canning

Ok this post isn't about knitting. But it is about what in some ways is behind the idea of summer knitting. Getting ready for winter. Every summer I feel like I gorge myself on fresh fruit and vegetables and mourn that one day winter will come, and all that goodness will be gone!

And really that's what the freezer jam is all about. Saving some of that fresh fruit for when you can't get it any more. A way to save strawberries and peaches and cherries when they are at their best.

I also freeze cherries, blueberries, and peaches. The cherries I use in chocolate cherry crisp, which is as good as it sounds. The peaches get used in cobblers or crisps and smoothies. The blueberries get eaten frozen (and used in stuff but I prefer to eat them frozen). I'm weird and frozen is the ONLY way I tolerate blueberries.

I also freeze sweet corn. At any time in the winter there will be a piece of summery goodness I can drag out and dream of the days of butter dripping down your chin. (I prefer the cook for 10 min, ice bath, cut off the cob, but I do understand you can freeze them on the cob raw). And I've tried freezing green beans, but they didn't taste all that great to me. I've frozen tomato sauce as well, but found it to be eh.

What I have never tried, until this year, was canning. So this year I did a bunch of research and discovered that for most of what I want to do, waterbath canning would work. Green beans sadly need a pressure canner. So I bought one of those "discovery kits" that ball sells.

It comes with 3 pint jars, and a basket that you can list out of a stockpot. And I THOUGHT my big pan was big enough. Alas, it was not. So I purchased:

It was on clearance, even though the red ones were full price. Go figure.

Peaches are up first. Now this spring was very wonky here in Michigan. We got 80 degree days in March. A bunch in fact. Enough in fact to cause the fruit trees to think it was spring and start to leaf out. And then it got cold again. In fact we had a frost in May (which isn't unusual--our last frost date is May 25). The cherry crops were decimated, as were apple and peach. My regular vendor for cherries had NONE this year. Sour cherries, already on a short season were here for exactly one week. During which I washed, pitted and cut 5 quarts of cherries. Ok, but back to peaches. The same vendor that I buy cherries from has the best peaches I have ever tasted. And this year they lost 70% of their crop. They started showing up at Farmer's market with peaches about 3 weeks ago.

Of course I bought some to eat. We can finish off 1/4 peck easily between market days (twice a week). Then a week after that we bought more. I've made one batch of peach jam (probably all I'll make). I have enough peaches frozen for a cobbler or crisp (my step father loves cobblers, I prefer crisps and I usually make one or the other during their annual visit).

I also went a little overboard and bought um a whole peck at a time.

But this year, canning was the thing. So I surfed around the ball recipe site (which has a terrible search function) and found the only recipe for peaches was honey spiced peaches. So I made those.

They look brown with all the spices and the honey. I had leftover everything so I made popsicles out of that. (sorry no pictures, we ate them before I could think of it.)

But of course, I have this whole community of people who pester give me helpful advice and so I searched around some more and realized you can just make a plain simple syrup (of varying sweetnesses) and cold pack peaches and pour hot syrup over them and process. So I did that.

They look prettier.

Tomatoes are just starting to come in and we're hoping to get a bunch from our CSA (yes, I am hardcore--I do 2 farmer's markets and a CSA every week--and we eat most of it--we do lose some to spoilage because even I cannot eat 20 cucumbers in one week--and we aren't big into pickles), and so next up several variations on tomato sauces/crushed tomatoes.

Anyone have any good recipes they like for tomatoes?

Entrelac

For a long time I have thought about trying Entrelac.  At least ever since I saw Danica.  I think I even decided to make it and bought some light blue yarn for the accent squares.  I never quite believed it was as easy as they said it was. But then I started seeing what people were doing with noro yarns and entrelac and Stubled across the most beautiful scarfs.  I don't have that much silk garden in my stash, but learning the technique would be a good first step.  So I dug through my stash for leftovers.

