Tag: knitting

MIM: The Ballerina

This is sort of a MIM gone wrong post. It’s meant to serve as more of a warning than a “how to.” Essentially, ways to make sure you don’t do what I did. Let me set the scene.

Last February, when we were a mere 12 months into the pandemic, I made an octopus for my six year old. She is a fanatical animal lover who knows more animal facts than I could ever memorize. I saw the pattern on Ravelry and couldn’t resist how simple and cute it was. Picked up some yarn at the local yarn store on my once weekly foray out of the house, and then stayed up knitting about an hour each night for a week. Voila! You have Seven, the cuddly and fun Octopus.

In March, my lovely and adoring three year old asked that I knit her something also. Being a mother who over analyzes my parenting and wants each child to feel valued and special, I said “Of course! What would you like?” And this is where the story turns tragically foreboding. She asked for a ballerina.

Feeling over confident based on my momentary success with Seven, I headed to the library to get a few beginner knitting books and find some doable options. I showed her pictures of a handful of ballerina dolls and we agreed on what looked like a reasonable choice. I took on the project with zeal, working from the bottom up. I made her two little legs, I made her torso, I attached arms, and then… nothing.

It was April. The weather was getting nice and daylight was getting longer. I wanted to be outside in my garden. I associate knitting as a cold weather activity so I had zero motivation to do it. Then it was May, and June, and July, and August. Every few weeks she would ask where her ballerina doll was and I would say I’m working on it <total lies>. This made me feel horrible as a mom and person. Why did I agree to something I couldn’t do? Will she think I don’t love her as much as her sister because I’m not finishing the doll? Will she use this in arguments when she’s a teenager to prove how unfair I’ve always been? Remember the over-analysis-itis I have? Serious condition.

Fast forward to October and her birthday looming the following month. I told myself this must be finished by that date. And, you’ll be pleased to know I did. But oh it was painful. Thankfully there were no physical injuries in the making of this doll, but if you count the social emotional damage to my four year old, the bill would be quite high.

knitting project of a ballerina doll wearing a pink tutu and camisole and black slippers

And so friends, in an effort to save you from similar troubles, I am sharing a few suggestions to avoid the “make it myself” trauma we have both endured. And yes, I know I’m being overly dramatic here and this is all tongue in cheek, but there is a bigger lesson here.

For any homemade gift you are considering, please take the following advice to heart:

  1. Read the instructions carefully.  Whether this be a pattern, recipe, or manual, the devil is in the details. If you’re not an advanced practitioner of _______ (fill in the blank: knitting, baking, building, crafting, etc.), ask someone who is to review it for any obstacles you may not know to look for. This is where I must interject to say using an online pattern where people can write reviews would have saved me. But I used an old-fashioned hard copy paper book. Any weirdo can write a book. It takes true expertise to blog <wink, wink>.
  2. Think through the usefulness of the item. Will it actually be functional or is it decorative? For either answer, does that make sense?
  3. Consider the recipient of said item. How well do you know them? How much do you love them? Will they appreciate it? Not meant to be a judgement of the person but more so an assessment of appropriateness.
  4. Account for the time. Do you have the time the project will require or will it become a source of stress and burden? Handmade gifts are truly unique and special. And they take considerably more time than clicking through Amazon or Target. As a compromise, give ol’ Etsy a gander or frequent a local small business instead.
  5. Lastly, will it bring you joy? I know this sounds a little too Marie Kondo but it is honestly an important component if not The most important. For all the reasons above, this is no fanciful endeavor. Are you going to enjoy the act and effort of creating it? Or just the fleeting moment of handing the gift to someone?

