Wednesday, June 03, 2015

yarn along: strawberry distraction


The problem with lace weight shawls and 500 page books is that you have the same basic Yarn Along picture for weeks in a row!  Since I have made about 5 pages of progress in my reading, my snapshot includes one of the reasons for my lack of reading: strawberries.

I took my little girls strawberry picking Saturday morning and picked 12 lbs of local strawberries.  We had fun and they actually wanted to stay longer but I didn't want to take more of my grocery budget than that so we headed out with our ruby treasures.  I now have five pints of strawberry-vanilla jam and eight pints of frozen whole berries.  What is it about canning and food preservation that make me feel so connected to the past, and so wonderful and accomplished?  When we pick berries of any kind, the girls love to point out when the "plink-plank-plunk" sound can no longer be heard because the bottom of the bucket is covered.  I do feel like Little Sal's mother having to swat Rosie's hand out of my own bucket of berries: "Go find your own berries, these are for mother to can so we can have berries next winter!"  The sweet sunshine of berry jam in January can't be beat. 

I am still poking my way through All The Light We Cannot See and listening to Sense and Sensibility.
  
I am making steady and invisible progress on my Radiance shawl.  I watched the clock the other day; in an hour and a half, I was able to knit one and a half rows.  So the 15 or so rows I have left will take... oh, until next year.  It is relaxing knitting at least, with a simple yarn-over k2tog lace pattern followed by a purl row for now.  I guess it's time to look at ways to block a lace shawl. Anyone care to recommend their favorite or their least expensive way to do it?  This being my first lace shawl, I have no idea and will be researching from the ground up.  Advice appreciated!

Looking forward to visiting your blog today if you participate in Ginny's Yarn Along!




18 comments:

  1. Pretty sure Ginny had a post a while back about how she blocks lace shawls. I am really wanting some of the foam boards she uses!
    Delicious photos! You just cannot be unhappy around strawberries - they are so gorgeous! I have just ordered my strawberry plants for this year to put in over winter. I cannot wait for strawberry season again!

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    1. Oh good to know, I don't remember that one! I love love strawberries, and my measly little four plants don't really give any still, I dream of a big strawberry patch with enough for berries every morning! We'll see...

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  2. the strawberries look yummy.......to early yet for us here in Southern Ontario to go picking. Probably another three weeks away for strawberry picking season. I talk about a super book about knitting on my yarn along post today as I didn't get too much knitting done this past week.

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  3. and now you know my world...that sock blanket of mine with never be finished ;) Can't wait to see how your lace shawl turns out. I block mine on my carpet and put tpins into the carpet. I soak the shawl in wool wash first for about 20 minutes in warm water.

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    1. Oh that's a simpler method than I thought it could be! That blanket must take days per row by now! Haha!

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  4. I knit the Follow Your Arrow shawl and I remember some of the longer rows taking almost an hour to get across. That was, by far, the most time-consuming knit I've tackled to date. But, it's also one that I am the most proud of. I look forward to seeing your finished shawl. You'll be binding off in no time.

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  5. How lovely to see your sweet children strawberry picking, I would be distracted to if the strawberries were ready for picking here. I love to pick them with my Grandchildren, they eat more than they pick but we have fun. Great to have jam already.

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  6. You're jamming already!?!?! I covet your berries!

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    1. Yes, it's CRAZY! Usually I would have a few weeks left until strawberries started but we have had such an unseasonably warm winter and early spring this year in Washington state that my raspberry bushes had ripe berries too, starting yesterday! So I'm into preserving earlier than I expected!

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  7. yay for strawberries...ours aren't quite ready for picking yet but soon. take your time with the book and shawl - they are both too beautiful to rush through.

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  8. what delicious photos!! I love your pretty shawl!

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  9. I made my first batch of the season of strawberry jam a couple weeks ago. Seemed early, but...oh, those berries were soooo good! I don't do a lot of canning, but do sort of pat myself on the back every year with the jam that takes us from one summer to the next. (With a few gifted jars, too). I finally convinced hubby that MY jam was so much better than his store-bought icky jelly. He's a convert now, too! Shawls are always tricky to block.....and always seem to take more space than you think they will!!! I sometimes have to block in sections if a spare bed isn't available! Luckily, lace really dried quickly! Good luck!

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  10. Wonderful memories for children to go fruit picking and have their mama make strawberry jam. They always say 'my mum's jam was the best:" Oh my that sounds like a lot of work but I bet it will be worth it in the end. I'm sure you'll get lots of compliments for you shawl.

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  11. How do you like All the Light We Cannot See? It's on my to-read list. But I didn't realize it was 500 pages long, yikes!

    What recipe did you use for your jam? I made a few teeny batches for the first time last year, and am hoping to do so again this summer! Maybe even take the kids berry picking, although with two 18 month olds in the mix that might be a bit ambitious. ;) Your girls look so sweet and happy in all that sunshine!

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  12. Love the strawberries! And don't worry about the shawl--they're a lot easier to block than you think! Hard to get it wrong :)

    I soak the shawl first in mostly cold water. Then, I lay it out on a towel. Roll it up in the towel, and then press the roll so that the excess water will be absorbed from the shawl. I believe Karen above mention laying it out on a carpet; that's what I do, too, except that I lay another towel over the carpet first, and then lay a towel on top of the pinned shawl, sandwiching it (for protection from the cat and her fluffy cat hairs, really). Keep a spray bottle full of water handy for when the shawl becomes too dry while you're shaping it. It's always easier to pin when damp!

    Long-winded, but I hope it's helpful!

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  13. Those strawberries look divine! And I'm sure the jam is just as heavenly. Very jealous over here. And I definitely understand what you mean about having the same Yarn Along photos repeatedly! I think we have all been there before :)

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  14. Those strawberries look divine! And I'm sure the jam is just as heavenly. Very jealous over here. And I definitely understand what you mean about having the same Yarn Along photos repeatedly! I think we have all been there before :)

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  15. The strawberry jam looks splendid!! The shawl is coming along nicely - I soak and block on childrens foam squares (the ones with numbers or letters on). Sometimes I do it in sections if it gets too big!

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