At the same time, I had decided that it might be time to conquer my fear of the dollar and a half cardigan (it isn't) and dug out the Interweave knits with that pattern in it.  Coincidently that issue (Spring 2007) has an entrelac tutorial in it. Then came a rainy day when the girls wanted to watch a  tv show we'd taped (and I wanted to see it too or ahem, I needed to ff through the commercials for them) It seemed like the fates were saying--do this.

And so I did:

It was pretty easy too.  Now to figure out how to justify the pruchase of 4 skeins of noro silk garden.

procrastinate

I am the biggest procrastinator.

I usually put off things though for specific reasons. Well one reason really: I don't want to do it.

So it probably comes as no surprise that the one thing holding me back on the purple sweater was the button holes. It wasn't that I didn't understand how to do them. I watched this video:

It was just that I was going to have to swatch to be sure that the size I made fit the buttons. And you know what? I didn't want to do that.

I mean I really did not want to do that.

I'm not sure why--after I finally decided that if it was going to be done in a quiet house while I was awake and alert, it needed to be done today --it went easy.

Seriously easy. Like less than 1/2 hour easy. The panda buttons will work with a 3 stitch version, the smaller buttons probably would work with a yarnover, but to keep consistent, we'll do a two stitch buttonhole.

Now to actually do it.

Darn it! no! Reknit it!

My local friends of the library has 3 used book sales every year in which they sell donated books and magazines. Well at the sale (or rather the pre-sale because I'm a member!) I scored a whole stack of Interweave knits magazines. I bought 15 of them even though I had a few thinking I'd sort out what I already owned and let my knitting friends choose from the leftovers. One thing I like about the older magazines is that you can really tell which styles are "classic," they are the ones that still look good 12 years later.
Another thing I like is that the articles can be really helpful. So when I saw that the Winter 1998 issue had an article on repairing your knitting by darning and a few other methods I decided to save it. Good thing too because I discovered to my horror a hole in one of my hand knit socks.


So I decided to dig out this magazine and read the article and try, not just darning but maybe something new (because I already darned some socks). Of course it took me a while because somehow even though I have no qualms about knitting in public, or making homemade jam, or baking bread I seem to have in my head that "mending" is old fashioned old lady work.
Which is stupid because I don't think "mending" things around the house is old fashioned or delegated to old ladies. I think of that as practical.

So today I decided to get over this and read the article and figure out what I needed. Lo and Behold, I learned several things. First is that you don't need to darn, you can re-knit. AND if you don't have a hole yet, you can swiss darn. So today, I reknit this hole.

First I gathered my supplies:
The magazine, the sock, the extra yarn, several sets of needles as two sizes are needed, and a tapestry needle.
I forgot to include my egg and my scissors. But I had them.
The first instruction was to make the hole square--which meant making it wider! It also was supposed to be an odd number of rows.

Then you were to pick up stitches using a needle two sizes smaller than you originally used, two before the hole, all the way across to two after. How were you supposed to know what size needle you used before Ravelry? I have no idea. But I looked on ravelry and discovered not only did I use size 2.25mm needles, but I finished these socks last July. So tsk tsk tsk on longevity! I'd have more to say about this yarn if I wasn't a firm believer in the adage: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all (except to your husband who just hears yarn yarn yarn yarn no matter what I say about yarn)
It looked like this:

And then you are supposed to knit the same number of rows you are repairing in the pattern of the area you are repairing--in this case stockinette.
So then I had this little flap:

AND THEN...
well and then the instructions said to graft it or kitchner it to the top and I got so engrossed in the directions I neglected to take pictures. This is why it is called "disasters with yarn" and not "perfection with yarn"...

I managed it and my patch looks like:


Then I sewed up the sides using the tails. I'm fairly happy with the result.

I think sometime soon I need to do a complete entry on swiss darning because you can use that to shore up the "thin" spots on socks that eventually wear into holes, and I have a few of those.

beads

I think I'm addicted. Addicted to beaded crochet of all things.

It started out as a neat idea to give the teachers, something non scarf, not because I have any objection to scarves really, but more because I'm not really all that inspired at the moment by scarves--wait a month I'll be cranking out scarves like mad. and then it sort of got out of control.

