Waste nothing: Strawberry stems syrup

Ahhh July! July in Montréal means the abundance of local fruits and vegetables. It means nice, warm and long summer days. A time for vacation, a time for contemplation, a time for taking the time.

For some years now I've wanted to make strawberry jam. Sadly local strawberries, strangely enough, are often more expensive than imported ones, and even more expensive than other local fruits. But boy are they worth your hard-earned dollars! Sweet, plump and so flavorful, they really are the joy of the season!

I've grab my box of strawberries will touring the Jean-Talon market, which is also a real joy at this time of year. All the smiling people, the wonderful smell of fresh produce and seeing the big piles of green onions, fresh herbs, huge lettuces and tons of berries made my day.  I bet you could get them at a better price if you can go directly to a producer near you though.

Traditional strawberry jam

Using fresh and local (and more expensive) produces really motivates me to make the best out of every bite. That's why when I use strawberries, in addition to the main recipe, I make strawberry stems syrup. It's super simple and really good on pancakes or to sweeten your cup of jasmine tea.

Here is what I do:

Hull your strawberries, leaving a bit a flesh on the stems and use the fruits in a recipe as you would normally. When you're done hulling the strawberries, place the stems in a plastique bowl or glass jar and cover them with water. Close the jar or bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours. The next day, filter the liquid through a fine mesh and compost the strawberry stems. Measure the volume of flavored water you have obtained. Transfer to a pot and add the same volume of sugar. Bring to a boil and stir to make sure the sugar is well dissolved, then turn off the heat. There you have it, a delicious treat and nothing was wasted! This strawberry syrup will keep in the fridge for several weeks and can be used in many ways! Get creative, pour it over Greek yogurt or in sparkling water.

Strawberry stems simple syrup

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Little treasure

I shop at thrift shops all the time. Like really all the time! There's one close to the subway station in my neighborhood and I sometimes go more than once a week. I don't buy things every time... I just take a look at a couple sections I like, mentally going through the ongoing list of things I know I might find and that I would like to buy. Mind you, I often go and drop things too. They're is only so many objects I can actually fit in my apartment! And I'm a big believer in giving a second chance to these things you don't want/need anymore. It's less wasteful and it might very well make somebody happy.

One day, many years ago, I went at a thrift shop that I like on St-Hubert Street. I was looking at some pieces of fabric and I came across three bags of yarn. At that time, I didn't have my fancy taste for natural fibers. I simply liked the colors and it seemed like a good bargain for the size of the bags, 3$ each. When I came home with my finds, I googled the names on the labels. Two of the bags were from Knit Picks (that's actually how I came to know the brand) six or seven balls of Swish in Bordeaux and the same amount of Telemark (now discontinued) in a bright orange color. The third bag was two 250gr skeins of Fleece Artist  Blue Faced Leicester. I was absolutely astonished when I discovered the quality (and actual price for that matter) of my treasure.

The Swish became pairs of socks for my dad and for a friend. The Telemark, some felted house accessories. But the Fleece Artist stayed in my stash for many years untouched. Even though it was my favorite of the three, mostly because of the color, I didn't know what to do with it. The amount was just a little short for a sweater, and it wasn't superwash so I feared not wearing it for I wouldn't want to wash it... At one point I was wondering if I would ever do something with it.  I even thought about selling it. 

Then, I don't know why, it struck me. I would make a shawl from it. Something you wear when it's chilly and you need comfort and warmth. 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sweetteasoftskein/kllingesjal-1897recreation-museum-denmark

The pattern I used is Kaellingesjal 1897  by Mette Rørbech.

It is a very warm and cozy tie-shawl. The garter stitch makes for an easy and fast knitting body and the borders add some complexity so it's not boring to knit or to look at.

The piece is really pleasant to wear. Being very stretchy, it stays well in place. 

 It's my first tie-shawl and the only thing I don't like about it is you can't really sit with it. I mean you can, but if your back is against something it's not that comfortable because of the knot. But, this is a recreation based on traditional danish shawl. It was meant for working women and for that it's perfect. That's why I usually wear it around the house when cooking or gardening on chilly days. 

Binic

It's back to school season! Yaaa! I just got back to work after the summer vacations and I'm already feeling the urge to knit more. Fall is always my most productive season. Cleaning up the garden will be on the priority list pretty soon, and by then I'm surely gonna be thinking about Halloween and Christmas! I can't wait for the cooler days to come. Knitting, wrapped in a blanket, with a nice cup of english breakfast is such a joy to me.

We have had really warm weather in the past month, but it didn't stop my needles. I had told my cousin I would knit something for her little boy (now 18 months old) and so I did. I decided on the Binic Pattern by Solenn Couix-Loarer. It was a quick knit, most of the pattern being worked in round with only knitted stitches. My cousin chose the yarn, Stroll tonal in Pacific. It's such a pleasure working with this yarn. Warm, easy care, springy and so soft! I wish you could touch it through the picture. I'm really eager to see the little guy wear it!

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sweetteasoftskein/binic

Teeny tiny thimble purse

I hate standard thimbles. There, I said it. I hate them so much, I used to tape my fingers with masking tape instead of using them. They never seem to fit properly my fingers. They fall off or at least are really unstable.

A couple of months ago, something awesome happened. I discovered open thimbles. They work just like regular thimble. You simply wear them on the tip of the finger you use to push the needle. But what's wonderful about them is, they are adjustable! The front side is a full metal plate with texture to help you push the needle but the back! The back is made of metal bands, that you can squeeze to adjust to the exact size of you finger! I'm done with jiggling thimbles. I've also read that some people like them because they allow you to keep long nails.

