Tag Archives: blackeyed peas

For a great 2015

Winter Stripe, hand-dyed wool yarns, handwoven rug,  65" x 36.5"  ©Sherri Coffey all rights reserved

Winter Stripe, hand-dyed wool yarns, handwoven rug, 65″ x 36.5″ ©Sherri Coffey all rights reserved ©Sherri Coffey-Summer Stripes

The title for this piece seems appropriate for the weather this New Year’s Day, although I really do like the colors. This striped piece was woven soon after the Summer Stripe piece, which made a title very easy for me. And maybe I should say this, but both pieces were woven because I had no idea what I wanted to weave next AND to use up yarns on hand.

Does everyone know about the tradition here in Texas to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day? Frankly, any black-eyes that aren’t fresh just doesn’t cut it for me, so I was lucky that I had some fresh ones (with snaps!) in the freezer. In case you want to try out some for yourself, the local newspaper had an article and recipes from the Cowgirl Chef () to help. Below is a quote from the article preceding the recipes. The boldface is mine, but you can see the mindset in this part of the world.

Every New Year’s Day, my mom calls me in the afternoon and the first thing she’ll say is, “Have you eaten your peas?” Because by then she certainly has — along with jalapeño cornbread made in a cast-iron skillet, just like always.

Last year, I didn’t eat a single black-eyed pea, and I had one of the worst years I can remember. I lost someone I once loved, I lost someone I still love, and in the middle of it all, I packed and unpacked and moved around four times — all while trying to find a new place to live on the other side of the world.

A constant surprise

You know those scratch-off thingies your sometimes get for earning prizes? That’s what my weaving is like, except in reverse. Yellow-zebra As I watch this black and white sections grow, it’s like a little surprise with every pass. Keeps my attention! However, getting to this spot was very frustrating. I think I took out, redid, and cut off about a dozen times. Not really, but it seemed like it. The problem is getting the ikat section to fit the warp, and since the ikat is already dyed, it’s the warp that has to change. Finally, today, it worked. I had to start at the other end of the ikat yarn, though. Now we’re cooking!

Blackeyes And speaking of cooking, I went to the farmers market on Saturday and picked up a few things–cantaloupe, blackeyed peas, and blackberries. As I was shelling the peas, I wondered about their nutrition, so I looked it up. Even though there are recipes for fresh blackeyes, there is not nutritional information available. Only for the dried peas, which I really don’t like. Interesting. Anyone else like fresh blackeyes?