First there were the swatches, and then:

And then:


Seriously, I had two teacher gifts in less than a week.  Turns out I can knock out 3 strings of a necklace in about 90 minutes.  So my teacher gifts were done, but I couldn't stop. 



I have two different types of metallic threads, but I like the dandyline in the top pictures the best.



I've already been to the craft stores twice since this project started, and I'm sure I'll be back for more dandyline.  And gold clasps.  And maybe just more clasps because I was teh dumb and bought 4.  I mean really, what was I thinking?  That I'd be able to stop with 4?

I think it might be the beads

insert obligatory hooking joke here

I have a very mixed history with crochet.  Oh sure I can knit, and I can quilt and I can even do some basic weaving and dyeing, but I think I might have this mental block when it comes to crochet.

My mom crochets and has ever since I could remember.  She mostly makes afghans which I once at the tender age of 3 or 4 thought were going to turn into dogs, after meeting an afghan hound.  I don't know what my small self would have thought had I known a whole country existed... but I digress.

I have several afghans (the blanks not the people or hounds) that she's made for me (and for my girls).  Once I tried to knit one, and boy howdy that's not something I'll rush to do again any time soon. And frankly, I have enough so at this point learning to crochet so I can make afghans is kind of pointless. Still, I love the 1970 style granny square hats and vests (although I would probably never wear a vest) and would love to make some.

My mom did try to teach me to crochet once, but it was very short lived as I had the attention span of an ant. I tried to teach myself once, about 18 years ago when my husband's roommate's wife was pregnant, and gave up on it shortly after the child turned 2--and gave everything away.  And I taught myself to chain and single  crochet for knitting projects. 

This time though I'm determined to master this... in part because I thought it might be a good thing to teach my girls.  So when my mom announced her annual visit--I said--perhaps you could teach me to crochet.  She proceeded to teach both of my girls to chain and single crochet (sort of).  She also helped me clarify why it is so hard for me to get this. 

First, crochet is not knitting and I was expecting that I would be as good at crochet as I am at knitting.  By this I don't mean that I am an expert knitter (I'm not) but I mean I can read a knitting pattern, know what's going on and follow it pretty well. I can look at my knitting and tell where I am.  I can look at my knitting and see the mistakes AND how to fix them.  I can do none of that (hopefully yet) with crochet.

First, the directions still don't make a lot of sense to me and second, I'm clueless when it comes to looking at something someone has crocheted and knowing what they did (I can do this with knitting pretty much).  But my mom left me with two how to crochet books (one for kids and one for clueless adults like me) and the girls and I are working through them.  My girls though, ever the optimists want to make hats and blankets for charity or afghans. Me, I have given up on the idea of a granny square hat anytime soon, and am focusing in on doll blankets as let's say practice swatches. 

I guess it is like anything--a lot of bad swatches need to come out before you can start producing good.  I wince at the first attempts I made at quilts, and I think I pitched my first knitted swatch (although I still have the project I made with my grandma--before I learned to cast on). So it is with this knowledge that I show you my efforts on single crochet

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52177363@N00/4971077987/

I think there are a lot of doll blankets in my future.

I love ravelry shrug

I must confess that when I was a new knitter, nothing scared me.  In fact, I think I mentioned I knit some sweaters for my then toddlers right after having mastered dishcloths.  But why not?  sweaters are basically big rectangles and triangles.  While my results weren't perfect I learned some things that stick with me today.

And yet, lately I find myself afraid to take chances on things that I *really* want to make.  I'm finding I'm afraid. So that's the real reason I don't have a dollar and a half cardigan. It is also the reason that I don't yet have a shrug to go with my purple, green and black dress.  Ok, I have one that I whipped off, but I wanted a lacy purple one.

So, I picked out a pattern that I liked, which is more jacket than shrug from Ce Ce knits and hiked off to my yarn store, with the dress in hand to find DK weight yarn in this specific purple.

I love purple, but purples are hard to match.

