craft circle

Sunday Afternoon Craft Circle

February 3, 2015

A few weeks ago the girls asked if they could host their own craft circle with friends. I guess after watching their mama have fun crafting with her friends each month for the last 15 years they thought they should give it a try.

They decided on the first Sunday afternoon of every month and hosted their first one yesterday.

Each girl brought along a craft to work on and they all sat around the fire chatting and working on various projects. A few worked on crocheted ipod charger cords, Hannah began knitting a hat while her friend worked on a knitted bear project. There was some duct tape art and after much finger knitting over the years Norah began her very first knitted project on needles~ a scarf!

And of course there were refreshments. Norah made back bean brownies again and served them with peppermint tea.

Although there was a bit of a generation gap and the conversation may have been a bit different, craft circle on the first Sunday afternoon of the month with the girls looked a lot like craft circle on the second Wednesday evening of the month with the ladies. There was laughter, lots of chatter, sharing of tools and ideas and of course tea and goodies.

I know that this Sunday afternoon tradition may not last forever but for now I will cherish these moments and feel a little bit proud that my girls want to follow in their mama’s footsteps.

Quick Knits

March 13, 2014

I love a finished project don’t you?
Freshly painted walls. A hand built rock wall. A whole new room!
It is such a satisfying feeling to complete something.
But sometimes my projects can feel overwhelming. The prep, the materials, the money!

I have my fair share of complicated projects that sit unfinished. And I have a long list of projects I would like to start one day soon. I know I’ll eventually get around to them.
But in the mean time it’s always nice to have a few simple, affordable and attainable ones that can easily be picked up on a whim. That’s why I love to knit.

Both of these patterns are from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts, a Christmas gift from my sister. I love the photographs in this book and the simple yet beautiful projects.

The Spiral Seat Cushion was made for Hannah’s desk chair. It was so fun to make as it’s knit in one piece without having to sew anything together. I used a super soft, bulky merino wool which made for a comfy seat. I love how the yarn pops against the wood.

I had a bit of the white yarn left over so I decided to make the Little Pointy Elf Hat for a special friend who is due soon. It was a quick knit made in just a few hours at craft circle last night.

Now, back to scraping and spackling my kitchen walls.

applesauce cake

February 13, 2014

we had just a smidge of our homemade applesauce left so i thought i would do it justice by turning it into cake. craft circle was this evening and i served it up with chai tea.
it’s a deliciously moist cake made with warm spices, brown sugar and pecans, tasting a bit like gingerbread. it tastes best warm out of the oven with a dollop of homemade whipped cream but is also the perfect breakfast drizzled with a little yogurt and honey.

applesauce cake

preheat oven to 350 degrees
grease and flour one (6 cup) fluted or bundt pan

1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon round ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup applesauce
1 cup chopped pecans

sift together flour, baking soda and spices.
cream butter and sugar. add egg
alternate adding flour mixture and applesauce.
add nuts.

scrape batter in to pan and bake for 30 minutes.
cool and dust with confectioners sugar.

adapted from the joy of cooking. i added ginger to the recipe.

Lemon Bread

January 9, 2014

in the last few days i have been baking quite a bit. i think it’s my way to stay warm with these extremely cold temps we have been having.

i baked poppyseed cake and gingersnaps on monday and yesterday i baked a lemon bread for craft circle.

this recipe comes from my aunt patty and is very lemony and moist with a lemon/sugary glaze.
this bread has been made for many a shower, party and event and is perfect with tea.

i had not made it in a few years and after being gifted some lemons from a friend’s backyard tree in louisiana i immediately thought of this favorite.

aunt patty’s lemon bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 rind lemon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

preheat oven to 350 degrees
cream butter and sugar together. add eggs, milk and lemon rind.
sift together dry ingredients and add to butter mixture.
add nuts.
pour in to greased and floured loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.

while bread bakes make a glaze of 1/2 cup sugar and juice of 1 lemon.

while bread is still warm, pop out of pan and spoon glaze over.

enjoy!

craft circle

September 13, 2012

tonight was “craft circle”.

it started out as a large circle of us gathered around all working on individual craft projects.
knitting, quilting, sewing, mending, embroidery etc.
some months the circle was so big it spilled into the next room.

over time though the circle has shrunk quite a bit.
and most of the time it is a craft triangle of myself and my two lovely neighbor friends.
the three of us have been crafting together for 13 years now and i can honestly say that it is rare that a month gets skipped.
there were a few years where i would just sit and nurse a baby and not craft at all.

it’s always fun to see what new projects get pulled out of everyone’s bag. (even though some of us lately seem to be working on the same project month after month)
along with clicking needles and cutting fabric there is always good conversation and lots of laughs.

tonight i pulled out the same fingerless mitts as last month.
but no one seemed to mind.

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