Thursday 20 August 2015

Apple Picking and Processing

It's that time of year again! I love picking apples, but since I don't have my own tree, I rely upon the generosity of others. This year I had a lady from my parents' church let me pick from her tree (cooking apples) and on Friday we will be picking at the same house as last year (crabapples). We've already picked about 150 lbs of apples, which surpassed last year's amount and we're not even done yet!

I count myself blessed for several reasons: First, because we have my teenage sister-in-law living with us and she's going to sell apple pies at the farmer's market to afford new sneakers. Secondly, because I believe the economic situation is heading in a downward spiral (already groceries are getting quite expensive), so anything we can get for free from nature helps us out. We are making only pies from the cooking apples and will make juice from the crabapples. My 4-year old loves juice!

Due to a late frost this year, there were ZERO saskatoons, which I literally cried about. However, it didn't kill the chokecherries, so we had a couple picks and made pancake syrup from them. I didn't make jelly/jam this year because my husband got sick of it. I made so much jam last year that he was up to his eyeballs, so, no jam this year...

Here is a picture of my pie-making - I usually can my apple pie filling, but since my husband was kind enough to make me crusts, I'll use em!

Saturday 13 June 2015

Veggies for Zones 2-3

I live smack dab in the middle of the Canadian prairies - it's an agriculture dream with the endless seas of wheat, canola and flax all around. Vegetables do wonderful in our rich topsoil, but the climate is a big challenge. Typically in my area of Manitoba our last frost date is May 28th and our first frost date is at the beginning of September, meaning I always aim for veggies that can be harvested within 60-75 days.

In our zone, potatoes win over corn every time. There is either not enough sun or not enough heat during any given summer to have corn grow well. Sure, it'll grow, but not to its full potential. Potatoes, however, grow in even the worst conditions. Plus, if you eat nothing but potatoes all day (and drink milk) you'll get all your nutritional requirements. They may be starchy, but they've got a little bit of every vitamin and mineral in them.

The next most wonderful vegetable here is beans. They're easy to plant, easy to harvest, and easy to store. I prefer bush beans because pole beans tend to grow taller than me and I don't have fancy trellises for them. If you're practical like me, bush beans are the way to go.

If you have enough space, I want to sing praises for pumpkins as well. Just four pumpkins kept our family in pies for the whole winter (but that's only because I didn't tell my husband how many I'd made, otherwise they would've just lasted a month!). Plus, pumpkin seeds are very high in iron, which is handy for pregnant, nursing, or menstruating women, or for anyone who donates blood regularly.

Although it's not a veggie, I also want to mention rhubarb and raspberries. These perennial fruits are absolutely essential for any northern garden. They require very little care and produce heartily. Oh, and they taste great!

I hope I've given you some ideas about what you should plant in your garden, but you're not limited to this list. I find tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers (which all love heat) are difficult, but not impossible, to grow here, but you must start them indoors and keep them there until all threat of frost has passed. Good luck!

Saturday 16 May 2015

Pattern Review: McCalls 9635

Yet another jammies pattern! With summer coming (and my little girl addicted to dresses), I decided to make her another nightgown. Honestly, I chose this pattern because it looked easy, and I was not disappointed! I think apart from the cutting, it took me half an hour maximum.

The pattern instructions were easy to follow, the pattern itself was a dream, and although there aren't too many style options, it's a great straightforward pattern to have in your repetoire. I felt it could teach a beginner the best construction methods to use with other clothing items. I definitely recommend it! Now here are some pictures of the finished product:

Monday 30 March 2015

Oma's Booties

With size 3mm needles (set of five) cast on 28 (so working on 4 needles you should have 7 sts on each needle). pattern is 4 rows purl, 4 rows knit. Work pattern 3 times for cuff. Working on one needle only, work ridges. But since it's worked flat, the pattern will be purl row, knit row, purl row, knit row, then work another four alternating rows, starting with knit. (If you want, slip the first stitch of each row to make picking up easier) - you will do a total of 32 rows. Pick up 11 stitches along each side for a total of 50 stitches. (So the two small needles should have 7 each and the larger needles have 18 each). Work4 rows purl, 4 rows knit, 4 rows purl. Divide for sole (6, 18, 8, 18) with smaller needles being at the toe and heel. k2tog at the beginning and end of each needle, knitting the rest. Naturally, the smaller needles will disappear but just keep working on the other two. Work 6 rows, turn inside out and seam closed.



I am currently testing this pattern and would love feedback!
EDIT: Thanks to Lise for pointing out I'd repeated myself in saying to divide onto four needles. I also re-wrote the top portion to be ridged instead of flat, for extra stretch and to stay true to my Oma's originals.

Tuesday 10 March 2015

Pattern Review: Simplicity 2280

Simplicity 2280 is a button-blouse pajama top with pants. Honestly, I've never made any style blouse before and I can honestly say this was a great pattern to start with. The pattern and instructions were very straight-forward except (being a complete newbie at facings) the instructions regarding the final step for the facing could've been more clear or shown another illustration about what the final product should look like after the final sewing step. I ended up trimming excessively because I felt the facing was too floppy/unfinished around the neck, when I should've left well enough alone.

That being said, it still came out great. One change I made was to use ribbed knit on the arms instead of the fabric band.


Tuesday 24 February 2015

Pattern Review: Butterick 4222

Although this nightgown appears identical (on the package) to the last one I made, it is infinitely better in construction and clarity of instructions. The neckline was also much tighter than the last one, although I did wander from the instructions in making the yoke reversible rather than with interfacing. And I did not use lace. I thought they overdid it. My daughter loves the nightgown and it is very comfy. Plus, the pattern works up large, so even though my daughter cannot wear a commercial size 6, the pattern size 6 is still roomy.

Thursday 12 February 2015

Pattern Review: Simplicity 8127

This pattern was quite a challenge, perhaps because I'm sleep-deprived, but it required complete ripping-out and re-sewing several times. I was ready to throw it out the window or relegate it to the this-pattern-sucks-so-bad-I-will-not-even-finish-it pile. It barely received a 2/10 score in my books. If the finished product weren't so cute, it would've gotten a zero. The instructions could've been more detailed, the yoke could've been more beginner-friendly by having more markings for attachment instead of just vague suggestions in the instructions about placement. The piecemeal gathering was time-consuming, and the single button-and-loop in the back has never appealed to me.

As you can see, I didn't do the elasticized sleeves, but instead just left them loose. It was a perfect length for my little girl, but that's only because I had shortened it during the cutting stage by about 4 inches. The neckline did not turn out like the pattern picture - it was humungously gaping. Overall (as you can tell) this pattern did not impress me and I will not be making it again.

Thursday 5 February 2015

Pattern Review: Burda 9782

My husband recently bought me Burda #9782 (sleeper with feet or without, and a sleep sack). It goes from 3 months to size 2 and opens along the neck/side with snaps. It has ribbed knit for the neck and cuffs. My daughter can't sleep without something on her feet, and it seems everything in Walmart stops having feet after size 18 months, because they assume they're walking by then. But what if you have a bigger child in that size who is not even close to walking? Well, make your own! I did purchase some of the grippy-fabric though, just to be safe. I made a size 2 for the future (and for fair submission this summer) and a size 6 months.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this pattern. It was very quick to make! However, if a person was an inexperienced sewer, they might be confused at some of the unclear directions. Also, I had to tweak the snap-band a bit. It goes continuously in one piece, but the opposite side has a bit of a corner. So I angled the band at the same place to avoid a bit of waving. Babyville Boutique snaps were used - 9 in total seemed about right.