The yarn store had two choices: Tahki Charles cotton classic and Debbie Bliss Baby cashmerino. There wasn't enough of either at the store, but she thought she had enough Debbie Bliss at the other store. I like cotton classic, I made a sweater in it once, and as cotton goes it is pretty good, but I didn't want to have to special order it (because of the weight! ha I bought this in MAY).  So the owner brought down the Debbie bliss from her other location, and 3 days later I had the yarn.

Now, Debbie Bliss Baby cashmerino is not DK weight.  But I thought... oh heck I do not know what I thought, I've seen too much Tim Gunn proclaiming Make it work! that I thought I could... well make it work.

After 3 swatches it was clear that either I'd need to do some major math, or find a new pattern.  And I tried the math and learned that "just making a bigger size" was only going to work if I made one size larger than the largest size listed on that pattern and that seemed to me just asking for trouble.

So off to Ravelry I went searching for a new pattern. And I found one.  Only is isn't a shrug, it is a whole sweater called Henley perfected.  It was in the Interweave knits magazine a while ago and I had the issue.  I guess I never thought of it as anything else until I saw all the variations people had done on it in ravelry.  I saw variants with all lace, no lace, short sleeves, all lace sleeves and then it hit me, I could do a short sleeve short sweater variant.  In other words, a lacy jacket like coverup that I'd call a shrug.

But of course there has to be adjustments made to pull this off. The first was that the directions for the hem were just whack. Basically it had you sew the hem in. Which is funny because Interweave knits online shows a better way. Then my hem rolled so I pulled out out and made it longer.

Actually that wasn't the first--First I had to figure out how many to cast on because the stitch count changes several times for shaping. Combine that with deciding how long to make it, and you see why I have only part of the back done.

Now I am busy doing the decreases for the sleeves into the back lace pattern--which by the way is not something I do well naturally. I am reasonably good at reading my knitting which is what you pretty much have to do at this point. But since I like to knit while I watch tv, I need to write it all out. So my knitting time today has been taken up by graphing out the lace repeats and blocking out the decreases. A tedious task, but it should make the lace come out right.

No pictures, but perhaps when I have a bit more to show.

bee sweater

I'm glad I set my Knitting Olympic bar low. Here it is day four and I've barely cast on my designated project. Instead I spent the part of the opening ceremony finishing up the bee sweater.



I am very pleased with how it turned out. I did have to learn a new technique, for the color changes so they wouldn't have jogs. I chose the technique that has you slip the first stitch of the new color (on what would be the second round of that color) and for the most part it worked. I can only see one place where it doesn't look seamless.



My daughter was also pleased and she wore it immediately to a birthday party, then wanted to know if it was out of the laundry yet for school Monday. She also decide that her 100 day collection of 100 things was going to be 100 pieces of yellow and black yarn leftover from her sweater.

But all is not real happy... we had an incident with the panda sweater in which the white yarn felted slightly. And as a result, it is now too short. I was very surprised because a) the yarn is superwash wool (knit picks swish worsted) and b) it was only the white--a color that is notorious for NOT felting. So, since I have extra white, I decided that I'll put off my knitting olympic project and take out the bind off and maybe the ribbing and extend the length of the panda sweater. I know that the yarn won't look the same, and I'm ok with that. I haven't decided if I want to rip back the 1.5 inches of ribbing or just start more ribbing until I get the length I need. I'm leaning toward ripping. It is not too badly felted at the ribbing, and I have enough length to add (would you believe at least 2 inches) that I think that might be best.

Decisions....

Work is ongoing on my Hey teach. Both sleeves are done but need to be blocked, and I have the shoulders seamed. Am picking up stitches for the neck and will start the button band probably later today. It occurs to me that I have no buttons for this project. Suppose I should get working on that--assuming that it will button when it is done.

The weather has gotten warmer here--finally and so I have started to think more and more about the next big project--sock dying. For Christmas, I was given a knit picks sock blank. The idea is that you can dye it into a pattern and then knit from the blank. The socks then will have the striping pattern you dyed. I asked for it because I decided that what I really really want is rainbow socks. And to that end, I did a bit of sketching:



To try to decide if it should go ROYGBIVVIBGYOR or ROYGBIVROYGBIV. I think I like the latter the best. I have all the materials--now I just need to actually do it. Especially since it is warm and I could do the dying outside if I needed to.
Which do you like the one on the left or the one on the right?

darn it!

