apple jelly and sauce

So... I spent part of today making some beautiful jelly. a customer gave me some gorgeous apples at sock class on Saturday, so i chopped up, cooked and drained apples, then i made jelly. it is the most beautiful pink champaign color. and the taste? well, i can't describe it....

before i've always put the remainer of the apples out to the compost. i felt a bit guilty about this. it's perfectly good apple pulp, just a little lacking in juice. so today, i tried something. i took the lovely apple pulp, ran it through my food mill twice (first time through on big chop, then on really find chop to get rid of all the apple peel). When i got done i had about 1.5 pints of pulp. i added about half a cup of white sugar, cooked it until it was had boiled for a bit. I felt like i needed to boil it since it had hung out in open air for all day, collecting little bacteria. i came away with a pint and a half of apple sauce. it'll be rather tart i think. hopefully it won't jell. that would be so ironic.

last week i made what i hoped would be peach jam, which turned into peach sauce, because it didn't jell. at all. not that it isn't yummy. we've already eaten a couple pints of the stuff--it delish on toast, or ice cream or cake... mmmm BUT, if my peach jam turns out to be peach sauce, and my apple sauce turns out to be apple jam, that would be a bit funny!

tomorrow--knitting!

so.... i've been dyeing my fingernails funky colors--ok, that's just an interesting side effect!

i'll be updating my website tonight, so... if you're chasing Castle Fibers Yarn, tonight's the night!

goodness, it's been too long

i've been super distracted by the shop... i've gotten lots done lately. from indigo dyeing to designing patterns, i've been busy!

here's the results of a natural dyeing weekend... from coreopsis to black-eyed susans to purple logwood the colors were great

this is from my indigo dye pot. it was amazing to watch the color go from sort of greeny yellow to BLUE.

this is intended for socks... it's naturally dyed with chamomile, (for the yellow) and blackwalnut and purple logwood (for the black)

these are the socks... i'm loving them, but the heels are not happening like i'd like.

i've also been designing too... these little fingerless gloves and matching cowl came out really well.

a super lovely friend made this for me for my birthday... it matches the sheep on the sign for my shop. i love it!