hi ( thats a morse code laugh) .   …. .. …. ..

When I first decided to make a pair of felted slippers I looked up directions on the internet. There were plenty of directions, most of which said to start with a Foot shape for a pattern. I was kind of hoping for something a bit more specific before I used up 6 ounces of roving and a few hours on a mystery project. So here is what I learned. And it works.

First trace your foot. A womens size 7 just barely fits on a piece of 8.5 x 11 printer paper.

Draw a line down the middle of the foot.

Fold paper on the line with instep facing up.

Mark 1 inch around the perimeter of the foot.

Draw a line one inch around the foot, smoothing out any irregularities into a nice oval.

Cut out the oval.

Fold it in half toe to heel, mark the halfway pint, here I used green marker.

Get a fresh sheet of paper. Trace this pattern onto a new piece of paper.

Draw guidelines straight up from the heel and from the middle line when you folded the pattern toe to heel. Green dotted line in this picture. Improvise that little swoop to join ankle to top of foot. The higher you make these lines, the taller your boot will be. I put my foot shape on the bottom of the paper and let the papers height decide for me. This worked out well for my size 7 foot. See how the boot shape goes right up to the top of the page? Now cut this out. Make two.

Put the boots together to make one piece. You will cut them apart after you start felting. This is your final pattern. You will use this to create a RESIST. The resist can be any heavy duty, flexible thing. I used an old yoga mat. You will need to be able to bend it to get it out of the wool after you begin felting. I liked the yoga mat because it was strong and had some substance to it when I started adding wool, water, and flipping it over a bunch of times.

Here is my yoga mat resist. I accidentally cut it in half when I removed the resist. Oops. I should have just cut through the wool. Now I will have to tape it back together before I use it again.

The directions for making the slippers will be posted another day. But to get started you will need about 6-7  ounces of roving for a women’s size 6-9 shoe. It seems like a lot but it works!

Look at that giant woolly mess. I was truly thinking they were never going to work out at this point.

Christine made some fun things today.
It will be an interesting kiln opening tomorrow.