Yarn Mistrys

.. at the moment. I have things on the needles, but they are test knits and I’m keeping schtum about them for now.

Instead, I have been jamming! We have an organic fruit/veg box delivery every week and one of the fruits we get are kiwis. I’m not a huge fan of the furry little things, but Ollie loves them. Recently though, they seem to be piling up in the fridge, so I decided that as our garden fruits have all been obliterated by the massive heatwave we had in June, I would jam these little babies instead.

I present to you my Kiwi & Apple Jam. The apples are also from the fruit and veg box.

Ingredients:

950g Kiwi fruit, skinned & chopped (that’s about 15 kiwis in total)
350g Apple, skinned, cored and chopped (that’s about 3 big apples)
1400g Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1. Skin, and chop the kiwi’s and apple into a huge jamming pan. Add the lemon juice.

2. Cook on a low heat until the fruit is mushy. If you like your jam with huge bits in it, don’t cook it for too long. I like mine smooth, so I blitzed it with a hand-held food processor.

3. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar has completely melted and the mixture is boiling.

4. Turn the heat down and simmer until the mixture reaches it’s setting point. I normally keep a small plate in the freezer until I think the jam is ready to test. Put a dollop on the plate and wait for it to cool a little, drag my little finger through the middle and if the gap closes, then it’s not ready. If the gap stays, then it’s ready to be moved off the stove.

5. Place mixture into sterilised jars. Store in a cool dry place and when you open a jar, store in the fridge.

I added the apple initially, for the pectin content, but then I thought that the two flavours would really work together. Every recipe I found on the net only used a little apple and removed them at some point in the jamming procedure. I decided to keep mine in and blitz the jam instead. The kiwi is tempered by the apple and isn’t as sour as it would normally be; still has a tangy flavour. Of course, the sugar helps as well!

I love, love, love this jam and it’s definitely going to be added to my jam recipes.

Last year, during planting season, Ollie and I discussed having some tomato plants, but we were a little wary as they would have to be grown outside as we didn’t have a green house. Well, the few plants we did have thrived in the south facing garden and we had quite a few tomatos for our own consumption, and even gave a number away!

This year, we actually have a small green house and it’s full to the brim with tomato, chilli and pepper plants. The tomatos are doing really well, but they’re not quite ripe.. Now some of you know, I can be pretty impatient when I get an idea in my head and this particular idea was pickles. I wanted to make pickles. So… I spent a few days watching my green tomatos hoping they would ripen quickly. Well then didn’t, so I moved onto plan B and decided that Green Tomato Pickle it was going to be!

Here is the recipe that i used.

Ingredients
1kg chopped/sliced Green Tomatos
225g sliced Onions
56g Salt (42g for the tomatos, 14g for the onions)
115g Brown Sugar
200ml Vinegar
3 Chillies
20g Mustard Seeds
15g Celery Seeds
1 tbsp Mixed Spices (coriander seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, chopped bay leaf, dry chillies)

Instructions:

1. Chop/slice the tomatos and onions into separate bowls. Cover each with the correct amount of salt, mentioned above. Cover and leave to stand at room temperature for 4-6 hours.

2. Drain the tomatos and place into a muslin/cheese cloth and gently squeeze out an excess water. Place into a pan. Repeat for onions.

3. Place all the other ingredients into the pan as well. If you would rather not have all the spices in your final pickle, place the mixed spices into a cheese cloth and tie into a bundle. Place into the pan as well.

4. Bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Place the mixture into your sterilised jars and leave small amount of room at the top of each jar. Also, divide the chillies up between the jars. Place the lids on and put your jars into another pan of boiling water and boil for 10 mins.

If, like me, you like your pickle to have a bit of crunch to them, omit the simmer for 10 mins step and just use the boil bath at the end. After 10 minutes, the pickle will be just right. If on the other hand, you like it a little mushy, follow as written!

This is quite tart and you may want to increase the amount of sugar you use or reduce the amount of vinegar.

The perfect accompaniment to an summer meal eaten in the garden! I’m hoping to be able to make at least another (bigger) batch before the end of summer, to take me through to next years harvest!

Have a go yourself, and let me know what you think!

During the time that I was over in the UK mid-June, we had some really, really lovely hot weather. So hot that all we did was spend any spare time we had in skirts and shorts, and wearing our flip-flops, or champals as we call them in Gujarati.

I love my champals. I have many, many pairs. Some for the beach, some for the house, some for going out and some just because I liked them.

One thing I did notice though was that as the afternoon moved into evening and the sun set, my little feet were getting cold. Now at first, I slipped on some woolly socks and ALL my family had a bit of giggle at me.. Then I tried my ankle socks, but they don’t have a toe-split, so it was pretty uncomfortable. That’s when I came up with a design idea. I WANTED ankle socks that had a toe-split, so I could wear my champals with them. Nice toasty toes with some funky little socks and gorgeous champals. Heaven.

