Simple Knits | June Success

We're away on vacation, but I didn't forget about the June Simple Knits project.  I cast on this morning at breakfast and picked it up again tonight while relaxing and watching a movie.  Here's my finished (and very much needed) Canning Jar Sweater 

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The July project will be announced next week when I'm back from vacation and will also be a little combo with the upcoming Firefly Fibers Summer Knitalong. 

Because of waiting to post the July project, we'll extend June's until Monday, July 6th. Sound good? 

Cheers! 

Getting TALL

With the revival of the pint & half (24 oz) jars, I decided to modify the Canning Jar Sweater pattern to accommodate the taller jar and it really does deserve it because these jars are fabulous! I think it's rather handsome in Spud & Chloe's Manatee:

CanningJarSweaterAYThis one was for hubby to use with his Cuppow at work and I hope to cast one on for myself soon in Chipmunk. It's already wound and ready to go, so it doesn't count, right?

CuppowCozyFFv2These are the originals in Pollen, Grass and Splash - I love yarn with great color names!

If you want to knit your own Canning Jar Sweater, the pattern is available here on Ravelry and at Firefly Fibers (as is the Sweater and a variety of Cuppows, both of which tempt me daily).

If you only need the pattern updates, visit this blog post on Firefly Fibers to find out how to get them!

I'm hoping to cast mine on tonight at knitting, but we'll see... Cheers!

Margaritas

I love margaritas and a few months back I made homemade margarita mix for a get-together with some friends and they were delicious - like, really delicious. I concocted that batch in my usual manner of adding a little of this and a little of that, but then I had requests for my recipe - eek! Then, as luck would have it, my sister-in-law had a birthday, she mentions margaritas and this was perfect because I had a boatload of limes in the fridge just for this. It was meant to be, right?

imageSeizing this perfect opportunity - "perfect" meaning I got to be in the kitchen AND knit her the above  Canning Jar Sweater - I tried to recreate what I had done a few weeks back and kept track of the actual recipe. End result... It's really close and pretty darn good! imageFirst and foremost, use fresh limes. This requires some elbow grease, but they really make a difference and the little bits of lime pulp are wonderful. To avoid pulling a muscle to get as much juice as possible from each lime, I present my handy dandy:

Tips for juicing limes:

  • Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and let set for 1 minute.
  • Roll on the counter with pressure before cutting.
  • Use a citrus reamer or fork to get every last little bit of juice.

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Alisa The Yarnista's Margaritas

  • 1-1/2 cups of freshly squeezed lime juice (8-10 limes)
  • 2 cups Triple Sec
  • 2 cups tequila
  • 2 tbs Agave syrup (add more if you like a sweeter margarita)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix all ingredients and pour over ice - I also love mixing in some beer for a beergarita or seltzer water to lighten it up a little bit. These margaritas are so much tastier that the store-bought mix and I'm sure you'll agree! Cheers!

Do you have a homemade version of margaritas or another beverage that you'd like to share?