Okinawan Sweet Potato and A Rummage Sale Find

An Okinawan sweet potato I bought from the market sprouted, so I decided to let it grow. As you can see I stuck toothpicks in it and stuck it in a jar of water. It grew like crazy. Within a week I had to look for a pot to put it in.

I went to Koolau Farmers to get a pot and some soil. I ran into an old friend who used to grow sweet potoatoes and they told me how to do it, which was good because I had no idea how to do it. They told me what size pot to get and when to transplant.

As you can see, they told me to put the potato in a small gallon sized pot. Here is what they told me. When the vines grow about a foot in length, cut the slips (vines) and transplant them into another larger pot. So, I said okay.

About a week later, there were two slips (vines) that were about a foot in length. I went back to Koolau Farmers to buy another larger pot and more potting soil. This time when I went there one of the clerks told me what to do. He said I needed to mix some chips with the soil so that I wouldn't lose any of my potatoes. It just so happened that the mix and chips were on sale. :) The sales person loaded it into my car for me and off I went.

I told my DH about what the sales person said and he helped me the next day to pot the slips. There was no way I could have done it myself because those bags of soil and chips were super heavy.

I just checked my potato today and it looks like I need to get another large pot to pot more slips. The Ag teacher at school said sweet potatoes grow like weeds! What have I gotten myself into?!


I went to a rummage and craft sale in Manoa a few weeks ago. To my surprise they had fabric remants on sale at the rummage sale. I picked up these three pieces of fabric for a total of three dollars. Since then, I've been trying to look for some garage sales that might have fabric on sale. I think the purple and silver one might make a nice bag, but I don't know, I may change my mind on that one.

A Fundraiser and a Rag Rug

We were invited to a fund raiser at Key Project in Kahaluu. Apparently they have it every year. Many of the businesses donate things for their silent auction. They had lots of art, wine, overnight stays at hotels and even ukuleles!

They opened the evening with the lions and fireworks. The green and red lions looked like Christmas. They had local entertainment which consisted of Jerry Santos and Olomana and a halau.

Our dinner was served in the lauhala basket and the center pieces consisted of a taro plant and some local fruit. I don't remember which fruits were in the husk.

Since our closet is overflowing with rags, I decided to make some t-shirt yarn. I followed the instructions in the tutorial on Polka Dot Pineapple's blog. I think I overdid it though because my hand got sore. I even tried using my rotary cutter. That's when I found out how dull it was! I have since bought a replacement blade. I haven't replaced it yet, but I will.

I am using the yarn to make a braided rag rug. It's giving me a bit of trouble because I can't get it to lie flat. I was hand-stitching the braids together, but I gave up and started to zigzag it together using my sewing machine. Now I have gaps between the braids where the machine didn't catch. I am deciding if I need to go back over it by hand or try again with the machine and a wider zigzag stitch.

I was trying to make it an oval rug, but it looks round. I also mistakenly used three different colors so that it looks like Christmas. Oh well, it will be Christmas all year round once I get it finished.

Two Days of Rain, Two Days of Vog and a Strip Stocking

We finally had some rain. It rained all day Saturday and Sunday. It was nonstop between a constant drizzle and and a heavier rain. I know it probably wasn't enough to get us out of a drought, but it was a start. Windward Oahu is under a voluntary water conservation as of Aug. 31 until further notice. So far, we haven't been advised otherwise so, I guess we're still conserving water.

After the two days of rain, we had two days of vog. I took this picture on Tuesday. Yesterday, Wednesday, the vog was worse. It was very, very thick. They showed on the news that you couldn't see the coastline on Oahu. Luckily, the trades came back late Wednesday night and today was a lot clearer. It was even clearer than Tuesday when I took the photo.

I had to make a sample Christmas strip stocking for my class at school. I used Eleanor Burns' pattern. It was fun and easy. I did this last year using another teacher's stocking as a sample and the students loved it. Now, I have my own and I don't have to borrow the other teacher's stocking.

Shopping bags

I am trying to sew bags to use at the market. I've discovered that supermarkets here give you credit for using your own bags. Safeway gives $.03/bag. Times and Foodland give $.05/bag. So far I am not very satisfied with my designs. I took apart a plastic bag from the supermarket and used it as a pattern. I sort of followed the Singlet tutorial, with adjustments here and there. I tried to make a pocket to fold the bag into, without success. I wasn't very satisfied with the final product, although I loved the fabric I used for it. I had problems with the handles too.

This brown bag is my second attempt. I am still not satisfied with the result. I made more adjustments to the pattern and this time I was able to fold up the bag and use the pocket! Hurray!

I will be making a third attempt at this, hopefully I can make it to my satisfaction.

Reversible Patchwork Bag

I recently made a reversible patchwork bag using Pink Penguin's tutorial. I wanted to use up some scraps of fabric that I brought home from school. I decided to use blues and browns. I tried to alternate the darks and the lights and I think it turned out okay. I'd like to make another one. I'm not sure what I'd use it for, but oh well, at least I used some of my scrap materials. I lined the bag with some sample fabric I got from my mom. Someone gave her sample pieces that they use to order the bolts from. I wanted to make it all aloha print, but I didn't have enough aloha print in the right colors.
I'm trying to decide if I should make another one or try

I also made this red Japanese drawstring bag (Tsunagi Bukuro) using patchwork. It was a bit more difficult, but I must say that I was pleased with the result. I use this bag to keep my music tapes in and my little tape recorder. I purchased the pattern and fabric at Kuni Dry Goods in Moiliili.

Curtains

The curtains are finally done. They didn't turn out quite how I wanted them to, but they are done. Maybe I will attempt another set later, we'll see...

There are many more projects to be done around the house. We've lived here for fourteen or fifteen years and things are starting to fall apart. Blinds need to be replaced... hmm...curtains?

Cooling off with solar & reconstructed tees

It's been so hot lately. We got our solar water heater and panels installed 2 days ago. They put in two panels. The first picture is of the men installing the panels.

We had to move everything out of the closet in the garage and in the area where the new water heater was going to
be installed. We had so much stuff to move and clean. I need to call bulky to get rid of some of it.

The second picture is of them installing the solar fan. The solar fan sucks up all the hot air out of the attic so that the house is cooler. We had four vents in the roof that they sealed because the solar fan will suck air in through all the holes and it will not be as efficient in cooling the house.

The third picture is how it looks finished. The solar fan is the squarish looking thing on the roof. We'll need to see how cool it keeps the house. Right now it feels a little cooler, not quite as hot.

Climbing electricity bills, Federal tax rebates and state tax rebates encouraged us to finally install solar.

As far as sewing goes, I worked on altering 3 t-shirts. I took old shirts that had holes in the armpit areas and neckline. I cut off the sleeves and neck, finished the edges and voila' a modified t-shirt. It's cooler without the sleeves and high neck, almost like a tank top. Oh, I also shortened it, about 2 inches.