It's Still Good

Just brush the fur off and take a bite.

[nestingtendencies]

Hygge Scheepjes CAL 2017 by Kirsten Ballering on Ravelry

[catladycrafts]

I'm still alive! This is a really stunning combination of crochet and cross stitch and I honestly need to pull out my stash to see if I could do this with what I have or if it has to wait until after I move later in the year.

[paisleycowboys]

shrimp socks 🦐🦐

[crochethea]

Amigurumi Kiki crochet pattern 💕

Free pattern here

[catladycrafts]

I messed up when sewing it shut and my mom thinks the little bump is actually cute? Is it just her or am I out of touch.

[catladycrafts]

Okay were good. Should I make a pom pom for this sucker?

[catladycrafts]

On the one hand it was delivered on the other hand wth. Luckily this one isn't a gift. I'm testing it for my friend to see if it works but still. Like through the hole I can see part of it and it looks at least dented.

[lifs-stitches]

Didn't realize my light was broken because it's been a hot minute so here we are. Luckily the crappy little flashlight one kind of works so I could get my spots right most of the time.

[catladycrafts]

The hearts weren't something I wasnt going to do but I had a little but if a muscle twitch when mising up my spots for my shrooms and accidentally dumped a TON of red glitter in and that was not the mood.

[fullcravings]

Small Batch Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

[craftheaven]

Tips for choosing knitting patterns for a beginner.

[ericacrochets]

Everglade Ear Warmer by Desert Blossom Crafts

Free Crochet Pattern Here

[lifs-stitches]

I've never used resin or really wanted to before but I had a surprising amount of fun with the little mold and uv resin I picked up on impulse the other day. Maybe I'll play around with it once I move and have more space to try new things.

[catladycrafts]

How dp people take good pictures of these things? They turn and roll and just generally flop about anywhere but where I want them!

[realifezompire]

@ the person naming these: who are you? what is your life?

source (x)

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[catladycrafts]

The source of all my problems a missed stitch 2 rows in. I apparently can't count because I counted each row at least twice before moving on and this stupid thing still got missed.

[catladycrafts]

I'll admit to being chaotic. I rarely count after the first row or two of stitches. But this time Im counting because its for my godson and this is the only time I've had to frog rows worth of stitching. Not only that I've had to frog them multiple times because somehow I'm still missing things or have something wrong.

[almostreading]

Newest addition to my self-made jumper collection: This absolutely ridiculous goose monstrosity

[thebibliosphere]

It's 1 am, who wants to learn how to make maple candy?

[thebibliosphere]

Things you will need: maple syrup, a large-ish heavy set pot, a candy thermometer, silicone spatula, and a candy mold of some sort.

I'm making a reasonably large batch, so I am using approximately 28-30 fluid ounces. Which is roughly two and three quarter cups if you do not own a set of measuring scales.

The thermometer I am using in this instance is a wired one with a probe on the end, but you can also use one of these bad boys:

Just make sure it's intended to be used for the high temperatures of candy, as not all food thermometers are made equal.

Step one pour your desired amount of maple candy into a heavy set pot. I am using a 4 quart pot for this, as this amount of syrup can bubble over easily.

Next set your pot on a medium heat. Not high. Medium. We’re in this for the slow burn.

Make sure to monitor the heat of your candy at all times. We are aiming for a boiling 235’f (or 112 in Celsius) anything below that it won't harden, anything above that you'll either turn it into hard candy and burn the shit out of it and your pot and may need to explain to your local fire department why you're making candy at 1am. Don't ask me now, I know this.

It goes without saying, but please be careful handing this mixture. Hot sugar can be extremely dangerous and the burns quite severe so please take your time and don't panic. It the pot burns the pot burns. It's better than burning you.

Stir often to help increase the granulation process. It may not look like much is happening at first but you will soon start to see some activity on the surface.

The heat will soon start to pick up rather quickly at this point and it should start to look something like this:

And now I'm at the pic limit so see you on the reblog.

[thebibliosphere]

At this point your candy will be at about 225ish. And it's going to feel like it stays that way FOREVER as it struggles to get up that final ten degrees but do not be tempted to increase the heat or walk away. That's when it gets you and you're saying hi to Ron from the fire department. Again.

Keep stirring and don't be alarmed if it starts to rise up the side of the pot, it's meant to.

You can if necessary turn the heat down to keep it from overflowing, but I find keeping up a steady stirring pace helps to keep it in the pot.

Once it hits 235’f let it sit there for a hot minute, all the while keeping an eye on the thermometer.

If it starts hitting 236’f remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it reaches 175’f or 79’c.

This will take approximately 10-15 minutes, or in my case the time it took eat a gluten-free cornbread waffle cause it's now 1:20 am, and I'm hungry.

Bone Ape Petite. 💀 🧇 😘👌

Once it's cooled to approximately 175’f, it's time to start stirring like a court bard with gossip to spread. I'm short so I had to move to the kitchen table to do this so my arms wouldn't fall off.

Before you do that though, take your thermometer out. And there's a little trick, you'll know you had the mixture hot enough if it's already starting to form a skin like this:

And also if it clings a little to the thermometer:

Mmmmm viscous.

Now start stirring. It's going to take approximately five minutes of constant stirring. Yes I'm serious. This is a workout. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the pot. We wouldn't want to lose any of the precious syrup. It will start to lighten in color as you go. So here are the stages it may look like:

And I'm at the image limit again so brb.

[thebibliosphere]

Once your mixing utensil is coated in the mixture like so:

It's time to pour that delicious mixture into your candy mold. Do not attempt to film this step one-handed or your significant other may wake up from a dead sleep demanding to know with inhuman instincts for dangerous shenanigans ”what bullshit you're up to”

If you left it a little too long cause you're trying to take pictures on your own, don't worry, the mixture should still be malleable enough to smoosh out with your spatula. If you have accidentally solidified it into a substance harder than diamond and can't get it out the pot, you can return it briefly to a low heat until it remembers the primordial state of ooze from whence we all came. Leave it to cool, throw some warm water in your pot to dissolve the sugar you couldn't scrape out even with a chisel.

When you can press lightly against it without leaving a dent, your mixture is cool enough to pop them out of your mold and into a preferably airtight storage container.

Lament that you took this picture the wrong way round, but concede it is now 2:22 am, and you don't care enough to fix it.

And there you have it, maple candy! They should last approximately four weeks in an airtight container. But, if you are anything like me, you are already halfway through them and careering not-so-gently towards a sugar-induced ADHD blackout because nothing else is helping you focus, you're a week behind on a deadline, and you can't have caffeine any more, so sugar is your only hope.

Remember, kids, eat sugar responsibly and do as I say, not as I do.

See you on the other side.