These are made from Rellana Flotte Socke 4 Ply (main body) and Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Color 4-ply (heels and toes). In total they took just under 200 yds for a pair of size Eur 37/UK 4/US6 ankle socks.

They’re pretty easy to knit up and I’ve put in a bit of a twist with an after-thought heel (well, what I think is an after-thought heel, anyway).

You can download the pattern from Ravelry

I hope people enjoy making them! Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Also, thanks to everyone that contacted me about my For Sale post. Both the Drum Carder and Spinning Wheel have now been sold and should be making they’re way to their new homes soon.

I think there may be a few posts like this and I’m hoping that some of my lovely readers will be interested.

First up, I have an Ashford Drum Carder that I need to sell. I’ve only ever used it once to card some Alpaca Fleece. It’s a great tool, but at the moment, my spinning has become so minimal that it seems a waste to have this sitting here gathering dust. I would rather it went to a good home.

The blurb:

Two ratios for more flexibility when carding and blending.
4:1 – For creative blending of slivers
6:1 – For smooth, controlled carding of fleeces
Adjustable drums to suit all fibres
Card 50g (2oz) batts
Fine 72 point
Clamps and awl included
Assembled and lacquered.

Shipping to Germany would be 7 euros max and to the UK, 20 euros max.

Next up is my first spinning wheel. It’s a German make and I love it to bits. My only issue is that it’s a single treadle and I can’t spin for long on it due to back issues.

It has 2 ratios and 3 bobbins. The yarns that I have spun on it all vary in weight from chunky all the way through to laceweight. It’s pretty versatile and I haven’t spent a day wishing that it was a double treadle.

I paid 360 euros and am selling it for 220 euros.

Here is the Henkys website which contains the price list and some more information on their wheels. (If only they had done a double treadle when I got my wheel!!)

These prices are negotiable and I would really appreciate it if you could help me spread the word. It would be nice to see them go to good homes. Also, I will ship anywhere, just let me know where it needs to go and I’ll come back with courier prices for you.

I take paypal and if you’re in Germany, then a money transfer is fine as well.

Please, please, please let me know if you’re interested. Thanks!

Hello my lovelies! I know it’s been a while, but I do have reasons, honestly.

Some of you may already know that my sister got married in June.. we’re waiting for the official wedding photos, but I do have one of the whole family at one of the many functions leading up to the wedding.

As you’ve probably guessed, there really hasn’t been that much time for knitting or crafting. So I stuck to some simple socks and some more crochet squares for the afghan I started before the wedding.

First up, The Socktopods:

Yarn: Enchanted Knoll Farm Superwash Sock Yarn in Emerald Lake
Pattern:Socktopod Socks by Cookie A
Needles:2.25mm KnitPro Harmony Circ
Modifications/Notes: I didn’t change anything really. Made them as instructed.

If I remember correctly, these were actually finished before I left for the UK for the wedding, but I hadn’t got around to blocking and photographing them, so here they are now. They were a fun knit, and I liked the fact that I had a little bit of thinking to do with them. They’re part of the Socktopus Sock Club.

Next up are another pair for Ollie:

Yarn: Rellana Flotte Socke 4 Fach in 926 Denim Blue
Pattern:My own. 3×1 ribbing throughout. More details can be found by following the link above.
Needles:2.25mm KnitPro Harmony Circ

Just a standard pair of everyday socks for Ollie. I think the ribbing just makes them that bit more interesting to knit.

And finally, on the sock front, my new favourite pattern for stripey socks:

Yarn: Rellana Flotte Socke 4 Fach Fun in 5010 Multi
Pattern:Jaywalker Socks by Grumperina
Needles: 2.25mm KnitPro Harmony Circ
Modifications/Notes: I made the legs shorter than instructed in pattern and I knit the toes my way instead. Used a lace cast off for a stretchy cuff as I have BIG legs.

I love this pattern now that I have finally got around to making it. I can see plenty more in my future for the stripey sock yarns in my stash! Great way of showing off those lovely colours.

My crochet afghan is coming along nicely.. I have a few squares crochet’ed as you can see and it’s a lovely go to project when I’m inbetween things. Knocking up a square is really quick. I’ve been dividing them into two piles as I go, one with all the pinks/reds/purples/yellows/oranges and the other for browns/blues/greens/greys/blacks etc and that seems to be working out good. Hopefully the end product will look as good as I think it will!

Next post, things that I need to sell…

About a week ago Raina posted about her lovely new crochet bag and as soon as I saw it, I was completely enamoured. I desperately wanted one for myself.

One that I can put all my essential bits and pieces in and spend lovely summer days in the park, knitting, browsing, taking pictures and maybe even do a little reading.

