Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Autumn Knitting, and Summer Harvests

We have been having the most amazing summer this year! Loving every single day that dawns, blue skies, warm days, big puffy white clouds.

 I am enjoying the season right where we are, I know that Autumn is not far off and that I will be equally happy and content when it arrives. It is after all my most favourite of seasons.

So looking ahead to Autumn, I am knitting up warm scarves, hats and gloves. Right now I am busy on a really pretty scarf pattern that I found of Ravelry called 'Best Friend Scarf'.


I am using Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash in Summer Sky Heather. Isn't that just such a pretty name? It is such a soft yarn, so lovely to work with. I'm loving the project!

Reading: I have been engrossed in a few Susan Hill books. I finished reading  'The Magic Apple Tree' on my Kindle - LOVED this book! It's one of those that I will read over and over again in my lifetime. Plenty of inspiring words that I have highlighted as she echo's my own sentiments on so many levels.

I'm just about done with Susan Hills 'Through The Kitchen Window'. Another 'LOVE' book that I am so glad I purchased. The illustrations are beautiful and Susan's seasonal observations charming and enduring.

And in MY kitchen :) ...


The summer harvest is being processed and stored for later months. Everything seems to be coming into it's own at once, really more than we can eat at the moment. In one day I harvested 4 heads of broccoli! So I cleaned, blanched and portioned out the vegetable for the freezer.


To the left you can see the broccoli and Stilton soup I made from broccoli harvested the previous week.


Peas received the same treatment :)



I also made some Lemon Curd - yum! This only has a shelf life of two weeks or 1 month refrigerated, but I thought that I would do a bit of baking and fill some cupcakes with a lovely lemon curd middle. I have not done this before but I cannot let this yellowy goodness go to waste :)


I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Ginny of Small Things and creator of Yarn Along and her family on the tragic passing of her dear friend, Sarah, this week. Please pray for Sarah's family as they come to terms with the loss of mother, wife and unborn baby. 

7 comments:

  1. Indeed a tragic loss. Some wonderful food for the freezer, very productive.

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  2. lovely knitting, I love to knit with cascade superwash 220 it is quick soft and resilient when knitting! I made fingerless mitts.

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  3. So sad about Ginny's friend. :( Praying for them, too.

    Do you have a lemon curd recipe you'd be willing to share? I've been busy harvesting and canning and freezing out of our garden, too. Love this busy time of year!

    xo Lisa

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  4. The books you've been reading sound intriguing. Thanks for sharing them.
    What an interesting scarf pattern on your needles. The wool color is one of my absolute favorites.
    I froze some bags of green beans - not from my garden - but a gift from my neighbor's bounty. It feels good to "put by" doesn't it? You are making your bounty a family blessing.

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  5. Looks like you have been a busy bee! Love all your industrious projects :)

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  6. This is a such lovely post. I really love the stitch work on the cushion behind your book and knitting - did you create the pattern or do perhaps know where I could get it? Enjoy your summer!

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    1. Hi Nolene,

      I stitched this years ago from a pattern in the Australian Magazine 'Country Threads' or 'Homespun' - I can't remember which. You can buy both magazines from 'Cotton Patch' here in the UK but I have a feeling you will struggle to find this pattern again - it was that long ago.

      Unfortunately I don't have any of the magazines any more as I gave them to a friend when we left South Africa years ago.

      I could photograph the cushion for you if you wanted and you could have a go at re-creating it yourself. Drop me an email if you would like me to do that - shirleyvels@talktalk.net

      Cotton Patch Link: http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/acatalog/Magazine_Subscriptions.html

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