The thing is, a thimble is a really small object and as I love mine, I'm afraid to get it lost. It's not worth a lot of money, but I would be disappointed if I had to replace it.
So to protect it, and help me always know where it is, I knitted a tiny bag to tuck it into. It's actually a design from Tiny Owl Knits, with some modifications. Instead of Aran yarn, I used fingering yarn on 2.25mm needles and cut in half all the stitches and row counts. After felting, the tiny purse is only two inches tall (this is without the tassel, that is added later). Finally, I added a drawstring and a glass bead to close it safely.

Teeny tiny purse

Really, this project is a cute and quick knit. I'm happy with the result and even a bit tempted to make the purse in it's original size.

My first braided rug

As a little girl, I've often seen my grandmother make what she called a "tapis natté". I guess you could translate that by "braided carpet" even though I've seen it more referred to as a rag rug. She used to buy these big balls of synthetic fabric already cut in small stripes. Maybe polyester or rayon, anyway it was kind of shiny on one side. I loved to play with this chunky yarn, especially the small scraps left behind in the end (she kept them in a plastic tub just for the grand kids to play with). My cousin and I were always asked to help when we were home with her. I untangled happily the stripes as she braided them, even braiding them myself sometimes.

 I often wondered where I could find this yarn that she used. I haven't seen any in stores in the recent years. You see, our apartment is somewhat not well isolated and the floors are cold, especially in the kitchen which lead me to think back on those carpets. A big one, right in front of the sink would be perfect, I though to myself...

At the same time, I'm at a point where I'm trying to take control of my craft stash. I need to stop it from growing and keep only what I will use and enjoy crafting with. All of this brought me to try and make my own fabric yarn. As you might know, there are many instructions out there on how to make yarn from old t-shirts and that's exactly what I did. In my humble fabric stash, I have some old clothes that I keep for future sewing projects, many of them were men's t-shirt. The colors weren't so pretty but I also happened to have a couple of dye boxes. So, I started by cutting 5 Large t-shirts in one inch large, long long stripes and dyed them in small batches in an old pot on the stovetop.

 

This took me quite a while to finish, cutting, dyeing, washing the different colors of stripes. Then, I braided. And braided. And braided! Arranging the colors as the pile of braided yarn grew bigger and bigger. When I had used maybe half of the yarn I had, I laid the braid on the floor. Arranged it as I wanted the rug to look and checking how much more yarn I needed to braided. When I thought I had enough, I started to sew the braid together. I guess you could sew it with a strong machine and heavy thread but I like hand sewing.

Here is the result. It's cozy and It keeps my feet a little warmer when I wash the dishes.

 

I guess my grandma would be proud of me, reusing old clothes to make something useful and comfy. She did pass me a lot of knowledge and I'm really grateful for that.

Purple Stripes Gone Crazy

Hello little blog of mine. I've been away for a while, getting ready for Christmas and then been caught up in many projects. You know how it goes, crafters gonna craft!

Nonetheless, I want to show you my latest knitted piece of clothing I finished in November. I might have mentioned it before, I was trying my hand for the first time at a garment for me. I did knit some baby clothes in the past, but never a real garment for an adult.

The Stripes Gone Crazy pattern was in my favorites on Ravelry for quite some time and I really liked the design. So, I purchased some purple Comfy fingering and grabbed my needles! It knitted up more quickly than I thought and even tough the design is a bit complex, it wasn't that difficult. The shoulders, which is the first part that you knit, is the most complicated I would say. But if you take your time, and make sure you follow the instructions everything comes together smoothly.

My Stripes Gone Crazy Cardigan

I really like the final result. The use of the stripes is really clever and uncommon. I also love the Comfy yarn. The colors are bright but not to vibrant and it is so so soft, just as the name suggests. Plus the easy care of cotton is a relief to me.

I'm eager to make another cardigan or maybe a sweater but I'm working on a secret project right now! Hope I will be able to share it soon. Have a nice week end all!

Fall bounty

Where have I been, you might be wondering. Well, the end of summer has been very busy. This year I was lucky enough to have a garden three times bigger than last year. Let me tell you, it was three times the work! Though a lot of veggies ended up as squirrel's snacks, I've picked a lot of onions, cabbages, cherry tomatoes, swiss chard and tones of fresh herbs, to my absolute delight. Now that it's getting frosty at night, everything has been picked and the lot is clean and empty. In the past weeks, I've canned produce both from the garden and the market. From classic dill pickles to simple diced tomatoes and even some new recipes like the green tomatoes and red peppers marinade. Most of the time, I make small batches of three to six jars, since there is only two of us. I really like to make and use these. Using fresh and local produce is important to me and makes me feel proud.

But, as you might guess, I haven't stop knitting! The Pink Lemonade Socks pattern had been on my list for a long time, and I finally made them! I used the same yarn I choose last spring for my Broderie Gloves, that is Knit Picks Stroll in Dandelion. I absolutely love this yarn, soft to the touch, with a very springy texture. Plus it's superwash! As for the pattern, I only have good things to say. Easy to follow, simple mock cable instructions. It's a toe-up pattern, but if you haven't tried it yet, I think it could be a good first toe-up socks project.

 

(Ravelry projet page: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sweetteasoftskein/pink-lemonade-socks)

Hope you all have a nice week-end, full of hot teas and cozy knitting!