Dry-your-own

I've tried drying my own herbs before and found some easier than others. Some I hang in the airing cupboard, others I dry on a tray in the upper oven but I've never managed to get dried oregano that retains any aroma. In a brief spot of sunshine last week, I decided to try another way - spreading the leaves on a metal tray on a hot windowsill - and it works! I actually have usable dried oregano rather than the normal dead leaves. Now all I need to do is pick a LOT more oregano.

Reduce, re-use, recycle.

I'm reducing the pile of stuff labelled 'things that may be useful one day' by re-using the material from old skirts. I'm hoping the larger ones (mine) can be recycled into summer tops and the smaller ones (daughter's) into colourful linings for my funky bag projects.

Step 1 - unpicking

Really this speaks for itself - the first step to re-making this crocheted top is to take it apart!

I've opened the side seams as currently the garment is FAR too small for me and opened the front as I intend to turn it into a waistcoat.

Next step will be to make the neck wider and remove most of the sleeve sections. Then comes the difficult part - finding more yarn for extra patches and working out where to add the new ones, particularly if they aren't the same colours.  

Watch this space for progress reports!!


Previous post on this project
Not Throwing This Away

Finished!

 My odds and ends fair isle slipover is now

finished and drying after a quick rinse to 'settle' the knitting.

I just need some cooler weather now, so I can wear it.

(maybe not, Summer is nice now it's arrived)

Not throwing this away!

I made this crochet top for my younger daughter a few years ago and she's now grown out of it. It was the first complete crocheted garment I'd made and took an absolute age to finish. 

There's no way I'm sending this to the charity shop!

What I intend to do is take it slightly apart - I've already taken the neckband off - and re-assemble as a waistcoat for myself. I'm going to need to make more medallions so I'm hoping there's enough left over yarn somewhere around or something that will match.

Nearly done....

This is my latest 'use up the odd and ends' project.

Nearly finished now - all the actual knitting done, just left with fastening off all the ends and sewing up the seams.







Previous posts on this project
2nd May
4th June

Fish pie with added beans!

One snag of growing our own veg is the sudden gluts of one thing or another. Admittedly it's a nice drawback to have but broad beans everyday were starting to get dull so it was time to try something new... Fish pie with added beans!

I was actually going to adapt Teen's school recipe for tuna pasta bake but then decided to use potatoes instead. 

As per recipe, I cooked the veg first

Mixed them with the tuna and some red pepper for a bit of colour

Topped everything with partly-cooked potato slices

poured over some white sauce and grated a very small amount of cheese on top.

Ta dah!

Very nice, even if I say so myself.