Knitting Hedgehog and I were both very happy to get our first sale on Etsy! Here is a picture of the earrings going out. I had some fun with washi tape to decorate the box. I was also thrilled to use our custom made logo stamp on the mailing envelope.
Yay! Here is to more sales and new stuff!
I love the idea of growing my own food. Alas, I am still an apartment dweller and all my attempts at a window sill vegetable garden have all ended in heartache and very little edible anything.
But I still like the idea of having a hand in where my food comes from so I’ve been wanting to try canning. And when I saw a coupon for a get started kit and a deal for dollar a quart blackberries, the stars aligned and it was finally time.
My first attempt resulted in blackberry jam that I’ve been eating at an alarming rate. (Which kind of negates the canning process as it’ll be gone before I have to start worrying about shelf life.) At first, my excuse was, “Well, I’ve got eight jars of jam. I’ll be eating it forever!” But then it just devolved into, “Hmm, I wonder how it would taste in my yogurt/on my toast/straight out of the jar.”
Err, before I embarrass myself further. The photo essay I like to call “A Study in Jam.”
Cooking berries. Looks good enough to sample, as is.
Preparing the jars.
Pause here to run out and purchase a stockpot. My insistence that my big pot would be big enough was…misguided. Big difference in size. Big difference.
Skim.
Fill jars.
Dunk and cool.
And enjoy!
Now, if you’ll excuse, I think I need my daily dose!
I should probably start my first post here with info on me and my projects, but instead you have to indulge my Etsy shopping addiction. Here is my latest find.
This past weekend I went to the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival and fell in love with Catherine Reece’s pottery. She hand draws birds, insects and other natural designs on a variety of great sturdy pieces. My mother was kind enough to purchase the peacock bowl I fell in love with for me.
All her stuff is microwave and dishwasher safe too! Be sure to take a look at the bird bud vases, which are both adorable and very affordable.
As you might be able to tell from my name, I knit. A lot. (I also crochet a lot, but knittingandcrochetinghedgehog is a bit unwieldy, don’t you think?)
I’ve found that this is for several reasons:
1) I am a geek and play in an online knitting game. Deadlines and competition do wonders for my productivity.
2) Stress relief. When I knit, everything else going on in my head is drowned out by the counting.
3) I have a lot of yarn.
Let’s focus on #3. Now when I say “a lot of yarn”, take that with a grain of salt. A lot to me is quite different from a lot for people like this. (I would show you my stash but it’s bit of a mess and I won’t subject you to that.)
It’s not that I’m particularly embarrassed by how much yarn I have. It’s that it calls to me, “Use me! Look how pretty I am!”
These culprits are the loudest at the moment.
Alina Shea Creations Sunshine in Summer Grapes
This one is killing me! Must. Knit. Pretty. Yarn.
Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino
Reminds me of watercolors.
Malabrigo Silky Merino in Noctural
Are we noticing a color theme here?
Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock in Cornish Pixies
That blue just pops! Also? Extremely pet-able!
Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in Royalty
Look at those color gradients! This is also so soft and squishy.
How can I not give them the full attention they deserve? It would be cruel to leave them in their cubbyholes, languishing and neglected.
And there you have it. It’s all the pretty yarn’s fault!
Arwen
knittinghedgehog