Market bag WIP

Just a quick little note to let you know I'm working on a new pattern yay! Nothing too complicated this time, just a market bag in cotton yarn. I don't know yet when I'll be able to release it, I'm still figuring out how I want the shoulder strap to be.

It's sooo hot today, I'm knitting outside on the balcony. The soft breeze and the latte iced tea help a bit. Hope you're enjoying the weather and the holiday (for my Canadian friends!).

Wooden chair makeover

What a beautiful week-end we've had! Really sunny but not too hot, the perfect weather to be outside. It gave me the chance to work in the garden for a while, which was much needed. All that sun and rain we've had in the past 2 weeks made the veggies happy, but weeds also took advantage of the situation! The savoy cabbages, the winter squash and the tomatoes are growing fast, and I even picked a couple radishes yesterday morning. Zucchinis and parsley are doing better, some animals were fond of them I think, but they seem to have found something else to eat now.  Beets and carrots haven't really show up yet, I think I might have to sow some more.

As I mention in my previous post, I've been busy lately with various project. Not that I'm putting away knitting (no no!!) but I've had some little projects in mind for a while and I'm finally putting time in them. Today I want to share my first spray paint project (yay!). It might seem simple, but I've had a lot of fun spray painting for the first time!

Maybe I told you before but I'm kind of addicted to the thrift store haha. I have a list of things I'd like to find (small furniture, vintage dishes, clothes and fabrics etc), so I look for them every time I pass by the store. Lately I've been looking for a chair to replace an old plastic patio chair that broke (I didn't really liked it anyway). I though a wooden chair would be perfect, prettier in my opinion and long lasting. Here is what I found:

It was only 4 dollars, so I bought it, thinking it would be perfect to sit on the balcony. At first, I wanted to clean and re-varnish it. There were small splashes of paint on the legs and seat. Some came off easily when I scrubbed them, but it was difficult to get rid of others, especially between the bars. So I changed my mind and went to the hardware store. I found a bottle of spray paint (the indoor/outdoor kind) of a color I liked for 6 dollars or so, and here is how it looks now:

I'm happy with the result, it really makes my balcony more joyful! I'd like to find a little table I could also paint in a funky color to go with it. I will eventually make a little cushion that matches the chair but it's not a priority on my crafts list for the moment.

Jeweled Cowl

 My Jeweled Cowl is finally finished! I started this project in january, I think, but it took me a long time to knit because I worked on it nearly exclusively at work during my breaks.  In fact, I finished it awhile ago, but I wasn't satisfied with the bind off. At first, I only did a traditional basic bind off but it was too tight and made the final opening smaller than the starting one. After a couple of weeks of watching it lying around, I kicked my butt and unraveled the bind off. I searched for a stretchier bind off in the book Cast On Bind Off  from Leslie Ann Bestor and chose the Suspended Bind Off and now it's perfect!  

If you like the cowl and would like to make one yourself, you can find the pattern here for free: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jeweled-cowl It really is a nice "lace-weight beginner" (as I consider myself) project. The instructions are simple and the pattern knits easily. You'll need patience though, because the beading process does slow down the knitting. But its worth it, all these little beads adds a lot of elegance and shine. Plus, it totally mystifies people who don't know the technique haha!

It was a fun project to knit as a first time with lace yarn. I used Knit Picks Shadow in Vineyard Heather. I like the rich violet color with the tiny bits of red and gold mixed in.
I hope to make a more complex lace piece eventually, maybe a shawl...but right now I'm much taken by other crafts. I love winter time, with all the cozy wool and hot cups of chai tea, but summer always seem to bring me more energy and a lot more project ideas than what my normal schedule allow me to work on. Anyway, I should be posting some non-knitting projects soon, between my gardening and balcony-tea-drinking sessions!

Getting ready

I'm getting ready for spring, finally!
It's been super rainy and grey outside lately but still, days are getting longer and warmer. The community garden has open it's gate and even if I haven't started to clean my garden yet, I've been planning what I want to grow this year and starting some seeds inside. I'm particularly enthusiastic this spring, because the garden committee has acceded to my demand for a bigger plot. So this year, there will surely be some winter squashes alongside the many kinds of tomatoes and herbs that I normally grow. Last year I also did cabbages for the first time and it was a big success. I think I might plant some again. I'm also planning on sowing some peas on my balcony so they can climb on the railings and make them prettier. If I'm lucky, I might find some pretty planters at the thrift shop where I go many times a week (I'm totally addicted haha).

