The Knit Witch

I learned to knit when I was a kid but about a year ago I started up again. I wanted to use my blog to recommend a great help site for knitters - http://www.knitwitch.com/. I found her instructional videos so helpful. Happy Knitting!

Drying Herbs - Getting the most from your herb garden

As soon as the weather gets a little warmer I can be seen rushing off to the garden center and inevitably overspending in the flurry of springtime excitement. This year I bought nine different types of herbs. I have used them throughout the summer but as winter approaches I have decided to dry them out in order to extend their life.

To dry herbs cut the sprigs close to the root and then remove from the bottom inch of the stem. I have read it is best to cut them mid-morning. Get rid of any dead leaves and shake them to loose any creepy crawlies that might be hiding. Then bunch the stems together with twine and insert them hanging upside down inside a small brown paper bag. Cut holes in the bag and label them so you know what's what.

Leave these for a few weeks in a dry airy spot. When they are dried out you can break off the leaves and store them in a airtight container, such as a canning jar. You can then use 1 teaspoon of dry herbs in place of 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs in any recipe.

Grizwald Christmas

My latest project is genius! I am working on coordinating Christmas pajamas for the entire family, including Henry our dog. I have some great flannel fabric that is perfectly tacky in red and green! I just have to find a fun pattern for a doggie jacket and we will be all set. My husband has allowed me to pursue my dream with the condition that no photographic evidence of our coordinated Christmas morning will be made public. I will try to keep that promise. I am sure he doesn't want our family photo ending up here - www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Etsy Success!!

I am so excited! I decided to list some of the items I have made on Etsy.com so I created a store on the site - http://www.littleloves1.etsy.com/ . And guess what? One of them sold! I am so excited to have sold the on-the-go diaper bag that I made. I have a little one and as he grew from a baby to a toddler I stopped needing to cart the entire nursery around with me. I put together this bag from a book I had and I thought it was so perfect that I made another to sell. The changing mat is attached to the bag so you just roll it up and go! The fabric is cute and fun and the bag is just the right size for a bottle, snack and a few essentials. Check it out!

Bathroom Makeover Part 2

I have almost completed my bathroom makeover. I just need to put a little sealer round the toilet and put in a base board along the wall. Overall I am really happy with the new look my bathroom received.

I started with brown tile on the floor and wall. You can see photos here. I removed the tiles from the floor and after much discussion replaced them with an adhesive floor tile. By using these it meant I didn't have to level the floor or put down a new base floor. It was hard work cutting the tiles around all the obstacles.

The walls were standard ceramic tile with a flower motif on every 10th tile. I got some help from the paint expert at Home Depot on this part of the project. To paint over the tile I first made sure the tiles were extremely clean as any soap scum or oil on the tile would effect the paint. I started with Glidden Gripper and applied one coat. Then the tricky part was choosing a paint that would withstand a damp atmosphere in the bathroom and not peel off. I ended up using a paint that is usually used on a garage floor. This worked really well because it will withstand rain and scrubbing or cleaning.

I choose Martha Stewart - Cement Grey for the walls and I got all my accessories here.

Hope you like it!

Most Amazing Orzo Salad

I had this Orzo Salad a few times at my friend's parties so when I was having a girlfriend over for dinner I asked him for the recipe. I have to share this link to the best Orzo salad you will ever have. I paired it with salmon in a lime butter sauce and some sugar snap peas. It was a perfect, fresh summer supper.

http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/Orzo-Salad---Giada-De-Laurentis/22793/

Fresh Cut Flowers

I just love cutting some fresh flowers in my garden and putting them in a pretty vase. Here are a couple of examples of arrangements I created.

With a wood stemmed flower is best to mash the ends of the cut stem. This helps the flower to absorb water more efficiently. Adding a teaspoon of sugar will also help the flowers to keep longer.

Last Minute Gift Bag

I am getting ready to go to a play date with my son this morning and I wanted to bring some of the jam that I made as a little gift for the hostess. I created this quaint gift bag from some brown paper lunch bags.

To dress the jam jar I used a 4'x4' square of yellow gingham and used a pinking shears to finish the edges.

I layered two brown paper sandwich bags because double-bagging makes it look more substantial and you get less wrinkles as you work with the bag. I had some bright pink ribbon in my sewing store and I used the shears to trim the edge of the bag and ribbon. I pulled the ribbon through and fold the bag down.

I really like the contrast of the brown paper and bright ribbon, hopefully my lovely hostess does too!

Bathroom Makeover

The other day I noticed that a tile was loose on our bathroom floor. I have to be honest, I don't like our bathroom decor. The tile is old and brown and although we replaced the sink, vanity and toilet, the tile and bath remain. So, when I saw that a tile was coming loose I may have helped it along......slightly. Imagine my delight when I discovered the original 1946 tile that was underneath!

So, I continued on and it started to look promising. Ignoring my intuition that it was crazy to do this, I imagined a pristine black and white tile floor with a retro feel. My newly renovated bathroom would be so cool! But, it wasn't long before I hit a snag....

When I came across the 1 inch gap that is between the edge of the wall and the floor I knew that I was in trouble.

A trip to Home Depot and a discussion with a very nice lady confirmed I have bitten off far more than I can chew. Levelling, a new base floor, grouting???? Why don't they just have stick on tiles?

So now half my floor is up and my options are fading. I bought two samples of plastic adhesive tiles which is far from my original vision. However, I have now decided to paint over the old wall tile and to paint the wall too. I have two weeks to complete this project so I will keep updating!

Homemade Blackberry Jam

Making Blackberry Jam (without a canner, without sugar and without enough blackberries)

Almost four years ago my Dad planted a blackberry bush in our backyard. This summer brought a bumper crop of blackberries so I need to come up with different ways of using them. My first try was to make some blackberry jam. Here is a little how-to for the improvisers among us. Eat your heart out Bonne Mamon. I plan to give a couple of these away as gifts - there is only so much jam one girl can eat!

1. You really need about 3 pints of fruit for the recipe I used. I had 6 cups of blackberries from our garden but you need to mush up the fruit and then have at least 3 cups as a result. My 6 cups of blackberries were not enough so I had to improvise and added a pint of blueberries that I had in my fridge.


2. I don't have a canner so I boiled the jars in a big pot to sterilize them.

3. I put the mushed fruit and 3/4 cup of water in a medium pot. I wasn't sure which brand of pectin to buy at the store but ended up with SURE-JELL Lower Sugar. This means you can use Splenda in your recipe. I added the whole packet gradually to the fruit.

4. I then brought it to a rolling boil (doesn't stop boiling even when stirred). I kept it boiling for 1 minute and then removed it from heat.

5. Only then do you add the Splenda (1/2 cup)......and your done! Almost.



6. I poured the jam into four jars I had. I don't have a canner but the canning instructions said to put the filled jars back into the canner and boil for 10 mins ensuring that there is 1-2 inches of water above the jar. I figured I could do this in my large pot.

7. To experiment I only boiled 2 jars and put the other two in the fridge. The test to see if the jar has been sealed is to press the top with your finger and see if the metal pops back. Amazingly it seems to have worked. The two in the fridge pop back but the ones I boiled do not. Presumably this means they will keep much longer....or poison the people I gift them to......

I would love to know if anyone that reads this post tries to make the jam or maybe comes up with some cool ways to decorate the jars.