The blog will probably be reborn!

Tossing around the idea of a food blog.  I won't start it though until I have thoroughly investigated all info on blogging successfully.  I will also be writing several entries to have prepared for when I can't cook or bake thanks to classes.  Hopefully, I'll learn a lot about web design this semester so that I can design my own site as well.  Being chained to blogger sucks.

Fastnacht Day

Today goes by a few different names:  Fastnacht Day, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, and Pączki Day.  In honor of it being Fastnacht Day, I made traditional fastnachts.  Sadly, they don't taste anything like a doughnut or even a potato doughnut... they taste like funnel cake, and pretty bad funnel cake at that.  You can find the recipe here, if you're curious about it.

Even if they didn't turn out quite how I had planned, it was still quite a bit of fun making them.  I was even able to get my brother involved and had him hovering over the deep fryer, vigilantly monitoring the frying process.

To accompany the fastnachts, I whipped up a couple modern day pastries with some yarn.  The pattern for these doughnuts can be found over at lionbrand.com.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year

Today marks the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit.  I decided to celebrate by making two amigurumi- a kokeshi cat and rabbit!  The cat was directly from a pattern, but the rabbit was an adaptation made especially for the new year.  I'm still playing around with her hair.  The first "wig" I put on her looked terrible.  This one isn't too bad- it's very wild and earthy looking.  We'll see if I ever come up with the perfect hairdo!

However, the Vietnamese do not celebrate this year as the Year of the Rabbit.  For them, it is the Year of the Cat.  Good news for our kokeshi cat- He won't feel left out!

Kokeshi Cat Pattern available here.

A blanket of snow

Winter has been troublesome again this year- lots of snow and even some very cold temperatures.  It feels like back home in my tiny rural town in Wisconsin, until I journey out in my car and get slapped by the realities of traffic and oversized, crowded shopping malls.  Regardless, I still find hints of idealic country nestled between the hustle and bustle.  I stopped and snapped this scenic little picture on the way home yesterday (irritating more than a few other drivers I'm sure).

And what better way to stay cozy and warm in winter than to curl up with a warm blanket?  I made this one as a Christmas gift, and it's the first blanket I've crocheted.  It turned out fairly well for my first large project.  In fact, the afghan was quite popular in the house and there were several hints at keeping it.  However, I didn't think that "the dog ate it" or "it has a big hole in it" were very believable so it was gifted as intended.  The blanket is currently exercising its warming skills in Wisconsin.

Catch the cactuar!

This cactuar is the first amigurumi I've ever made and it was given to my boyfriend for his birthday.  Being geeks, we both love the Final Fantasy video games, so when I saw this pattern I just had to make it!  

I've since made other amigurumi including a snail for my friend.  Although, I think she would have been ecstatic if I'd given her the cactuar!

Right now, I'm working on a few original projects when not in class or otherwise distracted by bright shiny objects...




*Want to make your own?  Head on over to www.ravelry.com.  A big thanks to Amy Lee for the pattern!*

Creative outlet

I created this blog some time ago and never used it.  Now though, it appears that I have found something worth blogging about!  Welcome to my blog about creativity and "art".  I use the term art loosely here- after all, what one person considers art another may think of as trash.  Art, I believe, is the product of creative outlet.  So even if your finished art is nothing but blotches of paint on paper, or a mess of small objects glued into an abstract statue, it's still art.

This blog of mine will feature my crazy creations as I make them.  At first, there will probably be mostly stuff from designs out there.  After all, I need to start somewhere.  But as my skills in knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, etc. improve, original design will become the focus.  What will I create?  Everything, just about.  I like to do it all!

Get out there and be artistic!  There's a lot of joy in creating.