Ginger Preserve/Syrup Or what you will

While away in England we had the opportunity to taste a Ginger preserve, it was basically crystallized ginger in jam form, delicious. I found a recipe when I got home and so went to making some.

I started with about 4 lbs of Ginger, which was then peeled and cut up into both chunks and slices. This was then put into a sauce pan with about 5 cups of water and boiled/simmered for an hour and a half. The liquid is then drained off, and everything cooled.













Batch 1:
Measuring three cups of ginger chunks, and 1/2 cup of ginger liquid this was then boiled with about 5 cups of sugar, liquid pectin added, then simmered for a further 7 minutes. The smell of the entire process was amazing, and luckily with the amount of ginger I had I will be able to make another batch. WIN!

Sadly, and this seems to happen every time I use Certo pectin, my preserve did not set up, and I was treated to a delicious batch of Ginger syrup, which is still delicious. And would be amazing with Vanilla Ice cream, on french toast, crepes, or drizzled into hot water with a dash of lemon.

Batch 2:
Three cups of ginger chunks, and 1/2 cup of ginger liquid, with 5 cups of sugar, and instead of liquid pectin by Certo, I am going to use powdered by Bernat, and following the instructions as to when to put it in, and see if it makes it solidify any differently. I can confirm that it is slightly more solid, especially once it has been in the fridge, SOO EXCITING, and so delicious.


The liquid:
There was about 2 cups of liquid left over from all of this, so being in a waste not want not sort of a mood I poured this into my pan and added sugar...I do not know how much sugar, and I boiled it, and boiled it, and boiled it some more until I got a nice syrupy consistency. I think it will be great over ice cream or added to hot water for a delicious beverage. Then it was put in jars and left too cool, I hope it is delicious.

This drizzled over vanilla ice cream is amazing, put into club soda, or with lemon and hot water, the list goes on. I am so glad I made this, and I will be making it again.

-A

May

May by the sheer uselessness that was April has been pretty good. I got finished the two Tardi blankets that I was working on. Here you go:

Yes the ends are weaved in and everything too, pat me on the back, okay fine I will do it myself. I only managed to find a picture of one of them, but when I get another one I will put it up as well.

This is a busy month at the office, so other than getting these finished it has otherwise been pretty uneventful, AKA no reading has occurred, I will make up for that I am sure.

Now if you remember from the beginning all I wanted to do was hats...and now look at all the crazy things I have going on. I feel that I should do some socks, but I cannot start socks until I finish some more things!


Knitting I have on the go:

1. Dragon Stole: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragon-stole
2. Illuminated Lines Blanket: Thank you Knit Picks
3. Circlet Cardigan: Thank you Knit Picks
4. Tardis Afghan x 2 (Yes I have two on the go)..might soon have three, scary.
1. One of these I need to have finished by May, but the yarn is a bit scratchy so I just need to either figure out how to make yarn softer, or use the softer Yarn I have to make a different one...Thoughts?
5. Fingerless Mittens: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fingerless-mittens-8
1. I have 1 complete and about 25% of another one complete, a matching pair is within my grasp. These are beautiful, I want to do them on smaller needles with smaller yarn, it will take longer, but they will be less thick. Sadly these ones are in black which makes them hard to photograph nicely.
6. Reverie Beret (I have done so many of these I could do them in my sleep, but I have made 1 or 2 minor adjustments to make it my own)
7. Entrelac scarf, I do not think I am going to finish this per se... who knows
8. Feather and Fan Blanket
9. Mitered Square blanket in Parrot...I was crocheting this into something, but I did not like it, I still don't really like it but it will happen. 
10. Moss Diamon Blanket
11. Corner to Corner in light blue, dark blue, and white
12. Corner to Corner in pink, green, and white

Tardis the 4th

I started this glorious piece of work on April 16th 2015. As of May 16th 2015 It is off the needles and will be subject to various bits of torture in order to get it finished.
I am amazed that I did this much knitting in such a short time frame.





Some notes on this blanket:

1. C/O 141
2. Knit 16-20 rows of garter, corners are seed stitch
3. Knit 4 rows stockinette
4. Begin colourwork

The colour block on the bottom could have done with being 4 rows larger and maybe a touch wider, as it is a base, and is holding up the rest of the Tardis.

I have decided to do duplicate stitching to come out with the lettering regarding the words "Police Box, Public call" as knitting them in seemed stressful and unnecessary especially having to place them backwards. I will let you know how that goes.   I decided against this for multiple reasons. I will explain: It got tricky to do working on the black....and then I decided that I did not want to drive the point home to viciously, because I was sure that people would get that it was in fact a police box, so there you go. 



I am about 50% complete on weaving in the huge number of ends that have occurred as a result of this project. The ones I am having a hard time with are the ones that occur around the wraps, they are inevitable, when you do not know how much yarn you will need, but they are also a PAIN. Getting very close. I am going to start with the ones where there are two ends that are in the 'middle of the work if you will, then do the ones around the wraps. 

