Baking Day!

I just made my first creme puffs and eclairs and don't know why I thought this was such a difficult thing to make! Really it was pretty simple, didn't make too much of a mess and the result is as good as bakery fresh.
The biggest obstacle was putting the cream inside the pastries. I got it in there but not without a bit of a botch here and there. Creme filling graced outside as well as inside of the puffs. And, Tupperware makers, I'm sorry, but your "pastry bag" is a waste of filling. The tips are fine and the concept should be, but the accordian folds in the "bag" hang onto the filling and it's difficult to get air out when you're piping into something and it pops out at the most inconvenient times.  I ended up using the tip placed inside an "old fashioned" plastic bag and that worked out so much better. I mean, I get it, Tupperware, it's plastic, so what can you do besides make it have folds? If you can keep the thing full all the time, then it will work quite well.

Anyway, I hope the picture shows not only how good they look but also how messy the creme filling made things. Still, well worth the effort. I got the recipe from The Shiksa in the Kitchen (theshicksa..com), and although I did use some matzo meal, I mostly used cake flour in place of the balance I didn't have on hand. No problems.
I share and find recipes on Pinterest too. I also share my crocheted stuff - <a data-pin-config="above" href="//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fkentbrew%2F6851755809%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7027%2F6851755809_df5b2051c9_z.jpg&description=Next%20stop%3A%20Pinterest" data-pin-do="buttonPin" ><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a>

Teneriffe threadwork, Tapestry crochet, knitting and more

End of Life - thoughts from an MD: Death by Cessation of Fluids and Nutrition

End of Life - thoughts from an MD: Death by Cessation of Fluids and Nutrition

CROCHET OUR WORLD: Link Your Stuff March 2013

CROCHET OUR WORLD: Link Your Stuff March 2013

Another Year Older and Dapper in Dat

I am a neglectful blogger, I admit it.
There are many reasons for that:
Scrabble, Words with Friends and Facebook, to name but a few.
Here's the gist of what I've been up to for real lo these many months...

Crocheting for the holidays took up much of my time the latter portion of 2012. I worked up hats mostly, but some scarves and fingerless mittens, too. The gentlemen look pretty dapper in their new caps, I must say. I also have increased my inventory on etsy.com (name changed to: 3Csshop), and sales are up a bit. I'm still not in the black, however, but I remain hopeful. In any case, the yarn stash is bigger and, with the new sewing machine (Christmas gift from loving spouse :-)  ) the fabric stash can now be utilized in ways I imagined.

I mentioned previously about neglecting certain other of my many muses. Well, I have found time to fondle the keyboard once again. And the guitar is now being kept next to my computer so I can pick it up at any time. I find I do so much more when it is handy.

I did not do much writing in 2012 after all, in particular, work on my children's story book. Recently, however, I have become acquainted with a fictional character named Scot Tremble who lives in the late-middle of the 21st Century in America. He and his friend, Truth Passage, attend high school together in a world where school uniforms are made of Kevlar and vigilantes run rampant through the countryside with their assault weaponry in hand. Oh, and I should mention, Scot and his other friend, Martin, love old rock n' roll music, like the Who and Bob Seger, for instance. It's exciting to have a new idea for a story and I hope the thread doesn't run out before I solidify the plot.

The coming year looks good right now, since I have lots to keep me busy with things I enjoy doing. It is a wonderful thing to be able to do what you enjoy and I do not take that for granted. Sometimes I still sometimes feel like the grasshopper who fiddles while the ants toil, but I always did kind of admire that foolish fellow.

Oh, if you care to see some of my creations, you can check me on Facebook at  C's Crafted Creations  or on etsy.com as I mentioned earlier. Or check me out on Pinterest <a data-pin-config="above" href="//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fkentbrew%2F6851755809%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7027%2F6851755809_df5b2051c9_z.jpg&description=Next%20stop%3A%20Pinterest" data-pin-do="buttonPin" ><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a>

Newest Projects and Why Etsy 'Feels Like Home to Me'

Well, the first project on the 'new' loom wasn't a total bust. I now have a framed piece of fabric art on my living room wall - and I like it.

I recently finished crocheting a large, round afghan that I truly delight in admiring, and am torn with the prospect of selling it, gifting it or keeping it. I love the colors as much as the design. But isn't that the way with nearly every item that a person crafts?

Speaking for myself, I pick out yarns for their color, first and foremost. Next, I choose a fiber that has a certain textural quality that I particularly appreciate at that particular moment. Lastly, I think of the use I'll have for the skein or ball or hank. In the end, what I create with the thread, yarn or material is something I will have an affinity for if only by way of its colors, texture and/or use. This is why I always struggle with the idea of parting with the item.

The longer it takes me to complete it, the more I dread the separation from it.

I suppose that all sounds very melodramatic, but fellow 'needlecrafters' know whereof I speak. A huge part of the reason for buying handcrafted items, is that the customer has insufficient time or expertise to do the work themselves, yet is quite aware of the hours and talent involved in its production. It is for this reason, IMHO, that etsy.com is so successful. The majority of sellers on 'etsy' are also buyers and do appreciate the abilities of others to create in so many diverse niches. Therefore, it is a self-supporting community.

I not only purchased my loom on etsy, but my drop spindle and my first bit of roving. I also have had occasion to learn techniques by conversing with other etsy.com crafters who willingly share their own expertise without even being asked. Etsy is more than an eBay for handmade goods, it's a community of artisans. It feels like what I always imagined an "art colony" would feel like. And I always had a secret desire to belong to an artistic community. Now I am, and it feels like home.



Here's a link to my etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/3Csshop
And here's a link to my facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/CsCraftedCreations

To Write or To Weave...

Hands On

I just received a vintage loom. A non-rigid two heddle that I have no idea how to use - yet. I have a lap loom that I've used twice now and made a really beautiful piece of material that I will make a handbag with. The other piece is a wall hanging. I got the lap loom to see if I really enjoyed weaving as much as I thought I would. I did. Hence the purchase of the vintage loom. 

It's a smallish loom but will make long pieces, unlike the lap loom which is limited in finished piece size. I can, in theory, make scarves and table runners, placemats and towels on this loom. It will also, once I figure it out, work up a piece much faster because you don't have to actually weave in and out for the weft, simply pass the shuttle through as the heddle can be raised to allow for that. The previous owner saw fit to include a step-by-step book on weaving that I didn't even know she had for no extra charge. There are such thoughtful people out there! 

Hands Off

So far, I've not put hand to pen, however, as I'd planned. I've written a few small blogs and poems but have not worked on the book since late last year. My hands have been busy on other endeavors, but that's no excuse. I don't like to ignore goals because it lowers my feelings of self-worth to do so. In that light, there may be a connection here that will spur me to my assignment again. 

Weaving is a metaphor for living in my mind, thanks to a book by Piers Antony that I read many, many years ago (With a Tangled Skein). In it there is a wise creature with 8 appendages charged with overseeing the fantasy world Antony creates, and who manages the threads of life which are tangled and straightened, woven and twisted, by the world's creatures' deeds and misdeeds. I found the concept fascinating at that time of my life (young adult) and pondered it enough so it became part of who I am. Who I am inevitably goes into whatever I write, so I find synchronicity in procuring a "new loom" and the continuation of my story book. 

Clap Hands

The other thing creative that I do with my hands is make music. I have been so busy crocheting, sewing and weaving (oh, yes, and learning how to spin yarn with a drop spindle, too) that I have neglected that creative outlet as well. Thankfully, playing instruments is like riding a bike - once you learn it, you don't forget how. There will be time. Clap hands.