Yarn: Mainly Rowan Handknit Cotton, some Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora & some Coats Lyric 8/8
Pattern: Crochet Bag by Lucy of Attic24
Hook: 4mm Grafton Fibre
Modifications/Notes: I did 12 increase rounds and then 28 normal rounds for the bag and then chained 105 sts for the handles and did 8 rows, 2 in each colour.

This definitely assuaged my need to crochet for a little while, and it also reminded me why I like crochet so much. I can see some more projects in the near future.

This reminds me of Summer and I’m hoping that the sun will take a hint and keep on shining for a good long time.

We’re having chicken salad wraps with potato wedges tonight, with some homemade mayonnaise. What are you all up to this weekend…?

Woohoo!! I’ve been waiting practically all week to make this post, but the Tunic was blocking and was taking an age and I really wanted to get the Jaywalkers off the needles, which happened last night…

Yarn: Rowan Calmer in 461 Beige x 5 skeins
Pattern: Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt by Theresa Schabes from Interweave Knits Summer 2007
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony 3.75mm and Brittany Birch 4mm crochet hook.
Modifications/Notes: I added an extra inch to the length and that was the only mod I made.

First up is the Sleeveless Tunic. I loved this pattern. It was plain st st for a long time and made for very good TV knitting. The yarn is a joy to work with and is pretty stretchy. One thing I did find was that measuring the piece required all kinds of gadgets. I ended up pinning it out before measuring, which became a bit of a chore and I also found that I was stretching it as well… oops. The final product is actually a little longer than I wanted, and I really shouldn’t have added the extra inch. One thing I noticed when blocking is that the front actually has a colour disparity. I obviously used one skein which didn’t match the rest, even though they’re all from the same dyelot… grrr. I’m not changing it. I don’t actually think you can see it, but if you can, do let me know… Other than that, it’s comfortable and light and I’m wearing it to the rock festival tonight!

Next we have some socks! Only my second pair of the year, surprisingly.

Yarn:ONline Supersocke 100 Highland Color in 839 multi
Pattern: Jaywalker Socks by Grumperina
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony 2.5mm Circ
Modifications/Notes: I followed the pattern as is until I got to the toe and did my own toe.

These socks are great. I’ve had the yarn in my stash for a while but have never quite found the right pattern for it. Mainly due to the whole multi-coloured-ness of it. I think this pattern has definitely brought out the yarns great colours and the two work really well together. These I think I’ll keep for me. I’m not being greedy, honestly. In the last couple of weeks I’ve found 3 pairs of my socks have holes in them…. This is the reason why I’m adding these lovelies to my stash

As an aside, here is a piccie of our homegrown chillies that we harvested yesterday…

yummy, no?

I’m off to a rock festival tonight, so I bid you all adieu and hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

This post has been lingering in my mind for a while.. There have been moments where it may even have made it to the writing stage, but then was discarded. I can’t begin to tell you why this may have been, but blogging seems to have been evading me lately.

Actually, I seem to be have been having blogging issues since the beginning of the year. Hopefully though, this will change now that Spring is here and I’ll have an opportunity to get out and about a bit more etc.

On to the post now, which I hope you all find interesting. There’s a bit of knitting, a bit of cooking and a little bit of the other.

A few weeks ago, Ollie and I ran out of mayonnaise and I kept forgetting to add it to our shopping list, so everytime we needed it, there was none. I rashly promised one evening that I’d give homemade mayonnaise a go and having said that, there was no way I couldn’t at least try… so I gathered up the ingredients one afternoon, subbed dijon mustard with normal mustard as that was all I had and set forth on my ‘mayonnaise’ quest.
I failed. It was a complete disaster and tasted way too much of the mustard, I then tried to be clever and added more egg, but not within the process. In total it was a waste of 6 eggs. Bad, bad Kai. I slinked off in defeat and thought that I would definitely remember to BUY mayonnaise the next time we went shopping.
Standing in front of the condiments in the supermarket, I couldn’t make myself reach for the mayo, so we went home and I tried again. This was also a disaster, but that was due to using Olive Oil, instead of some normal sunflower oil, my bad. Chucked that and had one last try and I have to say, I have never tasted mayonnaise so good. It had a great consistency and was slightly yellow and tasted fabulous… nice. Admire my bottled mayonnaise.

As well as that there has been lots more new endeavours in our cooking, involving bread (made by Ollie), cheesecake (made by me), cornbread, homemade pasta, homemade pizza, a new chinese dish with basil, garlic and chilli’s. There’s also been some of of normal dishes, but we’ll talk about that another time.

On the knitting front, I’ve finished the Travelling Woman stole, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been blocked yet, so I’ll give that one a post of it’s own.