I know I must sound like a horrible scrooge with these “make it myself” warnings. That’s not my goal. I guess my point is the gift of time is more precious than any material item. If I’m yelling at my kids on the weekend, telling them to leave me alone while I finish the sweet breads, chex mix, and cookies I’m making for the neighbors, I missed the point. But if I can make it an activity that brings our family together with an intention of generosity and community, then that was worth it. I truly love making and receiving homemade gifts. I think we need to do it more instead of just handing someone a gift card (no judgement – I LOVE ME A GIFT CARD). But you’ve got to find the format and avenue that works for you. It can’t be about comparison or competition. It’s got to be about belonging and caring.

MIM: Apple Pie Filling

As you’ll notice, one of my goals for 2021 is to make more things myself (#MIM – make it myself) and coincidentally that also supports one of my other personal efforts to reduce food waste. One of my first attempts was using veggie scraps and chicken bones to make my first ever chicken broth. In all transparency, it wasn’t super tasty but I made a second batch last week with lots more bones and it came out so much better.

Back during the Christmas holiday, my *hopefully* future sister-in-law brought this over-the-top fruit and cheese basket from Bishop’s Orchard. There were so many simultaneously impressive and entertaining aspects of this gift.

1-It weighed at least 30 pounds and she carried it on the train from Connecticut on Christmas Day.

2-There were at least 20 apples in this beast (should have taken a picture).

3-It had cheeses, jams, jellies, and multiple sweet breads inside as well. I’ve never seen a fruit basket with so many different foods. I think if you’re going to get stranded on a desert island with one food “item,” this basket would be the way to go.

After a few days when it became apparent we were not going to be able to eat these apples fast enough, one of my daughters asked “Do you have any work for me to do?” I thought about it for a second and replied, ‘Yes, yes I do.’ (And yes, this child is that sweet and helpful all the time. I’m not quite sure who her parents are…)

So I followed this apple pie filling recipe from awesome homesteader Melissa K. Norris.  I used XX apples, it took me about 90 minutes from start to finish, and I ended up with a three quarts of apple pie filling. Not being someone who eats pie very often, this will probably suffice the entire year. I’m thinking I’ll use one for an apple pie, one for an apple cobbler, and one for some mini apple pie bites like these.

Here’s what I did:

  1. Washed, peeled and quartered 12 apples. My awesome helper did the slicing with the food processor. I was sure to include a few granny smiths because they have more acidity which is important for water bath canning.  The lemon also helps ensure you achieve the right acidity.
  2. In two batches, I dropped them in boiling water to protect them from turning brown. To save time and water, I used the boiling water in the same pot I would later use for the water bath canning.
  3. Made the ClearJel® mixture in the pot, brought it to boil, took it off the heat and folded in the apples. (These first three steps took about 40 minutes.  I mention this because we all think we don’t have time to do these “home spun” activities which just isn’t true.)
  4. I washed my jars and lids with warm soapy water, dried them with a paper towel, and used my canning funnel to fill the quart jars. I also did the air bubble release by running a small spatula around the inside. I ended up only filling three quarts instead of four and I chalk that up to varying apple sizes.
  5. Fastened the lids to “finger tight.” This is important to just be tight, not “all your might” tight.
  6. Placed them in the water bath, ensured the water covered beyond the top of the jars, and boiled for 25 mins. (Steps 4-6 took me about 40 mins as well, but the 25 minutes of boiling I was playing tag.)
  7. I let them sit another five minutes in the water bath, then carefully removed with my jar lifter and let sit on the counter until the next morning.
  • twelve apples, four different kinds on a black soapstone counter
  • ten apples, four different kinds, on a bamboo cutting board peeled
  • ten apples peeled and chopped
  • apple slices, sugar, clear gel, and spices in pot
  • four quart mason jars, lids and rims sterilized
  • filling quart jars with apple pie filling
  • three quart mason jars of apple pie filling

In other MIM adventures, I knitted this fun little octopus for my 6-year old.  She named him Seven which tickled me.  Yes, I followed the pattern and he does in fact have eight legs so the name is quite hilarious.

  • knitted red octopus
  • knitted red octopus
  • underside of knitted red octopus