Back when I first took a class in how to knit socks, a very good friend of mine gave me a darning egg from her collection (she collects them because she finds them amusing). She said--You'll probably want to learn to use it.

I went along fine, and then my first pair of socks got a hole in them, which irritated me, as they were not even a year old at the time. Then my beloved Lorna's laces socks all started to get thin. Drastic measures needed to be taken.
So yes, I scoured Youtube.
I discovered that some videos are not as helpful as say others. But, if you want to learn like your grumpy grandma was teaching you, please watch the first link. (If you'd like to see how to really do it click the second). After watching both videos, I attempted it and this:

Became this:


I discovered that the hint about the matching yarn makes for a much better patch, and so now, I'm keeping all my sock yarn leftovers FOREVER. I also patched up my very first pair I ever knit, but it was tiring work, and so I haven't yet done my second pair of Lorna's laces. Am wearing one pair I mended today and I can't really feel the patch like I thought I might.

Also, I finished blocking the colinette scarf:

And I've started on a sweater. I need to do some tiny swatching on the socks (I hate to admit swatching socks, but I do. Not as much as say a sweater, but still.) My bathrooms are still dirty and the floor still needs mopping, but I'm happy.

socks socks socks

I think I might be on a sock kick.

I was working on toe up socks for me from Knit picks Dancing. And I finished those.

Then I decided that I'd make some socks for my daughters. I started with the daughter who loves pink and who had picked out some pink stripey cascade fixation. It is a bit thicker and really knit up fast. I finished those in four days. FOUR. I don't have a picture yet though because it is still on my camera. She wanted them short, so I guess that helped.

Then the daughter who loves purple has some Lorna's laces Purple stripe that I bought 18 months ago for her (stash much?). I started those last night and have a decent amount done on the first toe. I think they were both hoping they'd be done before school started but, eh, not going to happen.

I can't really tell exactly why I am so enamored with this toe up sock. I liked socks ok from the cuff down. And when I first learned to make them I made... well three pairs much like I am now--one for me and one for each of the girls. I just don't remember liking them as much. I think what I'm enjoying is the short row heel, which just seems to give a heel with little fuss and no picking up stitches and then decreasing or heel flaps or any of that other nonsense. Perhaps I'll have to learn to do a cuff down short row heel, and see if I like that.

socks and lace oh my

You know-It seems like I should have updated more recently, especially when I finished a sock and one of my daughters said--you should take a picture of that and put it on your blog!
So of course I oblige:


That's the first toe up sock. I used a bind off described in Knitting Daily but I don't think I like it. On sock #2 I'll do a sewn bind off and if I like that, I'll ripout the bind off on sock #1 and sew it in. I'm liking the toe up method--in fact I have 2 more pairs planned (and neither is for me. So much for my everything I'm knitting from here on out is for me).

But wait! I was asked if I indeed had ever finished the lacey hug me tight. The answer is... sort of. I had finished all the lace before I left for Illinois. But I didn't block it. so I blocked it when I came home and went to sew it on last night and discovered... wait for it... that the lace around the armholes wasn't long enough. I'm knitting longer on one piece, and I'm... I'm not sure on the other piece, it is only short by maybe an inch. I also might be too long on the lace around the whole shrug, but I have an answer for that too--I'll just start at the cast on end and unravel what I don't need and re-bind it off. Clever. eh? Now If I could only tell which side was the bound off side.... I think this has made me even more determined to finish it.

socks and lace oh my

You know-It seems like I should have updated more recently, especially when I finished a sock and one of my daughters said--you should take a picture of that and put it on your blog!
So of course I oblige:


That's the first toe up sock. I used a bind off described in Knitting Daily but I don't think I like it. On sock #2 I'll do a sewn bind off and if I like that, I'll ripout the bind off on sock #1 and sew it in. I'm liking the toe up method--in fact I have 2 more pairs planned (and neither is for me. So much for my everything I'm knitting from here on out is for me).

