text: Midnight Shoveler: Things I've Made and Ate (So Far)
  Things I've Made and Ate (So Far)
  Sometimes the creative musical urge just doesn't strike me. I have all this time here to work on music, but it's often hard to work without the same resources I'm used to. (I should remind myself that just reading and listening to music and writing while I'm here is work!) I thankfully have access to pianos most of the time, but do have to work around other people practicing, church schedules, my Icelandic class schedule, etc. At home I've been working on manipulating recordings and improvisations from the computer, but I also have no money to pay performers to play anything, so I'm finding ways to work on pieces for voices, piano, natural sounds. Thank goodness for willing friends who will speak in other languages into my one lonely microphone, or make a chorus of whale noises for me (as was the case this weekend).
  So, when my grand plan for the day to sketch out some choral ideas becomes foiled, or when my brand-new computer decides to become incompatible with all of my older software programs, or when the one book I'd like to find in the library doesn't exist, at least I'm able to distract myself a bit by cooking, or whipping up some new design creations. I've been crocheting a bit more again, using lava stones, some sea glass, and this great wool thread from the town of Vík. I've been cooking a lot of fish, and trying to make nice meals on my limited budget. And one day I even paid a visit to Nicole's print shop and tried out a printing press, which was really fun and certainly out of my usual everyday. Here are some of the random things I've made here thus far, in no particular order.
  -Prints from the printmakers' studio in Reykjavík, made by embossing my wire designs and adding ink and marker to the printing plates.
  -Necklace with lava beads
  -This was a fish cacciatore with haddock, and an olive tapenade. I usually make this with chicken but I think I liked the fish better, what a nice surprise.
  -This was an Icelandic Antipasto of sorts! Also included hangiáalegg, very smoky lamb leg, which was not my favorite, but I tried it. I do like having smoked salmon in the mix.
  -A Beef vegetable soup. I was quite impressed with myself on this one, it was pretty delicious.
  -I also successfully crocheted sterling wire together with wool, so you get a sort of warm and fuzzy necklace with a shiny silver sparkle.
  To top it off, I finally made myself a circular neck scarf, which I've been wanting for some time but hadn't figured out how to taper in the shape so I wouldn't just be wearing a cylinder (that won't keep out the wind at all). Now I can wear it with another shirt, with a dressy outfit, or pull it over my head like a giant lampshade, or like a dog with a surgical cone around his neck. Obviously I am the life of the party when this happens.
  Labels: art, food, iceland, jewelry
  i love your fuzzy necklace so much. seriously.
  xoxo from the states!
  I love all these items!!! The print is really beautiful and I of course love the new neck tube AND the sparkly wool necklace - what a great idea!!
  Your food looks tasty even though the beef stew is probably the only one I would eat with my distaste for the sea. ;)
  Still I bet I will have to eat some small part of the sea at some point when I'm there!
  AvesMaria said...
  I really dig the two green necklaces! could you be convinced to sell or trade some when you're back stateside??
  oh, and, if you are into cheap meals with fish, you can easily turn your fish cacciatore into pasta puttanesca* with fish for some variation. Add olive tapenade and some capers to the sauce and garnish with parsley. (Usually, I make this with anchovies and tuna but I think any fish would be ok.) Don't forget fish curry, or broiled fish, or fish poached in broth with carrots & fennel ... yeah. for someone who almost never cooks fish, I sure do talk the talk.
  *only I would put a footnote in a blogger comment. I am not sure if you've had this dish before; pasta puttanesca is a traditional Neapolitan pasta recipe that is very easy to prepare on a budget and on short notice because most of the ingredients are canned/jarred/preserved and have a long shelf life.
  I love the new green cowl! I guess it's called a cowl anyway. Not sure what the exact definition would be. I'm working on making one for myself right now! http://www.oneflewover-oneflewover.com/2010/08/broomstick-cowl.html I'm using the pattern in that link but I have some black yarn with little flecks of pink and white in it.