Made a bit of a mistake, but we learn from them do we not? That I should have knit Police Box into the knitting, as originally planned and not put in afterwards. I think at this point I will weave in the ends contemplate the words further and then just sent it off to its new home sans lettering. 

Blocking time, if I figure out how to rotate this I will.

May 16, 2015: This little beauty has all of its ends woven in and it is blocked and sitting in a box ready to head off on its great adventure living with the Clark family. I am thrilled chuffed and every other possible version of excited possibly known to man. 

May 19, 2015: this beauty is on its way, so it is now safe to post this....I think.



Oh the relief of having this completed is just somewhat overshadowed by the hatred of the one I started first not being finished yet, but it will be complete soon. 

*Mental Note: when joining a yarn of the same colour knit two stranded for 6 stitches, this will reduce the weaving in time. 
*Mental Note 2: Hold the yarns very tightly together when doing intarsia, and then you do not get loose stitches on the attached, or wrapped, sections of knitting. 

-A

To Accomplish

So, I spend a decent amount of time knitting, but I also spend a decent amount of time wondering what I should work on next. That list is about as long if not longer:

1. Heart Wood Collection: Mesh Crew Neck
1. Yarn - yes
2. Needles - yes
3. Pattern - yes
2. Giant Knitting
1. Yarn - yes
2. Needles - yes
3. Pattern - needs developing/finding
3. Giant Crocheting
1. Yarn - yes
2. Hooks - no
3. Pattern - maybe
4. Hue Shift Afgahn #2
1. Yarn - yes
2. Needles - yes
3. Pattern - yes
5. USE UP ALL THE YARN
1. Like any good knitter I have stashed away quite the stash of yarn. I want to use some of it up on goodness knows what so that I can clear out that corner, and feel less like it is going to devour me one night in my sleep. Also I want some new yarn, but to get new yarn I need to use the old yarn
6. Knit a pair of socks - A good new challenge for me 
1. Yarn - maybe
2. Needles - yes
3. Pattern - no 
7. Knit a pair of mittens
1. Yarn - maybe
2. Needles - yes
3. Pattern - no

I also have some other accomplishments that need doing:

1. Chris Baby Due in August - Girl
2. Paul Baby Due in July - Boy
3. Heather Baby Due in November

Will all of these people get a blanket, that is yet to be determined, but we shall see. All in all I just need to get some stuff finished or I am going to feel like I am going mad. 

-A

April...

I started another corner to corner blanket, and I am enjoying this pattern far more than the other pattern that I was following, We will see how that goes to get the border on. These are so mindless, and handy to have around in case someone you know is suddenly 'expecting' and have not told you.




Oh that Tardis Afghan, it has a post all of its own here. It must be in the mail before May 8th or so (approximately) I so want to take it down to her personally but I do not have time for a 9 hour flight I really wish I did. I have on the whole enjoyed working on this project, I do plan on doing a couple more and putting them in a corner to have around in case there is another surprise baby. Its sooooo gorgeous and I love it so much.
I decided to start another one because I realized that two friends who enjoy Dr. Who were both having babies, so I did two...I got 25% of the second one done in one weekend, so I am at 60% with that one, and 72% with the other.

For reading I am re-reading the first book in the Outlander series, that being said the first time I read it I started where the half season in the show cut off, as I needed to know what happened, but I thought I should read it in its entirety. So this would count if I had finished it.

Sadly my finished rate this month has been nil, but I have got so much accomplished, so it was not a wasted month when all is said and done. The Tardis blankets have made astounding progress, and that is what counts for a lot. I think after I finish these Tardi, I will once again tackle the Illuminated Lines blanket, I do want it finished.


Knitting I have on the go:

1. Dragon Stole: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragon-stole
2. Illuminated Lines Blanket: Thank you Knit Picks
3. Circlet Cardigan: Thank you Knit Picks
4. Tardis Afghan x 2 (Yes I have two on the go)..might soon have three, scary.
1. One of these I need to have finished by May, but the yarn is a bit scratchy so I just need to either figure out how to make yarn softer, or use the softer Yarn I have to make a different one...Thoughts?
5. Fingerless Mittens: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fingerless-mittens-8
1. I have 1 complete and about 25% of another one complete, a matching pair is within my grasp. These are beautiful, I want to do them on smaller needles with smaller yarn, it will take longer, but they will be less thick. Sadly these ones are in black which makes them hard to photograph nicely.
6. Reverie Beret (I have done so many of these I could do them in my sleep, but I have made 1 or 2 minor adjustments to make it my own)
7. Entrelac scarf, I do not think I am going to finish this per se... who knows
8. Feather and Fan Blanket
9. Mitered Square blanket in Parrot...I was crocheting this into something, but I did not like it, I still don't really like it but it will happen. 

Why is my list not shrinking???

-A

March....

