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Of Hearth and Home…

24 July 2015 /

I have accepted that this year I will not be preserving my own personal harvest 🙁 so I’m doing the next best thing ; buying in-season fruit and veg and processing it. There are some great pick-your-own farms and farm stalls close by to our new home in Devon so I have penciled in a few trips to these farms/stalls to bring in a different sort of harvest this year 🙂

In the mean time however, necessity calls. I mentioned a couple of posts back that I had opened my last jar of homemade chutney a few weeks ago. Sad that it is the last jar but WOW – it’s the best jar so far! 7 months of the chutney maturing and I realize that the longer it sits in the jar the better 🙂

So – two batches of chutney were canned this past weekend. 

Caramelized Red Onion Chutney – I only got 3 jars out of this batch.

…and Peach Apricot chutney. I got quite a few jars out of this batch – 9 in all. I found some great DIY chalk board type labels on Pinterest. I love the simple, rustic look that the labels give. Happily my grocery cupboards are once again well stocked with chutney. There’s something quite satisfying in seeing all those pretty jars filled with your hard work lining the shelves.

On the needles: a pair of socks, one down and half way through the second sock. I love hand knitted socks – there really is nothing like them. I have a good few pairs but some are getting old and worn so I need to restock the sock basket 🙂

In the past I have used the same simple sock pattern which get’s kind of boring, so I am on a mission to try new sock patterns. This one is Hermiones Everyday Socks. For this particular pair of socks I have omitted the pattern and simply used stockinette stitch. I felt that the yarn was so pretty that I didn’t want the pattern taking away from it’s self-striping design. 

So a productive creative week at Moor View Cottage and hopefully more creativity to happen over the weekend 🙂

9 Comments

  • Penny

    24 July 2015 at 11:20 am

    I am in awe of people who knit socks. It's like a superpower.

    Enjoy your weekend – may the sun shine gently and the birds sing sweetly!

    • Shirley-Ann

      27 July 2015 at 8:44 pm

      LOL – Penny you made me smile. I love the idea that sock knitting is like a superpower. It's not really though – socks are quite simple to knit really. Just cast on and go for it 🙂

  • Helena

    24 July 2015 at 7:52 pm

    What lovely socks! I have yet to try my hand at knitting socks, they scare me for some reason. And the yarn doing that all by itself sort of seems like magic. 🙂

    • Shirley-Ann

      27 July 2015 at 8:45 pm

      Helena I think all the needles used can put people off knitting them. But honestly it's not hard. There are some great tutorials on YouTube to help you if you get stuck.

  • Catherine

    26 July 2015 at 7:14 am

    I love the self striping yarn you have used for your socks. What is it please? I have only ever made one pair of socks (and I used the Hermione pattern too) so I suppose I had better get knitting some for winter.

  • Monica

    26 July 2015 at 8:20 am

    You did a wonderful job! Last year I got a jar of beetroot chutney and I saved the tag to recreate my own recipe.
    And I'm in awe at the knitted socks. I don't knit but I love woollen things a LOT and have several pairs of handknitted socks that I wear always!

  • Amy at love made my home

    26 July 2015 at 9:42 am

    I love your socks!! I love homemade chutney too and always find that it is better several months after it has been made isn't it. It gets yummier and yummier! xx