My baby tomatoes in used yogourt containers

Growing your own veggies and herbs is a fantastic hobby. Not only is it economic (especially if you grow from seeds), it's also very educational and therapeutic. When you take time for your garden, you take time for yourself! You're exercising, you learn about nature and about yourself, plus you give your family and yourself healthy, fresh and flavorful food! And if you don't have the place for a garden, grow on your balcony and windowsills! 
Many vegetables and herbs can produce in containers. Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, lettuce, strawberries, cilantro, parsley, basil and arugula are all good example. All you really need is containers (planters and pots are classics, but you can also reuse thing you don't use in the house, like old crockery, rain boots, tea cans, I've even seen a used golf bag. Take a look on Pinterest if you need inspiration!), some soil and seeds for your favourite veggies. I buy my seeds from different sources, but I particularly love this Etsy shop I've been buying from for a couple of years. It's a family business based in Ontario, the seeds are heirloom and organic and the service is always excellent. It's too late (at least for the Montreal region) to start tomatoes inside I would say, but if you are looking for root vegetables, herbs, greens or squash I would recommend you take a look : Cubit's Ethical Seeds for Edible Gardens

Happy spring everyone :D

Broderie gloves pattern

 I've finally published my new pattern on Ravelry! It's available for free for a limited time so you can download it and give it a try! You can even download it now and keep it for later ;)  If you do try it out, please let me know if you find anything missing or unclear. I've had a lot of fun making these and I hope some of you will like them as much as I do. I've knitted them in wool, but if you are lucky and live in a warmer place (we are still freezing this march!!) I think they would be really soft and comfy in a pastel cotton yarn.

A close-up of the "broderie" pattern.

Here is the pattern : http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/broderie-gloves

  Have a nice week my friends!

Upcoming new pattern: Broderie gloves

Broderie is the french word for embroidery. I find it well fitted for the stitch pattern you find on the back of these little gloves. I've been working on that project since early January and I'm thrilled to say that I hope to publish the pattern on Ravelry by the end of this week. I had to do a couple of retakes on the first glove before everything was to my liking but it really paid off on the long run. I'm fairly satisfied with their fit and look. Light, because of the little holes in the pattern and joyful with their dotted wrist edge, they are perfect for springtime. They're knitted in a superwash fingering wool yarn and have a long wrist so they can still keep you warm on chilly spring days. I bet they would make a classy accessory for tea time, knitted in cream or in a very light pink.

I will make a little post on my facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/sweetteasoftskeins ) as soon as I upload the pattern in my Ravelry shop.

Some lemons later... my blanket progress

Lemons! I see recipes with them everywhere these days. But I don't complain about it, they are a bit of sunshine in our long winter! Lemon and poppy seeds muffins, lemon meringue pie, lemon and ginger tea... but what about the salty side of lemons? I used to like lemon in savoury dish only on fish but I've discovered over the years, that they are fantastic with many other savoury food. I think about a whole roasted chicken with lemon slices and oregano or a couscous salad with a lot of parsley and lemon juice! So, while the lemons are in season, I made some salt preserved lemons and as it's crazy easy, I wanted to show you...

 

All you need is some lemons, a clean air-tight jar, and sea salt. First, you want to scrub your citruses (especially if they aren't organic) to get rid of the wax they put to make them last longer. Next, you need trim the ends and cut the fruits in quarters. You can either cut all the way through or if you have a big jar, you can only make deep slits in your lemons and  keep them whole. Then, pour a layer of sea salt in your jar and add a lemon. Pour some more salt on the lemon (taking time to fill the slits with salt) and add another lemon etc, squeezing as many lemons as possible in the jar. You want the jar as full as possible because it will help lemons to be covered in their juice later. Don't forget to add salt between each piece. When your jar is full, add some more salt on the last lemon and seal.

 

That's it, now you wait. I've left my little jars on the counter top for 3 days, shaking them a little every day, to give time to the lemons to render some juice. As they weren't totally covered at that point, I opened the jars and added a little juice from another lemon, re-closed the jars and put them in the fridge. I will wait at least 2 more weeks before tasting them, but I can't wait! I bet they will be delicious with barley or with roasted meat. Be warned though, they will be very salty, so you might want to give them a rinse before using them.

  

And while these macerate in the fridge, I'm working on the blanket I started in November (http://sweetteasoftskeins.blogspot.ca/2013/11/to-unravel-or-not-to-unravel.html). I'd like to finish it this winter... I'm at my 6th stripe, so probably half-way. As always, I'm super eager to start new projects but i've to many things lying around half done so I'll be trying to finish a couple before starting new any big project.