Fungus Among Us

This one's a bit obvious, since I'm not such a fan of white button mushrooms but instead much prefer to buy baby bellas, but I still thought it would be cute to photograph the various fungi together. A very simple crochet pattern from Knittorama that took me about 15 minutes, maximum.

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On an unrelated note, I've noticed that my tofu pin cushion has recieved a whole lot of attention! To appease the adoring tofu fans (ha) I will soon be posting a real pattern for you to make your own, so just sit tight!

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Time For a New Watch

Some might say I can be almost comically neurotic when it comes to timing, and unfortunately I can't entirely disagree. It wouldn't kill me to show up somewhere slightly late, but I would much prefer arriving 10 minutes early, just in case. That's why my dilemma of not having a watch was really screwing with my head, you understand. I'm generally on a very tight schedule, so if I don't know what time it is when I'm out of the house, I start to get a bit anxious, although usually for no good reason.

For the past couple of months, I've sort of been "in-between" watches, ever since my adorable Hello Kitty watch broke and I was unable to find a replacement. I had been borrowing one of my mom's old clunky things as a temporary time piece, but it seemed like there would never be a chance to find one I actually liked. And then there was the thought of getting out my crafty side and somehow making one…


And when the temporary watch slipped off my wrist and into a pot of parafin wax the other night… That cemented it: I could put it off no longer. What was blocking my good intentions from manifesting themselves in the first place? My reluctance to actually do something about an issue that was so important to me was bordering on appauling. The very next day I hauled my ass down to ACMoore's and bought myself a plain watch face and some beads, and the end result is what you see above.

It may be extremely simple and perhaps plain, but I'm honestly really happy with it. I see it as being elegant but still neutral, so I don't need to worry about it whether I can wear it to school versus a formal occasion.

I find it deeply satisfy to finally resolve this whole thing, and to have beaded the band myself, despite its simplicity. Screw that mass-produced crap that is never quite what you're looking for – Do it yourself, and do it right!

Hannah (BitterSweet)1 Comment

Teachers Love Apples?

I don’t know where the whole tradition of giving your teacher an apple as a sign of respect and dedication to absorbing the lessons one might recieve, but it has still managed to carry over into modern times, slightly twisted in my case. The school year is winding down, meaning a number of things, the top two for me being: 1) FINAL EXAMS ARE COMING UP OH SHIT I’M GOING TO FAIL, and 2) I need to find a way to thank those who put up with my daily nonsense in their classrooms. A decent amount of time still spans between now and my school’s imminent summer release – June 27, can you believe it?! – But my mother also works in the school system, and happens to get out earlier than me! As a gift of appreciation to her side of the whole ‘learning equasion’, I wanted to bake her something nice to bring in for a thank-you-for-not-killing-the-kids breakfast for her diligent coworkers. Trust me, it’s been a long year, and this is the least I could do.

Although I had been starting to get skeptical about the apples available at the grocery store recently, I happen to pick up a particularly flavorful bunch just two days ago. What luck! They’re pretty much out of season now, but come on, when have you ever seen a market not stock apples these days? Doesn’t mean they’ll taste any better than soggy cardboard though.

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make something sort of like coffee cake, but there didn’t seem to be anything that was quite right. Idly flipping through In the Garden of Vegan while waiting for a pot of water to boil, I almost instantly turned to the page bearing a recipe for apple streusel muffins. It was clearly a sign – They were meant to be!

As I spooned them out into their little paper cups, I worried that there might not be enough struesel to top them all, but my concern was groundless; There was more than enough, and each one got a generous helping. Oh, and I might add that the recipe claims to make 6 muffins, but they must have made them as big as your head! I got an even dozen in medium muffin pans, and each one baked up with a lovely, full top.

It’s also worth mentioning that since the ingredients simply list the sugar as “dry sweetener,” I decided to play around with it a bit and use regular white sugar in the muffin base, but then brown sugar for the topping. I really love the dark, rounded taste of brown sugar, so I usually try to use atleast half when it doesn’t specify in the recipe. In addition, I had no oat bran flour, so I simply substituted whole wheat. Other than that, I pretty much followed the instructions to the letter.

Let me tell you, those hard working teachers are finally in for a treat that is perhaps a bit less healthy than that traditional apple, but undoubtedly far more appealing.

Hannah (BitterSweet)1 Comment

Tofu-Powered Crafting

Okay, so I know that I should wait to post this little gem… Seeing as it’s part of a swap that I have yet to send out… But the poor thing has already been sitting around for so long already, I just can’t restrain myself any longer!

Yes, it is a knitted block of tofu. Yes, it is smiling. And finally, yes, it is a pin cushion.

Another original pattern, I made this to take part in the Vegan / Veggie Swap going on at crafster.org. I’m so excited – This will be my first swap, and I almost have everything else ready to go. The deadline is still a while away, but I’ve been planning as though my life would come to a screeching halt should I be slightly late, so I’m not at all worried about making the cut off.

I’m actually more anxious about how my swap partner likes the stuff I’ll be sending her way than what I get in return. In fact, I don’t know what to hope for or expect… I don’t think I would even really mind getting flaked on, to be perfectly honest. As long as I got a positive response… I just want to be able to brighten this crafty vegan’s day.

…And no more sneak peeks before this thing goes out into the mail!

…Probably.

Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments

A World Preserved In Resin…

With spring in full bloom just weeks ago, I pounced upon the opportunity and snagged a whole basket of flowers, only just awakened from their long winter's rest. While the season is still producing numerous types of lovely vegitation, I tend to think that the explosion of color is more reserved for May, as we begin to edge into the real summery weather of June. So I carefully lay out my bounty on paper towels and left them between the pages of my mother's old textbook on Shakespear. Seeing as it weighed enough to sink a small ship, I figured that it could press my flowers fairly efficently.

Of course, I forgot about them instantly. They could have been used maybe a week later, but it's taken me until just these past few days to convert them to craft. It's not a new technique – I've made many others, but with different materials – But I think that pressed flowers make very elegant, but fun magnets.

I find that I'm constantly in need of more magnets, as they're either knocked off the fridge or they simply fall off of their own accord. You can really never have too many, and if you somehow go wild and over-produce, they make wonderful gifts. Although I'd like to keep them… I have a feeling that this set will also be hoarded, to become adornment for the fridge of one of my loved ones, instead.

I couldn't even begin to guess what type of flowers these all are, but the one in the magnet above made my favorite magnet, so I thought they deserved a bit of a spotlight. Some people go crazy about getting all of those little bubbles out, (You can see all around them) but I think it adds personallity and texture. There are plenty of other things to worry about – Resin should not be one of them.

It's really an awesome medium that I hope to explore further in the future, and if you've never played around with it before, I highly suggest it.

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments