And this is quite goofy, but I absolutely love it!  It was started a couple years ago, when Eth & I lived together, but then I put it away after the big move.  Since we’re moving back in together, I thought I should finish it up so it can go on our living room wall somewhere.  Some of the parts are from Jo Verso’s books (She was fuckin’ amazing!  Rest in peace.) and others were things I made up.

Ruben really does have a heart on his side like that!  I’m holding a cake & Eth is holding a stack of books.  Up until recently, he’s been a book-buying fool, but has weeded his collection down to a sane level.

Okay, that’s all!

Like I said in the knitting post below, if you’re not a member of Ravelry, the pattern links might not work.  Some are directly from the creator’s own website though.

Here is a giant bone I made for Ruben.  He’s on vacation at Eth’s parents’ house, so I can’t wait to see what he does when I give it to him!  It’s from this pattern.  I used many strands of white yarn, held together, along with a large hook.  He is a Saint Bernard, after all!

Here are various crocheted flowers from Ravelry.  I can’t remember which patterns they were, but if you search under flowers, choose free crochet patterns w/pictures & a bunch will come up.  I swear I am addicted to that place!  I made more than this, but didn’t take pictures of all of them.  I sewed one of them onto my sister’s green hat (that I gave her a year or so ago) & it’s so cute!

Ethan gave me some pretty obvious “hints” that he would love a Donatello Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, so I made this one from Craftster (another amazing site!).  I made the shell different though, because I didn’t like how the small, circular one looked.  I just fiddled around, but didn’t keep track of how I did it.  P  The same lady that made the pattern also has a Splinter one on there, but I am not ready to tackle another one just yet!

This is a ginormous Chubby Fish, for our kitty, Yoda, filled with catnip!  He’s going to tear the shit out of it, I’m sure, so I had to take a picture of it in it’s pre-fucked up state.

Here’s a Little Ninja that I made for my friend, Chris, whose birthday was on Christmas Eve.  Hopefully he’s not checking my blog because I haven’t seen him yet!  Oh well.  Hi Chris, if you read this!  And I didn’t realize how ninja-full my crocheting has been.  Weird.

And here are a couple of examples of the packaging.  Just simple tissue paper I’d had in a box, tied with scrap yarn & a recycled manila folder tag, along with the matching felt ornament.

**WARNING** These items are made from wool yarn.  I have a lot of it in my stash & also buy it at Goodwill & whatnot.  I have major issues with acrylic because I think it is shitty for the environment & creepy.  Please don’t hate me!

If you knit and/or crochet, I highly recommend signing up with Ravelry, if you haven’t already.  It has an IMMENSE wealth of patterns (tons for free!), knowledge, & inspiration.  The following link might not work if you are logged in to Ravelry.

I made a shitload of these fingerless mitts for people.  I can do them without the pattern now too, which is a first for me!  I kind of want some for myself, but feel my hands need some TLC & a vacation.  They’re really easy if you know how to use double pointed needles.  Everything is really basic & even though they can be made in 3 different sizes, they’re stretchy enough to allow a lot of wiggle room.

I also made another pair of blue ones & a teal pair that I didn’t take a picture of, as well as a scarf for my friend, Sage, in Sweden.  It’s the first time I’ve sent something overseas, so I was really anal about packaging it up & getting it ready, then I realized I hadn’t taken any photos of it.  Oh well.  Maybe she’ll send me some of her wearing it!

The whole lot…

These are Coconut Snowballs, which I found here.  They were a new hit & I love how cute they look!  Very Festive.

I also made striped Peanut Butter-Chocolate Fudge.  I made 1/2 batch of Alton Brown’s p.b. fudge recipe & 1 batch of Vegan Lunchbox’s chocolate fudge, without the marshmallow creme or nuts.  I cut them into tiny squares so people wouldn’t go into diabetic comas right away.

These are my favorite ginger cookies ever, Chewy Gingersnaps, probably from a Better Homes & Gardens or Betty Crocker cookbook (recipe down below).  I’m not sure, but they’re delish!

And, last but not least, Raspberry Jelly Dot Cookies, based on my late Gran’s recipe (down yonder) that she cut from the back of a Nucoa margarine box.  Awesome!  They are classics in our family & always bring smiles to my sister & Mom, especially.

Here’s the recipe for the gingersnaps.  They’re chewy, but I guess the “snap” is the spice flavor.  I swear I heard that on The Splendid Table on NPR.  If you like ‘em crunchy, maybe bake them at a lower heat forever?  I’m not a lover of the crunch myself, so I’m not sure.

Chewy Gingersnaps

• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 Ener-G egg
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch each of cloves & salt
• sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Cream first three ingredients together.  Add egg replacer & beat till creamy.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, & spices.  Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture until combined.  Form into 1-inch balls.  Roll in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until crinkly & flat (I whack the sheet on the counter to see if they flatten).

Jelly Dot Cookies

• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Ener-G egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup finely chopped walnut, for rolling
• 1/2 cup or so jelly/jam of your choice, stirred (not chunky stuff)

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Beat margarine, sugar, egg, & vanilla until smooth & slightly thick.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the first mixture, stirring until thoroughly mixed.  If dough is too soft, chill it until it is workable.  Form the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll them in the chopped nuts.  Place them on a cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven & use your thumb (you may have to wait if you don’t have “asbestos fingers”) to make a dent in the center of each cookie.  Then fill the dent with jam or jelly.  Place back into the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Then devour these addictive beasts!

Since my work is closed over any school holidays (it’s at the university), I’ve been out of work for this month, so things have been sparse!  That’s why I didn’t post my “gourmet” meals of beans & rice, pasta w/tomato paste, & other weird concoctions that I’ve survived on by raiding my pantry & freezer w/more desperation than I’ve had before.  The whole experience has made me aware that I am very privileged & need to remember that.  I also realized that I have a lot more food stored up than I knew & don’t always need to run to the store when I have a specific craving.  It’s just silly.  (Okay, PMS cravings don’t count!!!)  Creativity is key!

I also got the Thanksgiving “gift” of a notice that my already high rent is going up(for having an apartment w/out heat for a year–besides a space heater)—not something I’m thankful for!—so in one week I’m moving back in w/Ethan.  We’re so happy!  I think we’ve both learned a lot since we’ve lived apart, and he said that his place hasn’t felt like a home since I’ve been gone.  Sweet, huh?!  I wish the move could have taken place long before school was scheduled to start up again, but his current roommate couldn’t move out earlier.  Oh well.  That’s life!  I’ll try to post regularly & make more exciting foods than the tasty, but ugly, stuff I’ve been munching on.

I probably won’t be able to deal with comments a whole lot, but I’ll try to respond if you have questions for me.  )

And here are my friends’ jack-o-lanterns.  Matt’s alien invaders are on the top & Ethan’s creepy hacked-up face is on the bottom.  Mine was mysteriously not documented.  Darn.

Lemon Sugar Cookies…

Spiderweb Cupcakes…

And some Glazed Orange Scones…

I’m planning on making some more Halloween-style treats before Friday, so I’ll try my best to post them!