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I Want it That Way

I want it that way – Baked Spaghetti

I made baked spaghetti, and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to—even though I forgot part of my own recipe.

Apparently, writing the instructions does not mean I will follow them.

I started with a pound of Italian sausage, seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. While it cooked, I made sure to crumble it finely. Mr. Honey has texture issues, so I pay attention to things like that. A big chunk of sausage might be perfectly fine for me, but dinner is for both of us.

While the sausage was cooking, I diced an onion and four cloves of garlic. Once the meat was done, I drained the fat, added the onion and garlic, and let them cook for about a minute. Then I poured in a jar of meat-flavored pasta sauce I ordered from Amazon.

Nothing particularly fancy. Just things coming together in a pan and smelling like dinner. I used angel hair pasta—only four ounces, weighed dry. And before it went into the water, I broke it in half. I know that’s supposed to be a sin. I don’t know why. I’m making dinner in my kitchen, and I want my spaghetti shorter. So I break it.

I cooked the pasta just short of al dente because it still had some time ahead of it in the oven. Then I stirred it into the meat and sauce and transferred everything to a 9×13 baking dish.

Now, this is where knowing my own recipe would have been helpful.

The instructions called for mixing half of the eight ounces of shredded Italian blend cheese into the spaghetti and putting the other half on top. I put all of it on top. By the time I remembered, the cheese was already there. Into the preheated 350-degree oven it went for 20 minutes. You can see in the picture that nobody was going to have to search for the cheese.

I let it cool for about five minutes before serving, and it tasted great. The angel hair, finely crumbled sausage, sauce, onion, and garlic came together just as I had hoped, with that generous layer of melted cheese over everything.

What surprised me was how much it made. Four ounces of dry pasta sounds like such a small beginning, but with the pound of sausage, cheese, and everything else, it made enough for four meals. There was plenty left to enjoy again.

I could tell you I deliberately changed the recipe to try a different cheese arrangement, but that would be giving myself entirely too much credit. I forgot. It worked out.

Next time, I may remember to mix half the cheese in.

I will still be breaking the pasta.

 

New in the shops

The first tee from the At Dawn Collection has hit the shop! We Crochet at Dawn is ready with 14 colors and 6 sizes. If you know a crocheter who loves tees that celebrate the craft, click the link, heart it and share it!

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Faithfully

Faithfully

There’s an agreement every business owner wants to make with the public: I’ll make something you want – you buy it. Without that agreement, there is no business. 

It’s even more of a thing when you are asking people to give up their disposable income. I love looking at this piece. I love it in the photo and I love it even more in real time. Someone else looking at may love it, too. They can see the squishy and know it would feel great around their neck. If they didn’t just buy another cowl last week.

They may love the colors and it goes perfectly with that coat they got last year. But the $20 it takes to get it has to go into savings account because buying that car is more important.

As a person with not a lot of money, I faithfully consider all of that as I make something and consider if I am going to sell it. Of course I’m going to sell it – that’s the job. But how do I make it equitable for the buyer and for me? Because doing the work is part of the spiritual gift which also has to be considered.

I’m learning to listen as carefully as I design. I can be proud of what comes off my needles and still ask whether I’ve made a good offer. I can adjust the design, the photos, the description, or the price without pretending the work meant less. I’m learning to leave it up to someone else to take a look at it and decide ‘Is this a good choice for me?’

What’s new in the shops?

Aadi Cowl – ready to ship.
The We Crochet at Dawn Mug

 

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I Can See Clearly Now

 

 

I Can See Clearly Now.

The Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial and the Washington MonumentI took this photo in Washington, D.C., on July 17, 2012. It was probably the last time I was there.

At first glance, the tree in front of Martin Luther King Jr. seems to be the thing obscuring the view. We can see his face and parts of his memorial through the branches, but never all at once. Look across the photograph, though, and the Washington Monument is obscured too. The trees hide its base, so we can’t see its full length.

I like that about this picture now. We get a glimpse of each, but not the whole of either one.

Perhaps that is a lesson of history. We can study a person’s words and actions, visit the places that honor them, and still see only so much. The stories we tell about people are shaped by what remains in view and what gets left out.

