Canning Update

The canning continued after my last post.  

A couple of my girlfriends came over last Saturday and we spent the afternoon canning.  

We canned stewed tomatoes, dill pickles and drunken beans.  Yummy.

Canning

I've been busy canning the past couple of nights.  

I made a batch of mustard pickles last night.  The recipe was from "The Best of the Best" cookbook.

It was a sweet sound to hear the pop, pop, pop, before I went to bed.

I've continued with the canning tonight.  I made a batch of blueberry jam...which might turn into blueberry syrup...it just wouldn't thicken, even after adding extra pectin.  Oh well, the syrup will still be yummy.  I'm also doing a batch of salsa.  I'm pretty excited about the salsa...it's tasting very yummy!  

Crafting Distractions

Crafting progress has been slow. I've started reading The girl who kicked the hornet's nest by Stieg Larson.
Enough said.

My new power tool

Check out my new power tool:

A fantabulous Bernina Activa 220 sewing machine.  I love it!

My mum and dad gifted me with my current sewing machine for my 21^st birthday (I might be off by a year or two).  

It has served me well – making fancy dress costumes in university, sewing up home decorating projects, and more recently branching into craftier stuff.

A few weeks ago, mum planted a seed in my head that maybe I should consider upgrading my sewing machine.  She suggested I might enjoy an upgrade now that I’m using it more regularly… and she added that she would be happy to inherit my old one.  Hmmm…  Anyhow, I hadn’t started to do any research because it seemed like a big task.  Where to start? I figured that it would be a good activity to do when it is cold and rainy outside. 

Imagine my surprise when I received an email on Tuesday morning from a friend who owns a knitting/sewing shop in North Vancouver, offering up one of her sewing machines for sale.  She opened her business in February and set up a craft space in her shop.  Her store is kitted it out with a few sewing machines and a couple of sergers for people to rent by the hour, or to use during a class.  I guess things have been slow with people renting machines by the hour, and she prefers teaching smaller classes, so she decided to sell a couple of her sewing machines.  The sewing machine has been barely used…maybe 2 hours since she bought it…so practically new. 

She sent out an email to some of her crafty friends on Tuesday to see if any of us were interested in buying one of her barely-used sewing machines, before posting it for sale on Craigslist.  I did some quick internet research, and the machine has some great reviews.  So, I went for a “test drive” on Tuesday night and I went back to buy it yesterday.  It is lovely.  It is so smooth… like butter.   I started getting to know her (my sewing machine) last night, testing out some of the fancy stitches and buttonholes...she’s a beauty.   

I expect that I'll mostly use the straight stitch and the zigzag, but it was fun to try out some of these features!  

I have a feeling that this is going to be a long lasting friendship.  Hmm…maybe I'll name her Heidi, in honour of her Swiss manufacturer.

Mum, if you’re reading this…you are now the proud owner of a Serger sewing machine.  You can pick up it up on your next trip through North Vancouver! 

Heart Dishcloth

Here it is:

A heart dishcloth to go in the gourmet kitchen basket.  

Knitted dish cloth

I'm off to a "kitchen themed" bridal shower for one of my knitting friends.

A couple of us are putting together a gift basket, 

so we decided to knit a couple of dishcloths to go along with the gift.  

I'll have to churn this one out because the bridal shower is on Monday night!

And it's an opportunity to use up a ball of yarn that has been in my stash for far too long.  

Knitting Update: Grey Scarf

I've been trying to finish some of those projects that have been hanging around for awhile.

I started this scarf sometime in the winter - I don't remember when now.  

It's a lovely merino wool.  

Perhaps not the most cheery colour for those grey vancouver days...but it was a bargain.

The end is in sight.  

I think I need a couple of more nights of knitting to get it done.  

Gardening Update: Beans, beans, the musical fruit...

...but there is not too much tooting going on when the harvest is this small...only 15 beans!  

They were yummy.  

Hopefully the vine will yield a few more before the end of the season!  

Quilt Update: Slow but steady

Actually, this is pretty fast progress for me!  

I finished appliqueing the 5 leaves in place.  

And now I'm adding some embroidery embellishments.  

Gardening Update: Peas

It was hardly a bountiful harvest:

Enough said.

Thrifting Finds

Check out what I found yesterday:  

I spotted these tin cans on my way to work, in the display window of my favourite thrift store.  I thought they'd be perfect to use to store some of my crafty supplies.   

They were still there at the end of the day, so I decided that it was "meant to be".  

More stuff...just what I need.  But I figured I could justify the purchase if I use the cans for organising my sewing/craft supplies?!? 

I was surprised to find that the cans are empty! I was expecting to have to throw out some really old veggies.  They must be reproductions.  

I kind of feel bad cutting the tops off.  Hmmm, I wonder if I could find some plastic lids that fit, to make sure my crafty odds and ends don't fall out.  

Crafty Chores: Un-blessing Socks

Why clean in the morning when you could do a crafty chore instead?


The Crafting Widower has a pair of holey socks.  When I point out that his big toes are sticking out from his socks, he replies that "He's Blessed!".  He doesn't want to part with this beloved pair of socks - because he says they are perfectly good. Hmmm...  

(That's my foot modeling the sock...the crafting widower doesn't wear nail polish)


I've been thinking for quite awhile that I'd like to try darning.  I'm reminded of this, each and every time that I see these socks on the Crafting Widowers feet...or should I say every time I see the Crafting Widower's big toes poking out of these socks.  But then the socks disappear into the wash, and I quickly forget about darning.  


As I was folding laundry yesterday morning when I spotted the Blessed Socks.  After a little googling, I found a "How To" video on darning on the internet.  The "experts" recommended using matching yarn...but I choose not to.  This way I'll be able to spot and admire my handiwork and monitor how my darning holds up.  

I even got to use the darning thing-a-ma-jig, apparently called a mushroom.  What a great way to start the day...learn the name for a new crafty tool and learn a new skill!    

Crafting in the woods

We spent the long weekend on Galiano Island.  

We had a great campsite in Montague Harbour Marine Park.  

And went on some great paddles in our fab folding kayak.  

We even got to test out the sail that came with it.  

And I even managed to squeeze in a little bit of crafting while the Crafting Widower was sorting out his pedals on his bicycle. 

Here's the close-up of the passenger seat:

What a great weekend!

More Quilting

I've started the trim.  

It's mostly green with some flashes of red.  

I will cut it into thinner strips.  
Maybe 3-4" widths...still to be decided.