Free time seems to have a way of disappearing around here. Our ongoing effort to preserve summer's bounty so we can eat locally is still going strong. To the left, you'll find the most expensive ketchup in the world. My recipe was supposed to yield 5-pints of ketchup, but instead, I ended up with 2 1/2. Eh, that's not exactly a year's supply of ketchup, so I'll have to make another trip to the store for more tomatoes.The ketchup recipe is from the Joy of Cooking. I had to check out the Joy of Cooking: All about Canning and Preserving from our library for this recipe. Why? Because my 1997 JOC edition is lame, that's why! People buy this book not for its ethnic recipes, but for "how tos" on American staples! I thought for sure I would find instructions on jams and jellies in my JOC, and I was confounded when none were present. So, consider this a PSA: do not buy the 1997 edition of JOC because it lacks the soul of the earlier editions. There is tons of info on the Internet about the family drama behind this JOC edition, so I'll spare you, but just know that it is out there if you are curious.
I fondly refer to our canned apple butter as "Look, Ma! No hands!" because I didn't have to lift a finger. The boy made and canned the butter on his own. It is soooooo good! We ended up with many jars, but I don't think we'll be sharing it much because it rocks. Those apples, Fujis, came from my inlaw's backyard - they had a lot of tiny apples that were too small for eating.
There has been a bit of knitting going on in these parts, too. These Lisa Sousa (colorway Olive) socks were my first attempt at knitting 2 socks at one time on 2 circular needles. I love this method! Since I do so many on the fly adjustments to patterns, it's nice knowing that both socks will be the same instead of one being a bit longer/tighter/shorter than the other.
The pattern is my own, but it's nothing really creative. I wanted something mindless to knit, so I made spiraling seed stitches on the top of the foot and through the leg. I can type it out if you're interested, but I'm sure that there are other sock patterns out there with this same motif.I'm currently working on anklets from sock yarn scraps. This is Schaefer Anne yarn, one of my favorite yarns. The mohair content makes it a little itchy, but boy is this durable!
It's a simple 3x1 ribbed pattern paired with a slip stitch, Widdershin-style heel.
I think I have my perfect sock formula down now! They are knit 2 at a time and toe up using the Turkish cast on. I knit them at 9.5 stitches per inch (usually size 1s) and I increase to 72 inches. The heel is the Widdershin heel with slip 1/knit 1 heel stitch, and the bind off is doulble crochet. Yeah, this is going to be my formula until something better comes along.
cool socks! those anklets rock. the applebutter and ketchum sound yummy and I know what you mean about older cookbooks - My older ed of Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook is literally falling apart, but I won't replace it.
ReplyDeleteYum to both the socks and the apple butter!
ReplyDeleteYou know what? Some of the best recipes I've found are in the Ball Blue Book canning book. I bought a copy of it for cheap when I bought my hot water bath several years ago. I wonder if they still publish it.
Yes, they still publish the Ball Blue Book! The boy used its recipe for apple butter. Mmmmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the zoo today...and I was DROOLING over the alpaca in the petting zoo. I WANT ONE!!! I would settle for a sheep or two...would it be odd to ask for a sheep for my birthday? I would love to be a regular pioneer woman with a garden that actually feeds us, an animal to spin and knit from and chickens that don't eat their own eggs before we can get to them. I think I'm too flaky and my chickens are cannibals...so I may never get there. But I can try, right?
ReplyDeleteI LOOOOOOOVE those socks! Here I sit, contemplating frogging my first sock AGAIN for the sake of doing it over two-at-a-time. I took so long to make this one there is no way in the world that I could do it exactly the same again!
Could you write that pattern down for me? I think our feet are almost exactly the same size. Mine might be a little wider, but they could use a little extra 'support' anyway!