Food KAL

In the past few weeks I was busy picking up fruits and vegetables from our garden and preserve them for the winter. Even though our plum trees produced only two plums, we are having some yellow raspberries and alpine strawberries to snack on and we still are having an abundance of cucumbers. I have been pickling them at least twice a week.
Our friends and family might be receiving homemade pickles as their Christmas presents.

Dog approves

I cannot really share the recipe for my pickling liquid as it seems to be every time slightly different. I am following the recipe my mom gave me when we started to do our own pickling.
She said: "I use water, vinegar, pickling salt, a bit of sugar, spices (All Spice, Black Peppercorn, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, Clove), try how it tastes and add what you think is needed. In the jar put some mustard seeds, fresh dill, sliced onions, garlic, peppers, carrots and cucumbers. Fill the jars with liquid close the top and boil in a pot with a kitchen towel on the bottom for about twenty minutes."
We have been using her recipe for some time, experimenting with variety of flavors, adding hot peppers to some jars, etc. Each batch that I make tastes slightly different, and that is what I enjoy about it - the unpredictability of what it will taste like when we open a new jar of our pickles.

Apples

I was also thinking about the next KAL for my group on Ravelry. I decided that we should knit anything that is food related. Aprons, dishcloths, knitted food, knitted parts of a food chain...…
The Food related KAL will run from now until the end of October, when I will pick the grand prize winner and some more winners to win other things as well.

To start the KAL I am offering  a 25% discount on many of my food related knitting patterns. The coupon code is valid until September 25th midnight EST.

Bowls

Use the coupon code Food to receive the discount.

Joint the fun and a chance to win my group Stana's critters etc on Ravelry.

photo by Knitpicks

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Knitting Patern for Golden Hour Fair Isle Scarf

Yarn 

In June I got to play with yarn. I had submitted an idea for a Fair Isle Scarf and it was accepted by I Like Knitting magazine. I received eleven skeins of yarn from Cascade Yarns company and I took them with me on my vacation. I was playing with the colors, while creating the pattern for the Golden Hour Fair Isle Scarf. Since I was on my vacation I had more time to knit than usually, and I finished the scarf in less than a week. I love the endless possibility of playing with the colors and creating a one of a kind scarf or just follow the direction and make the scarf as pictured in the sample.

Golden Hour Fair Isle Scarf

The pattern is part of the October issue of I Like Knitting Magazine.
Link here

photo by I Like Knitting

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Knitting Pattern for Apple Dishloth

photo by Knitpicks

Another of my dishcloth pattern was published by Knitpicks.

The pattern is free, and you can get the pattern on Knitpicks website, here is the link to the pattern:

Apple Dishcloth


I was working on this pattern last fall. Sometimes it takes a while from the time I work on a pattern before it is finally published.  Here is the sample I knitted while I was working on the pattern.

Apple dishcloth

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Fruits of our labor

Plum tree blooms

All my life I had an access to fresh fruits and vegetables. I know the difference of taste between fruits and vegetables bought from a store and freshly picked from the garden. I had learn how much work it requires to grow the fruits and vegetables.

One side of my family were farmers. Even though their land was confiscated by the communist party during the totalitarian regime, their were allowed to have a small plot of land near by their house that they were allowed to live in. As a child I remember to visit my grandparents and being able to pick fresh fruits of the trees, or vegetables from the small garden. I thought it was normal for everyone to have this opportunity.

I do not want to bore you with my family history. When I had my child, I wanted to offer the  opportunity to try fresh fruits and vegetables. Our small garden is nothing in comparison with what my grandparents and parents had, but it let my child experience the process of growing up your own fruits and vegetables.

Two years ago we planted two plum trees. This year the plum trees bloomed wonderfully. I was looking forward to have some plums. Then the June drop happened and the green little plums disappeared, except for two. I keep an eye on these two plums and check on them frequently.

Plum I

Plum II

Not all of our gardening attempts are as bad as our plum trees. We had plenty of fruits from our berry bushes and our cucumbers and beets are doing fine as well. I have been rather busy with preserving some of the vegetables for later. Therefore my knitting time has been rather limited and my progress on various projects has been slow. This weekend I will be doing another batch of pickled cucumbers and some sauerkraut as well.

Berries

Pickling 

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Knitting Pattern for Monkey Boy or Girl

Monkey

 A while back a friend of mine asked me to knit a monkey toy for her baby boy. I have created this monkey, and I decided to add blue striped shorts for her baby boy monkey.
Few months later, I finally had the time to write the pattern, had the test knitters test knit the pattern, but I also wanted to make a monkey girl as well. She needed a little dress. My mom's college friend is going to be a great grandmother and I gave her the monkey girl for her great granddaughter.
The final pattern, which includes the pattern for the shorts and the dress  is available now and you can purchase it in my Ravelry store or by clicking on this button:

Monkey Boy or Girl

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Summer and 3 new knitting patterns

Summer knitting

Long time ago I used to travel all the time. I travelled for pleasure and for work. When I was younger and free I used to be a tour guide. It was the best job ever. I was paid to travel, learn new things, experience new places, and share the knowledge. I would spend most of the year on road, travelling to various places and countries. When I was not travelling for work, I would travel on my own. It was truly the best job I ever had. Nowadays I don't travel for work anymore. Somehow falling in love and moving across the ocean to live in another country, and having a family made me change the direction of my career and life. My life is more settled and my travelling days are limited to visit my family and friends across the ocean once a year. It usually happens during the summer months. It creates a challenge to find a reasonable priced airline tickets, as the summer months are the most expensive months to travel. Seeing my family and friends once a year makes the trip ever so special and treasured.

Flower Heart

While I was visiting my family and friends three of my knitting patterns were published in I Like Knitting Collection.
Link to the web page: I Like Knitting

These three patterns are now also available to purchase in my Ravelry store:
My designs

and soon will be also on Lovecraft website:
My designs


Marina Infinity Scarf, a playful striped infinity scarf in white and blue. Link to the pattern:
Marina Infinity Scarf

photo by I Like Knitting

Cora Clutch, a one skein knitted clutch knitted in Caron Cakes with added lining, zipper and two buttons. Link to the pattern:
Cora Clutch

photo by I Like Knitting

Luna Infinity Scarf, a giant infinity scarf or a cowl, worked in Cascade Magnum yarn. Link to the pattern:
Luna Infinity Scarf

photo by I Like Knitting

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I Like Knitting Giveaway

photo by I Like Knitting

I Like Knitting Magazine has a wonderful giveaway during the month of August. They are launching a brand new web and their giveaway offers to win the Gold Club Membership.
You can enter here:
I Like Knitting Giveaway

Since some of my knitting patterns were published by I Like Knitting Magazine, my answer to the question "Why do I like knitting" is included in the video at their blog post.

photo by I Like Knitting

Why do you like knitting?