Socks for Ollie:

Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100g Uni/Solid in 1328 BrownPattern: My Own just a 3×1 rib throughout and it’s toe up
Needles 2.5mm Knit Picks Harmony Circ

On the WIPs front, there has been a lot of pondering about what big project I needed on the needles after Starsky, but I couldn’t decide on anything. I’ve been really into cardigans lately, but having just suffered a misfortune with Audrey, where I put it in a 40 degree wash, because my 4 ply soft label says that I can but it felted slightly, I’ve kinda gone off making them for the moment. Not really their fault, but I can’t get it out of my head.

So I settled on another pair of socks. Jaywalkers. I’ve never made them before and avoided jumping on the band wagon when I first came back to knitting, but I’ve always liked the subtle zig-zag effect and I had the perfect yarn in my stash so I cast on. I’m on the second sock and it’s coming along nicely.

And for a big project, I was flicking through some of my Interweave Knits mags and I came across the Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt, I love the design and I love the little lace panel on the front, with the little ruffles.

I swatched with the GGH Bali that’s been in my stash forever and with some Rowan Calmer that has also been in my stash forever. I settled on the Calmer in Beige because it looks like it will be cooller for those hot summer days I am waiting for.

The collage at the top of this post has some of the nature pictures that I’ve taken recently, my favourite is the Tulip pic. Here it is again, with some others for you to admire:

I think that should keep you all busy until the next post and I promise I won’t be away so long.. honestly. Hope you all have a fabulous week and that the sun is shining where you are.

I love big cardis. I’m drawn to them like a moth to light…. drawn.

When I wander through shops, most knitwear will pass me by and even though I admire, I’ll normaly say to myself ‘I can make something like that myself’. Not that I ever do, of course, but I know I can.

One type of knitwear though always gets my attention. The big wooly cardigan. I love the whole enveloping feel. It makes me feel like I’m surrounded by warmth and love and coziness. I normally have to be dragged away.

Now I know I can make big comfy cardigans myself, but for some reason I just never have. Then I saw Starsky, or in particular, someone’s version of Starsky. I saw the original pattern on Knitty.com and it was added to my to-do list, but it didn’t realy grab me. Then I saw some one else’s on Ravelry and I loved what they had done with it, and I cast on.

I love the feel of this cardi and I love the fact that I can just fling it on, tie it up and off I go.

What I do wish though is that I’d made the body longer and the fronts wider and the collar bigger. I might actually add more to the collar anyway and then block it and see how it fairs.

I do love it though and the actual knitting process was engaging enough not to lose my attention.

Yarn: Patons Aran Style in 1005 with flecks
Pattern: Starsky by Jordana Paige
Needles: KnitPro Options 5.5mm for body and sleeves, 6mm for collar
Modifications/Notes: I changed the back pattern so that the Banana Leaf pattern matched up with the ribbing. I added the Banana Leaf pattern to the sleeves as well. Other than that I made it as instructed.

I wouldn’t mind another one but just in plain stocking stitch and in a darker colour, but I’ll have to make some other things first I think!!

Now on to the next project and I think for now, I’ll stick to some small things.

When Ollie and I first moved to Germany we found a lovely Turkish shop in the centre of Osnabrueck. We visit the shop whenever we pop into town and it’s fabulous finding hidden treasures on each of our visits. One of the treasures that we actually purchased was a floor cushion.

Unfortunately, we’ve had it for a few years and it’s well used by Ollie and we’ve frayed some of the covering fabric. It’s been patched up and looks ok, but to save the poor thing from further abuse Ollie asked for a cover. Now I’m not huge of household-y projects and I remember saying Yes in one of my I’ll-do-it-at-some-point tones.

We picked out some acrylic yarn that I know will be hardwearing and can also be just thrown into the wash. It was a lovely dark green and I knew it would sit in my stash for an age before I decided I really should make it up into the cover it was supposed to be.

Thankfully it didn’t sit in my stash for that long. Just a few months and I finally started when I had a sudden urge to crochet. My crochet urge is still rampant and I’m glad to say I have finished the cover. Yippee!! The look on Ollie’s face when I covered the cushion and gave it to him was more than enough to make me grin and prance around like I’d won the lottery. blushes

Yarn: Rellana Caprice in Green x 5, Schachenmayr Nomatta Bravo in Orange x 0.75, Lana Grossa Royal Tweed Green x 0.2 & Orange x 0.7
Pattern: Made up, but it’s just granny squares.
Hook: 4mm Grafton Fibres
Modifications/Notes: I made it up, but I used 4 balls of Caprice for the top and bottom granny squares and then the last ball and some left over Bravo for the granny squares between the top and bottom, but ran out of the orange, so I nabbed some Royal Tweed that Ollie was using for some weaving and finished off the squares and sewing up with these.

All in all, this really didn’t take that long to make and I’m glad Ollie is so pleased with it.