Accidental Alliteration

I try hard to limit my online social networking so that it doesn't eat up all my free time, so there are really very few blogs that I follow religiously ~ I can count them on my thumbs.

The one that I've been reading the longest is Wendy Bernard's Knit and Tonic.  She's a wonderful writer with a dry sense of humor and she says what she thinks about the knitting community and 'following the rules', or in her case, going against the grain.  She's also an amazing designer and a strong believer that unless you just go for it and try something, you'll never learn anything.  She doesn't pull any punches on that topic.  It's interesting to read about the design process and get some insight into the feedback you get flooded with (both positive and negative) by putting your patterns out to the public. 

The other, and most recent blog that I've been following....and to be honest, I'm so excited that there are almost DAILY posts!....is Snohomish Shepherdess' Sheep, Spinach and Strawberries.  She was at the Snohomish Knitter's Guild meeting where the KnitWit's did their presentation last month.  I don't think I met her but I can't be certain ~ I met quite a few new people and it's a complete blur as to who they were.  I'm hoping to meet her in a few weeks at this month's meeting.  Anyway, to get to the point, I discovered her blog a few weeks ago and I am completely hooked!  I feel like I'm sitting in her kitchen listening to her tell stories, and I can almost taste all the wonderful recipes that she shares as she whips things up in her kitchen.  Beware ~ here comes the promised alliteration.  I made a quick list of all that I love about her blog and here it is: Friends, Family, Food, Farming, Fiber, Fabric, Photos, Canning, Cooking, Crafting, Quilting, Knitting and Noshing.  If you have any interest in the above topics and you haven't checked her site yet, I highly recommend it!

I am so inspired to get back in the kitchen and break out my cookbooks ~ I've fallen into a rut and her blog has given me the itch to start trying new recipes again and get the canning supplies my father-in-law recently picked up for me at a garage sale (THANKS!) so that I can experiment with small batches of some of the recipes that she's shared.  After hearing about Snohomish Shepherdess' Pickled Jalapenos, my husband shared a memory of Jalapeno Jam that his beloved, and very missed, Grandma Grace used to make when he was a boy, and he's asked me to attempt a batch.  Now to find a recipe!  Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I should mention, also, that she was kind enough to mention the 4 of us KnitWits in her most recent blog post, in which she shared some wonderful family photos, stories, and recipes, and if you're so inclined, you can read it here.  If you're like me, it will make you think about all the people in your life that have travelled along beside you.....and leave you craving a big spoonful of Orange Marmalade.