March was a huge month for me. I finished 3 blankets, and the yoke of a cardigan which is amazing, I am so proud of myself, but keep in mind as well that I also had all of these on the go and had weekend blitz's where I finished them.

The Op Art Blanket is now complete, see all the pictures below. I am quite pleased with how this turned out, and I like that it is a blanket knit in the round that turns into a square as opposed to one that is a circle, I am sure there are not as many people out there as me that appreciate round blankets. I may put a soft snugly backing on this one, as it got quite thin during blocking, but it is off the needles so it counts as finished.

I Like Lime is also now completed. Thank goodness for that. I am a tad angry with myself that I am finishing all of the easier projects first and leaving some of the harder ones for later, but I think that is a general survival instinct that we all encounter. So pretty, I love the patterns in this book. I have yarn for Blueberry Bobbles, which will be a new project, as I have yarn, but not for a little while.








This one to the right does not show off the colour, but it shows the pattern better.


I also finished the Yoke of my Circlet Cardigan this month. This project was started in January of 2014. And I just finished it on March 1, 2015 that is crazy but it looks gorgeous. Really hoping that it fits by the time I get it finished, it would be heart breaking if it did not.

I am really tempted to do the body just in stockinette stitch but I think it would loose some of the luster that it has as a result of all this cabling.

I also managed to finish 'Jane Eyre's Daughter' by Elizabeth Newark. Not one of the best books I have picked up, but it was interesting to see where one persons interpretation of the next generation goes. Some plot points are far too similar to the book that this was based on, but it did have merits in that it was still quite gothic in its themes. It was also great to find out what the mystery of this one is, not a lot of spoiler posts out there for this one, or I need to look harder?

I have no idea what I am going to tackle next, I think it is Tardis time after that with bits of Illuminated Lines and the Circlet Cardigan. After much deliberation I am going to use the softer yarn, am I going to have as much colour work in it? Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

Knitting I have on the go:

1. I Like Lime: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/i-like-lime
2. Dragon Stole: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragon-stole
3. Opt Art: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/opart
4. Illuminated Lines Blanket: Thank you Knit Picks
5. Circlet Cardigan: Thank you Knit Picks
1. Yoke
2. Right Arm
3. Left Arm
4. Body
6. Tardis Afghan x 2 (Yes I have two on the go)..might soon have three, scary.
1. One of these I need to have finished by May, but the yarn is a bit scratchy so I just need to either figure out how to make the yarn softer, or use the softer yarn I have to make a different one...Thoughts?
1. One of these got turned into the Giant Knitted blanket that you will see on here, using the huge needles, where vampires shrink at the sight of them :D 
7. Fingerless Mittens: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fingerless-mittens-8
1. I have 1 complete and about 25% of another one complete, a matching pair is within my grasp. These are beautiful, I want to do them on smaller needles with smaller yarn, it will take longer, but they will be less thick. Sadly these ones are in black which makes them hard to photograph nicely.
8. Reverie Beret (I have done so many of these I could do them in my sleep, but I have made 1 or 2 minor adjustments to make it my own)
9. Entrelac scarf, I do not think I am going to finish this per se... who knows
10. Feather and Fan Blanket 
    
11. Mitered Square blanket in Parrot...I was crocheting this into something, but I did not like it, I still don't really like it but it will happen. 

Giant Needles/Knitting

Appearing all over the place is giant knitting, and I would not mind giving this a go. Knit Picks has 3 pairs of giant needles, and I would love to do something with them, make a super chunky blanket, could you imagine how fast that would knit up? Or at least hopefully.

I picked up some US Size 50 needles. I am not 100% sure where to go from here, but I do know that if Buffy the Vampire Slayer becomes our reality that I will be prepared for what comes my way.
Vampire slaying and knitting all in one combo, I see good things for the future.


One of my Tardis blankets is quite scratchy, and I feel that it will be too scratchy for sensitive baby skin, so I am going to frog that and knit a blanket with these instead. I will have 3 strands of yarn, I might pick up a ball of white and do 4 strands, then it will be bigger and far more substantial. Now I think the claim to fame of these needles is that you can knit a blanket in 6 hours with them, so I guess I will be timing myself with this project to see how it goes.


The night I bought them I did complete about a 5 foot long scarf in 3 hours, it was out of a fluffy baby wool, but it was quite cozy. I have high hopes for this blanket.






The big test, they were fun. I cast on 60 sttiches and then proceed to knit about 61 rows and cast off on row 62. What I got was a HUGE blanket, the needles are only about 12 inches long, but I think another 10 cast on stitches and another 10 rows would have made a difference. So it is around 4 feet by 4 feet, and looks fairly snazzy.

Notes: I found it was quite easy to drop a stitch when working on this, so you kind of need to pay attention, and when I do this again, I think it would be beneficial to have 5 or maybe 6 strands of size 4 yarn. I am also trying to think of a pattern that you could work on this and make it more visually stimulating. I will keep you posted .

Have fun giant knitting. 

-A