And yet a glimpse can matter. Even through the leaves, King’s face holds my attention. Even without its base, the Washington Monument is unmistakable against the sky. We may never know all there is to know about another person. Sometimes, though, what we can see is great and rare enough to make us stop, look again, and want to understand more.

I kept this photograph mainly because of King. There was such a pushback to his having a memorial in Washington. History doesn’t allow us to imagine such a pushback against one to Washington. I mean, the city is named after him and he is the ‘father of the country.’ Though history does have some things to say about how he conducted himself and his business. But history is written by mem. So, like the trees, we will get to see some parts of each other but not all.

 

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Ride or Die

Ride or Die

We Craft at Dawn: A Christmas Ornament for the Battle-Ready Crafter.

There are people who craft peacefully—and then there are those of us who approach a new project as if we have been summoned into battle.

We gather our yarn, fabric, thread, needles, hooks, scissors and other necessary supplies. We survey the pattern. We choose our colors. We prepare ourselves for whatever tangled yarn, missed stitches, uneven seams and late-night decisions may come.

And at dawn, we ride…eh..we craft.

That wonderfully dramatic spirit inspired the We Craft at Dawn ornament, the centerpiece of a new Christmas ornament collection from Stitch, Pray, Repeat.

The design features a richly colored craft box filled with yarn, embroidery, fabric, scissors, brushes and other creative treasures. Behind it, the sun rises over the mountains—as if an epic day of making is about to begin.

Because for a crafter, every day we get to use the blessing and the skill, is an epic day.

A Christmas Ornament for Every Kind of Crafter

“We Craft at Dawn” was created for the makers whose creativity cannot be contained within one particular craft.

Maybe you knit in the winter, crochet whenever the right yarn calls your name and pull out the sewing machine when inspiration strikes. Perhaps you quilt, embroider, paint, weave or spin—and have the supplies to prove it.

If your answer to “What kind of crafting do you do?” is simply “Yes,” this ornament belongs on your tree.

The round ceramic ornament measures approximately 2.8 inches and hangs from a gold cord. It is available with the design on the front only or with a message on the back:

Have a wonderful, crafty season! or whatever message you want to put there. You have 100 characters to say what’s on your heart. It makes a cheerful addition to your own Christmas decorations and a fun gift for a craft-loving friend, guild member, teacher or creative family member.

You can shop the We Craft at Dawn Ornament here. It would be so great if you can pop over and give it a heart!

The Rally Cry Began with Crochet

The first ornament released in the collection was We Crochet at Dawn, created especially for the crocheters who know that yarn and a hook can be serious business.

It has the same bold, playful rally-cry spirit, but celebrates the particular joy—and occasional chaos—of crochet. It is perfect for the crocheter who always has another project planned, another skein waiting and at least one work in progress nearby.

[See the We Crochet at Dawn ornament here.] Another heart would be greatly appreciated!

More Makers Are Joining the Charge

“We Craft at Dawn” and “We Crochet at Dawn” are only the beginning.

The collection will also celebrate knitters, quilters, seamstresses, cross-stitchers, spinners and weavers. Each ornament is being designed as a small tribute to the skill, creativity and determination that makers bring to their work.

These are not quiet little ornaments for people who occasionally dabble.

They are rally cries for the devoted makers—the ones who plan projects during dinner, carry supplies everywhere and understand that buying materials and finishing projects are two entirely different hobbies.

Whether you make gifts for everyone you love, sell your work, donate it, decorate your home or create simply because your hands and imagination need something to do, there is a place for you in this crafty little army.

Gather your supplies. Choose your project. Pour the coffee.

We craft at dawn!

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Bad Romance

This is Gisimo Merino. We’re having a bad romance. It is 100% merino and it will get its due diligence when I do the yarn review. But I am grateful yarn never reviews us. (At least that we know about. Can’t vouch what happens when we’re asleep.) I am convinced this yarn would hate me and want to return me to the crafter store from whence I came.

I’m not cheating on him- at least not with another fiber product. I’m not taking the Lord’s name in vain. But I have done what I always do when I am designing something or making something new: restarted the project several times.

