Sunday, July 27, 2014

Summer Canning Mixed Pickles

Think this might be my favorite summer yet!  This is the summer I learned to can and I LOVE IT!!!  



Up until today, it has been mostly lovely sweet little jams. But today. Today, it was all about pickling!  Bill's Granny made an out of this world batch of mixed pickles which everyone absolutely adored. They were a sweet, tangy, and spicy mix just like Granny Marie!  

Granny Marie passed away several years ago, but Bill's Mom was able to track down her recipe. After a few trial runs, she got it just right and taught my sister in law and me how to make them too!

Here is the recipe. 
10 sterilized pint jars and lids. 
1 head of cauliflower washed & cut into bite size pieces. 
2-3 green peppers sliced. 
2-3 red peppers sliced. 
2-3 yellow peppers sliced. 
4 hot banana peppers sliced. 
6-7 sliced cucumbers. 
1 bag of pearl onions peeled.
4 cups of apple cider vinegar. 
4 cups of water. 
3 cups of sugar. 
4 tablespoons of pickling spices. 

Mix the veggies together in an over sized bowl. In a large pot on the stove bring the water, vinegar, sugar, & spices to a boil. 



Add veggies to the boiling pot and bring back to a boil mixing/ stirring periodically. Don't worry if the veggies are higher than the liquid level. As the mix returns to a boil the veggies lose a bit of water and shrink which returns the levels to normal. 

Once the levels return to normal and a boil is reached, lower the heat to a strong simmer. Spoon veggies into the jars and pack them down. Ladle liquid to a 1/4 inch of the rim and immediately put the lid on and tighten the rim. Flip the jar upside down and leave to cool. Repeat with the remainder of the jars. 

Store in a dark cool place and enjoy!

 




Frilly Felted Fun

Have had a ton of fun at the shop lately!  Last week we held a felted flower ring workshop and it was so much fun that I left all the supplies out to make ruffle scarves. 

A pile of rings from the workshop. 

One of the ruffle scarves. 

A ring made by the instructor Kristy Sturgil.  

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Tour de Fleece 2014

I'm always so excited when Tour de Fleece starts!  There is nothing more fun than watching all the gorgeous yarns spinners around the world create. 

This year my goal is to spin every day and to finish a few projects that have been languishing on the bobbins for quite some time. 

The lace here was started a month before TDF started. Hoping to knit a shawl with it before the summer is out!


Corespun mohair plied with a sequined sparkly thread for balance. 


Bought two Uniquely Yours batts in a destash a year or so ago and TDF was a great opportunity to spin a lovely pastel yarn!


This has to be one of my favorites so far. This yarn started life during a corespinning workshop held at the shop in June. It was spun using a blended wool batt, Moon Cloud, and Teeswater locks. 

A corespun Demented batt plied with sequined sparkly thread. 

One of my first spins of the TDF.   Corespun Demented batt with black Wensleydale locks plied with, you guessed it, a sequined sparkly thread. 


Black Wensleydale corespun. I have a huge fleece with many more skeins to come!

So far the Tour has been a blast and I will hate for it to end. But the spin will definitely go on!



Other Fun Facts..................

I taught myself to knit by watching a woman while on a flight from Scotland to the USA in 1996.

I taught myself how to spin yarn Feb 15th, 2007. I think I've done fairly well:)

'Lunabud' is a combination of two dogs' names I was loved by, Buddy and Luna:)