But wait! I was asked if I indeed had ever finished the lacey hug me tight. The answer is... sort of. I had finished all the lace before I left for Illinois. But I didn't block it. so I blocked it when I came home and went to sew it on last night and discovered... wait for it... that the lace around the armholes wasn't long enough. I'm knitting longer on one piece, and I'm... I'm not sure on the other piece, it is only short by maybe an inch. I also might be too long on the lace around the whole shrug, but I have an answer for that too--I'll just start at the cast on end and unravel what I don't need and re-bind it off. Clever. eh? Now If I could only tell which side was the bound off side.... I think this has made me even more determined to finish it.

plugging away

So, I'm plugging away on the lace and I have the long piece --the part that goes around the outside, done and blocking--and well it should be dry by now. I have one arm piece done, I'm doubting it is actually long enough, but I'm calling it done--I'll block it tonight or tomorrow. I cast on for the second of the two and have about 2 inches knit on this.

I've done lace before and I've never had anything quite like this. The pattern isn't symmetrical since it is worked side to side. There isn't any pattern repeats and the number of stitches changes every right side row. It is only 12 rows but it makes such little sense to me, I can't memorize it. Ironically, I'd like to start another lace project soon, I guess I just need to make it my quiet time project.

On the sock front, everyone told me that the best part about toe up socks was being able to try them on as you went. I was not however able to do that because for some reason my foot didn't fit in. This really upset me because I was worried that it might not fit me. In the end, I decided to be zen about it and decided that if it didn't fit me, it would fit someone, and I'd give them away.
Then it hit me, it wouldn't fit not because of the sock, but because of the needles! So if I try it on while I'm halfway through what the instructions say are needle two, it will fit on my foot.


Today I actually marked where two inches from where my heel is--on my heel, so I could try it on and get it right. Sadly this heel turn will be a new technique also so probably no tv watching while I do that either.

unmotivated

I'm having trouble staying motivated in a lot of areas of my life right now. And my knitting is being symptomatic of that. I feel as if I've been knitting this same lace pattern forEVER for the Lacey Hug me tight. I even dared to bring it to knit night although I added a lifeline (or two) and had to use one. If you've never used a lifeline when knitting lace, it is a godsend. Basically you use a cotton yarn (like sugar and cream) and you run it under your needles at a certain point. If you have to rip out, the cotton will hold that row of stitches. So if you remember at what point you put in the lifeline, you can rip back to that point and start again. When you finish you can pull the lifeline out.

Now, I have done a bit more on it and have decided it is done. Now to block it. I also need to knit some small versions for around the armholes then start sewing. Ironically, now that is is almost done, I don't want to work on it, I want to put it away for a long time.

I want to start another big project, but part of me doesn't want to until I finish the lace. I'd like it to be a little simpler--for optimal TV knitting, but not something all stockinette stitch. I was thinking about the dollar and a half cardigan from Interweave Knits. I have grey yarn in a wool acrylic blend that might work, but I must swatch to be sure. I'm not feeling motivated to swatch. Not at all. But I know if I do swatch it, I can finish the lace while I'm letting the swatch dry (not blocked exactly, more like washed like I'll wash the sweater).

Sometimes when I am unmotivated in other areas of my life, learning something new or challenging myself will help me kick it into gear. I've also been thinking about my stash as of late. I should do an entry on my stash. Anyway, I have a ton of sock yarn, because sock yarn is easy to buy a skein or two and do something useful with it. Up to this point, I've only ever knit socks from the top down on double pointed needles. But there are a ton of ways to knit socks: top down, toe up, on DPNs or magic loop or two at a time on circular needles or even a tiny circular needle. So it makes sense to try to break out of my unmotivated rut by attempting one of these techniques. Since I need this NOW NOW NOW, I can't wait for a class. Enter the stash of knitting magazines--and so using an Interweave knits article I have taught myself a new cast on and have started some socks from the toe up:


Still it remains to be seen if the motivation will come back.