The reason was simple: I want to carry the non-working yarn so I don’t have many ends to weave in and I couldn’t get it to act right. I finally had to go to the you and tube to see I was doing the twist the wrong way. So, with the last start, the twist went the way I wanted but the stitches weren’t even. I then remembered it was 100% merino and would need at least some light blocking and I also wanted to do the pattern as I went. So, I thought start it again one last time, track the pattern, work even stitches and get it right since this is a special order. Depending on how much yarn I have left over, I will be making another variation the hat and it’s best to work out the kinks as best one can. These skeins may hate me but their siblings will appreciate the sacrifice.

It’s the Signature tee. Stitch Pray Repeat on the front and the logo on the back. 

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One Thing at a Time

This is the time of the year where I don’t have time for the one thing at a time concept. I have to get things done. They have to be knit and crocheted and designed and written and uploaded and all the things. But during this particular time, it comes after an unexpected three day hospital stay, a friend losing their husband and another friend who just learned they will have to live apart from their spouse because of work obligations.

Such is the cycle we all spin within. Of course we can only do one thing at a time – we just have a bunch of one things and time gets spent whether or not we are part of the transaction and that is the part we cannot control. But we can control how we move through time and how we handle all the things we need to handle and that will often create the outcome.

I am always going to be a little concerned about how much is getting done. Well, I will be more concerned about how much is not getting done. But that anxiety cannot be allowed to outmatch the blessing I know that is all the work I have and am capable of doing because of the blessings that came that made the work possible. The blessings are far and wide and there are more than I never picked up than the ones I have embraced.

So I’m gonna knit and crochet and design and post and all the things and gather the blessings. I must remember to always gather the blessings because that is what makes everything else possible. And be grateful for all the things all the time.

 

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like

It’s beginning to look a lot like….nope, can’t finish that sentence because it will speak it into existence and that’s a reality I have to live as it is.

I have a stocking cap on the needles. I have already finished three of them and I want to have a nice supply before the busy season hits. Part of me thinks I am cursing my sales by preparing for them but I’ve had that thought every year and I’ve made the same hat over and over and never seem to make enough. So now I am getting the mundane part over with to hopefully be replaced with, the happier I can just ship this out vibe. Pray for me.

There are times when knitting something familiar can be comforting and easy because you know what to expect. It’s autopilot and dependable. It’s a different comfort level when someone has paid money for and needs it in a certain amount of time and you already made it over and over and the comfort has been replaced by pressure. Making the hats now brings comfort and now and maintains the blessing that knitting is for me. The business should never overtake the blessing and sometimes you have to work to make sure that priority stays straight.

I’ve also been working on a new mug design and this one really had me thinking and rethinking. Similar to a new knit or crochet design, you start and stop and start again.

Why I always think something will take a moment or two is a testimony to positivity. This took several days before I got to that moment every designer desires: this is it.

This year we have general elections in November and I signed up to be an election judge again. I’ve been an election judge since 2020 and now I am a Polling Place Technician as well. I also signed up for the early voting session, two weeks before election day. Haven’t been assigned yet but I am interested to see how that two weeks may effect my knitting gig. Another reason to get some of the hats out of the way.

And then there’s church. We have a new music director. We prayed for the right person to come, and somehow what arrived feels like more than what we knew to ask for. I’ve been thinking about that.

Sometimes we pray very specifically. We know exactly what we think we need, so we bring God our carefully prepared list.And sometimes the answer seems to say, You were thinking too small.

Music has always been part of our church, but lately I’ve been thinking more about what it could mean for us—not simply something that happens during worship, but something we have to give. Something that might reach beyond Sunday morning and beyond the people already sitting in the pews.

So there is a stocking cap on my needles. There are new designs on my computer. There are election days on my calendar. There is new music coming from the church. None of these things seemed connected when I started thinking about what I might write today. Maybe they aren’t. 

But it’s beginning to look a lot like:

Making something instead of only thinking about making it. And making the future easier when it hits me in the face.

Showing up instead of only caring from a distance. Elections are important – especially when politicians have disappointed you and voting is the last bastion to change.

Using what is already in my hands and being willing to see what might happen next.

There are seasons when life gets very quiet. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need.

And then there are seasons when everything is upon you and you have to learn to deal with it and yourself. It’s beginning to look a lot like blessings. 

I have a hat to finish and an ornament to design.

 

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The Circle of Life

We didn’t put up the Christmas tree last year. It usually goes up the weekend of birthday which is always around Thanksgiving. But last year, most of the family was in Portland for Thanksgiving and it was also the first Thanksgiving without my eldest brother. When we got back home, it just wasn’t there for me to put it up.

This morning was the first time I thought about putting up the tree. Most of the family met in Phoenix to celebrate my brother’s life on the first anniversary of his passing. One of his daughters is quite the entrepreneur and we were discussing business and me branching into POD and she suggested I do ornaments. I have a shop on Etsy for POD that I haven’t done much with and I decided to bring it back and ornaments fit the new direction and so here we are. I designed an ornament around the brand and even when designing it I didn’t think of the tree. It was this morning when one thought leads to another and I realized it is August but I’m getting ready for October – December and November is smack in the middle of that and then Thanksgiving and then family and then the tree. 

The circle of life. 

I am sure I will put the tree this year. I will decide on a theme for the decorations. (Angels, Santa, crystal, free for all.) I usually have a few friends over to help decorate but I think it might be expanded a little. We have a small apartment and can only hold about 10 people before it gets hard to breathe but I can think of something.

I realize I am still grieving. I realize I have some regrets about my relationship with my brother. There are things I can do to move through them both. I can feel the feels and I have another brother and two sisters to relate to in a regret free way. I can get there because it’s the circle of life. There’s always a way back.

The new shop is StitchPrayRepeat.

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The View From the Bridge

The view from the bridge, or rather my work table. It is a bit of a cluster because that’s where my head is at: in a cluster.

Yarn here and yarn there and some sheet music in for good measure. It’s organized chaos. I hope.  It’s early August and I am eight weeks away from the first of my two craft fairs and about six weeks away from the start of the busy season. I want to get ahead of it by making a few of the most popular item that’s been selling the past season. I’ve already sold a couple of them and I think the smart move is having some on hand to mail or for the shows.

Preparing knit and crochet stuff and also creating for designbcb and Stitch, Pray and Repeat can be exciting and tedious all at the same time. I am hoping this time I will be able to make a go of SPR. I have some goals in mind for getting rid of debt and generating wealth and that can’t happen, at least not as quickly, without that shop taking off.

The clutter won’t last long. There’s only so much I can take before I clear it all away. Just to start it all over again. But that is the magic of creativity. We have messes in our minds and messes on our tables and then we somehow turn it around and make the most beautiful things. I bet Da Vinci was a slob.

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Already Gone

I love a tote bag. I have a huge tote bag collection. When we travel anywhere out of state I look for two things: a shirt with the place where we’re going. (It can be purchased at the airport or truck stop and a tote bag which is usually found at a museum or book store. It helps if it has the place where I got it but that’s not really a deal breaker. I’ve been collecting them for decades. Just don’t ask me where they are. The moment I bring them in the house they are already gone.

I can look around the yarn room and see a couple of them but every year when I do a deep clean or rearrangement, I get a Christmas morning  feeling when I rediscover them. When I travel, there is always this mad dash to find the tote bag that will hold my projects. It is worse when we are doing a road trip because I know I can bring more and put it in the van. During those trips, I don’t bring a tote bag as much as I bring a bin. But for airplanes and trains, I have to find a bag I can somewhat neatly pack so yarn doesn’t fall out and roll around. Ask me how I know.

It would be nice if they were organized somewhere but there are some battles that can’t be won. I may give it a shot after this next trip. Since it is just an extended weekend, I am packing a bigger tote bag that will hold the yarn as well as my clothes. No need for a suitcase and there will be a tote bag in the tote bag for using every day. Variety is spice and all that.

That reminds me. I don’t think I have a shirt for the place I’m going or a tote bag. I will have to rectify that…and make sure I have room.